Having a Tri

Swim: low intensity?

2011-08-25T21:28:00.003+02:00

That's what I was informed at the start of the week. Sadly for my arms and legs, the Corporal had a change of plan. Perhaps making up for the attack of squiff on Monday, he proceeded to mash (mmmm....mash) himself into little bits with, amongst other things 10x100ms in 2.30. Oooo. To be fair though, it was probably a self-inflicted penance for the jokes he was telling on the way to the pool.

Unfortunately he decided to mince (mmm...mince) me into pieces too, with:
200m warmup as tradition dictates
100m kick-on-side drill
100m fist drill (bah!)
500m time trial (10 mins, 3 secs)
400m steady
4x100ms off 3 mins (2.01, 1.52, 1.52, 1.49)
200m pull buoy
200m warmdown
Fall over in a pile.

I'm allowed a rest tomorrow, but Nom isn't!

Things that have happened...

2011-08-22T22:42:00.002+02:00

Forgive me for this post because it's been so long that I've forgotten how to blog.

So, things have happened. Driffield Tri happened back in May and was fantastic fun with the best bike leg I know: so much fun apart from Mr Herbalife who passed me, then I passed him, then he passed me, then I passed him and so on and so forth until, I'm ashamed to say, he passed me and hared on up the fast bit in a way that made sure I had no chance of catching him. Bah.

Beverley was fantastic: swim OK (I always cock up the swim, something to do with having to share the lane with 3 6ft+ hairy men), bike great, run fantastic, a PB although it was on grass and gravel (with gates!), I had no idea where I was going and I felt like I was going to die. Then some nutter who had been eating toast started screaming at the 200m to go line that I only had 30 seconds to beat Nom, which it later turned out to be a slight embroidery of the truth.

Allerthorpe was a really fun day but I'm still kicking myself for not going fast enough. I need more standard distance experience. I was too cautious and could have hammered a lot more on the bike than I did but I was worried that I wouldn't have enough left for the run and as I don't really have very much 10k running experience I played it too cautious. Oh well, more experience and lessons learned for next year.

Tonight was a happy time though! I'd been stuck at 2 minutes for 100m for an agonisingly long time, then the Corporal set me off on 100m sets flat out with 100m recovery off 7 minutes which is really making a difference. 1.47 last week, then this week, the Corporal decided to cut short his swim due to an unwelcome attack of squiff and elbow, then decided to stand at the edge of the pool and scream at me. Quote from the Corporal: "You can go faster: do we have a stick?" Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...

Anyway, 100m in 1.42. Then 100m in 1.43 because my legs were going to fall off.

Hooray!!!!! \o/ (if I could because my arms don't work any more!)

I can't decide whether to do Leeds Tri and/or a 67 mile bike in Snowdonia the week before. I'm not sure if I'm going to die if I do both, as the Corporal suggests.

Ripon Tri, 9/7/2011

2011-07-10T23:15:00.002+02:00

Firstly, thanks to all the folks who came to see me race yesterday (amongst other things) - it's great to race with a support crew. Thanks for getting incredibly wet on my behalf!

On to the race specifics - after the series of torrential storms which managed to turn sorting out transition areas into an extreme sport, going over to the swim start was something of a relief. This was swiftly dispelled by the enormous pile of weeds which constituted the swim holding area. I think there might have been some lake in there somewhere, but it was certainly well hidden. Still, I managed to test the buoyancy properties of my wetsuit by pulling my legs as far up as I possibly could, so that's something, I guess.

Unlike last year, I positioned myself front and center for the wave start. I was prepared for flying limbs, and that's exactly what I got. I reckon that's part of the fun, mind. You have to get your head down and plough onwards, and that's what I did. Eventually, it settled down (although it always gets violent at buoys), and I managed something approaching a rhythm.

Just before the 26-minute mark, I reached the ramp at the swim exit. Last year, I was so tired that I half-stumbled, half-collapsed in a state of delirium up the ramp. This year was a great improvement - I'd kicked some blood into my legs and had some degree of consciousness. Didn't mean I could get the wetsuit off though - yet again, and despite covering my entire body with Bodyglide, it stubbornly refused to shift from my arms as well as my legs. I'm going to have to get a more receptive wetsuit at some point.

The rest of T1 went OK, however, and I wobbled off on the bike. After a couple of impromptu gear amendments (top-tube-mounted gel removed before it fell off, shoe strap retightened), I got into a groove that lasted most of the way. The biggest problem was the wind - a tailwind for most of the first section, crosswind for the (very exposed) middle section, and - just where there should have been a nice relaxing downhill section - a strong headwind coming back. Sigh. Still, I passed more people than passed me, including a bunch of folks on expensive TT bikes - nothing in triathlon feels better.

Onto the run, and I could feel tightness in my glutes. At the time, I thought it was just discomfort from being in the saddle with a damp chamois (really, not that pleasant), but in retrospect I think I'd suffered from a slightly duff riding position. I've since made amendments, and I'm going to monitor how things go. It definitely affected the early stages of the run, and it may or may not have contributed to the other muscle problems I suffered.

Still, it wasn't all bad - I managed to tag along with a friendly guy from the Army, who was setting a really good pace. He basically dragged me between kilometres 5 and 9. Sadly, I couldn't keep up with him forever, but by then I knew the end was near. And so it was that the end came into view (actually, quite late on the Ripon course), and, envigourated by the crowd, one last effort saw me across the line in 2:24.32.

And then - the pub. Obviously.

Thres-held!

2011-06-03T23:18:00.002+02:00

Ah, a brief taste of summer.

Tonight was perfect for a short, sharp bike ride. So that's what I did! 30 minutes of tough threshold work on the Greenway, with a decent warmup and warmdown, of course.

Average speed of 34.7kph for the threshold work, which equates to 17.28km of hurt. I'm plenty pleased with that, another good result after my swimming intervals yesterday. The week began fairly inauspiciously with a massive run bonk on Tuesday, so I'm glad to see that I've still got some speed left in me.

Traffic-wise I didn't do too bad, except for two middle-aged blokes with a dog who seemed entirely oblivious to the world and stopped me in both directions (I nearly went straight into them the first time, I think that's what I should've done). Got some decent time on the aerobars, too.

Then we had a less than stellar trip to Asda. But still.

2011-05-30T22:29:00.002+02:00

Yesterday we set out to Ilkley: the plan that had been planned and written on the big plan calender many weeks ago was to head out to the Lido, get out the bikes and do the 5k Denton Lane-Carters Lane-Curly Hill circuit until collapse. Sadly, as with so many things that happen to us, this wasn't the case.

Race for Life day!!!

We couldn't park at the Lido; if fact, Denton Road was closed just beyond. So using the Corporal's "lets stick to the plan until we physically can't stick to it any more" theory, we bombed down Denton Road to see...traffic cones. And a big sign saying 'Road Closed'.

"Never mind," said the Corporal. "We'll just do an out-and-back..." So off we set in the other direction.

Then the rain started. And the wind. And the road undulated. And still we followed the Corporal. I have no idea why. Eventually he stopped and turned around on seeing a sign for a 20% downhill. Even the Corporal has a sliver of sanity that he keeps in his left bike shoe for occasions such as this.

It was great fun on the way back though. And I was happy. I saw three Curlews and a hare. And a damp Nom with a giant sandwich.

Pond!

2011-05-08T21:57:00.002+02:00

Well, my open-water season kicked off today at a beautiful location called Gaddings Dam, up above Todmorden. Those who know me will know how much I love things that are outside and this was most definitely outside! Park at the local pub (not allowed in at this point) and hike up the hill to a windswept moor, don wetsuit and FREEEEEZE!

Actually, after the intial plunge it ain't too bad at all. The water quality is fantastic: just a bit peaty and although the water is incredibly choppy, testament to its exposed position, it's a great swim. Can't wait for next time!

39:46 (pb)

2011-04-29T15:02:00.003+02:00

My computer's borked again, so blogging is tremendously painful, but I had to make exception for this.

After a tough 50 minute bike ride, I managed to smash my run PB by over a minute, and break the magic 40 minute barrier!

This was despite having a pile of porridge in my stomach which I didn't quite manage to digest during the bike.

It hurt like hell.

PS. I took a picture of my Garmin after the run, but I've failed miserably to post it :-(

An 'eventful' week

2011-04-10T22:57:00.003+02:00

Oh, it has been.

I'll start with the bike. Last time I blogged, I was a little ticked off at not having got my bike back yet, but I didn't doubt that I'd get it back eventually. It's fair to say it didn't quite end up like that.

I was awaiting a call from All Terrain Cycles all Tuesday, and it finally came at about 5:30pm. I wasn't expecting the content of the call to be 'your bike's knackered, we can't repair it'. That's what I got, though.

It left me at a loss initially. I hastily arranged to borrow Rich's bike for Wednesday's planned massive brick session, then tried to work out what on earth I was going to do. It seemed plain that I wouldn't be able to race on my (t)rusty Merida again - so I needed another bike.

Plenty soul-searching followed, as I attempted to establish a budget for the new acquisition. Eventually, I decided it wouldn't be worthwhile to get a cheap stop-gap bike - I'd have to put my dreams of a TT bike on hold, and splash the cash on a shiny new road bike.

A trawl of the Internet took me, as it so often does, to Planet X, and the SL Pro Carbon. Specifically, this:

(albeit the white-frame version. And not as blurry.)

Originally, we'd planned to go down to the Rotherham showroom on the 16th to pick one up. However, it turns out that the showroom is just that - you can't actually buy a bike from there. So I've ordered one over the Internet. It should turn up sometime in the next two weeks or so. Suffice to say I'm pretty excited.

That's what the week kinda ended up being about, however this week was supposed to be about the big pile of training I'd scheduled. In the end, I managed to make it to 11 hours before collapsing in a metaphorical pile. Pride of place has to go to Wednesday's brick session - 2 hours of biking at 28.4kph followed by 1 hour of running (in searing heat) at 4:37/km pace. Not surprising I was knackered on Thursday, really...

That marks the end of the hard work this year, much to my delight. From here, it's a week of testing (woo), and then it's all about sharpening up my fitness for race season. I really, really can't wait!

I assume I'll probably have to. I can't see any of the race organisers moving their races to tomorrow...

No bike? Run!

2011-04-01T22:26:00.002+02:00

As the title suggests, I'm still devoid of bike. I know that work's started on it, though, because I've been informed that both my brake callipers are beyond repair. Heh. That's two winters for you.

Still, less time on the bike means more time running. I've now run on three consecutive days for what I reckon is the first time ever. Even better, my legs haven't completely collapsed in a pile. Albeit it felt like that was going to happen on Thursday morning :-(

This week's running:

Wednesday - 30 mins hill repeats on Shetcliffe Lane (bonus meeting with Ian Benn!) straight into 30 mins tempo running - average pace 4:23/km (7:03/mi). Quite a lot of hurt.
Thursday - 45 mins recovery before work, with some 20-second pickups thrown in - average pace 5:04/km (8:09/mi). Running before work is always a bit shaky, but after a hill/tempo session, major hurt. [Also a hard swim session in the evening.]
Friday - 60 mins, incorporating a 10km time trial. Managed a quality time of 40:54. Seem to have recovered quite quickly afterwards, which is nice.

It's been a while since I did a 10km time trial, but still 40:54 is faster than I'd been aiming for - I was looking at hitting 42 mins until I was about 3/4 of the way through! What with the accumulated fatigue of the previous two days, and the lack of actual race conditions, I think there's a chance that I could break 40 mins if I entered a standalone 10K race in the near future. Which I'm not going to do, by the way, but a sub-40 minute 10K is one of my training goals this season, and possibly the one I'm closest to achieving (although the 6:30 400m swim would run it pretty close).

All that's mighty lovely, of course, but I'm not a 10K runner, I'm a triathlete. So what does it mean in tri terms?

Well, my run target for Ripon is 43 mins (a terrifying 7-minute improvement on last year). It seems that that time should be well within my capabilities given an extra 3 months' training. Unless, like last year, it's 300 degrees in the shade. Then, I'll be lucky to cross the line...

Flip turns vs. tumble turns (part 84)

2011-03-28T21:57:00.002+02:00

More on that later.

This evening I continued my attempts to kill myself in the pool, with a set which, despite being a 'mere' 2400m, left me absolutely annihilated. I'm writing this two hours after the end of the session, and I'm still drained. The set consisted of the following:

200m warmup
400m kick drills (200m 0-1-2 drill, 100m kick on side, 100m 10-4 drill)
400m other drills (100m fists, 100m trickle, 100m sighting, 100m hypoxic swimming)
2 x 400m paddles (that's a lot of paddles, kids!)
8 x 50m sprints on 1:30 (ow, ow, ow)
200m warmdown

The sprints were exquisitely painful. I've never scheduled 8 in a row, and it told by the end. The idea (apart from to smash myself to bits, which is a given), was to compare flip turns and tumble turns by doing sprints alternately, to see if there was a noticeable difference. As it turns out, there was, ish. The times for the flip turn reps were [43s, 41s, 41s, 42s], whereas the times for the tumble turn reps were [40s, 40s, 41s, 43s]. That was despite my feet slipping on the last three tumble turns (odd, I usually mess them up in every single way apart from that). I'm still not sure it justifies the extra energy expenditure, mind. Not to mention the danger of missing a turn completely and looking a complete fool.

I doubt this is over :-(

PS. Those sprints were damn quick. I seem to have lost that point in the turn-based madness, but still...

Blog o' the Week - early finish edition

2011-03-26T21:27:00.002+01:00

Hello, viewers!

I'm sat wrapped in a blanket with a steaming hot cup of tea, in the rare knowledge that, on Saturday evening, I've already done all my work for this week. In fact, I'd got through all my training sessions by 9:30 this morning!

That's because I've finally been able to get my bike in for a service! It's taken a few false starts, and it could be a full week before I see it again (I'm fearfully working out bike-free training weeks between slurps of tea), but it's now in the care of All Terrain Cycles. I'm really looking forward to riding a bike which actually works - it might improve my time trial times, which I've not been so impressed with thus far (although it's tough to find the conditions needed for a proper time trial round here - quiet and flat are not adjectives usually used to describe roads in Bradford!)

Training this week was pretty decent - got some good bike mileage in (while I could), including some hill reps on Hunsworth Lane which I think bears repeating in forthcoming weeks. Swam and ran decently, too. Nothing stunning, just another building block for the season.

Finally, something I've been doing more and more of recently is comparing the sessions I've done this year to those I did last year. This time last year was a pretty boring affair, sadly, the highlight seemed to be a 90-minute bike ride at a stately 22.0 km/h. Even my slow-feeling sessions this year are a fair way quicker than that...

Aaargh

2011-03-20T21:29:00.002+01:00

I've just signed myself and Nom up for Beverley and Driffield triathlons. Aaargh.

20:28 (not a pb)

2011-03-20T17:40:00.002+01:00

Last but not least for the week, cycling. Skipton Tri bike route, to be exact. From MapMyTri's elevation graph, it looks like a few gentle undulations, a nice quick course.

It isn't.

The time trial was based on the middle 10km of the 20km course - so avoiding the genuinely flattish out-and-back section to and from Skipton. I started decently (albeit not warmed up enough - to some extent my fault for not spinning in a lower gear on the way, to some extent the fact that it was unexpectedly chilly), but after about 1.5km I was confronted by a deceptively tough climb. Sadly, I was entirely deceived, and a mixture of dodgy hill fitness, not having many gears to pick from, and not picking the right gears from the few available left me crawling to the top of the hill, cursing alternately under my breath and out into the world (fortunately, the middle of nowhere).

I never quite managed to recover from that, although I did manage to recover some measure of pride on the downhill last few kilometres (40+ kph for the last 3 kms). A final average of 29.3kph wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

Looking back, however, it wasn't the quick course I thought it was. At least, the part I used wasn't - the rest of the course seemed fairly swift. I also would've benefitted enormously from being able to drop onto my middle chainring for the climbs. Ultimately, though, I wasn't able to muscle up the hills like I want to be able to. There's only one way to remedy that - more hills!

[unrelated note - Paul Milnes Cycles has moved all the way to Canal Road! I am the opposite of impressed...]

19:03 (pb)

2011-03-19T18:10:00.002+01:00

Parkrun, then.

I made very little secret of the fact I was gunning for the 19-minute barrier, and I just missed it today. That's disappointing, and there are a variety of straws I can clutch as to why not (I'm currently blaming the runner in front for being too fast for me to chase after), at least it was a 20-second PB. Extrapolating this year's results, I am on target to break 18 minutes this season.

I suppose I should try out a faster circuit than Lister Park - it seems to be one of the slowest Parkruns knocking about. I reckon that a fast course would be out and back on the Greenway, but starting from Cleckheaton, so doing the first half up the slope.

Cycling in Skipton next - fans of road safety will be thrilled to know that my rear brake's now a lot more effective at gripping my rear wheel than it was. Not so hot at letting it go afterwards, mind, so ideally I won't use it at all during the time trial. What could possibly go wrong?

Truth.

2011-03-18T22:13:00.001+01:00

"This is, of course, despite telling Veg and Nom that time trials aren't supposed to be got worked up over at every occasion. The rules don't apply to me, obviously."

Nah. I didn't believe you either.

My tea isn't nice...

2011-03-17T21:43:00.002+01:00

...it's from Asda for a start. Blech for sloppy gnocchi (not an euphemism)!

But fings are good for Veg because I have just swum 400m in under 8 minutes! My previous PB was 8.11 which I was flipping happy with, to be honest, but tonight I did it in 7.59! Wheeeeee!!

Lovely pool attendants let us wear our tri suits to the pool (in fact we now have free rein to wear them whenever we want!) and it seemed to make the difference. That or the fact that I'd been getting my head in gear to do it all day.

So now I'm going to pick through the remains of my icky gnocchi (burnt my hand getting it out of the oven too: grr) then have a bath and try to make my hair a bit more sensible than it is currently. Now that won't be difficult.

6:37 (pb)

2011-03-17T21:10:00.002+01:00

Looks like I'm the first one to make it to the blog...

It's time trial week! A febrile mix of fun and terror, and in the case of swimming, looking entirely ridiculous in triathlon suits, bombing down the fast lane in Tong Pool (luckily, they're used to us by now).

Last month I had a pig of a cold, and failed to break the 7-minute barrier. I wasn't particularly happy about this (to say the least), so I'd piled some pressure on myself to make amends this time. This is, of course, despite telling Veg and Nom that time trials aren't supposed to be got worked up over at every occasion. The rules don't apply to me, obviously.

So as previously trailed, we rolled up to Tong Pool tonight, put on our tri suits, struggled to get over the unpleasant feeling of getting the suits wet, warmed up and threw ourselves into our 400m time trials. With a bit of luck, the others will turn up to post thoughts on their times, so I'll concentrate on mine. I got through in 6:37, which is a 15-second PB for me. I'm pretty happy with that. In particular, I felt like I managed to keep my pace high in the second 200m, which has been an issue in the past.

The only problem I had, which keeps cropping up, is the turns. Specifically, whether I should persist with tumble turns. I gave them up after about 200m tonight, and to be honest I felt much stronger without them. They may be faster than open turns in terms of turning itself, but unless I can do them perfectly, I think I'm losing more time actually swimming. My instinct is, as ever, to plough on regardless, but there must come a time where either I can actually tumble turn efficiently, or I abandon them for another season.

Still, rest day tomorrow, before Parkrun on Saturday. Hurrah!

Can't really be bothered blogging but this made me laugh:

2011-03-16T20:05:00.001+01:00

Article.

That is all.

30 minute run in the wind...

2011-03-16T00:19:00.002+01:00

My legs were heavy after a 45 minute swim yesterday. But I have to do an 8 minute 400m on Thursday or the Corporal will wire the water up to an electric charge to make me faster*.

*Horizontally or vertically. Oooo.

Monday Random Roundup

2011-03-14T12:13:00.001+01:00

A few quick thoughts, before they cohere into something resembling a narrative...

1) I've just finished my hardest training week (by volume) ever. Surprisingly, I don't feel that bad. I guess that could be because a lot of that was concentrated towards the middle of the week, leaving the weekend (relatively) quiet. Looking back over my training notes, I was very weary on Thursday, far more so than I am now. It probably also helped to finish the week on a high note...

2) ...with a speedy brick! 30 mins on the turbo (10 mins warmup, 20 mins tempo at 29.9kph), quick transition (that's the advantage of doing the bike on a trainer), 15 mins running at 3:48/km pace. That's the fastest running pace I've ever recorded, and to do it on the back of a fairly intense bike session was particularly pleasing. Albeit 15 mins isn't 5K, even at that pace. Still, it sets me up nicely for...

3) Time trial week! Or 'rest week', as I rarely seem to call it. Mental note to myself while I'm here: keep the intensity low for everything that isn't a time trial this week. The thing I find scary about time trials isn't the extremely hurty nature of the TTs themselves, rather the knowledge that I get one shot per month, and if I'm a little under par this time, I have that number in my head for another four weeks. Still, I'm confident that I can post good times on the swim and run, and if I could work out a decent bike route, maybe that as well. Finding bike TT routes is tough.

4) Sun! Not the alleged newspaper. Still not got the warmth particularly, but it's nice to not have to clean my bike after every ride. It currently looks pristine and lovely, as I'm taking it in for a service today, and I don't want to be judged too harshly. At some point, I might even be able to change gear...

Gym!

2011-03-13T23:19:00.003+01:00

Getting the old bottom back in gear. I must say, remembering the password here was a major breakthrough!
So what's been going on? Lots of veg, obviously, with onions and chillies being top of the league table here at Veg/Nom Towers. And triathlon. Aaaah, triathlon.

Last year I enrolled on an adult education teaching course with blissful dreams of long summer holidays full of sunbeams and unicorn farts lighting my way. Of course something so wonderful obviously was not to be, so taking a year off triathlon ended with me instead taking on a similar job to the Corporal.

So this year. I did a swim analysis session with the Corporal last year which was a really positive experience (albeit terrifying!) for both of us! LBT coaches are fantastic, the club members are great and if there are actually any triathletes reading this, then the best thing that you can do it look at their website. No, really. They're not paying me. They're just brilliant. I'm loads faster this year in the water, thanks to the Corporal and LBT and am regularly swimming 2,000+m and not thinking much of it. Until I have to sit down to put on my socks.

Anyway, the short version is that I'm doing the Great North Swim this year, as my ambition is to get my head around open water swimming, which I freely admit, is freaky. We're signing up to Skipton as a relay team, I believe, and then I'm still trying to decide on Driffield, Beverley and Ilkley. I foresee many hills in my future. Sigh.

Forgot to mention that the reason for the post title was that Nom and I spent 1.5 hours in the gym today and did a 25 minute run (split into two, there and back again). I didn't die, despite Nom's best efforts!

Swim tomorrow. If I don't post, spare a thought for my poor arms and legs...

Catch-up, part 2: 2011 plans, targets, dreams

2011-03-06T13:56:00.001+01:00

With all those distant memories out of the way, it's time to concentrate on this season. It's one where I'm hoping to step it up a level, especially at standard distance, and nudge towards the top of the listings at sprint distance. It's not going to be easy, but it rarely is, and my training performances thus far have given me confidence that I can hit what are some pretty stretching targets.

Race-wise, those targets are:
1) Finish a sprint triathlon in under an hour. That gives me two chances - Driffield (1:04:04 last year) and Ilkley (1:04:36 last year). Conveniently, it's also one relatively flat course and one darn hilly course. For that matter, it's one early-season race and one late-season race. Either way, a lot of things will have to go right to beat the hour, but I don't believe it's impossible by any means.

2) Ripon in under 2:30. Last year it was 2:47, but that was my first standard distance tri, and one where some elements were being taken a little conservatively. Also, it had the sun absolutely blaring down, which surely can't happen two years in a row. The bike and run courses are both pretty flat, which isn't exactly playing to my strengths, but my distance running is a whole lot better now than it was then.

3) Leeds in under 2:25. A more achievable target might be to avoid being disqualified, but again this is a matter of taking 15-20 minutes off the previous year's time. The difference being, of course, that this is a tremendously hilly race - hideously painful, for sure, but more my style. It's an course where racing weight will be a factor, and I'd expect to be lighter than last year. Also with hilly courses, local knowledge is very handy, and I'll be able to ride the course a number of times before the event.

Now, all those targets are very tough, and it's not inconceivable that I could have a very good season without meeting any of them, but there's no point aiming low. Awkwardly, as they're all time-based, they're vulnerable to elements outside my control - inclement weather, for example. They do, however, offer the tantalising possibility of high finishes, and maybe even some minor prizes if things go my way. Everyone likes prizes.

So what do I have to do to meet these targets? The first thing, I guess, is to train consistently. That's always the main building block of any athletic performance, and in triathlon it seems even more pronounced. That includes when the weather is vile (hopefully, most of this should be out of the way now). Having a plan B is very useful for this (as, indeed, is having a plan A!), events have a habit of getting in the way of things, so backup is very useful. Tends to involve the turbo trainer for me, it's not restricted by weather or lighting.

Also key is to train at various intensities. Last year, I was moving up the distances, so there was a lot of endurance work to do. This year, lots of work at tempo and anaerobic levels are in the pipeline. Training at low intensity all the time is the classic trap for triathletes to fall into - after all, any triathlon is neccessarily an endurance event. If you want to get onto the first page of results, though, you need to be able to shift. I've used Parkruns to sharpen up my running, hard turbo work and hills on the bike, and hard interval sets in the pool. It hurts like hell, but let's face it, that's what gets results.

A bit of shiny new gear also helps, of course. This year, I've picked up some proper tri cycling shoes (and attendant pedals), and I'm currently having lustful thoughts towards a pair of Brooks T7 Racers - race-specific running shoes that weigh approximately nothing, as worn by Chrissie Wellington among others. The question is whether the lack of any motion control or cushioning is a good idea for my running style. Sadly, that'll be about it for new gear, like-for-like replacements notwithstanding, so I suppose I'll have to work hard instead :-(

Lastly, I need to sharpen up my transitions. Hopefully this will improve with experience; I've had some horror shows in the past. I'm trying to streamline the process - the shoes are easier to get on and off, and my new bike computer will negate the need for my Forerunner on the bike leg (I can put it on on the move during the run). These little time gains add up - with a bit of luck (and a lot of graft), they'll add up to a successful 2011 season.

Catch-up (part 1)

2011-03-03T16:37:00.001+01:00

Not the swim drill, natch.

2010 was, I guess, my first proper year in triathlon. It was the first time I followed a decent training plan (although maybe not quite as closely as I might, in relation to doing the faster stuff), and the first time I did a bunch of races.

The early part of 2010 is fairly hazy in my memory, somewhat understandably. I remember a succession of terribly boring turbo sessions, which indicates the weather was less than ideal. According to my training log, I then progressed to painfully slow bike rides (although I didn't have my slightly nicer wheels back then) and a pile of endurance runs, which was fair enough as I was building from sprint to standard distance. Swimming I'm not sure about, I know I progressed to full structured training sessions in 2010, but I can't remember when. Man, I suck.

[As an aside, it's always fun to look back a year or so, to look at what speeds you were putting out. It bodes well for this year that I'm considerable faster than I was in early 2010.]

Driffield turned up in May, and it feels weird somehow to say it was my second ever triathlon. I was definitely feeling jittery as I turned up (actually, this always happens when I rely on Dad to take me somewhere...), although this was mitigated somewhat by doing a brick session on the course with Veg and Nom the weekend before. What I hadn't practised enough, though, was transition, and it showed, as, after a decent enough swim (to be honest, very good for May 2010), I made an ungodly hash of T1, taking ages to get my bike shoes on, taking another age to get my GPS on, and completely failing to attach my race number, for which I was rather lucky to avoid disqualification!

A slightly freaked-out bike leg followed (due to the number), albeit one that was a clear speed PB, and then further ignominy, as my general flusterment (may not be a word, but it should be) led to setting off for the run with my bike helmet still on! Sigh, waste of time and energy, the worst of both worlds.

The run was solid, though, even if the evil organisers had made it more than the advertised 5K, and I crossed the line in a fairly decent time of 1:04:04. I then discovered how unpleasant Udo's Choice is, and how lovely East Coast fish and chips are.

Ripon weekend deserves its own post really. It isn't going to get one. It really is an awesome experience though, partly due to the whole camping thing (cholera optional), partly due to the sheer size of the race itself, and all the attendant excitements.

Race day is a pretty odd feeling at Ripon, due to the afternoon start time. Waking up at 8 (you are, after all, sleeping in a tent) gives you a long, long time to get nervous. Luckily, The Usual Suspects were there to calm me down a little. Still, I think the most unpleasant feeling in all of triathlon is being in the 'pen' waiting to get into the open water for the swim start. It's genuinely horrible (and it didn't get much better at Leeds...)

The hooter went and, like everyone in the history of open water triathlons, I went off too quick. I tied up considerably by the end, not helped by the seams of my wetsuit chafing (Vaseline does the trick), and exited the water in somewhat of a daze.

[A moment here to remember the guy who passed away in the water - think he was in my wave, actually. Racing for charity as well - very sad indeed.]

I'd not been on the bike course beforehand, reasoning that it was pretty flat, so there was nothing to worry about. This turned out to be essentially correct - apart from a schoolboy error rendering my GPS redundant, everything went smoothly, in fact, more smoothly than I'd expected.

And so to the run. It'd been a lovely sunny day right from the beginning, which is grand for the swim and the bike, but running in mid-20s Celsius is a bit of a toughie. Like an awful lot of people, I struggled mightily, finishing just outside my target time for this discipline (by 18 seconds!) - total time 2:47:39. I was then a great pile of uselessness for at least a couple of hours. Although it turns out ice cream helps a lot...

Beverley was pretty nondescript - apart from the drama of getting ready to set off to the race, only to discover a puncture (aaargh!), and the mini-drama of taking a wrong turning on the way there. This race still contains my current bike PB though - 33.8 kph for 20 kilometres. It's a lovely, fast course. The run was a little annoying, though.

Leeds was a fairly monumental effort, such a hilly course, it still gives me nightmares. A shame, then, that my top-quarter finish was wrecked by being DQ'd for a duff overtaking manoeuvre. Ironic, as I made the overtake to avoid being pinged for drafting...

Ilkley, then, was the last race of the year. I needed a strong result after the disappointment of Leeds.

[Ilkley's such a great event, though, a super atmosphere, friendly people, a course to completely destroy yourself on - what more can you need?]

The swim was somewhat arse - I got unlucky with folks in my lane, and even had to stand up at one point. Not happy. The bike and run were fairly solid, despite a heart-in-mouth moment when I nearly overcooked it going down Curly Hill. Still, I felt that it wasn't quite as fast as it could've been; maybe I was still feeling Leeds, maybe it was the rest of the season catching up with me.

I finished in 1:04:36 and disappointed with that time (although it was nearly 7 minutes faster than in 2009). After sulking a bit, I hung around to catch the presentation, and was amazed to have actually won a prize! Although it was essentially down to a quirk of the prize system, it was a prize nontheless, and having it presented by World Sprint Triathlon champion Jonny Brownlee was an incredible experience. (Note to self: need to spend that gift voucher).

Then: pizza. In large quantities.

And, of course, thoughts of 2011...

A return to blogland

2011-03-02T22:12:00.003+01:00

Hello, viewers!

After a prolonged absence, I'm back on the UK's least popular blog.
Having been away for so long, there's an awful lot for me to catch up on, which I hope to get through in due course.
Sadly, as I'm stuck composing this on an iPhone, now's not the time...

Ran!

2010-01-28T23:02:00.001+01:00

We ran tonight. Nom and I did half an hour, probably about three miles; Corporal Odd is probably still trundling around West Yorkshire, although he may be in Margate by now. We never know.

I did my 3 mile run...

2010-01-25T20:41:00.001+01:00

..nice steady pace, 26.32 minutes. Including the time it took to cross Cleckheaton Road: grrrrr.

At least I didn't have a near death experience like the Corporal. x.x 0.0

A whole weekend's worth of punctures

2010-01-25T13:36:00.002+01:00

...and then some more punctures. No, really. We set off on Saturday for a trundle across to Dewsbury on as much of the Greenway as possible. Only got to Cleckheaton before my back tyre went flat (always the back one; grrrr..) The patch we chose was ginormous, which didn't help matters. It took three of us an hour to fix it >.< Then, returning to the bikes, it transpired that the Corporal's back tyre was 98% glass, 2% unspecified sharp bits. Two more punctures and half an hour later we decided to head back to Veg/Nom Towers for sausage butties and cake.

Sunday morning, Nom and myself didn't get up. One panicked phone call from outside our back door later, fishfingers and big pots of tea inhaled, we were ready to try again.

Well, we managed it. 17 miles, a puncture for Nom in Heckmondwike and another one for me just outside Spenborough. A lovely ride though, although the glacial damage to the roads from the last few weeks isn't making my tyres happy. Nom says I can have some new purple ones.

Now, Mr Odd, did I hear a mention of 'new tyres'?

My new goggles!

2010-01-18T21:23:00.002+01:00

They're lovely!

They don't leak one bit, and the field of vision is very wide. Got a little bit excited with them, and ripped off a 8:20 400m. Was pretty quick in general, though, sub-33 minute 1500m pace. Even with a brief encounter with slow people, as well as having to take my swimming cap off halfway through (and then swim with it for a length and a half).

Then I ate a chicken breast the size of my head.

I'm a happy bunny.

New year, new season

2010-01-01T21:39:00.002+01:00

2010? Tsk. 3 days until I have to go back to work, more like. Still, as the Roman numeral ticks over to MMX, my thoughts concentrate on the new season ahead. If I allow myself to consider the training already done as bonus work in the bank, then this is when the real training starts. Shame, then, that there's still snow on the ground and that I've got a *deleted* puncture! (Mainly annoying as I've had every chance to order new patches/spare inner tube, and I haven't. Having nobody to blame except myself hurts.)

Hm. Looks like paragraph breaks are the first casualties of wine.

So it's not the most ideal circumstances in which to kick a training programme into gear. No excuses though, Driffield Triathlon is a mere 19 weeks away. Subtracting 5 weeks for recovery time, we've about 14 weeks to become race fit. Even if it's only over 400m/20km/5km. If we can rack up 80 hours of decent training in that time, we should be OK. If not...well, I won't allow that to happen.

Personally, I kicked off 2010 with my first ever run interval session - 3 x 5:00 in HR zone 3, interspersed in 45 mins of zone 2. T'was a nice waker-upper, looks like I was pacing about 27 mins for 5K. Not that that's the point of HR training, but it's nice to know.

Really, really can't wait to get a long (2 hours+) bike ride in. Might require a slight uplift in temperature first mind, lest my toes actually fall off, like they threatened on Monday -_-. According to the BBC website, this won't be anytime soon. A really good way of ticking off a good part of my training hours though. With the possibility of cake too, which helps.

Cake always helps.

newtoynewtoynewtoynewtoynewtoynewtoy

2009-12-26T21:40:00.003+01:00

New toy.

It's super, super and super. Feature-packed (I haven't worked out how to get the screen on that picture, for instance) and fairly easy to use. Syncs really well with SportTracks and MapMyTri too.

Had a couple of runs with it, in the lovely* snow, and from what I can tell, the sensors are excellent, everything updates very frequently (about every second or so). Can't wait to take it out on the bike. Grr, salt.

PS. Wrote this post on the 26th, but it seems to have been magically eaten by the Internets. Bah the Internets. Lost the last paragraph, too.

...it rained.

2009-11-29T19:12:00.001+01:00

I got wet. Like, really wet.

Managed to run from my house to Whitechapel Road and back, though.

Now I have to do core exercises -_-

I think I'm cycling tomorrow...

2009-11-28T02:09:00.001+01:00

...hope it doesn't rain!

Oh hey, a blog!

2009-11-22T19:36:00.002+01:00

Hm, I was sure I blogged after my big previous week. Oh well.

This week was pretty quet, no less than three off-days, for a total of 4 hours' training. Nearly came a cropper today due to front wheel flatness, however:

1) It doesn't matter when you have a turbo trainer - I must say it wasn't the eventuality I'd been planning for, but the TT does prove its worth at times like this.

2) Seems likely to have been a false alarm anyway - having pumped it up properly this afternoon, there's no sign of deflation, so I'm minded to put it down to not tightening the valve properly, something which I'm guilty of far too often.

Either way, 75 minutes was by far the longest I've gone on my turbo trainer. It's not unbelievably exciting, but it is bearable, and a really good workout. Much harder to get hit by a car, as well!

Oh, and it seems that MullerLight yoghurts are a good recovery food. Lovely.

Lonely...

2009-11-18T23:07:00.001+01:00

...humph *sigh*

May have to change the background back to 'twee' at this rate!

Yay pie...

2009-11-17T23:46:00.000+01:00

I had pie for tea. Veggie pie, but with gravy and a giant pile of veg.

Anyone want to blog??!! We need to get Nom out of his blog block!

Forgot to mention...

2009-11-15T16:50:00.001+01:00

...ooo my thighs...

Why go uphill? You only have to come down again...

2009-11-15T16:14:00.003+01:00

This morning brought the Corporal to Veg/Nom Towers for a lovely bike ride with an almost total absence of rain. Or navigation skills. An ill Nom (think back to Fromage's early problems) was left alone for a couple of hours as we set off, thinking about a nice flat ride with no Nom cackling manically as he led us up yet another hill.

Fail.

A summary of the ride: all the hills. And then some more hills. Incidentally, we did go everywhere, so it is entirely feasible that we may have gone up every hill ever. Let's see...we started in Oakenshaw, to Shelf, to Coley, to Hipperholme, to Hove Edge, to Brighouse, to Clifton, to Scholes, to Cleckheaton, to Spenborough, to Liversedge-ish, then back to Spenborough, Cleckheaton, Oakenshaw. Yep, that's everywhere.

Don't ask Odd about the cyclist on the hill though. But he didn't overtake the mighty Corporal, oh no. Odd would have kicked him off his bike first.

Ran yesterday, (Corporal? 30-ish minutes?), swim tomorrow. Now I'm having a nice cup of tea and a sit down.

Get well soon, Nom. I have to share a bathroom with you...

Back to front crawl...

2009-11-09T11:48:00.002+01:00

Well, alternate lengths anyway.

The bike-swim-bike started at 8am, sadly sans Nom, with a punctual Odd, then failed on several counts of Veg:

Absent Buff
Frankenbike front wheel fail
Shiny bikes locked together in a Nom-invented bike death grip
Absolute failure to get to the park due to 8.15 Monday morning traffic

Still, we got there we swam, in an empty fast lane, with zero visibility due to Odd's complete goggle asplosion and me being unable to see anything due to the sun glinting off the fog on my goggles. Still, it's nice to get the old sinuses cleared out with a few lengths of front crawl. I think I need to stare at Mr Smooth for a while...

Corporal Odd has told me that if I bike for 2 hours on Saturday and do a run on Sunday I can have the rest of the weekend off. Wheeeeee!

Shock!

2009-11-01T17:00:00.001+01:00

I had a phone call this morning. Fromage asking me to go for a swim!!

I've only just recovered.

Rained off today and too much coursework for a bike ride: plus my Halfords Frankenbike still has a front wheel of death.

Swimmy swim-swim tomorrow, then possibly to Leeds to throw Fromage in Roundhay Park lake. Well, he asked for a swim and it is prime triathlon open-water...

Ducks and all. Hehe.

Back in the Saddle

2009-10-18T21:30:00.002+02:00

...ahem.

Despite having been back in training for a few weeks now, it wasn't until I took my bike out with Nom that I felt that the training season had really started. This is most probably due to Nom's uncanny ability to locate massive hills. -_- Still, it's good to get out on the road, especially with nice new gloves!

Afterwards, poorly Veg tried to poison me with wholemeal bread, but I'm made of stern stuff now, so I was able to laugh it off. And, in unrelated news, I've got the washing machine in! The world is a better place.

Until the alarm goes off at 7:20 tomorrow -_-

Bleh

2009-10-08T19:58:00.002+02:00

Veg has flu and I'm not allowed to exercise for two whole weeks! The last thing I did was a swim on Monday morning and I wondered why it seemed so difficult. Bleugh.

More veg please. :(

Odd's Season in Review - Part 3 - The Future

2009-09-27T14:26:00.002+02:00

Looking back is all well and good, but only if it can inform what we do going forward. For me, what we can take from the last year is: 1) We've got a decent level of aerobic endurance under our belts, and 2) we know now that we can go the (sprint) distance. Now we have to build on that.

This year, training is going to be a lot more scientific. A lot of heart rate training, a lot of intervals. A small increase in training hours, but mainly I'm going for more targeted training. The sort of stuff that you can't really do unless you can run for 45 minutes. ^_^

With that in mind, let's talk gear. Everyone loves lovely gear. My priorities this year are a turbo trainer and a HRM. Turbo trainer - this one looks OK. HRM - Garmin Forerunner 305. My god, this looks like the best thing in the entire world. Already earmarked as a Christmas present. Expect me to babble incoherently for months as and when I get one.

Other stuff - I've already picked up these lovely things, and if I'm a very good boy, I might end up with some nicer wheels before the season starts. Did a bit of research and my current wheels are very heavy. Something like these would be just lovely.

Last but not least, I've got targets. Nicked from my training plan, they are: 1) Break 1:05 for sprint triathlon, 2) Complete Ripon triathlon, 3) Break 2:45 for Leeds triathlon. If I manage all that, I reckon the year will have been a success.

Odd's Season in Review - Part 2 - The Race

2009-09-27T13:08:00.003+02:00

This is what it's all about, I guess ^_^

Preparation-wise, I think it went pretty well, stopping overnight was a good idea, allowing the day itself to be relatively less stressful. We probably won't need it for Ilkley next year, but it was good to have everything sorted the day before.

I think we were all nervous leading up to the race, although Nom's nerves were slightly more externalised. The nature of the beast, I guess, doing something for the first time, something extremely tough, in front of crowds of people. Still, there were lots of lovely friendly people around, which helped.

It's funny how, as soon as you get into the water, all thoughts suddenly exit the mind. For all the planning to pace myself on the swim, my first 100m was a ridiculous pace. Luckily, after that, I managed to calm myself down and get into a sustainable tempo. It was still a pretty surreal experience, though, to be able to hear people cheering me on. (it must've been pretty loud, because as I got out of the pool, one of my lap counters commented on my 'fan club'!)

My swim time overall was tremendously fast, somewhere around the 10-minute mark. As to why this happened, I'm not quite sure, whether it was the adrenaline, the preparation, or simply the tri suit. One suspects a combination of several factors. Cost myself about 5 seconds struggling to get out of the pool, but you can't have everything.

On to Transition 1, and the glaring hole in my preparations became clear. My transition training was virtually nil, and I think literally nil in the case of T1. If I had practised this, I might not have left my socks in my bag! Upon noticing this, my brain did about 4,000,000 calculations in a second, concluding to not bother with them for the bike.

Everything else went smoothly, and I set off for the bike leg. I think I started out too conservatively, hanging behind riders out of fear of drafting. What I should have done, as I did later, is crank through the gears and blow past them. I suppose I was a little surprised at being faster than other riders! Made another mistake coming onto Carter's Lane, changed gears down too soon, leaving me spinning like a loon on the fairly flat ground. Eventually, though, the gradient did increase, and though it felt tough for me up there, it seemed tougher for others, as I passed quite a few folks. The downhill was still terrifying, and someone actually passed me on there! He was clearly a good descender, he was about 5mph faster than me, disappearing out of sight on the first lap. (Got past him on the uphill afterwards, though!)

Really cool to be cheered as I passed the Lido, although I think I barely acknowledged people. Focus. ^_^ Lap 2 was fairly smooth, lap 3's uphill was really tough. Had virtually nothing left in the tank to be honest, got myself through by concentrating on riders in front, forcing myself past them by mental strength alone.

Transition 2 came, and body and mind were exhausted. This was made worse by a couple of cyclists in front of me as I pulled in, which weren't racing (yet). This caused my brain to break, and I was advised to calm down by a marshal, as I looked fairly lunatical. Lunatical enough to shout incomprehensibly about my socks to Nom, who was unlucky enough to have been in the transition area at the time. This did approximately no good whatsoever. Anyway, socks were discovered in my bag, and I set off running (having technically racked my back in the wrong position, and the wrong way round). Had a brief adventure finding my way out of T2 - it's a fairly long diversion. Also realised I still had my spare inner tube and tyre levers in my tri suit. Luckily, Mrs. Odd was coming across to take a photo, and I threw the tube in her general direction.

With that, off I trotted. At first, had a slightly dodgy stomach, think it was the fluid I'd taken on board during the bike leg. This had settled down by the time I got to Carter's Lane. I knew at this point that I basically had one mile of tough running before the downhill section. But my goodness, it was tough. Once again, my body wanted me to stop, and my brain had to overrule it. It was probably the hardest 10 minutes I've ever put my body through.

Finally reached the top, and the lovely family at the top who were having a picnic and cheering everyone on, and relief washed over me. Knowing that I had just a downhill and sprint finish to go gave me an extra burst of energy, and I absolutely flew down Curly Hill, certainly faster than I've ever run before. Middleton Avenue was quick (although not quite as quick), and, despite nearly missing the turn into Denton Lane, found a sprint finish across the line, where I promptly fell over.

Was kinda hoping to be mobbed by well-wishers, but instead the first person across to me was the guy after my timing chip. -_- Oh well.

1:11:18 was the time, then, good enough for a first effort.

Coming next - Part 3 - the future!

Odd's Season in Review - Part 1 - Training

2009-09-27T12:37:00.002+02:00

2 weeks seems long enough to put the season into perspective. So, on the eve of the new training season beginning, I'm going to outline my thoughts on how the previous year went, and how I hope the next one will go.

It's amazing to thing that, a shade over a year ago, we were struggling across the Greenway with bikes made out of brick, barely swimming, and not running at all. Safe to say that our progress has been superb. Of course, that's due to the sheer amount of training we got through. It wasn't particularly scientific (apart from the periodisation, I guess) and it certainly wasn't technically the best, but I guess it was suited to a bunch of well-meaning novices.

Personally, I'm pretty pleased with my efforts in sticking to the training plan I'd created. It was spoilt a little bit in the summer by cricket taking over my Saturdays (for the last time...) and there was, of course, the odd little lapse, due to the weather or being under the weather, but I think I did pretty well. Documenting my training via MapMyTri helped with this, as did having strict weekly hours.

As far as the individual disciplines went, I think my running training went the best. Possibly not surprising, as running doesn't require much planning or forethought, and isn't a particularly technical activity. It also helps that it can be done in the freezing cold. ^_^
Swimming, not so much. However, I hadn't prioritised swimming highly, what with it only taking up 10-15 minutes of the race. That's definitely something to build on in the coming year.

Coming next - Part 2 - the race!

We are not dead!

2009-09-13T22:45:00.002+02:00

Well, we did it.

All 3 of us completed the Ilkley Triathlon without puncturing, crashing or falling into a skip. In some cases, by only a narrow margin, but we did it regardless.

I managed to get round in 1:11.18, which I have to be happy with really. Slightly annoyed that if I'd gone 19 seconds faster, I could say it was 1:10, but not bad for a first effort.

Splits: swim 10:25 (v.happy, might have been sub-10 for the swim itself), bike 37:08 (not terrible, but not the best, this is probably where I could have made an odd minute up), run 23:45 (good, especially if this includes T2, which I think it might have done, and the rather large detour to get out onto the road).

The only calamity I suffered was forgetting to get my socks out of my bag before the race, causing me large amounts of confusion, and forcing me to shout incomprehensibly at Nom, who was unfortunate enough to be in transition at the time. Thus, the new slogan of Having A Tri is "Aaaargh, socks!"

PS. it hurts.

One week to go

2009-09-07T00:38:00.002+02:00

Eek.

Actually, not eek - I think we've prepared pretty well, and I reckon we'll do decent enough. Assuming we don't get assailed by punctures, that is. Seems like I'm due *sigh*

Hope we can all have a relaxing week leading up to the race, my schedule is as follows:

Mon - Run 30 mins
Tue - Rest
Wed - Swim 30 mins
Thu - Bike 30 mins
Fri - Rest
Sat - Run 30 mins
Sun - Pizza 120 mins

After that, I'll be glad to get some rest, before starting the slow, long distance stuff over the winter. 10 mile runs FTW!

Lost the Nom...

2009-09-05T15:38:00.000+02:00

Went for a run last night (about 3 miles in average 6.9mph unless you're the Corporal charging off ahead like a charging thing a mile before the end). Returned to Veg/Nom Towers to find that Nom had gone AWOL. Hence another 20 minute run round the park and along park of the Green(fly)way in search of the Nom, who had gone the long way round and turned up in Veg/Nom Towers shed.
Note to self, tag my Nom.

One week and one day to go. Eeeeeek.

No luck in getting to Ilkley, episode 311...

2009-09-03T14:05:00.002+02:00

Last night's swim-bike in Ilkley had to be cancelled due to a lack of Nom. Confusion and two cakes has led to a lack of Ilkley swim-bike tonight. Last week's Ilkley swim-bike had to be cancelled due to my appointment at the garage with a broken car. And we've just learned that there are no trains home on Sunday 13th September. Hmmm...is this a plot to keep us away from Ilkley? Or is fate looking after my health?
:( no Ilkley.

insert strangled running uphill noise here

2009-08-27T22:44:00.001+02:00

Hmmm...a busy week. 1,000m swim on Sunday at Spenborough, one on Wednesday at Boiling Pool, then a 7.1 mile cycle followed by an uphill stagger tonight. I'm fine now, but aaargh! The Corporal showed us both up: Nom had to retire to the bath after the cycle due to cramp, but I, foolishly followed the Corporal for the Run of Doom.

Ilkley tomorrow - swim/bike. Yay!

Oooo!

2009-08-12T23:56:00.008+02:00

Running tonight! Although probably not wise to run after tea (thank goodness there wasn't a reunion of the Corporal and his fish and chips) we did 3.913 miles in 35 minutes. And some of it was uphill. I'm pretty happy with that. I could have gone further (but don't tell the Corporal!)

Nom has broken glasses so he can't cycle and he had to run blind. Bless. Ten days until new eyes.

In other news, tonight was the first night of recovery drink sampling. Bleugh. Chocolate or strawberry? Now most people would expect me to choose strawberry as being the most 'natural' but in fact the opposite is the case. I tried the strawberry one - I must say, I think I'd rather not recover!

Can't wait for my first gel > <
Mmmmmmmmmm, lovely. U

Brick of win!

2009-07-31T21:33:00.002+02:00

I feel much better now.

After a faintly disappointing training week so far (no swimming on Wednesday, less than stellar bike ride on Thursday), I'm really very pleased with the brick session I just completed. After doing a 50 minute Greenway circuit on the bike, I got round a hilly 3 mile run course in an extraordinary 23:30! Rather impressed with myself, it has to be said. Although it was probably the energy drink, rather than me...

Another run.

2009-07-09T19:12:00.001+02:00

I'm lonely...

Anyway, Nom and I ran for 22 minutes on the greenfly-free Greenway tonight. A really enjoyable run (!) with lovely sun, a nice breeze and enough swallows and bunnies to keep me entertained!

Unfortunately I should not be put in charge of the GPS as I accidentally set it to Chrono Mode, which means that it only records time, not distance. Sob!

So now we have to do the same run again very soon.

Run around the block...some more numbers

2009-07-06T18:51:00.002+02:00

Poor Nom arrived home from work and was almost immediately whisked out for a run. In the rain. Not a bad little trundle, 2.102 miles in 19:58 averaging 6.3 miles per hour, which isn't a bad old whack. Felt fine, if soaked on the return home, but I was pleased to discover that I could easily have done more.

Bendy lessons tonight though, so didn't want to overdo it. Another run tomorrow night, this time on the Greenway. It's run week!

Having a Tri's official visit to Ilkley (and some numbers)

2009-07-06T11:05:00.002+02:00

Numbers first, or I'll forget.

Last Monday's second cycle: 10.96 miles in 54.39. Average speed 12mph.

Yesterday was the my first view of the Ilkley course. It's about one third flat, one third uphill and one third of amazing downhill. Thank everything that the course isn't the other way round because Curly Hill is a SERIOUS slope. We got up to (and in the Corporal's case above) 40mph on the steep bit, officially the fastest I've ever travelled on a bike.

Got round the nine mile bike in 39 minutes, then went for a trundle around it on foot. Next trip's a swim-bike as we haven't done one of those yet.

We actually cycled 22 miles yesterday, then replaced the calories with chicken and sausages. Oh, and Doritos.

Last minute amendment.

2009-06-30T18:13:00.003+02:00

Make that 21 miles cycle yesterday. Hmm. Cramp in hip? Now that's a new one...

Of course I couldn't be missed out of Nom and the Corporal's 45 minutes yesterday so went out again in the evening after my morning journey. Yay! Ouch... Yay! Ouuuucccchhhh...

Veg's solo bike ride

2009-06-29T13:16:00.002+02:00

...And I've just noticed that 'someone' changed the title bar. How long ago was that?

I went for a solo bike ride this morning. Unfortunately I branched out from my usual fail of not pressing 'Start' on the sports watch to entirely forget it! Still, 10.7 miles of texture ain't bad. And just under 30 minutes for 3.2 miles textured running yesterday.

So here's this week:

Sunday: 30 minute run
Monday: 10.7 mile hill bike
Tuesday: 30 minute run
Wednesday: 45 minute swim
Thursday: rest (I'm going out)
Friday: Death hill cycle
Saturday: Try to cram in a brick
Sunday: Ilkley day of pain

Hmmm. Can you tell it's 10 weeks to go? Eeek!

Sunday, bloody Sunday

2009-06-15T00:27:00.003+02:00

Actually, it was a pretty good Sunday, but I'm currently unaware of any well-known songs reflecting those sentiments. Pretty tough going at times, though.

Started off with a rather odd cycle, 90 minutes and 22 miles worth, requiring 2 toilet stops, a forgotten debit card, and (eventually) a whole load of bargain fresh bread. And a lovely pizza. 8 minutes cooking time is definitely the way forward.

(Which reminds me to mention that earlier, I'd lucked out and found www.discountsupplements.co.uk, a site which sells window blinds (not really). For some non-obvious reason, it sells those High5 packs which I've been relying on for some time. £2.99 including shipping, and you can order multiple packs - it's a nailed-on winner, especially as we near the heat of midsummer. Even earlier than that, I'd wandered off to Wiggle and bought this lovely item, positively reviewed by Bikeradar and with which I'll be pumping my tyres to exactly 120psi this coming week. All in all, a good weekend of bargain-hunting.)

A few hours, 2 mowed lawns and an England cricket victory (yes, really!) later, I headed out to jog in the last of the evening sun, a time which I'm really starting to enjoy. A shade over 5 miles in 45 minutes, it turned out. And again, it turns out that I've got an ideal distance circuit around my house - up Shetcliffe Lane, across Tong Street, over to Bierley Lane, down to Spen View Lane, up home, up Ferrand Avenue and across to Bierley roundabout and back is exactly 5 miles. Spooky.

So I managed to salvage my 6.5 hours from the problems of Saturday (briefly: I'm too hot and I want to claw my eyes out, oh hey a free monitor! Let's cart that back home instead of finishing my cycle...)

Coming next: 7.5 hours this week! The longest week of the lot, in fact. Which is apt, as this is the week with the longest days of the year (ish.) If I can get through without hay fever and high temperatures wrecking my training, I'll be a happy bunny.

In fact, if I can make it through the week without dying of breakfast overdose, that'd help...

P.S. Exactly 3 months to go (despite what the little tracker thing says). Anyone who's not been quite keeping up with training, now's the time to step up. You know who you are...

21:57

2009-05-30T14:18:00.002+02:00

It hurt.

An increase of 2:02 on my previous best run, which was in February. It would be fair to say that the weather today was slightly less conducive to fast running, more to collapsing in a sweat-drenched heap. So I was pretty impressed once I came round.

Fans of numbers (so that's me, then) will note with relish that a run leg of 21:57 would rank as the 18th fastest in Ilkley last year. Of course, it's one thing to run that pace on a relaxed Saturday morning, quite another to pull it off after a swim and a ride. What it does, though, is give me some leeway for my 25 minute target.

I must sleep now.

*snore*

Some maths...

2009-05-24T22:33:00.002+02:00

Please don't run away. Not just yet, anyway.

I've been crunching some numbers regarding the Ilkley bike leg. Now, it's fairly well established that the circuit comprises three fairly distinct sections. I usually call them "the flat bit", "the up bit" and "the down bit", but let's call them M1, M2 and M3.

What I've been looking at is what speeds are required for each section, in order to make a certain time for the bike leg. This is what I came up with:

M1: 20mph
M2: 11 mph
M3: 25 mph

That gives roughly 32mins 30secs, add 2mins 30secs for two transitions, and magically we arrive at the 35mins mark. Which, coincidentally (not coincidentally) is what my target time for the bike leg is.

Looking at those speeds, M1 and M3 seem pretty easy (especially now we've had a "levelling" of bike speeds), leaving M2 as the only tricky spot. Which, seeing as it's the hill, is the case anyway. It's very clear to me that this is the part of the course where the time is gained or lost, so it's tremendously important that we do a whole bunch of hill training. Hooray! *sigh*

Lovely day for it!

2009-05-24T19:18:00.002+02:00

'It' being a brick, of course.

Really, I don't think it's possible to have a more ideal day for training - warm enough to ride in a tri suit, but not too hot to run comfortably, no wind to speak of, morale-boosting blue skies and enough sport on TV to reduce Greenway traffic noticeably.

The insects were out to play again, but luckily I had the rare pleasure of being able to breathe out of my nose. Otherwise I'd probably have tripled my protein consumption for the day.

Pretty happy with the workout itself too - 12.3mi in 50mins cycling, 2.3mi in 20mins running. That's not too far off race pace, and I didn't feel destroyed by the end. A nice way to finish off a 7 hour training week.

Finally, I would like to propose a brick session on the Ilkley course on 27th June (should be a Saturday). It'll be really useful to see exactly what times we can post with a couple of months to go. It has to be a few weeks away, so I can find an ingenious solution to the problem of where to put our helmets while we're running...

53.03

2009-05-23T14:06:00.003+02:00

Well, that wasn't too bad.

Turns out that the route to Ilkley isn't a bad one really, except mainly that hill at Silsden. Perception of that probably not helped by the downpours we encountered both going and coming back. It was nice to experience the route at a decent speed, and particularly to take Carter's Lane in one go. The times we took equate to about 40 mins for the bike leg (assuming that both transitions are included, which I think is the case), which is more or less bang on halfway from last year's figures. We've still got almost 4 months to improve, and we won't have ridden 25 miles just before the race (hopefully). We can, therefore, declare a success.

I'm putting my half of the achievement down to science - 2 energy drinks, an energy gel and an (extremely pleasant) energy bar. Mm, tasty glycogen. Seriously kids, refuelling is important. I believe Nom came around to this way of thinking around the 45 mile stage...

EDIT: Nicky Wire is a lovely bloke from what I've heard, a decent bassist and a passable lyricist. He should never be allowed to sing. Not even in his own shower.

Blub, blub, splash

2009-05-17T18:28:00.002+02:00

Well, how wet was that? Answer: literally as wet as it's possible to be. I've managed to soak three pairs of footwear (including, somehow, my slippers) and one pair of socks will never be the same again.

Fun though, wasn't it?

Well, wet, mainly.

Extra protein on the brick...

2009-05-10T17:24:00.002+02:00

It was greenfly-ageddon on the Green(fly)way this morning. In our eyes, in our mouths (see title) up our noses (I kid you not) and flying off us in a cloud when we stopped at the traffic lights in Heckmondwike. Yeugh!!

Despite this, a hard, but good cycle with the Corporal. Nom had a headache (no doubt overexcitement for his new bike - did I mention we're getting new bikes?) Biked to Heckmondwike on the Green(fly)way, then back on the road, removing greenfly from my person as I went. Averaged 13ish mph I believe (Corporal?) then back for a 1.5 mile (Corporal? You know me and numbers!) run, this time avec Nom.

Nom is making me do another run in three minute's time. People are trying to kill me...

Rah!

2009-05-09T22:02:00.001+02:00

My bike...
http://www.rutlandcycling.com/10785/Giant-Avail-Alliance-W.html

Nom's bike...
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-AU/bikes/road/2172/31841/

...but Nom's isn't green, it's black and grey.

I can't wait until Monday!!

Incredibly funky but expensive day

2009-05-09T21:09:00.002+02:00

Well, Nom and Veg should not be allowed out on their own. What began as a perfectly innocent steady recovery-level cycle to Saltaire and back with lunch at Salt's Diner became a full-on bike-ogling fest!

Veg and Nom have bought new bikes. Rah! I pick mine up on Monday. Will I sleep this weekend? I doubt it.

Brick and swim tomorrow. Ow. At least I only have bendy lessons on Monday and rest on Tuesday.

Death Hills Part II

2009-05-07T22:38:00.002+02:00

...someone let Nom plan the route.

I haven't Mapped my Tri yet because I'm scared of the elevation, but it felt um...good. It certainly feels good now, healthy tea, one glass of red wine and a mega-deep hot bath away.

Thank you Corporal Odd for those kind comments about yesterday. I think it's really taking a hold now and I think we're going to do pretty well. Although that could just be my brain trying to convince me...

In fact, I'm a little worried that now, three hours later, the Corporal may still be circling the streets playing with my heart rate monitor. I'm going to have to keep an eye on him as it may have to be confiscated for the sake of his internal organs not exploding.

Keep on running...

2009-05-06T23:32:00.002+02:00

Does Monday count as Day 1? If so, day 3 went well for all concerned.

25 mins for Nom and 30 for Veg (both approx.) was a top effort, especially bearing in mind that that's basically the full distance required. I don't think anyone was particularly destroyed by the distance or the pace, either, which was a respectable race pace. We were helped, of course, by the flat course and the temperate weather conditions, but it was still very reassuring.

As for me, I stopped after 45 minutes, out of concern for my connective tissues, feeling that my muscles at least could have carried me further. Seems that there's something to be said for not running up a great big hill at the beginning of every session...

Running!!

2009-05-06T21:22:00.002+02:00

Now I've had a bath and a sit down, some steak and veg noodles and a glass of wine, I can say that I enjoyed that run.

No, actually it was really good fun, although I forgot to cool down everywhere and have now strained my shoulder taking off my socks :(

I seem to now be living in a bit of a bootcamp; Corporal Odd being my personal trainer, or rather personal kick up the bottom. I'm cycling tomorrow night, so I'm told. Yay, back on the bike!

Death in September

2009-05-04T17:44:00.002+02:00

Now there's a good name for a band. *goes pale* Hang on, I'm doing a triathlon in September. Aaargh.

Yes, we're now booked in. Thanks Corporal Odd.

And if Map My Tri recovers from the Corporal's efforts to destroy it, I'll map what we did today round Halifax on bikes. What a hill, I'm glad I was going down it, although going down it behind Nom with duff brakes may have been a bad idea.

First 1,000 calorie day

2009-04-13T18:14:00.003+02:00

So there. Hope everyone's been putting their Easter Monday to good use (I keep forgetting that everybody's off today). 12 miles cycling (thanks to IB) and 3.9 miles running. And some Ralgex on my (mild) groin strain. Mm, warmth.

I assume that y'all are back to work tomorrow - if not, there's a ride to Steeton on the cards. Yup, that's about 30 miles...

In other news, might IB be joining the merry triathlon gang? Watch this space!

(actually, you can probably stop watching for a bit, at least)

A good weekend

2009-04-12T18:27:00.002+02:00

Just concluded what I'd have to call a pretty solid weekend. Started on Friday (as weekends often do) with a big breakthrough run (4.1 miles in 35 minutes, yes), returning just in time to watch the Bulls beat the dirty, dirty Rhinos (very dirty).

Saturday, of course, was the Ilkley trip. After a false start (albeit not quite as false as last time), myself and Fromage managed to actually board a train and everything, and magically (not magically) arrive in Ilkley some 30 minutes later.

The course, then. It's basically what I thought it would be - Denton Road is pretty much flat and boring. Carter's Lane is the biggie, it's pretty much a mile, and it isn't quite as horrible as I might have built it up as. Don't get me wrong, it's still a solid hill, but it pales in comparison with Cliff Hollins Lane. I suppose the hill training we've been doing (thanks, Nom) has made it feel a bit more normal. Curly Hill is genuinely very steep indeed and fairly terrifying, yet fun. It's very easy to miss the turn onto Middleton Avenue, which is also downhill, but dead straight, and hence not as terrifying. And that's the whole course, really. Fromage certainly was less concerned about it having completed a lap.

After that, we bombed up and down Denton Road for a while, and that was more or less that.

Sunday was pretty standard, cycling to Spenborough (passing Veg and Nom, except I was in the zone so I just mumbled weakly, sorry), putting in a stint in a fairly deserted pool, and riding back in some very pleasant sunshine indeed.

And now I'm going to inhale a big pile of pork and chips, have some cake, and settle down for an evening of baseball. Rah!

Yippee

2009-04-07T22:36:00.002+02:00

I can't believe it, I managed to hit my target 20 lengths (500m) without stopping once. Not only that I did it in 15 mins which I think is a very respectable time all things considered.

The wind subsides...

2009-03-30T20:20:00.002+02:00

It's going to be a decent week of weather, so my advice is to take advantage of it and get training. Makes a change from my feet almost falling off with the cold last Saturday, anyway.

Managed to run 3.5 miles in 30 minutes today, which I'm very happy with, especially bearing in mind the lovely hills I prepared for myself. Stark contrast to Friday's run, which was frankly appalling. The difference is in the rest beforehand, I guess.

Also hyped about Good Friday - as well as the first day of my holiday, it's the first official Having A Tri trip to Ilkley! (This may be news to some of you.) Can't wait to test myself against the allegedly fearsome Carter's Lane and fly down Curly Hill.

Rah.

A new Fromage

2009-03-24T18:18:00.001+01:00

Well actually the same Fromage as always, but I have made a new commitment to my training regime.

No longer will I be training adhoc, the new plan goes as follows.

Tuesdays:- Swim
Thursdays:- Run
Weekend:- Bike

Plus any extra training I can be bothered to do in between.

Wish me luck

6 months to go

2009-03-15T13:48:00.002+01:00

Well, 26 weeks, which probably makes more sense as a measure of time, anyway.

Nonclemature aside, it's about time to step the training up. Especially as the weather has become jolly amenable (and is forecasted to remain so for a while, at least). There's no excuse. Unless, for example, you've knackered your ankle. (Can still work on core exercises though, eh?)

Today was a lovely brick session, if such a thing can exist. Basically due to the weather, which was lovely with the sun out, and acceptable when it wasn't. In fact, I did the run in just my tri suit (er, and trainers), presenting my bare shoulders to a disbelieving world.

The best thing, though, is that I was done, showered and changed by 12:30. That really does rule.

Riding in the wind

2009-03-14T18:43:00.002+01:00

I think the wind speed must've been in excess of 450 mph this afternoon. Massively strength-sapping, even though it was mainly a cross-wind (it also seemed to be blowing a bit down the hill, which is the worst possible direction). In fact, it nearly blew me clean off the bike a few times. Although I'm clipped to the bike, so I suppose I couldn't really be blown off.

I can console myself with the fact that it must be really good exercise. Bit of a shame, then, that the first thing I did after returning was eat a juicy pork pie (508 calories, egads.) Reduced to 22p in Asda, like. I'll be needing to do a bunch more core exercises this evening, methinks.

Should've waited until the afternoon...

2009-03-08T18:13:00.002+01:00

Seriously.

Rain, hail and snow to contend with this morning. Not amused. Cycling when you basically can't see is the very opposite of fun. I was fortunate, I suppose, that everyone else was more sensible than me and stayed away from the Greenway, hence I didn't need to pass that many people.

Oh, and my hands got so cold that I had to stop twice to warm them up. That's never happened before, even when I was riding in -2 degrees last year.

All in all, tremendously dispiriting, even more so when, 5 minutes after I got back home, the sun came out. Bah.

Saturday was much more pleasant, however. Those scary hills aren't quite as scary anymore. In fact, at the moment, the downhills are probably scarier, especially when combined with a strong crosswind. My old bike was resistant to wind (and, indeed, all other attempts at propulsion), my lightweight lovely not so much. Still haven't fallen off yet, mind. Or, amazingly, forgotten to clip out of the pedals (had some close calls, though).

I have access again

2009-03-03T21:45:00.002+01:00

Seems I have access to the blog again, so expect my usual lack of updates on my progress to recommence.

In other news, didn't go swimming tonight, intend to make up for this by swimming Thursday night. This does ofcause mean that I'll be swimming twice on Thursday, oh dear.

In more humerous news, I fell off my bike yesterday. What isn't humerous is the fact that my handle bars are now bent a funny shape.

Phase 2, day 1

2009-03-02T23:41:00.002+01:00

Got bored of not exercising. This is, without doubt, a Good Thing.

Nothing much exciting to report, though, just a 10-mile ride. I have, however, started doing press-ups. Hilarity ensues. Albeit not as much hilarity as a quick sweep of Facebook might elicit.

You should watch this.

Lost weekend

2009-03-01T20:16:00.002+01:00

I have officially been rubbish for the last couple of weeks. Especially last night, when the wine flowed freely.

Healthy starts again tomorrow though. I do need to collect my bike from my parents' garage before I can cycle tomorrow afternoon, but never mind. Bendy lessons in the evening.

And most importantly, no wine.

P.S - I now have officially the slowest bike of all of us. Bah. I also have the shortest legs. :(

Testing Week #1

2009-02-21T16:24:00.002+01:00

Looks like I'm the only one here, so I should probably do another post. Luckily, I've got some info to share, as I just finished the time trials for my first training cycle (or, really, about 1/3 of a training cycle).

Swim - 500m in 11:26 (could've been better tbh)
Bike - 9mi in 34:19 (mm, lovely new bike)
Run - 3mi in 23:59 (very happy with this, used every ounce of energy available to me, and didn't get a stitch)

That's a combined time of 1:09:44, which is so close to my target time that it looks like I've made it up (I haven't). However, I'll probably have to shave at least 10 minutes off somewhere to finish inside 70mins on the day. Still, there's 7 months to go, so I guess that's plenty time.

I've also been very good and not ridden my bike today. Instead, I ate malt loaf for the first time in years. It's still nom-a-licious. The nutritional information is pretty terrifying though, more than 100 calories per slice? Ouch. I suppose that's why it's ideal for long rides and the like.

I also have an exclusive review of "coffee bags". Like tea bags, except with coffee. I got one free through the post today. It was quite nice. Although really quite large. Nicer than instant anyway. It surprises me that it's not been tried before actually, there can't be that much difference between normal filter coffee and the stuff in coffee bags...

Well, I've had a decent ride now, and... (EDIT! With slightly rubbish pictures!)

2009-02-15T22:50:00.003+01:00

...it's well awesome.

Fast, fast, fast and fast (not sure how fast, as I don't think I'll be able to get my speedo to work on it), pretty, nice handling, fast, good brakes, and did I say fast? Thing is, it retains speed very well, which has a super bonus benefit of you don't have to pedal so much, meaning there's ample energy left for the climbs etc.

Pretty good timing for the day after receipt to be the first day for the Greenway to have thawed, as well. Hopefully I'll be able to do the 9 mile time trial to see how much faster it really is.

Also need to master the whole 'pedalling all the way round' thing now my feet are adhered to the pedals. I'm guessing that's worth a whole bunch of speed.

SO! If any Stonehouses are reading this, and I haven't rung you yet, I really really want to ride on Monday. I suppose this is entirely predictable. Oh well.

UPDATE: Here are the pictures. They're not that good. Sorry. I shoulda checked the quality setting on the phone camera. Hm.

NEWBIKENEWBIKENEWBIKENEWBIKENEWBIKENEWBIKENEWBIKENEWBIKE

2009-02-14T16:05:00.002+01:00

Yes.

Today though, not Friday. Needed the chainrings swapping out, like.

It's nice. It's silver. It's light as flip.

It's got clipless pedals.

Egads.

It took ages to get used to them. But now they're second nature. In fact, it took about 30 seconds to go from "aaargh, this is impossible" to "wheeeeeeeeeee!!!!". That's life, I guess.

One sausage sandwich (Gas Mark 7, 15 mins, jolly nice) later...

It has 24 gears. I haven't quite got around to changing gear yet, though. So yes, I rode all the way from the shop in the same gear. It has a bit for attaching a pump, which I haven't really looked at yet (also, Paul still has the pump...). It's Valentine's Day, after all, I was already super fortunate to be allowed out to the shop :-)

The first review of the 880 (actually the second, but the one in 220 doesn't count for some reason) said:
"The Merida reminded us of what it was like heading out on a road bike for the first time, way back when we were kids. We’re big kids now but the Merida took us back to a time when that excitement of speed fuelled our desire to ride"

That.

(Will do a picture if I can, it's v.pretty.)

6 hours

2009-02-08T19:01:00.002+01:00

That was my training volume this week. In retrospect, this is pretty insane. Although Bill Black would approve. And he should know. As I type, it's snowing again, which bodes ill for my swimming tomorrow (I'll have to cycle, most probably).

However, next week is my last hard week for a while - 6.5 hours, followed by 3.5, 0, 0, 4, 4, 4 and 4. So I should be able to deal with it, snow or no snow. No point having a training plan if I'm not going to follow it, after all.

In other news, Ilkley Tri won the 220 Magazine Readers' Poll award for Race of the Year (<500 competitors). Which is nice. Semi-relatedly, I checked when entry opened for the 2008 event. T'was May 1, however the race is two weeks earlier this year, which would suggest mid-April. There's a good chance that I'll be in foreign climes at that time, but knowing me, I'll still be checking...

WTF???

2009-02-02T21:55:00.002+01:00

...was my first thought on passing the gateway of Odd Towers this morning and seeing cycle tracks in the snow. Yes, the Corporal, by his own admission, is mental. Even I was snowed off, and I hold the record for the most bike fails yet.

Missed bendy lessons tonight as my car has the stability of a roller skate in the snow. Bah.

Crunch!

2009-02-01T17:31:00.003+01:00

Was approximately the sound made by my left foot this afternoon. Officially my first fall off the bike as far as I can remember. Was on the pavement about to cross Yorkshire Drive when I was mildly surprised to encounter a car exiting. (On a Sunday? Grr.) Seems like a pretty difficult junction to see round, which didn't help. Anyway, slammed brakes on, and, due to the dominance of my front brake at the moment, tipped me out onto the road. Not far enough on to endanger anyone, but far enough to startle the (by this time stationary) driver. Hurt like all hell. Still does, I guess.

Anyway, being mental, I remounted and continued my cycling. With a smashed foot. In the snow. For another 40 minutes. I worry myself sometimes, I really do.

In other news, 12pm Sunday is a really rubbish time to go to Bowling Pool. Luckily, I have no consideration for anyone other than myself, so I still managed a decent extensive endurance (a.k.a. plodding up and down) session. Primarily by swiming straight through people.

(Slight digression: I always feel faster in Bowling Pool than anywhere else. Not sure if I am or not, but I always feel it. I assume the temperature of the pool is key.)

Lastly, it should be noted that the first phase of the Greenway closure is in effect, although the diversion is relatively entertaining.

I lied about that being last. I worked out a rather nice 20-miler for this weekend (for me, at least), which involves going to Shipley, and from there, taking the Aire Valley Towpath to Bingley. Basically no hills at all, excepting Bowling Park on the way back. And not much traffic to speak of, either. Potential epic win.

Has the Corporal exploded yet?

2009-01-31T21:16:00.002+01:00

...we hope not. That would be extremely messy.

I had a major handlebar fail this afternoon! After being told that hairspray would fix my duff handlbars, in the absence of said spray in my cupboard, I tried L'oreal Manga Head. Result: fail. The grips were even slippier than usual. So, I had to turn back or risk losing teeth in a handlebar /grip/speed fail. Bah.

I need to buy hairspray. :(

30 mins/3 miles

2009-01-29T20:12:00.002+01:00

...and no stitches.

Definite running breakthrough this evening, made possible by my second straight run without a hint of a stitch. This enabled me to see for the first time in a while exactly what my legs could do. I'm crediting a combination of slow starting (very, very slow) and core exercises (a clear pain/gain scenario).

If only my shoulder worked properly, then I could train at 100% capacity. That'd be lovely.

And no, I didn't try the energy gels. Although I'm thinking of testing them on Saturday, to check that they are compatible with my stomach (eek).

Brand New Toe...the future of rock and roll....

2009-01-24T22:42:00.002+01:00

...or maybe not. The truth is that the dedicated 50% cycled to Saltaire and back this morning - requested timespan for the journey being 79.5 to 81.5 and coming in (not including wheely
time) at 80.54. Rah!

Not much else to report apart from the cracking cup of tea (first one of the day) and the fun that was had playing with tri-bars (pretending we were on a spaceship, hidden behind a column where nobody else could see). Funky Saltaire bike shop has some good stuff. When we're rich...(sigh)

By the way, Nom seems to have passed on his illness to me and therefore will not be long for this world. -_-

Aaargh; my thighs!

2009-01-22T22:13:00.002+01:00

I went ice-skating on Tuesday night, and I can say with a clear conscience that I burned off the curry that I ate beforehand. Oh, and the half a naan bread. And the two glasses of red wine. Funny really how I have no idea how to stop when having a good time, and I completely forget about the fact that I had to get out of bed and stagger up to work the following day.

Last night I went for a run with the Corporal. Ran out of Veg/Nom Towers, to the park, for a couple of minutes and something was wrong. Very wrong. I headed home and changed into the sports bra.

Suitably attired, I met the Corporal for a 25 minute mud run; I can confirm that the battle against stitches was ON...RRRRRAAARRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!!! and he did not succumb. Well, not entirely, although his form was a little off.

But then again I didn't go swimming this lunchtime. The Corporal wins. Nom is full of cold and shouldn't be let near exercise. Fromage is AWOL, presumed in bed.

Wet. Wet, wet, wet, wet, wet.

2009-01-19T21:07:00.002+01:00

Wet.

Actually, wet probably wasn't a strong enough word to describe it. It's funny how cycling in mild drizzle results in head-to-toe soaking. Good workout though.

Actually, not much more I could say about it. Except, wet.

Also, wet.

Running without a stitch? Surely not

2009-01-17T15:48:00.002+01:00

Yes, they thought it couldn't be done, but today I really did manage a 25 minute run (2.6 mi) without succumbing to side stitch. I'm not sure whether it was the ab crunches I did yesterday (oh, the agony. Seriously. So much pain.) or the posture (slightly hunched over, essentially the opposite of proper running technique) or a combination of both, but it was very welcome. Combine this with a nice sunny day (but not warm enough to cause overheating), and a personal best in terms of distance covered, and we have a very successful and enjoyable session. And my legs don't feel shot!

Bike day is probably February 13th, mildly scared by the amount of choice I'll have. Guess I'll just go for the best 2008 model I can afford. That isn't a ridiculous colour, anyway. With a triple chainset. Ack, it's still complicated. This is why I'll need a chaperone.

Yesterday the Corporal tried to kill me...

2009-01-13T21:27:00.001+01:00

Busy, busy day! So glad that today is my rest day or my legs may have fallen off.

So let's see:

Accidentally cycled 11.6 miles doing various errands; supermarket, swimming pool, tile merchant, etc.
Swam at lunchtime with the Corporal, when he announced that we'd be doing 200m sets in under 5 minutes each and "ooh, look, I've set my watch to 6 minutes per interval so if you get back fast you'll get a rest!"
One set of core exercises as I need to get back into doing them and I had a spare 10 minutes to be filled with pain.
Bendy lessons in the evening. I swear the instructor knows when I've over-cycled and tailors her sessions to match the relative bandiness of my legs as I walk through the door.

Short run tomorrow.

Ooooooo! Mk II

2009-01-11T22:41:00.000+01:00

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/id46755.html

I. Want.

New object of desire

2009-01-11T19:46:00.000+01:00

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1664

Nom???? :D

Oooooooo!

2009-01-11T19:45:00.001+01:00

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/

Brick win, swim fail.

2009-01-11T17:07:00.003+01:00

Today actually was the maiden voyage of the whole heart-rate monitor, GPS, speed and distance shebang, hence me standing in the back garden for five minutes waiting for the box strapped to my arm to connect to a satellite. How exciting. Yay, gadgets.

Massive fail on the part of my cycle computer however, as my front wheel had one of its occasional hissy fits of squiff and tried to tell me that I'd only cycled five miles. Hmph.

Consulting my readouts on the shiny new heart rate monitor (how incredibly dull to everyone but me!), here's how the brick session, comprising 9 mile cycle, 15 minute run looks in terms of my average heart rate:

Heart rate 110-132: average rate in this zone 119, time spent here 5.58 minutes
Heart rate 132-154: average rate in this zone 143, time spent here 2.58 minutes
Heart rate 154-176: average rate in this zone 168, time spent here 12.42 minutes
Heart rate 176-198: average rate in this zone 178, time spent here 2.06 minutes
Heart rate 198-220: average rate in this zone 0, time spent here 0.00 minutes, thank goodness

Average heart rate below zone 1 - 89, average time 9.30
Minimum heart rate 71, peak 181, average 135

Yay, new toy!

Things then went extremely rapidly downhill, as first Nom, then Fromage ducked out of swimming. Undeterred, I trundled off, only to meet a children's party fail for the second time in two weeks - this time the whole pool was closed. Mega-grrrrr. Why can't they use the kid's pool? They're kids! Grrrr and still more grrrr. So much grrr, in fact, that there will have to be chillies for tea again.

So now my schedule is borked. Bleh.

...BABES IN TOYLAND...

2009-01-11T13:10:00.002+01:00

Yep, a dramatic day yesterday. With bonus baked potato (I'm sure the waitress at the Wickham Arms thinks we're on day release from some local kind hospital) or panini, depending on...BEN FOLDS FIVE...aversion to side-salad.

So what to do now? It's a quarter to brick and I need to finish the post here, figure out the heart- rate monitor thingy and...er...do something else and I can't remember what that was. Oh well. That's one less thing.

A big group of men just ran UP the road past my front window and they could still speak. I have some serious running to put in.

Hmm...time to work out the heart rate monitor. One last thing...Google havingatri. Go on; I'll wait.

...
...
...

Did you see the first result? How amazing is that?!!

The worrying thing is that said medical procedure may be needed in mid-September!

Last night a Stonehouse saved my life!

2009-01-10T22:24:00.002+01:00

Hmm. Pretty eventful cycle.

Wasn't supposed to be, should've been...BRITISH SEA POWER...a fairly flat trundle down to Leeds, however it soon turned out to be an maintenance endurance session of truly epic proportions. I might have set the record...SPIRITUALIZED ELECTRIC MAINLINE... with two punctures in one day, as well as the culmination of my brake problems with an almost total brake fail at speed.

Luckily for me, I was accompanied by a Nom, who may...LOVE AS LAUGHTER...have spent over half the day attending to the wreckage which constitutes my bike. Elevated to the pantheon of angels, he be. My bike currently both goes and stops, which hasn't been the case for at least 2 months...

In fact, I was so hacked off with my bike fails today, if SpenVelo had contained one of my objects of desire, my credit card might have...ATARI TEENAGE RIOT...felt my pain.

Good panini, though.

PS. Need to waste your life? Play this game!

Planning a plan,

2009-01-07T21:29:00.000+01:00

Making a training plan tonight, as I have been put to shame by Mr 'Swimming at Lunchtime' Odd. Was going for a run tonight, but Nom has a puncture to fix.

Speaking of which, Corporal...