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.
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Monday, 14 March 2011
Monday Random Roundup
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...
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...
Sunday, 13 March 2011
Gym!
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...
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...
Sunday, 6 March 2011
Catch-up, part 2: 2011 plans, targets, dreams
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.
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.
Thursday, 3 March 2011
Catch-up (part 1)
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...
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...
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
A return to blogland
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...
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...
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Ran!
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.
Monday, 25 January 2010
I did my 3 mile run...
..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
At least I didn't have a near death experience like the Corporal. x.x 0.0
A whole weekend's worth of punctures
...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'?
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'?
Monday, 18 January 2010
My new goggles!
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.
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.
Friday, 1 January 2010
New year, new season
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.
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.
Saturday, 26 December 2009
newtoynewtoynewtoynewtoynewtoynewtoy
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.
Sunday, 29 November 2009
...it rained.
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 -_-
Managed to run from my house to Whitechapel Road and back, though.
Now I have to do core exercises -_-
Saturday, 28 November 2009
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Oh hey, a blog!
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.
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.
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Yay pie...
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!
Anyone want to blog??!! We need to get Nom out of his blog block!
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Why go uphill? You only have to come down again...
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...
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...
Monday, 9 November 2009
Back to front crawl...
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:
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!
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
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!
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Shock!
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.
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.
Sunday, 18 October 2009
Back in the Saddle
...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 -_-
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 -_-
Thursday, 8 October 2009
Bleh
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. :(
More veg please. :(
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Odd's Season in Review - Part 3 - The Future
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.
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
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!
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
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!
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!
Sunday, 13 September 2009
We are not dead!
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.
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.
Monday, 7 September 2009
One week to go
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!
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!
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Lost the Nom...
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.
Note to self, tag my Nom.
One week and one day to go. Eeeeeek.
Thursday, 3 September 2009
No luck in getting to Ilkley, episode 311...
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.
:( no Ilkley.
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