Lakeland Triathlon Saturday 17th August

Following on from the epic Ripon Triathlon and the post event banter between myself Gary and Rob (workmate triathletes) regarding our efforts, it was time to do very little and let my body reset itself by both relaxing and then doing some active recovery.
Sunday and Monday were a bit of a blur and I was totally knackered. The worst part was that I felt really down and depressed. It really worried me as I am not like this at all. Little jobs around the house like tidying up and doing the dishes seemed a tall order. Mind you, lets not lie, that's probably normal for me.I later read online about post race depression so that helped explain how I was feeling.
As the weather was still in a heatwave my office at work was boiling hot so the best refuge was the air conditioned college gym and dance studio so I tried to stay in and around these areas as much as I could just to stay cool.

On Tuesday morning in the gym I saw Gary sweating his guts out on the bike and there was a nice big puddle under him as evidence of his efforts. I forgot that he had the UK Ironman event coming up and the Ripon event was a mere warm up for him. Seeing him in action motivated me so I decided to swim later in the afternoon. But prior to this I decided to do some strength and conditioning work which I have done rather loosely I might add in the past but feel now more than ever that it is an important part of my future training plans.

Apart from the S&C work I returned to action on Tuesday 23rd July and got back into my training without any major dramas and cracked on with it. I followed my usual format of Monday day off with a mixture of workouts throughout the week and weekends. I felt under par for the first week and steadily got stronger as things progressed. On Sunday 4th August I drove down to Torquay where I was playing in the 100th British u120 (Grade) chess championships. As I was only playing a game every morning, this gave me lots of time to do my training in the afternoons. The running and swimming went really well and I felt strong in these sessions. The cycling on the other hand was a bit of a nightmare as the traffic was so busy on the roads and the Torbay area is super hilly. So any attempts at getting some speed work in were difficult. All in all my time spent here was good and I extended my stay here to complete my training in preparation for Lakeland Triathlon.

Saturday August 17th 2013

1500m SWIM - 40Km BIKE - 10Km RUN

The website describes this event as such:

'A collaboration between Tri Lakeland Triathlon Club and TriHard Events, it will be over the Standard or Olympic Distance. The course is far more conventional than many of the other Lakeland races. The cycle and run are both on road and are described as no more than undulating'

So with this in mind I didn't have any fears for what I had already achieved at Ripon and via following a solid training regime. My goal was to beat my time of 3hours 30mins and not to come last. Looking at last years results for this event, and my current Triathlon pace, I had real fears that I could be coming home at the bottom of the pile. 

After analysing my previous times in the heat at Ripon I knew that I could be quicker in both the transitions and the final 10k segment of the race. So I set an estimate time of 3h:15-20mins. The weather the week before looked good and was certainly a lot cooler than at Ripon. However a few days before I was watching the BBC weather report and there was a low pressure Atlantic front coming in right on top of the Lake District with driving rain and high winds. Great, I crossed my fingers and hoped that they had got it wrong.

My friend Jules accompanied me on the drive from home to the Lakes and all seemed OK until we reached Kendal and the weather started to turn for the worst. Upon entering the lake district I was in two minds whether or not to take part at all. Eventually we reached the venue which was at Bassenthwaite Sailing Club near Keswick. I went to register and get all my stuff together. I had a real job of keeping a hold of everything as the wind was blowing everything all over the place. I hung my wetsuit on my car door which was soon swept onto the grass. 

The post race briefing went ahead at 12.30pm and whilst I guess that they have to do this for safety reasons, I don't think many athletes take much notice. Visibility was very poor across the lake and the buoys that we had to swim around seemed a lot further out than what you would expect.

The first wave entered the lake and set off at 1.00pm. We then followed and had 5 minutes acclimatising to the temperature before it was our turn to head out into the lake. I expected a bit of jostling around as there were around 200 swimmers in a small area so the odd kick and elbow didn't bother me. I soon set a steady pace and felt ok. Not long afterwards I collided with a guy doing breast stroke and I caught a whack with his elbow on my right eye which hurt like hell but luckily my goggles stayed in place so I had no choice but to take the pain and carry on. After that I made sure that I stayed well clear of any other swimmers. 
As I progressed into the lake the conditions became worse and with the wind driving rain across the water it became difficult to breath. I began to get worried at one point and had to slow down and compose myself as I was concerned that I might not get through the swim. I looked at my watch and I had only been swimming for 7 minutes so I told myself that I had probably set off too fast and needed to slow it down. This worked well and I was able to crack on with it.
Upon nearing the turn around I collided with another swimmer, this time head on. We both stopped, treaded water and swore at each other, and then carried on. I then realised that I had banged in one of the guys from the first wave on his way back. I was more embarrassed than anything else. Later I heard that this happened with many others with the conditions and visibility being so bad. More incremental buoys would have been a great help to everyone here rather than just the two large end ones.
The return swim back to shore was a lot harder in the choppy waves and it was just a case of ploughing through and reaching land.

In transition my intentions was to make it quick but with all the rain everything was soaked. So getting clothing on was a hard task. As I was changing Jules was telling me that many swimmers were pulled out of the race and brought back to shore in the boat. I'm glad I was not one of them.

I started well on the cycle and the route was very similar to what I train on around West and North Yorkshire on a Sunday morning. There wasn't any significant hills and was an undulating course. I already knew that I was near the back of all the cyclists as I only saw upto 15 bikes left in transition prior to hitting the road. I was soon overtaken a few times but this helped me in setting a pace with the guy in front which I used to my advantage. The first part of the ride was directly into the wind which then turned into a wicked cross wind as the course progressed. I remember my thighs feeling numb due to the cold rain and I looked down at them several times just to make sure that they were still there. I wouldn't get full feeling back in them until I hit the showers post race. There were some quite tricky and technical parts to conquer with many twisty corners, pot holes, dodging the flooding and short up and down stretches. I must have seen at last 6 or 7 riders on the side of the rode dealing with mechanical problems and punctures. Luckily I didn't see anyone failing from their bikes but I later learned that a few indeed had.  

I remember feeling tired at around 12 miles out and thinking 'Im gone', 'nothing left'. But any other Triathletes reading this will identify with the psychological 'High and lows' experienced in an event. Just as I was feeling rock bottom I saw a stream of riders in the distance and this immediately gave me a goal to progress. A few minutes later I had passed a few of them and really buzzed off this.

With about 5 miles left to transition I had to slow for some traffic and I didn't get the chance to change gear. Upon starting again my chain came off and I had to pull over and sort this out. Whilst doing so 3 riders sped past. I later caught 2 of them up.

Back in transition I was able to get a quick turnaround. It was by now absolutely lashing it down and apart from race marshals and competitors there was noone else to be seen. All supporters were camped in the club house enjoying drinks and warmth and I don't blame them.

I ran out and had to find a place to pee as I had been bursting for a while. The course was fairly flat and both my calves were feeling very heavy which is normal when going from bike to run, hence the term 'Brick'. The road soon started to go uphill and I recall jogging around a bend and seeing a massive hill. A few others had also joined me and we all looked and swore at the same time which we all laughed at. I was in a group of three and we decided to do jog walks up this crazy hill. My calves were killing me so I stopped and pulled down my compression socks which relived the pressure instantly. After struggling up this hill I wished the others good luck and I carried on. I began to feel pretty good by now and felt OK as I ran on. The weather on the other hand was atrocious and was as bad as someone pouring a bucket of water over your head. I felt stronger as the run went on and I was able to pass a couple of runners as I moved with 2k of the end. I recognized where I was so I pushed hard now as I entered the final bit. Crossing the line I felt relieved just to have finished but also a bit weird enjoying the usual euphoric high in the pouring rain as most folk were still taking refuge in the clubhouse.

I found out my finishing time was 3hours 39mins which was well out of my goal and I was disappointed. Later in the clubhouse I saw a few injured athletes and found around 20 did not finish (DNF). Looking at the results table there were around 10 below me plus the said 20, so that helped sooth my ruffled feathers. So did the hot shower which was the fist time that I felt warm all day. 
Whilst I was getting changed one of the athletes asked 'Which part did you enjoy the most', 'None' I replied, to much laughter. 

The Chinese meal that we enjoyed in Windemere helped refuel my batteries and I laughed when I read the following on the event website,
 
'As for the conditions during the race, well done to all those who took part, Bass Tri is one of our more conventional triathlons, no Lakeland passes and nice tarmac run route, so we thought we'd through in some adverse weather to test your grit and endurance, we are called TriHard after all'

I couldn't agree more........

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ripon Olympic Distance Triathlon Saturday 13th July

Training Plan

Immediately following the Tadcaster Tri back in May and the Leeds half marathon soon after, I began following a 10week training plan that I downloaded from a beginners triathlon website. There is loads of info out there but I decided to choose this particular one as it was dead simple to follow if a tad monotonous at times.

The plan worked on the principle of 3 weeks hard graft with the 4th week one of recovery and a less intense training schedule.Then after the body recovers its back to the action again. In the third week in May I had a holiday planned in Lanzarote but it fell nicely into one of these recovery weeks so I wasn't too concerned about it. I did get the chance to do some cycling and swimming albeit at a leisurely pace interspersed with plenty of beers and food around the poolside.

On my return I was straight back into the plan and here is a snapshot from week 10. (Can supply the full plan upon request)

Monday - Day Off
Tuesday - AM 5 mile run PM Swim 1250mtrs
Weds     -Cycle 20miles
Thursday -AM 4mile run PM Swim 1500mtrs
Friday    -Cycle 15miles
Saturday -Run 7miles Swim (1000 mtrs optional)
Sunday   -Cycle 30miles

As the plan didn't include any interval training, I would use at least one each of the disciplines of the midweek sessions for a fast, recover, fast style training session. A scientifically proven method to increase cardio vascular fitness. I felt really good over the Tuesday-Thursday sessions and really buzzed of the training here. But by Friday I was starting to flag as the working week came to an end. Saturday and Sunday are the long run and cycle endurance sessions which I got through but started to struggle with as the hot summer weather started.

During the training plan my swimming vastly improved and I was going further and quicker than before. In contrast I felt that my running remained in a plateau and actually got worse as the plan came to an end. My cycling improved in terms of endurance but I haven't mastered other elements such as the strength and power needed to cope with undulating and hilly conditions.The mixing up of the sessions also played an important part. Once a week I would use a treadmill or a spin bike for instance. Also myself and Gary another triathlete would do some open water swimming in a local dam.

Overall, I was fairly happy with the effort that I had put in over the weeks and months but I admit I was feeling tired only a few days before Ripon even with a week training at lower intensity and days off to recover. I can only guess that it has been the recent usually hot weather making me feel lethargic.

Ripon Triathlon - The Main Event 

So with all the hard graft and hours of training and sacrificing many social events, it was time to put it all together. In the week leading up to the event I had ordered a fresh pack of 'High5' energy gels. I have been using them and seem to cope ok. A lot of athletes struggle digesting them but I don't seem to have the same problems. I carb loaded in the days leading up and ate a lot of pasta, fruit, porridge and more fruit. Also drank loads of water to stay hydrated and kept of the booze.

On the morning of the event I was up at 8.00am and downed a pint of water and made a large bowl of porridge whilst another batch of pasta was cooking on the stove. My friend Jules arrived an hour later and I showed her how to use my camera as she was going to take a few shots and watch myself and Gary slog our guts out. I packed all my kit, food and bike in the car and then did a mental checklist to see if I had missed anything and off we went.

It was already a warm morning and by the time we arrived at Ripon around 11.00am, it was fairly hot. I got registered and bumped into Rob Whittaker who is an elite triathlete who also happens to work at Bradford College. In most events he comes in the top 20 so I wished him well as I wouldn't be seeing him again after the hooter goes off. I went to fetch the rest of my kit and Jules hit the beer wagon at 11.45am, but had to wait until 12noon to be served as it wasn't open, to much laughter. As I had a couple of hours to kill I took advantage of the massage tent and that help me chill out and relax a bit.

We went for a walk around and visiting a few stalls etc. I bought a race tee shirt which was an XL but felt like a large. The smell of beer and hot hogs was good but I was already fueled up so it didn't bother me. But I did consider wolfing down a hot dog loaded with ketchup and mustard in front of the skinny elite guys just for the laugh. But told myself not too. The location and set up looked impressive. There was plenty going on and help and assistance was prompt and available.

They was a lot of club athletes here so I sensed it was a more serious crowd from what you find at the sprint distance events. Your certainly don't see super heroes, piss takers and fancy dressers of the like that you encounter at 10k and Half Marathon events. After a a quick scoff of my pasta we were called into briefing at 1.30pm so myself and Gary listened on and enjoyed the increasing temperature. They announced that due to the heat it was a non wetsuit swim. This made me slightly nervous as I had done all my open water sessions in a wetsuit. A chap next to me told me that he was uneasy about this, but I said that it would be fine (without disclosing that I felt the same).

1.5k Swim

We watched the preceding waves of swimmers going forward. We were in wave 4. As I moved forward I saw my dad through the fence in the spectator area. I jogged over to him and chatted, that gave me a boost and I was ready to go now. As we queued for our turn a band of drummers were banging out a groovy beat which only served to make me more nervous. Looking at the gloomy lake in front of us, I laughed to myself as I read beforehand on the website - 'The lake is of high quality and is monitored regularly'.

We got in and swam over to the start line.Whilst I was looking for a decent spot to start amongst the other 200 or so swimmers in my wave the Marshall started the countdown and it was time to go. Gary shot off immediately and I wouldn't see him again for the next few hours. Luckily the water was just warm enough so I didn't have the added problem of  breathing heavily to compensate for the cold. I got whacked a few times in the body and head but this soon calmed down as the swimmers found their own pacing. I quickly got into rhythm and made good progress. I began to veer too much on the inside but a Marshall in a kayak put me back on course. At the first buoy the swimmers funnel in somewhat and I had a few minor collisions but not bad enough to cry about.

I was glad to be heading for home but felt strong and was really enjoying myself. I got that relaxed that I remember humming a few of my favorite songs as I concentrated on my swim. I veered off line again and had to cut inside as I neared the exit. At about 300 meters out I hit my knee on a large rock which caused a small cut but nothing more. On exit I took advantage of the group of helpers offering a helping hand as swimmers around me fell about the floor.

40k Cycle

I ran past the spectators who were cheering and shouting encouragement and reached my bike. I took an energy gel, water and unracked my bike. I had left the bike in an easy gear so that I could spin for the first 10mins or so whilst my legs adjusted to the different mode of exercise. On the road it was fairly steady going but I was getting passed a lot by stronger cyclists. Even when I was feeling okay and put the hammer down, I was being munched away. I counted at least 30or 40 at first, then a steady trickle as the miles progressed. I felt demoralised. The course was mainly flat with undulating parts, certainly no significant hills. On one stretch it was a long drag going into a head wind. I could see a long stream of riders ahead of me and attempted to catch up. As I made some progress the wind picked up and spoiled the party. With this wind in force I abandoned my plans and concentrated on a steady cadence.

The majority of the ride was hard due to the wind and it really pissed me off. I certainly wasn't having any fun here. As I came upto 15miles I went passed a few riders from earlier and this started a cat and mouse affair right to the end. They would pass me on the inclines and I would do them on the flats and declines. At least it took my mind of the increasing pain in my legs. The rest of the ride was all about getting back through in one piece and seeing what effect the heat would have on me during the run.

10k Run

Although I was pleased so far with my efforts, the heat finally became apparent as I racked my bike up and headed out on the final run. I munched a banana and headed out on the run which went over at the side of the main racecourse on a grassed area. This was a nightmare. My legs were already jelly like and the grass was uneven so it was a real struggle. Eventually I reached the road and the course went into some quiet country lanes. I said to myself at 2k my legs should be ok and I'll put a decent pace in. Wrong, my body just wouldn't respond to what I was telling it. Its was weird and frustrating. I wasn't the only one, looking ahead a lot of runners were finding it tough. So I though right, plan b then. Jog 1k and then walk 30 secs etc, then jog to the next marker and so on. This was ok on paper, but it just got hotter and hotter. The locals played their part though and many had garden hoses out spraying everyone with cold water. One pub had a live band playing as you went past, not sure what they were singing about, but it was a nice touch anyway.

I eventually reached 5k and wished it was all over. I was now in a group of 3 who were doing a sort of jog, zombie shuffle, moan and then jog again. So I suggested that we do this all together and get a part on the walking dead which we did until one lad carried on running. At 8k I was with a younger lady who was well built and very bossy shouting 'Dont stop', 'Come on', 'Keep Going'. Which of course I did just to try and stay away from her. However she kept catching me up and I told her that she had the heart of a lion and had more bottle than I had. We decided to cross the line together but she very slyly put in a finishing burst and then collapsed in a big heap over the line, much to my amusement. And that was that, I'd completed my debut at this longer distance in what I learned later was the hottest day of the year.

I met up with Gary at the timing section and he congratulated me. I was glad when he said that most people were hanging out of their ass with the heat being so bad. I though it was just me. I also met Dad and Jules who were chatting to me, but even simple stuff didn't make any sense as my head was in some euphoric mind numbing haze, for quite some time. A cold beer shandy not long afterwards tasted like the best drink that I have ever had in my life. So I had another just to make sure. We all chatted to other athletes and supporters and had some great banter to finish what was a very arduous but brilliant day all round.

Looking back I now need to focus in on two areas, one is to develop leg strength and power for cycling and to shed a lot more weight if I am to make any significant improvements. Plus of course to have more fun and enjoy it all along the way.


 

Leeds Half Marathon May 2013

The whole reason for beginning my recent fitness kick was due to my intention to run the Great North Run last September. So I was following a running plan as suggested by Lucozade sport online and loosely followed it. As September loomed I was struggling with tendonitis in my right Achilles tendon and constant pain also in my right knee (common beginner running injuries). Due to this I withdrew and had to suffer the jealously of my running pals putting in a good shift and enjoying an incredible experience as I watched at home on the TV.

Fast forward to May 2013 and I am well over my initial injuries and have completed five 10k events and two sprint distance triathlons. With my overall fitness increasing and weight decreasing I decided to up the distances somewhat in both my running and triathlons. So I timetabled in an event each month this year to enable me to plan my training around my work, life and social commitments. The two larger events are Ripon Olympic distance in July and Leeds half marathon in May, which the remainder of this update is all about. Ive also seen a middle distance triathlon in the York area late September. That's 1.9k open water swim, 90k cycle and a half marathon run to finish, or for the want of a better term, a half ironman. So if my training develops as good as I would like then I would like to have a crack at this.

13.1 miles

Originally there was supposed to be a fair sized group of us running (or the run club as big unit Rob Novis now calls us) but due to injury and other issues just three made the start line. Paul and Mike my old upper school classmates of mine and ex military lads would be my company for the pain ahead.
I picked up Paul and sped over to Leeds and got parked up without any bother and we made our way down to Millennium square which was packed full of runners and spectators much akin to organised chaos. Ive experience this before as I'm a bit chaotic at the best of times but also as I ran in the Leeds abbey dash 10k from the same venue. The queues for the portable loos were 10 deep so we jumped a fence and used the nearby pub to relieve ourselves whilst laughing at the madness outside. Mike then joined us after texting and calling Paul about 6 times. Its the first time that I've seen him since that skinny floppy haired kid used to run rings around us all on the football ground. Like Paul he was a talented sportsman and well liked by all and you'd never here a bad word said about the pair of them. Now as adults (or big kids rather) both have great banter and share the same fun outlook in life and so via the power of facebook, I've reconnected with two top lads and we have taken off from where we left off decades ago.

We made are way to the start line but couldn't see much apart from a wall of bodies. Not long afterwards a cheer went up and we were soon shuffling forward. I noticed a few fancy dressers including Spiderman, the Pink Ladies from Grease, a couple of lads in a skin tight gimp outfit thingy (probably similar to what Mike wears when his missus pops out), some military lads with Bergen's and so on. We were soon off and started steadily on the flat for about 2k. We then started a really long uphill drag that seemed to go on for miles. Later on looking at the route it lasted around 5 miles. Mike had already sped off but Paul loyally played the wingman and I'm glad he did as we really had a laugh and enjoyed ourselves which helped pass time. Paul spotted a guy skipping past and whilst incredulous at the sight, I noticed on the back of his shirt 'I don't want to run a half marathon, I'll skip it instead'. We laughed and shook our heads as he disappeared into the distance and left us for dead.

On nearing the top of this first hill, the course banked right and then left and cruelly went even steeper. My heart sank but there was no way I was gonna walk so I ploughed on. Our reward was a flat and downhill section and a lot of runners took advantage of the bushes for a pee stop. It was comical seeing spiderman amongst them as we discussed the limitations of his outfit. Until now we were both fairly strong and running a steady pace. We reached the headingley part of the route and coming slightly downhill again when an old lady on a mobility scooter overtook the whole line of runners to much laughter. She didn't seem to be going that fast, but was faster than us, I was gutted, but laughed all the same.

On reaching the 14k mark I was starting to feel both knees and I was struggling to lift my right leg enough to increase my pace. Id only ever run 10k before and my body was now letting me know this fact only too well. On the 15k mark I told Paul to go and put his best effort in as I was far too slow now. So I would now on my own with a flat 6k left to do. Although tired I kept a consistent pace and gradually chomped away at the miles. During this final section I saw a lot of runners on the side of the road walking or stretching. Some runners would go past me stop and walk then carry on again. This all helped to spur me on as I told myself I ain't no quitter. A Marshall on a bike shouted 'One more mile'. Then a final drinks station appeared, I slowed to a walk and immediately felt my legs seizing up. It scared me so I threw the cup over my head and jogged on.Now on the final stretch I passed the group of squaddies with loaded bergens and thought im hurting but not nearly close to their level of discomfort. With the town hall in sight the crowds cheered and called out the finishing runners names as they came home. The final bit was all a slight incline and I felt it all the way. I gritted my teeth and pushed until over the line.

Whilst over the line I grabbed a nearby rail as I recovered and then moved into the finishing square where you pick up your goody bag, tee shirt and medal. I bumped into a group of girls who asked for a photo taking and had a quick chat before Mike soon appeared to offer congratulations and then we met with Paul and his young family. Mike posted around 2h 5mins with Paul a minute more. I came in with 2h 13mins which was right on the money as Id said Id be looking at a 2.10-2.15. So whilst I was slightly disapointed I didn't get a quicker time, I was happy to finish with no injuries.

We went our separate ways after the race and my legs had already to become tight. Both my knees hurt with my right hip making it hard to raise my thigh. When I got into the car I had to lift my right leg with both my hands as the hip extensor muscles were totally fatigued. I knew that I would have to roll both legs (foam roller) out at and then again for the next couple of days. Monday and Tuesday I was really tired, you know that tiredness that you get when you go to bed and wake up still tired and you think shit! I guess the after work pints of ale didn't help much. I swam for half an hour on both days after work just to keep my body working and lifting some weights on the Wednesday but nothing intense on these days.

It just so happens that this week was my recovery week (on my training plan) which nicely coincided with a weeks family holiday from Thursday in Lanzarote. Which included Tony and Robs second bash at the Ironman event. So with the half mary done and chuffed at another milestone, sun, banter and plenty of local ale was the perfect remedy for all my efforts.

Bradford 10k & Tadcaster Triathlon.

Bradford 10k

On Sunday 28th April I ran in the re-arranged Bradford 10k. It was supposed to be on in March but was called off due to a snow day and I was away in Lanzarote at the time so when another chance to run came along I took it.

Marc was injured from the previous Blackpool marathon, Tony was deep into his Ironman training and Paul pulled a sickie so we were wilted down to Rob, myself and Chris a friend from work.

My preparation for this run was really crap. I had gone to see a work mates band the night before and although I had a great time, I didn't get to sleep until 2.00am. Not a great plan when I was up at 7.00 to get some water and fuel inside me ready for a 9.00am start. I wonder if Seb Coe or Steve Ovett stayed up all night back in the day.

We set off and the pace was so slow we spent a good kilometre dodging runners as we entered a short hill section going into the Little Germany area of the city. My plan was to stay on Robs shoulder as he is a big unit of a guy like me and I knew his approx running pace. Chris is much fitter and faster so he soon disappeared into the distance. Coming out of the hill Rob put the gas on a bit and I was getting blocked in with all the other runners. So he got a good 20 secs ahead but I thought no problem as I'll catch him as the runners thin out abit as we reach the 5k mark. At this point Chris came down the other side of the road and I high fived him as he passed. I then closed in on the drinks station (what, no beer) and Rob also passed me on the return back to the city centre. I estimated that he was about 30secs ahead and I threw a cup of water over my head and pressed on.

I kept Rob in sight but I wasn't getting any closer. At 7k I was struggling a little bit and I knew I couldn't increase my pace so I settled down and concentrated on getting to the end. I saw my work mate Matt who was a race marshall for the day. He came over and shouted some encouragement which was good and gave me a little boost. I found the final 2k a hard slog as the wind really picked up and it was hard going. I was getting passed by a few runners at this point so I latched on to one of them to try and generate a last big effort. It was good to note that no fancy dressers such as Darth Vader or fridge on the back man went past me. Not long afterwards I entered the final stretch and people were clapping and cheering, but I couldn't hardly hear anything as the wind was roaring right into me. The inflatable arch over the finish line collapsed in the wind as I crossed and I ducked to avoid being hit. I immediately received a text from the organisers with a time of 56.11. Rob was around 53.00 and Chris sub 50 mins. So all in all not a bad time for me considering the lack of sleep and the windy conditions. We then spent a couple of hours sinking a few pints in the local pub which also felt a bit weird sinking the first Guinness at 10.15am.

Tadcaster Triathlon May 6th
500mtrs swim 14k cycle 7k run (Sprint Distance)

Following the 10k I had a lighter training week as I was teaching a Studio cycling instructors course as part of my work duties so I was on and off a spin bike all day Monday and Tuesday. The rest of the week consisted of two swim sessions and a couple of 20 minute runs. I didn't see the point in doing anything intensive. I chilled out the full weekend and come Monday I was rested, fresh and ready to go. I was doing the triathlon on my own and considered asking if folk wanted to come and support, but then thought I'd rather just go and concentrate and really go for it. The weather was gorgeous, warm and sunny with a cool breeze and I was feeling good. I set off with the intention of getting to Tadcaster for 10.30am as my swim start was 11.18am. Road works in the Alwoodley area of Leeds delayed me for a further 20mins so by the time I had parked up I was really cutting things fine. I rushed to register and rack my bike up in the transition area which was in a brewery car park with felt like a quarter of a mile up from the swimming pool. I got to the pool as my section were receiving the obligatory pre race briefing.

On entering the pool in groups of four (6 lanes) I recognised the woman from Skipton Triathlon that I had problems getting past. We exchanged words and she kindly said that she would let me past if I tapped her on the ankle which of course is the official rule. So off we went and fair enough I caught her up on the first lap but she didn't move across. Another athlete then swam over the top of us and I thought 'this is where the fun begins'. On the next lap she allowed me to pass but then caught me up again on the next one and we had this cat and mouse carry on going on right until exiting the pool. During my swim I was concentrating too much on trying to get round her and not being caught, as a result my form was poor and I was swallowing a lot of pool water.

On transition my group were out first and we exited outside. I quickly got my trainers on but couldnt get my teeshirt on due to me being so wet. I heard someone giggling but I didnt bother turning around to see who it was. We than ran through a main road up towards the cycle area. This was funny as there were people just going on about their own business when a chubby middle aged man runs past in just lycra shorts. Not a good look! At my bike I forgot to mix a sports drink so I took a big pull on some lucozade which was more really for a placebo effect rather than re-hydration (I'd already swallowed most of the swimming pool). Just as I got on my bike I felt bloated really sick so I thought well I don't fancy cycling feeling like this so I vomited into some bushed as the side of the transition area, nice!

I stayed in the small cog just to get some cadence going and soon made some decent progress. I didn't have a crazy gusty wind to deal with this time around so I soon began to munch away at the miles pacman style. I noticed from the pool and now on the cycle section that the athletes here were a more serious bunch and I soon started to get passed by others as I progressed. In fact I only recall going past one, with five making me eat their dust. The course was set in stunning surrounds and I remember thinking as I entered the village of Clifford 'Now this is what an English village should look like'. But that soon left my mind as a short sharp hill came into view and my legs were soon burning as I was forced into a standing climb.At the top there was the race photographer and some other folk shouting encouragement.

On the cycle course were race Marshall's on motorbikes (which gave it a professional feel) making sure that no cheating was going on. I noticed later looking at the results a few athletes had penalty time added onto their overall score for drafting (riding behind another cyclist to gain an advantage).

I entered for final transition and racked my bike, helmet off, switch my number to the front and off I go. You always expect to feel rough when going from cycle to run, but I did really feel worse than expected. In fact I felt really crap and thought shall I walk for a bit. Anyway, I thought nah, carry on and see how it goes. I gradually started to feel better as more power entered my legs. I then noticed a runner just ahead of me running at a similar pace so that was my target to match or catch up without tiring myself out. The run soon came off road and went through some local farmland. This was a welcome change as it was softer under foot and kinder on the joints. As this progressed more and more cattle shit was right in the path and I was trying to dodge it all for obvious reasons. No way did I want my blue Nike Pegasus to be all mashed up. However, after a while of trying to dodge it I thought 'ah sod it' and just ran straight through it all. The funny things was is that I thought I was being followed by bumble bees or flys etc, but its was actually the all the crap flicking up behind me and coming back over my head. Hence the term the shit has really hit the fan! It also explains way the runners close behind me didn't fancy passing at this point. Looking ahead of me I still hadn't caught up with the athlete in front and later on her young son had joined her and jogged along with her!..and still I couldn't catch up.

As I reached the last mile I increased pace and entered the outlaying streets of the town. A couple of athletes then flew past me with a finishing burst much faster than me but it encouraged me to follow suit anyway and I passed the finish line at the swimming pool. The timing services were in front so I typed my number in and got a time of 1hour 26 mins. I thought wow, decent time. But then thought ah but no transition times added on as yet. I watched some of the others come in and chatted with others who crossed the line around the same time. I collected my bike and made my way back to the car and passed a pub on the corner which was full of folk enjoying the sun, so I put the bike in the car and went back for a nice pint and send a few texts out. The rest of the day was more drinks in the back garden with my mad housemate with a satisfied grin on my face that Id done well.

Later that week, more detailed results followed on the website and I was amazed to learn that transition times were already included in my original time. So it dawned on me that I had swan, cycled and ran faster than I have before, even in stand alone events or training sessions. That is major progress and I now look forward to Leeds Half Marathon tomorrow followed by a weeks holiday in Lanzarote from next Thursday.

Looking back, the major breakthrough has been my swimming training. I have at last nailed the breathing needed for effective freestyle and my fitness has increased to a new level! Plus a year ago this week I was stuggling to run a 5k at all!

Life is good!



Out with the old and in with the new.

After the brief period of rest and injury management following Skipton Triathlon, I needed a new focus and training plan. I had been following a 14 week sprint triathlon plan which did get me through Skipton but with an Olympic distance event (Ripon in July) being the new target it was time to up my game.
After looking at a few plans, I choose the following http://www.trinewbies.com/tno_trainingprograms/tno_10wOly.asp Source: tri-newbies online training programs.
In short, the plan involves 2 swims, 3 cycle and 3 run sessions per week with increases distances as the weeks progress. Anyone who can do the above disciplines with average to fair fitness levels (and time to do it) can certainly cope with this schedule.

Training Week Monday 15th - Sunday 21st April.

Monday to Wednesday slight injury to my left calf so rest and more rest. Thursday 30mins easy swim. Weight training on Friday.

On Saturday my leg was feeling ok so I ran a 10k at 10.4 km/h pace which I was pleased about and followed this up with a mamoth 3hour cycle ride with my brother Peter covering 62k. The ride went from Shipley, Bingley, Steeton, Skipton, Bolton Bridge (seen below), Addingham (seen below left, Ikley and round to Menston, Guiseley ending back to the car in Shipley. Although I felt ok in terms of fitness, I still struggle on the inclines and hills. My leg power to weight ratio is poor (cycle legs as they call it) still and it frustrates me seeing my cycle friends disapear into the distance as the hills loom.

The ride was fairly straight forward right into Skipton where we rested for a bit before moving on. The second part of the route was more challenging and had a lot more rolling hills and short sharp ones. Although not a major obsticle on their own, I did start to feel it as fatigue started to set in. Peter took me on a side road which was is popular with other cyclists and it was good 20k traffic free stretch with the most beautiful surroundings. I already knew that this area would be my main training route for my long weekend rides.
As we dropped down into the Aire Valley region near Burley I was behind Pete and but moving up alongside him for a chat as cyclists when it is safe to do so, when I misread his intended direction and he turned his bike into my path and I hit him straight on as I had no time to react. I went crashing to the ground and banged my knee on the floor and was rolling around in pain much to his amusement. He managed to stay on his bike ok, but I was now flat on my back. Rather bizzarely a few minutes later my other brother John (I have 5 brothers) arrived on the scene with his pal Steve to see me rolling around in pain. Eventually the pain subsided and I was ok to continue. Luckily there was no lasting damage.

Coping with injury and upcoming events.

The theory on injuries always tell you to rest, that is harder said than done when you are active but on Monday I had  planned to take a day off from training anyway as I felt tired from the event and also I had pain in my left calf. So my only activity apart from the working day was recovery massage using a foam roller and an ice pack on and off.

Ive seen the sports guys using the rollers as part of their recovery regime so I thought I'd follow suit and see what the fuss was all about. Trevor who is a fitness lecturer and also runs his own remedial sports massage/training academy business sold me the roller and  I can tell you that its the best £15.00 that I have ever spent. I was really struggling early on this week and limping around but with using a combination of Ice pack and massage, I was recovering fast. More can be found about Trevor at www.absolute-fitness.co.uk He is also in action on you tube http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAkpRVGlqlvEJlntGeStAXQ?feature=

With my leg feeling ok, I went swimming on Wednesday but still had pain if I tried anything other than freestyle. So I did laps of four with a little rest inbetween for about 30mins. I looked on envious at a swimming in the other lane who just ploughed on and on with no rest for the full half hour. Maybe one day!. On the Thursday and Friday I did more rehab work and weight training just to keep some continuity going but no weight bearing exercises for the legs.

If all feels good I plan a run on Saturday and a Cycle session Sunday as I have upcoming events on the horizon!

Upcoming Events

My involvement in Triathlon was never ever going to be above just doing the one event, more of a journey to see how far and what I can accomplish, with a long term goal of completing an 'Ironman'

A lot of people will just jump straight in and go for the big prize. My strategy is to tackle each event in a series of increasing distances and therefore hopefully an increase in my fitness, strength and stamina, coupled with decreasing waist line!

With this in mind as well as my regular training schedule (Which I will post on request) I have the following planned:

April 28th Bradford 10k road race (with pals Marc, Rob, Paul and others)
May 6th    Tadcaster Sprint Triathlon
May 12th  Leeds Half Marathon (Not sure if my legs are ready, but I'll complete it, no fear)
May 16th - 23rd Holiday/Training/Booze/Sun Tan/ Watch Tony and Rob Ironman.etc etc)
June16th  Allerthorpe (York) Sprint Tri
July  13th Ripon Olympic distance 1.5k swim, 40k cycle and 10k run - Step up in distance.

That's as far as Ive got so far but I may fit some 10k runs in between these as I see fit. Lets hope that I stay injury free.

My friend Marc writes a fantastic and comical view of his couch to runner bean experiences at http://hemingwayrun.wordpress.com/ He has over 600 followers.

Skipton Triathlon April 14th 2013

The week leading up to this event was a lighter training load, but I did still train as I have a number of events coming up after Skipton. However I did a small session Thursday morning then nothing at all Friday and Saturday.

On Saturday I popped over to see my Brother Tony who completed his first Ironman in Lanzarote last May. He is also taking part in Skipton as part of his final training prep for his second Ironman again in Lanzarote in 6 weeks  time.  Whilst at Tony’s  I mentioned a problem with the gears on my bike which kept and jumping on a previous ride the week before. So he said that he would look at it and give it a service. For the rest of the night I just chilled out had a few glasses of wine and a Chinese take away. I was due to go to bed about 10.00pm but match of the day was on so I ended up staying up until midnight.

On the morning of the race I drove over to my other brother John who was also taking part. He has done a number of triathlons in the past and is a specialist cyclist but in his admission wasnt really match fit for a triathlon but was taking part anyway. John had spent time servicing my bike and said it was all ok now.

On arrival in the car park we soon discovered that the swimming pool was over the other side of a hill. So we had to carry our bikes and kit up a longish country staircase which then came out at the back of Aireville school. It was about 7/8 minute’s walk which was a bit annoying as we were then in a mad rush to get John in for his 9.45am start. I also noticed the wind which was gusting and I thought was gonna make life hard on the cycle route. Anyway, we registered and racked our bikes and tabbed it back to the car to grab further kit and return to the transition area. We bumped into my Dad and he then joined us on the way back.

Time was short now so John went to start his swimming and Tony, Susan and Elaine also turned up and went straight to the pool. I went to the bike area to set my kit out. I was feeling a little bit nervous now as there were a lot of people watching all the athletes getting their kit ready plus there were competitors transitioning in and out of this area all the time that I was there.  I set out my gear in order of putting them on. Helmet, shades, top, number belt, socks and so on. I took off my joggers and top and put them in my bag under my bike. I had also put Johns bag down under his bike but didn’t have time to set his kit out as I now had to get down to the pool for my start time. Before going to the pool I had to dodge the runners coming in and out of the pool and kids playing in the park and random dog walkers seemingly oblivious to athletes getting on with their race.

At the pool I found a grassed area round the back of the fire door so I took off my trainers and top and then walked to the pool entrance. It felt a bit weird to do so with just my trunks and goggles on crossing the path of onlookers outside. I was soon called out onto the poolside where a briefing started but I wasn’t really listening as I was doing muscle poses to my watch family sat in the viewing gallery who were laughing.  I asked what  the swim order again to which the instructor with clipboard in hand laughed and said ‘were you not listening’.  In my group were about 24 swimmers split into 6 lanes with 4 in each lane, I was in lane 3. I felt pretty relaxed now and entered the water and waited for the whistle. The guy next to me said in a dodgy Scottish accent ‘Contenders, you will go on my first whistle’ to which I replied, Gladiators you will go on my second whistle’. We all laughed.  Then a chap next to me mentioned that he was a bag of nerves.  I said to relax and just take it easy and he’ll be fine. The whistle blew and we were off in 5 second increments, I was third out. I soon moved into second but then third and fourth swam straight over me which both shocked and pissed me off so went I reached the third lap I swam passed them and settled in second again. There was a young lady in front of me doing a strong breast stroke and was keeping a good pace. The others had dropped right back now so I was able to relax and just keep it steady. I was really enjoying myself, it was fun.  My front crawl was faster than the leaders pace but I couldn’t pass her as the others kept coming the opposite way as I tried to pass which blocked me in and after a few attempts trying to pass I didn’t think there was any point in using the energy to do so with only a few lengths left to do.

Myself and the leader were the first out in the whole group to finish along with another one or two  others so I knew it was a quick swim.  I exited out of the firedoor into the cool air and put my trainers on and then jogged over to the bike transition area. Tony had run out of the pool gallery and was shouting encouragement. I was feeling good at this point as I made my way over. It does feel a little bit surreal running past loads of onlookers as already mentioned but it both amused and spurred me on. At my bike I quickly dried myself so I could get my cycle top on. I had some tri shorts on so didn’t need any shorts as such. I then looked for my helmet and everything was all over the floor, it looked like someone had kicked my stuff all over. However it was blowing a gale so this was probably the culprit. I found my kit and put it on and took a bit shot of my sports drink then Tony shouted to get a move on, so I did. In the process I forgot to put my socks and gloves on but thought sod it im only gonna be running a 5k which I mentioned to Tony as I left to which he nodded and I started the ride.

On the bike I stopped briefly to get my gloves on and then I was on my way. My legs felt a bit heavy so I stayed in an easier gear just to get some cadence going. The weather was really blowing a gale head-on and I was finding it really tough to get any respectable pace going. Looking down at my trip computer I was only averaging about 14k an hour for the first 6k. Last week without the wind on the same route in practice I was around 20k per hour at the over the same distance. Apart from passing a few route marshalls I was on my own with no one behind me or even close. At around 8k I began to pass some tail enders from an earlier group.  I noticed that the first rider I passed was on a heavy mountain bike with full winter cycling kit. It both made me laugh and feel a bit sorry for them as they were obviously hampered by excessive weight. By now I was badly struggling on any incline (or hill as I call them) as my body weight and lack of leg power plus the wind really slowed me down. The gears on my bike were also skipping and jumping all over the place which affected my morale somewhat. I passed the cross keys pub on my right and thought how great a pint of beer would be right now.  I took a swig of high5 to wet my mouth. Eventually I reached the junction in the village at Thornton le Craven and I knew the worst was over. Going downhill I gunned it and put in a sprint to try and claw back some time. As I passed an open field a massive cross wind slammed into me and the bike jointed and rattled and it scared the shit out of me. I was lucky, I held on and didn’t fall. I was careful now until I turned left and had the wind behind me at long last. With the wind behind me I was able to keep a good cadence and my morale lifted somewhat as I passed a further 3 or 4 competitors. As I was coming in to transition I spotted Elaine (my sister in law) taking photos on the roadside and I waved. I dismounted and saw John who was on his 5k run, he shouted encouragement and I stumbled over to the transition area with my bike. I began to remove gloves and helmet on the way to save time.

Bike racked helmet and gloves off and it was a quick transition. I crossed a grassed area then onto the roadside to start my 5k run. Tony shouted out ‘1h.22 so far, come on’. My legs were rubbery and my pulse and breathing were heavy, I was struggling again so I dropped to a very steady jog to try and sort myself out. After about 10 minutes everything had settled down again and I was able to increase my pace somewhat and feel good about completing my debut.  I passed a couple of runners as I entered the park and through the main body of spectators who all shouted encouragement.  When I reached the water station at the bottom of the park at 2.5k I though yes one drink over the head and the other sip it. However, I struggled to get back up the incline so had to do walk jogs until on the flat again where my dad and others spurred me on. On the second lap I was struggling to manage anything other than flat or downhill as my legs had gone. A group of four lads had passed me entering the park again so I tagged along at the back of them just to keep some sort of pace which really helped get me through the last part. On the final corner the marshall shouted out ‘200 meters to go, well done’. The last part is like a funnel as you cross the line and its was good to hear everyone cheering with family waiting and taking photos as you cross the line. Job done, I felt amazing with the exercise high and the adrenaline kicking in. I chatted with family then had drinks and fruit that the organisers had put on.

Both myself and John got our results and he had a better overall time by just one minute. I had done a quicker swim and run, but he is a much stronger cyclist. Looking back at the photos and the expression on his face he was really going flat out and gave 110%. We both got changed and it started to absolutely lash it down and we both got soaked. And I staying that way for the next couple of hours as we then then watched Tony on his turn. Tony put in a solid performance and we kept him aware of times to beat and so on. He was quicker all round than us and finished in a good 1h.26. Later we were amazed to find that I actually had the best swim time by a single second. So I was well chuffed as I didn’t get a complete whitewash by him and it means I have some leverage when the banter starts.