9km run 
1.5km swim drill

First run since Spain - great to keep things ticking over so quickly. Last year too much time passed. Time to give the blog a rest now. I'll try and write every week or so, but with a new baby due soon it'll take a back seat until the next big race. I still have the race report from Spain to put up and hope to do that today.

Cycle
- 20mile easy cycle out into countryside. I'm starting to formulate a plan for next year.
1. 10miles today was before eating. The plan is to gradually increase the distance each week/fortnight to get the fat burning up.
2. I need to make sure I don't neglect the road miles as I have done for the past few seasons. This should mean I get my position much better without the pre-race changes
3. I will start with getting as aero as possible - all the spacers out at the front and see how it feels.
4. Need to look around for a power meter. Most people at the race in Spain had them - they just locked into a power they knew they could maintain and that was it.
5. Big focus on the gym to try and get my strength balanced out.

Now the race is over I can try a few things the physio has recommended - duct tape to big toe and pull it with rope! to try and mobilise it - did this today, as crazy as it sounds it just might work.
Gym - 30mins legs and core
Swim - 20mins drill

Swim - drill
Yoga class - Hatha - A crazy foot by your ear position, no way could I do that.
Lots of olympic watching (night shift tonight)

Gym class
CXworks - part of my plan to get these strength imbalances addressed. I never knew there were so many uses for a big elastic band.
Swim - drill
Track cycling at the olympics today - I want one of those bikes!

Swim

1.5km - drill + 500m with paddles. I've not really used paddles much but think this could be useful to build up a bit of swim strength.

Swim and Sauna

After Hawaii I did very little for quite a while which was a mistake. It took a long time to get back and I picked up a couple of injuries along the way. All I can do right now is swim anyway! I do plan to take it pretty easy, there's Ludlow sprint triathlon on 30th September to keep me focused.

Fly back

There's a facebook page for the GB team with some photos

Otherwise a break from the blog until the build for Ironman UK number 9 next year.

Long Course World Championships - Vitoria Gasteiz
4km swim, 120km bike, 30km run
Time 7hrs 0Mins
40th in age group

I really enjoyed racing this distance compared to Ironman, however it was always going to be difficult to do well coming off the back of Ironman UK.

The start was at 8.50am (so a lot more sleep than normal)

Swim
Each age group went off in waves, separated by 5mins or so. This time my plan of getting on someone's feet and chilling out worked well. They were taking a good line so I  just chilled out behind them. I think some of the motivation to do this comes from the compete contrast of finding the swim awful for several years and now feeling totally in control. Half way through I started passing different coloured swim hats and this spurred me on to try and overtake more. I did leave me with the feeling I could have swam a bit more aggressively from the start though.

Bike
Again I ran past my bike (they all look the same!). The course was fairly flat and hardly anyone went past me. A headwind did seem to go on forever. The second lap of the course was more eventful - I took a corner too fast and left the road to end up straight in a ditch. Somehow I managed to unclip from the bike and it was fine, I however got a fair bit of road rash to the legs and right shoulder. A group of Spanish spectators put me back on my bike and started pushing me down the road (felt like the tour de france!) Unfortunately for the next 10-15km loads of people past me, I couldn't get my speed up above 30km/hr having averaged 36km/hr previously - I put it down to being shaken up etc, I stopped and found the front brake pad was rubbing - gutted but easily sorted.

I managed to take on all my nutrition which i'd made from scratch the night before. 90g of carbohydrate/hr this time (Bolton was 60g) - I was just on the edge of vomiting most of the way round so tried to take on as much water as possible and sit up when going down hill. The torpedo style drink holder on the front was amazing - 100x better than the aero bottle - I'll be sticking with this.

I had plenty in reserve on the bike, the position seemed good with just a little bit of left knee pain (i'd taken the wedge out, so will put this one back) Lots more people passed me coming into town - i'd flicked the quick release on the front brake so was nervous i'd not be able to stop.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/204931514

Data wise - I was only aiming to average 30km/hr (Bolton effect) so was happy with 34.6km/hr. I think without the crash and a little more focus i'd have been a lot faster - On a good day i'd want my heart rate around the 139mark which I was way off. 

Run

Again I spent ages looking for my bag - I got the orientation of the tent the wrong way round so went to the opposite corner - D'oh. Once i'd found it I was quick. The plan on the run was to take a gel at every aid station (difficult after an hour!) and take a 30sec walk break. There were 4 laps of 7.5km, I planned to get round 3 and then hammer the 4th if I had anything left. The right glute/hamstring issue was in the back of my mind but it stayed away. Mum was out on the course and popped up without notice all over the place. The support from the crowds was fantastic. Pee-ing wearing a trisuit was a new experience - it would just pull down enough but it wasn't pretty. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/204931519

It was wonderful to finish so strongly - I passed about 100 people on that last lap. I learned it is much better to have a slower total time and finish strong with a smile than to be completely spent (unless you're trying to get to Hawaii)

The winning time was 6.15 approx. I know Matt Molloy who came 2nd as we raced in Hawaii together. Best case scenario I would have been about 15mins behind (30mins quicker)

Learning points (to go quicker)

1. Weight - I was 4kg lighter last year! - this makes a huge difference - changes needed; less sports drinks (don't worry so much about refuelling), more sleep, exercise before breakfast.

2. Swim - Need more commitment on race day. Stroke rate work and Paddles (I never use them) would help. 

3. Gym - to sort out unbalanced strength which shows up as wonky bike position and right posterior chain problems on the run.

4. Bike - Need to work in the 140hr zone in races, and sort out position. This could all be done by starting road time trails, turbos in aero position, one leg drills with higher watts, very slow cadence work with good form. Most people had watt meters, they just locked onto the wattage they can do for 3hours and job done, this could really help. I've been waiting for Garmin to bring theirs out but it's been delayed again. 

5. More effort into finding bike/bags in transition. I think something fluro I could put on the front of the bike would work well. 

Learning points
Make bike distinctive

Run 10mins - Achilles not liking it, can they do 30km? Who knows
Bike 20mins - happy with position. Did take all the wedges out of my insoles (one on left two on right, just felt better)

Another split site transition so taking bags and bikes to various places. It's a bit more scenic than Bolton though! Should be carbo loading, hope ice cream counts
Massage - only £15 with team masseur Christine why not?

Cycle/Swim

Cycled out to the swim start with some of the team. 20km round trip
Swim - 1km in wetsuit

We all had to dip our wetsuits - a sort of sheep dip 

Tried out torpedo style drink system. I know don't try anything new, but the aero-bottle has really started to annoy me. The bottle bounced out so needs some tweaking.
Team briefing:

Bottom line - the bike draft zone will be about 5 bike lengths and there are 50 officials on the course. Could be interesting.
Watched Olympic opening ceremony back at hotel.

Swim 3km
Run from pool 2km
First day back training after Bolton, in Spain waiting for race on Sunday. Haven't written for a while as no computer. The ironman went well. I had to keep it easy which was hard at times. Today was the first day I've been able to train - felt really good. The main problem has been trying to keep on track and not over eat.

Fly to Spain

Bike box on train to Stansted - no problem, plenty of room.
Met mum at airport, missing my coffee which i've now given up, it stops iron absorption and my levels aren't high.
Did think i'd be wearing my GB kit but was a bit embarrassed so thought better of it.
We went with a company called Nirvana. They do package deals to all the major events, etape, hawaii etc, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to see if it was worth it.
The pick up at the airport removed a lot of hassle but that was about it. The main plus point was the team mechanic Rob (igloo cycles - chesterfield) was in the same minibus who I quickly befriended!
Team hotel was great, notice board for training areas, orientation events, massage, bike mechanic etc, If you ever go on one of these things you could arrange it all yourself (at a fraction of the price) and still participate in everything arranged from the hotel.
Still struggling with the stairs!

Mum

Assembled bike - left my torque wrench and cable cutters in UK as non-essential (and heavy) will take them in the future.

Preparation day for Spain in London

Cycled george to nursery in Christiana - a joy to do a different type of cycling.

Massage with Roberto - great that he fitted me in as straight after he was of to Stratford to give his attention to some proper athletes.

Speedo shop for some big googles

Asics shop for some trainers - my half size bigger experiment in Bolton (return others to amazon - saw someone get mugged whilst queuing in the post office. Further evidence to leave London)

Box bike - wow, only took an hour, for Hawaii it was a whole day. This time I had all the foam etc labelled and knew I could get away without dismantling the aerobars completely. 

Weighing luggage - ditching non-essential stuff - easyjet!
Picked George up early to take him for an eye appointment he was very good with his eye drops.

Recovery post Ironman UK

Here's where it will get interesting. Very sore and difficult to imagine doing another in 6 days. I just concentrated on getting my legs up and eating plenty. I used my compex machine in it's recovery mode (an electric muscle twitcher!) I haven't used it for this before and it really did work - for an hour or so after the fatigue was markedly reduced. Long drive from Bolton to Mansfield and then down to London - hard work in itself. 

Ironman UK (UK Number 8)
Swim 1.04
T1 3.45min
Bike 6.33
T2 3.28min
Run 4.17
Total 12.02.52

Note for next time
Getting up 2hours before start is fine
Wear bike shorts and top and normal clothes on top
Take down and put on bike - water bottle, bottle with calories etc, saddle tool kit, bike shoes with elastic bands (attach to bike), Garmin, heart rate strap, wet suit, body glide, cycle gloves, wet suit, googles, hat, pre race drink (high5 Xtreme carbs) Toilet roll.
There are plenty of track pumps you can borrow (may need adapter)

This was a completely different race for me. I didn't have a plan as such but knew i'd have to take it easy it I was going to be able to be respectable in Spain, 7 days away.

The pressure was off and I did try a few new things out. I sprinted the start of the swim to get in a good position with the intention to get a good draft all the way round. Unfortunately I had normal swimming googles (more streamlined!) and found I couldn't see much of anything all the way round - so back to the big ones next time. My navigation was poor and no draft. 

Transition was straight forward - did have a bit of trouble finding my bike. I must come up with a way of making it more distinctive. 

Letting everyone go past on the bike was difficult but had to be done. From the graph my heart rate averaged about 120 and there was a lot of coasting (zero cadence). About 60miles in I decided I may as well experiment with the position so at least it could be spot on for Spain (I was getting pain in both knees - raising the saddle sorted that out) There were 4 position changes in total!

I broke my take it easy rule for 10mins when I asked someone why there was a camera crew up front; "it's Rebecca Romero" I sprinted off and caught up with her but soon called a day on that - she did a 5.50 bike which is well within my capability normally. 

The run went well - I had a walk run strategy of 4mins running, 30secs walking right from the start. Despite going slowly and having the breaks it was still really hard in places - I need to remember that there's no such thing as an easy marathon (for me anyway). My half size bigger trainers were not good. I also found I hadn't taken on enough fuel during the bike - only 60g/hr of carbs and I paid for this in the last third of the run (short stride and low mood). For the first time I stopped and said hello to family and friends which was great. For the first time I used a camelbak filled with maltodextrin, essential amino acids and branch chain amino acids - I thought I would do my best to stop muscle protein being used as an energy source in view of the next race.

My target pace whilst running was 5min/km and I must admit when I felt good after the first 5km I lost some discipline and went faster. There was a big lift from passing people that is difficult to contain and this probably contributed to the slow last third. I can recommend the walk run strategy, I caught virtually everyone who passed me whilst I walked. 

The main thing that this race brings home is it really is all about the run - both in posting a good time and enjoying the race. It really deserves the most attention in training. Strict pace judgement and attention to detail for fuelling is everything. The ability to take a gel on at every aid station is a real strength which is so hard to stomach.  

It's hard to know whether dropping the brick sessions in training worked or not. I think it did but a bit more focus on running would have helped. I could have comfortably gone an hour quicker on the bike, the run was a different matter. Also last year I had was well up there with transition time (2mins quicker on each!) and that's basically free.

Bolton is a tough race. It's harder to imagine a worse road course; - the surface is awful, with potholes, speed bumps, technical turns, cars on the road!!! etc, The run is a real "suffer fest" and organisation at the end was dreadful - you're penned-in in the finish area and it's difficult to find friends and family. The bags were dumped in one big pile with the queues to pick them up inexcusably long (I usually pick them up earlier!).

- Registration - in a different place this year (should have read the instructions!)
- Bike racking
- Transition bags in - always difficult at Bolton as it's a split site with T1 and T2 30mins drive apart.
Met Paul James in transition, another doctor who I used to work with. He is doing his first.
This always takes a lot longer than I expect. Much of this is due to me not having much in my transition bags anymore and as a result thinking I must have forgotten something.
For the future
Bike bag - helmet, race number, asthma spray/meds
Run bag - hat, shoes, socks, (camelbak)

Preparation for Sunday

30mins getting bike sorted out - new cable and last go on the road. I had to replace the same cable in Hawaii and it took me an afternoon - this time took 15mins, it's amazing how the stress was getting to me back then.

Made up my drink for the bike, elastic laces in trainers, race kit ready.

Commuting cycling 1hour

Chain came off fixed wheel going down hill - locked the back wheel and wore a massive spot of rubber of my solid wheels - the back one is now like riding a square wheel - I am thankful I didn't go flying.

Shopping for last minute things -
e.g. CamelBak (i'm going to make sure I get the protein in as I go round to recover quicker for Spain)
Changed chain on bike - last time took 2hours this time 20mins
Changed tyres to heavier puncture resistant
Checked everything out
Got back cracked by the chiropractor - weird feeling
Packed
Spent afternoon with family. Will wanted to go into the local church!

Turbo
30mins easy aerobic with some one legged drill (in changed position)

Swim
2km easy aerobic with 8x100m race pace on 100m recovery

60mins cycling round town

Massage with Paul today - really good, feel like we're getting to the bottom of my longer term issues. Had my name put on my tri suit today - I had settled on not putting them on but thought it was to good an opportunity to have "MOON" written across my backside! Unfortunately they only had one choice of letters in the shop (a bit big?)

Family coming up tomorrow so have to pack everything for Bolton and Spain. That's just reminded me passport!!! - lucky

Great coverage on BBC1 about Victoria Pendleton - saw her using the same bike fitting system as me - I have renewed confidence that changing it back to that was the right thing to do.

Run
45 min easy aerobic

Tried my new, slightly larger trainers - they were OK. Feet weren't flopping around too much so will give them a go on Sunday.

Spent the evening looking at my bike position. I had moved the saddle forwards to get more aerodynamic but looking at the picture below I think this has created too much flexion at the knee. I will move it back to the last bike fit (retul) position tomorrow.

Half Rest
Sauna, 10min swim and a few weights in the gym.

Read today that the Romanian deadlift will almost ensure uninterrupted training and avoidance of injury! It's a shame i'm not sure I do them correctly but will bearing this in mm it also went away
3. She changed the weight on the sternum to one for iron sulphate and the weakness came back and then for iron picolinate and back to full strength. The advice is I should take this supplement.
I couldn't stop laughing because it was all so bizarre, but it actually worked I am intrigued.

Swim

Warm up and some drill
Set - 20 x 93m at 1m/sec pace on 31 sec recovery
Cool down

The plan was to go for a nice Sunday ride and key in my bike position for next weekend. The night at work was busy so it wasn't an option so slept all morning. Really happy with the swim. A 31m pool apparently hence the funny times and distances. Last time I couldn't keep on 31sec pace and had to give myself an extra second so great to stay on it this time.
- Found it much easier when;
1. Focused on rotating hips
2. Getting head back in when breathing well before hand entered the water - sort of uncoupling the movement that usually goes together but results in swinging over to the other side.

Ordered some new trainers and have just seen they are half a size bigger than usual - I messed up the sizing and used an chart from the internet and not amazon's own - not sure what to do - I'm veering on my new philosophy that if it's not right i'll learn - maybe they'll be better???
Loving the new books "cycling anatomy" and "running anatomy" - basically a load of gym based exercises - could have done with these in the winter.
Plan to get happy with the bike position tomorrow - may have to do it indoors as the weather forecast looks awful.

Run
5km to gym
20min on treadmill 1% 15km/hr

Weights - TRX, various leg exercises from the book cycling anatomy I bought yesterday
Swim - 1km as 200 warm up, 200 1 arm, 200 sighting, 200 fists, 200 5 strokes/breath
Run - 5km home

That treadmill was hard today - heart rate hitting 160/min (usually low 150s for the same effort) I think this was due to the hard turbo the previous day. Right leg not right, drifting over the centre line with the usual hamstring ache towards the end.
Enjoyed trying out some exercises from the new book - the lunges were good and my asymmetry shows up in those as well - hopefully this could help improve it.

Another night shift tonight.

Turbo
10min warm up
4 x 7.5min x 85rpm x 270W on 4min recovery
Cool down

I've been adapting the program I followed last year and this was down as 4 x 5km at Olympic pace on 3.5-4min. Working on 40km/hr (a bit optimistic!) this gives 7.5min and 270W for the effort (also optimistic) - the aim was to get to anaerobic threshold which I did - about 160/bpm

Made the usual position changes! my anterior knee pain after the cycle to London recently is still there so i've reduced the aggressive position (saddle forwards).

Massage
Good session with Paul - ITB and Piriformis. ITB problems are the one thing that can really spoil the race so it's time to target this.

Bought a book on on gym exercises for cycling today - cycling anatomy by Shannon Sovndal from the cursory read today it looks good.

14.5hr night shift tonight - hope it's not too bad.

Wrists

Wondered why I get pins and needles in my hands after long turbos so did a bit of research:

1. Usually effects median (carpal tunnel) - on upper bar or ulnar nerves (on drops)
Some studies have shown 23 out of 25 cyclists have some deficit

2. Handlebar design  - audax curved bars are better, get less rigid ones if possible (less vibration). Handlebar horns are especially bad for a branch of the ulnar nerve
3. The more horizontal your torso is the more pressure your hands get - so drops are worse and more aero can be bad.
4. Gloves help but not as much as you think
Advice
- swap position
- handlebars not too far forward and saddle not tilting forwards
- multiple angle handlebars
- shallow drops better than deep
- padded and non-stiff handlebars to reduce vibration
- gel gloves

Turbo

10min warm up
12 x 30 sec on 90sec recovery at 110-120 cadence
5min cool down

Very long day at work. This session is fairly easy as it's more about working the cadence and keeping form rather than aiming for a specific effort.
Also did some ITB stretching during the day as they are both really tight and are a concern for race day. Found my left pelvis is winging out a bit and seem to remember reading something about this being related to ITB problems - i'll see if I can dig it out.

Run

4.5km to gym
5km on treadmill 1% 15km/hr
4.5km home

Some weights - decline squats for patella tendon strength, nordic hamstrings one and two legs (found my left one is rubbish)
Easy swim 800m

Previously at this stage I would have done this session after a bike. Right hamstring protesting still - from the weight session i'm starting to think it may be over working with the left one being a bit lazy.

Rest

Massage - Ouch

Read an article today on Stress fractures - Summary;
1. Much more common than we think (1 in 6 in some sports)
2. More common in - Female, Old, Non-white, Anatomic factors, Non-cushioned shoes, Orthotics, Hard surfaces (Tarmac!)
3. Low Vit D and Low Calcium intake
- Only 25% of population has adequate vit D levels
- each cup of skimmed milk reduces incidence by 62%!
- Vitamin D cannot be made by sunshine at 52deg N (London) from October to March!
- 15 mins per day of strong sunshine (without cream) is enough
- Recommended level (government) of Calcium is 750mg/day in UK and 1300mg/day Australia.
- Bottom line: take Vit D and Calcium supplements

Run
15km - need to get some road miles in, took this one nice and slow

Run
15km - easy pace 6min/km

Rest
- and in bed by 8pm! Rock and roll.

Turbo (Brick)

Warm up 20min
2 x 20min x 260W x 85rpm on 5min recovery
Run off bike 10min

Please with this session. Kept putting it off - Andy Murray at Wimbledon then the coverage of the Tour suddenly became very important to watch. Think I was carrying a fair bit of fatigue from the session on Wednesday. The blue graph is today and the red from the 17th - heart rate was higher (less recovery and fatigue). The usual position tweeks, narrow stance and saddle lower a fraction - this time the right leg was bang on and the left was protesting. Paradoxically the second session seemed easier, managed to spin better with lighter overall pressure on the pedals. 

Run off the bike just for confidence - felt great although I have to be really careful not to spring along too much which I tend to do off the bike when I feel good. This has been one of the reasons to move away from the classical brick sessions this year. 

Plan is to get some running in over the next few days. 

Swim
1km drill - single arm, 5 breaths, paddles, sighting.

Gym
TRX, Romanian squats

Bit of a recovery day after three relatively hard days. Feel like I should be out on the roads getting marathon fit but 1. Weather awful 2. Will be away from bike for a few days soon so will run then.

Turbo

25min warm up
aim was 5 x 5min x 300W x 65-70rpm on 5min recovery
Cool down

Haven't done this session for a while. Did do it back in March when it was my main focus. Looking at the heart rate graph i'm back at that level but for the final two sets I took the watts down so the heart rate stayed at 160 - the fact that it was bloody hard work made it easy to make the decision not to dig too big a hole to recover from.
So the efforts looked like 300, 300, 300, set 4 = 300W for 2.5min and 295W for 2.5min, set 5 = 295W for 2.5min and 290W for 2.5min. Hence the flatter tops to the heart rate.

The 25min warm up was down to position changes - whilst warming up I got some of that post London cycle knee pain so I had to think that through. I felt fairly wonky throughout, the saddle has been creeping up - this is because it's easier to extend your leg a set distance from standing compared to sitting - I think i've overdone it though and this results in a bit of a twist.

Massage
- Very good, really targeted the areas I wanted to.

Swim

The pool is apparently 31m long so distances in lengths

8 x warm up
10 x Single arm
2 x warm up
5 x 10 race pace (1m/sec) on 60sec
4 x side kick
2 x fists
8 x sighting to left and right
2 x cool down

Finally in a big pool. I have slowed down! Set the beeper to 31sec but couldn't hold it, had to move it to 32sec. I think the reason is all that slower paced training for the 10km and the increase in drill work due to the 20m pool at the gym. The strange thing was that I got faster with every set. I think once a fortnight would be enough to keep the pace up.

Lots of right hamstring pain from yesterday - sat in the sauna on the v.hot planks and it's completely gone.
Did some rolling.
The aim now is to alternate days of strength work with stretching as we come up to race time.
Bought some "green tyres" today - it follows from a book I read called "the moneyless man" - they are solid tyres that don't puncture - the plan is to put them on the fixed wheel bike for going round town - I had solid tyres when I was a kid, I hope their a bit better.
Otherwise it's been a day of catching up on paper work. Hope to do a turbo tomorrow, it's taken a back seat since the epic cycle to London.

Run

2 x 20min x 15km/hr on 5min recovery 1% incline

Yoga

- 1 hour ashtanga
S&C
- Hamstring strength work;
golfers T pick up 6kg dumbells x 10

High cable tripple extension

Nordic hamstrings

Swiss ball single leg curls

TRX double leg curls
Very like the swiss ball leg curls but both legs suspended by strap.

Couple of days off now following the long working weekend. Started with a lie in to 10am.
Run went really well, form much better than recently. Felt very comfortable. Think this is about 2.45 marathon pace and heart rate just around anaerobic threshold by the end. Been thinking a lot about form following the last treadmill session and read up on hamstring problems as mine cramped up. I think the cause could be overstriding on the right with hip flexors that are too strong/short in comparison to the hamstring. The above exercises are recommended 1-3 hours after running (so already fatigued and don't turn off the training effect which would happen if you did them the other way around)
Despite all this my heart rate was higher than last time for the same effort.
So over the next 3 weeks i'll try and improve the hamstring's condition.

3 Weeks to IM UK, 4 weeks till Spain

Stretching/rest

Another 12 hour day at work. Would have loved to train but just didn't have the time and energy flagged quickly. Did a bit of rolling and stretching the piriformis.

Run

10km Road

12 hour day at work so only time for a easy run. Lots of mechanical issues. These are a priority now, they could easily cost hours if they present themselves on race day.

S&C (Strength and conditioning)
- Stretching, TRX and Core work.

Swim
1km drill - one arm, fists, catch up, sighting left and right.

Had a 12.5 hour day at work so not much time to do anything. By mid-day my right side (bum and back) was aching badly. So aim was to see whether anything would improve it.
Found my right hamstring is a lot weaker than my left (doing hamstring curls - feet in straps back on floor) which I seem to remember from a few years ago when I did some similar exercises (swiss ball).
Lots of quad stretching
Some yoga pigeon to hit the bum/piriformis - left side much worse than right.

Swim was great - quickly got in the zone and loved it.

Strength and conditioning day

CX works class (am)

Ashtanga yoga class (pm)

Swim - 750m - 200 warm up, 200 one arm drill, Sighting left and right. 

Hard session on treadmill yesterday so hit the gym - bit experimental. 

I haven't tried "CX works" before so was playing catch-up with the instructor for the duration. It's a good way to get the core stuff done certainly felt it in the abs and my single leg squat on the right leaves whilst holding a stretching rubber band leaves a lot to be desired. A bit too focused on the anterior as opposed to the arguably more important posterior chain. 

Yoga - I have no idea what the difference is between the different styles but this was right on the money. Some great twisting type exercises that made me want to go back next time. 

Saw a woman do some funky exercises on some straps called THX she was a bit hard core and ignored my attempt at conversation. Checked it out on Youtube in the morning and had a go in the afternoon - there's a huge potential to do all you'd need to - very impressed. There's lots of scope for embarrassing yourself whilst oddly suspended - something to play with when the gym's empty.

Useful to have the pool there as i'm a big fan of, one arm drill - it's been instrumental in improving my rotation and catch.

Had my food shopping delivered today for the first time - amazing!

Run

10min warm up
2 x 20min x 15km/hr on 5min recovery

A case of unfinished business from yesterday. Worked a busy night shift so slept all morning. Heart rate much better than yesterday - peaking at high 150's towards the end which is exactly where I wanted to be. My main limiter is biodynamics, fitness wise I feel I could do so much more but my right leg isn't coming through properly with the ham and glute starting to tighten - yoga tomorrow?

Swim

1km drill

Run

10min 14km/hr 5min 13km/hr

I wasn't sure i've shifted my cold completely so the plan was to swim 1km (no problem) and then do a tempo paced run. The run felt difficult and my heart rate was more than normal so I knocked it on the head. Pleased that I was disciplined enough to do this.

Rest

The plan was to swim today but still really tired from Saturday - early night instead.

Rest

Definite rest day today. Woke with bilateral knee pain worse going down stairs! Decline squats are meant to sort that out but probably could raise saddle a fraction too. In the back of my mind is the dreaded chondromalacia patella which is one thing that can't be sorted so easily (which the symptoms also fit!) hopefully that's just my tendency to catastrophise.

Chasing George and Will around the garden all afternoon.

Cycle 

160 miles, 11 hours door to door (including breaks, getting lost, changing position! etc)  Fingers crossed my cold doesn't return.  I cycled to France from Chester in 3 days when I was 14 - today I passed a lot of places around Banbury that were on that route. Very nostalgic.

Link to the route:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/193003169
34% charge left on Garmin but showing one bar.

George was happy to see me

Swim 
1km drill
+ Sauna and rolling legs. Still got my cold. Managed to catch up on some sleep, and go to gym for some very easy work. Cleaned bike and got everything ready for the possible cycle to London tomorrow.

Gym

Still got my cold - there's a saying that if its above your neck it's ok to train. Not sure where it is so just did some stretching at the gym and some very light weights. Looking back at the training diary I had a sore throat and a few long days at work that I didn't give enough respect to. It's always easy to look back and think it was obvious. I have been a bit stricter with carbs and that can add a bit of stress to the system.

I took my roller to the gym and hit my legs from every angle - the position on the bike was a lot better on the way back - so it looks like it's better to cover everything rather than focus on one area.

Weather (and cold) permitting I may cycle to London on Saturday - I should be well rested and at 4 weeks out from IMUK why not. Looks like it would be 160miles on google maps.

Rest

Enforced rest today - i've had a bit of a sore throat lately but i'm now feeling more grotty, it would be silly to train.

Swim

3km as 2km drill, 1km at 60 strokes per minute - faster than usual - based on the teachings of the swim smooth people; "eliminating the dead spot". In public open air pool in central London (a bit of a secret location!) It's great in the winter.

Usual commuting etc as well ferrying the kids.

Rest
Running around after George and Will all day, not sure I can call it rest. Booked massage with Roberto tomorrow - it's going to be painful.

Core (AM)

Woke early and did my core exercises (McMillan running) bicycle crunches instead of the swiss ball ones as don't have a ball.

Turbo (PM)

15min warm up
2 x 20min x 260W x 85-90rpm on 7min recovery

Woke up early and so got the core stuff out of the way. 12 hour day at work again - on feet all day so didn't know what to expect on the turbo - watched the London Nocturne racing on 4OD which I think helped - penny farthing racing!

The heart rate was right where I wanted it to be - at 154bpm by the end. Still lopsided on the bike, maybe I should just accept it and deal with it???

The red graph is today and the blue is back in March so there's some improvement. It was 7min recovery instead of 5 because the trainer reset itself for some reason. 

Run

5min warm up
20min at 15km/hr
5min recovery
2 x 75sec x 18km/hr on 3min

Another 12hr day at work and on my feet for most of it. Wanted to do a time efficient session.
Pace wise on the treadmill i'm just feeling around for the right intensity. The 15km/hr is half marathon pace and was comfortable. I want to start doing some speed work and know that 19km/hr is 5min mile pace which is ultimately where i'd like to aim for - so just taking it into that territory. The sauna was closed which I was really looking forward to after all that.

Gym

12.5 hour day at work! Only time (and energy!) to get 30mins in at the gym, usual legs and shoulder exercises. Had a go on one of those vibrating plates (no one was looking).

Tomorrow long day at work again, plan to do some core work.

Run
2km in morning in vibrams

27km in afternoon, 3hours mainly exploring off road

Went over to Haughmond Hill - amazing to have this on the doorstep. There's a lot more of it to the east to explore, and a run down abbey that looks interesting.

 

There's a great little avenue of forest that leads up to the hill which in turn is connected to a path that takes you into town away from the traffic. 

This may be the last long run before the ironman itself. I got a bit of left knee ITB pain but it went after a while with some concentration on my form. 

Turbo

15min spin scan/warm up
10 x 500W x 15sec on 2min

Run 
1.5 miles in vibrams (10min after bike)

Slight sore throat at the moment so didn't want to do too much.
This was the first time using the computer to do the Watts changes on the bike - brilliant. I didn't have to ramp it up in 5W increments myself. 15 secs felt like a long time. I'm not sure where to go with this next i.e. increase the wattage or the time, probably the time.

The GB tri suit arrived today

Saw an electric shimano component on eBay today - got it half price. Looks like i'm committed to getting the rest now.

Weigh in 69.2kg
I don't have scales at the moment so was surprised to see it down from the usual 70kg. Maybe I don't need them as much as I thought?

Swim


1km Drill; single arm, catch up, fists
1km Hard as 4x250m on about 50secs
500m turning the arms over much faster, I wanted to used the in cap bleeper but it had mysteriously vanished from my bag.

Lots of commuting on the bike, picking up George and Will etc,

Listened to "marathon talk podcast" episode 123 - interview with Dr. Steve Ingham from English Institute of Sport. Couple of interesting points

1. It is almost impossible to get overtraining from running. You will get impact injuries first (he has seen a handful of cases). Overtraining is much more likely where you don't get impact such as cycling and swimming.
My thoughts - so running be guided by niggles etc, Cycling by coughs colds etc,

2. Recovery - see in two ways - If you want to feel better quickly or if you want to adapt. Most of the ways to feel better will reduce inflammation but in so doing you may reduce your adaptation. So just concentrate on getting the nutrients in. He was very into protein and antioxidants (Vit E & C Cherry juice)

Rest


Commuting down to London after my weekend of nights. Some good training lately so definitely rest time i've been around a lot of sick people too.

6 weeks to go to IM UK, 7 weeks to Spain

Brick

100km Cycle

2km Run off bike

My first ride with SYtri - Cycled 30Km to the start of the ellesmere triathlon course. Met up with about 20 other riders from the club and rode the 40km course. Quite a few went on to go for a run. I had no trainers so cycled back home. 

Ran 2km off bike just to see how it felt - the new position with more open hip angle translated well to the run. This year i'm not planning to do many long runs off the bike in the hope of increasing quality and reducing injury risk. 

Cycle 


80km Road

55km to my friend Trevor's house (he's on ITV on Tuesday evenings at 7.30 every week). Great to meet Julia and Matty again, fed and watered (thank you). Julia is a hairdresser so she trimmed my eyebrows!

Trev gave me a lift down the road so cycled 30km back.

Tinkering with the position as always - better now than the day before the race. Saddle up a bit more and the wedges out.

Turbo (am)

1hour 150W (easy) with spin scan on - before breakfast to fire up the fat burning

Treadmill (pm)

5min warm up
3 x 20min x 14kmph on 5min recovery
2 x 1min sprints 20-24kmph
5 min cool down

Turbo in the morning was just to wake up really. Last year this "fasting cycling" really made a difference.

I am aware i've not really been doing enough running. It's arguably the most important discipline in Ironman as you can make up loads of time with a solid run. 14kph is more than race pace for me (3hr marathon pace) which I found out in Hawaii. It's a good level for this sort of workout though. On the final 20min I started to get that right bum pain I had in Hawaii - more rolling around on the golf ball needed. The treadmill display said 1200 Calories i'm not so sure.

The final 2 sprints were just to see how fast the treadmill went - there was still more to go!

Run

Treadmill 10 x 90sec x 10kmph 15% gradient on 90Sec rest

Massage
- Really feel like this is making a difference, very targeted and thought out.

Busy day at work, massage booked for 6pm. Didn't leave much time for anything else.

A rest day of sorts
- after the 2.5hr off road run yesterday.
- Body balance class at the gym, I was the token bloke. Surprisingly good, some useful yoga and core exercises and faster moving than normal yoga.
- 1km of swim drills in the 20m pool!

Run

22km road and trail

Time to do some exploring so ran to a local wood where i'd been told there are some good trails. It didn't disappoint, although only small I managed to get completely lost. Turned my left ankle but hopefully not too badly.

I don't seem to be able to put pictures up with this internet connection. Here is the link

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/185916233

Gym

30 mins usual exercises, one legged squats, kettle bell lunges etc,

A 12 hour day at work and a bank holiday - gym still open till 11pm; that justifies the price. Legs really tired. The one legged exercise on the right leg are all over the place, I think the culprit is the ITB on that side.

7 Weeks to go to UK ironman, 8 Weeks to Spain

Cycle

95km

Had a lift from Sheffield down to Derby and cycled to Shrewsbury. Torrential rain all the way - glad I had a very bright back light.

So i've clocked up a few miles now with the saddle as far forward as it'll go. It's been surprisingly good. I still have the same asymmetrical issues but it's more comfortable.

Mentally i'm in the dark a bit as i'm not following the same training regimen;
The volume is lower
The intensity is higher
There is more recovery and more doubt!
I've got to back up one ironman with another a week later - i'm going to have to be really disciplined and go slowly for the UK one, I fully expect to walk a significant portion of the marathon.
More than likely I will be learning a lot!

Rest

Cycle

82miles 

Cycled to sheffield after work to meet up with Ella and the kids. There was a meeting for familes with children with George's condition. The cycle was eventful - details to follow. Turned garmin off when I couldn't see it anymore - hence straight line on map.

Cycle

33km to old school friend Nick's house for dinner (thank you)
1hr 15 there, 1hr 5min back.
Had the usual impending doom feeling when first on the bike (position wise) stretched the left glute and right hamstring at Nick's - much improved on the way back - really enjoyed it. Maybe it was all down to the food?

This was the first time on the road in the new aggressive position (saddle as far forward as it will go) Changed some cabling today as it needed to be longer.

Joined sytri.

Run
5km - slow, just to pick up bike from train station
Cycle
20km - To see Olympic torch and commuting
Gym
Bit the bullet and joined the posh gym down the road. 10mins on treadmill seeing how fast and steep it will go - couple of mins at 20km/hr no problem there and I think it goes faster! 15% incline which is plenty.
- Weights - Squats, Calf raises, Eccentric hamstrings, External shoulder rotation, Glut presses (got some funny looks) Single leg squats, Golfers pick up with kettle bell.
Massage
30mins

Turbo

15min warm up

60min x 250Watts x 85rpm x 60min

Very happy to finally do what some people call the "hour of power". 50min last week and 60min today. Wasn't sure whether it was on following a 12 hour day at work on the legs all day. 

The heart rate was a fair bit below last weeks 50min effort - must be the rest days.

Rest

Quite a bit of cycling round London probably about 40km but doesn't really count. Saw Vuko the fantastic physio at "Marylebone physio" for some ITB attention.

Swim

10km race. Very different from a triathlon start - completely civilised, no flailing arms etc, I think everyone just wanted to stay out of trouble.

The venue at Eton school's rowing lake needs to be seen to be believed. The course itself was 5 laps. Visibility was fantastic - you could follow a rope all the way which gave it a pool swim feel! Took a gel and drink from a pontoon every lap.

I hadn't got a clue what my time was - ended up do 2h 54min. I couldn't have asked for more. I had some pain in my right flank that came and went which I think was from not rotating enough with the right shoulder.

Rest

Day with family and preparing for the 10km swim tomorrow.

Swim

2km mainly drill with one 330m race pace effort.

Gym
Some basic leg and shoulder exercises.

Track

8x800m on 60-90sec rest. Just below anaerobic threshold.

Laps of the nearby cricket pitch for the first time. It's about 370m around. I did notice

clockwise was harder than anticlockwise. The fitness is there but biomechanics issues are the main limiting factor now. 

Finally managed to get the computer to make the watt changes on the turbo trainer with a bit internet research.

Turbo

10 x 15sec x 500W on 90 sec recovery - getting easier

Bought a big fan at last.

I'm trying to fix up an old laptop to make switch the wattage on and off without me having to do anything - it's proving difficult. I'll have another go tomorrow.

Run

Fantastic weather - did the 10km scenic course I planned yesterday. My biggest problem was negotiating a heard of bulls that didn't look very friendly. Some kids swimming in the river shouted "they're not lions"

Two thirds was off road which i've lacked in London. Hopefully it'll be good for my technique - I felt very asymmetrical today, so a little daunted by the prospect of rebuilding the running towards something respectable.

More on Chrissie Wellington's book - you can see from her back ground a few physiological things that have contributed to her success. An early life on bulimia (not to be recommended) that has made her a big fat burner. Working in Nepal and mountain bike racing there - altitude training.

Turbo

Tempo session - 51min at 250W 85rpm

51min because I had to quickly jump off and adjust the fan so it's really 50min

My motivation for this was low but kicked in after a few minutes which made for a great session. Deep down I think I was going for 60min, last time I did 40min so i'm happy. I could have ground out another 10mins but I think i'm starting to learn a few things;

The sweet spot for me heart rate wise is somewhere between 137 and 154bpm give or take a bit. This apparently gives a good training response without risking overtraining and allows you to do something the following day. I've noticed at heart rates above this my technique starts to suffer which is probably part of the explanation. 

I also made a few adjustments to the position - saddle as far forward as it will go. I've always wanted to try this as it opens the hip angle up which should make running easier. It was now or never seeing as there's 9 weeks to go. The left leg didn't like it but the right did.

Also checked out a nearby cricket pitch that people use as a 400m track and put a 10km trail route into the garmin.

Reading Chrissie Wellington's autobiography - extreme. 

9 weeks to go

Swim

5km - my best long distance swim so far. Held my technique and felt strong right to the end. This time next week it'll be the 10km! the news is that the temperature will be cold. It'll also be the first wear of the wetsuit this year so that side of things could be interesting. I've ordered a wetsuit cap and gloves as the organisers have recommended it.

Jumped on the scales today - first time for 2-3 weeks. I thought it'd be bad news but was surprised to find it bang on 70kg. With 9 weeks to go it's time to start thinking about loosing a Kg or 2 so at least there's not as much as I thought to do.

Rest

Day travelling and with family. I wanted to train but it would have been just for the sake of it with no real purpose - i'm trying to have a purpose each time - this is the new approach which can be difficult as I like training for it's own sake.

Gym
Went for the obligatory induction then a quick 20min workout.
Squats, calf raises, external shoulder rotation

Swim
20 mins waiting for diving area to close
10 x 165m on 30 secs at race pace
(the last one was thwarted by the diving area opening again!)
Enjoyed this faster session - it was a shock to the system as I haven't done any for a while. Luckily it became easier as it went on.

Turbo

15min warm up
5min on 5min recovery at 65rpm as 300W 300W 295W 290W 285W

Instead of squeezing them all out at 300W I am following the advice of the exercise physiologists and trying to stay in the sweet spot. i.e. adaptation without the risk of overtraining. For me this is a heart rate in the mid 150s I nudged the watts down to keep it 160bpm and below. Time will tell if this works. I need a better fan!

Massage
Saw a new practitioner today - very professional. Again time will tell if it's any good. I tend to prefer the painful ones as there's the impression that something is happening. This one was a lot more myofascial and targeted - all on right, psoas, ITB, short adductor.

I'd worked the night shift last night so the main focus all day was making sure i'd had enough sleep.

Rest 

Will's birthday and surprisingly tired from yesterday's cycle.

Cycle

40miles to Mum's after work for Will's birthday tomorrow. There are some benefits to not having a car, it forces me to cycle. Google maps said it was 35miles but the Garmin reads 40. It felt like 40. The position is fine but I think it's time to move the saddle up and forwards. Cold but light until late now.