Ironman UK Training Week 12
Week twelve became the first week of training where i have had to deviate from the planned sessions.
Woke up on Monday morning and could barely walk down the stairs, my calves were hurting so much, the right calf had bruised up quite nicely on the inside of the leg as well. Led me to think I'd actually torn the muscle.
Decision was made in that painful trip downstairs that i would be binning the running for a week . As i didn't want to reduce the training hours i planned to do cycling instead.
Following swimming Monday night, Speedo Stan suggested i wore my compression calf things at work as this would help, so, I've worn them full time since Tuesday, only removing for bed and showers.
Seems to have done the trick, thanks Speedo Stan. I'm writing this bit on Good Friday & calves are feeling OK now. Definitely be doing my 3 hour run on Sunday. Bit gutted i couldn't get into the Trowse 10k on Sunday but my fault for faffing about & not booking up in good time.
Had to make even more changes this week as well though. Suddenly came down with man flu at 9.30pm on Tuesday. It was an instant cold, I couldn't believe it. Spent the whole night awake with painful cough and sore throat. Managed to do an hours cycle instead of a run on Wednesday but drew the line at going swimming. Also witched my rest day from Friday to Thursday as still felt ropey.
Signed up for another event this weekend. Regretted not doing it last year so thought I'd best get in early to avoid similar Trowse disappointment. The Norwich Six Bridge River Swim 2013 on July 7th.
http://www.activeoutdoorsport.co.uk/?p=4110
Training
Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calories
burnt for the year = 111,891
You want to lose weight, train for an Ironman! Big ramp up in calorie burn for March.
Training hours this week = 11 hours 4 minutes (planned 12 hours)
Monday
Swim 1 hour
300m warm up
4 x 50m kicking drill (20 second rest in between sets)
100m wide arm catch up drill
5 x 200m at CSS (30 second rest in between sets)
100m Breaststroke
Tuesday
Bike 1 hour 4 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/249005702
Headed out to Dunston Hall and cut through to Stoke Holy Cross, where i picked up the trianglia sprint route again. OK ride & didnt have any light disasters this time.
Wednesday
Bike 1 hour - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/249402466
Out and back to Rockland st Mary. One of my favourite areas to go cycling but for some reason i don't go too much. Nice and flat which was good due to me feeling shite with the man flu.
Thursday
Rest day, Pizza & feeling sorry for myself
Friday
Bike 1 hour - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/250383968
First day of 10 days off work for me today.Woke up to blue sky's and sunshine, which was how the day was supposed to go. So, spent the morning doing up another cycle ready for selling on Ebay & planned to do my hours ride later.
By the time i was ready to go it had started snowing again ?? So, another cold ride. Ride was OK though & was quite nice riding my bike since I'd sorted out the gears in the morning.
Saturday
Run - 30 minutes
Was struggling to decide whether to run this or not today. My calf was feeling about 80% OK but i didn't want to go do a 5k and muck it up for tomorrows long run. So, ignoring my wise caution I decided to run, although at a slow pace with a "my ribs hurt", "my legs hurt" Arleya.
Bike 3 hours - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/250768394
Guess what, yep, snow again, when will this weather turn? Moving back to Thailand is becoming more & more appealing with all this rubbish cold weather.
Rode 43 miles today, wasn't actually too bad, considering the snow flurries i felt relatively warm. Was less windy than it had been for the past couple of weeks, had a 12mph head wind out to Repps, no biggy.
Ride became even more enjoyable once past Potter Heigham as i had a tailwind pretty much all the way home. Dropped down into Horning through back roads I'd never been down before. Brought back a few memories riding through Horning from my wayward youth & the nights spent in the various pubs & gutters here.
Started snowing as i came into Horning which clouded my visibility a bit, clearing my glasses i nearly missed a left turn & had to pull up sharpish to make it, where i then nearly went into the side of a 4x4 coming down the lane. Evasive action into a field prevented a disaster there.
Had another sign of how my fitness as improved going through Wroxham. Coming out of Wroxham is an uphill drag, although not very steep. I remember when i first rode up this road I struggled to get to the top, on one occasion i even took a left turn down The Avenues to take a break. Didn't even notice it today, kept up the same pace without even breaking a sweat.
Past another 5 churches today taking the count to over 100 now. http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/
Sunday
Another great start to the day. No swimming as pool closed for a Gala, grrrrr. Sure this news wasn't on the UEA website the other day when i checked for closures. Planned 3 hours swimming this week reduced to 1 hour.
Will skip the coached session tomorrow and go for a longer swim at UEA to make up for it. Will swim the Ironman distance to see what my time for that is now. Pretty sure it took me 2 hours 10 minutes last time i did it. Although that was open water.
Bike 30 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/251259700
Got this in early seeing as the swimming was cancelled. Means i can be home to watch The Tour of Flanders before going for my long run this afternoon.
Run 3 hours - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/251434888
Really wasn't looking forward to this one. Although the bruising from the side of my calf had gone and it was no longer painful i could still feel twinges in the back of the muscle. No doubt aggravated by yesterdays pointless park run. Not to mention the thought of a 3 hour run wasn't exactly appealing.
I'd also nodded off on the sofa before i was due to go. Something i haven't done for a long while. Used to happen all the time when i was a fat smoker. Must be due to the clocks going forward & not getting home from the Easter Vigil until nearly 10.30pm the night before.
Anyway, after I stopped trying to think of lame excuses not to go I got out the door and started the run, cool, snow again. Which i don't actually mind whilst running. Did the usual route Ive done as the distances have increased. Down to Whitlingham Broad, round that then over to the UEA Lake. Calf just felt stiff for over 2 hours & the whole run just felt like a struggle.
After 90 minutes i started to get a rubbing on my arch, couldn't tell if i had some grit in my shoe or what so i just tried to juggle it about as i ran. Seemed to work, for about 5 minutes. Came to the conclusion that it was my foot rubbing against the insole. Do i stop & try sort it out? Nah, can sort the blister out when i get home, it would probably have popped by then anyway. Took my mind off my niggly calf.
I'd decided to wear the new shoes, I've only actually ran about 3 hours in them, longest time was an hour. Thought i needed to get them fully broken in asap as the marathon is in three weeks time. Would rather get a few blister issues now rather than during the race.
Apart from painful feet and calves that's about it for that run, no other mishaps or excitement. Plus i want to get this blog done and dusted so i can watch the rest of the Tour Of Flanders. Don't know who won so having to avoid Twitter & FB till I've watched the finish
Other
Race for life - A bunch of the ladies from my workplace will be taking part in the race for life. If you would like to sponsor them here's a link to their fund raising page. http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/aviva-gpp-girls
Next weeks classic cycle race is my favourite. Paris - Roubaix, 'Hell of the North'. The sportive the day before is also the main event i want to do next year. Will again be on Eurosports.
Put the bike on ebay if any ladies or girls are interested in a cheap racer bike.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=271181798596&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT
That's about it. Enjoy your Easter Eggs, i got two :-)
Have a nice Easter
Andy
Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz
Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1
The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/
The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/
Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/287319678021088/
Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forumhttp://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP=
Really Awesome Coffee
Sunday, 31 March 2013
Sunday, 24 March 2013
Cycling in SNOW ! again
Ironman UK Training Week 11
Over a third of the way through my training & all good, apart from the niggly calf muscle.
Only 4 weeks till the London Marathon, can't wait for my first event of 2013.
Training time will taper down after next week, in the run up to the marathon which I'm quite relieved about. The calf is a bit of a concern but more massaging & foam rolling, plus less running, should see it vanish, fingers crossed.
Nearly Easter and we are still experiencing snow. Really need the weather to improve as it is not helping with staying motivated. On the plus side, i should be well prepared if i have to experience any bad weather at this years events
Training
Calories burnt for the year = 101,402
Training hours this week = 12 hours 48 Minutes
Monday
Swim 1 hour
300m warm up
4 x 50m kicking drill. 20 second rest intervals
4 x 50m fist/swim drill. 20 second rest intervals
100m @ 90%
400m @ 80%
100m@ 90%
200m relaxed
100m breast stroke
Tuesday
Bike 48 minute/Run 15 minute brick session
Wet ride, further spoilt by my front light packing up 20 minutes away from home. Guess who forgot to charge the battery. Think I'll start carrying a back up light just in case
Luckily I'd decided to ride round the ring road rather than heading out into the sticks. I would have been a bit stuffed with the latter due to lack of streetlights in the country.
Usual out and back to Sainsbury on the run. Calves feel a bit tender today, ran in my new trainers as well which were pretty comfortable. Need to get them broken in before VLM.
Wednesday
Run 1 hour 1 minute
Run down, round the lake and back, usual Wednesday hourly run. Left calf still giving me a bit of hassle, hoping its better in time for the weekend long run.
Swim 1 hour 1 minute
Nothing exciting in this session, just swam up and down 84 times.
Thursday
Bike 1 hour 3 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/247001350
Decided to purchase a new back light before embarking on this ride. Reduce the risk of having an altercation with another punchy car driver.
Did the Trianglia sprint cycle route, no dramas, nothing really exciting to report either. Still awake?
Friday
Rest day
Saturday
Park Run - 29:33 minutes
Not a PB but i ran this with Arleya to pace her for a sub 30 minute time. She was only actually 34 seconds off her all time PB. Normally i cannot talk when running but found i was able to so quite easily at this pace.
A different story to my first park run last year, where i ran at the same but was blowing out my backside & seeing dots in front of my eyes. Little things like that are showing just how much my fitness levels have increased this past 18 months.
Will now pace her every fortnight to help speed her up. Alternate weeks i will go for a PB.
Bike 2 hours 57 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/247610466
Overran on the planned time by 12 minutes today. Due to headwinds & snow slowing me down.
Couldn't believe it, just about to head out & snow arrived! Should i switch to mountain bike or take a punt with the racer? I'd already planned the route, heading out east into the 21mph+ head winds (another appealing thought). Mountain biking round the woods would be a lot nicer.
Decided to man up (after reading Pete Hargreaves FB status about manning up for his ride), after all, I'm training for an Ironman and it isn't supposed to be easy so cracked on. Started off OK, I was extra warm with a multitude of layers on. The snow wasn't settling & the wind didn't seem too bad.
Headed out to Postwick & came up to a church i hadn't snapped before, did think of binning the whole church picture taking thing today as i just wanted to get the ride done. Ended up stopping at everyone i came too & managed to tick another 8 off the list. http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/
Snowed pretty much for the whole ride but it didn't seem that cold, i wasn't getting wet & it still wasn't settling. Once half way i got a mainly tailwinds to bring me home. Couldn't use the tri bars very much due to the gusty weather, i would have ended up in a hedge or under a car so played it safe and just stayed mainly on the drops. Still need to sort out the tri bar position as well as i just cant get comfortable in them.
As i came into Mousehold (i love riding through here) the snow really did come down hard, luckily i was only 5 minutes from home & got in with no dramas. .
Walked through the door and my kind daughter had ran a hot bath & had a cup of tea waiting because she thought i would be cold, nice touch & she has set a precedent on that one.
Sunday
Swim 1 hour
Just 80 lengths today. 20 of which were pull buoy drills. Trying to improve the strength of my stroke & keep the legs together more, so they are not constantly flapping about like Crazy Legs Crane.
Bike 28 minutes
The extra cycle ride has been added in to Sundays now. So, should have been a 30 minute ride but was cut short due to my chain snapping. Not only did it snap but also caused me to smack my knee against something on my bike, arrival, bruised swollen knee, just what i need.
Pushed bike home and shot off to Halfords to get a new chain. They wanted to charge me an extra £8 on top of the £26 for the chain to fit it. Took longer to clean the oil off my hands than fit the chain. I'll be carrying spare chain bits going forward for roadside repairs if required.
Run 2 hours 45 minutes - http://app.strava.com/activities/45694991
New PB then, time and distance. Was a bit of a mission running with my niggly calf and recently injured knee. Not to mention the 17mph + winds. Luckily my route didn't involve too many open spaces with head wind bits though.
Ran down to Whitlingham Lake, roads were nice and quiet on the way down. Makes a change for Norwich. I guess the weather has kept more people indoors than usual. One bonus for crap weather i suppose. Did one lap of the lake then headed back towards Eaton.
Took on a gel at 1hr 10 minutes. Was planning on doing another around 2 hrs 10 but again felt OK with just the one. Legs felt good despite the niggles, in fact, after an hour there was no pain anywhere, happy days.
Ran round the UEA lake, made sure i took a diversion round the spot i went arse over tit though. Most of the mud was pretty frozen today which was handy.
For the second time in a month running through the UEA woods i ended up in the middle of some kind of Lord of the Rings battle re-enactment. Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits and other Tolkien type characters whacking the shit out of each other with plastic weapons. Luckily my invisibility running cloak enabled me to pass through unseen and unscathed.
Windiest part of the run and the main bit i cant stand about this route anyway, running up the hill from the UEA river back up to the sportspark. A real drag and a chore.
Leaving the UEA i only had 45 minutes to go which was back round the ring road to home, quite uneventful. Nice cup of tea and hot bath waiting for me again when i got in.
Other
Arleya has begun her triathlon training, although we haven't been able to get out much on her bike due to the rubbish weather. She has park run on Saturdays & swimming on Fridays. She will be doing an additional run mid week as well. We'll add in a couple of bike sessions when the weather improves.
She does already have a good stamina base, built up from 8 years Karate training.
Signed her up for the Iron kids event at Ironman UK. Just a 2.5k run on the Saturday before my race, should be fun & they get to finish under the official Ironman gantry. Only £2 to enter. http://www.ironmanuk.com/index.php/ironman-uk/event-info/ironkids
cheers
Andy
Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz
Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1
The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/
The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/
Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/287319678021088/
Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forumhttp://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP=
Over a third of the way through my training & all good, apart from the niggly calf muscle.
Only 4 weeks till the London Marathon, can't wait for my first event of 2013.
Training time will taper down after next week, in the run up to the marathon which I'm quite relieved about. The calf is a bit of a concern but more massaging & foam rolling, plus less running, should see it vanish, fingers crossed.
Nearly Easter and we are still experiencing snow. Really need the weather to improve as it is not helping with staying motivated. On the plus side, i should be well prepared if i have to experience any bad weather at this years events
Training
Calories burnt for the year = 101,402
Training hours this week = 12 hours 48 Minutes
Monday
Swim 1 hour
300m warm up
4 x 50m kicking drill. 20 second rest intervals
4 x 50m fist/swim drill. 20 second rest intervals
100m @ 90%
400m @ 80%
100m@ 90%
200m relaxed
100m breast stroke
Tuesday
Bike 48 minute/Run 15 minute brick session
Wet ride, further spoilt by my front light packing up 20 minutes away from home. Guess who forgot to charge the battery. Think I'll start carrying a back up light just in case
Luckily I'd decided to ride round the ring road rather than heading out into the sticks. I would have been a bit stuffed with the latter due to lack of streetlights in the country.
Usual out and back to Sainsbury on the run. Calves feel a bit tender today, ran in my new trainers as well which were pretty comfortable. Need to get them broken in before VLM.
Wednesday
Run 1 hour 1 minute
Run down, round the lake and back, usual Wednesday hourly run. Left calf still giving me a bit of hassle, hoping its better in time for the weekend long run.
Swim 1 hour 1 minute
Nothing exciting in this session, just swam up and down 84 times.
Thursday
Bike 1 hour 3 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/247001350
Decided to purchase a new back light before embarking on this ride. Reduce the risk of having an altercation with another punchy car driver.
Did the Trianglia sprint cycle route, no dramas, nothing really exciting to report either. Still awake?
Friday
Rest day
Saturday
Park Run - 29:33 minutes
Not a PB but i ran this with Arleya to pace her for a sub 30 minute time. She was only actually 34 seconds off her all time PB. Normally i cannot talk when running but found i was able to so quite easily at this pace.
A different story to my first park run last year, where i ran at the same but was blowing out my backside & seeing dots in front of my eyes. Little things like that are showing just how much my fitness levels have increased this past 18 months.
Will now pace her every fortnight to help speed her up. Alternate weeks i will go for a PB.
Bike 2 hours 57 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/247610466
Overran on the planned time by 12 minutes today. Due to headwinds & snow slowing me down.
Couldn't believe it, just about to head out & snow arrived! Should i switch to mountain bike or take a punt with the racer? I'd already planned the route, heading out east into the 21mph+ head winds (another appealing thought). Mountain biking round the woods would be a lot nicer.
Decided to man up (after reading Pete Hargreaves FB status about manning up for his ride), after all, I'm training for an Ironman and it isn't supposed to be easy so cracked on. Started off OK, I was extra warm with a multitude of layers on. The snow wasn't settling & the wind didn't seem too bad.
Headed out to Postwick & came up to a church i hadn't snapped before, did think of binning the whole church picture taking thing today as i just wanted to get the ride done. Ended up stopping at everyone i came too & managed to tick another 8 off the list. http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/
Snowed pretty much for the whole ride but it didn't seem that cold, i wasn't getting wet & it still wasn't settling. Once half way i got a mainly tailwinds to bring me home. Couldn't use the tri bars very much due to the gusty weather, i would have ended up in a hedge or under a car so played it safe and just stayed mainly on the drops. Still need to sort out the tri bar position as well as i just cant get comfortable in them.
As i came into Mousehold (i love riding through here) the snow really did come down hard, luckily i was only 5 minutes from home & got in with no dramas. .
Walked through the door and my kind daughter had ran a hot bath & had a cup of tea waiting because she thought i would be cold, nice touch & she has set a precedent on that one.
Sunday
Swim 1 hour
Just 80 lengths today. 20 of which were pull buoy drills. Trying to improve the strength of my stroke & keep the legs together more, so they are not constantly flapping about like Crazy Legs Crane.
Bike 28 minutes
The extra cycle ride has been added in to Sundays now. So, should have been a 30 minute ride but was cut short due to my chain snapping. Not only did it snap but also caused me to smack my knee against something on my bike, arrival, bruised swollen knee, just what i need.
Pushed bike home and shot off to Halfords to get a new chain. They wanted to charge me an extra £8 on top of the £26 for the chain to fit it. Took longer to clean the oil off my hands than fit the chain. I'll be carrying spare chain bits going forward for roadside repairs if required.
Run 2 hours 45 minutes - http://app.strava.com/activities/45694991
New PB then, time and distance. Was a bit of a mission running with my niggly calf and recently injured knee. Not to mention the 17mph + winds. Luckily my route didn't involve too many open spaces with head wind bits though.
Ran down to Whitlingham Lake, roads were nice and quiet on the way down. Makes a change for Norwich. I guess the weather has kept more people indoors than usual. One bonus for crap weather i suppose. Did one lap of the lake then headed back towards Eaton.
Took on a gel at 1hr 10 minutes. Was planning on doing another around 2 hrs 10 but again felt OK with just the one. Legs felt good despite the niggles, in fact, after an hour there was no pain anywhere, happy days.
Ran round the UEA lake, made sure i took a diversion round the spot i went arse over tit though. Most of the mud was pretty frozen today which was handy.
For the second time in a month running through the UEA woods i ended up in the middle of some kind of Lord of the Rings battle re-enactment. Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits and other Tolkien type characters whacking the shit out of each other with plastic weapons. Luckily my invisibility running cloak enabled me to pass through unseen and unscathed.
Windiest part of the run and the main bit i cant stand about this route anyway, running up the hill from the UEA river back up to the sportspark. A real drag and a chore.
Leaving the UEA i only had 45 minutes to go which was back round the ring road to home, quite uneventful. Nice cup of tea and hot bath waiting for me again when i got in.
Other
Arleya has begun her triathlon training, although we haven't been able to get out much on her bike due to the rubbish weather. She has park run on Saturdays & swimming on Fridays. She will be doing an additional run mid week as well. We'll add in a couple of bike sessions when the weather improves.
She does already have a good stamina base, built up from 8 years Karate training.
Signed her up for the Iron kids event at Ironman UK. Just a 2.5k run on the Saturday before my race, should be fun & they get to finish under the official Ironman gantry. Only £2 to enter. http://www.ironmanuk.com/index.php/ironman-uk/event-info/ironkids
cheers
Andy
Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz
Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1
The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/
The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/
Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/287319678021088/
Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forumhttp://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP=
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Weight Loss & PB Week
Ironman UK Training Week 10
Couple of good results this week. Dropped another 4lbs so now down to my lowest weight in over a decade. 13st 5lbs. Also managed to knock out a swim distance PB. More of that in the training part though.
Had another great result on the London Marathon front as well. Been given 'after party' event passes for Planet Hollywood & Grandstand seats for a couple of my friends at the marathon finish. So i now have a couple of groupies coming down to London with me. Only a month away, really looking forward to it.
Training
Calories burnt for the year = 89,647
Training hours this week = 11 hours 47 minutes
Monday
Swim. club coached session 1 hour
300m warm up, 100m kicking, 100m water polo drill.
Sets at CSS pace with 30 second rest in between
100m x 4
200m x 1
100m x 4
300m x 1
50m kicking drill
Tuesday
Bike 46 minutes/Run 15 minutes Brick session
Tried out a new hill tonight, 130ft. Thunder lane in Norwich. Seemed to go on for quite a while but a surprisingly enjoyable climb. Started snowing during my ride again, couldn't believe it after leaving work and seeing blue sky.
Run was my normal out and back to Sainsbury. Feel ready to up the distance on these Tuesday bricks now but I'll stick to plan to hopefully avoid injuries.
Wednesday
Run 1 hour 2 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/edit/243459718/
After a stressful couple of days work a good run was just what was needed. Felt nice relaxed and comfortable down to the lake and back. Good there has been a fair bit of work done down there to keep the pathways relatively bog free.
Swim 1 hour
250 metres 2 stroke breathing followed by 250m 3 stroke breathing. After that knocked out another 71 lengths concentrating mainly on my arm stroke. PB tonight for furthest I've ever done in an hour. 91 lengths in an hour.
Thursday
Bike 1 hour - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/243977560
Got back on a cycle climbing session this week. Stuck to my Mansfield Lane/Long John Hill loop. Didn't count how many times i went up them but achieved 844ft within the hour.
Friday
Rest day
Saturday
No park run today as car was due in for it's MOT & service. Had planned to do a little run but bike ride ended up being 20 minutes longer than planned, plus had to an additional ride to pick the car up. So, cancelled my 20 minute run for today. Probably do me good as my right calf has been a bit tight this week.
Bike 2 hours 49 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/244606224
Had to drop the car off for it's MOT first thing so took my bike & gear with me. Went straight out for my ride after this. Was a bit drizzly first thing but this soon stopped. Very windy today as well with 22mph + winds on the horizon. Good for us Norfolk cyclists though as the added resistance makes up for lack of hills.
Getting the hang of using the aero bottle now although everytime i take a drink i tend to dribble some over the Garmin. You also have to try and time your drink on smooth road or risk having your head impaled on the straw if you hit a bump.
Having a few issues with the aero bars, just cant get the position right and getting an ache in my left forearm. Had no problems last year. Thinking it may be down to all the extra layers I'm currently wearing, we;ll see when it becomes warm enough (if) for short sleeve attire.
So, ride was much more enjoyable than last week even with the banging head wind out to Attleborough. I stayed pretty dry & a lot warmer.Coming back from Attleborough was pretty quick as we had tail wind all the way, happy days.
Bike 24 minutes
Not really an official training ride, but a few more miles in the saddle to pick my car up & handover £350. Don't you just love owning a car!
Sunday
Run 2 hours 31 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/245035272
No Karate for Arleya today due to the club gradings so meant i could get out first thing & do my run before swim again. Weather was a lot better today, no rain and wind half what it was yesterday. Was a bit hot in my running jacket today so will be probably be binning that layer of running attire in a week or so.
Amalgamated two of my regular routes. From mine round Whit lane lake then back over to the UEA. Was really good, no mishaps although was still very boggy in places.
Had a couple of niggles but minor adjustments to my stride soon saw them vanish. Top of my inside leg was a bit tight today for most of the run. A good stretch should sort that out. Might get on my old stretching machine from the karate days.
Two PB's today. Longest time i have ran non stop for & also the furthest distance I have ever ran non stop.
Swim 1 hour
Intended to have a nice relaxed swim, legs were aching after the run. Not much time for a rest as i needed to get everything done in time to get home and watch the cycling.
Still managed 86 lengths, didn't do anything funky, just up and down. Would have probably been able to do a good 90 again even taking it easy but i did the last 6 really slow breaststroke. Hoping i could stretch the legs out a bit.
Next week sees the addition of another bike session, there is now a 30 minute ride added to the Sunday session. So, full triathlon every Sunday going forwards.
Other bits
Spring classics started today. Milan - San Remo being the first one. http://www.milansanremo.co.uk/
Good coverage on Eurosports again. Weather was atrocious and the race had to be stopped at one point & one of the climbs cancelled. Have a look at some of the pics David Millar tweeted @millarmind
Got a few donations in for this years charity 'The Royal Anglian Benevolent' fund. Up to £85. I will have spent over £1000 on events this year so would be good to get near to that. You can donate through the web page or by text.
Web page link - http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1
Or Text RABF84 £1 to 70070 to sponsor me.
For Trianglia members. Those who ordered Beanies, I now have them ready for collection. Contact me to collect please.
Think that's it.
Till next week, have fun.
Andy
Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz
Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1
The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/
The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/
Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/287319678021088/
Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forum
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP=
Couple of good results this week. Dropped another 4lbs so now down to my lowest weight in over a decade. 13st 5lbs. Also managed to knock out a swim distance PB. More of that in the training part though.
Had another great result on the London Marathon front as well. Been given 'after party' event passes for Planet Hollywood & Grandstand seats for a couple of my friends at the marathon finish. So i now have a couple of groupies coming down to London with me. Only a month away, really looking forward to it.
Training
Calories burnt for the year = 89,647
Training hours this week = 11 hours 47 minutes
Monday
Swim. club coached session 1 hour
300m warm up, 100m kicking, 100m water polo drill.
Sets at CSS pace with 30 second rest in between
100m x 4
200m x 1
100m x 4
300m x 1
50m kicking drill
Tuesday
Bike 46 minutes/Run 15 minutes Brick session
Tried out a new hill tonight, 130ft. Thunder lane in Norwich. Seemed to go on for quite a while but a surprisingly enjoyable climb. Started snowing during my ride again, couldn't believe it after leaving work and seeing blue sky.
Run was my normal out and back to Sainsbury. Feel ready to up the distance on these Tuesday bricks now but I'll stick to plan to hopefully avoid injuries.
Wednesday
Run 1 hour 2 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/edit/243459718/
After a stressful couple of days work a good run was just what was needed. Felt nice relaxed and comfortable down to the lake and back. Good there has been a fair bit of work done down there to keep the pathways relatively bog free.
Swim 1 hour
250 metres 2 stroke breathing followed by 250m 3 stroke breathing. After that knocked out another 71 lengths concentrating mainly on my arm stroke. PB tonight for furthest I've ever done in an hour. 91 lengths in an hour.
Thursday
Bike 1 hour - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/243977560
Got back on a cycle climbing session this week. Stuck to my Mansfield Lane/Long John Hill loop. Didn't count how many times i went up them but achieved 844ft within the hour.
Friday
Rest day
Saturday
No park run today as car was due in for it's MOT & service. Had planned to do a little run but bike ride ended up being 20 minutes longer than planned, plus had to an additional ride to pick the car up. So, cancelled my 20 minute run for today. Probably do me good as my right calf has been a bit tight this week.
Bike 2 hours 49 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/244606224
Had to drop the car off for it's MOT first thing so took my bike & gear with me. Went straight out for my ride after this. Was a bit drizzly first thing but this soon stopped. Very windy today as well with 22mph + winds on the horizon. Good for us Norfolk cyclists though as the added resistance makes up for lack of hills.
Getting the hang of using the aero bottle now although everytime i take a drink i tend to dribble some over the Garmin. You also have to try and time your drink on smooth road or risk having your head impaled on the straw if you hit a bump.
Having a few issues with the aero bars, just cant get the position right and getting an ache in my left forearm. Had no problems last year. Thinking it may be down to all the extra layers I'm currently wearing, we;ll see when it becomes warm enough (if) for short sleeve attire.
So, ride was much more enjoyable than last week even with the banging head wind out to Attleborough. I stayed pretty dry & a lot warmer.Coming back from Attleborough was pretty quick as we had tail wind all the way, happy days.
Bike 24 minutes
Not really an official training ride, but a few more miles in the saddle to pick my car up & handover £350. Don't you just love owning a car!
Sunday
Run 2 hours 31 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/245035272
No Karate for Arleya today due to the club gradings so meant i could get out first thing & do my run before swim again. Weather was a lot better today, no rain and wind half what it was yesterday. Was a bit hot in my running jacket today so will be probably be binning that layer of running attire in a week or so.
Amalgamated two of my regular routes. From mine round Whit lane lake then back over to the UEA. Was really good, no mishaps although was still very boggy in places.
Had a couple of niggles but minor adjustments to my stride soon saw them vanish. Top of my inside leg was a bit tight today for most of the run. A good stretch should sort that out. Might get on my old stretching machine from the karate days.
Two PB's today. Longest time i have ran non stop for & also the furthest distance I have ever ran non stop.
Swim 1 hour
Intended to have a nice relaxed swim, legs were aching after the run. Not much time for a rest as i needed to get everything done in time to get home and watch the cycling.
Still managed 86 lengths, didn't do anything funky, just up and down. Would have probably been able to do a good 90 again even taking it easy but i did the last 6 really slow breaststroke. Hoping i could stretch the legs out a bit.
Next week sees the addition of another bike session, there is now a 30 minute ride added to the Sunday session. So, full triathlon every Sunday going forwards.
Other bits
Spring classics started today. Milan - San Remo being the first one. http://www.milansanremo.co.uk/
Good coverage on Eurosports again. Weather was atrocious and the race had to be stopped at one point & one of the climbs cancelled. Have a look at some of the pics David Millar tweeted @millarmind
Got a few donations in for this years charity 'The Royal Anglian Benevolent' fund. Up to £85. I will have spent over £1000 on events this year so would be good to get near to that. You can donate through the web page or by text.
Web page link - http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1
Or Text RABF84 £1 to 70070 to sponsor me.
For Trianglia members. Those who ordered Beanies, I now have them ready for collection. Contact me to collect please.
Think that's it.
Till next week, have fun.
Andy
Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz
Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1
The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/
The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/
Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/287319678021088/
Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forum
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP=
Sunday, 10 March 2013
Ironman UK Training Week 9
Tough week this one, probably been the toughest so far. Busy work week, distances and training continue to increase at the same time as the weather severely deteriorated. Wind, snow, icy rain, flooded roads & boggy paths have been the order of the week, particularly so this weekend. Despite this added annoyance, week 9 training has been nailed with no missed sessions or injuries.
Training
Calories burnt for the year = 79,002
Training hours this week = 10 hours 56 minutes
Monday
Coached Swim Session 1 hour
350m warm up. 100m kicking, 100m lateral kicking, 100m catch up drill, 3 x 200m CSS swim.
Swam the CSS sections at 5.16, 5.21 & 5.41. Aiming for 5.40.
Did 50 metres with a pull buoy to try and stop me bending my knees when i kick. Then Matt filmed me for 50m to show me what my legs were doing. They were ridiculous & are obviously having little effect at moving me forwards.
So, i now need to make my pull stronger so I'll need to do more pull buoy sessions to try & help this.
Tuesday
Bike 45 minutes/Run 15 minutes Brick Session
Bit of a tri-bar, aero drink bottle try out tonight. Think i may have chopped the drinks bottle straw a bit short as it was a bit of a stretch trying to get on it. However, i kept sliding forwards on the bars & they seem a bit close together, so some minor adjustments needed there. This will probably raise the bottle to a more accessible height as well.
Out and back run again, nothing exciting, felt a bit quicker than usual.
Wednesday
Run 1 hour
Been interviewing at work this week so meant i had to stay till 5pm tonight. I normally leave at 3.30pm on a Wednesday so i can get my 1 hour run in before the swim
So, up at 6am to do it otherwise i wouldn't have got it in today. Felt horrible, legs ached & were quite stiff. Took about 20 minutes for my legs to warm up and then we were OK. Still, didn't enjoy it. No more early morning runs for me if i can help it.
Swim 1 hour
85 lengths done tonight. Lost track of exactly what i did. Forgot the pull buoy so couldn't do the intended drills, although Wednesday session probably isn't ideal as its fairly busy.
Did some alternate 250m's 2 stroke & 3 strokes between breaths. Did a few 4 strokes. Even did. Couple of 8 strokes before taking a breath. Had travelled half a length doing that.
Did a few lengths of breaststroke for a change as well
Thursday
Bike 1 hour 2 minutes http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/240892220
Did the Trianglia sprint cycle course in reverse. Aero bars and bottle in a lot better position today. Definitely chopped the bloody straw too short though, Muppet. Might look at adapting it to use the tube from my hydration pack.
Ride was OK though. Held a decent average, 15.8mph. Got hooted at by lots of clowns in cars for holding them up by a millisecond. Same ol.
Friday
Rest day
Saturday
Park run 21:59 New PB
Fancied going for another PB as was sure i had a sub 22 after last weeks run. Unfortunately Norwich had experienced a monsoon overnight and so Eaton park was as usual, flooded in numerous places & boggy round the boating lake.
Started nearer the front so i didn't get as held up as usual & took off in a mad sprint (didn't expect that)from the start. Snuck in behind Will & Kate from Trianglia as i knew they run really well, so tried to keep at their pace.
They had started to pull away by the end of the first lap but the fact they were still in my sights meant i must be doing OK. Couldn't pace myself for the first mile from the Garmin as the GPS hadn't started straight away.
Was a bit of a mare, hopping over and running through deep puddles every few seconds, disrupts any kind of relaxed or consistent running pace you try to achieve. Anyway, managed to come in under 22 minutes, just. Fourth park run in a row with a PB. Definitely more time to come off in better conditions. Although i doubt i will see such dramatic drops as previous weeks.
Bike 2 hours 16 minutes http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/241485720
Rained all morning and turned into snow by mid afternoon. Definitely the worst cycle ride I've been on. I was soaked and freezing after 40 minutes. Had to talk myself out of binning the ride numerous times. It's times like these that it pays me to have my strong will or my plain stubbornness.
Headed out to where i used to live, a little village called Smallburgh. Hasn't changed much, still looks as boring as it did years ago. Probably been even less exciting since us Baxters left. Roads were pretty flooded near Smallburgh church. The water was so deep at points my feet were going completely underwater as i peddled through.
To top the days misery off, 40 minutes to go and i was busting for a pee as well. Couldn't be bothered to stop and do it as i couldn't feel my fingers, or anything else for that matter. Just wanted to get home. Did debate just letting it flow in my cycling gear whilst riding, i was drenched anyway, you'll probably be pleased to know i decided not too.
Finally got in, took me a couple of hours to stop shivering. Arleya had to help me get my gear off (good job i hadn't pissed in it) as i was that numb. Still, job done & another training ride completed.
Managed to get a couple of church pics on the first half of the ride. http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/
Sunday
Run 2 hour 16 minutes http://app.strava.com/activities/43844290
Longest and furthest run ever today. Runs are into uncharted territory every week now.
Snowed for the duration. Was cold but i felt a lot warmer & happier than the day before, also a lot more comfortable. Run went really well, minimal niggles which was a result.
After last weeks near pass out i took a couple of gels with me this week. Done one at an hour & that saw me through to the end. Did start to feel like i was ready for another one after 2 hours so next week i will probably do 2. Ties in with my normal nutrition intake of a gel an hour which does me fine.
Changed my planned route a little as i knew the river run round to UEA would be boggy and slippy. Went round Colney Lane then dropped down through Cringleford woods to the UEA lake. Very clever. Clever until i ran into the UEA woods and twatted over into a large mud bath. I was caked in mud & looked like some kind of Bog Monster running around. Certainly had a few strange looks on my way back home.
Apart from buggering over really enjoyed today's run.
Swim 1 hour
76 lengths today, legs were a bit shot from the mornings run, not that i use my legs much anyway. Remembered the pull buoy today. Lanes were pretty quiet. Arrived just as Speedo Stan was finishing off a swim session with his family. Had the lane to myself for a good 40 lengths so did a few drills as advised by Stewart & Matt from the Monday coached sessions.
Session involved:
50m lateral kicking, 50m kicking, 100m pull buoy held lower leg to isolate leg movement & hopefully increase my pull power.
Another Trianglia member, Jonathan was there as well just as i finished. He's a very good swimmer & had also noted my legs are quite wide apart when i swim. Hopefully will get this issue sorted through the drills I'm currently doing.
Other bits
Ordered a new pair of running shoes this week as i really need to get them broken in for the London Marathon. Decided against the Newtons for now as i don't think i have enough time for a full and safe transition to running in them before London. Have also been fancying a pair of Adidas Energy Boost shoes that have just come out. However, could be an expensive mistake if they turn out to be unsuitable for me.
So, i decided to get the same shoes as i had last time, i know they will be fine, Saucony Progrid Guide 5's. Had a search about and found a pair at 47% off. £49.99 from Sportsshoes.com http://www.sportsshoes.com/product/SAU1468/saucony-progrid-guide-5-running-shoes/
Theres also a bonus 10% cash back for us Aviva employees if you go through your Aviva extras portal! I paid £95 last time so happy days.
The Anglian - Norfolk's first iron distance Triathlon. The routes have now been published on the website for those interested in doing this. Must say, the routes look great & will offer participants some breathtaking scenery along the North Norfolk coast & countryside. If i hadn't been doing Ironman UK I would have been definitely doing this one.
http://www.theanglian.co.uk/route/
Lots of running about today. Up at 6am. Took wife to work, dropped Arleya off at the local TA centre for her to go to Waterbeach for the regional cross country championships. Unfortunately she had been suffering with a really bad cough all week which still hadn't gone. She still managed to finish 13th out of 50 though with breathing difficulty, so well done to her.
Now time to relax on the sofa and catch up with all the stuff i have on Sky +. In particular the 6 stages I've recorded of Paris - Nice & Tirreno - Adriatico cycle comps.
Would also like to say thanks for all the support I've been receiving recently, in particular from my club friends & regulars on the various forums i post on. Definitely helps keep you going.
That's all for this week, good luck to everyone else with their training
cheers
Andy
Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz
Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1
The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/
The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/
Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/287319678021088/
Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forumhttp://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP=
Training
Calories burnt for the year = 79,002
Training hours this week = 10 hours 56 minutes
Monday
Coached Swim Session 1 hour
350m warm up. 100m kicking, 100m lateral kicking, 100m catch up drill, 3 x 200m CSS swim.
Swam the CSS sections at 5.16, 5.21 & 5.41. Aiming for 5.40.
Did 50 metres with a pull buoy to try and stop me bending my knees when i kick. Then Matt filmed me for 50m to show me what my legs were doing. They were ridiculous & are obviously having little effect at moving me forwards.
So, i now need to make my pull stronger so I'll need to do more pull buoy sessions to try & help this.
Tuesday
Bike 45 minutes/Run 15 minutes Brick Session
Bit of a tri-bar, aero drink bottle try out tonight. Think i may have chopped the drinks bottle straw a bit short as it was a bit of a stretch trying to get on it. However, i kept sliding forwards on the bars & they seem a bit close together, so some minor adjustments needed there. This will probably raise the bottle to a more accessible height as well.
Out and back run again, nothing exciting, felt a bit quicker than usual.
Wednesday
Run 1 hour
Been interviewing at work this week so meant i had to stay till 5pm tonight. I normally leave at 3.30pm on a Wednesday so i can get my 1 hour run in before the swim
So, up at 6am to do it otherwise i wouldn't have got it in today. Felt horrible, legs ached & were quite stiff. Took about 20 minutes for my legs to warm up and then we were OK. Still, didn't enjoy it. No more early morning runs for me if i can help it.
Swim 1 hour
85 lengths done tonight. Lost track of exactly what i did. Forgot the pull buoy so couldn't do the intended drills, although Wednesday session probably isn't ideal as its fairly busy.
Did some alternate 250m's 2 stroke & 3 strokes between breaths. Did a few 4 strokes. Even did. Couple of 8 strokes before taking a breath. Had travelled half a length doing that.
Did a few lengths of breaststroke for a change as well
Thursday
Bike 1 hour 2 minutes http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/240892220
Did the Trianglia sprint cycle course in reverse. Aero bars and bottle in a lot better position today. Definitely chopped the bloody straw too short though, Muppet. Might look at adapting it to use the tube from my hydration pack.
Ride was OK though. Held a decent average, 15.8mph. Got hooted at by lots of clowns in cars for holding them up by a millisecond. Same ol.
Friday
Rest day
Saturday
Park run 21:59 New PB
Fancied going for another PB as was sure i had a sub 22 after last weeks run. Unfortunately Norwich had experienced a monsoon overnight and so Eaton park was as usual, flooded in numerous places & boggy round the boating lake.
Started nearer the front so i didn't get as held up as usual & took off in a mad sprint (didn't expect that)from the start. Snuck in behind Will & Kate from Trianglia as i knew they run really well, so tried to keep at their pace.
They had started to pull away by the end of the first lap but the fact they were still in my sights meant i must be doing OK. Couldn't pace myself for the first mile from the Garmin as the GPS hadn't started straight away.
Was a bit of a mare, hopping over and running through deep puddles every few seconds, disrupts any kind of relaxed or consistent running pace you try to achieve. Anyway, managed to come in under 22 minutes, just. Fourth park run in a row with a PB. Definitely more time to come off in better conditions. Although i doubt i will see such dramatic drops as previous weeks.
Bike 2 hours 16 minutes http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/241485720
Rained all morning and turned into snow by mid afternoon. Definitely the worst cycle ride I've been on. I was soaked and freezing after 40 minutes. Had to talk myself out of binning the ride numerous times. It's times like these that it pays me to have my strong will or my plain stubbornness.
Headed out to where i used to live, a little village called Smallburgh. Hasn't changed much, still looks as boring as it did years ago. Probably been even less exciting since us Baxters left. Roads were pretty flooded near Smallburgh church. The water was so deep at points my feet were going completely underwater as i peddled through.
To top the days misery off, 40 minutes to go and i was busting for a pee as well. Couldn't be bothered to stop and do it as i couldn't feel my fingers, or anything else for that matter. Just wanted to get home. Did debate just letting it flow in my cycling gear whilst riding, i was drenched anyway, you'll probably be pleased to know i decided not too.
Finally got in, took me a couple of hours to stop shivering. Arleya had to help me get my gear off (good job i hadn't pissed in it) as i was that numb. Still, job done & another training ride completed.
Managed to get a couple of church pics on the first half of the ride. http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/
Sunday
Run 2 hour 16 minutes http://app.strava.com/activities/43844290
Longest and furthest run ever today. Runs are into uncharted territory every week now.
Snowed for the duration. Was cold but i felt a lot warmer & happier than the day before, also a lot more comfortable. Run went really well, minimal niggles which was a result.
After last weeks near pass out i took a couple of gels with me this week. Done one at an hour & that saw me through to the end. Did start to feel like i was ready for another one after 2 hours so next week i will probably do 2. Ties in with my normal nutrition intake of a gel an hour which does me fine.
Changed my planned route a little as i knew the river run round to UEA would be boggy and slippy. Went round Colney Lane then dropped down through Cringleford woods to the UEA lake. Very clever. Clever until i ran into the UEA woods and twatted over into a large mud bath. I was caked in mud & looked like some kind of Bog Monster running around. Certainly had a few strange looks on my way back home.
Apart from buggering over really enjoyed today's run.
Swim 1 hour
76 lengths today, legs were a bit shot from the mornings run, not that i use my legs much anyway. Remembered the pull buoy today. Lanes were pretty quiet. Arrived just as Speedo Stan was finishing off a swim session with his family. Had the lane to myself for a good 40 lengths so did a few drills as advised by Stewart & Matt from the Monday coached sessions.
Session involved:
50m lateral kicking, 50m kicking, 100m pull buoy held lower leg to isolate leg movement & hopefully increase my pull power.
Another Trianglia member, Jonathan was there as well just as i finished. He's a very good swimmer & had also noted my legs are quite wide apart when i swim. Hopefully will get this issue sorted through the drills I'm currently doing.
Other bits
Ordered a new pair of running shoes this week as i really need to get them broken in for the London Marathon. Decided against the Newtons for now as i don't think i have enough time for a full and safe transition to running in them before London. Have also been fancying a pair of Adidas Energy Boost shoes that have just come out. However, could be an expensive mistake if they turn out to be unsuitable for me.
So, i decided to get the same shoes as i had last time, i know they will be fine, Saucony Progrid Guide 5's. Had a search about and found a pair at 47% off. £49.99 from Sportsshoes.com http://www.sportsshoes.com/product/SAU1468/saucony-progrid-guide-5-running-shoes/
Theres also a bonus 10% cash back for us Aviva employees if you go through your Aviva extras portal! I paid £95 last time so happy days.
The Anglian - Norfolk's first iron distance Triathlon. The routes have now been published on the website for those interested in doing this. Must say, the routes look great & will offer participants some breathtaking scenery along the North Norfolk coast & countryside. If i hadn't been doing Ironman UK I would have been definitely doing this one.
http://www.theanglian.co.uk/route/
Lots of running about today. Up at 6am. Took wife to work, dropped Arleya off at the local TA centre for her to go to Waterbeach for the regional cross country championships. Unfortunately she had been suffering with a really bad cough all week which still hadn't gone. She still managed to finish 13th out of 50 though with breathing difficulty, so well done to her.
Now time to relax on the sofa and catch up with all the stuff i have on Sky +. In particular the 6 stages I've recorded of Paris - Nice & Tirreno - Adriatico cycle comps.
Would also like to say thanks for all the support I've been receiving recently, in particular from my club friends & regulars on the various forums i post on. Definitely helps keep you going.
That's all for this week, good luck to everyone else with their training
cheers
Andy
Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz
Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1
The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/
The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/
Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/287319678021088/
Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forumhttp://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP=
Sunday, 3 March 2013
Ironman UK Training Week 8
Still rocking on, nailed a couple of PB's this week as well. Week 9 starts tomorrow. Nearly a third of the way through.
Training
Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calories burnt for the year = 64,092
Training hours this week = 10 hours 28 minutes
Monday
Swim 1 hour coached session.
350m warm up, 200m kicks, 100m finger dragging drill. Then did 5 x 200m at my critical swim speed. Based on the previous weeks timed 200m & 400m swims i believe. Anyway, my CSS was 5.40 mins for 200m so i was supposed to try swim the 200's in that time
I did 5 sets at 5.06, 5.18, 5.25, 5.30, 5.33. Which wasn't far out & did feel comfortable.
Finished off with a couple of breaststroke lengths. Enjoyable, seemed to go really quick tonight.
Tuesday
Bike 47 minutes/Run 15 minutes brick
http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/237265610 - Bike.
Went out on the Trianglia sprint tri circuit tonight. Bit drizzly, electric pylons were making some funny old fizzing sounds when i was riding under them. No lighting disasters tonight. Run was an out and back again. Nothing much to report on tonight's training to be honest.
Wednesday
Run 1 hour
Nice easy jog down to Whitlingham round the lake and home.
Swim 1 hour
Breakthrough with the bilateral breathing tonight. Did 10 lengths doing the usual 2 stroke breathing on my right hand side. Then, alternated with bilateral breathing.
Once I'd got a few lengths of bilateral breathing down I started doing alternate lengths with different breathing/ stroke patterns.
25m 2 strokes
25m 3 strokes
25m 4 strokes
25m 5 strokes
Then back to beginning.
Finished off with 20 lengths of bilateral breathing
Thursday
Bike ride 1 hour - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/238073840
Bit of a crazy day, late home from work, had to quickly squeeze this in before taking my wife into the city, finally got to eat some tea at 9pm. So i didn't fancy hitting hills & instead just rode round the Norwich ring road.
Friday
Rest day & curry night
Saturday
Park Run - 22.02 new PB
After last nights curry really didn't fancy doing this. Although i love a phal, i know I'll suffer for it in the morning. Bit like knowing your going to have a crap hangover but still drink too much the night before.
Still, after initial issues I felt OK to nip up to Eaton park. Temperature was a bit warmer than it had been, this was also going to be my first Park run in the Newton trainers i got the other week.
Got a bit held up at the start, but by the time i got to the far end of the park it was fairly clear. Was surprised at my pace, was running at just over 7 minute miles. It was burning the lungs but i felt like i could carry on at the same pace. Second lap same, even had some sub 7 minute times flashing up on the Garmin. Managed to come in at 22.02. 68 seconds off previous PB, again, wish I'd pushed it a tad more and broken the 22 minute. Maybe next time.
Will be slower next week as I'm going to run round with Arleya, see if i can pace her so she can get a PB. Her best time to date is 28 minutes 59 seconds
Bike ride 2 hours 1 minute - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/238614670
Pleasant ride out. Not a great deal to say about it. Only stopped once at Attlebridge to take a picture of the church
Sunday
Swim 1 hour 2 minutes - 88 lengths
Really quiet down the pool today. I guess the initial crowds who appeared in January with their New Years resolutions to exercise may have started to dwindle. Everyone in the swim lanes was actually swimming rather than socialising as well, so a good, stress free session was had.
Did a bit more bilateral practise
10 x 25m 2 stroke breathing
10 x 25m 3 stroke breathing
Just alternated that for 80 lengths then did the last 200 metres 4 strokes
Run 2 hours - http://app.strava.com/activities/42995307
This was going OK until around 75 minutes then bonk, light headed & quite dizzy, sweats. Obviously hadn't eaten enough prior to the run. Thankfully i had decided to start taking a bottle of energy drink with me since the run times had increased, which is what managed to get me home. Was a tough final 45 minutes though.
Still 2 hours non stop running is a PB for me, although the distance isn't. Maybe next week, will take a gel with me next time.
Other
Friday afternoon an article sprung up on the works Intranet looking for people who might be interested in doing the Milan Marathon on April 7th.
Four places for a marathon entry, free flights and accommodation courtesy of Aviva Italy. Well, had to throw my name in the hat for that one. Just had to say you were fit to do the marathon & why you wanted to do it. Please let me do some training in a warm climate Aviva, even if it's only for a weekend. Hopefully find out this week.
http://milanocitymarathon.gazzetta.it/?lang=en
Fitted the new aero drink bottle & aero bars today
Almost finished Arleyas bike for her debut triathlon. Had a right issue cutting brake & gear cables. I've bought two different cutters now and they have both been shit & would struggle to cut string let alone a metal cable. May have to just splash out and buy a park tool pair which i know are good. Anyway, this is where we are at:
Complete with my old Boardman saddle & first computer i had
Dads turn
This was only up and down the road a few yards outside our house, for a few pics. Usual cycle rides do always involve wearing cycle helmets!
Finally. I've changed the charity i hope to raise money for this year although the Help for Heroes charity page will remain open.
My charity of choice this year is for The Royal Anglian Benevolent Fund. List of current events I'm signed up for are on the link below.
Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz
Time to get fit blog
http://clearseaz-timetogetfit.blogspot.co.uk/
The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/
The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/
Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/287319678021088/
Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forum
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP=
Training
Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calories burnt for the year = 64,092
Training hours this week = 10 hours 28 minutes
Monday
Swim 1 hour coached session.
350m warm up, 200m kicks, 100m finger dragging drill. Then did 5 x 200m at my critical swim speed. Based on the previous weeks timed 200m & 400m swims i believe. Anyway, my CSS was 5.40 mins for 200m so i was supposed to try swim the 200's in that time
I did 5 sets at 5.06, 5.18, 5.25, 5.30, 5.33. Which wasn't far out & did feel comfortable.
Finished off with a couple of breaststroke lengths. Enjoyable, seemed to go really quick tonight.
Tuesday
Bike 47 minutes/Run 15 minutes brick
http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/237265610 - Bike.
Went out on the Trianglia sprint tri circuit tonight. Bit drizzly, electric pylons were making some funny old fizzing sounds when i was riding under them. No lighting disasters tonight. Run was an out and back again. Nothing much to report on tonight's training to be honest.
Wednesday
Run 1 hour
Nice easy jog down to Whitlingham round the lake and home.
Swim 1 hour
Breakthrough with the bilateral breathing tonight. Did 10 lengths doing the usual 2 stroke breathing on my right hand side. Then, alternated with bilateral breathing.
Once I'd got a few lengths of bilateral breathing down I started doing alternate lengths with different breathing/ stroke patterns.
25m 2 strokes
25m 3 strokes
25m 4 strokes
25m 5 strokes
Then back to beginning.
Finished off with 20 lengths of bilateral breathing
Thursday
Bike ride 1 hour - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/238073840
Bit of a crazy day, late home from work, had to quickly squeeze this in before taking my wife into the city, finally got to eat some tea at 9pm. So i didn't fancy hitting hills & instead just rode round the Norwich ring road.
Friday
Rest day & curry night
Saturday
Park Run - 22.02 new PB
After last nights curry really didn't fancy doing this. Although i love a phal, i know I'll suffer for it in the morning. Bit like knowing your going to have a crap hangover but still drink too much the night before.
Still, after initial issues I felt OK to nip up to Eaton park. Temperature was a bit warmer than it had been, this was also going to be my first Park run in the Newton trainers i got the other week.
Got a bit held up at the start, but by the time i got to the far end of the park it was fairly clear. Was surprised at my pace, was running at just over 7 minute miles. It was burning the lungs but i felt like i could carry on at the same pace. Second lap same, even had some sub 7 minute times flashing up on the Garmin. Managed to come in at 22.02. 68 seconds off previous PB, again, wish I'd pushed it a tad more and broken the 22 minute. Maybe next time.
Will be slower next week as I'm going to run round with Arleya, see if i can pace her so she can get a PB. Her best time to date is 28 minutes 59 seconds
Bike ride 2 hours 1 minute - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/238614670
Pleasant ride out. Not a great deal to say about it. Only stopped once at Attlebridge to take a picture of the church
Sunday
Swim 1 hour 2 minutes - 88 lengths
Really quiet down the pool today. I guess the initial crowds who appeared in January with their New Years resolutions to exercise may have started to dwindle. Everyone in the swim lanes was actually swimming rather than socialising as well, so a good, stress free session was had.
Did a bit more bilateral practise
10 x 25m 2 stroke breathing
10 x 25m 3 stroke breathing
Just alternated that for 80 lengths then did the last 200 metres 4 strokes
Run 2 hours - http://app.strava.com/activities/42995307
This was going OK until around 75 minutes then bonk, light headed & quite dizzy, sweats. Obviously hadn't eaten enough prior to the run. Thankfully i had decided to start taking a bottle of energy drink with me since the run times had increased, which is what managed to get me home. Was a tough final 45 minutes though.
Still 2 hours non stop running is a PB for me, although the distance isn't. Maybe next week, will take a gel with me next time.
Other
Friday afternoon an article sprung up on the works Intranet looking for people who might be interested in doing the Milan Marathon on April 7th.
Four places for a marathon entry, free flights and accommodation courtesy of Aviva Italy. Well, had to throw my name in the hat for that one. Just had to say you were fit to do the marathon & why you wanted to do it. Please let me do some training in a warm climate Aviva, even if it's only for a weekend. Hopefully find out this week.
http://milanocitymarathon.gazzetta.it/?lang=en
Fitted the new aero drink bottle & aero bars today
 |
| View from the cockpit |
Almost finished Arleyas bike for her debut triathlon. Had a right issue cutting brake & gear cables. I've bought two different cutters now and they have both been shit & would struggle to cut string let alone a metal cable. May have to just splash out and buy a park tool pair which i know are good. Anyway, this is where we are at:
Finally. I've changed the charity i hope to raise money for this year although the Help for Heroes charity page will remain open.
My charity of choice this year is for The Royal Anglian Benevolent Fund. List of current events I'm signed up for are on the link below.
The Royal Anglian Regiment Benevolent Charity Fund was established to help the serving and former members of the Royal Anglian Regiment and their dependants who are: in need, hardship or distress.
Please donate what you can through my Just Giving page - http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1
That's all for this week
cheers
Andy
Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1http://clearseaz-timetogetfit.blogspot.co.uk/
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/
Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/287319678021088/
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP=
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