Monday 28th April 2013

Been training hard. Longer sessions but less of them – feels odd that I’m not smashing it constantly.
Long run up to 29.5km yesterday. Aching today but pushing through runners knee with ibuprofen and stretching and a tennis ball. Just ordered a foam roller and getting very tight now.
Ordered new cassette for my TT bike. Got a 11/28t help me with IM UK hills.
I will write this blog properly when I have some more time and try and put some humour into it. Realised it’s boring as fuck and really just documents my sessions.
Done lots of miles lately, had punctures and spokes flying out my wheels. Lots of pain and aches.
Home stretch now – 10 weeks till taper. I need to rack my training to a new level now and stop missing sessions because of my knee or it’s raining – after all I want to be an ironman!!!

Sunday 13th April – aching

Yesterday’s ride left me aching. I even had cramp in my quads tackling a big hill on the way home yesterday.
Anyway so today I watched the London marathon on TV which was inspiring. I love our city. It makes me immensely proud.
Anyway I ventured out on my run. I thought I’d test out my new Tri kit by compressport- see pic. It’s extremely comfortable like second skin. I wored the bottoms on yesterday’s ride and they felt so nice. It was only right to test it all out on the run today.
The run was good. I set off a little quick with a pace of 4min/kms. I need to stick to 5min/kms for my race pace. I’d rather do the whole marathon at 5min/kms than start of quicker and then slow to a walk etc.
I also kept coming across people and increased my pace – I need to run my own race. Anyway I ran up to putney through Wandsworth park and back down to battersea park. I then did 2 laps of battersea park and ran back to putney. I averaged 4:45min/kms and did 20.5kms. I struggled at the end. My hip was aching and my knee was aching too. Nothing to worry about, just need to run more. I came home and immediately took ibuprofen and also put on an actipatch, which is electromagnetic pulse therapy. Fuel PR sent me to test which I have been doing. I will do a full review soon when I have more data.
So running going ok. I enjoyed it but very hard weekend training. Both because I increased pace on both run and bike. I need to slow earlier.
Happy training all.
98 days to Ironman uk. 63 days till Windsor.

Saturday 12th April – speed demons

Well I haven’t written the blog for a while and to be honest have had a little bit of a break and spent some time doing non active fun things- stuff I’ve really missed out on whilst hitting the training. I’ve eaten out a few times in the last week, caught up with family and friends and been away with work as well.
My first real session back was Thursday at the pool. I ran there which is just over 5km. I felt so good having not run for a few weeks because of my niggling knee injury. I did push it a little though and did the 5km in 21mins, which is probably a PB for me. My Cooper test/polar training watch suggests my running index is 64 giving me the potential to do a 19min 5km. I reckon I could do that know if I really set out to do that. I then did a hardcore pool session and I actually commented that I felt strong and I did. I led the groups and most others were flagging at the end and I was still full of beans. I then did a yoga class and ran home.
Friday was weights and I pushed it and was aching in my quads.
Today I got up and went out with 4 other fast riders from the triathlon club. I took my TT bike and we set of for a round trip to Henley on Thames. This route being just shy of 150km. We averaged a 34.5km/hr and I am aching so much now. I also had a puncture. Came home watched homeland and slept. Feel better now.
I’ve put on weight. I feel it as well as seeing on the scales. It’s hard not to get pissed off but I needed a bit of a purge and down time. I figured I have 3 months left till Ironman UK. I have put a new program in place for the rest of the training and it’s getting heavy. Up to 23/24hours a week. Open water swimming is open now in Thorpe, so going to tackle that tom am. A cruisy 20mile ride out there and a swim in 13 degree water brrrrrr…. But I want to be ready.
I need to start collecting some of this charity money now. I am raising money for Macmillan and there is a link at the top of this page. Please give generously. If you’ve been reading my blog, you know how hard I’ve been training and to come from nowhere and over 100kg to now is amazing in itself. The fact I’m raising money for Macmillan has kept me focussed and committed.
Happy training all.

Tuesday 1st April

Yesterday I got my new hydration System for my TT bike and I had to try it out. I also fixed my seat bottle bracket also and adjusted the TT bike. I went round Richmond park 4 times and I felt quick but it was hard too. The gearing on my bike is so much bigger than my compact roadie. I have a 42 and 53 chainring on at the front so is much bigger than my 34t. This is great once you’re going but the steeper hills takes it’s toll. My legs were burning on the 4th lap. In total I did 54km in 1:38 so that’s like 34km/hr average which includes the traffic going to the park and back. Amazing!!! I can’t believe my progress it’s fricking awesome!! I could’ve pushed harder too. If I average this on ironman uk it will cut 40mins of my 6hour target time.
I woke up aching today though, my
Legs feeling the weight. I got up at 5:50 ate porridge and went out on the TT bike again and did 4 more laps of Richmond park. This was a misty morning and my legs felt it too. Slower than yesterday. I averaged 31km/hr. I then stopped off at the pool and swam. It was an endurance swim and I have now upped it from 3x1265m(38 laps in a 33.3m pool) to 2 x 1900m which is the same distance as before but with just one brief break where I got out the pool and walked to the other end before resuming my swim on the 2nd set. This is to emulate the ironman uk. Ironman uk is made up of 2 x1900m and I want to simulate as much as possible. So my plan is to do this 3 times a week and then the other 2 swim sessions with the club are drills and speed and whatever else they get us to do in prep for triathlons. The swim today was good. The time came in slower than the same distance with 3 sets because obviously I slow down on longer sets. I completed it in 1hr 6 mins.
Also I wish older ladies in the pool wouldn’t wear so much perfume I could taste it today swimming urgghh!!
So all in all good couple of days but I’m feeling the extra load.
Tomorrow I’ll swim in the morning and then I have a strength session followed by a club group turbo session.
My knee is sore still so I missed run training tonight and I missed my long run on Sunday – feeling guilty but I can’t afford a long term injury with only 110 days to go.
Happy training everyone!!!!