Tuesday 23rd of November 2010

I have been trying to focus on my 50 miler race coming up in Feb but it hasnt started great as I seem to have picked up an injury! too much too soon I guess. Anyway, couple of days no running and I guess I will be ok.
Last week I did a 23k run, a 15k run some interval work and then a 28k run. This week so far I have managed to do a 17k run but I think thats going to be it for a few days.
I am trying hard to work on the "easy" running. I think this is where my injury has come from as I was focusing on "slow" rather than "easy" and I think I must have been running odd. Ill try again later in the week to throw in a 30k but easy rather than slow.
Now MTBing to work again so that will help to keep the cycling going for a little while. Ill get focused on the IM again after Feb.
going to go do some reading about ultra marathons! fun stuff

Wednesday 17th of November 2010 - 50 miler coming up!!

The training is going pretty well. The lonegr run this week went much better. During a moment of madness I have agreed with a mate of mine to do a 50 mile race! great....I think....
Anyway, better go for a run

Wednesday 10th of November 2010

I am now back into my training and starting to take it more seriously again. I am now doing this as a weekly plan:

Monday - Run 10k of intervals
Tuesday - Spin for 1 hour or turbo trainer for an hour
Wednesday - 20 to 25k run
Thursday - 1 hour hard spin
Friday - 2 hours turbo trainer (this is my plan anyway!)
Saturday - 16k run as fast as I can.
Sunday - nothing!

My aim is to keep this up for a few weeks and work on what I am eating too to keep myself getting in better shape!
Then I plan to add 2 swims a week into this. When the weather warms up I will swap a spin for a long bike ride with some intervals.

I am signed in for Challenge UK so that is what I am now focusing on and I really really would love to go close to 10 hours! 9:59:59 would be fine.

Thursday 7th of October 2010

I have been doing a little bit of training each week. I do a 10k run as fast as I can on a Tuesday, Spin and some wieghts on a Wednesday and a 10k on Thursday. I then add a 15k on the weekend.
My plan is to get the turbo trainer set up somewhere and start to hit that a bit more or add some extra spinning. I know I am not doing nearly enough at the moment but I plan to ramp it up slowly. Its been quite hard with all the travelling to get the time to train but Im starting to find ways.
Must cycle!!!!

Monday 27th of September 2010

Im back..I have been doing a few runs every week (2 or 3 10 k runs a week lets say). Today I entered Challenge UK and have set my self a new target of 10 or less hours! yep, almost impossible but thats what I thought about swimming 3,8, cycling 180 and running 42.2! Next step is to avoid divorce and then crack on with training...again. :)
Back soon, just need to do some work inbetween organising my athletic future ;)

Sunday the 5th of September 2010

Its now Sunday and I am feeling a little sorry for my self. I did "The Vitruvien" triathlon which is a half ironman yesterday and it was damn hard! My legs felt week after about 1 km on the bike! not a nice feeling. I had done 1 training run which was a 22k effort since the Ironman on August 15th. I thought I would be mostly recovered by then but I don't think I was. The swim started very badly and I had to stop and catch my breath, I then caught the group I was with and ended with a 33 minute swim so not too bad but I was a little disappointed. It went down hill from there and I just felt tired. Anyway, it was still a fun day and it was a really great event. I am very pleased I did it but will now just chill out and then start working on my training again. I will try to work on my power and speed now over the winter and see how I can improve on my 11 hour IM next year. Ill have to have a look for an event!

Will post pics when they come out.

Wednesday 25th of August 2010

Well I have been very busy since my last post. My wife and kids moved back to the UK and I had a house to empty and clean and also a small flat to move into! I have now started the life of Mr airport lounge commuter man! Lets see how that effects the training!

This morning I did my first run after the IM race. I did a 22k run with two guys from work, it wasn't really the nice n easy run we had all discussed! we did it in 1 hour 37 minutes which for me was pretty quick. I could feel my legs get weak at towards the end but apart from that I felt strong.

Next step will be a bike ride back in the UK, maybe a swim and then the HIM on Sep 4th!

bring it on...by gently please :)

Friday 20th of August 2010

Today is my last day of being 32! age is starting to catch up quicker and quicker but I feel like I still have the edge on it for now :)
Finishing my first ironaman race has left a gap in my life which so far has been filled with having a few beers, talking A LOT about race day with everyone I know and planning my move back to the UK. I have a half IM race coming up on Sep 4th so I need to get back into some kind of physical training. Today I rode my bike to work and it felt great to get out and do something! my legs felt fine, I rode fast the whole way and I feel like it helped to shed the kind of self pitying feeling I had developed. I had planned to do a short run today but I dont think I will. I may go tomorrow for a 10k just to get the legs going again.

Its odd but I dont think its sunk in yet that I did actually finish. I have moments when I think to my self 'god, I actually have done an ironman race'. I feel good but I think its still going to take some time.

I am now starting to think of whats next, I am pretty sure I will do another Ironman race and I know now that my goal will be to do that near to the 10 hour mark. I know where I need to improve and I think I know how so I guess Ill just get started doing that :)

This is what a stupidly happy me looks like by the way:

This is what I looked like 14k from the end!!

13.8 k later this is me - very very near to complete empty fuel tank!

Im planning to keep my blog going as I still enjoy looking back at the last year or so. I am still on the journey as far as I am concerned!

Tuesday 17th of August 2010 - Did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As you may have guessed from the title, I did it!! 11 hours and 12 sec was my time which I am sooo happy about! if I could have gone 13 secs faster it would have been cool but seeing as I would have been pretty happy with 12:30 I am chuffed.
I raised £1450 for Help4Heroes at the same time which is an added bonus.
The night before was a small nightmare as my house got flooded with sewage due to the massive amount of rain Copenhagen had! I was up all night so it wasnt ideal.
The swim was great! It was what I was most worried about. I made a last minute decision to start at the front of my group and just put the hammer down and try to get clear water. It worked, I was well ahead of most of the pack and ended up catching many of the groups ahead of us. My swim was 1 hour and 2 minutes! that was 18 minutes faster than my goal. T1 was ok, bit low of details as I dont really remembr it. My bike was in a submerged field so I kep my shoes off until I was at the start line. Bike went well, no punctures and I finished it in 5 hours 25 minutes! again half an hour ahead of my target so again very very pleased, BUT, I knew I had gone too quick and my legs were tired - great just a marathon to go!
T2 was ok, didnt take too long and I was in no rush to start the run anyway!
First step of the marathon was painful and it pretty much went like that the whole way! I had to walk through drink stations and I had to walk a few other times too. Lap 2 was my low point. I never  thought I wouldnt make it but I thought I may end up walking most of it! I really did hit a few low points and seeing family and mates along the way was a massive boost. Lap 3 was really hard but I knew I was only 14k to my target so I managed to run/jog again. It was an odd style I developed as my stomach was a mess. My legs were not the problem it was my stomach.
Anyway, I could have burst into tears many times on the run and when I crossed the line I felt a little numb. I was soooo soo tired. Quick shower and off home. Its only today started to sink in that I have done it!
I will do a better race report and put pictures up. I just want to say thanks too all who have supported me and helped with advice etc.
Next stop is the Vitruvien in the Uk on Sep 4th!! bring it on.

sorry to the person who took this. Ill find the link and post you details on here asap!

Sunday 15th of august 2010!!!!!!

Denmark had worst rain in 50 years last night! My house flooded with sewage and I was up after midnight scooping shit out of my basemen! Perfect start to the day! Feel tired but ok and I am looking forward to it! Go go go

Sent from my iPhone

Wednesday 11th of August 2010

Had a few friends over last night so had 1 or 2 too many glasses of wine! got to keep the body on its toes! Was actually very nice to chill out and think of something else for a change!
Up early this morning, slightly misty head. Lunchtime swim at the lagoon in quite windy conditions, oh and it was raining! The good news though was that there were 0 jellyfish and I did it in 1 hour 5 minutes! woo hooo thats a PB by 10 minutes! No idea what went on but just went quick. Roll on race day! feels real now and I feel like I am ready!! in 4 days I WILL cross that line!!!

Tuesday 10th of August 2010

Well in the end I did nothing yesterday! I played table tenning for 20 minutes and it left me feeling shakey and quite odd so I went home and did sod all. Not a great feeling at this stage.
This morning I woke up quite early and went for a 50k ride. I just had to go out and do something! now my legs feel a little used again and I can tell you its a good feeling! anyway I guess it goes against the gods of tapering but hey they have allowed it to be windy on Sunday so what the hell ;)
Tomorrow eve I will swim the course again. Thursday I may go for a very very short run. We will see.
Nearly there now! cant wait to get on with it

Monday 9th of August 2010

Well, a whole weekend went by and I did no exercise! wow, Its been a long long time! Feel very lazy now so may put a quick swim or run in later today just to remind myself what it feels like. Not really enjoying this tapering stuff much but I guess it makes sense and its quite odd not to have sore legs!
Just a few days now until our friends come over who are also racing (well, he will be racing and I will be taking part!). Seems to be on my mind a lot at the moment and its lead to some quite odd dreams! Last night someone stole my bike wheels!

In case anyone reading this is interested you can you follow progress at this site:
http://www.challengecopenhagen.com/en/component/content/article/2/308-for-spectators

Anyway, have a good few days and ill let you know how I cope with  this tapering stuff!

Friday 6th of August 2010

Went for that bike ride yesterday afternoon and got beasted! we only did 60k in the end and I was very pleased to get finished. They set a brutal pace and I had to work very hard just to sit on the wheel of the guy in front. Great training but now I am stepping back and doing almost nothing as I really need my legs to recover now. Foot a little better and I am pretty sure it will be fine.
Heres so a few days of rest!

Thursday 5th of August 2010

Well my foot hurts like hell today, which is nice! just bruised so I will now just not run at all for a good few days. Swam 2.5k in the lagoon this morning. No Jellys today so that was nice. Did a good pace and feel very cumfy in the water now. Im not quite as worried about the swim now. Little blowy out there so it wasnt easy but I didnt feel stressed in anyway. Just a little bored really with swimming! its not my fave part.
This afternoon I'll do a 65k burn on my bike with two guys from work. Going to just see how it feels and try to control my self. Then its rest tomorrow (maybe a swim in the pool), rest Saturday, small ride Sunday etc etc.
Weather is still very changable so will just keep an eye on that, even though there is nothing I can do about it!
Actually want to crack on with this now....I know I am just going to get more and more nervous from now on! I already get the wobblies when I think about it!
Swim, Cycle, Run - cant be that hard can it :)

Wednesday 4th of August 2010

I did the 60k bike back on Monday and I had a great  ride. Yesterday I went to do a swim but only did half an hour as we found loads of "Fire" jellyfish! doh!! Yep the name says it all so we got out. I think they have mostly gone now but it something that could be "Interesting" on race day :) Anyway the half hour swim felt very easy so at least I know I can do over a 3rd distance without too much of a problem!

Today I did a 22k run at 4:30 ish pace. Running feels good still so that good. My left foot is still sore but I will now not run for 3 days to give it a good rest. I think it will be fine.

Tomorrow I will either swim or ride my bike, you never know I may do both but I doubt it. I am leaning towards swimming right now.

This whole tapering thing doesnt seem quite right so I will just keep doing what I do and just try not to push myself at all. Appart from my foot today I know that I didnt push myself on the run.

Monday 2nd of August 2010

I have bad news and good news. First the bad, well my bike was stolen from work and my insurance refuse to pay up as the lock was not registered to the bike...nice! the good news is that it was my mountain bike! phew! that was close. My tri bike is now attached to me all day except for sleeping! damn thieving ........!!!!! I hope they have a terrible crash on the way home (involving only them selves!) and that my bike flies through the van and crushes them all!! (it was quite a heavy bike). My tri bike is now also my commuter bike so I think I may have to invest in a new bike soon.
I did a 90k ride on Sunday at a very good pace and pushed very hard to stay out in front of the group as much as possible. Today Ill do a 60k ride home and try to push that too.
Tomorrow swim I hope.

Friday 30th of July 2010

My god its almost August! I remember when I had 390+ days to go! 23kgs lost, over 1500kms run, over 5000kms cycled,  am I ready? Well I had a great run this morning. Up early, met the guys at work (who by the way have been an amasing support, coming into work to join me for a run while on holidays!). Hammering down with rain and blowing quite hard, yep, perfect! 22k at 4 minute 30sec pace. I put in a couple of 4 minute kms in too just to push the legs a bit and stretch them. My running is at its best ever and now I am going to take my foot of the accelearator and start to reduce the mileage before the race. I still feel that I am not far from an injury so its time to start the taper. Ill put in a 100k bike ride this weekend and then start to reduce that intensity on that too. Ill keep the swimming up until race day.

Feeling good an yep I think I may just be ready for this! This may sound odd but I am now starting to try to focus on my mental preparation and trying to work on blocking the pain and using my mind to get me through this. I have read so much about these extreme athletes who do the most amazing things and they all say its in the mind - you have to get your mind somewhere good and you can make it. I am now looking for somewhere good to put my mind so if you have any ideas please tell me!!

Thursday 29th of July 2010

My parents in law are visiting and this means that I am up later and am having a few glasses of wine! damn I had 3 or 4 glasses and fealt totally smashed! Anyway, up early and went down to the swim course and put in my best ever 4k swim! really happy with my swimming now.

Wednesday 28th of July 2010

Well my plans all changed slightly but thats ok. I went for a quick deep tissue sports massage on Monday eve to try to help my left leg. It helped and I intend to go back again before the race (5 days before). Yesterday I drove to work and met up with my swim buddy in the afternoon at the race venue and we did the full 4k (3.8ish) and it took us 1 hour 5 minutes so I was very very pleased with that! I didnt run as my legs were still feeling a little tired. Swim was not in ideal conditions so that made it even better!
This morning I was up early and I did an 85k ride at 32kph avg so again quite pleased. I felt sluggish in parts but then it went away and I felt great again....odd. I guess I need to start that taper stuff quite soon but I am finding it quite hard to stop. I guess I want to drag every drop of improvements I can out of the bag before I accept that this is it and I have to go with what I have. Anyway, choive is running out so in a few days I will taper.
Really cant wait to get on with it now and then start thinking about the goal for 2011 will be.....under 3 hour marathon? under 20 minute 5k? or another Ironman?? well, before jumping the gun I guess I better finish this one first!!

Monday 26th of July 2010

I rested on Saturday except for a short bike ride with my kids. Sunday was going to be a rest day but instead I cycled 170km in very windy conditions! Good ride and it was actually good that it was so windy as it did give me some confidence in the course. If its windy you will suffer a lot in one part but will fly other parts! good stuff.
This morning I tried out the running again and it didnt go well to start with which was starting to really piss me off so decided to just crack on and take short strides, well it worked and after a few kms I was fine and had a great run! cool... and phew!!
Tomorrow I intend to do a short ride of 60k to work and then do an open water swim in the afternoon. Wednesday a short run or maybe 21k. After that I will start my taper and do less kms on my feet as they need a little rest before race day.
I got a puncture on Sunday and I am soooo glad I changed wheels as it was very easy to change thet tube! :)
I wanted to tell anyone reading this that some guys I know are doing this:
http://commandostourdefrance.co.uk/

A family friend of mine called Perie did Ironman Switzerland yesterday in 12:40 ish so a big big well done to her too! amazing stuff.

Friday 23rd of July 2010

Wednesday I didnt get any training except the ride to and from the garage where my car was. My bike did get fixed though (it was making a very annoying clicking noice from bb area) which was cool. Yesterday morning I cycled to work and did 60k on the way home. Working quite hard but nothing too mental. I met up with two guys from Challenge Copenhagen for an open water swim and did just over 3k. One of these guys was a serious swimmer and was very very quick! he is going to do his IM swim in under an hour.
This morning was not so great. Was at about 3k into my 24k run when I started to get a sharp pain behind my left knee! its the first realy problem I have had running for many many months and the timing is pretty crap really. Anyway it took some effort but I decided to stop and walked back just to make sure I didnt do any damage. Now I will not run for 2 days and I really really hope that helps! Im going to rest my legs until Sunday now and then do 160 bike. Monday I will try the 24k again and see what happens. I feel in really good shape and feel like I could run or cycle all day so its really annoying that I get stopped by a stupid inury. Only a few weeks to go so I am on damage limitation now!

Tuesday 20th of July 2010

Up at 5:30am and drove down to the pool. Did half hour of good hard swimming and decided to head off to work. Went home jumped onto my MTB and rode to work. When I got to work I did a 10k run at 4:30 pace so all in all a good morning of training. Tomorrow I have to take my car to the garage so it messes slightky with my training plans. I guess I may get a small run in at some point. We will see!

This is where we were on the weekend. As you can see my kids treat me with the utmost repect! Also check out the silly suntan lines from cycling!

Monday 19th of July 2010

Last Thursday I spent the evening fixing my older tro bike up and fitting it to my swim coach/running buddy! Yep, he is now tempted by the whole ironman thing! I knew this would happen which is one reason I kept the bike. Anyway, I re built the back wheel, fitted tyres and re cabled the bike. I also replaced the handle bars for a spare set I had and it now looks awesome! I felt jealous even though its my bike :) madness I know. So Friday we met early and went for a 30k ride just to make some adjustments to the bike (of which there were a few! good practice). Then we went for a fast 5k run. All felt good.
Saturday I left the house at 6:30 and cycled 130k to Møn. All went well except for the last 200 meters when I got a shooting pain in my right leg (butt cheek - no other way to say it). Not great. Anyway it seemed to go. Yesterday I cycled back and I could feel a slight something there still so I didnt use the tri bars the whole way! just to make it better I had a full on 18kph headwind for the first 50k! nice. Anyway I got back and managed an avg of 32kph so quite happy. I planned to swin today but I am tempted to just rest as I really want to make sure I dont start picking  up injuries. I may go and just see how it goes..cant decide yet.

I feel pretty well prepared now for August 15th. My running is the strongest it has ever been and my cycling is getting better. The swim is something I guess I will just have to get through :)

Thursday 15th of July 2010

Monday I ran that 10k and we did it at a very good pace. We kept the pace at 4:30 per k or faster for the first 7k and the7th was done in 4 minutes. The last 2 we did at 5 minute pace just to see how that would feel. Great run but it was very hot.
Tuesday I had hoped to swim in the lagoon but my swim buddy couldnt make it and I didnt want to do it alone just in case something went wrong in the water (cramps etc). Went to the pool and swam solid for 1 hour instead. Was ok but really quite dull!
Yesterday we set off at 6:30am and ran 30k. We kept a fast pace and the run really went very well. I think I will drop the distance to 28 next week and then down again the week after as I dont want to risk an injury. My running is better than ever so I feel good going in to the race as far as that goes.
Today I am going to Noma (voted the worlds best resteraunt a few months ago) so no training at all today except my cycle to work and back. Tomorrow I plan to swim and run 10k. Saturday we are going to a place called Mon which is a small Island you can get to by road. Its 135k and I will ride there while the family drive, Sunday I will ride back!
1 month to go now exactly!

Monday 12th of July 2010

Saturday I did no excercise. I took my kids to the beach and playpark and we had a nice ice cream in the shade. It was such a warm weekend here. Temp up in the 30s which we are not used to in these parts!
Due to the heat I decided to head out early on Sunday for 1 lap on the bike on my own and then the 2nd lap with a local tri club. Left the house at 5:30am and had a good smooth lap. Was taking it quite easy as I knew I would have a harder 2nd lap. My avg must have been around 32kph but due to a very slow last 10 (just rolling really) my garmin avg was low. I should have taken a little extra energy drink with me but I drank enough on lap 1 but it left me a little short for lap2 which meant just having water with some iso gels to keep me going. Learning about nutrition now everytime I go out on a long ride. Anyway, met the tri club and had a fantastic 80k with them! we set off at 40+kph and I sat behind two guys for the first 10k, one started to fall back so I went past and sat at the front with the other guys, amazingly still doing around 40kph. We did this for around 30k and then we went left into the inner part of the loop. Things move around here more but we kept it around 35 to 40kph and I stayed mostly on the front. I did drop back a few times to get a rest but all in all I worked very hard and really had a great ride. I did 160k in 4 hours 45 so I was pretty chuffed with that.
Today I plan to run a decent 10k but its v hot so it could be tough.
1 month to go !!!!!

Friday 9th of July 2010

Morning! Had a great swim yesterday evening. Did 500 meters warm up, 1000 meters in 16 minutes (not pushing too hard) and then 500 meters of sprint and slow sets. Felt good which is what matters at this stage.
Last night my new Newton Gravity shoes arrived and I wore this morning for my 28k run! not genious I know but I decided it was make or break! Anyway, I had the best run of my life! I did 28k and I know I could have done a marathon in 3:30 today without being destroyed at the end. My legs still feel great. My calf muscles are a little tender but I guess thats due to the new shoes. Its great for me as its so close now and this kind of training is just what I need to build fitness and confidence. My training buddy did Nice Ironman 2 weeks ago and has been an inspiration to me and a great source of advice.
Tomorrow is my rest day so ill play with the kids and relax as much as I can. Sunday is a beast of a bike session! early start and 170k!

Thursday 8th of July 2010

When I left work yesterday I knew my family were out and I felt ok so I went for a nice medium ride of 60k on the way home. I knew I was going to be tired this morning so I thought I should get the miles in while I had time! So yesterdays total for cycling was 140k.
This evening on the way home I will go for a swim. Then tomorrow morning we will do a run of around 28k.

Wednesday 7th of July 2010

Yesterday I went to Amager Swim park and swam in the same lagoon that I will race in. Damn it was hard as it isnt so much a lagoon as just an Island near the beach. There is a current running down it! it was also windy so it was a tough swim. Great practice though and I will do it every week now until race day.
This morning I was up early and did a loop. It was windy even though it didnt look like it was, dont know if that makes sense but I am sure it was windy!
When I got to work I went for a 5k run off the bike and it was amazing! I ran 5 k faster than ever. No idea why but it just felt good. Oh well, guess my legs were warm after 90k of cycling.
Tomorrow will be a swim day and then Friday will be a big run day. Sunday will be a big bike day. I may well do a 40k bike ride tomorrow just to push things a little.

Monday 5th of July 2010

Sat July 3rd I did a 10k run and Yesterday I did a 160k bike ride. My legs were totally waisted by the end and I didnt take enough nutrition with me...fool.
I did another open water swim while I was away and I think it was around 4k so I was pretty happy with that. The training on holiday didnt go to plan but I guess thats the way it goes. It was nice to spend some time with the kids and wife anyway so at least there was a silver lining. Now I am 100% focused on building up the training for 4 weeks. I started Saturday with a 10k run, yesterday was the big bike ride and today I did another 10k run. I will cycle to work and back every day. Tomorrow I plan to swim for an hour. Wednesday I will do a 100k ride with a 5k run right after. Thursday I will swim and do a 60k ride. Friday I will do a 28k run. My weekly total on Saturday should be 320k bike, 48k run and 2 hours swimming. The next week I will add 10% and so on until I peak in 4 weeks time. Then a weeks rest (with only short bikes and runs but still swimming more) then its race day!


Some training snaps ;)

Just like my Daddy

The ultimate training aid

Before the swim

Practicing for T1 (this may have been a set up for the photo opp)

Tuesday 29th of June 2010

Still on holiday in france. Weather has been really hot! Have been I'll for a few days too so it hasn't helped with training! After all the crap trying to get my bike out here I decided I had to ride it!
Quick summary:
21 June did 10 k run
22 jun did 20 k run
23 June did 60k bike
24 June did 100k bike
27 June dud 10 k run
28 June did 130 k bike and 10 k run

I also did an open water swim but haven't been able to get back yet.

I plan to do a big run later in the week and a ride of 150 or 180k depending on weather and time.

When I get back I am going to step it up. Rides here have been tough as it's all in the hills and it's hard on the legs!

Sent from my iPhone

Friday 18th of June 2010

I have been feeling quite tired the last couple of days. My bike is out of action due to a broken back wheel but I will have that fixed this eve. Yesterday I only managed 1 hour of phys which was a mixture of spinning and running. I just felt too tired to do anything else. This morning I cycled to work and then ran 10k off the bike. I am still feeling tired.
I think tomorrow will basically be a rest day as I have to travel most of the day to France. Sunday I may rest but if I feel better I will blast a 100k bike ride. We will see.

I was feeling a little down about it yesterday but I guess I cant expect my body to just get stronger and stronger and I think its time for a few easier days. then when its recovered and I have fooled it I will hammer it with 4 weeks very intence training. then 2 weeks of veruy chilled out living and then race day!

Wednesday 16th of June 2010

Have had quite a lazy week so far. I did an hour of solid swimming on Monday afternoon. I didnt run Monday as my daughter was up in the night and I just couldnt be doing with it! Yesterday my wife needed me home and so I spent  the evening swapping the aero bars for new ones on my bike.
This morning the lasyness went! I was up at 5am, on the road at 5:30 and I did 100k and was at my desk by 9am! Its a beautiful day here, 20c and almost no wind. I found the cycle quite hard but it went ok.
At 2pm today I will run 10k. Dont care about going fast so it will just be nice n easy.
This eve I may do a slightly longer ride home but then again Ill wait to see how my legs feel after the run!
Tomorrow I have no idea about yet but I guess a 60k bike and maybe a swim at some point.

EDIT: I just wanted to add that I have no raised just over £1100 for Help The Heroes! (http://www.justgiving.com/challengecopenhagen)
Thanks very much to everyone who has donated so far! If you know anyone who may feel the need please pass on the link, its a great cause.

Sunday 13th of June 2010

Friday I did a 10k run with 3 k of intervals. It was very hard and my legs felt like stone.
Saturday I was up very early and was up at the lake at 7am for an open water swim. It was very very windy so we only did half an hour. I managed to get my sighting right and I felt like I had a really good swim. Then out of the water and onto the bikes with a training buddy and his two mates both of who are multi Ironman finishers. We did 3 and a half hours in terrible windy conditions. I think we did 115k. Then off the bike and running for an hour. This was a very tough training session but I think it was very good. It was basically a half Ironman as a practice.
Today I have managed to take the kids to the local pool, come home and fall asleep for a couple of hours.
Totally wiped. Tomorrow will be the normal 24k run.

Have a good one
Johan

Thursday 11th of June 2010

Went for 60k ride yesterday eve. Rained the whole way and I was soacked through. No punctures though so I was still feeling happy!

Plan to maybe do a quick 10k this eve and then tomorrow I plan to do a monster session of 1 hour swim, 3 hour bike and 1 hour run. One after  the other.
will update tomorrow!

Wednesday 10th of June 2010

Up super early and off to the pool. Spent 1 hoour none stop swimming so I guess I did around 3k. Didnt bother counting as firstly I can almost not count past 10 and 2ndly I was just trying to concentrate on breathing and sighting. Very dull stuff to talk about but quite important to master!
Went home and got my bike and then this afternoon I plan to do 60k on the bike.
Tomorrow short run.

The weather is pants so I will probably spend most of this afternoon fixing punctures on the side of the road! wish me luck.

Have a good one
Johan

Tuesday 9th of June 2010

First a quick race report! Well the swim was a total nightmare. My sighting is terrible and I am now going to work very hard on that. I guess I swam 850 meters rather than 750 and I had to stop 3 times to work out the right way. I also made the mistake of going to the back of the start! I am not that slow and so I should have been near the front so I didnt get held up. I spent the whole time slowing down as I was swimming over the people in front. for the IM I guess it will be ok to swim slow but in a sprint not! I honestly think I could have shaved 2 minutes off my swim. Then came T1, well lets just say I was very relaxed and took it very slow. 3 Minutes! everyone else did it in less than 1 minute 30s! So there is another minute and a half I could easily have saved. The bike went very well and my avg was 38kph which was as good as the top 10 guys. Then T2, again it could have been slightkly quicker but it was too bad. Run was ok but I was a little tired by then - I think due to nerves as much as the swim and bike. My over all time was 1 hour 17 minutes (not 14 as I had thought). I placed 29th out of 130 so all in all pretty good. If I got my act togethert and saved those 3.5 minutes I would have been in the top 10 and would have had a small prize! woo hoo. I really enjoyed the race and am hooked.

Monday it was raining so rather than do the 24k run we did 10 but at full speed. Was a great run and I felt good.

Tuesday I got up early for a ride. Did 35-40k fast then got a flat, it took me ages to change it and then 200 meters more bam, another flat so end of game and I called a cab home! I have had enough of my tubular tyres and am going to get normal wheels. enough is enough.

This morning I was up early an we did the 24k fast. Not a PB but it  was an avg of 4 minutes 30 sec so pretty quick (for me).

Tonight I may swim, we will see.

Here is a pic of me at the tri. I was in the hardest gear on my bike so had to use 100% power just to get moving! thats why it looks like I am falling over.

Sunday 6th of June 2010

Did my first ever triathlon today! Did a sprint which was 750 swim, 23k bike and a 5 k run. 1 hour 14 minutes was the time on my watch but I'll see what the official time is on the web later. All in all it went well. The mass swim start was not fun and I really need to work on my sighting! I'm going to try to get some open water swims in soon. Cycle was strong and I managed 37kph avg. Run was ok at 21 minutes, could have gone faster but I was tired from nerves before it started! Soo glad I did this today as I learned a lot from it.

I feel happy with my performance and I know I could take 5 minutes off the time by improving my swim and not waisting energy on nerves.
It's over 21 degrees here today, beautiful day for it.

Have a good one

Johan

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Friday 4th of June 2010

Its been a few days so here is a quick round up!

Tuesday eve went for a swim with my swim buddy. He decided that I was looking too happy so decided to thrash me! we did 200 meters warm up, 4 * 600 meters as fast as I could do 600 meters(which isnt that fast! around 10 minutes) then we did 200 meters warm down so all in all thats 2.8k.

Wednesday I had planned a run and a ride but was just too tired so I decided to can the day and just chill out. Yesterday I got up and ran 22k but this time we went off road and hit the local forest and ran around one of the lakes. It was a very hard run with lots of short sharp hills and no nice flat road! but it was much more fun and it made us work hard. Then last night I went to a new pool (50 meters again) and did 1 hour constant swimming with a few quick laps thrown in.

This morning it was up at 5:15 and out for 90k ride. Funnily enough it was only 85k but I guess my garmin watch must have had a snooz at some point! 2 hours 45 minutes (ish) and some good fast sections. Had a race with a guys for the last 10k and managed to stay on the bars and in front cruising at around 40kph. I was very pleased but very very glad he went another way after that! my legs were just about  to give up! phew.

Now I am at work and am going to grab my first cup of coffee!
have a good one.

PS summer has arrived! my son and daughter can prove it!

Tuesday 1st of June 2010

Got up earlyish and went for a ride. did 90k approx in around 3 hours. It was quite windy so it was quite a good effort in my book. Legs were still a little tired from the 24k yesterday but once I got warmed up they were fine. I was on the profile bars most of the time and my position feels good and I am managing to get faster and faster.
Will go for 3k swim this eve..I hope its 3k anyway but we will see.
Tomorrow the plan is to do 10k run.

Monday 31st of May 2010

So last Friday I managed to get my self motivated and stop at the pool on my ride home. I put in a none stop swim for 45 minutes then went home. The swim was good and I feel that I am now in control of that side of things.

Saturday I went for a 100k bike ride, Did it in 3 hours so I pushed quite hard. I am going to focus on my bike and see if I can get my avg to 35kph and then start to do some regular longer rides of over 100k.

Sunday the weather was panst so I didnt do anything...which I must admit was quite nice!
This morning I was up early and I ran the normal Monday morning 24k. Didnt feel too bad but a little slower than normal due to marathon a week ago.

I have also enetered my first ever triathlon for Sunday morning! Its a sprint tri (750 swim, 23k ride and 5k run). I just thought that as it was close to home and easy to enter I would have a go just to get some practice!

Friday 28th of May 2010

Yesterday I cycled to work and then went for a 55k ride home. Had a weak slow start but then got warmed up and felt strong and went fast.
I had planned to swim this morningbut I was too tired and I was going to go this eve but still tired. I need to do a big bike ride this weekend but the weather is looking quite bad so I will have to try to time it right! damn that rain...I dont mind the getting wet its just the punctures!
We will see.

Wednesday 26th of May 2010

Up early and went for a swim. Swam solid for 50 minutes. didnt count lengths just swam. Felt ok and was good to get some swimming done at last. Cycled to work and it didnt feel to shocking so will do a short run tomorrow.

Tuesday 25th of May 2010

Still in a fair amount of pain but I guess that is to be expected. I am still very happy with the result. Its funny how you forget just how hard these events are. I had to work very hard to keep the pace going but all in all it went to plan. I had two cups of water at each aid station and walked while I drank. Those walks got longer for each break and I think I lost 5 minutes in total so I could improve on that but i dont really care as I will never be super fast anyway. I took 7 gels with me and I used one every 5k which seemed to stop me hitting any kind of wall - it just got harder and harder slowly but I never got that sudden feeling of "oh my god where has the strength gone!".
Shoes were perfect. I wore a singlet for the first time in my life and appart from feeling a little naked it was great. Wore compression tights which didnt make me too hot - I have no idea if they did anything except make me look silly but they didnt do any harm!
My garmin watch worked well ish for pace and time but the HR monitor side didnt work again so was a little pissed off with that. It turns out that  the watch is not what i expected and I am very unsatisfied with it to be honest. Ill keep it for my IM anyway as I like to see the pace and speed but I dont think I will even bother with theHR strap.
Plan to do a slow 10 or 5k run this week and a 60k ride at some point but Ill see how it goes.
Got to focus 100% on the IM now as I still have a lot to do on that! I think my training now is all going to be longer and slower.

Sunday 23rd of May 2010

Quick update as I am now in lots of pain! 3 hours 25 minutes in the Copenhagen marathon! Pb by 1 hour 17 minutes! Took me almost as long again muster the strength to get home again after! Feel very happy but really sore. No pain no gain etc etc..

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Thursday 20th of May 2010

Up early and cycled to work. Had a good nights sleep so I feel like I have slept enough for the first time in weeks. Did a 5 k run at 10am. Felt really hard! weather was 18c and very humid so I was hot and bothered in about 2 minutes! doh! lets see what Sunday brings...please dont be hot and humid!

Will cycle home, may swim tomorrow but my legs are now on holiday until Sunday..yipeee

Wednesday 19th of May 2010

I had planned to get up super early and get in a 60k ride before work. Didn't manage to sleep very well so just swore at the alarm clock and went back to sleep. Woke up and decided to take my trusted steed to work and try to crack a quick ride in on the way home. Turns out that it was a beautiful day and my running mate had decided the same as me so we just left work at 1pm and did a 70k ride together! wow that guy can ride a bike! I was tucked in behind him for 75% of the time and we were flying. Avg including all the traffic lights etc was 37kph! everytime I looked down we were doing over 40, in places we were up to 47kph on the flat! I did have to work very hard but what great training. I feel quite lucky to be able to train with a 1 time Ironman finisher who can run as well as he can and ride as strong as he can. If I keep this training up I am sure I will be in a good position to finish the ironman in August. My legs are dead once again and I know that its not a great idea to push my self this week as I have the marathon coming up in 4 days but I keep reminding my self that my goal is the ironman not the marathon! its going to be great if I can do a good time in the marathon but at the same time if I have to push my self 110% just to finish then that will also be great mental training...there is always a silver linning!
Tomorrow I plan to do a very gentle 5k run just to losten the legs up and then Friday and Saturday almost nothing. Sunday will be the marathon.

Monday 17th of May 2010

Did nothing Thursday, Friday or Saturday as far as training goes. Did eat lots drink a little and play with my kids a lot. Felt really great to have a few days break. My stomach has bee a little messed up over the last week so I think that I have had some kind of bug. I know, poor ikle me!
Sunday did 85k bike ride with a local tri group on the race course. Road surface is pretty bad but it looks like the local councils are going to do something about that by the end of May! Weather was pants and I flatted!! took me ages to change it but was great practice in case it happens on race day. To anyone coming to Challenge Copenhagen, bring lots of spares with you! if you are on Tubs please bring 2! if using inner tubes bring a few of those too. I had a hard start and felt that I was going to have a nightmare but then once I got up to the front and onto the bars I settled into a good fast pace for 20 or 30k which was great. Everyone was pushing harder yesterday so I felt that we had a fast ride. Some 10k splits were up at the 40kph mark which to me is quick.
This morning I did the 24k run again, was going to take it nice n easy but instead we started off at 4:30 per k pace and finished with a PB again! nice but now my legs are tired!
Not sure how this week will pan out but I intend to some kind of cycling even if its spinning and another couple of small runs, maybe even get a swim in at some point :)

Have a good one.

Wednesday 12th of May 2010

Went for my swim lasy night. Didnt bother with warm up or drills just jumped in and swam 2k. Could have done more but was glad to get out and home. This morning I was up early, cycled to work and was running by 6:20. Weather was pants and hammering with rain so we just did 21k today. We did an avg of 4:40 per K and we were both suffering in our legs. A couple of days off required!
Just for a change in sport I am going to go canoeing this evening! great, Ill be getting wet from above with the rain and all around me with the sea! doh how do I get myself into these situations!

Tuesday 11th of May 2010

Cycled to work fast. Legs felt a little sore. Did a 12.5k run at 10am where we done some 3k intervals so pushed quite hard but felt that the running was strong. Legs a little sore by  the end. Will cycle home and go swimming this evening and hope to push out 3k in the pool. Tomorrow morning will do my weekly 24k run but I will do it slow. I will limit my self to running between 4:35 and 4:45 per k. Lets see how that goes :)

I have been following a few blogs and reading a lot of posts on forums like slowtwich.com. Its amazing how many people are into this kind of thing and the lengths they will go to. Its inspiring stuff. I think we can do so much more with what we have been given than we think we can. The trick I guess is to find out how to unlock that potential - I think its to enjoy what your doing. If you can enjoy the results of training and the buzz from beeting your PB then you can easily cope with the pain and hard work. Right before I fall off my pedestal ill go! ;)

Monday 10th of May 2010

Saturday I did nothing but yesterday I did an 80k bike ride with other people doing Challenge Copenhagen. Its organised by tri4.dk and we did 1 loop of the course. Started off at 9am with the fast group who are meant to avg 33kph. Rear bottle mount fell off after 5k so I had to stop for 2 minutes to fix. Put my foot down hard and managed to catch the guys again after doing 40kph for 10k! legs were a little blown after that so I sat at the back for 5k to recover. Turned left inland and decided to go to the front, onto my tri bars and put some pace into the whole occasion. Stayed at the front until near the end and kept the pace up. Had to hold back quite alot which I was pleased with and its actually good training as I guess Ill have to do that on race day too or Ill tire myself out. Bottle holder broke towards the end so I just stamped on the damn thing (yes toys were thrown way out of the pram at this stage!) and I will have to buy a new better version online today. I think that my winter training is starting to show through now and I can see who hasnt put the hours in.
I have been taking it easy last week but I am going to try to ramp up the hours a little again now - going to be tough with the marathon coming up in one more weekend as I would also like to do well in that!!
have a gereat day!

PS here is what I looked like on day 6 of the training week!

notice the wrapped left wrist due to using a tri bike to climb 12k in 1 week and decent 12k!!!

Thursday 6th of May 2010

Back to normal today with an early start. Cycled to work and was ready to run by 6:15am. Jesper met me and we set off fast for out normal 24k run. Felt odd to start with but quickly we got into a fast pace (for me anyway). Felt strong most of the way and got a new PB for the half marathon by 2 minutes (1:33 was my time) and then we rolled in at 1 hour 45 minutes for 24k. Really great run. Legs feel sore now but I dont feel too bad.
Am going to try to get out on the bike (which arrived back yesterday from Mallorca safe and sound) maybe tomorrow morning for a 60k ride to work.
So far I think I am starting to recóver from my weeks cycling. I feel like if I had dropped 10 sec a Km from my pace I could have kept it going for maybe the full marathon...we will see on the day I guess.
A mate of mine did a marathon in Stratfor the other day in 2 hours 50!!! how the hell does anyone do that!!!

Tuesday 4th of May 2010

Still feeling quite tired today but went for a 12.5k run and did it in around 59 minutes. Felt strong after a few k. Ran good to the end and had no real problems. Later though I had a few pains in my groin and right foot but I dont think its anything to worry about just a few niggels. Got my marathon coming up in a few weeks so will start to focus a little towards that now. The cycling I intend to just keep rolling along for the next few weeks and then step it up again in June.
Suns out, a little breeze so all in all very nice :)

Monday 3rd of May 2010

Back to reality today. Had a great trip away, also very glad to be home to see the family and to give my body a break. Have done nothing after Sat morning swim. My whole body feels tired and needs a good rest. I plan to do a v gentle 10k tomorrow just to get the legs moving again. My next goal is the Copenhagen marathon in around 3 weeks. I hope to do that in around 3:30 so will need to build up my running again. After that I am just going to be focused on the Ironman race. I have two weeks hols planned in France in June and I plan to take my bike and put in some Kms there too.
This was the view from hotel room and the place I did my two open water swims:

One of the hills we did, does no justice!

My two cycling mates from Denmark just after this climb:

Here is the Sa Calobra mountain that we climbed on Thursday:

 

Friday 30th of April 2010

What was meant to be an easy day with 1 climbe and 70 k turned out to be 4 massive climbes of up to 25% gradients! With a tri bike with gears for the flat it was not fun! Amazing views and we did 100 odd k again. Quick swim sat morning and then home.

Thursday 29th of April 2010

6 climbes including the hardest in Mallorca. Good speed on the flat. My legs are spent, my left wrist is dead but my pride is at full swing! Only 3 of us made the full distance. I have been on my bike for 8 hours!!! Was going to run but have thrown that idea out. Just couldn't manage it. Great great training. I have a great family who gave me the space and time to do this and I am very very greatful. Miss my wife and kids loads.

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Tuesday 27th of April 2010

Right, I'm totally totally knackerd! 100k of hard fast riding, we had good chunks where we were doing 45kph+ with me and my two Danish mates pushing hard at the front. Two or three really good climbes too. Then we finish with a 2k sprint and decide to go for a run!?! 30c in the sun,we manage 12k and that's me done for the day. Man my legs don't feel now. Great stuff though and we had a really good race with 4 pro team riders who we beet!! Yipeee! They had probably done 200k but we still beet them and we all know that's what counts! Don't race if you're not up for it:)

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Monday 27th of April 2010

Up early and onto a 100k ride. 4 big hills today, they were quite big and steep! Legs felt tired but kept going. When we got back we put our wet suits on and did 30 minute swim. Will do longer next time.
It's very hot, very little wind... There are just lots of mountains!!

Sunday 25th of April 2010

So we arrived in Mallorca yesterday and were out on the bikes within 2 hours! We did military hill and carried onto to so 30k as a tester for our bikes. The hills are steep and long (military hill is around 6 k so not that long but still hard!). Today we did 100k and lots of hills, few breaks and then 3 of us finished with a 6 k run! The cycling is at a fast pace and I am actually up at the front group. Really loving it but totally wiped now! Pics will follow.

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Thursday 22nd of April 2010

Didn't get up and run this morning as I was needed at home to look after my kids. Good thing really as my right foot is feeling sore and I think needs a rest from running. The whole Volcano thing is looking much better now. My bike is packed, and I think I am ready for the week in Mallorca. I will do some packing this evening and then just spend this eve and tomorrow eve with my family. I know my kids will miss me which is where the whole Ironman thing starts to feel selfish again but once I have done it then its done and I can focus on them again.
I may do some spinning tomorrow but I am not sure. Otherwise my next workout will be Sunday in Mallorca! woo hoo.

Wednesday 21st of April 2010

Cycled 50k yesterday at a good pace. Felt a little weeker than I have recently but I was also a little tired. Anyway it was a good ride. I then cycled home in the rain (nice). Today I did a 10k run with a guy at work and we did some 2 k intervals on the way..that is a long interval! We did 4 min pace (per K) in those 2 k slots so all in all very pleased. May be able to do 5k in 20 minutes pretty soon I think and maybe one day this year Ill get down to the 40min for 10k mark...we will see:)
The flight situation is looking much better and I feel slightly more hopeful of actually getting to Mallorca! but saying that all the volcano needs to do is cough and its all over again...nerve racking stuff.
I plan to do a 24k run in the morning at 4:30 pace.
Then I plan to pack my bike up, wash all my clothes and get ready for a week of beasting in the sunshine!

Monday 19th of April 2010

Friday afternoon I swam for an hour. Good steady pace with very few breaks. I feel that the swim is under control now so I will just keep it ticking over until I can get into some open water. Saturday I did nothing and Sunday I woke up with a slight hangover and joined the local tri club http://www.tri4.dk/ for a nice 90 odd K ride. I felt strong and led the top group on and off for the whole ride. We were doing an avg of around 33kph, we dropped a few riders on the way and all in all it went very very well. Road conditions were not great and my wrists and neck were a little sore from absorbing a lot of heavy blows on the way. It was also very gusty and in some of the sections I was leading in my legs were starting to burn.
Today I am resting and I plan to ride tomorrow morning. I am supposed to fly to Mallorca on Saturday for a week of cycle training! what is with this ash cloud!!!!!! I cant believe my only chance to get away for such a decent training session could be killed by an exploding volcano! arrggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

Thursday 15th of April 2010

I have some catching up to do from Tuesday...I got home early from work and went for a swim. It was quite a nice time to go as it was quite quiet. I did around 2k at a nice pace and it was good to get some time in the pool. Also the sun was coming in and was quite blinding so it was good practice to have to breath on the other side!

Wednesday morning I got up, cycled to work and did 1 hour of hard spinning. HR up around 160 and lots of standing and sprinting. Then in the afternoon I had a nice 56K ride home. Was a great ride and fast. Avg was up around 38kph for 2 10k sections and the overall was 33kph including all the stopping for lights etc. Had a roadie cyclist sticking behind me for 20k fo the ride which motivated me to keep the engine on full and keep the legs pushing as hard as I could. We were doing 45kph on the flat with a slight tail wind so it was really good.

This morning I was up early. Stole the car to get to work and ran a steady 24k with an avg of 4:40 per K. My legs hurt a lot but I felt quite strong. As my legs were far from rested I feel quite good about my running. Maybe I will go sub 3:30 after all in May when I do the Copenhagen marathon. That would be a real boost coming up to August.

Tuesday 13th of April 2010

Well, I cycled home the longish way and did 51k at an avg of 30 kph. It was a lovely day for cycling with only a slight wind. I puched hard for some 10k stages and I felt pretty strong. Managed to not get passed which was also nice. My legs are totally dead today and I had planned to get up and swim - I got up, brushed my teeth and almost fell asleep again standing up! went back to bed! Will go for a swim this eve.

Monday 12th of April 2010

Right, quite a lot to post today.
Friday afternoon I did 24k with 2 guys from work. I felt terrible but we did an ok pace in the end. I think doing it in the afternoon after lunch was a bit of an issue but I guess its good practice. Saturday morning I went to a friends house in the north of the Island and did a 90k ride with home and 9 other guys. I wish the Ironman was draft legal! you can go so much quicker in a large group! I found it quite useful to learn a few of the tricks like not breaking into corners or people crash into the back of you!!
We averaged around 32kph and I did take the lead a few times so I am not in too bad a shape. I found that I struggle on the hills though so less pies for me!
Sunday I did nothing and it was bliss.
This morning I did a PB over the half marathon of 1 hour 33 and I did the 24k in 1 hour 45 so I was very pleased. Now my legs hurt....a lot. Will ride 50k home with gentle pace just to loosen the legs up a little.

Sat cycle ride:

Thursday 8th of April 2010

Had a great ride yesterday afternoon. Its my first ride with anyone else so was a bit of a test really. I found that I was much better than I thought I would be and I also know why people draft now! I cant believe how much faster you can go when you work with someone else! We were cruising 40kmh quite a few times.

Was quite windy out there too which made riding close quite tricky!


Today I am doing nothing. I can feel that my legs need a break. Tomorrow it will be 24k run, Saturday will be 70k bike with the same guy and a mate of his.

I will also put a swim in this weekend coming.

Wednesday 7th of April 2010

Morning, Went for a swim last night. Did an hour. Was quite hard getting back into it but it was also much better than I thought it was going to be! I am going to try to get at least 1 or 2 swims in a week now. I know I will never be the fastest swimmer but I would like to step out of the water with some energy left! Am going to use a different pool though as every stupid person in Denmark seems to want to use that pool! There were people swimming all over the place, some randomly stopping and chatting! it says "fast lane" for a reason so get out and chat somewhere else!!!!!!! Does my head in as there is lots of other areas they could go to chill in.
Cycled to work today and will be going for a good bike ride this afternoon with a guy from work who is a 1 time Ironman and very decent cyclist...quite nervous really. All my cycling has been on my own so I have no idea how I will find it...I will post and I will be honest! The great thing is that the sun is out and my bike looks super shiny :)

Tuesday 6th of April 2010

Back at work today and back into my normal weekly training. Did not cycle back from the holiday as the wind changed direction and I just wasnt up for it at all!
Yesterday I did 80k on the bike and then 5k run as fast as I could. Today cycled to work and back and did a very good 10k run with an avg of 4:17 per km, this is a new PB for me! woo hoo.
Will go and have a swim this evening just to get back into it really.
I plan to cycle tomorrow to work and then a longer ride in the evening with a guy from work who is a very strong cyclist. Will be a good test for me.
I feel quite positive and feel that I am still making strong gains. Will post again later.

Thursday April 1st 2010

So 120k right into a 30kph head wind the whole way! 4.5 hours of hell and I had to get a lift the last 30k. Little disappointed but I have never had such a hard ride! Was down to 15kph on the big bridge. Will ride half the way back just get the tailwind! Damn that wind is a pain in the arse! Soooo glad the ironman course is a loop.

Wednesday 31st of March 2010

Won't actually be doing any training today (Except ride to work on back with breaks rubbing on disk! nice). Tomorrow however I plan to ride to our weekend holiday destination in Denmark. It will be around 160K and it looks like I will have a nice 9m/sec head wind the whole way! yummy.
Below is the rout. Should be quite nice as I get to ride along the coast and then over a couple of bridges (In Denmark they make big bridges!).
I think its going to take around 6 hours. If it goes ok I may ride back Saturday but we shall see about that!
Happy Easter

Monday 29th of March 2010

What a weekend - kids sick, me sick and rubbish weather. No training done at all.
Still didn't feel great this morning but up I got, stole the car and drove to work (sorry Bex) and then ran 24k in 1 hour 50 minutes. Felt pretty terrible to start but finished strong so quite pleased.
This week we some days off (Thur, Friday and Monday) so we are off for a short family break - normally bad new for training but this time I am going to cycle there! 150k ride Thursday morning and maybe I will do the 150k back Sunday (I am not sure about riding back though).
Tomorrow I may swim and do a short blast on the bike (depending on weather). Wednesdaty some speed work (running).
Lets see how it goes.
Have a nice day!

Friday 26th of March 2010

Didn't get a chance to post yesterday. Cycled to work on my new bike at uber fast speed (for me). Had a day at work relaxing and then (as it was such a nice sunny day) I did a 50k ride home. This rout takes me up and accross to the coast and then down the coast to near where I live. It was fantastic weather, quite windy but that was good too as it made me use my aero bars. The bike felt really fast and I had a very quick ride. There were loads of other cyclists around (lots of roadies in big groups) to pass and then have mini races with - for the first time ever I did all the over taking! very nice feeling for a change.
Anyway, my bike ride yesterday left my legs feeling a little week but I was up at the crack of dawn this morning and cycled to work at slightly less uber speed. 3 of us started out for our 24k rout BUT Jesper (the Dane I run with) was feeling strong and we started off at 4:30 pace then picked that up to 4:15 pace! that is way way faster than usual. I managed to stick with him until around 18k. We lost Jan (the other Dane) as he was feeling not great. Jesper then went on ahead and I just kept plugging. Managed to beat my personal best for the half marathon by 1.5 minutes to bring it down to 1 hour 34(and some seconds)! I then had to drop the pace quite a lot for the last 3 k so in the end I did it in 1:48 which is around the 4:30 pace for an average! very very happy but now I am totally knackerd! my legs will need a really decent rest tomorrow!

Here is my 50k rout. As you can see I spend a good few k by the sea which is great. This is also part of the Ironman rout (just the other way!).

Wednesday 24th of March 2010

Cycled to work as fast as I could on old bike. Did a 10k interval training run before lunch (2k warm up, 1k asap, 1k slow etc for the rest of the way. Managed to get the asap 1k's done in under 4 minutes so was quite pleased. Legs tired by the end but no twinges or anything so all good.
A mate of mine here is part of a round table group and they had a guest speaker in (Jimmi Larsen I think was his name). The guy is a loon! He has won the Sahara race, done a 400k run, done 130 untra runs. Wants to do Marathons in under 2:30...Cycles 16 hours a week, run, does wiegths! Is a carpenter, mechanical engineer and studied medicine!! Oh and he is my age! how does someone fit that into their lives!

Tuesday 23rd of March 2010

Rushed home after work yesterday, so much so that I somehow managed to get the wrong junction on the motorway! nice action there Johan. So after swaring at myself for a few minutes I managed to get home. Play with the kids and pull the part built bike out of the box..wow it looked great. Then my kids decided that the box it came in would become a new addition to our lounge and is now their den! I have to admit that it did make a pretty great den. So I finally managed to really get stuck in at around 7pm and build the bike. A couple of hours later and it was all done and prepared for an early morning adventure! It looked great and sooo new. I havent actually ever bought my self such a nice bike before so it was quite cool. It wieghs nothing! I thought my last bike was lite but this one really is soo lite. Then I add two bottles of water, my fat arse and a rucksack and it goes back to being heavy!

So I got up at 5am and got ready. Left  the house and the weather was looking ok. 30k into my ride and the weather goes from ok to really really sh?t! I did 80 km much faster than ever before. My avg was around 4kph faster! I got soacked through and now my bike looks like its done 20000k! doh. Will have to clean and prep again! I need make some adjustments if I want to use the aero bars but appart from that its great.
I will now really focus on the biking and try to build up some serious ks on the beast!

Monday 22nd orf March 2010

So I ran home quite hard on Friday afternoon. I felt so tired Friday that I just crashed out when the kids went to bed. Same on Saturday and Sunday. I just had no energy at all. I think resting 2 days has done me the world of good though. Up early this morning. stole the wifes car and drove to work and then did the usual 24k run, however, today we did it in 1 hour 48 minutes which is an avg of 4:31 per k! that is 5 to 6 sec per k faster than I have ever run!! woo hoo. A choc milkshake, 2 cups of coffe and I feel suprisingly ok! I also have all my fingers and toes crossed that my bike will arrive today! (making work quite tricky but I am getting by!).
Also very pleased that I have so far managed to raise over £400 (inc tax benefit) for Help for Heroes charity! http://www.justgiving.com/challengecopenhagen only £2100 to go and I will reach my goal!


Edit - 13:00 22/03/2010
I dont know how else I can put this so: MY BIKE HAS ARRIVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am however stuck at work so cant get home to make sure its really really shiny!!!

Friday 19th of March 2010

Woke up a little late. Didnt do anything except ride to work today, ate lots of pies and cuaght a climbse of myself! was very disappointed with the way my glasses were looking. Will work on that asap. Appart from that its pretty aero.

will run home tonight as my back wheel broke on my MTB again. New wheels have been purchased.

Thursday 18th of March 2010

Very exited that I now have 2 followers on my blog! Wow now I know how celebs feel!
Anyway....My daughter very kindly woke me up at 2am and decided that MY space in MY bed is where she wanted to sleep! So after a whimper and a very pathetic attempt at fatherly decipline I moved over and proceded not to sleep any more...So I got up 2 hours later than planned and did my cycle ride. Did 60k and had a good race near the end with an over keen commuter. Managed to track around 36kph and even up to 40 on some bits of flat road so I was quite smug about that.
Plan to do some run sprint work tomorrow and for the rest of today just chill. Will cycle home at 110% but thats just because I am sooooo bored with the rout to work and back!
I am still planning to get some photos in and will ask my training pals to take some shots next time we do some big runs or cycle rides.

Have a fun day!

Wednesday 17th of March 2010

Up at 5am, left the house at 5:30 and was out running from work by 6:30am. Did our normal 24k run this morning at a nice 4:45 pace. Felt very good the whole way. I can feel my legs now but its is getting much better. I will have to start shifting my focus to the bike soon as I have to deal with that area of my training too! keep saying it, now just got to get on with it!!!

Tuesday 16th of March 2010

Was away for a stag week end this weekend which is why there were no posts. I met up with some friends, one of which is in the military and decided to go for a "nice n easy" 10k run with him...herm...one way to destroy your confidence! I have been reminded that I am very far from being super fit BUT I did better than I would have a few months ago so all in all quite pleased. We went off road for much of it which is also a big change for me as all of my running recently has been on the road due to ice. Sunday did no phys, Monday no phys so this morning I was up and ran to work. Tomorrow morning I plan to do 24k. I hope my new bike will arrive this week and then I am going to start to really focus on my cycling!

The sun is out and I didnt get covered in ice running this morning so things are looking up!
One area of fitness that I am getting worse in is beer drinking fitness! a few pints and I was mashed. May just leave that area for a while and work on that post ironaman race!

Thursday 11th of March 2010

Good morning...

Went for my 60k ride yesterday evening and I actually had a great ride. Managed to clock up some good speed on the flat sections with no wind at all. I think if I could find a nice flat loop with no damn traffic lights I could average over 32kph (just). By the end my legs were quite tired and it was getting dark and cold. The weather is still quite an annoying factor as its too cold to just wear a cycle top but its not cold enough for my warmer gear as I get very warm! Same with gloves, mine are warm enough (just) but after a while I get hot, then they get wet and then I get cold again!!!!!!! doh!

Anyway that was yesterday, today is, as it usually is, a brand new day. Slept really well and was woken by my alarm at 5:30. Its the first time its woken me in months so I guess I was tired. Anyway, I have the car today and so was at work by 6am and then by 6:30 am 3 of us were running our 24k rout. We ran at an average of 4:36min per k again (for 21k of it anyway) and we did the whole lot of 1 hour 50 minutes. My legs are now very tired and the muscles are ....lets just say well used! I had a few 'dark' moments today where I thought about how easy it would be to stop, I didn't though and was soon back into a lighter mood. I keep thinking of all the rediculous phrases I keep seeing on forums and blogs..here is one a read about a pro athlete from her coach:
"Chrissie wins because she trains really f'ing hard and races really f'ing hard and was blessed with a huge f'ing motor" Jordan Rapp
Its like this Jordan Person is related to Gordom Ramsey!
Also love this one:
"If you have a body, you are an athlete"..if only it was so easy.

Wednesday 10th of March 2010

Again a bad night! was meant to be up at 5:30am for a 60k ride but that just wasnt going to happen! So I will be doing that this evening! feel tired and not really up for it but I guess I may get a 2nd wind when I start. Ill let you know how it goes.

Tuesday 9th of March 2010

Son is sick so not a great nights sleep was had! Cycled to work, cycled back and my trusty workhourse mountain bike broke!! Its now in bike hospital having the rear wheel fixed. Its been a hard winter so I wont hold it against CUBE!
Swam in the evening. My normal coach was sick so I took on the role for 3 other guys, all in all went very well and we all made some progress. Did an hour and a half of swimming.

Monday 8th of March 2010

Up early again. Cycled to work and then did 24k run at an avg pace of 4:36 min per K. Very happy with the run. feel tired now but Im sure it will be ok in a few hours. Then cycle home this eve and maybe take the kids for a swim.
Great start to the week and the weather was cold but appart from that perfect!

Sunday 7th of March 2010

Up at 5:30 and out the house by 6am. Cycled 90k, got a puncture and almost froze! but did an avg of around 30kph and was home with the family and changed by 10am! great to be out on the bike. Was going to take some pictures but the puncture ruined the moment a little!! was sooo cold trying to change a tyre!

Friday 5th of March 2010

Cycled to and back from work. Did 10 k run split into 4k warm up, 1k at 3:50, 1k 5:30, 1k at 3:40, 1k 5:30, 1k at 3:45, 1k at 5:30 and then 1k at 3:59 then juts a warm down. Was a great work out and glad to get some interval work in.

Thursday 4th of March 2010

Well, I cycled home the long way yesterday...was a good ride,55K but quite hard work. I can tell that its been weeks sinse I last did some real long cycling! Great start though to a cycling come back. I cycled into work this morning and then did 1 hour of hard spinning...now my legs are a wee bit waisted. I was thinking of swimming tonight but Ill wait to see how I feel later. Tiredness is creeping up on me.
I plan to do some running speed work tomorrow.
The good news for the day is that by the middle of next week the weather here will be up above 0 so I can do some cycling!

Wednesday 3rd of March 2010

Had a great swim last night. Did 3 * 500m in around half an hour then did some speed work. Managed 100m in 1:36 so very happy with that!

Got up at 5:20am this morning and went cycling! was quite cold at -2c but was a beautiful morning. Sun came up over the water as I was cycling...ahhh I know. Anyway...back to business. Did just over 53k in around 1 hour 50. Not fast but there was some wind an some hill work. I did enjoy it though and I can feel my legs. If the weather is good I will cycle back that way and add 100k to my cycling plan this week!

As I mentioned yesterday I have now parted with cash and am waiting for my new bike so I now have to make sure I am going to get quicker and not be the slow fat guy on a "nice bike"!!

Woo hoo feels great to finally get back on the road...bad news is that for the rest of this week its going to dip to -10c at night......:(

Tuesday 2nd of March 2010

Internet down so am forced to use mobile! Just cycled to work and back and will swim tonight. BUT I am now the owner of a planet x bike!! Woo hoo can't wait for it to arrive!

Monday 1st of March 2010

Had a pretty chilled weekend. Rested mostly on Saturday except for running aroun a forest with my daughter on a hourse! quite good fun. Sunday I got up and went for a 1 hour swim which went well. Then went to the gym with my wife and did some cycling, running and upper body. All nice a easy. Legs still didnt feel quite right. Did no turbo trainer work at all as I was just tired. I am planning to focus on the cycling in the coming week if the weather allows!
Up really early this morning. Cycled to work and was ready to run by 6:30am. Set out with Jan (my running buddy and swim coach). Started off with slight rain and quite cold and by 9k we were running on snow again with snow coming down is sheets! damn this winter weather!! Anyway, we had a good run and did 24k. 21k was done in around 1:40ish so again not too bad.
The really good news is that my wife has given the thumbs up to the bike so I will be looking into that this morning! woo hoo

Friday 26th of Feb 2010

Up early again. Nice change as it was +2c!!
Had a quick half hour swim. Did some speed work and then the pool just got too full.
Home for a quick coffe and then on my bike to work. 10k run at lunch at pace 5min per k. Legs needs to just have a strech out after yesterday. They feel tired!
I am trying very hard to convince my wife that I need to fork out some serious cash for a Planet X TT bike :) fingers crossed!
Will cycle home, chill this evening and try to do 1 or 2 hours on the turbo trainer tomorrow and maybe a swim Sunday!
Have a good weekend.

dream dream dream!

Thursday 25th of Feb 2010

A nice early start. Woke before the alarm as usual. I can at least say that my body clock is now well trained!!
Cycled to work in -2 which was a treat compared to the -5 of the last few days. Got to work, changed and met up with my two running buddies. None of us were feeling great but we set off anyway. Two small water bottles and 3 energy gels on my belt..off we go. Ok so after 10 steps my left calf muscle is hurtiing, one mates heart rate is up to 170 and the other feels like hell, nice start! It sleated the whole way and after 18k one of my mates was in real trouble so I hung back with him. We met another mate coming the other way who joined us and so 2 went off faster and we just jogged along at around 5 min pace. My mate really had a hard run so I was just pleased to see him finish. We did it in under 2 hours so it was an ok pace from my point of view (5 min per K for 24k).
Now my legs feel like hell and I will not be running again before Monday...then ill do another 24k!
Will cycle home very gently this afternoon! May have a swim in the morning and Ill try to get a turbo trainer session in over the next day or two.

Wednesday 24th of Feb 2010

Day of rest today. Had a great swim last night. Cycled to work today and will cycle back. Thats it though for today. The plan is to do 24k again tomorrow morning! Lets see how that goes.
The weather may be on the up as far as temp goes so I hope that next week I may be able to head out for a long ride! fingers crossed.
Will update tomorrow am after 2nd half marathon of the week.

Tuesday 23rd of Feb 2010

Another cold start to the day. Cycled to work. Legs felt slow and heavy...not a great feeling but also not a big suprise really.
Did an hour of spinning at lunch which was pretty intense! Will cycle home and then have an hour swim this evening. Was planning to do another half marathon in the morning but right now it seems like a bad idea..lets see.

Monday 22nd of Feb 2010

I know what you're thinking, "ideal running conditions"! that's what I thought too. I was woken by the wind and swirling snow...lets go running I thought. So at 5:15 I kind of fell out of bed, auto piloted my way down stairs into my cycling kit and made my way to work..-6c and windy so I couldn't feel my face or hands by the time I got to work. Then into my running kit with thermal under trousers. Out side to get a satellite lock and off we went for a 24k run. Around 1 hour and 50 minutes later we were back! Herm....I must have lost a few marbles in the last few months! what the heck am I doing out running in this crappy weather.

I had a very quiet weekend with no phys except a quick 5k to go pick my car up yesterday. Oh and that was only -5c!  My geography must have been worse than I thought as I never realised Denmark was in the Arctic Circle!

Will cycle back home this afternoon and then tomorrow some spinning and swimming!

Have a good one!

Friday 19th of Feb 2010

Snow snow snow! soooo bored of snow! We had another 3 inches last night!
Up early, managed to slip and slide the car to the pool and do 1k. Then spent half an house clearing snow from the path outside our house (thats the law here). Cycled to work which was fun in the snow! a few hairy moments!
Ran 10k at work with an avg pace of 4:30 per k. Very happy with the pace but found it hard today. I think I am getting to a stage where I need a few days to rest a little and just let my body repair it self!
Will cycle home then out for a few beers tonight! got to train the liver too at some point!

Thursday 18th of Feb 2010

Another early start today. Good uick ride to work and then a really hard 1 hour spinning session! HR up at 165 the whole time. Legs like jelly now. Will cycle home later.
Tomorrow I plan to swim in the am, cycle to work and then do a speed session in running at lunch time! hermm..doesnt sound that tempting right now.
Found a company that I can get a full mono carbon TT frame delieverd for £400! do I do it???

Wednesday 17th of Feb 2010

Morning! Had a really great swim last night. Getting much faster and am finding the breathing much better now. Hurray!! At last its starting to pay off. I think 3 days a week is much better.
Cycled to work as usual and will do a v gentle 10k run today. Then cycle home. Back to blog a little later. Looking for Carbon bike frame from far east! lets see how I get on.


Update 12:01pm - Ok so I ran 10k at 5 min pace (just under) with a HR of 148. All good - BUT my legs are soooo tired. I am sure Monday was too much for me and I will have to bring down the pace for my half marathon Mondays! Had lunch but still feel hungry!

Tuesday 16th of Feb 2010

Up early today having slept better. Legs felt like hell when I woke up... wil have to reconcider the pace next Monday! Cycled to work. Spinning at lunch time which was pretty intence today!
Will cycle home and then this evening will go swimming for an hour or so.
My legs are sooooo tired though.
More later
Johan

PS just found this:
http://www.abudhabitriathlon.com/
Could be one for 2011 me thinks!

Monday 15th Of Feb 2010

Well its the start of another week. I didnt have a very restful weekend. Did 1 hour turbo trainer on Saturday after running around a forest with my daughter on a hourse! was meant to be just walking around but the teacher thought it would be fun to run in 10 inches of snow...nice. Sunday did 2k swim which went really really well so am very pleased with that and then did some gym work to encourage my wife (who did very well) and also to work on my upper body a little.

This morning I was up at 5:30 again..very hard to drag my self up today though as I didnt have a great sleep. Cycled to work and then met one of the guys here and did another half marathon. Avg of 4:36 per k and a new PB of 1h:36m for the whole thing. Legs tired but mind very happy!

Have heard some really funny phrases recently from guys here:

"Pain is just weekness leaving the body"
"There is a fine line between stupi and cool"

My fave is when they say "We'll just take it nice and easy" with a smirk on the face which means were going to go flat out!