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!!
Friday, 30 July 2010
Thursday, 29 July 2010
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, 28 July 2010
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!!
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, 26 July 2010
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.
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, 23 July 2010
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!
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, 20 July 2010
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!
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, 19 July 2010
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 :)
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, 15 July 2010
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!
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, 12 July 2010
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 !!!!!
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, 9 July 2010
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!
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, 8 July 2010
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.
This evening on the way home I will go for a swim. Then tomorrow morning we will do a run of around 28k.
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
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.
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, 5 July 2010
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
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)
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