Thursday, March 29, 2012

A Mixed Bag.............

This week has been an interesting one with a variety of sessions. On the bike it has been all about speed and raising the threshold. Tempo cycling and raising my heart rate in great conditions so it has been a cycling paradise. The odd run and tomorrow a double session of first of all cycling and then a swim in the evening! Love it...........

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Riding In The Sun!

The perfect conditions continue to present me with a perfect training window for the bike! Heading out today for a nice leisurely 2 hour ride was simply majestic. Riding rural roads in sunny conditions means that you just dont want to return home. It felt effortless today and is a good sign that I am in good condition. A low average heart rate of 129 beats per minute shows that it was a very easy workout!! On May 1st I will enter full time hardcore training so this low key approach is the calm before the storm.............

Friday, March 23, 2012

Ride The Ride & Live The Dream!

Today I exceeded my own personal expectations with a ride much faster than I anticipated!
Pre-ride I adopted the frame of mind associated with racing, it was going to hurt so meet it head on and done feel sorry for yourself! My heart rate quickly elevated to 93% of Maximum and I was clearly riding into a minor headwind but who cares you cant always have it your own way!
I finished my test with an average speed of 22.1 mph and a maximum speed of 30.2 mph so I start the season very pleased indeed. I felt great and after easing up still finished my warm down with an average speed of 19.5 mph! Now I will start to train full time on the bike and look to improve. I am sitting at 10st 8lb quite light and feeling fit!!

Today Is The Day!! Judgement Day!! Fuelled by ORBANA!!

Today is the day when I will assess the start of my cycling training programme with an all out ride! The Time Trial bike is prepped, the weather is perfect and I rested yesterday in preparation for an average speed check! I will go out and warm into a nice tempo ride and watch as both my Heart Rate & Average Speed climbs until I can push NO MORE!! This is known as "Judgement Day". I will ride a fast road on a fast bike until my HR hits the roof and then I will maintain it!!! Wait for the statistics to follow because this is ONLY the start! After today it will just get FASTER, LONGER & most importantly MUCH MORE PAINFUL.................Bring it on I am ready to suffer like never before................

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Just Perfect Cycling!!

You know when 1 hour turns to 2 and the best laid plans just go out of the window? Well it started ok but with perfect riding conditions in glorious sunshine on a perfect cycling road you have to ride on and on! Haverhill to GT Dunmow via Finchingfield the sun was absolutely superb with a light breeze it was only work that prevented me from staying out all day! Feeling very fit at the moment body weight around 10st 8lb I feel a great summer of training is approaching! It will only get better!!!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Haverhill Hills!! Painful.............

Its not always the most exciting of sessions but hills are an essential part of any training programme! Building leg strength and the ability to tackle hills confidently it was only a 30 minute session yesterday but how painful!! Repeated climbs are both physically and mentally challenging so they are a good all round session! Today I will look to smash both my legs and lungs to peices by completing a very tough 60 minute tempo session! Yesterday my heart rate was up in the 90% region of Max HR. Today it will be the same for a sustained period of time! Overload time....................Pain & Suffering!! Bring it on.....

Monday, March 19, 2012

Monday Is Rest Day

It is and will remain a very important day when I put my feet up and rest before I get back to it tomorrow! It not only gives me a break but it makes me want to hit the bike even more tomorrow. I can't wait to get this week started...........Bring it on..................

A Week On The Bike!!

After running through the winter months it is fantastic to be back on the bike. Over the next few months I will build a solid cycling foundation where I will introduce "Riding Through The Night". This will involve 12 hour sessions of unsupported riding looking to ride distances of 200 miles in the dark. DECAMAN preparation is well under way and it is important to structure it in a way that will see me peak in Mexico. This is not only about reaching the finish line it is about how fast I can travel for a protracted period of racing! Fuelled by ORBANA it was nice to win the Wye Valley 50 Mile team event last weekend! This is going to be a good year!! Something special is coming.....................

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Back On The Bike!!

After receiving the good news that we were the Team Winners at the Wye Valley 50 miler it was business as usual and back to the bike. In perfect sunny and warm conditions it was a delight to get out for a swift hour. Legs nicely recovered it is now time to start developing a core base of cycling mileage. This will now become the focus with the odd 20-30 mile run thrown in for good measure. Next Monday the swim phase will start to commence a programme that involves all 3 disciplines. Training is going very well after a tough winter!! Today back on the bike!!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Rest Period Over!!

Tomorrow back to the bike after a nice rest period that has left me feeling refreshed and ready to start building a bike base. Content with my running development having found a tough 50 relitively easy it is now time to introduce the swim and to focus on the bike. The variety that triathlon training brings prevents me from losing any interest in volume training! I will now start to work towards 6 hour endurance swims and 200+ mile rides...................

Monday, March 12, 2012

Nothing Until Thursday!!

"Rest Is Best" will continue to be my theory because sometimes it is too easy to rush back! After a long day on saturday it is now time to sit back and give the overload time to repair so that I can gain the full benefit of the run. After creating stress it is important to allow a sufficient period of rehabilitation to minimise the risk of injury. So now I will sit back and chill until I ease back onto the bike later in the week............Time to eat and drink..........now I know that 50 miles is easily achievable I will start to focus on the 24 hour run in May!! The next phase begins on thursday.............Target - 100 miles and beyond......

Sunday, March 11, 2012

3 Men & No Cake!!! - The Wye Valley 50 Mile Ultra

Valley? What valley I ask!! 50 Miles with only 60 athletes speaks volumes about a brutal ultra course. If you mention brecon then you will know what I mean. No city slickers here with racing flat shoes and designer labels, this is all about relentless climbs, ankle deep mud, river crossings and descents that cause nothing but pain and suffering! Runners are self sufficient, rules state that no support is allowed and the well marshalled check points offer you nothing but cheery support and water. No food and definitely no glory. A cold start and straight into a pretty arduous climb, the first half is certainly undulating. Close encounters with welsh breed horses & bulls but the weather was perfect!! The mad professor and Basher were controlling the pace at the front and doing a majestic job, war stories of past military experiences were a plenty! The lantern was swinging!! We tactically shrugged off the challengre from the Brigadier who attempted to tell better stories to all who would listen! After 6 miles we never saw him again? As we pushed on there were a few incidents of note. Firstly Al spotted a runner who had clealry made a navigational error and instead of shouting "This Way" Al said "Sshhh"............we watched as he disappeared over the distant horizon!! Next a brush with the Powys forestry authorities as Al was caught blantently Fly Tipping a "Log"!! Lastly the athlete we had abandoned in his moment of need overtook us yet again!! This resulted in a 5 mile sprint between 45-50 miles as Mad Al & Basher showed their ruthless streak! There was only 1 outcome as we dispatched him to the rear..........The game was over!! It started in the cold light of day and finished in the dark!! As we stumbled to the pub for a debrief it was short and sweet! 50 miles endured and we were HAPPY!! Job done......................

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Wye Valley 50 Miles Weekend

This week has been more about the bike than the run! As the 50 mile ultra approaches this saturday I have been riding the bike as a nice relaxing alternative! Yesterdays ride was an interesting one after taking a wrong turn in my greed for speed. Strong winds and some nice undulating rural roads I arrived home in the dark some 27 miles later. Must admit to feeling good and strong, todays ride to work will be completed in glorious sunshine. Tomorrow will be spent travelling to Wales south of Hereford for an early start on saturday and 50 miles of suffering. When you suffer you learn so bring it on!!!

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Rest Is Best!! Sometimes..............

After a double session of Run/Bike on thursday I took a nice rest day yesterday. I firmly believe in taking 1 day off a week. Today I will be hitting the road, pounding the streets this evening for a frisky 10 mile run. I will increase the tempo tonight to put the system under a slight bit of pressure. Tomorrow morning I will be out with the club cycling for a good endurance session. Updates and stats to follow!! Current weight has dropped to 10st 6 lbs so feeling quite fit and lean at the moment!! Loving training!!!!!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Cycling In Paradise!!

In glorious tropical sunshine on the first day in March the bike just had to come out! And believe me I was very reluctant to put it away. Cycling around rural suffolk it was like a mid summers day with little wind, the fresh smell of countryside and a cafe stop in a quaint cafe in Clare. 50+ undulating miles at a leisurely average speed of 17+ mph the wheels just kept on turning....
Fuelled by Orbana and a working heart rate of 130 BPM it is days like today that make riding on the open roads a delight. At 7pm tonight I will run with Jack Southgate as we aim to keep the memory of his brother Luke well and truly alive!! A perfect day!!