Long Endurance Week Ahead...............

Monday 27th will see the beginning of an overload week of pure endurance training. Tomorrow will start the week with a nice easy relaxed 50 mile ride in the morning to warm into the intensive week ahead. In the afternoon a gentle run out in the afternoon. I will provide daily updates on a period of planned and organised suffering........................................

Perfect Midweek Run!!

If ever there was a day for a midweek endurance meander then today was that day! In more or less perfect conditions, sunshine, very little wind and undulating Suffolk countryside it was a runners paradise. A nice relaxed 2 hour run that will be the shortest run that I will complete, approximately 15-16 miles these shorter runs will now increase in tempo. The aim is to make this a slightly more testing outing while my endurance run will remain slower and longer!!

Training Plan - Decatriathlon 2012!!

Everyone needs a plan? Between January - April I will be doing 16 weeks of run training! This will include regular marathons and double marathons over this 4 month period. At the beginning of May I will start to focus on Swim & Bike building towards 6 hour pool swims and regular 200-250 mile rides! In May my running will culminate with a 24 hour race to see what distance I can physically cover in 1 solitary day! To swim 24 miles - Ride 1120 miles and run 262 miles is no easy challenge so mental & physical preparation is key! From 1st May until November 5th November I will consume NO alcohol whatsoever! DECAMAN is now reality!! Bring It on......................Let the games begin............

Endurance Run Over!

Post run to work from Bury St Edmunds to Haverhill and it was pretty much completed in ideal conditions! The only obstacle was the slight headwind but it was nothing to worry about. Majority of road through rural suffolk villages ending with a spell of muddy cross country it was a runners delight. After 3 hours and 36 minutes it was all over and at 4am after work I was ready for a nice long sleep? Well sort of anyway!! Feeling good and things are progressing well!!

Another Marathon Approaches

A nice easy day on the bike today ready for yet another marathon effort tomorrow! Now the weather is improving a quick return to my favourite activity, the bike! Todays session will be a nice relaxed endurance session before a swift return to marathon training tomorrow. A nice run to work approximately 23 miles against the clock! New sponsor on board, ORBANA Health & Fitness will be providing me with all my sports drink supplements between now and DECA in October. Already trialled during the 33 I can honestly say they taste lovely and will be used during all my training and racing!!

Moonlight Challenge - First Ultra 2012

On a freezing cold saturday at 6pm I stood in a field in Kent waiting for the start of the race. Listening to rugby on the car radio I watched as people huddled together to keep warm. It was baltic!! The moonlight challenge is a 32.75 off road race and it is not for the faint hearted. The snow was forecast for 11pm.
I set off and initially 2 of us set the early pace. I settled into a comfortable second place, the early leader was setting a frenetic pace, simply too hot to handle. Conditions under foot were poor, frozen hard ground resulted in very sore feet. Head torches lit up the countryside as we weaved our way around the course. At around 10pm the snow arrived and the containers at the water stops had frozen solid!! After 5 hours 11 minutes of running through a snow blizzard, with wet feet and frozen hands it was finally over!! My first and shortest ultra of the year was complete!! And I felt ok!!! Live it.................

Endurance Wednesday!!

In cold and icy conditions it was perfect for a nice relaxed cross country run. Approximately 17 miles of pure endurance running at around 70% of maximum heart rate. Average being a low 128 average with a maximum of 147 BPM shows just how easy it was. This being a mid week run before my shortest race of the year at the weekend. Sometimes you just have to train slow to race fast!! The weekend looms large........bring it on.