It's time to get serious...

Blog 8 – 26^th April 2013

Just over five months until the Ironman and training has definitely moved up a chain set! This week has been a toughie, enjoyable yes but hard going. My fellow lab rats and I have moved into block 4 of the training plan and the blocks have changed to a three week rotation. I think that Justin is just trying to keep us guessing and not get too excited about the increase in training volume and intensity.

At this point, I just want to apologise to my friends and work colleagues for going on and on about this week’s training. I think it’s just to share the surprise that I have actually managed to get through it. Now hold the chorus of violins but if I wasn’t an absolute bore before, well I’m sure I will be after this. My days and weeks have changed to a simplistic way of living that consists of: training, working, eating, maybe more training, definitely more eating, and then thankfully sleeping, then repeat. Ok, so if I haven’t bored already, here’s this week’s training:

Saturday: long ride – 50 miles

Sunday: long run – 1hr 40mins

Monday: tech swim (am), weights (legs focused, pm)

Tuesday: brick session – 40 min bike (intervals and hill climb), 30 min run

Wednesday: long swim – 2km (am), weights (upper body focused, pm)

Thursday: steady run – 60mins (am), bike (spin steady) – 40mins (pm)

Friday: REST DAY

Oh thank god for today (Friday), having said that, I’m on the eve of going for another long bike tomorrow and then a long run on Sunday. Huh, how my weekends have changed!? But, do you know what? I’m actually really enjoying it! Yes its hard work and yes it has started to take over my life but it’s a challenge and I’m glad to be a part of it.

Just over 5 months to go.... It didn’t seem that long when this all started back in January. How time flies (when you’re having fun) and I’m sure it won’t seem that long until I’m standing on the beach in Calella, waiting for that gun to go. Along with the step up in training, the level of seriousness, thanks to Justin, also went up a notch last week. On Monday the ‘labs rats’ had a cohort meeting, a catch up you might say. Scaremongering some would call it but whatever it was, it certainly did the trick on me. It’s nice to catch up with the other crazy fools that have decided this should be the way we spend the next 10 months of our lives. I did say ‘next’ and not ‘last’! One thing that really brought it home for me, was a very inspiring video that Justin showed us of a guy called Matt Hoover, if you haven’t seen it take a look http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTPpXpoF54s Inspiring stuff, right?! Now, I’m pretty sure that I’m somewhat slimmer and better trained that Matt. So if he can do it, then we all can I guess (hope)?

Definitely! We can do this! Yes, it’s going to take some training but it’s definitely doable. The only other thing that has stuck in my mind from our meeting is the cut-off times. Basically, I’ve got 15 and half hours to get this done, which is split by a few conditions. We’ve got just over 2 hours to complete the swim and then the cycle has to be done by 1800, which means a worst case scenario of approximately 7 hours to complete the bike, then finally the run has to be finished before midnight; otherwise we’ll all turn into pumpkin juice. With that all in mind, I have decided to make my goal of a finish time just over 14 hours, this is to ensure that I’m back before last orders are called. Haha, as if, this is Spain, last orders are never called or more to the point, like many mine might be a pint of the delicious saline squash in an IV drip please. Sorry Mum... Only joking.. It’ll all be fine.

Right, I must dash it’s nearly bed time and I need to be firing on four cylinders tomorrow on the bike. I’ll write again in a couple of weeks. Thanks for reading. Oh and before I go, Dan this one’s for you, cake is an anagram of bike, honestly... [GN]

Ironman! Huh, April Fools...

Blog 7 – 1^st April 2013

April fools, I wish! Well, I’m into the 3^rd block of my training, en route to the Challenge Barcelona Ironman event in October (6 months and 5 days to go). It’s all starting to sink in, I’m really doing this. Backing out is not an option, so if that makes me a fool then I’ll see you on the start line wearing a jesters outfit (by that I mean a tri-suit of course).

Since my last post, I have been trying to train within my heart rate training zones, as prescribed by Dr Justin Roberts. He advised me that to progress further I need to work on improving my fitness levels that will closely replicate the intensity of the event itself. Justin explained that my body has become used to producing lactic acid and up to a point clearing it, but I need to become more efficient at lactate clearance or ideally reduce the early onset production. For this Justin has advised that on my longer runs and cycle sessions, I should try and keep my heart rate below 152 and 136 beats per minute, respectively.

So far, so good! Training for heart rate is another great way to take your mind of the training itself. A great monitoring aid and shows me what’s actually happening. I do have to make one admission of guilt though. At work we decided in support of CSjt Danny Splender’s Canoe Marathon http://www.justgiving.com/Daniel-Spender that we would complete a 125 mile relay race, thanks to my ‘so called friends’, I had been signed up to complete a 10 mile run and then later that day a 5 mile run. Fine I thought, the 10 miler can be done nice a steady, integrated into my weekly training plan. The 5 miler though, different story, obviously after the 10 miler my legs were saying, “come on now, you’ve done your bit. Oi, why are you getting back into shorts?” Needless to say that I had to get this 5 miler done as quick as possible, therefore my heart rate, didn’t just go above the 152 bpm threshold but I’m pretty sure the heart rate monitor was flashing ‘DEATH IMMINENT’ at some point. 

It didn’t stop there! This bit I definitely need to work on. After all that running it was straight to the sports therapist and a plunge into the ice bath... Yeah right, instead it was straight into London and head first into the Ice bar (well Zebrano’s). Now, in case you weren’t aware drinking alcohol after a hard days training leads to 3 things: 1. Massive dehydration, 2. Memory loss and 3. A much need rest day. Justin, I promise this wont (is unlikely) to happen again!

Ok let’s talk about training. So block 3 has been a step up and the introduction of brick sessions. Brick sessions, joy, they sound fun. I know that a brick session was the combination of a bike session followed immediately by a run but where does the ‘ick’ bit come in? Having a quick scout on the internet, someone suggested that it stands for ‘Bike Run It Can Kill’, well sign me up!!! Another suggests that they’re called brick sessions because that’s how your legs feel when you start running. Oh well whatever the definition, Brick session are on the cards and I’m ready, cement and all.  

Oh before I go and build a triathlete, just need to thank Sean Lerwill (@SeanLerwill) for his swimming tips. I’m slowly moving from a depth charge, to more of a bouncing bomb and on my way towards being a torpedo. Really finding a benefit from using fins and paddles, yes I know that I can’t use these on the day but I’m finding that they are helping me get the right body and arm positions. Hopefully this will translate when I’m not using them.

Ok, right I must go B and Q closes early today... Thanks for reading [GN].