Micros to macros – into block 2....

Blog 4 – 26^th February 

One month down, with many more to go...Thankfully! Each month has been split into training blocks of four weeks (or micro cycles). This helps to focus on particular training objectives and slowly but concisely, work towards peaking at the right time; in my case the Challenge Barcelona (Ironman) on the 6^th October 2013. With a background in sport science, I understand the application of training periodisation; the aim of splitting your training into cycles, towards a long term goal or event. Periodisation involves a combination of smaller micro cycles that form part of a larger macro cycle. In a way, it’s a bit like having a 12 sliced pizza. You would be pretty annoyed if the pizza delivery man dropped off your eagerly awaited take-away but there was only 11 slices. Each slice represents a micro cycle but the whole pizza; all twelve equally valuable slices represent a macro cycle. You want them all; you need them all; and they all work together. Hmm, think I’d quite like some pizza.... Anyway, back to periodisation.

A periodised training plan is split into phases:  phase 1 is the General preparation, phase 2 is the specific preparation, phase 3 is the taper and competition and finally, phase 4 is the transition (recovery), see the diagram below. Not to bore you too much, I know I already am, yawn yawn, but at the minute the training programme is about building my base fitness, ‘the general preparation’. In this first month of the general preparation phase specific preparation sessions have been included to build the drills and skills to improve technique in the three disciplines.

Adapted from Trent Stellingwerff, Ronald Maughan & Louise Burke, 2011

So I’m into week 6 of the training plan provided by Dr Justin Roberts of Herts University and hand on heart, I’m actually really enjoying it, including the swimming. Swimming is clearly my weakest of the three disciplines; probably in part due to the fact that I always found it really boring and wanted to get out of the pool quicker than I got in. Fortunately my thoughts have changed; by no means am I going to threaten Michael Phelps’ reign as a swimming legend but I’m getting there... slowly, tortoise and hare spring to mind. Speaking of which, yesterday was my first official swim in a 50 metre pool, very interesting I thought, just 77 laps and that’s the swim cracked. 77!!! Holy crap, that’s a lot. Not forgetting of course that you can stop in a pool, no such luck in the sea..... Haha, you’ve got to love a challenge.

Putting the distances of each discipline aside for a moment, something else that slipped my mind when I agreed to this challenge is weather conditions that I would have to endure whilst training. As the sessions get longer, training in the gym just isn’t feasible but facing the great outdoors with the cold and wet wintery weather, well hold the excitement. I now understand why many triathletes venture off to places like Lanzarote to train.  I did however manage a 2 hour turbo session (indoor) the other day but it was incredibly tedious and quite a drain on my motivation. Fortunately, I had the athletics on the TV and my ipod on the stereo but 2 hours felt like 2 days, stuck in one place on the turbo. Oh well, hopefully the weather will brighten up and get warmer, it needs to.

For my next post, I hope to tell you that my fitness levels are improving. I’ve got the next set of physiological testing to go through on 10^th March. For now though I’m off for another swim in the mini ocean. Thanks for reading! [GN] 

To do an Ironman you need to train like an Ironman...

Blog 3 – 21^st January

Ping, ping, ping goes my emails, as Dr Justin Roberts gets us geared up for the start. Providing us with all the details, training plans, nutrition diary, illness reports, exercise videos; pretty much everything except my race number. This brings me on to the point that I have now entered the Ironman, so there’s no turning back now. It’s serious; game on!

So the training plan is all based around volume, getting all areas and disciplines covered off without killing me in the first four weeks; build the fundamentals, getting a good base to build upon. Basically, each week is an eight session week with 2 swim sessions, a turbo session, a steady state run, 2 functional strength training session, a long bike and a long run; just the one day off, on Friday, and a double session day on Wednesday. To be honest over the past 3 months, I’ve been used to doing that many sessions in a week, with a few double days. Admittedly, I’ve be doing more strength based sessions and cycling but the plan seems fun. Nicely broken up with the disciplines and oddly I’m excited about getting back into running and improving my horrendous swimming technique.

Strange really, at the minute I talk quite candidly to friends and family that the 180 km bike ride and the marathon isn’t phasing me but the swim, oh my god the swim. Why on earth would I think like that? Not the swim bit, that’s standard being apprehensive about the swim. After all if the bike gets too much you can just slow down; if the run gets too much I can just walk; if the swim gets too much, I drown... That’s motivation, right there. That is most definitely off Dr Roberts’ plan and mine, irrespective of what my doctor thinks. Anyway added to that, how and why am I not worried about the bike or run? Yes, I may have cycled that far but I have never run a marathon and in fact I’ve never run even ten steps after a long bike ride, let alone a marathon. Sounds fun, right?

Anyway I must go, I’ve got to get training, I’ll be back in a few weeks to give you a project Ironman update. I’ll provide you with a bit more detail to the training and of course the interaction of my nutrition plan. Wish me luck...[GN]

Tested like an athlete...

Blog 2 – 10^th January

A quick hop, skip and a jump and off I head back to, what will be referred to from now on as, the devil’s porch, or to many, Hertfordshire University. This time I’ve brought my trusty stead, my road bike. This will be used later in another barrage of lung busting, heart pumping tests. My attendance was required to complete month 0 testing, provide a start point, the beginning of a long journey ahead. Its real then, I’m actually doing this, I’m going to be a triathlete, no wait an Ironman. Anyway let’s not get carried away just yet...

So the testing, which we were told to allocate around 4 hours to complete, covered pretty much everything you could and would want testing. I had to go back through the body composition measures and ECG scan, similar to the pre-screening tests, it was then on to a functional assessment. Basically, this was a check of my generally joint movement or lack of it as it turns out. From there I was taken to another lab, I think the biomechanics facility, in which I had my feet scanned, gait analysed, jump power assessed and a fairly tame running economy test. I say fairly tame due to the problems with the gas analysis face masks playing up, which meant that I had to complete the test with a mouth piece. For those that may have never completed this type of test, it was like running whilst biting down on a snooker cue as it bounces up a down in your month; hardly comfortable.

After a 10 minute breather and thinking, hmm I wonder how much more... “Right then Gareth, its back over to the human performance lab for the lactate profile test and then another VO2max test.” said my chaperone. Well need I remind you, what joy! The excitement was just too much, I’d felt like I had just won the lottery and then realised the ticket was stuck to the inside of the washing machine on the spin cycle. Oh well, push on, I thought. I was quite pleased to be honest, once it was over that is. As yet I don’t have the results; I guess that could affect some of my training decisions in the early stages, but my VO2max, pretty much stayed the same as my pre screening test. This is a bit of a double edge sword, in that I’d been training pretty hard at times since the screening but on the other side we have just had Christmas, always a chore to keep the fitness levels up and the nutrition on course. Anyway it was a start point! It’s now a waiting game the official start date of the study is January 21^st; you may not think it but I can’t wait...[GN]

It all starts here...

Blog 1 – Wednesday 9^th January

So here we are on the eve of my initial testing phase for the challenge of a lifetime... Back in November, I remember my good friend asking whether I would like to take part in a triathlon, ‘ha’ I said loudly, with an air of “no thanks mate, you’re on your own”. Then from nowhere I find myself agreeing to be a participant in the largest triathlon study, culminating in taking part in an ‘IRONMAN’ in Barcelona. WHAT...! I know; my thoughts exactly. The challenge, if I choose to accept it, is to swim 3.8 km, cycle 180 km and finally run a marathon (42 km).

Well I made the decision and like most things I became quite excited at the prospect, the challenge of all challenges. Before I get on with thinking up my winners speech, I had to head down to the University of Hertfordshire to be assessed for subject suitability. To be honest, I’m sure I already had an answer. This was further highlighted to me, by the inspirational chat given to me by my GP. First, let me add some context to this. Before I could get cracking, the lead scientist on the study, Dr Justin Roberts, explained that in order to be accepted on to the study, I needed to get a GP referral letter signed by my doctor as a basic check that I didn’t have any underlying medical problems. This is where it happened, “but how do I know you won’t die?” said my doctor; no this isn’t the start of a joke, although it certainly had me in stitches. Well, as I have been saying to most people, currently my Ironman goal is set at not dying, perhaps as I get training this will move to, finishing in one piece and then maybe I might even get thinking about time related goals. For now though, priority number 1 is, staying alive!

Anyway after a brief discussion, the doctor was happy to sign my form and off we go. So it was back to Herts Uni and to the initial pre-screen testing. Just some standard body measures; height, weight, sign a few forms and then a lay down. Nice I thought, this Ironman saga’s easy. After a quick check that I had a heart, and here’s me thinking that I was the tin man, apparently not. Good news!!! This was quickly turnaround with my first of what will be many fitness tests, the dreaded VO2 max test. I guess this is karma, having performed several of these types of tests on budding students back in my university days, it was finally my turn. Well let me tell you, it was no picnic. The plus point, well thinking positively, was that not being at the peak of physical fitness, meant that the test was only 8 minutes; 8 minutes of hell mind you. It also confirmed to me, like the earlier ECG check of my heart, that I had one, as it was thunderously banging on my chest, screaming for help.

Well I survived! And here I am on the eve of doing it all again, getting a start point, month 0. It’s then on to the hard bit, training, training and more training; I can’t wait!! So my plan is to update you every few weeks, up to the point of the big day itself – October 6^th 2013. I’ll talk training, nutrition, the study, the tests and of course the Ironman itself. I’d love your support, inspiration and anything that you might think will motivate this Ironman wannabe. Train hard, win maybe.....[GN]