The start of a training plan and goals today

Well I thought whilst on gardening leave I would have plenty of surplus time for training, blogging, resting etc.

So far, it hasn't really worked out like that! I am a little bit like a 'fish out of water' and somehow filling up my days with stuff - I think mostly productive, however certainly time-consuming and the days just fly pass.

There has been a gradual increase in training but I worry that unless I have a plan my beloved fitness regime is going to pushed further down my busy 'to do' list. Also, with the loss of my morning commute, there is a danger that my total hours swimming, biking and running are just not going to end up at the numbers I would like.

So time for some structure and increased focus!

My training plan starts this week. The first 9 weeks to just after Christmas I have labelled as my 'Base', working on a 3 week cycle: 2 weeks increasing in volume and 1 week lower. So week 1-3  is 8-9-8 (hours), week 4-6 is 9-10-8, and week 7-9 is 10-11-8 - hope that makes sense. Each week will have at least one easy/recovery day. During this base period the focus is simply getting the hours in, having some fun and enjoying the experience - I call it 'getting my head in the game'. Saying that, I do have some sub-goals of improving my core strength (additional gym work - not included in hours above) and doing more off-road training in preparation for my 'A' race in April 2015. For those that have not been following previous blog posts that is the Centurion South Downs Way 50 mile ultra race.

After the 'Base' period comes 5 weeks of 'Build' when I will attempt to improve my strength and speed with more interval sets and hill reps. Following the 'Build' is 7 weeks of 'Peak' training when I try to put all the training together and the volume (becoming more specific in nature) increases up to 14 hours a week. Then a 2-week taper before the the SDW50.

Simple!

I really will try and publish more blog posts - it is certainly good for the soul - and I think shorter, more regular posts are of more interest for any subscribers out there.

So goals (training-related) for today:

- Easy cycle to gym (approx. 12 miles each way)
- 30 min core and strength work plus chill out in steam room / jacuzzi (well I am on gardening leave)
- 1:30 Club swim
- Start tidying up the garage and create better space for turbo trainer

Report back soon - promise x

What's new Tri Hard Dave?

And I'm back!!

It has been a while since my success at Challenge Vichy when I logged another ironman-distance race in my training/event diary.

Since then my training has been light (around 5-8 hours per week) as my focus has switched to recovery mode. It has also given me a bit of time to work on other tasks both at home and work, which is no bad thing and makes for a more balanced lifestyle.

On Sunday I managed to get in a longer trail run (20km plus) and now feel that I am ready to up the training volume once again in preparation for the challenges ahead.

So what events have I got coming up and what are my goals for the months ahead.

Goals for the coming months:

• Gym / strength work in off-season to improve core - consider crossfit or joining a gym, take some fitness classes
• 'A' race - Centurion South Downs Way 50 mile ultra-distance run (target time - under 12 hours). Scheduled for April 2015
• Complete Level 1 British Triathlon Federation (BTF) coaching course - start in Nov 2014
• Shorter distance cross-country races - improve on 5km and 10km times
• 'B' race(s) - 70.3 triathlon (half-ironman distance) - yet to be decided
• Club races - try to participate in the majority of the Club's races in 2015

Other non-triathlon related goals for the coming months:

• Learn to ride a motorcycle - already passed CBT (125cc legal), progression to direct access
• Create a more decluttered and training-friendly garage (or 'cave of pain')

Some other news that is worth mentioning - I have been placed on gardening leave for the next 6 months (long story and not worthy of discussion in this training blog). This does present me with an opportunity to increase my training volume to levels that would have been difficult to maintain when I was working full-time. Hopefully this will help me in my preparation to my 'A' race and building up the miles off-road.

Now I am back online with more time on my hands I also plan to publish more blog posts to keep you informed of my progress and any tips I can provide on training, nutrition, health, productivity and general fitness.

Over the next few days I will be working on a training plan, taking the above goals into consideration, which will likely be bias to run training over the winter months.

Glad to be back!

Success at Vichy - goals achieved

Well I did it - another ironman-distance event under my belt and pretty much all of my race goals achieved (see http://trihardtraining.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/race-strategy-for-challenge-vichy.html).

I definitely finished the race with a smile on my face and saved a bit of energy so I could run strongly to the finish line (yes - I did say run!). The time on the clock was 11:42:56 so 40mins quicker than my first attempt at Austria, a new 'Personal Best' and under my 12-hour target. I was able to run the full marathon distance and only walked through the aid stations to take on some nutrition. I would have ideally liked a 4:15 marathon time but I can live with 4:26:10.

The other good news is that post-race my body feels pretty good. Straight after the race I was able to drink and eat (I even had a beer in the athlete's finishers tent and a glass of wine later in the evening). My legs feel good even after a 600 mile drive back to the UK on the Monday. So much so I am thinking of a brief recovery run later in the week. All in all I it was the perfect result and final outcome to my training plan, which began back in Oct/Nov last year.

So what did I do better - I think my long easy runs into the office (six attempts at 25-30km distance) helped and the weather was definitely much more suitable to racing than the high temperatures in Austria in 2012. In addition I took more salt (eating salty nuts) during the race and less sugary gels that previously gave me stomach problems. Finally I quickly got into an easy running pace (small steps) that I felt I could sustain for the full distance. I was constantly reviewing my body and how it was performing and trying to make adjustments to keep me going at the most efficient level. There was a lot more thought about the whole race rather than a single discipline.

Please don't get me wrong it had its 'ups and downs'. It is a long day and plenty of things can go wrong. My biggest mistake was made before the race began. A couple of days before I decided to complete a bit of light gardening and ended up spraining my right wrist, which was not the best start, especially for the swim or for changing gears on the bike. Other small issues - I stupidly put my race number tattoo upside down on my leg (schoolboy error!) - not a major tragedy but a little bit of stress removing it and getting a replacement. The swim was a bit of a battle for the first 500m - lots of thumping and kicking as competitors positioned themselves in the water. I tried to keep out of trouble but still got a few knocks, which must have slowed me down a little. Otherwise, a decent race - the bike route was not as hilly as Austria, however there was a bit of wind to contend with. The run, as previously mentioned, was not quick, however it was a relatively flat route (4 loops) and I was so pleased to keep going.

The low points - between 120-160km on the bike - your body begins to ache and I found it difficult to get onto my aero bars. The run - those 10km loops felt much, much longer - it was tough going!

The high points - a fast first 90km loop on the bike (thought I may even have a crack at 11 hours at one point - forgetting that it gets harder as the race goes on!). The best part was the finish line, seeing my wife and the rest of the Club (five of the guys completed the half-distance and were finished much earlier than me) and saving that final spurt to cross the line - magic!

I have posted the splits for all the guys on our Club website: http://www.horshamamphibians.co.uk/race-results-challenge-vichy-full-and-half-ironman-distance/

Hats-off to Chris who after a decent swim and bike had problems on the run - major cramping that ruined his race time. Although I have total respect that he kept on going to finish his first complete ironman - well done Buddy.

Thanks also to the support from friends and loved ones for again supporting me throughout my training and the event itself. I have some great memories.

Too early too say whether I will do another one or not. Probably not next year as I have already committed to another exciting (and long) challenge - topic for a future blog post.

Race strategy for Challenge Vichy

So with my main 'A' race in less than a week it is time to review my goals and overall strategy for the big day.

My main race goals, in order of importance for Challenge Vichy are as follows:

1. Finish the race with a smile on my face after enjoying the whole experience
2. Getting a personal best at the ironman distance of 12:23 or less
3. Obtaining a sub 12 - hour finish
4. Running the full marathon distance (only walking through the aid stations), with a sub 4:15 time

My race strategy starts on the Saturday after our car journey down to Vichy. Once I have registered for the race and racked my bike I intend to top of my energy reserves with some decent nutrition. Not too much walking around the expo and an early night to get as much sleep as possible.

It will be an early start when I take on the first food of the day, likely to be some granola, nuts, yoghurt etc with some toast or a bagel. Just before the swim start I will take an energy gel.

I will start the swim easy, attempting to stay out of harm's way even if that costs me a bit of time. Once I have found some space I will get into a steady rhythm and make every effort to draft off of stronger swimmers.  My target swim time is 1:15 with a 15min transition window. So the plan is to be on the bike after 1:30 at the latest. I will take enough time in T1 to put on my cycle socks, gloves, sunglasses and sun tan lotion.

Once on the bike I will start to take on some nutrition,  initially a few sips of my energy drink (likely to be a Hi5 based solution). Thereafter I will feast on 3-4 Zippvit energy bars (cut up into small pieces) and some salted Macadamia nuts. I will also ride with a small water bottle and top up at aid stations with more energy drink / electrolytes. Later in the ride and certainly before the run I will try to get down 1-2 energy gels.

I will ride with a bike computer and aim for an average speed of 30km/h for a 6 hour target bike split. I am happy to sacrifice 15mins of easy spinning to ensure I get off the bike feeling good and ready for the run.

If all goes to plan I will start my run 7.5 hours after the start gun goes off and will target a 4:15 to 4:30 marathon time to get me in just under the 12 hour mark. I aim to go off at around an easy 5:50 min pace trying to keep my foot cadence relatively high (around 90 steps per minute). If I feel OK after 2 laps I will try to increase the pace to something I can maintain to finish. I will be very pleased with one hour laps (4 to complete), each lap being around 10.5km. During the run I will take on more fluids and gels (if my body allows it). There is always the 'magic' flat Coca Cola strategy if all else fails - it did get me round last time. I do hope I can just keep going and my legs will not lock out as they did for IM Austria.  With the exception of the aid stations when a walk strategy to take on nutrition is beneficial I plan to run the full marathon distance.

Sounds good. Of course a lot can happen on the day!

Taper time in Turkey

Well it is finally here - I am well into the taper period of training just 11 days from my 'A' race, Challenge Vichy - a full ironman distance event.

And what better place to spend some time tapering than a week in a 5 star all-inclusive spa hotel in Turkey. Plenty of R&R and light exercise - swimming,  aqua aerobics, running,  and some gentle strength work in the gym. The only problem with such an excellent resort is the all-inclusive food and drink.  I am trying to be good, mostly going for the healthier options, whenever possible - I love fish, which is a bonus. Although I do accept I am on my long-awaited family holiday so I am certainly not living like a monk, ironman or not!

One day I did probably over do it in the gym and as a result had a slight ache in my left shoulder.  Since then I am taking it nice and easy. I am writing this blog after 15mins on the bike in the gym, 15mins run around the resort estate and 10mins swim. Then 5mins in the steam room before heading down for breakfast.

This afternoon I will probably do 2-3 more circuits of a sea swim / beach run combo that I put together. I swim around some buoys, approx. 300m in distance (according to my Garmin) and then run along the beach for 200m - nice and easy pace.

A few more days of spoiling myself and then it is back to the UK to organise all my gear for the race. We will be driving over so I will post my list of equipment beforehand.

Now where was I - are yes, chilling!

Less than 4 weeks to A Race

During the week of the Brompton World Championships my legs (and generally whole body) felt relatively fatigued and so I was grateful for a few recovery days.

Last week my intention was to build the volume back up for the final 2 weeks before my taper period. So how did I do...

Well not too bad. I unfortunately missed the long Wednesday Club swim (1:30) but got in a decent 17km run and a 113km ride on the TT bike. In total a 15 hour week with no ill-effects and lingering fatigue.

The long ride was another dress rehearsal with tri suit, race helmet ('Sonic the Hedgehog' look), and nutrition practice. Going to go with the ZipVit energy bars (3x bars cut up in chunks) and some Macadamia nuts for salt/protein, together with a sports drink / electrolyte as fluid (probably High 5). When I put together my race plan, which I plan to post to the Tri Hard Training Blog in due course, I will re-confirm my nutrition strategy, not just for the bike but on the run.

So the ironman journey is finally coming to an end once again - I have one more high volume week and then 3 weeks of taper before the race.

My plan for this last high volume week is as follows:

Mon - 1:00 easy run (or take as recovery day and add run to Tues)
Tue - 1:30 easy bike
Wed - 3:00 long run; 1:30 club swim + stretching
Thu - 1:00 easy bike + stretching
Fri  - 1:00 bike (turbo / intervals)
Sat - 1:00 Club Swim; 1:30 easy bike; 1:00 easy run + stretching
Sun - Either Club Supersprint event Or brick set + lake swim

In total another 15+ hour week including my last long run (IM pace - into work) and some multiple discipline days / brick session(s). Not sure if I will race the Club Supersprint event or not - it is an enjoyable race, a bit fast and furious, however not that specific to my ironman distance event and of course there is always a slight worry of injury, which I do not need just before my 'A' race.

A much needed recovery week and BWC race report

Last week's training was considerably lower volume than previous periods. I did however feel I needed it, hoping it would give me a short break before ramping it back up for another 2-weeks prior to the start of my taper for Challenge Vichy.

I had intended to take 2 recovery days (Mon/Thu) but it ended up being 3 as I was unable to make the Club Handicap on Friday evening due to a bit of a family crisis (nothing serious) that arose a few hours before the race.

I was however relatively fresh for the Brompton World Championships (BWC 2014) on the Sunday afternoon.

The venue for the BWC was the Goodwood Race Circuit. It consisted of a run to your bike (pictured below), an unfold and then 4 laps totalling 15.2km. I knew the competition was going to be fierce. A large number of very fit looking Italian cyclists had made the journey over to the UK to compete in this iconic race.

Keeping with tradition the race is a 'no Lycra zone' and you are encouraged to wear a shirt, tie and jacket. Most competitors also opted for shorts and brightly coloured long socks. My jacket was a little heavier and larger than I would have liked for race conditions, however I went along with it so I was on an even footing with the majority of the other riders.

I was in the 3rd wave of riders. As the horn went off I raced to my bike and within a minute had unfolded it and had made my way to the mounting position. My plan was simple, find someone a little faster than mysef and sit on their tail for as long as I can. Generally that was exactly what I did although there were times when I lost the back wheel of the fastest riders and other times when I had to switch because the pace was not fast enough. There were segments when I was not drafting and also when the wind picked up. On these occasions my speed dropped to below my target 30km per hour. Although for the most part I was riding at between 33-40km per hour.

I put in a lot of effort at the finish and sprinted across the line for a time of approx. 28mins. The provisional results showed me as 82nd out a field of 500 but I was told that there were many more riders than that and it was likely the results would be revised.

As more results were processed I dropped to 101st position, although by yesterday afternoon the officials had revised my time to 27:20 and listed me at 95th position out of a field of over 700 - not too shabby!

All in all a good fun event and a bit of intensity training, however not very ironman specific.

So this week and next needs to be back to higher volume ironman specific training and my last big efforts before my A-race in Vichy. It will probably include one long bike (5 hours on my TT bike) and my final long run (3 hours).

Then it is taper time!