Strava target achieved - easy taper week ahead

So last week Strava results - 12.5 hours, which is accepted, although probably not what it should be for someone who has an Ironman is less than 40 days!!

Most of that was in the saddle (approx. 10 hours) with only 1 hour running (Achilles niggles) and 1 hour swimming (arm strain) - my goodness I am falling to pieces.

The timing is not great as this weekend I have my first proper event of the season - The Cotswold 113 (or middle distance triathlon - half Ironman), which is going to be a bit of 'suck it and see'.

With the exception of the injuries I reckon my general base will get me through the distance but I am not sure how fast and whether the injuries will flare up and then make my main event in early July - Challenge Roth - a non-starter.

A wise man (or coach) would probably advise skipping this 'B' race and focus on the task ahead - Challenge Roth (my main 'A' race), however I am a typical 'won't be beaten', 'give it a go', 'paid for it now' kind of guy and therefore I expect to be on the start line this Sunday.

I am not a complete fool and would hate to put my health at risk so I will be starting at Pegler pace and see how I feel during the race. To date I have never had a DNF, well apart from Steyning sprint triathlon one year, which was cancelled because of heavy snow during the race - mad!

So, in order to give my body the best chance of making it around the 113km course on Sunday I am giving myself a rest week with hardly any training, although I did manage to get my first lake/wetsuit swim in on bank holiday Monday.

If my body holds together then I plan to have 3 more heavy weeks (June 5th - Jun 25th) followed by one lighter week (June 26th - July 2nd) and then a further taper to July 9th and race day at Roth.

Will report back on Costwold 113. Wish me luck!

Not a great success in the pool - struggling with arm strain

So I know I need to update you on my fitness to date (lack of detail over the last year) and I do hope to back-fill and provide this information.

For now, however, let's just brief you on how I feel today.

Well, unfortunately I am suffering with a right arm strain, nothing too serious, but enough to cause pain during a 45 mins plus swim session. I have no idea what caused it but I do know it is taking much more time to fully heal than I expected - symptom of my age!

Last night I decided to attend the Club swim set, the first since the 8th May, and it wasn't that pretty. Half-way into the the 90 mins set I thought it best to call it a day. My journey home involved a stop to the local supermarket to pick up some frozen peas and some Ibuprofen. I think I need to apply more of that RICE thing (Recovery, Ice, Compression & Elevation).

Hopefully it will all be sorted by July 9th (Challenge Roth). However, I still have a 70.3 (half-Ironman) event in just over a week's time (June 4th - Cotswold Middle Distance) - may have to take the swim relatively easy.

I do also need to watch my ankles - as the run volume increases there is a risk of the old 'Achilles' tendon problem surfacing again - need to get in those specific stretches before anything flares up.

So today, I hope an easy run (beautiful day to be out), mindful of previous injuries.

Friday, an evening spin class with the lovely Lucy (my girlfriend - more on that later), then more time on the bike during the weekend. I will see how the arm goes as ideally I had planned for the first dip in the lake on Sunday - just a couple of laps to try out the wetsuit prior to the Cotswold middle distance event.

I am personally looking for around 12 hours+ in the Strava bank this week.

Over and out - get out there and soak up that Vitamin D

My goodness - has it really been 15 months since my last post!

My goodness - has it really been 15 months since my last post!

Well, before I say I am back, I am going to ease myself in gently. There is a risk of saying too much and then running out of steam and never following through with any new decent content (hopefully you can call it that).

All I will say at this point is that my life has changed massively over the last 15 months (really the last 2-3 years) and there is quite a lot to tell.

The good news is that triathlon is still a big and important part of my life, albeit I now consider it within a greater and broader idea of 'well-being', rather than a simple sporting activity.

So going forward, if I can make use of this blog once again I expect my posts will follow a more broader 'fitness and well-being' theme, even 'Zen-like' at times.

Saying that I have just had a lovely cycle into work, the sun is out, and I am happy to get in the commuting miles (all recorded on Strava). Also got a half-Ironman event shortly coming up and then the big one - Challenge Roth in July.

Lots more to tell you, including a 100 mile ultrarun race report from last year, and a number of life changes to report on.

Let's leave it there for now, plenty of content to come.