Sunday 10 April 2011

First Tri of 2011: Ringwood

So as I explained yesterday today was the first event in the 2011 triathlon calendar for me. Ringwood Tri. Normally it is Winchester, but they are doing it at the end of the season this year. This was a new event, and in fact not much further than Winchester is either. Distances presented enough of a challenge too. 600m swim, 28 mile bike (45km) and 10km run. Longer than Winchester. Well, yesterday involved some of the usual panic, although for some reason I was a little more apprehensive this morning than I usually am before events. I guess I don't really know where I am fitness wise and if I could do it in a time I'd be happy with. Based on recent training I went today with a 10 minute swim, 1:35 bike and 50 minute run as the criteria for a good race, with a few extra minutes for transition.

Well this morning, up at 4am, shower, shave, food, packed the car, made sure that I had cleared and potential for AD and at 5:30 it was time to set off. Google said it was a 30 minute drive so that should get me there about right. I was slightly early but they had already set up registration so it was fine. Picked up my numbers and got marked, both arms both calves. Then it occurred to me no timing chip, so this wasn't going to be chip timed, oh well, best get the Garmin right!

Had a nosey around transition to get my bearings and recce the mount line/first bend then headed back to the car to get my stuff. Got the bike sorted and headed over to transition and got set up. Tried the far racking but realised because of the curb I couldn't get my bike in, OK try the next rack in. The usual dip bike to side to get it under (why can't organisers use racking that 6' people can get their bikes under?) and laid my gear out. Bex came over and said hi, (sorry I wasn't very chatty, communication switch off when I get nerves before an event). It was blooming freezing so I headed back to the car to pick up my clothes bag and bumped into Bex and Scotty on the way back, had a quick chat with Scotty before heading in to err, use the facilities (yes there was an OMPF). Warmed up a bit and watched the first wave go off. Then thought I'd go outside and catch a picture of Bex going out on the bike. Then it was a waiting game. Having chatted with Scotty I was having doubts over my strategy of just going with the lycra tri suit on the bike. It was fecking freezing. So went back and laid my bike jersey out, chatted with the guy racked next to me and explained reasoning (tree lined roads might not get the sun benefit!). Ade was racking a few bikes over and said hi. Then more waiting, then I got a picture of Scotty mounting the bike. Then it was time to go and bin the warm clothes. Thankfully it was pretty warm poolside and I managed to get warmed up nicely. It was running 20 minutes late, no surprises there - every tri seems to be 20 minutes late by the time I get in the water. Guy next to me asked about how to do auto multisport on the Garmin, we got chatting, he's doing IM wales then finally it was time to get in the water. The other person in my lane didn't turn up so I had it to myself.

I started on the second go (why I had to I have no idea), swimming up and down the black line for 24 lengths. I'd lost count by length 5 and was trying to catch a glimpse of the Garmin on the turns. Except my goggles had fogged up (don't know why, spit and rinse has always worked before). Swimming up and down the black line was quite handy now. Think I went through 400m on 6:16, so going well. Too well? Tap of the head cam and now for an nearly all out 50m to get the legs going. Out of the water and lap the Garmin. 9:33, so probably 9:25 in the water. Hmm, thank you very much, swimming quite well, I didn't even feel pushed. Maybe I should have gone harder?

A pitifully slow transition. Number on sunnies on, helmet on. F***, bike jersey! Helmet off, sunnies off (due to water) Jersey on, helmet on, sunnies on, socks on, damn stones. Bike shoes on and off we go. Down at the mount line and on the bike, through the usual bunch of people putting feet in shoes there and off onto the roads.

The first bit was OK, trying not to draft so putting a bit of speed in to overtake rather than drop back, then the roads straightened out. Had a (draft legal) chain gang session with another guy, he would pass on the flat, I would pass on the uphill as the route rolled away towards Sopley. Eventually I won but got passed by the guy I'd been chatting with poolside on his Boardman Hybrid (damn, beaten by a hybrid rider). Then the route worked its way out into the New Forest. Mostly uneventful. Some hikers, one who was riding a bike with his backpack on got a shock as I weaved through 3 of them using up the whole road. Then the Ornamental drive. Damn the road surface was pretty crappy, there was a photographer right before the crest of a nasty bit of hill. Then pelotons of riders started flying by. There must have been a sportive on. Then a very sketchy bit of road with some serious pot holes, all under the cover of the trees. made it damn hard to see them, thankfully I came through unscathed,  they had said there would be a marshal there, didn't see one. Then the highlight of my ride, being run off the road by a f***ing caravan. The driver had waited for two bikes 40m in front to pass then pulled back out right in front of me. W****R. Had to brake and pull onto the gravel at the side to avoid being hit by the thing. C**K. Road bikes don't like being ridden on gravel. Still made it thorugh alive without stopping. Rest of ride was OK, through some nice twisty sections and to the dismount line. Being a useless twonk after dismounting I pressed the wrong button on the Garmin, stop rather than lap, but realised straight away so restarted and moved to T2.

T2 was alright, hard to get the jersey off. Time for run shoes on, couldn't get the Greeper laces done up under pressure. Think Boy, Think! Gel down the front of my trisuit for later (wish it had pockets...) and out onto the road. Pressed the wrong flipping button again. Grrr.

The run hurt to start with, legs were screaming, after a mile my right hip was screaming too. 4:37 for the first K, not bad. Thinking about it now I don't remember any jelly legs, just aching. But after a procession of fast people passing me a guy of similar pace caught up and we ran side by side till the water station at 3.5K, where he went on while I attempted to drink a sachet of burning sugar. Just after 3K I passed Scotty running in the other direction where he shouted something about having retired. Can't say I understood. My powerbar gel was now about 3,000,000°, still didn't want to squeeze out of the packet either. Cup of water to wash it down then over the crossroads. I'd only lost 20m so picked up pace and ran behind for a few hundred metres then sensing an opportunity I took the lead, he was breathing pretty heavy so I could hear he was keeping pace, it is nice having a pacer to follow. I was trying to catch a new guy 100m in front, wasn't happening though. I was pretty glad by the time the water station came around again. Cup of water and what I thought was the final 3K. Seems it was shorter than advertised. As I turned the final corner just before 9K I realised I was now on the home straight. Final effort and through the finishing chute waited a couple of seconds (to account for earlier stop-starts) and stopped the timer. 2 hours 25 minutes and 25 seconds after starting. Hmm. Damn pleased with that.

Managed to have a chat with everyone after the finish too which was nice.
So crucial stats from the Garmin (awaiting the official results)

Swim - 600m - 9m33s
T1 - 2m7s
Bike - 45.06km - 1h28m40s, av cadence 85, av. HR 75% max
T2 - 1m43s
Run - 9.14km - 43m20s, av. HR 78% max

Tracks at:
http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/iYdv9fzCLJc
http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/jL2AlnrEU-s

HR seems quite low, not sure why, was running as hard as I could. I've been playing with an interesting plugin on SportTracks that calculates your gearing too, so here is the crucial data (red= 3 favourites, green=3 least favourite)


So my favourite gear was 50x17 and I barely used the granny gear 34x25, although this is all interpretation from cadence, speed and wheel size. Quite interesting if your a data geek like me and perhaps justification for sticking with a compact chainset should I change bikes any time soon.

It was obviously sunny out on the bike as I now have the makings of a nice tri suit tan. Awaiting the official results, but feeling good about this race now. The run was short but I have a prediction of 47:39 if I'd carried on another 860m, under my target, and both swim and bike were under target too.

Saturday 9 April 2011

Recovery week before the first tri of the season

So I'm breaking tradition and writing this on Saturday, mostly so I can write about the first tri of 2011 without turning it into and epic post with the weeks training.  Well this week, it's not been easy, 4 weeks of build have taken their toll.

Monday was a desperately needed rest day, I just didn't have the energy to do a thing, especially as we were shifting at work again. Oh how I love getting up at 4am to go to work, but at least I get extra pay to spend on triathlon for the effort. So Tuesday was an early start and Masters in the evening. I just didn't have the energy in the pool and spent the session at the back of the lane. Just to ensure I felt properly tired there was quite a bit of IM to start, 2x200m IM was not nice and almost had me quitting. Somehow I managed to carry on but it wasn't pretty.

Tuesday was also the day I had treated myself to a new pair of trainers. The worn out Asics 2150's have been replaced with the new 2160's. The gorgeous weather on Wednesday was just begging for me to try them out. So I gae them a 10K blast around The Common. OK, so blast may be a bit of an exaggeration, but given how hard it was to get running and how slow it felt it was actually not a bad time for a steady 10K session. Also on the new shoes I'd stuck my Greeper laces, I'd been saving these for the shoes I think will last until IMDE, well these might, but race season starts this week so I need some anyway. Having spent a while getting the lacing right they were actually quite good. Feel just like real laces but easier to get on. I'll reserve total judgement until tomorrow but initial impression is very good, not that I ever had a problem with Xentex laces.

Thursday was Masters again. This hurt, as it always does, but was slightly easier than Tuesday and I wasn't relegated to the back of the lane either so that was a bonus. a bit of IM in the warm up but then a freestyle dominant session, with less rest than prescribed to! The second 6x75m set was meant to be off 1:45, but an over zealous leader was going off 1:30 again. Still Made it through and that is what counts.

Friday is run after work day. I managed to get my way asking for a shorter interval set as I had a race, far better than the long run that was initially suggested. We ended up doing the same set we'd done a week earlier. 6x400m hard intervals with 500m jog recovery. I managed to hit 1:37 on the first one, 1s off my best from last time, second one I knocked out another 1:37, then a 1:38, then another 1:38. Sensing the end was nigh I managed to go a bit quicker and get a 1:36. Hmm all within +/- 1s, going pretty well here! Was getting pretty pleased with myself, got the pacing right and just holding out, also the secret to beating me in the run was found. I shall not disclose it, but needless to say there is a way to beat me on short intervals it seems. So that final of the 6, buoyed up by the fact they were all so close I wanted to hold that, and went out a little quicker, and held that pace, putting in a very strong finish I looked down at the watch and ... 1:33, damn, there goes the +/- 1s, but 1:33! 3s improvement over my previous one, and I wasn't feeling as strong either. I've come a long way from the 3:00+ it used to take when I was made to do 400m as my track event on sports day at school.

So today, well I was going to go for a swim, but umm, didn't. I'm resting before tomorrows race, or that is how I am justifying it to myself anyway. I've dug all the kit out, dusted off my number belt, cleaned and oiled the chain on the bike, packed my transition bag. Kind of hoping I have packed everything, can't think of anything I have forgotten but there is bound to be something. Going to have to leave at 5:30, so just like shifting this week then, up at 4am to get food in me.

Feeling slightly more nervous about this one than I normally do, I think it is down to the distance. It is in effect an Olympic distance, shorter swim, longer bike, 10K run. Is my fitness good enough to get me around? All this long steady stuff, do I have the speed? Is 10 mins too optimistic for the swim, or maybe a bit pessimistic? Argh, why do I always do longer ones at the start of the season, this always happens. It is like being a rookie again.

Anyway weekly roundup (so far) Swim, 2 hours (5250m), Run 2hr 09m (22.3km)

Mon - Rest Day
Tues pm - Swim 1 hour (2600m)
Wed pm - Run 52min (10.3km)
Thur pm -Swim 1 hour (2650m)
Fri pm - Run 1hr 16 min (12km)
Sat - Rest Day

Sunday 3 April 2011

The balloon deflates...

This week hasn't been such a good week of training, culminating with my ballon of motivation going pop this morning. It was meant to be the final week of a serious of build phases before recovery next week. Stupidly I thought even though I was going away on a training course at work I'd manage to get enough training in. Ha!

Monday is my traditional rest day, however, after 2.5 hours in the car driving up to Stansted I just wanted to do something, so thought I'd try out the hotel pool. Now I knew it was going to be 10m, but I hadn't appreciated just how short 20m feels when you get in it. I amused myself for a while doing a few strokes, tumble, dolphin kick, 2 strokes, tumble, repeat. Then got bored and went in the steam room, then got hot and did and endless tumble turn thing again. I did notice that the water level in the pool was dropping. I think my turns may have been emptying the water faster than it was getting pumped back in. Whoops.

I had set my alarm to get up nice and early on Tuesday and then go and use the gym. Felt tired though, never sleep too well in hotel beds, so turned alarm off. Thought I set a 0700 alarm. When I woke up at 0719 I realised I had set the alarm for Sunday. D'oh. Scrabbled around and went down for breakfast. Nice breakfast, I actually resisted the cooked stuff as I'd been naughty in slacking off the gym. Naively thought I'd be going to the gym in the evening. Nope, course ran from 0830 to 1800, with a group dinner at 1900 so no time at all to get down to the gym. Wednesday I was good. I got up when the alarm went off at 0615 and was the first person there when the gym opened at 0630. Plan was to do a bike run brick with the gym bike and dreadmill. Man I hate gym bikes, it's like the saddles are made for elephant arses, give me my razor blade of a saddle anyday. Too upright too. OK so I'm a little picky. Still managed to do a 25 minute interval type session doing 1 on 1 off after a warm up. Then it was on to the dreadmill. Reinforcing why I hate the things. So boring, and so uncomfortable to run on. I really don't understand why my dad loves running on his one so much when there are all the lovely fields around there place. I was ready to bin it after 5 minutes, then 10, 15, 20. Pushed on and made it to 25 then quit sharpish. 2.67 miles covered -  I remember now, I run slower on them too. Treated myself to a cooked breakfast as a reward though. Then in for another 0830-1745 day. Dinner was a bit later so went for a swim. Again more endless tumbling. Although for some reason I didn't really care for swimming crawl. I was a bit of a merman (without the beard...) and just felt at home swimming fly kick underwater endlessly, with some tumble turns thrown in for good measure. The
α male in me came out after a while, some other guys from the company came and used the pool and were doing underwater lengths. Of course I had to prove I was the best. Managed to chalk up 3 lengths before surfacing. Not bad going, won by a few lengths of course ☺.
Thursday I made the decision not to train again, this time because I new I'd be up late. Friday. Hmm, well this brought my usual post work run at lucnhtime. The idea was to do a 7 mile fartlek set. This was going to hurt properly. As per expectations it did, in more ways than I'd have liked. Starting with the "University Run" in reverse we took a little detour. Through a rather hilly part of Southampton. Naturally all the intervals were timed to be up the hills. Good God it hurt, especially the 2 minute effort. The downhill recoveries were so nice. By 8km I could feel the blister coming back on my instep. Damn it. Having hitched a ride, and with all my stuff in someones car I couldn't quit early so perservered through some 'different' areas of Southampton, running is definately the right speed for them. More intervals up hills, and one timed to break me mentally apparently, up a hill and around a bend. the hill flattens before the bend so you would assume it is flat around the corner, but no, it turns into another f***** of a hill.  After that came a nice downhill interval, 60s on down the hill. The interval was cut short when I made it to the bottom after 50s. A split speed of 17.6 km/h. I felt totally out of control though, like my legs were getting away from me. Thankfully it all ended after 13.5k and 80 minutes. That just left a painful jog home. Instep blister was back and not pretty.

Saturday was going to be bike day, well the weather looked the best of the weekend days and a long run would have been stupid after 14.7k the day before. Planned out 90km route that took in a few different routes from last weeks 83k ride to lengthen it out and improve on it a touch. Decided to take the roadie out, it was summer weather after all. Of course that meant it needed a bit of work which was Friday evenings job, cue me redoing the operation of the front mech. Hasn't worked properly since I changed it after damaging the last one on the sportive in November. Having indexed it and got it shifting properly it was off to bed. On Saturday morning I went off and got the bottle cages it needed (put them on the cyclox bike) fitted them and by then it was 12. No time for lunch = mistake number 1, lack of energy may explain why my quads decided to die on me. t was nice getting out on the roadie though. Apart from all the little niggles. The spoke magnet was broken and kept twisting around. After 7 K I was so fed up I stopped and removed it, turns out the plastic is cracked and that is why it keeps loosening off. This bit me in the ass later when the Garmin decided my attempt at climbing the hills was so pathetic I'd stopped, and auto paused, I may not be worthy of the polka dot jersey, but I was still moving Garmin! Then my attempt at fixing the front mech failed when the cable slipped and I had to resort to using the STIs as if I were running a triple. An annoyance. Then my back hurt, then my quads gave in. So glad when I finally made it home.

That brings me to this morning, and my ballon of training excitement bursting. Really couldn't be arsed to go out for my long run. I had new socks to try, and a new way of lacing my shoes, but just couldn't find the motivation. Eventually I scooped up what little motivation I could muster and went out. It hurt, my legs hurt, I was sweating a lot, my heart rate was unusually high. All the signs were there that I should bin it. I didn't, after 5K things eased and I settled into my slow, slow pace. Similar route to last week, loops of the common with a large "University Run" loop thrown in to bulk up the distance without getting boring. Somehow I made it around. The price was a run where my HR was 10bpm higher for a 3% drop in pace. Should have listened to the body, high resting HR yesterday, sore legs this morning, salty sweat, then stopped sweating. Should have cut the run short at the very least. Oh well you live and (don't) learn.

The good thing was it was a blister free run. My new Hilly twin skin socks worked a treat, they felt great, and the new lacing method (Lydiard lacing) was also great, feet felt far more comfortable in the shoes, can sort of see why it is recommended for long distance running. Who knew how you tie your laces could have such a difference?

Weekly Roundup: Swim ??? (about 50 minutes, no idea how far), Bike 4hr 07 min (90km + 25min gym bike), Run 3hr 58mins (41.2km) Total 8hours 55 minutes

Mon pm - Swim 25 minutes
Tue - Rest Day
Wed am - Bike 25 min, Run 25 min (4.4k)
Wed pm - Swim 25 minutes
Thur - Rest Day
Fri pm - Run 1hr28m (14.7k)
Sat pm - Bike 3hr 42m (90k)
Sun am - Run 2hr 6m (22.1k)

Next week I'm going to listen to the body and actually rest properly, well almost, I've entered Ringwood Tri on Sunday. Distance wise it looks to be an OD with a short swim so think I can get away with replacing my weekends longer (60k bike, 16k run) sessions with a single event. And I can live with a nice taper too.