Dambusting II - Return to Rutland

So its been a while since i posted, Ive had ups and downs on the training front - mainly food has been going down and weight has been going up which isn't really the desired outcome i had wished for but it is what it is and so this weekend will see my last race before tapering for the Outlaw. The event is the Dambuster triathlon, a standard distance affair - 1500m swim, 40k ish bike and a 10k run. Easy peasey, i hope. Again its a qualification event for ITU standard distance world champs, I'm not down to qualify as i would have no chance but its another measure of how much improvement i need to make to hit the grade.

The training I have done for the Outlaw has really opened up my outlook on what is achievable, 6 months ago i would have dreaded the thought of riding for 112 miles non stop on a saddle that could easily cut cheese, i couldn't even have swam 2.4 miles and running a marathon after both them would have had me doubting my sanity. Now i go out and do 100 mile bike rides without a problem, i swim the 3.8k almost weekly and could, if i had to, manage a marathon when i want to. I really believe that most people could do an iron distance race if they really, really, wanted to and put the training in and this has got me thinking to my next challenge. I don't want to wait until next year to do a Double iron distance, i want instant gratification, or as instant as is possible so have been toying with the idea of Ultra maras. It was something I did think about when i was doing the 10k's but thought it was a distant hope but all the cardio and endurance work i have done for the outlaw has shown how easily things can be gotten if the right approach is used. Theres an abundance of ultras after the outlaw to choose from and trying to keep a rational head is proving very hard - theres Grimsthorpe, with a choice of 40, 70 or the impossible ( for me at least ) 100 mile events, but they are just a few days after outlaw - will i be ready? theres  Lakelands 50, which gets great reviews and gives me a 4 weeks recovery, Ladybower 50, which looks OK and is months away or even further away the ripon 35. decisions decisions.

This last few months has seen my training focus on stamina, next year i hope to be focusing on speed while still undertaking long distance events,  throughout the autumn and winter I am going to join the Masters swimming classes to hopefully improve technique, i have just started to ride with the local bike club, and i suppose i better start running with runners. If everything pans out and I can muster something similar to the improvements i made this last year I may just be in with a chance at qualifying for an Age Group slot. Maybe.

STOP .........hammered time.

Well training has been going well, but putting in plenty of hardcore sessions has taken its toll slightly. Since Dec 5th 2011 I have been following Finks Competitive 30 week iron distance plan. Now when i say following i dont mean to the letter, I am guilty of over training, putting in more effort than what really needed - especially on the swimming side of things and neglecting the recuperating aspect of long distance training. 

Up to last week I had never missed a session and often added several sessions a week but on Sunday I got 3 miles into a long slow run and felt like shite, its the only way to put it Im afraid. Never before have i cut a run short like this so after a few people on the forums told me get a rest, people with more experience than the idiot writing this, I did as instructed. This was a double edged sword - i do feel a lot better for the easy week of training that I did but my weight has gone through the roof. the addition of 8lb in a week is not to be scoffed at, thats what got me to 12 stone again !!!

So from now on I promise to take a proper rest day once a week and i will not train at 95% max hr for longer than 10% of training volume per week. Lesson learned. Now let me get some sleep I got a hilly 75miles tomorrow :)  

Training totals for March

This month has seen a drop in swimming distance but a growth in running and biking. Now the days of better weather are here I can see this as a growing trend, theres only so much swimming you need to do. Let the comedy suntan commence. i have also updated my monthly totals on the tab page

Smashed again!

After killing my 10k PB a couple of weeks ago, at the Dambuster Duathlon, I knew that for the Lincoln 10k I would have to be quite focused to better my recent PB of 43.53. With this in mind I knew that to have any chance of beating it my first few miles would have to be paced at around 6:45 minute miling leaving a little leeway  for tiredness in the latter miles - i was not going to risk a negative split as they dont aften work out good for me on 10k's.

 As you can see in the following i did manage to do this and even over paced the first  km due to race day adrenaline. Lincoln 10k is a banded start with the elites at the front then the sub 40 minuters followed by sub 50 ers and so on. I put myself in the sub 50 section and to give me that bit of extra motivation i stood quite close to the front of that section.

The race was pretty flat and straight forward with my only gripes being about the lack of common sense on the parking front - they sent us in a big circle only to park where we had just driven passed!!! a circle that took 35 minutes. The medal was a quality item, as always with Lincoln, and an OK t shirt was thrown in this year. 

Last years Linc 10k was 49:09 and so with a new PB of 42.07 i have a bit of training to do to get into that sub 40 minute front section next year.  My run cadence needs a little work and a few more lbs lost wouldn't hurt but i think that Ill be wearing a yellow number in that race in 2013 :)

Next year I may well drop down from full on iron distance training and concentrate on Middle / Olympic and sprint distances but still do an iron distance event if that makes any sense. I know i can gain a lot of speed next year with dedicated training whilst this year still will see my base endurance grow further to hopefully carry me over to a couple of late season marathons in October and November.

Dam busted

What was I on about - slower 10k times !!!!    never. Race day adrenaline got the better of me and as the horn blew off I went, not really taking into full consideration of the bike leg and 5k run to follow.

my 10k mile splits were:
7.10 / 7.20 / 7.18 / 6.46 / 7.15 / 7.18
giving me a 10k time of 43.53 beating my previous PB by 3:11. so the up coming Lincoln 10k needs to be pretty special. All that winter training has really paid off.

The 26 mile bike leg wasnt too much of a surprise as it is the same route used by the Vitruvian tri I did late last year but was completed in 1:20:38 and another PB. My previous PB for that loop was 1:22:50 and that was a stand alone loop - no run before - so that was my second personal win of the day.

Things couldnt get much better, or could they? the last 5k run felt like running with concrete thighs and all the way through it i felt like i was loosing ground but after the race I waited for friends to finish and headed for the Race timing computer to get a print out of my splits - I was pleasantly surprised to see a 21.30 5k split time, even quicker than half of my 10k time.

So with an end time 2:28:20 i was 10 minutes off European qualifying or 16 minutes off World Qualifying time which is what is going to make me train harder and faster this and  next year.

Dambusting

After a good start to the year February given me an insightful glance into the probable outcome for the year ahead. With the winter base training nearly over I can confirm that Fink does indeed know a thing or 2 about training plans - my endurance seems to have improved with me running sub 8 minute miles without going into zone 3 or higher than 85% max heart rate. One unfortunate by-product of this is that my 10k times will/may be significantly slower this year, it appears that whilst endurance training all winter is fine for stamina it doesnt translate into increased speed over 10ks, to be honest I did feel like i should have been doing more speed work but then if i did would i have ended up injured?

My first event of the season is almost here -10 march - the Dambuster Duathlon, run 10k / bike 42k / run 5k, which is host to the BTF national championship and a  ITU world champions qualifier. I didnt realise this when i entered but checking the results from last year im definately not going to be at the pointy end of this race.

Feb totals updated on training page

The End is Nigh

Not Armageddon, but the Fink 10 week endurance base work block thingy that i have been following. Looking back at data it seems i have improved my local running loop of 7.14 miles by around 4 minutes whilst at the same time keeping in my zone 2 range (between 75 and 85% max hr).

The biking has also come along nicely as when i first started this plan i thought 30 minutes spinning at 100+rpm was painful and now i am able to push an hour and a quarter at 110+rpm. Even swimming has started to look better, looking at my results from sprints in July 2011 i was doing just under 10 minutes for 400m which is actually quite slow even though i was trying very hard. I suppose it wasnt too bad considering i had only been swimming for 2 months but now a few months down the line I managed an 8 minute 27 seconds this week which I am only too pleased with.

If progress carries on through the next 10 weeks Build Period I may have to consider buying a nice new toy made of carbon for my efforts.

Training Totals January 2012

Really havent had time to post, but this log shows you why.

Pain in the Arse

The festive season saw me indulge in more than what was healthy and more than what could be removed in a few extra run sessions so with the jollies over training is beginning to get ritualised again.

First swim of the year was a disaster - too many kids swimming widths, but running has seemed easy, im even more concerned with holding form  for longer distance now.

Biking as been steadily getting longer but with the increase in time in the saddle a more thoughtful approach to self preservation of my arse cheeks is needed. This can go 2 ways as I see it - try new saddles or try chamois cream, one thing for sure is that after 112 miles of biking my backside is not going to making contact with a seat for a few days.

Just need to keep getting out regardless of weather conditions and continue training as my first race of the year is in March - the Dambuster Duathlon at rutland water, a place that will be my second home in the coming year with the other events also on the magic list of todos