Welcome

I started this blog in 2010 when there were 11 weeks to go before my next Ironman triathlon. People have found it interesting (mainly my Mum!) so I continue to write.
The Ironman is a long distance triathlon; Swim 2.4miles, Cycle 112miles, Run 26.2 miles (marathon). I have competed in one every year since 2004. I hope this blog can help others see what is involved. I find the process of writing it makes me more accountable and motivates me to do the harder sessions when i'm not feeling like it!

Saturday 7 July 2012

Friday 6 July 2012

Turbo (Brick)

Warm up 20min
2 x 20min x 260W x 85rpm on 5min recovery
Run off bike 10min


Please with this session. Kept putting it off - Andy Murray at Wimbledon then the coverage of the Tour suddenly became very important to watch. Think I was carrying a fair bit of fatigue from the session on Wednesday. The blue graph is today and the red from the 17th - heart rate was higher (less recovery and fatigue). The usual position tweeks, narrow stance and saddle lower a fraction - this time the right leg was bang on and the left was protesting. Paradoxically the second session seemed easier, managed to spin better with lighter overall pressure on the pedals. 

Run off the bike just for confidence - felt great although I have to be really careful not to spring along too much which I tend to do off the bike when I feel good. This has been one of the reasons to move away from the classical brick sessions this year. 

Plan is to get some running in over the next few days. 

Thursday 5 July 2012

Swim
1km drill - single arm, 5 breaths, paddles, sighting.

Gym
TRX, Romanian squats

Bit of a recovery day after three relatively hard days. Feel like I should be out on the roads getting marathon fit but 1. Weather awful 2. Will be away from bike for a few days soon so will run then.

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Turbo

25min warm up
aim was 5 x 5min x 300W x 65-70rpm on 5min recovery
Cool down

Haven't done this session for a while. Did do it back in March when it was my main focus. Looking at the heart rate graph i'm back at that level but for the final two sets I took the watts down so the heart rate stayed at 160 - the fact that it was bloody hard work made it easy to make the decision not to dig too big a hole to recover from.
So the efforts looked like 300, 300, 300, set 4 = 300W for 2.5min and 295W for 2.5min, set 5 = 295W for 2.5min and 290W for 2.5min. Hence the flatter tops to the heart rate.


The 25min warm up was down to position changes - whilst warming up I got some of that post London cycle knee pain so I had to think that through. I felt fairly wonky throughout, the saddle has been creeping up - this is because it's easier to extend your leg a set distance from standing compared to sitting - I think i've overdone it though and this results in a bit of a twist.

Massage
- Very good, really targeted the areas I wanted to.

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Swim

The pool is apparently 31m long so distances in lengths

8 x warm up
10 x Single arm
2 x warm up
5 x 10 race pace (1m/sec) on 60sec
4 x side kick
2 x fists
8 x sighting to left and right
2 x cool down

Finally in a big pool. I have slowed down! Set the beeper to 31sec but couldn't hold it, had to move it to 32sec. I think the reason is all that slower paced training for the 10km and the increase in drill work due to the 20m pool at the gym. The strange thing was that I got faster with every set. I think once a fortnight would be enough to keep the pace up.

Lots of right hamstring pain from yesterday - sat in the sauna on the v.hot planks and it's completely gone.
Did some rolling.
The aim now is to alternate days of strength work with stretching as we come up to race time.
Bought some "green tyres" today - it follows from a book I read called "the moneyless man" - they are solid tyres that don't puncture - the plan is to put them on the fixed wheel bike for going round town - I had solid tyres when I was a kid, I hope their a bit better.
Otherwise it's been a day of catching up on paper work. Hope to do a turbo tomorrow, it's taken a back seat since the epic cycle to London.

Monday 2 July 2012

Run

2 x 20min x 15km/hr on 5min recovery 1% incline
Yoga
- 1 hour ashtanga
S&C
- Hamstring strength work;
golfers T pick up 6kg dumbells x 10
High cable tripple extension
Nordic hamstrings
Swiss ball single leg curls
TRX double leg curls
Very like the swiss ball leg curls but both legs suspended by strap.

Couple of days off now following the long working weekend. Started with a lie in to 10am.
Run went really well, form much better than recently. Felt very comfortable. Think this is about 2.45 marathon pace and heart rate just around anaerobic threshold by the end. Been thinking a lot about form following the last treadmill session and read up on hamstring problems as mine cramped up. I think the cause could be overstriding on the right with hip flexors that are too strong/short in comparison to the hamstring. The above exercises are recommended 1-3 hours after running (so already fatigued and don't turn off the training effect which would happen if you did them the other way around)
Despite all this my heart rate was higher than last time for the same effort.
So over the next 3 weeks i'll try and improve the hamstring's condition.

Sunday 1 July 2012

3 Weeks to IM UK, 4 weeks till Spain
Stretching/rest

Another 12 hour day at work. Would have loved to train but just didn't have the time and energy flagged quickly. Did a bit of rolling and stretching the piriformis.