Oh dear. I spoke too soon. My body was so calm was it? I hadn't stretched out properly and stressing my body resulted in. Limping. Monday was written off and in a brillant moment of timing I was hobbling towards the canteen as the occupational health advisor was coming past and quickly had to head off a concerned lecture about my working environment.
Tuesday I managed to go running in the morning and took the bike to work. No records set as I was suffering on the run and was just under 10mins slow. The cycle was slow too. It felt bad. Wednesday and Thursday were written off too although the aching stopped. I felt like I was letting myself down and wondered if it was because I'd lost my aim. I had no goal to motivate me so Thursday I hit the net and looked for my first triathlon event. I wanted something easy in my ability range and close by. There wasn't a whole lot of choice it being the end of season but there was a duathalon at Wadenhoe on the 7th of November. All cross country 2 miles running 6 miles bike 2 miles on foot again. The run also includes a mud run. Joy. The event organisers suggest that you wear cross country shoes with studs. I thought I'd just check out prices and found a pair of Nikes for £30. They looked good in the picture and following another bike ride on Friday I resolved to enter the event. The form was sent and the new boots turned up Saturday! One of the studs didn't fit properly and I thought about returning them but gave them and extra little push and in it went. Yay!
As I hadn't taken the MTB, which I would need for the event, for a proper ride in a while I thought I'd get out there and play in the mud. I tried to avoid paths and headed out back across the fields and forced the brain back into off road mode. "Fear not the pot hole" "heed not the mud coating bike, back and face" "Thy back wheel shalt step out at need" I'd intended it for to be a quick one to ferry meadows and back but I'd forgotten the off road route was a lot longer especially when you head to the fun places like Thorpe Wood and the Boardwalks to thrash it round. Fun was restored.
Sunday I had planned to hit the gym and stop off on the way to start breaking my new trainers in the a few sprints up and down the rowing mile. The new shoes where very grippy and I was impressed. Lighter and less harsh than a rugby boot I had been tempted to use instead. They've been sitting in the cupboard for a while. I felt I could get up some steam with them. As with all new shoes they started to rub and a blister formed after the fourth run. I called it quits and headed for the gym. Avoided the cardio work as I wasn't feeling like it with the blister and no protection on it and it would SNAFU training. I did all the normal weight work and warm up and then jumped in the pool for a quick 30 laps and returned home to wash the bike and clean the mud out of the new boots. With the bikes all oiled and my gym kit ready, it was time to get back into the swing of things.
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Sunday, 10 October 2010
Beating The Beaver
First I want to explain the title of this section. One of my former work colleagues nickname is "The Beaver" which is a not so clever reference to his surname. He did the Peterborough half marathon last year in 1hour 37ish. I have completed the half marathon this year in gleaming good weather and a very happy time of 1:23:26! The bragging rights are mine!
I had a plan and it all went a bit sideways when things started going. This week I've been dropping the intensity of my work outs and cutting others out all together in preparation for the run. Monday was fairly bog standard run in the morning followed by gym I was planning to swim a bit but the pool was crowded again and I wasn't in the mood to force my way around people so after ten lengths not going fast or practising my technique I got out. Tuesday was just the bike ride but as I pulled my shorts up in the pre morning gloom I heard the groaning of tortured metal followed by a BANG! Looking in the ensuite where the noise had come from I found nothing wrong but could hear the patter of water I stepped out onto the landing and demanded of my house mate "What the hell was that?" As the words came out of my mouth the ears reported that the sound of rushing water was coming from downstairs. I stalked down there as a grumpy "What was what?" drifted down from the 2nd floor. I gazed in horror at the sight of water gushing out of the main fuse board at the front of the house. A pipe had burst in the ceiling above below the ensuite. Swear words ensued. This got my house-mate up I launched myself towards the internal water stop tap. I took me a moment or two to find the damned thing and was just getting it off as my house mate launched herself at the heating and hot water controls. Given that the water was warm that was sensible to get that system off too. As the stop tap closed the water dribbled to a halt. Mopping and the loading of towels to the floor prevented me from leaving for an hour or so as the building site foreman was dragged across to inspect the damage his deranged plumber had caused with his discount installation.
I was at work in a sedate pace despite being a bit miffed.
Wednesday had sprints at the gym rather than an all up road run to save on energy and I was very happy with the results. On Monday I'd found all the bike seats occupied so had had 15mins on the trendmill at a higher pace. On Wednesday I ran the full 30mins at a faster sprint pace and even turned up the run pace for the last 5mins. I was very happy with that. I avoided the isometric bits on the pretext of keeping it light and stayed away from the cycle. The pool was fairly clear and I even got eyed up by a bikini clad lovely on the side of the pool as I slid into the water. Ok so she could have just been looking in my general direction by I like to think it counted.
All in all a good days training with 50 lengths into the account too.
Thursday was another record time on the bike to work and I left it at that. Friday was a wash as I'd gone in early to work and felt a bit battered.
Saturday was a planned downtime day with a bit of stretching or light stuff just to let the muscles know they would have to do something.
I found I was gleaming with energy and decided to grab the MTB down and service it and the road bike ahead of the week. Somehow a thorn had got into the tire and a slow puncture was there on the MTB. I wanted to quickly nip into tescos on it before I covered myself in oil. Oh well. The new tire irons I got with the road bike worked really well and it wasn't long before I was off again. The MTB felt so different too the road bike. Firm and planted and absorbing all the bumps with only a third of the pressure in the tyres. And SOOO slow accelerating but so in control and can turn on a sixpence or hovering waiting for cars to get through the gaps in Hampton. Over the short distance it was an excellent lesson in the differences between the two disciplines.
With the bikes tucked away it was time to tuck into some pre run nosh. I'd planned to have pasta with egg and some veggies but hadn't realised the cupboard was bare. Opps. Fish and chips with a big bowl full of rice as supper was the best I could manage. Fish = protein Chips =Starchy carbs Rice = Complex carbs. We won't mention the fat. Lots of water and off to bed.
The water thing got me up in the morning and I had my breakfast of cereal and a banana and some more water and was just finishing a sugary Dr Pepper to glucose me up before the start as my father turned up on the doorstep to drive me in. He and my mother very kindly droped me off close to the start as they tried to find a parking spot and took my bag with them. I'd plenty of time but needed the tiolet. The closest ones that I didn't have to pay for (no wallet) were in the queensgate carparks. Doh! Still it gave me a nive warm up as I jogged there. Back to the race refreashed and lighter I started to move forward. I wanted to get as close as I could this time to the front in the 1:30 - 1:45 section but there were just too many people there and I got stuck behind the 1:45 time board. Grr.
Still I just have to bounce forward when we got going. Fortunately the road is nice and wide and unlike the King's lynn 10k event the paths weren't marked off so I was able to free run down the side of the plodders and start getting into my peer group around about the 1 mile marker. I was overtaking people with ease all the way up to the 7 mile marker which shows I was in the wrong place. I was joined at that point by a fella keen to catch up with me and the group in front. I matched his pace and we started slowly dragging people in. An older gent went through and we both tried to hold onto him but he was getting away. A lost cause I went back to pace and fella stayed with me but as the race contnued even the experienced gent was pulled back in. I hit a water point and fella dropped off around the 10 mile marker. I had plenty of bounce per once left and the thought came through. 5K pace. I locked on to the group in front and picked up the pace arms on full pump. The runners in front started to fall by the wayside again. Whether this was because they were tied or I was going faster I'm not sure. Throughout the race I'd been spotting landmarks I knew and the mile markers but I didn't know the route I was travelling so was hesitant about using the full beans but as we took a right at the fengate overpass I knew we hadn't got far to go. I engaged what I like to call terminator pace. If you've ever seen terminator 2 where the T1000 runs after the car I like to think I look like that. Head down arms flashing up to eye level and all the way down and back. Legs just a blur. As I came onto the embankment the path turned to grass and there were crowds of people. The after burners went on and I locked on to a red T shirted running club assosiate. Burning along at full sprint I crossed the line pipping the man in red by a few feet. I bet he was miffed. I lobbed the time chip in the bin and checked the watch. 1:23:26. A damned good time. I knew for the first few miles I was running ahead on pace and thought I was only a minute or two ahead of my planned 1:31:00 time. As I hit the 5K pace I'd dared to hope of a sub 1:30 time but was delighted with the 1:23. I was a it taken aback by how calm my body was. Hardly out of breath and still had lots of energy to work with. Compared with the end of the mock triathlon distance I was fine. Does this mean I should have pushed harder at the half way marker and driven myself more. Curses probably should have but I wasn't sure I wouldn't have burn out further down. Have to stick it to inexperience at the distance and the route.
I had a plan and it all went a bit sideways when things started going. This week I've been dropping the intensity of my work outs and cutting others out all together in preparation for the run. Monday was fairly bog standard run in the morning followed by gym I was planning to swim a bit but the pool was crowded again and I wasn't in the mood to force my way around people so after ten lengths not going fast or practising my technique I got out. Tuesday was just the bike ride but as I pulled my shorts up in the pre morning gloom I heard the groaning of tortured metal followed by a BANG! Looking in the ensuite where the noise had come from I found nothing wrong but could hear the patter of water I stepped out onto the landing and demanded of my house mate "What the hell was that?" As the words came out of my mouth the ears reported that the sound of rushing water was coming from downstairs. I stalked down there as a grumpy "What was what?" drifted down from the 2nd floor. I gazed in horror at the sight of water gushing out of the main fuse board at the front of the house. A pipe had burst in the ceiling above below the ensuite. Swear words ensued. This got my house-mate up I launched myself towards the internal water stop tap. I took me a moment or two to find the damned thing and was just getting it off as my house mate launched herself at the heating and hot water controls. Given that the water was warm that was sensible to get that system off too. As the stop tap closed the water dribbled to a halt. Mopping and the loading of towels to the floor prevented me from leaving for an hour or so as the building site foreman was dragged across to inspect the damage his deranged plumber had caused with his discount installation.
I was at work in a sedate pace despite being a bit miffed.
Wednesday had sprints at the gym rather than an all up road run to save on energy and I was very happy with the results. On Monday I'd found all the bike seats occupied so had had 15mins on the trendmill at a higher pace. On Wednesday I ran the full 30mins at a faster sprint pace and even turned up the run pace for the last 5mins. I was very happy with that. I avoided the isometric bits on the pretext of keeping it light and stayed away from the cycle. The pool was fairly clear and I even got eyed up by a bikini clad lovely on the side of the pool as I slid into the water. Ok so she could have just been looking in my general direction by I like to think it counted.
All in all a good days training with 50 lengths into the account too.
Thursday was another record time on the bike to work and I left it at that. Friday was a wash as I'd gone in early to work and felt a bit battered.
Saturday was a planned downtime day with a bit of stretching or light stuff just to let the muscles know they would have to do something.
I found I was gleaming with energy and decided to grab the MTB down and service it and the road bike ahead of the week. Somehow a thorn had got into the tire and a slow puncture was there on the MTB. I wanted to quickly nip into tescos on it before I covered myself in oil. Oh well. The new tire irons I got with the road bike worked really well and it wasn't long before I was off again. The MTB felt so different too the road bike. Firm and planted and absorbing all the bumps with only a third of the pressure in the tyres. And SOOO slow accelerating but so in control and can turn on a sixpence or hovering waiting for cars to get through the gaps in Hampton. Over the short distance it was an excellent lesson in the differences between the two disciplines.
With the bikes tucked away it was time to tuck into some pre run nosh. I'd planned to have pasta with egg and some veggies but hadn't realised the cupboard was bare. Opps. Fish and chips with a big bowl full of rice as supper was the best I could manage. Fish = protein Chips =Starchy carbs Rice = Complex carbs. We won't mention the fat. Lots of water and off to bed.
The water thing got me up in the morning and I had my breakfast of cereal and a banana and some more water and was just finishing a sugary Dr Pepper to glucose me up before the start as my father turned up on the doorstep to drive me in. He and my mother very kindly droped me off close to the start as they tried to find a parking spot and took my bag with them. I'd plenty of time but needed the tiolet. The closest ones that I didn't have to pay for (no wallet) were in the queensgate carparks. Doh! Still it gave me a nive warm up as I jogged there. Back to the race refreashed and lighter I started to move forward. I wanted to get as close as I could this time to the front in the 1:30 - 1:45 section but there were just too many people there and I got stuck behind the 1:45 time board. Grr.
Still I just have to bounce forward when we got going. Fortunately the road is nice and wide and unlike the King's lynn 10k event the paths weren't marked off so I was able to free run down the side of the plodders and start getting into my peer group around about the 1 mile marker. I was overtaking people with ease all the way up to the 7 mile marker which shows I was in the wrong place. I was joined at that point by a fella keen to catch up with me and the group in front. I matched his pace and we started slowly dragging people in. An older gent went through and we both tried to hold onto him but he was getting away. A lost cause I went back to pace and fella stayed with me but as the race contnued even the experienced gent was pulled back in. I hit a water point and fella dropped off around the 10 mile marker. I had plenty of bounce per once left and the thought came through. 5K pace. I locked on to the group in front and picked up the pace arms on full pump. The runners in front started to fall by the wayside again. Whether this was because they were tied or I was going faster I'm not sure. Throughout the race I'd been spotting landmarks I knew and the mile markers but I didn't know the route I was travelling so was hesitant about using the full beans but as we took a right at the fengate overpass I knew we hadn't got far to go. I engaged what I like to call terminator pace. If you've ever seen terminator 2 where the T1000 runs after the car I like to think I look like that. Head down arms flashing up to eye level and all the way down and back. Legs just a blur. As I came onto the embankment the path turned to grass and there were crowds of people. The after burners went on and I locked on to a red T shirted running club assosiate. Burning along at full sprint I crossed the line pipping the man in red by a few feet. I bet he was miffed. I lobbed the time chip in the bin and checked the watch. 1:23:26. A damned good time. I knew for the first few miles I was running ahead on pace and thought I was only a minute or two ahead of my planned 1:31:00 time. As I hit the 5K pace I'd dared to hope of a sub 1:30 time but was delighted with the 1:23. I was a it taken aback by how calm my body was. Hardly out of breath and still had lots of energy to work with. Compared with the end of the mock triathlon distance I was fine. Does this mean I should have pushed harder at the half way marker and driven myself more. Curses probably should have but I wasn't sure I wouldn't have burn out further down. Have to stick it to inexperience at the distance and the route.
Sunday, 3 October 2010
Go steady but keep going.
Yesterday I decided I should go for the triathlon distance just to see what it was like. From my previous go I knew I had to do 60 lengths of the pool, cycle to Huntingdon and back and then extend my normal run heading out of Yaxley north around the masterfoods plant past Orton Mere station and back through Goldhay rejoining my normal route at checkpoint four on the Haddon road. Have previously checked this out on work's measuring tool I knew that the run on that route was almost exactly 13.1 miles. The same as the half marathon I've been aiming at next weekend.
Starting with the swim I had a bit of a mishap in not starting the stopwatch until the third length. Whoops. I added two further lengths to make up for it on the time. I'm still not happy with my form in the water. I'm pulling strongly and I don't think my legs are getting tired at all from it but that is because I'm not really using them effetively as I'm coasting on my arm movements. I also found that as I got a little tired in the arms I'd start pulling them out of the water earlier and not at the rear of the sweep bringing them in line with the body. Still I went through the swim without really feeling that tired. Legs and arms were still stong. I hurried through the change but it still seemed to take forever. Just as I was about to leave I could feel the urge to pee but I thought no, I could hold on.
With the swim out of the way and a backpack containing the usual puncture repair kit, isotonic drink locks and the swim kit I set off for Huntingdon. One of the major drawback of the road bike is its fragility. I couldn't take any of the back paths for fear of damaging the lightweight wheels This left me go a rather long way round and I got confused as I headed into Goldhay. My plan was to follow the main road through Goldhay to Hampton then onto the A15 and the normal way down. I unfortunatley autopiloted towards the bridleway I take with the hardtail. I realised my mistake before I got there but it cost me time to get back on track.
With that out of the way the ride down was fairly routine. I had a headwind on the way down and kept the pace fairly easy with the promise of a nice fast return. The return was fast. With the wind behind me and the road now nice a dry I found myself hurtling along the downhill sections in top gear on the drop bars. I still can't keep this postion for too long but I'm finding I'm starting to hold it for a bit longer then when I first started. It helped that with less of a cross wind I was happier to stand up and let some of the tension in my legs and back out which gave me more time in the saddle when I needed to.
I tucked the bike away but found myself dying for that pee I hoped the cycle would knock out of me. Thre was nothing for it but to dive into the house and go. Afterwards I quickly downed the isotonic drink guilitly aware of how little water I'd taken onboard during the cycle. I only grabbed the water bottle once and it felt very wobbly and more then a little scary to do so. Still getting used to those thin tyres and faster cruising speeds. I also decided to take the time to make sure all the bits and bobs were where my housemate wouldn't see them as I could see a nagging coming on if they go in her way after she'd cleaned the kitchen. I also switched the lenses in my sunglasses for a more normal tint as the orange ones would look a bit weird.
Trainers on and off on the run we went. At this point I was at 3.02 hours in. I'd exited the pool itself at 00.32 but not left on the bike till 00.45 or so (not the greatest transistion in the world) with all the muking about finding the smoothest ride to the A15 I hadn't got to Hungtingdon until about 02.00 but I'd say the push back was very good although I didn't look at the watch until I started the run.
I had decided at the start to wear my cycling shorts with a pair of running shorts over the top. I needed the padding for the cycle but didin't want to show off my muscular buttocks too much and with the running shorts covering the full nappy looking padding I could run along nicely in them.
I went off at a fairly slow pace. I still felt strong but could feel the edge of tiredness creeping in, there was a slight pull in the back of my legs where a couple of ligaments were angry about the abuse and know I had a long way to go yet. I didn't really stretch my legs out all the way and conserved energy all the way down to the crossroads on Oundle Way. I was still feeling good but the muscles were reporting back a lack of power as I tried to climb the inclines. I got through Goldhay by focusing on the time I was running compared to my "normal" pace. I knew on a good day that I could keep 9 miles an hour up all day. If I was indeed running about this I should be able to do the half marathon in 1 hour 27 minutes. I knew I wasn't running that sort of pace now but if I could make it to checkpoint four with 20 -25 minutes to spare (or the stop watch showing 04:05-04:10). If it was a normal run I'd know how far off I was. This raised the knees a bit more and kept me going. I didn't manage that threshold being around 5 minutes late. I also found that with the long roads now in front of me I was starting to feel thirsty and energy was coming at a premium. I could't push at the normal rate I would have done with a morning run and just told myself to keep going and focused of the music blaring through the headphones. As I started on the A15 back to Yaxley I was definitely feeling worse for wear I was keeping the body upright with promises of apple and blackcurrent squash and a tin of peaches all to myself if I made it back without stopping. I wasn't looking forward to crossing the road as I felt if I stopped I'd be hard pushed to get the momentum back. Fortunately the road god was with me and cleared a path in the traffic for me to limp across the A15 and head down the main street towards home.
I was very glad to see it but there was no lightning finish and I got myself in through the door. The stop watch read 04:44. I'd lost a good 10mins on the return journey from cp4.
On the plus side when you look at that time you can see that I'd run the half marathon section in 01:42. One of my co-workers had done the G.E.A.R last year in 01:37 and the "Beaver" is not a slow man. Although he did state that without the blisters he got from his new trainners and the fact he didn't do a lot of trainng, he would have gone faster. I still think thats a good time and I'm confident that no matter what else happens next week I can at least complete the course. Afterall, if I can do it after 3 hours of exercise doing it full of energy and well hydrated should make it a walk in the park. Pace is the key. I need to keep to that 9mph or 6min40sec miles. Go too fast and I'll burn out before the finish get caught in the pack and go too slow and the "Beaver" will take the piss. I'll therefore try not make the same mistake I did at the king's Lynn 10k and sell myself short when we line up. I'll need to be as close as possible to the 1.30 starters mark as I can get. That way I'll be in with my peer group and I can look to them to keep the pace.
Given yesterday's hard work I've called a rest day to recover. Rain is predicted for Monday and the rest of the week fairly clear. I'll try to get out on the bike for most of the week and make sure I do the morning runs at the start of the week. With the main event happening Sunday I'll want a couple of rest days to build up the reserves. Therefore Friday will be a very calm gym day avoiding the cardio work and Saturday will just be some light in house stuff to keep me ready.
Thats the plan anyway.
Starting with the swim I had a bit of a mishap in not starting the stopwatch until the third length. Whoops. I added two further lengths to make up for it on the time. I'm still not happy with my form in the water. I'm pulling strongly and I don't think my legs are getting tired at all from it but that is because I'm not really using them effetively as I'm coasting on my arm movements. I also found that as I got a little tired in the arms I'd start pulling them out of the water earlier and not at the rear of the sweep bringing them in line with the body. Still I went through the swim without really feeling that tired. Legs and arms were still stong. I hurried through the change but it still seemed to take forever. Just as I was about to leave I could feel the urge to pee but I thought no, I could hold on.
With the swim out of the way and a backpack containing the usual puncture repair kit, isotonic drink locks and the swim kit I set off for Huntingdon. One of the major drawback of the road bike is its fragility. I couldn't take any of the back paths for fear of damaging the lightweight wheels This left me go a rather long way round and I got confused as I headed into Goldhay. My plan was to follow the main road through Goldhay to Hampton then onto the A15 and the normal way down. I unfortunatley autopiloted towards the bridleway I take with the hardtail. I realised my mistake before I got there but it cost me time to get back on track.
With that out of the way the ride down was fairly routine. I had a headwind on the way down and kept the pace fairly easy with the promise of a nice fast return. The return was fast. With the wind behind me and the road now nice a dry I found myself hurtling along the downhill sections in top gear on the drop bars. I still can't keep this postion for too long but I'm finding I'm starting to hold it for a bit longer then when I first started. It helped that with less of a cross wind I was happier to stand up and let some of the tension in my legs and back out which gave me more time in the saddle when I needed to.
I tucked the bike away but found myself dying for that pee I hoped the cycle would knock out of me. Thre was nothing for it but to dive into the house and go. Afterwards I quickly downed the isotonic drink guilitly aware of how little water I'd taken onboard during the cycle. I only grabbed the water bottle once and it felt very wobbly and more then a little scary to do so. Still getting used to those thin tyres and faster cruising speeds. I also decided to take the time to make sure all the bits and bobs were where my housemate wouldn't see them as I could see a nagging coming on if they go in her way after she'd cleaned the kitchen. I also switched the lenses in my sunglasses for a more normal tint as the orange ones would look a bit weird.
Trainers on and off on the run we went. At this point I was at 3.02 hours in. I'd exited the pool itself at 00.32 but not left on the bike till 00.45 or so (not the greatest transistion in the world) with all the muking about finding the smoothest ride to the A15 I hadn't got to Hungtingdon until about 02.00 but I'd say the push back was very good although I didn't look at the watch until I started the run.
I had decided at the start to wear my cycling shorts with a pair of running shorts over the top. I needed the padding for the cycle but didin't want to show off my muscular buttocks too much and with the running shorts covering the full nappy looking padding I could run along nicely in them.
I went off at a fairly slow pace. I still felt strong but could feel the edge of tiredness creeping in, there was a slight pull in the back of my legs where a couple of ligaments were angry about the abuse and know I had a long way to go yet. I didn't really stretch my legs out all the way and conserved energy all the way down to the crossroads on Oundle Way. I was still feeling good but the muscles were reporting back a lack of power as I tried to climb the inclines. I got through Goldhay by focusing on the time I was running compared to my "normal" pace. I knew on a good day that I could keep 9 miles an hour up all day. If I was indeed running about this I should be able to do the half marathon in 1 hour 27 minutes. I knew I wasn't running that sort of pace now but if I could make it to checkpoint four with 20 -25 minutes to spare (or the stop watch showing 04:05-04:10). If it was a normal run I'd know how far off I was. This raised the knees a bit more and kept me going. I didn't manage that threshold being around 5 minutes late. I also found that with the long roads now in front of me I was starting to feel thirsty and energy was coming at a premium. I could't push at the normal rate I would have done with a morning run and just told myself to keep going and focused of the music blaring through the headphones. As I started on the A15 back to Yaxley I was definitely feeling worse for wear I was keeping the body upright with promises of apple and blackcurrent squash and a tin of peaches all to myself if I made it back without stopping. I wasn't looking forward to crossing the road as I felt if I stopped I'd be hard pushed to get the momentum back. Fortunately the road god was with me and cleared a path in the traffic for me to limp across the A15 and head down the main street towards home.
I was very glad to see it but there was no lightning finish and I got myself in through the door. The stop watch read 04:44. I'd lost a good 10mins on the return journey from cp4.
On the plus side when you look at that time you can see that I'd run the half marathon section in 01:42. One of my co-workers had done the G.E.A.R last year in 01:37 and the "Beaver" is not a slow man. Although he did state that without the blisters he got from his new trainners and the fact he didn't do a lot of trainng, he would have gone faster. I still think thats a good time and I'm confident that no matter what else happens next week I can at least complete the course. Afterall, if I can do it after 3 hours of exercise doing it full of energy and well hydrated should make it a walk in the park. Pace is the key. I need to keep to that 9mph or 6min40sec miles. Go too fast and I'll burn out before the finish get caught in the pack and go too slow and the "Beaver" will take the piss. I'll therefore try not make the same mistake I did at the king's Lynn 10k and sell myself short when we line up. I'll need to be as close as possible to the 1.30 starters mark as I can get. That way I'll be in with my peer group and I can look to them to keep the pace.
Given yesterday's hard work I've called a rest day to recover. Rain is predicted for Monday and the rest of the week fairly clear. I'll try to get out on the bike for most of the week and make sure I do the morning runs at the start of the week. With the main event happening Sunday I'll want a couple of rest days to build up the reserves. Therefore Friday will be a very calm gym day avoiding the cardio work and Saturday will just be some light in house stuff to keep me ready.
Thats the plan anyway.
Friday, 1 October 2010
Lighter, faster and a bloody sight harder.
Right sorry for the delay in posts. I was out having fun.... ok I was really tired from training....ok so I was a little tired in the evening. So where was I? Oh yes a new bike was on the cards and I was going to see if I could keep up the training to justify it.
Training started off very well. For two days I managed to keep to profile running in the morning and either cycling to work or going to the gym and in either case swimming afterwards. I kept to the 50 length target and even got a new record run time of 52.44.
But I couldn't maintain the pace. I took wednesday off on purpose to recover. but thursday was a failure too. I did go to the gym but only managed the standard 30 and normal gym routine without the morning run. Friday was a simple cycle and nothing fancy.
On Saturday I decided to go to Terry Wrights in Market Deeping to see if there was any other type of bikes I could look at or see the trek/giant ones in the flesh. Over the course of the week I had decided to go for the Trek design out of the two as I preferred them. I was even starting to lean towards the next model up in the madonne which was carbon fibre. I wandered in avoiding the "normal" cyclists asking if the suspension would make the ride softer or for paniers. oh dear. and had a good stare at the racing bikes. I started looking at the comparative differences in the allen specialised range which were cheaper but then I saw the treks. There were all lined up but the 2.3 and 2.5 caught my eye. I scratched my chin as I looked for the difference and couldn't see much. It was mostly colour. I could see the ultegra chainset gleaming on the 2.5 mocking the 2.3's 105 chainset but its garish colours still looked wrong. I then noticed that the price tab had a sticker over it. "Sale!" it read. I flicked it over and in felt tip pen someone had knocked £300 off of the rrp price on both of the bikes. I was now in trouble. I'd only gone to look and now I was faced with a bargain. I managed to curb my enthusiasm for the bikes and grabbed a salesman.
"I'm just looking and wanted to get an idea of sizes and costs etc" I said. He dragged out a 58" to let me try. I wobbled around the car park and it felt ok although a little weird. I felt a little two stressed out on my back reaching down. "Try the 56" he said "This 2.5 Trek is a 56" I tried and I liked. Better seating. I was tempted very tempted. And then I thought, The prices are going up for next year's models. It won't matter if you save up you'll still have to pay and you'll lose all that training time.
I was still conflicted I still wanted the Treks but which one. £1300 for the 2.5 was in the original budget but I could have the 2.3 for 300 less.
In the end prudence won out (what was left of it) and I grabbed the 2.3 but I had to get the accessories. New SPD shoes, new yellow jacket. New helmet. I went for a dual purpose lid I could use on the MTB too.
I'm very happy with it all. The only bad thing was that it came with some SPD pedals that only clip in one side. Makes for a right bugger trying to get off of the start line as you fumble about trying to get it into the clip. Will have to replace with some Shimano doubles for the comute.
I had to use it straight away and as soon as they sent me home with it I had it out and was playing up and down the street with my Father helping adjust the seat and the pedals. I was very happy when I gave it its first proper burn off of the line. It shot away like an angel and I was quickly running through the gears. It was fast. Very fast.
I couldn't wait to test it out on the commute compared to the MTB and despite the fact it was raining and was very dull I hoofed it down to Huntingdon. I was amazed. Without even trying because of the weather I had edged my old bestever time by quite some margin and I wasn't even tired. The next day was bright but not exactly drier so again I could give it the constant beans. It still flew and I beat the best again with 51.12. There was an accident on the A14 and Huntingdon was logged with irritrated drivers that I just zipped straight by. I had to slow down for them which was annoying. I really thing I could get the road time down to sub 50mins or maybe even sub 45. Like I said the pedals are annoying and almost got me killed as I tried to get away fast on the roundabout and couldn't get the power down and get out of the way as my feet were slipping off.
After that the weather has just been foul. Thursday was very clear but I had a meeting in Norwich and I don't think I could have justified taking the bike for that one. I have therefore been at the gym although I missed today. I've got a plan to do the mock up Triathlon I did last time only this time with the super trek bike I'd be able to do it right and fast.
Training started off very well. For two days I managed to keep to profile running in the morning and either cycling to work or going to the gym and in either case swimming afterwards. I kept to the 50 length target and even got a new record run time of 52.44.
But I couldn't maintain the pace. I took wednesday off on purpose to recover. but thursday was a failure too. I did go to the gym but only managed the standard 30 and normal gym routine without the morning run. Friday was a simple cycle and nothing fancy.
On Saturday I decided to go to Terry Wrights in Market Deeping to see if there was any other type of bikes I could look at or see the trek/giant ones in the flesh. Over the course of the week I had decided to go for the Trek design out of the two as I preferred them. I was even starting to lean towards the next model up in the madonne which was carbon fibre. I wandered in avoiding the "normal" cyclists asking if the suspension would make the ride softer or for paniers. oh dear. and had a good stare at the racing bikes. I started looking at the comparative differences in the allen specialised range which were cheaper but then I saw the treks. There were all lined up but the 2.3 and 2.5 caught my eye. I scratched my chin as I looked for the difference and couldn't see much. It was mostly colour. I could see the ultegra chainset gleaming on the 2.5 mocking the 2.3's 105 chainset but its garish colours still looked wrong. I then noticed that the price tab had a sticker over it. "Sale!" it read. I flicked it over and in felt tip pen someone had knocked £300 off of the rrp price on both of the bikes. I was now in trouble. I'd only gone to look and now I was faced with a bargain. I managed to curb my enthusiasm for the bikes and grabbed a salesman.
"I'm just looking and wanted to get an idea of sizes and costs etc" I said. He dragged out a 58" to let me try. I wobbled around the car park and it felt ok although a little weird. I felt a little two stressed out on my back reaching down. "Try the 56" he said "This 2.5 Trek is a 56" I tried and I liked. Better seating. I was tempted very tempted. And then I thought, The prices are going up for next year's models. It won't matter if you save up you'll still have to pay and you'll lose all that training time.
I was still conflicted I still wanted the Treks but which one. £1300 for the 2.5 was in the original budget but I could have the 2.3 for 300 less.
In the end prudence won out (what was left of it) and I grabbed the 2.3 but I had to get the accessories. New SPD shoes, new yellow jacket. New helmet. I went for a dual purpose lid I could use on the MTB too.
I'm very happy with it all. The only bad thing was that it came with some SPD pedals that only clip in one side. Makes for a right bugger trying to get off of the start line as you fumble about trying to get it into the clip. Will have to replace with some Shimano doubles for the comute.
I had to use it straight away and as soon as they sent me home with it I had it out and was playing up and down the street with my Father helping adjust the seat and the pedals. I was very happy when I gave it its first proper burn off of the line. It shot away like an angel and I was quickly running through the gears. It was fast. Very fast.
I couldn't wait to test it out on the commute compared to the MTB and despite the fact it was raining and was very dull I hoofed it down to Huntingdon. I was amazed. Without even trying because of the weather I had edged my old bestever time by quite some margin and I wasn't even tired. The next day was bright but not exactly drier so again I could give it the constant beans. It still flew and I beat the best again with 51.12. There was an accident on the A14 and Huntingdon was logged with irritrated drivers that I just zipped straight by. I had to slow down for them which was annoying. I really thing I could get the road time down to sub 50mins or maybe even sub 45. Like I said the pedals are annoying and almost got me killed as I tried to get away fast on the roundabout and couldn't get the power down and get out of the way as my feet were slipping off.
After that the weather has just been foul. Thursday was very clear but I had a meeting in Norwich and I don't think I could have justified taking the bike for that one. I have therefore been at the gym although I missed today. I've got a plan to do the mock up Triathlon I did last time only this time with the super trek bike I'd be able to do it right and fast.
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