Technique, technique, technique

Very early morning start to drop my son off at school for 6am as he was flying out to Spain this morning for football training.  As the other parents were returning to their beds I headed off to the pool.  None of my tri pals were there so I spent the first 15 minutes warming up in the pool but I could feel my right shoulder with every stroke.  Then one of the ATHelite coaches turned up and he made a few observations and suggested a change in my technique.  It felt odd at first and then I realised I had no more shoulder pain.
Simple body mechanics but not so simple to put into practice.  The ideal thing about this session was I was under no pressure to go fast against the clock or chasing other swimmers to avoid being lapped.  I could swim in slow motion and concentrate on the new technique and feel what was happening.  It will take a long time to make this the norm but now I have the picture in my head I will strive towards it.  Perhaps the message today is that in order to improve you need to get some outside help and then take time out to work on the improvements.  Certainly helped me today - thanks Colin.

London calling

I'm just back from 2 days in London on business.  While there I wasn't able to train but I took the opportunity to rest my sore shoulder from the swimming and spread the word about the new Mission Ironman website - www.missionironman.co.uk .  The feedback has been very positive and the encouragement from everyone I talked to was fantastic.
So many people are following my journey on the blog and have started their own journey which is one of the objectives of Mission Ironman.
Tomorrow I'll be back in the pool and am hoping that with some TLC my shoulder will get over the shock of getting back to swimming.  If over the weekend it is still sore then it will be back to the physio as I don't want to make it any worse.  The good thing about triathlon training is that if you have an injury that prevents you doing one sport, then you can concentrate on the others.  So spread the word re the new website and lets see if we can get the message out to a wider audience.  Thanks for your continued support, it drives me on.

If it doesn't kill you......

Back in the pool tonight, it was hell but it had to be done - man flu or no man flu.  It is always tough getting back in the pool after a lay off and it hurt.  Just before UK 70.3 Ironman I was swimming well and completing 3,000 m was relatively easy.  Tonight I'd be lucky if I completed 1,000 m and had to switch lanes otherwise I'd have held the real swimmers up.
I've a lot of work to do before I will be comfortable back in the pool but there are no short cuts.  I need to continually push myself because in 7 months time I have 2.4 miles to swim followed by 112 miles then a marathon.  So if it doesn't kill you it must make you stronger.

Preparing for Ironman

While suffering from "man flu", and everyone understands how serious that can be,  I was reflecting on my journey over the last 3 years and how this has impacted on how I think and my expectations.
I didn't start out to complete an Ironman, it just seemed to be a natural progression for me.  Fortunately I met people who knew what they were doing and they guided me along the right path.  It's like putting your body (and mind) through a scientific experiment - you are constantly monitoring the effects of your training and nutrition.
Having completed one I am now preparing for the toughest Ironman "where normal limits don't apply" - Lanzarote in May 2012.  I have more knowledge and experience so the next 235 days leading up to the event are going to be interesting as I prepare mind and body.  You see I am not ready for the event now.  If it was tomorrow I wouldn't finish it within the cut off time and would probably end up getting medical attention if not hospitalised.  This type of endurance event requires you to build up your body and continually convincing your mind that you can do it. I understand this process now so when people ask me how can you complete such a long event the answer is simple - you built up to it.  But most importantly it's about believing you can do it even if at this moment in time you couldn't. Now for some more lemsip!

Taking precauions

Before I went cycling yesterday I felt a sore throat coming on but it wasn't too bad.  I wore a muff to keep my neck warm and felt fine while training.  However last night is started to feel worse so today I decided not to train and spend the day indoors to speed up my recovery.  The first objective in training for Ironman is getting to the start line fit and healthy.  So you have got to listen to your body and not take unnecessary chances.
Last year Chrissie Wellington, the 3 times world champion, had to pull out of the world championships due to illness the night before the race.  It can strike at any time and you need to be fully fit for an endurance event.  The timing of this sore throat (which usually develops into "man flu"!) couldn't be better as the serious training doesn't start till October.

Back on the bike

After the Bealach Mor (the hardest cycling event in the UK) my focus switched to running for last weeks run training camp.  This isn't the way I normally train but with single sport events as apposed to triathlon events, this is how you need to approach them.  Last week I used turbo training sessions on the bike to help my legs recover.  Even on Friday I could feel tight calf muscles so running wouldn't have been a good idea.
This morning I went out on the bike with the ATHelite group and although we only did 34 miles I made sure I stayed in the big ring which takes more effort on the hills therefore making me stronger.  There were a few challenging hills on the route so it was a good workout.
I met my coach afterwards to talk about my training plan which starts at the beginning of October and it will start with testing;  a series of swim, bike and run efforts where various measures including my heart rate will be taken to give her a benchmark on which to base my training plan for the next 7 months.  It is essential that we know where we are starting from so we can map the progress and the improvements.  I can't wait to get started but in the meantime will keep my training ticking over as I am still officially "having a break"!

It all went pear shaped!

Generally speaking my day, week and even month is planned out for me so that I can run the businesses while being there for the family and squeezing in my training.  Sometimes the priorities change and the family or the business get squeezed.  But today was a classic.
For various reasons we didn't have enough coverage at the office and my wife went in to cover as I was at a conference.  However I got a call to say her mother had fallen and had to go to hospital so my wife was on her way and I left the conference to cover in the office.  Other events conspired to mean I was changing my schedule every half hour.
Add to that I needed to fit in a training session and I was struggling.  But you have to make the best of a bad situation so I squeezed in a 30 minute turbo session which did me a lot of good based on the stress levels.  The point I want to make is sometimes events overtake our plans and we need to adapt rather than feel sorry for ourselves.  In an Ironman event it is almost guaranteed to happen and when it does you have to make the best of your circumstances and get on with it.  If you have an issue with 20 miles to go then get over it as the distance doesn't get any less when you moan about it.  Oh and my Mother-in-law is recovering fine from her broken wrist.

Setting targets

David Walliams recently swam 140 miles down the Thames.  Impressive considering the sewage he had to swim through and he raised £1m for his efforts.  Most people wouldn't consider anything like this but spare a though for Charlie Whittmack - never heard of him have you?  He completed a "world triathlon" which involved swimming the length of the Thames and the Channel in fact the swim was 275 miles.  He then cycled more than 8,875 miles across Europe and Asia to Nepal.  To complete the journey he ran (and hiked) 950 miles to the Bay of Bengal and finished by climbing Mount Everest!  Not bad for a lawyer and it all started as a wee boy's dream.
It just goes to show that we can achieve anything we set our mind to.  The biggest limiter is our own mind so we must learn to challenge it and the more we do, the more we will achieve.  So well done David Walliams and Charlie Whittmack and everyone who set a stretching target and achieved or even exceeded it.  You're a long time dead to let's make the most of the opportunity we have.

Active recovery

After an endurance event there are effects.  By covering almost 40 miles running at the weekend my legs would normally be sore but having stepped up to this mileage from almost no running in the last 6 weeks, something was going to protest big style!  It was my quads and calf muscles which meant I had to walk down stairs side ways and ease myself out of chairs.  Like a Thunderbird puppet!
It was similar after Ironman last year so I knew what to expect and more importantly what to do.  So tonight after work and domestic taxi duties, I went on my turbo trainer and did 30 minutes of high cadence spinning.  This helps "flush" out the lactic acid that has built up and should speed up the recovery.
Tomorrow will be difficult as I am spending 8 hours in the car so I will probably need to stretch when I get home.  A swim in Wednesday morning and I should be as good as new.  I am still technically "resting" before I start my Ironman programme on 1 October but need to tick over until then.

Trossachs training camp

As predicted - it hurt!  On Friday we did a wee warm up run in the rain - 6 miles including cross country up mountain tracks.  On Saturday morning, in the rain, we ran 9 miles and in the afternoon, in the rain, we did "efforts" over 6.5 miles.  I was feeling stiff and sore but doing all the right things to make sure I'd be able to walk by Sunday when we did our main run.  It was scheduled for 16 miles (yes 16!) but a wrong turn meant it was 17.88 miles!  The scenery was unbelievable and it stayed dry although our feet did get wet as again a lot of it was cross country going up and down hills on mountain tracks or paths.  I finished strong on the last run and was delighted with my performance as I had only run 3 times in the last month, as the focus was on the bike, and the runs were short distances.
I am now walking like a Thunderbird puppet and it will take me a few days to manage walking downstairs without going side ways.  However it just goes to show what the body can do if you can control the "negative voice" in your head - some may say the voice of reason (why are you running when it hurts it kept saying?).
Tomorrow I'll spin my legs on the turbo trainer for 30 minutes to help get rid of the lactic acid.  In the meantime a couple of glasses of wine are in order after my 3 pints of water to make sure I remained hydrated!

Busy day

Yesterday was an 18 hour day.  I had organised a client lunch at the Riverside Museum and had a guest speaker fly up from London.  We were also doing some filming for our website so the pressure was on to make sure everything went on schedule - which it did.  Afterwards Fiona & I went out for dinner with some of our clients but it was a very relaxed evening with good food, fine wine and good company.  It's nice to show off Glasgow and all it has to offer and today they are travelling to Loch Lomond so lets hope it keeps dry!
My punishment for over loading on the liquid carbs will come later today when I have my first run in a three day running camp in the Trossachs. The forecast doesn't look too clever and staying in a hostel in dorms could be interesting - more noisy and smelly than interesting actually.  I'll report back on Sunday but, other than the dehydration I'm feeling, think this is going to hurt!

The 5 P's

Poor preparation precipitates poor performance.  After work I was going out for an hours run but when I got home various domestic arrangements (kids) meant the run had to be reduced to 30 minutes.  Flustered at all the last minute rejigging I didn't notice that my computer/watch that gives me all the measurements I need, had a flat battery.  So 200 yards into the run the screen was blank and as I was short of time I ran without any info.
It's like flying blind.  I have no idea whether or not it was a good run as I have nothing to measure.  This might not seem important but it was for me as on Friday I go off to a run training camp for 3 days and I wanted a benchmark to know how I was doing before I started.  My previous run had been the first in a week and was slow.  So I won't be making that mistake again as I now realise my new computer which has GPS needs juice on a regular basis.
So many things in life are better if we have feedback and this can only come from having milestones.  In business we call them targets which some people are put off by but if you break them down they do offer you a good measure of how you are performing.  So I'm off to bed slightly later than normal and have an extremely busy day tomorrow.  But before I go I'll charge my computer so no more silly errors.

Back to the pool

The word "should" is an interesting one.  When I typed it last night on my blog saying I "should" do a turbo session I knew than meant I probably wouldn't be doing it - and I was right!  I couldn't be bothered as I am in a rest phase.  However it's not mean to be complete rest as if it was then I'd be slow to get started in October when my Ironman training starts.
I also said I "may" go for a swim and as I was consumed with guilt over staying I "should" do a turbo session and didn't, I made sure the "may" swim became a reality.  So early to bed and up at 5.30 for porage and coffee to kick start the engine.  It's been at least 6 weeks since I have done that and it's now very dark at that time in the morning.
I wasn't surprised to find my swim fitness had gone completely.  So I worked on technical drills and would be lucky if I managed 1,200 metres.  It was extremely tough even though I was taking it easy.  This is an area where I want to improve my technique to ensure I get out of the water after 3.8km in the sea (152 lengths of an ordinary 25 metre pool) feeling fresh and ready for  180 km on the bike followed by a marathon.  So I will sneak in a few more sessions on my own before swimming with the club otherwise I will "die" trying to survive!

Calm before the storm

That statement refers to my training.  I was going to run yesterday but the weather was terrible.  Now wish I had because going out today isn't possible due to the gale force winds - I almost got blow away tethering my daughters trampoline to stop it going cross country!
I should go on my turbo later as tomorrow looks like it will be blown out.  On Friday I am away to a 3 day running camp which will probably be very tough - especially if I haven't trained!  First though I'm off to make dinner for the family and once that's settled down get on the turbo and work up a sweat.
Tomorrow I may venture into the pool and learn to swim again as it's been a while.  This "down time" will be ending at the end of the month.

Hurricane coming

The weather today is best described as "filthy". I was filming this morning so was going to go out running this afternoon but in this weather I wouldn't be doing myself any favours. As I drove back from filming I was listening to the radio which of course was replaying 9/11 ten years ago. Some of the stories were heartbreaking and it brought back the memories of that tragic day 10 years ago. It also made me reflect on life and what's important. My blog is based around achieving stretching goals, motivating others and raising money for charity. But certain events remind you how precious life is and how wars solves nothing. In the words of the late Edwin Star; "war, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing, say it again"! How true.
Tomorrow I'll get out for a run but the tail end of the hurricane may change my plans. On Friday I am away to a three day running camp and that should be fun / tough! No matter what, life must go on.

Rusty

As promised in my earlier blog today, I went out for a run when I got home tonight.  As I've been concentrating on my cycling I haven't been running.  It's amazing how quickly your specific fitness can drop off.  However I was expecting that and set my goal accordingly.  I was a minute a mile slower than my race pace for 6.2 miles but hey, this was the start of my running programme although I am officially taking it easy till beginning of October.
However at the end of October I have a 16 mile race so I need to build up the mileage and the pace.  Once again having key milestones motivates me to get off my bum and get out there.  How about you?

Exhausted doing nothing!

I never thought doing nothing would be so exhausting - but it is.  Now I know part of it is tiredness from the weekends event but it's the lethargy than saps your strength.  Last night I almost made it out for a short run but ended up having a glass of wine and watching telly with my wife.  What's going on?  This isn't normal or is it and what I've been doing isn't?  Anyway it was very enjoyable but will need to stop.
So tonight I AM going out for a short run as I need to retrain the legs for running as I have a three day training camp the following weekend.
I also need to build the running up for my 16 mile run on 30th October around the 6 public parks on the south side of Glasgow.
It's great having milestones on which to monitor your performance as it motivates you to get ready.  Perhaps I need a milestone for relaxing on my time off?  I'll work on that one as I know the recovery is important.  As is the glass of wine with my wife!

Air display

So I have some time to try different exercise for the rest of the month as a break before the real training starts in October.  So today was corporate golf at a plush course.  Normally the host provides a goodie bag for the guests but today was a first for me.  A private aerobatics display with 2 stunt planes over the 18th hole while we watched munching our bacon roll and drinking coffee.  They were unbelievable and the level of skill required to pull off the stunts was incredible as the wind was extremely strong.  This is only achieved through years of dedicated and focused training - just like Ironman.  However a bad race would be a lot better than a bad flight!

Race reflection

I use a 5 stage process to plan my goals and stick to it.  The 5th stage is essential and that is "Review", something we don't do enough of in life or business.  So although I am technically taking "September off" it doesn't mean I won't be thinking about what I've done and what needs to be done to achieve my goals.
If you are interested here is a link to the output from my Garmin computer  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/112031681 .  I had set a goal of 14 mph average speed and as you will see I beat this however this was partly down to getting into a fast group in the fist half of the race and also not knowing the course so under estimating my speed.  That isn't to detract from what was a gutsy performance that was mentally tough.
As I look towards Lanzarote in May next year I know that the bike section will be every bit as tough as Bealach Mor and possibly harder, however I will have a 2.4 mile swim before it, an extra 22 miles on the bike with a small matter of a marathon as a "warm down".  A bit of a challenge but based on my experience in the last 18 months I know that with the right plan, which will start in October, the right application of the plan and the right mental attitude the challenge is achievable.  So the plan will be built including a nutritional plan, core muscle exercises, yoga for stretching and strength, off road running and mountain biking in the worst of the winter weather, swimming, cycling and running.  There will also be a bike training camp in March in Lanzarote which will also include swimming in the sea as this is the open water swim in the event.  I hope you continue to follow my progress and thank you all for your support to date.

Bealach Mor - done

I set the target of the Bealach Moe due to the difficulty of the climbs.  This was an early test for Lanzarote.  The event didn't disappoint in the difficulty stakes.  The day before one of our riders was blown off his bike at the top of the main climb!  Fortunately on the day there was no wind, instead it rained all day - it was like cycling in a power shower.  Visibility was poor so we didn't get to enjoy the breath taking scenery until today when I travelled down the road.  I was told by the "regulars" that this was ideal weather condition - apparently the wind can make it too dangerous to complete!
I completed the 90 miles in 5 hrs 58 mins with an average speed of just over 15 mph which I was really pleased with and above the target I had set of 14 mph due to the massive climbs.  The main climb took me 51 minutes which gives you an idea of the effort required to get to the top and this is after 37 miles.  The decent can best be described as "arse clenching" and there were a number of casualties and in one case an ambulance was required.  I saw several cyclist skidding sideways on tight, steep hairpin bends and reaching the bottom was a relief.  But then you were only half way with some difficult climbs to come and tricky conditions on the road.
I had been well briefed by my cycling pals which helped tremendously and I had to dig deep towards the end as I was soaked right through and starting to get cold.  The last three miles was a quick down hill and the coffee and cake at the end seemed to make it all worthwhile.
We then headed off to a friends house that had a hot tub, sipped beer and looked out over the magnificent Loch Gairloch and towards the Cullin mountain range in Skye. Then some well earned dinner, a few more drinks and a good nights sleep.  The Bealach Mor is a great test and one of the most beautiful areas I've ever visited in Scotland.  I will be back but perhaps not on 2 wheels and no engine!
Now I am meant to be taking September off before starting my Ironman training programme in October.  I won't be sitting on my bum but I will be taking it easy.  Normal Service" will be resumed on 1 October.  Till then....

Hydration & carb loading

Preparing for a major race requires a lot of planning.  Tonight I'm cleaning the bike and checking it to make sure everything is in order.  I needed to fit new cleats to my shoes and then test them out on the turbo trainer to make sure I won't have a problem on Saturday - one had lost a screw and was loose which would have given me a huge problem in the race.  I need to get me ready also so upped my water intake as you need to hydrate a few days in advance.  I've also increased my food intake and tomorrow night should be a major carb overload - some of my pals might be doing this with beer but I won't touch a drop until Saturday night.  It's not that I wouldn't like to join them it's just of I do I won't be racing the next day.
Fingers crossed for the weather as this will be a hard enough slog without competing with the rain and wind.  This is going to be tough and it will hurt but it's an important stepping stone in preparation for Lanzarote. I'll report back on Sunday when I return.