What a day. Sunny skies but the wind is incredibly strong. We cycled to the highest point on the island and the Ironman route. On the final climb there is a drop of over 1,000 ft on the left side of the road and the wind was really blowing - lower down one of our group was avtually blow off the road but wasn´t hurt. If that was scary then the descent was even more so. I fought the side wind all the way down and had to use some techniques I had read about to stop the speed wobble which is also know as the death wobble. Kept my speed to 34 mph max which was enough for me. I am hoping at the end of the week to have improved my confidence at cycling in these conditions.
Then for lunch followed by a swim in the sea. We found a protected area as the waves were crashing in at other points of the coastline. I hadn´t swam in the sea properly so you have to get your head around the fish that are accompanying you. They were fine but the jelly fish (1) did cause me some panic. Swimming in the sea is easier than a pool because you are more buoyant and have a wet suit on however the waves that did get through need to be handled in a certain way. I came out feeling good and confident. Off for a big dinner and early night. Tomorrow will be another adventure!
Monday, 5 March 2012
Saturday, 3 March 2012
Hills, wind & heat
Yes tomorrow I am off to Lanzarotte for 30 hours of swim, bike & run training. The plan is for 2 disciplines a day with the bike being the main feature. I want to be sure of the hills I will be tackling on 19 May and also confident on the descents which are fast and tricky with side winds. I need to get used to swimming in the sea which will be a first for me i.e. 2.4 miles in the sea rather than run in and run back out screaming! I will also be testing out my nutrition and hydration which is critical to my success (and health!).
Yesterday was a rest day but I had a meeting with my coach to go over my previous weeks results. In addition I needed a sports massage as my glutes were playing up again giving me lower back pain - not ideal before a hard weeks training. However they are now better but my wife (and yoga teacher) will be giving me some exercises to help while I'm away.
Today is all about packing including the most important item, the bike. It takes time to get it into the bike box and you have to be so careful with these carbon framed bikes. It's a relief when you get it to the other end and it's still in one piece! This afternoon I am giving in to 3 years of pressure and will be shaving my legs so I can pretend to be a real cyclist. It will certainly make the sports massage easier but I have no idea how good it will look! I'll blog while recovering after a hard days training but if I don't have access to the Internet then you will need to wait till I return with my tales of woe. Now where did I put that razor.....ouch!
Yesterday was a rest day but I had a meeting with my coach to go over my previous weeks results. In addition I needed a sports massage as my glutes were playing up again giving me lower back pain - not ideal before a hard weeks training. However they are now better but my wife (and yoga teacher) will be giving me some exercises to help while I'm away.
Today is all about packing including the most important item, the bike. It takes time to get it into the bike box and you have to be so careful with these carbon framed bikes. It's a relief when you get it to the other end and it's still in one piece! This afternoon I am giving in to 3 years of pressure and will be shaving my legs so I can pretend to be a real cyclist. It will certainly make the sports massage easier but I have no idea how good it will look! I'll blog while recovering after a hard days training but if I don't have access to the Internet then you will need to wait till I return with my tales of woe. Now where did I put that razor.....ouch!
Thursday, 1 March 2012
Sacrifices
I remember the first book I ever read about triathlon. It was called "How Ironman ruined my life" - at that stage I had no idea I would be taking part in Ironman as it sounded near impossible. It was about a guy whose first triathlon was Ironman and it was an amusing read, but there was a lot of truth in what he said especially around the amount of time required and how this impacts on family life. Fortunately my family support what I am doing especially as it raises so much money for Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres (www.justgiving.com/Derek-Stewart0). However I do try and plan all the activities in such a way as to minimise disruption but winter training makes this difficult with the limited daylight.
This morning was a 3k continuous timed swim - another PB. Tonight was a 1hr 15 min run at three different paces. I ran most of it with three other runners which is unusual for me but it certainly increased the pace. However when they had finished I still had another 20 minutes to do on my own at a faster pace than we had finished, but I made it. Now home for some protein and rest. Two days off training before I travel to Lanza for an exceptionally tough week of training in the heat. Bring it on.
This morning was a 3k continuous timed swim - another PB. Tonight was a 1hr 15 min run at three different paces. I ran most of it with three other runners which is unusual for me but it certainly increased the pace. However when they had finished I still had another 20 minutes to do on my own at a faster pace than we had finished, but I made it. Now home for some protein and rest. Two days off training before I travel to Lanza for an exceptionally tough week of training in the heat. Bring it on.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Day light
It's amazing the impact lighter mornings has on me and I am sure everyone else. Not only does it put a spring in your step, but it just makes everything better. So I set off slightly later this morning for an hours run and having not enjoyed my last run, this one was fantastic. The scenery was beautiful and my target times were achieved so I felt fantastic.
I also picked up my bike from the mechanic having had it serviced before going off to Lanzarote. I had a short, sharp, hard turbo session wearing my new shoes. You might not realise the importance of cycling shoes but if my feet are going to be "cooking" in them for say 6.5 hours, I want them coming out "healthy". In my first Ironman I had 4 black toe nails when I came off the bike and still had a marathon to run. So tonight they were tested and there will be more testing of my shoes and my nutrition while in Lanza. Nothing is left to chance. Enjoy lighter mornings and longer nights by getting out there and doing something.
I also picked up my bike from the mechanic having had it serviced before going off to Lanzarote. I had a short, sharp, hard turbo session wearing my new shoes. You might not realise the importance of cycling shoes but if my feet are going to be "cooking" in them for say 6.5 hours, I want them coming out "healthy". In my first Ironman I had 4 black toe nails when I came off the bike and still had a marathon to run. So tonight they were tested and there will be more testing of my shoes and my nutrition while in Lanza. Nothing is left to chance. Enjoy lighter mornings and longer nights by getting out there and doing something.
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
The mental game
Experience Ironman athletes will tell you that at least 50% of the effort required is mental and the balance physical. So every training session I do I keep that in my mind. So tonight there were 7 swimmers in 2 lanes going through their paces. I was the slowest but I've realised that what the other 6 are doing isn't important to me. What mattered was my time and on reviewing the data I had hit all the targets so being slowest didn't matter.
In the other 2 lanes are less experienced swimmers and I know they are keeping an eye on us and wishing they were faster - I know I started there. So which ever "lane you are in on life" it doesn't matter if someone is "going faster", as long as you know what you want to achieve and take the measured steps you need to take to get there.
In the other 2 lanes are less experienced swimmers and I know they are keeping an eye on us and wishing they were faster - I know I started there. So which ever "lane you are in on life" it doesn't matter if someone is "going faster", as long as you know what you want to achieve and take the measured steps you need to take to get there.
Monday, 27 February 2012
Refueling required
Early swim this morning and it was a tough session. 500m warm up, 200m of drills, 4 x 50m fast / 50m easy, 16 x 100m (targeted time) and 100m warm down. My times slipped in the last 6 100's and I knew I was tiring. Once I had finished work and done some Dad taxi duties I was exhausted and was considering missing out my scheduled run. But at times like this you have to dig deep so I refuelled and my energy returned.
However the run was horrible. There was a strong wind and when I got into the countryside it was pitch black which would have been fine but there was a heavy fog. My head torch bounced back off the fog and I could only see 2 yards in front of me. I couldn't see the side of the road and was worried about pot holes appearing from the dark. For safety reasons I changed my route but struggled in the dark and the fog for a good 15 minutes. I finished slightly behind target but was pleased I didn't succumb to the couch and then have to live with the guilt! When you're tired, take fuel on board and get out there - you're a long time dead so live every moment!
However the run was horrible. There was a strong wind and when I got into the countryside it was pitch black which would have been fine but there was a heavy fog. My head torch bounced back off the fog and I could only see 2 yards in front of me. I couldn't see the side of the road and was worried about pot holes appearing from the dark. For safety reasons I changed my route but struggled in the dark and the fog for a good 15 minutes. I finished slightly behind target but was pleased I didn't succumb to the couch and then have to live with the guilt! When you're tired, take fuel on board and get out there - you're a long time dead so live every moment!
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Confidence boost
The bike is the longest part of Ironman for most people and in Copenhagen in 2010 I took 7 hrs and 14 mins on the bike which is poor. I have analysed it to death since then and there are a lot of good reasons it was slow but my inexperience and lack of miles on the bike would be the biggest two as I'd only been cycling properly for 2 years at that stage. As a result, and following a poor training week in Lanzarote last year I decided to enter an Ironman with one of the toughest bike courses which is of course, Lanzarote.
So I have worked hard at improving my bike and have put in a lot of hours and miles. Over the winter I have concentrated on Turbo training which has increased my fitness. So today, although officially a rest day, it was a birthday bike ride for one of the coaches so a group of 25 cyclists went out and did 45 miles. I was going to take it easy but my coach suggested I attack the hills as it was a relatively short ride, so I did and finished in the top 4 or 5 on the big hills which is unheard of for me. I was also in the top 5 for the final sprint and that's never happened before - ever. I received compliments on my improvement from cyclists I respect and they were the same ones that left me for dead in Lanzarote a year ago. That's a nice wee confidence boost before I go to Lanzarote next week for training - but there is still a lot of work to do before Ironman.
So I have worked hard at improving my bike and have put in a lot of hours and miles. Over the winter I have concentrated on Turbo training which has increased my fitness. So today, although officially a rest day, it was a birthday bike ride for one of the coaches so a group of 25 cyclists went out and did 45 miles. I was going to take it easy but my coach suggested I attack the hills as it was a relatively short ride, so I did and finished in the top 4 or 5 on the big hills which is unheard of for me. I was also in the top 5 for the final sprint and that's never happened before - ever. I received compliments on my improvement from cyclists I respect and they were the same ones that left me for dead in Lanzarote a year ago. That's a nice wee confidence boost before I go to Lanzarote next week for training - but there is still a lot of work to do before Ironman.
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