More XC - this is becoming a habit

Training has been average (or “ordinary” as they say in Australia) over the last two weeks. I picked up a sinus problem the last time I went Open Water Swimming which put me off training. I have also been a little “chesty” which has brought on other problems which arise when I up the intensity. So I spread my last week of training over ten days and will have a week off this week. I was talking to a buddy today who had the chance to spend 20 minutes with Jo Friel (a very well respected Triathlon coach) over the weekend and he suggested that triathletes of a “certain age” would benefit from a complete week off every 4 weeks. That theory actually matches my training plan although I would normally plan some easy sessions during my rest and recovery week. So I feel much better about my break now.

To add some further variation to my training, I entered the Gorrick Enduro on Sunday. This is a endurance based cross country mountain bike race which takes place over a number of ten mile laps. I had very good intentions last month to enter the 4 lap race which I expected to take between 4 and 5 hours but as I was not on top form I opted for my usual 20 miles. It was a pretty fast course with some wide fireroads and good climbs with the last 4 miles dominated by sweeping single-track with deep berms enabling the rider to maintain speed through the turns. It was less technical than the previous races and suited fitness over handling skills. I came in 14th place out of 69 in a time of 1hour 53mins which I was pretty happy with, it was in line with my annual progression from 32nd in 2007 to 25th last year. I could have kept up the same intensity for another lap I think which was good to know. I was pretty pleased with myself until I noticed I was 28 minutes behind the winner – probably a young whippersnapper but all the same 28 minutes is a huge gap. I re-checked the results and noticed I was 5th out of non-sponsored riders which is a pretty good result. The 7 lap supermen and women were generally completing their laps quicker than me which was a little humbling.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

A bad travel day today, trying to get to Podgorica in Montenegro. Bad fog ultimately meant an 8 hour wait at Heathrow. I did get on one plane bound for Vienna but we were 45 minutes late boarding and I had a tight connection with no later flight if I missed it. After a bit of discussion with a helpful lady from the ground staff I did get on the plane on the assurance that it would take off sharpish. It didn’t and they subsequently announced a further 20min delay so I asked to get off or “de-plane”. It took a while but they eventually let me off and the same helpful lady escorted me back landside through passport control. I had been advised by the passenger next to me on the plane that if I could get to Belgrade then there were plenty of ways to get to Podgorica by plane, train or car. I found a Belgrade based plane option with JAT (Yugoslav Airlines apparently) and Montenegro Air. I booked my ticket, checked in and they immediately announced a 2 hour delay. There was still time to get my connection as this route entailed a 3 hour wait in Belgrade anyway. Once boarded, the captain announced a further 1 hour delay and I decided to give up and go home. It turns out JAT are not as accommodating as Air Austria and as we were negotiating my "release" the captain decided to leave the gate and taxi somewhere to wait for our departure slot in the hope of leaving earlier. No chance of getting off now. I am not sure if I will make my connection to Podgorica but an interesting car or train journey is anticipated. The upshot is I have had some time to update my blog – after another inexcusable gap.

STOP PRESS: We left Heathrow earlier than anticipated and I am now in Belgrade. The last flight to Podgorica leaves in 30 minutes and I am all set.

I was given a stern talking to by a policeman for taking this snap but it did tickle me.


The cycling is going pretty well, I have been on a few long rides recently on the “Mean Machine” and my average speed is pretty high. I managed 32km/h on my ride into work on Tuesday which is good for a 70Km ride. I have also managed to get in some Mountain Biking recently which has been a nice change and added some much needed variety to my biking. I entered the final race of the Saddle Skeddadle MTB Spring Series with Ben. It was a lovely day, sunny and fresh and there was a great turn out (84 racer in our “Fun” category and maybe 500 across all the categories). The start was delayed by 40 minutes due to a bad crash in the previous race and that may have contributed to a pile up at the start of our race. Consequently I was baulked and got off to a slow start. The course was quite technical and being amongst the back markers meant there was a lot of waiting behind slower riders. I managed to gain several places every time the course opened out and also on the hills but the going was always slow. I made 30th which was disappointing but I guess OK considering I did a 90Km ride the day before. I think if I enter a faster category next time I won’t suffer behind slower riders. Ben did really well and finished strong, he seemed to enjoy it and looked tired at the end, he suits the technical routes more than the fast routes as he is small with good handling skills.

I have also completed my 2nd Open Water swim of the season, and more impressively I made it without my swim buddy Tony, I cannot motivate myself to go swimming and for me to get out there without Tony badgering me is quite an achievement. I managed an easy 800m in 19 minutes which is actually the first time I have swam more than 100m without stopping. I felt pretty good at the end and not too tired. The time was too slow but am sure I can up the intensity and keep it going for the full race distance. The guys who run the place are very friendly, they remembered my name and were chatty which was great, I shall definitely be going back once or twice a week through the season, even if I did get a sinus infection and have been unable to breathe through my nose since!

Back on the theme of Mountain Biking. I took Ben down to CwmCarn on Sunday so he can do his downhill riding with friends. There is a broad range of people participating in downhill from teenagers (Ben is at the younger end at 14) to middle aged guys. I am continually impressed with the height the riders get when coming over the jumps and the speeds they attain on the descent. I and another “driver” did a couple of loops of the Cross-Country trail during the day whist the kids “Rocked Their World”. I was happy with my comparative strength on a very technical course especially on the climbs which were tough over damp roots and stone. The downhill sections were a bit hairy and I was pleased that my self-built hard-tail steed stayed in one piece. I am sure I shall be going back again this summer once I give in to badgering from the kids.

The view from the top:

First Open Water Swim of the year

My first Open Water Swim of the year was pretty successful. The water was quite warm and clean, much warmer than anticipated, the guys there are very friendly and the environment is pretty nice. There is even a resident swan who chases you if you stop swimming, now that is motivation! Once into my rhythm I found I was swimming well. My newly re-modelled stroke felt quite powerful and I could hold it for a good length of time. That was the good news. The not so good news is that I must be blind as a bat as I couldn't see the bouys marking out the route and had stop regularly to find my way. I also have an action that pushes me right with every stroke so I end up off course after 10 or 15 seconds. Practice will help here so all in all I am pretty confident that I will be close to my 15 minute 750m swim goal by the time the Big Cow comes along in June.

Here is a pic taken today just before I went in. The weather was overcast but otherwise it was nice and warm.

Lost my Mojo!

Phew, I lost my training Mojo for a while there. I am not sure where it went but it wasn’t where I wanted it! I was feeling lethargic, missed training sessions and often gave up before the end. The net result is that I have effectively lost a week or two of training, I should have recognised the problem early and had an unplanned week off but by not doing so I have had stretched it out and had two poor training weeks instead of one. An amateur error really, I should have known better and reacted more positively. How did I find it again? I am not sure really, a good swim here, a good bike there and hey presto it is back. My first Open Water Swim of the year shall be tonight up at the blueseventy Open Water Swim Centre. I really like the idea of twilight swimming, far more sensible than getting up at 5:30am to swim in a lake in the mist by the side of a motorway. I will post a pic when I return.

A Sign of the Times

I went for a run around Regents Park and Primrose Hill yesterday lunchtime, being only three minutes from the office it is a great place to run when the weather permits and it is much nicer than the gym in a poorly air-conditioned basement. The park is bustling with activities from "picnickers" to school trips and office workers grabbing a sandwich - and often a sly bit more with co-workers! There are always runners and general fitness activities going on including football, touch rugby and "Military Fitness" type camps. I was joined by a couple of French kids half way round who thought it would be amusing to run with me, they inevitably got tired but we had a nice chat for a few minutes and I got to practice my increasingly rusty French. I ran with a colleague from work, we ran a familiar route over to Primrose Hill and past London Zoo with that recognizable smell. The view from Primrose Hill on a sunny day is really quite spectacular, you can see as far as Crystal Palace in South London; today we could see the gathering of police helicopters over the City of London for the G20 summit and it’s welcoming committee of protestors. Our return took us past Winfied House, the home of the US Ambassador (bought for $1 after the war – what a bargain!) unfortunately they had Michelle and Barack staying over and a good proportion of the park was fenced off with anti-ram barriers and a heavy police presence. It must be a sign of the times when you can get closer to Buckingham Palace than you can to the US Ambassadors residence.



Training Done: Training has been poor this week due to work commitments so I have opted to re-classify this a rest week and modify my training plan accordingly.

More Haste Less Speed

There are a number of mountain bike races organised throughout the year by a bike club called Gorrick. The club is based in Swinley Forest in the Crown Estate and they do a great job in maintaining the trails there, the routes are in great condition and are generally unaffected by bad weather. The club also runs the Gorrick Hundred Enduro Challenge which I try to enter in May every year. This weekend was round 4 of the Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series cross country races and Ben, my 14 year old son fancied having a go, so we both planned a day of racing. Unfortunately with the clocks going forward we ended up rushing out of the house and in my haste I left my bike shoes at home, I also neglected to check the race worthiness of my bike having not been on it for a few weeks. Without my shoes and only in trainers I decided to enter the same race category as my son: the Fun category comprising just 2 laps instead one of the 3 lap more serious categories. The course was in great condition, a slightly damp surface on a firm base and the route was surprisingly hilly with a combination of longer gradual climbs and short steep hills. The downhill was quite technical with winding single-track to follow; not the ideal terrain for riding without being clipped in to the pedals. I bounced around the bike on the descents and having discovered soon after race start that my bike wouldn’t drop into the smaller gear set I couldn’t get any control on the damp root laden climbs; so I opted out of trying to get a fast time and waited for Ben then we cycled the route together. All in all a nice race in which to participate and Ben is now keen to enter round 5 in three weeks time. I am always impressed with the size and quality of the racing field at these events, having come from Mountain Biking in the Alps I have always had the impression that I am a proficient Mountain Biker but I generally fair pretty poorly at these events coming in the bottom 30%. I shall see how I get on during the Enduro in May as I have a few years of results to compare should be able to see if my l’etape training has helped my MTB bike fitness and endurance.

Hills and the “Build” phase

Now is when the sense of progression really starts. Training so far has been focussed on endurance and general fitness as opposed to speed or strength. It is now time to start the “Build” phase of the season’s training plan. The Build phase is all about building strength and speed off a good aerobic base, with a goal to be able to ride/run faster for longer. This is done by reducing the number of Long Slow Distance (LSD) sessions and replacing them with short high intensity drills. There is also a need to maintain the aerobic base otherwise general fitness declines. My aerobic base is better than this time last year after a good few months of training and considering my key events are later in the season compared to last year then this is good news.

The Build phase for me will be focussed on building strength and “muscular endurance” on the bike; the strength will hopefully enable me to get up a 10% hill whereas muscular endurance will enable me to keep going up that hill for 22Km. The end result being a “finishers certificate” on July 20th!

One way of gaining strength is to repeatedly climb short big hills, muscular endurance is attained by climbing longer less steep hills. This can also be replicated on a gym bike, turbo trainer or treadmill. Even though the sessions are shorter than before, they do hurt a lot more and require a good recovery period. The mental aspect of training is very different at this phase, whereas it is no longer about boredom but more about continuing the exercise when the legs and lungs are burning. My first two weeks have been good and according to my training logs I am around 10% stronger on the bike than this time last year – I wonder what that translates to in real terms?

Training Done: Bike: 6x2’ Intervals; 8x2’ Intervals; 2hrs40 Z3; Run: 6x80” hills; 35’ Z3/4; 30’ Z3; Swim: 2xsDrills

Dr Jekyll to Mr Hyde in one easy step

How do you go from Dr Jekyll to Mr Hyde in a thrice? The answer I think is to cycle in London. I cycled into work for the first time on Wednesday; around 70Km door to door from rural Hampshire to Central London. I paired up with Michael who works in outer London and was planning on riding with me up to his office. We left at around 6:15am, travelled at a good pace up the A30 and averaged over 35Kmh until we passed the M25 and got into Hounslow. Here it clogged up significantly and we had to dodge a lot of traffic; the main concerns were cars turning left without looking. Michael would have been knocked off if he had not been alert, a swift bang on the side of the car elicited no response from the driver so we are still unsure if he is aware how close he was to causing an accident. We separated in outer London and I was left to the perils of the London Rush Hour; busses and taxis were the main concerns, the former for their size and inability of the driver to see nearby cyclists and Taxis because they are so unpredictable: stopping, pulling out suddenly and doing all the things they need to do to on a normal day. Actually it was fine and the ride quickly became a series of short sprints from traffic light to traffic light, it is surprisingly easy to out accelerate a car in London and beat them to the lights. I turned into Mr Hyde as I watched the clock get nearer to 9am and started to “anticipate” the lights, the number of cyclists on the road started to increase as I got to Chiswick and they generally kept me honest, I was surprised at how well behaved they all were with very little rule bending. Anyway, I got to work in good time and even had the luxury of a shower before 9:00. I really didn’t fancy the cycle home in the dark as I want to be clearly seen by the cars in Central London so I shall wait till the clocks go back next weekend before cycling home, at least if I can get out of Central London in the light I will be pretty happy.

First Event of the year

Spring is in the air and thus a raft of Half Marathons are taking place, my interest this weekend lay in the Fleet Half Marathon. This is a really well run event with 2,500 runners, mostly training for the London Marathon. I used this to measure my running strength bearing in mind that I have neglected my running in favour of swimming over the last three months. The good news is I beat my target by 7 seconds and I beat last year by two minutes so I was pretty happy with my fitness if not my absolute speed. I messed up my pacing completely which meant I made hard work of the race; I got carried away at the start went out too fast at a pace that was 8 minutes inside my goal time and a heart rate that was too high, after a couple of miles I managed to slow it down but then slowed too much and ended up a minute behind schedule with 3 miles to go. I had to run a 20’30” 5Km to hit my goal time which really took it out of me; I was exhausted at the finish and couldn’t have run another mile. For me the result means that I can still focus on my swim for the next few months and still put in a respectable run leg.

Training Done: Run: Interval Session; Weights; Bike 20Km Z1; Run: 13.1 Miles 89’52”

A Heavy Weekend

I had my longest ride to date this weekend. Actually it was a heavy weekend all round: Some friends announced their engagement which entailed a party at “The Old House” which was great, the food was scrumptious and the night was long. That was followed by a 16Km easy run in the morning and a game of rugby in the afternoon. We had a group of 8 friends for dinner Saturday night which ended up being late as well and then I did my 90Km ride on Sunday. The weather was great for the first weekend this year so I set out in with high hopes. It turned out to be very windy and it appeared to be head on the whole way round; I know this isn’t the case but it always feels that way doesn’t it! It was so blustery I almost lost the front of the bike a few times. After 75Km it started raining and hailing and I was soaked through to the skin, even my nice new waterproof socks couldn’t cope with the heavy weather. I tucked my head down and kept going even though I was close to calling it a day, I was adamant I was going to break 80Km or 50miles.

I took out my new Planet X for the first time and I now know what it is like to ride a compact up some of the hills I will face on L’Etape; I ascended the 5% gradient of “Farleigh Hill” but I still need to see whether I can get up a 10% hill on the compact.

“Farleigh Hill” was a "breeze" but I struggled to get a good speed up it and also failed to raise my heart rate above 140 bpm which is not normal for me; I regularly climb at about 160 bpm so I decided to turn around and do it again straight away, alas with the same result. At the end of the ride my average heart rate was 129 bpm which is also low, it usually stays between 135 and 140bpm on a Zone 2 ride, my average speed was also a good 3Km/h slower than my normal Zone 2 ride pace. I had a quick dig around the inter-web and I may be fatigued or over-trained. On Saturday I had noticed that my heart rate took hours to drop to its normal resting level after rugby so I think I am just tired after 2 heavy training weeks after my ski break. I shall plan a very quiet taper week prior to the Half Marathon on Sunday.

Training Done: Run:3x4' intervals; Run: 90' Z2; Rugby (got spanked); Bike: 3.5 hours Z1/Z2; Bikram Yoga!