Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough

As a sport, triathlon has it all. I just can't get enough of it, and this feeling is shared by every other triathlete I know or speak to.

Whether it be trying to beat your last ironman time, or competing in your very first ironman, or trying to qualify for the Worlds, there’s something for everyone.

Three guys from my tri club have just finished Ironman Nice. Jo, first time ironman, and Musty and Russell who are both ironman veterans. By all accounts it was hard out there, but they all finished and are no doubt enjoying the post race celebrations as I type this week’s blog. Well done, guys, but the big question is will you do it again?

Jev, along with many others from his tri club (Team MK) are flying out to Germany this week to race Ironman Germany next Sunday. This will be Jev’s third ironman (he’s a twice Austria finisher) and so at the moment he’s currently one behind me ;-) Jev is a very focussed athlete, to say the least, and if he performs to his ability then he will no doubt achieve his own personal aims.

Martin, a friend who I met in Italy recently, will be on the same start line as Jev, trying to qualify for Hawaii. Having already qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater, he is set to make it a marvellous double with a Hawaii spot too. Top athlete, and top bloke too. Good luck, Martin.

I am, as you know, still trying to qualify for the Worlds in Oz.

And so the list goes on of past, current and future aspirations.

Somebody who is no longer able to look forward is the late, great Michael Jackson, who we all know died this week. An ordinary name, but certainly not an ordinary person, he will be sorely missed.

He may have had his critics, and his life was shrouded in mystery amid accusations of various mis-doings (never proven), but I grew up listening (and dancing!) to Mr J. I remember, like it was yesterday, rushing back from an evening out with my mates to watch the Thriller video which was being aired, if memory serves me right, at 1am on the TV programme The Tube (but I could be wrong).

My children, too, love Jackson’s music and were just as shocked and saddened as I was at his death. His music truly did span generations and nobody can deny that he has had a profound effect on the pop music industry.

Leaving behind the plethora of MTV tribute programmes, I was racing the Northampton Sprint this weekend. The picture up top was taken by Anne-Marie just after the finish and is of me with a small person sitting on my head.

This was billed as a B race, but in reality it was far more important than that. It was after Northampton in 2007 that I decided I would compete for the Worlds and so I was using this race as a yard stick to see how far I have come over the past two years. I DNF’d in two out of my last three races, so this race was a test for my new tyres. So, you can see, this was more than just another race. I had a few things to prove to myself.

And prove them I did, with a 5th overall, 2nd in my age group – behind (far behind!) ex-pro Andy Tarry who not only won my AG but also won the race outright very easily - and taking over 6 minutes out of my time from 2007 (even with the bike route error). So, a very good day at the office and I am now well and truly back on track to consolidate over the next three weeks for Blithfield.





A good week of very specific training:-

Monday – swim - club swim
Tuesday – swim - open water (Brogborough), bike - hard intervals
Wednesday – bike - hard hill session
Thursday – swim - open water (Brogborough), run - intervals
Friday – rest
Saturday – bike - easy spin
Sunday – Northampton Sprint

More of the same next week. It's set to be a week of soaring temperatures, so if I suffer on any planned long training sessions then I mustn't Blame It On The Sunshine (groan, groan).

Cheers.

C

Is it all worth it?

Looking back to the MK Sprint a couple of weeks ago, where I DNF’d, I was wondering this week if all this training is really worth it, when something completely outside your control can turn the tables so drastically.

After hours of lonely miles in the saddle. Up and down the swimming pool for countless lengths. Pounding the local streets at midnight. Then, on the start line and, POW, it’s all over because of a mechanical error. That’s it. Curtains.

But training isn’t just for racing. It’s fun. During many miles in the saddle I have ridden through beautiful countryside. I have run through stunning woodland and swum in beautiful clear waters around the world. There’s no better way to start the day than a refreshing run in the woods, then overlooking the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside from the top of Ivinghoe Beacon. And I’ve made a lot of friends along the way, too. That’s why I do it. Of course it’s worth it!

My son’s football team takes up a lot of my time, and I won’t deny that this season I have wondered whether or not it is all worth it. This weekend we had our end of season day out, and after that I remembered exactly why I do it.

Thanks to Anne Johnson (mum of Aarin, one of the players) for a magnificently well organised day, we went over to Willen Lake for a day out rafting, golf and archery (the kids, that is, not the parents!), then back to Dragon City (local Chinese buffet restaurant) for dinner – 50 of us! The kids absolutely loved the whole thing, and to see the look of joy on their faces, each and every one of them, from start to finish, was wonderful.





I originally took up coaching to take an active role with Adam - my dad did the same for me when I was Adam’s age and I will always remember his support which contributed enormously to my happy childhood. But, not just that - after four seasons I have also grown very close to all the kids. Seeing them develop, at football and as people generally, is a wonderfully satisfying experience. That’s why I do it – and, yes, it most definitely is all worth it.

Joe finished his GCSE’s this week, after an extremely intensive four weeks of exams. It is fair to say that he has had a chequered time at the boys-only Grammar School in Aylesbury, but he really did knuckle down these last few months and so, hopefully, his grades will reflect his hard efforts when they come out in August. Whatever happens, parents can’t ask more of their children other than to try their hardest, and so I am sure that all of Joe’s hard work will have been worth it.

As triathlon training takes a back seat after the Worlds in September, football training takes over. This will start with trials in a couple of week’s time. In the meantime, however, all efforts are on my race training. Here’s what I did this week:-

Monday – swim - club swim, run - hard hill session, bike - 10 mile time trial (23:55 - PB)
Tuesday – rest
Wednesday – run - intervals, bike - hard hill session
Thursday – swim - open water (Liquid Leisure)
Friday – run - intervals, bike - 10 mile time trial with triathlon club (24:37)
Saturday – run - hill and sprints session
Sunday – rest

Good luck to Jo, Russell and Musty from my tri club who are off out to the South of France this week to take part in next Sunday’s Nice Ironman. Whether it be training for a sprint or an ironman, the effort required to compete at one’s own individual best is enormous. Those boys have certainly been extremely focussed with their training and so I’m sure they’ll surpass all expectations.

Finally, well done to me this week for another PB on the bike, again on the 10 mile time trial. This time I squeezed a sub 24 minutes for the first ever time, at 23:55, and this was directly after a tough Ashridge 8 mile run where I also managed a near PB in 63 minutes’ish. Why do I do all this training? Well, apart from having a fantastic start to the day, the feeling of registering PB after PB is hard to match. To infinity and beyond (there's the link to the headline picture)!

Cheers

C

Facing up to the twitters

Wikipedia describes the word 'twit' as a British slang word for an insignificant, foolish or annoying person.

Roald Dahl wrote a children's book called 'The Twits', which included the characters Mr and Mrs Twit who were two ugly, smelly, nasty, stupid people who spent their lives playing nasty tricks on each other.

Why, therefore, did the creators of the new phenomenon, Twitter, called it 'Twitter'. Surely not to describe its members from the extension of the word 'twit' or the book 'The Twits'. That wouldn't be very nice...

Twitter has its fans, but to be honest I can't see the appeal. I blog once a week and that's enough of my life which I want to share with the world. Or, more accurately, I'm not sure that the world is interested enough to want to know what I am getting upto every few minutes of every day. But, hey, I've been told that it is the best invention since sliced bread, so it must have something going for it.

Facebook, on the other hand, is a new find of mine which I am having fun with. Rather than tell everyone all about what I've been getting up to, I use it as a medium through which to see what everybody else has been getting up to. Perfect for someone as nosey as me!

I was drawn to Facebook after my triathlon training camp in Italy when many of the participants said they were 'on it' and that I 'must get registered'. So, back to Blighty, and I signed up. Since then, I have been keeping upto date with how my Italian training partners have been getting on with their races, and it's been very interesting indeed.

One of those is Martin, an excellent triathlete who was aiming to qualify, for the second year running, for the Half Ironman World Championships in Clearwater later this year. A week after returning from Italy, Martin raced his qualifier at Austria and promptly went and qualified at the first attempt. I met up with Martin on a boozy night out in London last Friday and congratulated him in person, which I have to say is a far better way than in cyberspace via Facebook.

Another is Andy who I learned this week, from Facebook, raced the Bedford Sprint (one of my favourite races) on Sunday in a very creditable time. Well done, Andy, and hopefully see you at the next race down at the Robinson pool.

I had a great training week last week:-

Monday – swim - club swim
Tuesday – swim - open water (Liquid Leisure), bike - hard hill session, run - hard intervals
Wednesday – run - hard hill session
Thursday – swim - open water (Liquid Leisure), bike - hard interval session, run - hard intervals
Friday – bike and run brick session with Robin from tri club
Saturday – complete rest
Sunday – run - hard intervals

This week I am planning on puffing my chest out at Adam's school sports day where I was on the victorious parents' Tug of War team last year. I might stay at the back of the team this year to avoid the prospect of injury, or maybe my male testosterone levels might just take over and force me to the front!

As far as training is concerned, this week I will continue to blast the bike and run, and concentrate on open water swimming at Liquid Leisure. More to come next week no doubt on Twitter, sorry I mean't to say Blog, or was that Facebook? So much to say, so many ways of saying it, but so little time. Who'd be interested, anyway?

Cheers.

C

Tears of a clown...

I don’t do things by half. Oh no.

13 or so minutes into today’s second World qualifier at Milton Keynes and I exited the swim in super-quick time (well, quick for me, anyway).

15 minutes later and this dream start had turned into a DNF, resulting from a string of comedic errors of which Coco the Clown would have been proud.

First off, the self-proclaimed king of transitions couldn’t get his wetsuit off. Next, I poked myself in the eye with an arm of my sunglasses. Then I crashed off the bike, landing bum over boob braking too hard coming out of transition. Finally, about one-third into the cycle, I punctured. Game over.

Here’s me, pre-disaster…



After the race, however, and having analysed the results over and over again, I am actually quite pleased with how things were concluded today.

Of those who didn’t make the 15% last time at Grendon, only two did this time, and they both got a better percentage than me, which means that I have only dropped two places. Of the eight automatic qualifying places offered over the two qualifying races so far, two have also qualified for the Olympic distance and so will not (as is likely) take up their Sprint slots.

All this means that I am effectively still in twelfth place going into the final race at Blithfield on 26th July, which is not a bad place to start the race given that I actually DNF’d today (there are 20 places up for grabs). If any more of the top eight places have gone to athletes who qualify at the Bedford Olympic on 19th July then that will take me further up the pecking order.

So, it's still looking good for Oz.

About time I updated my blog with details of my recent weeks' training, so here we go...

Week commencing 18th May:

Monday (Italy) – bike - 5 hour hard and hilly, run - intervals, swim - various drills
Tuesday – complete rest
Wednesday – bike - gym spin, swim - various drills
Thursday – complete rest
Friday – bike - easy (around MK sprint course), run - intervals, swim - various drills
Saturday – complete rest
Sunday – race – MK Sprint (race 1)

Week commencing 25th May:

Monday – complete rest
Tuesday – bike/run brick (garage session), alternating between fast and hilly
Wednesday – bike - gym spin, swim - various drills
Thursday – bike - hard intervals, swim (open water - Liquid Leisure)
Friday – bike - 10 mile TT (24:13 - PB), run - intervals (6 minute test), swim - drills
Saturday – run - Bushey Park 5K TT (20:42 - PB), swim (open water - Liquid Leisure)
Sunday – complete rest

Week commencing 1st June:

Monday – swim - club swim
Tuesday – bike - easy hill session
Wednesday – run - easy intervals
Thursday – bike - easy intervals, run - easy 15 minutes, swim (open water - Liquid Leisure)
Friday – complete rest
Saturday – run - very easy 15 minutes
Sunday – race - MK sprint (World qualifier)

Looking forward to checking out the results of Blenheim where quite a few of the guys I met in Italy were racing this weekend. Previous experience of this race tells me that this course isn't suited to wet conditions, so fingers crossed that they had a more successful time of it than I did at MK.

In the meantime, I will be cranking it up for the next six weeks in advance of the final qualifier at Blithfield. After today’s race, I am tempted to register under the name of Ronald McDonald and ride my unicycle. What do you reckon?

C

And finally...

This weekend saw the culmination of two national competitions – the FA Cup Final and, more importantly, the final of Britain’s Got Talent (or, as the luvvies like to say it, ‘BGT’).

In the former, Adam and I sat down, armed with fizzy drinks, biscuits and crisps, as did I with my dad years ago, for the BBC coverage (brilliant as usual) at around 1pm. Four hours later, following an OK match, Chelsea were crowned champions. Deservedly so, I would say, although I did as a result lose a £10.00 bet at 6 – 1 that Everton would win.

A couple of hours later, and almost having not moved from the couch since the match that afternoon (except for a bite to eat), and we were treated to a hugely entertaining final of Britain’s Got Talent.

Now, I know that these types of shows have their critics, but 15 million viewers can’t be wrong, so it must have something going for it (not just the presence of the gorgeous Amanda Holden). My personal favourite, Shaheen Jafargholi, a brilliant 12 year old vocalist from Wales, lost out on a top three place to saxophonist Julian Smith, singer Susan Boyle, and dance act Diversity (eventual winners). My tip to win was Flawless (a rival dance act to Diversity), and Adam’s was Diversity, so down went another £10.00 stake money, although this time to Adam and not to the bookies.

A great week of training in glorious weather, resulting in three Personal Bests – 6:30 for the 400 metre pool swim, 20:42 for the 5K run and, most unexpectedly, 24:13 for the 10 mile bike time trial.

I have swum quicker for 400 metres at the Concorde triathlon (I think) last year in 6:29 (I think), but the distance was slightly shorter than 400 metres (I think), so I’ll register this week's 6:30 as a PB. What I was particularly happy about was that I wasn’t pushing it, so that has set my spirits high for a great start to next Sunday’s second World Qualifier at Milton Keynes.

I have also run faster for 5K at the Bedford Sprint a few weeks ago, but again I think the course was slightly short. This week’s 20:42 was at the Bushey Park Time Trials, an organised 5K run held every Saturday morning at, believe it or not, Bushey Park, and my Garmin registered it at 5040 metres so it was as near as damn it the correct distance, so I’ll register the 20:42 as a PB (a minute quicker than my previous PB). I didn’t pace the run particularly well, going off far too quickly, so I think I could beat that time, and again it has raised my confidence for next Sunday.

I definitely haven’t cycled a quicker 10 mile than the 24:13 I rode on Thursday. My previous PB was 25:09 and so I smashed that by almost a minute. What probably helped was that I had Dan from my tri club breathing down my neck, having set off a minute after me, and I also had Andy (also from my tri club) in my sights ahead of me (having set off a minute earlier). It was also a slightly different course than where I rode the 25:09, with only one turnaround (instead of two), and without the slight incline of the former course. Averaging 28 mph on the out, and 20 mph on the back, with an overall average of 24.8 mph, it shows that there was quite a wind blowing, so maybe in less windy conditions I can go sub 24 minutes!

All these PB’s have been timed perfectly and is absolutely the best preparation I need for next Sunday’s second ‘A’ race at MK. It all goes to show, now that I have recovered from Italy, that training has been coming on leaps and bounds and the hard work has not been a waste of time.

Again, I don’t have my training diary with me, so I’ll have to update it later.

This week is a taper week (yes, you do need to taper for a sprint!), consisting mainly of shorter, semi-intensive stuff, and concentrating on sleep and nutrition. I also hope to get over to Liquid Leisure a few times, particularly on Saturday morning where Richard Stannard leads swimmers out for a mass start. Just the type of last-minute preparation I need for the start of the race the following day.

Congratulations to Mitten for completing the Edinburgh Marathon in tough conditions on Sunday. Mitten, if you’re reading (and I know you do!), let’s be having your race report on the forum please!

And, finally, as the weather continues to improve (it is a balmy 27 degrees as I am writing this blog), please wish me luck for the start line next weekend. The second of three qualifiers and I hope to improve on my place from the first race at Grendon. Whilst my aim is again to get to within 15% of the time of the winner in my Age Group, and hope to qualify on the roll-down, I certainly hope that the zillion hours training since then will take me a little closer to qualification for the most important Final of the year - the World Championships in September.

Cheers.

C