Wednesday 20th November 2013
Swimming (2150M / 01:00:15)
Endurance Session
WU - 3x100 easy, every 4th length choice & stretch.
4x100 kick (Fins & kick boards - focus on a steady and deep kick) @30s recovery.
6x50 easy (focus on when & how to breathe to the wall) @20s recovery.
3x100 steady (no pull buoy - focus on breathing pattern of 3,4,5,3 and generating power from your WHOLE body) @20s recovery.
Main Set:
4x200 - (7 out of 10 pace) bring all lessons from previous drills together and keep core tight. 30s recovery between 200's.
2 easy lengths cool down
That is the furthest I have swam in a long time so I'm pretty pleased with myself.
I did concentrate on rotating the body and generating power and I even managed to breath to the left a bit better then before.
Every week I will look for little signs of improvement.
In the words of Team Sky Cycling - " Marginal Gains."
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Tuesday, 19 November 2013
Falling down is the new sitting up.
Tuesday 19th November 2013
Running ( 4.31 Miles / 00:33:27 / 00:07:45 / HRZ4)
Tempo Run
Another really nice tempo run with Brendan from work. he Manfully came out with me even though he is not feeling 100% and was with me every step of the way. I think he'd have destroyed me if he was feeling fit.
I'm pleased with this effort as it is a touch quicker than last week over the same course and actually felt a little bit easier.
The splits were nice and even as well with 7.52 / 7.44 / 7.39 / 7.45 / 7.45. I've got to be happy with that.
Cycling ( 00:47:29 / 15.04 Miles / 19.00 MPH / Cadence 86 / HRZ2)
Turbo Trainer - Sufferfest Wretched.
Back to the Club Turbo session again tonight. A rather disappointing turn out of just four. Not sure what puts people off but the turbo is good fun, especially in a group getting splattered by a Sufferfest video.
Although this one was only 45 minutes long it felt like a hard effort and I'm glad it wasn't an hour otherwise I might have been in a world of Ssufferlandia! I see why this one is called 'Wretched.'
A pleasing effort and another decent session knocked out.
I even had a comment that I've lost weight in the last couple of weeks - good to hear!
Oh, and another faller off the Turbo! Not as spectacular or funny though, or maybe I'm just getting used to seeing people fall off a stationary bike. It's obviously the new thing.
Running ( 4.31 Miles / 00:33:27 / 00:07:45 / HRZ4)
Tempo Run
Another really nice tempo run with Brendan from work. he Manfully came out with me even though he is not feeling 100% and was with me every step of the way. I think he'd have destroyed me if he was feeling fit.
I'm pleased with this effort as it is a touch quicker than last week over the same course and actually felt a little bit easier.
The splits were nice and even as well with 7.52 / 7.44 / 7.39 / 7.45 / 7.45. I've got to be happy with that.
Cycling ( 00:47:29 / 15.04 Miles / 19.00 MPH / Cadence 86 / HRZ2)
Turbo Trainer - Sufferfest Wretched.
Back to the Club Turbo session again tonight. A rather disappointing turn out of just four. Not sure what puts people off but the turbo is good fun, especially in a group getting splattered by a Sufferfest video.
Although this one was only 45 minutes long it felt like a hard effort and I'm glad it wasn't an hour otherwise I might have been in a world of Ssufferlandia! I see why this one is called 'Wretched.'
A pleasing effort and another decent session knocked out.
I even had a comment that I've lost weight in the last couple of weeks - good to hear!
Oh, and another faller off the Turbo! Not as spectacular or funny though, or maybe I'm just getting used to seeing people fall off a stationary bike. It's obviously the new thing.
Monday, 18 November 2013
Swimming Ugly.
Monday 18th November 2013
Cycling (15.79 Miles / 01:06:00 / 14.60 mph / Cadence77 / HRZ 2)
First day of commuting to work using the bike - round trip totals above.
The weather held up OK thankfully so I didn't get too cold or wet but it was tight enough in the traffic coming home this evening. Some drivers really are complete plonkers!
Swimming ( 1250M / 00:59:25)
Technique Session
This week we did quite a bit less on the distance side of things and focused a lot on being streamlined in the water and rotating side to side to reduce drag and keep form.
Oliver's mantra was to "Slice" through the water. I get the concept OK and was trying hard to get it - as usual I was better on the right side then the left but I noticed some improvement as we went through the session. As I said to Oliver, it was ugly but better!
Sadly I think in my case too much slicing through cake over the last few years has probably diminished my ability to slice through the water.
Cycling (15.79 Miles / 01:06:00 / 14.60 mph / Cadence77 / HRZ 2)
First day of commuting to work using the bike - round trip totals above.
The weather held up OK thankfully so I didn't get too cold or wet but it was tight enough in the traffic coming home this evening. Some drivers really are complete plonkers!
Swimming ( 1250M / 00:59:25)
Technique Session
This week we did quite a bit less on the distance side of things and focused a lot on being streamlined in the water and rotating side to side to reduce drag and keep form.
Oliver's mantra was to "Slice" through the water. I get the concept OK and was trying hard to get it - as usual I was better on the right side then the left but I noticed some improvement as we went through the session. As I said to Oliver, it was ugly but better!
Sadly I think in my case too much slicing through cake over the last few years has probably diminished my ability to slice through the water.
Sunday, 17 November 2013
Two rides, a run and a rant. Not a bad end to week 1 of IM training.
Saturday 16th November 2013
Cycling (8.94 Miles / 00:41:18 / 13.00 Mph / Cadence 67 / HRZ3) Elevation 337M
Hills - 3 X Pond Park Road
Having missed this session earlier in the week because of my alarm clock malfunction, I was determined to get the session in. I rearranged the schedule a bit and swapped my rest day about and hit the hill on Saturday morning. Weather conditions were decent and thankfully I had the wind behind me a bit on the climb. it did mean however that coming down the hill was a bit slower but that's not necessarily a ad thing.
I haven't done the hills in a while so I was a bit worried as to how it would go.
I won't lie. It was a bit harder than it had been before but that's only to be expected as I was doing up to 5 sets on it previously and was getting the climbing legs but at least this was a start and it will be a weekly feature for me throughout this training cycle.
Pleasingly the three sets all went well with times for the climb of 08:54/ 09:01 / 09:27.
Fairly consistent and a positive start to the hill sessions.
Running (5.01 Miles / 00:46:00 / 00:09:11 per mile / HRZ 2)
While Ben was doing his warm up for his Rugby match I decided to kill the time with my Zone 2 slow run today.
Very strangely this felt like a tough run even though I was taking it easy and not worrying about pace.
It might be that I haven't run much this week, or maybe it was running so soon after the bike hill session, although there was a gap of over an hour but either way it felt much harder than it should.
I got it done though and it did get a bit easier as the run went on.
Sunday 17th November 2013
Cycling (28.43 Miles / 01:50:40 / 15.40 Mph / Cadence 80 / HRZ 2) Elevation 362M
You've got to love the Northern Ireland winter! typical weather which is breezy, cold and wet.
The rain wasn't belting down but it was what Peter Kay describes as "Wet" rain. You know that mizzle that just soaks you through no matter what you are wearing.
Not to be put off, I hit the road nicely wrapped up with tights, gloves and overshoes on and hopefully as well prepared as possible for the conditions,
My training plan had me schedule for a 90 minute ride so I estimated approximately 24 miles or so, although the conditions were bound to play a bit of a role.
Very quickly it became clear that this was going to feel a lot longer than 90 minutes. Within 5 minutes I was wet through and my vision was pretty impaired because of the mizzle. Imagine driving your car without wiping the windscreen and it fogging up. That was it!!
My route was undulating and one that I have done many times.
I felt a bit tired early on and realised that the winter wheels which I had put on the bike were substantially heavier than the normal ones I ride. It is amazing the difference in a set of wheels. In some ways the heavier slower wheels are good for winter training as they will build a bit of strength and the decent race wheels will feel so fast when I get them back on again.
Anyway I started to feel a bit stronger and pushed through the rest of the ride pretty well, although I was really freezing cold and wet.
By the time I got home I was able to wring out my gloves and empty my shoes. so much for my "best that money can buy" SealSkinz Overshoes!
I'm reasonably happy with the ride and the average speed. not too bad as a start.
On a completely non training related point. Later in the day I took the Dog for a walk to Wallace Park in Lisburn. It was lovely and the leaves were beautiful colours.
However, I'm about to have a rant here and I'm not being at all sexist about this.
One of my recently developed pet hates is seeing women out running who are obviously "Boot Camp" regulars. (Usually in pairs!)
They are bloody annoying! They run along then suddenly stop, walk a bit. Which is fine but this pair proceeded to launch in to the most pointless exercise in the middle of a run.
The first one started doing about 150M of lunges and the other got on to hands and started walking monkey style along the side of the football pitch!!
What the Hell is that all about.
I blame Boot Camp and some of the so-called "Trainers" who take these. A lot of the exercises they do seem to be pointless and certainly not any use when mixed in during a run.
Another one that I see regularly is running carrying hand weights!! Why?
Just run faster it'll have more effect.
Anyway rant over and I feel better.
Week 1 Summary
7Hrs 39 Mins
Swim: 3250M
Bike: 75.59 Miles
Run: 9.4 Miles.
Not too bad for a first week, although I missed both of my core strength and conditioning session and a brick run - but got everything else in OK.
Cycling (8.94 Miles / 00:41:18 / 13.00 Mph / Cadence 67 / HRZ3) Elevation 337M
Hills - 3 X Pond Park Road
Having missed this session earlier in the week because of my alarm clock malfunction, I was determined to get the session in. I rearranged the schedule a bit and swapped my rest day about and hit the hill on Saturday morning. Weather conditions were decent and thankfully I had the wind behind me a bit on the climb. it did mean however that coming down the hill was a bit slower but that's not necessarily a ad thing.
I haven't done the hills in a while so I was a bit worried as to how it would go.
I won't lie. It was a bit harder than it had been before but that's only to be expected as I was doing up to 5 sets on it previously and was getting the climbing legs but at least this was a start and it will be a weekly feature for me throughout this training cycle.
Pleasingly the three sets all went well with times for the climb of 08:54/ 09:01 / 09:27.
Fairly consistent and a positive start to the hill sessions.
Running (5.01 Miles / 00:46:00 / 00:09:11 per mile / HRZ 2)
While Ben was doing his warm up for his Rugby match I decided to kill the time with my Zone 2 slow run today.
Very strangely this felt like a tough run even though I was taking it easy and not worrying about pace.
It might be that I haven't run much this week, or maybe it was running so soon after the bike hill session, although there was a gap of over an hour but either way it felt much harder than it should.
I got it done though and it did get a bit easier as the run went on.
Sunday 17th November 2013
Cycling (28.43 Miles / 01:50:40 / 15.40 Mph / Cadence 80 / HRZ 2) Elevation 362M
You've got to love the Northern Ireland winter! typical weather which is breezy, cold and wet.
The rain wasn't belting down but it was what Peter Kay describes as "Wet" rain. You know that mizzle that just soaks you through no matter what you are wearing.
Not to be put off, I hit the road nicely wrapped up with tights, gloves and overshoes on and hopefully as well prepared as possible for the conditions,
My training plan had me schedule for a 90 minute ride so I estimated approximately 24 miles or so, although the conditions were bound to play a bit of a role.
Very quickly it became clear that this was going to feel a lot longer than 90 minutes. Within 5 minutes I was wet through and my vision was pretty impaired because of the mizzle. Imagine driving your car without wiping the windscreen and it fogging up. That was it!!
My route was undulating and one that I have done many times.
I felt a bit tired early on and realised that the winter wheels which I had put on the bike were substantially heavier than the normal ones I ride. It is amazing the difference in a set of wheels. In some ways the heavier slower wheels are good for winter training as they will build a bit of strength and the decent race wheels will feel so fast when I get them back on again.
Anyway I started to feel a bit stronger and pushed through the rest of the ride pretty well, although I was really freezing cold and wet.
By the time I got home I was able to wring out my gloves and empty my shoes. so much for my "best that money can buy" SealSkinz Overshoes!
I'm reasonably happy with the ride and the average speed. not too bad as a start.
On a completely non training related point. Later in the day I took the Dog for a walk to Wallace Park in Lisburn. It was lovely and the leaves were beautiful colours.
However, I'm about to have a rant here and I'm not being at all sexist about this.
One of my recently developed pet hates is seeing women out running who are obviously "Boot Camp" regulars. (Usually in pairs!)
They are bloody annoying! They run along then suddenly stop, walk a bit. Which is fine but this pair proceeded to launch in to the most pointless exercise in the middle of a run.
The first one started doing about 150M of lunges and the other got on to hands and started walking monkey style along the side of the football pitch!!
What the Hell is that all about.
I blame Boot Camp and some of the so-called "Trainers" who take these. A lot of the exercises they do seem to be pointless and certainly not any use when mixed in during a run.
Another one that I see regularly is running carrying hand weights!! Why?
Just run faster it'll have more effect.
Anyway rant over and I feel better.
Week 1 Summary
7Hrs 39 Mins
Swim: 3250M
Bike: 75.59 Miles
Run: 9.4 Miles.
Not too bad for a first week, although I missed both of my core strength and conditioning session and a brick run - but got everything else in OK.
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
I didn't sleep in. Honestly!
Wednesday 13th November 2013
Well that was a bit flipping annoying!
I set my alarm this morning for 5.45AM so that I could get up and do my early morning Hill session on the bike.
I was actually looking forward to it, so you can imagine my amazement when I wake up, look at the clock to see it is 6.30.
How the hell did that happen? It seems that I also turned the volume down and the alarm did go off but I just couldn't hear it.
Oh well. I'll try to make it up at some point this week.
Swimming ( 1850M / 00:54:13)
Arran was taking the session tonight and he had it labelled as an endurance session. Given my lack of endurance swimming recently I was dreading this a bit.
As it turned out I didn't really need to worry too much. It certainly was a tougher session than I have done for a while but pretty enjoyable. Early focus on kick and swim with fins then 200M sets.
Arran did however turn the screw with a nice flat out 100M time trial to wrap up.
I am not a fast swimmer and secretly hoped that given my lack of swim fitness that I could knock out a 2.00 for the 100M.
I am quite pleased that I managed 1.54. not a lot faster but still not bad at this stage of the season. The goal has to be getting that number towards 1.30 later in the season.
Luckily I have no early alarm call in the morning but I will check that the volume is up as I don't want to miss work. wouldn't that just be awful!
Well that was a bit flipping annoying!
I set my alarm this morning for 5.45AM so that I could get up and do my early morning Hill session on the bike.
I was actually looking forward to it, so you can imagine my amazement when I wake up, look at the clock to see it is 6.30.
How the hell did that happen? It seems that I also turned the volume down and the alarm did go off but I just couldn't hear it.
Oh well. I'll try to make it up at some point this week.
Swimming ( 1850M / 00:54:13)
Arran was taking the session tonight and he had it labelled as an endurance session. Given my lack of endurance swimming recently I was dreading this a bit.
As it turned out I didn't really need to worry too much. It certainly was a tougher session than I have done for a while but pretty enjoyable. Early focus on kick and swim with fins then 200M sets.
Arran did however turn the screw with a nice flat out 100M time trial to wrap up.
I am not a fast swimmer and secretly hoped that given my lack of swim fitness that I could knock out a 2.00 for the 100M.
I am quite pleased that I managed 1.54. not a lot faster but still not bad at this stage of the season. The goal has to be getting that number towards 1.30 later in the season.
Luckily I have no early alarm call in the morning but I will check that the volume is up as I don't want to miss work. wouldn't that just be awful!
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Two knock-downs at Fight Club. (you know who you are!)
Tuesday 12th November 2013
Running (4.39 Miles / 00:34:21 / 00:07:49 per mile / HRZ 4)
This was the first of my tempo runs which I hope to do at lunchtime every Tuesday when possible.
I was lucky enough to run with Brendan from work and as he is a good bit quicker than me I thought this would be good for a Tempo run - aiming for 8 mins per mile for around 30 minutes.
lucky for me Brendan cranked out a tempo run yesterday and was treating today as a bit of an easier run.
Setting out I knew the pace was a bit hot and to be honest I found it hard to pace for the whole run.
I am comfortable holding anything around 8.30-10.00 per mile and being pretty consistent mile to mile, however as this pace is not my normal pace I find it harder to judge.
The positive slant on this was that my deviation from pace tended to be faster rather than slower.
Anyway I'm happy enough with the run and felt OK after it too, although after showering it took me about half an hour to cool down once I was back at my desk.
Cycling (00:56:18 / 18.06 Miles / 19.20 mph / Cadence 90 / HRZ 2)
Turbo Trainer - Sufferfest Fight Club.
Back to the Turbo again but this time with the Club. once again about 7 of us turned up to endure Fight Club courtesy of The Sufferfest.
Sadly for poor Arran he suffered a puncture after only about fifteen minutes. I didn't think you could get a puncture on the Turbo but obviously it can be done.
The session itself was tough with lots of short sharp bursts which really sting the legs. It's funny how it felt different to the Angels session yesterday.
Not content with a first in the form of a Turbo puncture, the Boys decided that tonight would be a good time for me to catch another first.
Two falls off the Turbo!
That's right Two! Not content with watching Chris fall off the Turbo and slam to the floor, Ian decided he would have ago at chucking himself to the ground when getting off the bike.
Maybe they were inspired by the title "Fight Club" or just knackered, I don't know but the end result was pretty funny anyway.
I'm sure they are hoping that in the spirit of Fight Club, the first rule is never talk about Fight Club (or falling off the bike!) that I would not mention it. Sorry Lads I couldn't not give you a slagging about it!
Running (4.39 Miles / 00:34:21 / 00:07:49 per mile / HRZ 4)
This was the first of my tempo runs which I hope to do at lunchtime every Tuesday when possible.
I was lucky enough to run with Brendan from work and as he is a good bit quicker than me I thought this would be good for a Tempo run - aiming for 8 mins per mile for around 30 minutes.
lucky for me Brendan cranked out a tempo run yesterday and was treating today as a bit of an easier run.
Setting out I knew the pace was a bit hot and to be honest I found it hard to pace for the whole run.
I am comfortable holding anything around 8.30-10.00 per mile and being pretty consistent mile to mile, however as this pace is not my normal pace I find it harder to judge.
The positive slant on this was that my deviation from pace tended to be faster rather than slower.
Anyway I'm happy enough with the run and felt OK after it too, although after showering it took me about half an hour to cool down once I was back at my desk.
Cycling (00:56:18 / 18.06 Miles / 19.20 mph / Cadence 90 / HRZ 2)
Turbo Trainer - Sufferfest Fight Club.
Back to the Turbo again but this time with the Club. once again about 7 of us turned up to endure Fight Club courtesy of The Sufferfest.
Sadly for poor Arran he suffered a puncture after only about fifteen minutes. I didn't think you could get a puncture on the Turbo but obviously it can be done.
The session itself was tough with lots of short sharp bursts which really sting the legs. It's funny how it felt different to the Angels session yesterday.
Not content with a first in the form of a Turbo puncture, the Boys decided that tonight would be a good time for me to catch another first.
Two falls off the Turbo!
That's right Two! Not content with watching Chris fall off the Turbo and slam to the floor, Ian decided he would have ago at chucking himself to the ground when getting off the bike.
Maybe they were inspired by the title "Fight Club" or just knackered, I don't know but the end result was pretty funny anyway.
I'm sure they are hoping that in the spirit of Fight Club, the first rule is never talk about Fight Club (or falling off the bike!) that I would not mention it. Sorry Lads I couldn't not give you a slagging about it!
Monday, 11 November 2013
Not a bad start.
Monday 11th November 2013
Cycling (01:00:44 / 20.16 Miles / 19.90 mph / Cadence 89 / HRZ 2)
Turbo Trainer - Sufferfest Angels.
Well I might as well start as I intend to go on. An early session saw me once again tackle the Sufferfest on the Turbo trainer.
It wasn't any easier than the session doing the same workout with the Club last week. If anything the lack of being in a group saw my average speed drop a touch - however conversely my heart rate stayed a bit lower too.
Was I not working hard enough, or had I paced it about right? Who knows? Not me.
I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to trying one of the other Sufferfest videos next time. I might as well have a bit of variation in my suffering!
Swimming (00:55:52 / 1400M)
Technique Session
Following on from last week Oliver (Coach) put us through our paces a bit more, focussing heavily on streamlining in the water and rotation on breathing. Using the fins and float to work on keeping high in the water and streamlined certainly felt good - and then the float went away and the fins came off and then my ass and feet started to sink to the bottom of the pool.
Tonight was a really enjoyable session and it is clear that I have a lot of work to do to improve my technique but that's what Monday nights in the winter are for. Oh... and listening to Oliver!
Cycling (01:00:44 / 20.16 Miles / 19.90 mph / Cadence 89 / HRZ 2)
Turbo Trainer - Sufferfest Angels.
Well I might as well start as I intend to go on. An early session saw me once again tackle the Sufferfest on the Turbo trainer.
It wasn't any easier than the session doing the same workout with the Club last week. If anything the lack of being in a group saw my average speed drop a touch - however conversely my heart rate stayed a bit lower too.
Was I not working hard enough, or had I paced it about right? Who knows? Not me.
I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to trying one of the other Sufferfest videos next time. I might as well have a bit of variation in my suffering!
Swimming (00:55:52 / 1400M)
Technique Session
Following on from last week Oliver (Coach) put us through our paces a bit more, focussing heavily on streamlining in the water and rotation on breathing. Using the fins and float to work on keeping high in the water and streamlined certainly felt good - and then the float went away and the fins came off and then my ass and feet started to sink to the bottom of the pool.
Tonight was a really enjoyable session and it is clear that I have a lot of work to do to improve my technique but that's what Monday nights in the winter are for. Oh... and listening to Oliver!
Sunday, 10 November 2013
Only 259 days to go.
Sunday 10th November 2013
Training starts tomorrow. That is all.
Training starts tomorrow. That is all.
259 days until Sunday July 27 2014
Tuesday, 5 November 2013
Swimming with Fish and Riding with Angels.
Monday 4th November 2013
Swim (1350M / 01:00:00) Club - Technique session
Back in to the pool with the Club to get a decent winter of technique and general improvement in my swimming.
It's been a long time since I swam with the Tri Club, mostly due to a bot of apathy and some injuries.
Given the task of Ironman ahead of me, I thought I better get back in the pool again in some sort of structured manner and I plan to make both training sessions each week when the real training starts.
This one went well, although my lack of technique was pretty well exposed but I feel like I made awe bit of progress and held my own. I also remembered how much like Fish some of my fellow club mates are, just to make you feel completely inadequate.
I had forgotten though how much I hate breathing to the left side, or drowning to the left as I once called it!
What doesn't (almost) kill me only makes me stronger.
Tuesday 5th November 2013
Cycle (01:02:19 / 22.66 Miles / 21.80 mph / Cadence 87 / HRZ2) Club Turbo Session
Sufferfest - Angels
The Turbo session is a new activity for the Club this season and it replaces the old Spin class.
It wasn't a bad turnout with 7 of us turning up, although I am sure it will get more popular.
Arran had lined up one of the Sufferfest videos for us to work to. This one was called "Angels" and featured a decent amount of simulated climbing.
Here is a link to a quick glimpse of Sufferfest for those that don't know.
It was a tough session but really enjoyable and will make the sessions on the turbo a lot more interesting than they ordinarily can be.
I can't wait to try some more of these videos.
Swim (1350M / 01:00:00) Club - Technique session
Back in to the pool with the Club to get a decent winter of technique and general improvement in my swimming.
It's been a long time since I swam with the Tri Club, mostly due to a bot of apathy and some injuries.
Given the task of Ironman ahead of me, I thought I better get back in the pool again in some sort of structured manner and I plan to make both training sessions each week when the real training starts.
This one went well, although my lack of technique was pretty well exposed but I feel like I made awe bit of progress and held my own. I also remembered how much like Fish some of my fellow club mates are, just to make you feel completely inadequate.
I had forgotten though how much I hate breathing to the left side, or drowning to the left as I once called it!
What doesn't (almost) kill me only makes me stronger.
Tuesday 5th November 2013
Cycle (01:02:19 / 22.66 Miles / 21.80 mph / Cadence 87 / HRZ2) Club Turbo Session
Sufferfest - Angels
The Turbo session is a new activity for the Club this season and it replaces the old Spin class.
It wasn't a bad turnout with 7 of us turning up, although I am sure it will get more popular.
Arran had lined up one of the Sufferfest videos for us to work to. This one was called "Angels" and featured a decent amount of simulated climbing.
Here is a link to a quick glimpse of Sufferfest for those that don't know.
It was a tough session but really enjoyable and will make the sessions on the turbo a lot more interesting than they ordinarily can be.
I can't wait to try some more of these videos.
Sunday, 3 November 2013
Pity da Fool who rides with The A-Team!
Sunday 3rd November 2013
Cycling (29.64 miles / 01:52:49 / 15.80mph / Cadence 73 / HRZ2 ) Elevation 323M
Originally I had planned to do a duathlon today but I decided a couple of days ago not to bother as I just plain couldn't be arsed driving up to Ballymoney. So instead I hit the road with Aaron and Arran - henceforth to be known as "The A Team." - mostly because it's easier to write but also because I definitely felt like some kind of 'Crazy Foo' compared to them.
Meeting up at the bottom of my street was a bit of bonus for me as it meant a wee bit longer in bed as the Vino from last night had an extra opportunity to get out of my system.
The A-Team had promised me that this would a Zone 2 ride, which should translate as an easy enough pace. What I hadn't reckoned on was the stiff breeze that seemed to follow me most of the way round the loop ride.
Over recent weeks I have been concentrating on my running which seemed sensible enough as the Marathon was my main goal. The side effect of this is a total absence of bike fitness which was cruelly shown up by Face and Howlin' Mad Murdoch every time we approached anything even resembling an upward gradient.
On the whole I found it tough enough going which was made worse by the knowledge that the A-Team could have kicked my ass on bikes hastily knocked together by B.A. with Duct tape.
I am still pleased enough though that in a state of poor fitness and windy conditions I managed to still hold an average pace at near 16mph.
Lots of work to do still but I love it when a plan comes together.
Cycling (29.64 miles / 01:52:49 / 15.80mph / Cadence 73 / HRZ2 ) Elevation 323M
Originally I had planned to do a duathlon today but I decided a couple of days ago not to bother as I just plain couldn't be arsed driving up to Ballymoney. So instead I hit the road with Aaron and Arran - henceforth to be known as "The A Team." - mostly because it's easier to write but also because I definitely felt like some kind of 'Crazy Foo' compared to them.
Meeting up at the bottom of my street was a bit of bonus for me as it meant a wee bit longer in bed as the Vino from last night had an extra opportunity to get out of my system.
The A-Team had promised me that this would a Zone 2 ride, which should translate as an easy enough pace. What I hadn't reckoned on was the stiff breeze that seemed to follow me most of the way round the loop ride.
Over recent weeks I have been concentrating on my running which seemed sensible enough as the Marathon was my main goal. The side effect of this is a total absence of bike fitness which was cruelly shown up by Face and Howlin' Mad Murdoch every time we approached anything even resembling an upward gradient.
On the whole I found it tough enough going which was made worse by the knowledge that the A-Team could have kicked my ass on bikes hastily knocked together by B.A. with Duct tape.
I am still pleased enough though that in a state of poor fitness and windy conditions I managed to still hold an average pace at near 16mph.
Lots of work to do still but I love it when a plan comes together.
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