Ironman Week 11

Weather forecast for this week isn't as favourable, but so far all has gone well.
Swam at 7:10am monday morning. 3.6km
Rode twice yesterday, getting a little wet at lunchtime. Stayed dry on the turbo last night (obviously). All time best on the turbo last night in fact. Averaged 233watts for 79minute session. Best previous session was 221watts. The session was from the 24 week Ironman schedule in the book "Ironman start to finish". When I did this session on 8th Jan 2008 I covered 41.4km, last night it was 47km. That was followed by a 3mile out and back transition run (t-run).
At the pool for 7am when it opened. Dived in at 7:03. Got out at 8:11 having done 3.7k, Wk 11 wed session.
Oh, and I'm now registered on www.iamtri.com

30 Minute Swim Results

The results from the 30 min swim that took place in January are now through. My 1,965m earned me 10th place from 21 in the male 40-44 category. Not bad for a national competition.

First Swim of 2009

Happy New Year everyone.

I do hope that 2009 proves to be a happy year and a successful year and the economic predictions aren't as bad as feared.

Made it to the pool today for the first swim since Jan 1st. Didn't manage to make it before work, so went this evening instead. Had a good one. Set involved a mile warm up as 2x300 swim, 400 drill and 600 as 50m drill-swims. Then did a continuous mile set consisting of 2x200m on 3:30 (swimming 2:50), 4x100 on 1:50 (1:20-1:25), 8x50 on 0:55 (35-40s) and 16x25 on 30s (20s). Followed with a 300m warm down. Total of 3,500m in 61:40. Pleased with that.

Overtaken

Got overtaken swimming this morning. Really doesn't happen too often. Guess it's my fault by getting in the same lane as Mike. Youll have to forgive me for not knowing the surname of the other early morning swimmers, at least I know the forenames of the people in this mornings story.
Well, I started off at 7:04 on Mikes heals, I was doing 5x800m with 60seconds rest between each and he was heading off on a 1500m warm up. 3 lengths into the swim and I'm being overtaken by some slim lady who I hadn't even clocked as being in the lane with us, she didn't catch Mike before she paused for a rest, though she did give me a wake to follow in for 200m. Mike later confessed that he'd spotted Claire overtake me and wasn't going to let her catch him.
I was then into my second 800 when Mike then overtook me towards the end of his 1500m, this time with Tom on his heals. I did get my own back on Mike when he went onto kick, but you would expect that.
Nattering with Mike he reckoned that averaging 1:30 per 100m was a good pace for a distance swim. My 4,000m set took me 65mins which included 4mins rest, which means I averaged 1:31 per 100m. So I'm pleased with that.

The Week That Was - 13-19 Oct 2008

Though the title should be the weekend that was, not that there was ever a TV program of that name.
The weekend topped off what was a pretty good week.
Friday evening - I attended the wedding reception of Dean Grady and Fiona Hunter, who are kayaking and cycling friends as well as being neighbours.
Saturday morning - swimming training with East Anglia Swallow Tails before heading off on a Tri-Anglia ride to the English Whisky Distillery outside East Harling (route). Wrapped that up with a 2.2mile transition run.

Diss Swim Relay Challenge
Pleased to report that following a solid display of consistant swimming in the 15 minute Relay Challenge that the Tri-Anglia team consisting of Matt Ellis, Matt Spillman, Oliver Milk and myself won. More

Club 10k

Sunday morning saw the first Tri-Anglia Club 10k of the winter series. The run follows the 10k run route from the Norwich Olympic Triathlon, though admittedly with a slightly different start/finish point. The route is undulating and twisty with a significant portion off road. So not a quick course. Managed to post a time of 41:21 which is just 6 seconds off my all time 10k PB recorded 3 years ago.

I'm very very pleased with that.

Then went for a 36 mile ride on the single speed Specialized Tricross. Mark Nowell gave me company to Wortwell where he bought us hot drinks. The 36 miles is the furthest I've ridden on this bike in one go so far and takes the total mileage on that new bike through 100miles.

My ever faithful Giant OCR2 which was my first bike back in sept 2003 this week went through the 15,000 mile point. Total training mileage for the week was 192.6miles consisting of 5.1 miles swimming, 161 cycling and 26.5 running

UEA Swim

Bumped into Jim Keeble and Paul Kemp at the UEA 50m pool this morning. We were doing fairly similar sessions - warm up and then 200m efforts. My 200m efforts alternated between 4x50m drill swims on 60s and a 200m swim on 3:30. 600m warm up plus a 200m warm down to map a nice 2,400m 40min session.
Simon was leaving the pool when I arrived (I was late this morning) and Penny was in the pool by the time I left. Suspect the lady in the lane next to me might have a triathlon/multisport bias going by the cycle short tan lines on her thighs. When quized she said she'd just got back from the Pryennes.

Last Long Run and Ride done now...

.... ahead of Ironman UK. Rode 114 miles yesterday and a very slow 18 miler today. That makes 221 miles cycling, 6 swimming and 38 running with 31 of those taking place in the last 48 hours - no wonder today's run was hard work and a test of will.
Have been able to pile on the miles these last two weeks and feeling pleased with the efforts. Total combined mileage for the two weeks being 515miles. Total for the year to date is now 5,940 miles as 108.7 swimming, 5,042.4 cycling and 789.4 running.
Just the taper to do now.

Tri-Anglia first to complete first UK Double Ironman

Went for an easy run lunchtime today and found it a little hard going. But I was part of the Tri-Anglia team that were first to complete the UK's first ever double ironman over the weekend. Watch www.tri-anglia.co.uk for a report, I aim to write one later today.

Swimming Progress

Swam at UEA as per a normal wednesday evening. It was a bit busier than usual. That or I was a bit earlier. Started out with a lane to myself but kept being joined by others - particularly two blokes that wanted to do breaststroke and backcrawl slowly and didn't like being overtaken.
Despite this I managed to get the 3,500m session completed in 57:30 and it included a 1,500m (which might have been 1550m) in 22mins. So I'm content with that. If I could just maintain that pace for the ironman swim then I'll get under the hour and might even get close to the club record.

11 o'clock and all's well

Actually it's 10.30pm but realised I'm behind on my updates and I do like that Olde Town Crier call.
Has been a good few days training wise.
Rode well on saturday despite the wind. Had a good 18 mile run on sunday (thank you to Sally for cycle supporting me and taking the picture).

Swam in the lane next to Jonathan Tyrrell on Monday evening. He was on day 1 of week 1 of his 24 week schedule for Ironman Austria. As too is Mark Philo, who today sent me an invite to his 40th birthday party in March.

Yesterday managed to clock best part of 50miles on the bike, now at 80 for the week so far. Had the company of Kate Scotter for my Turbo session last night. Angie Thorp was unwell otherwise she would also have been there. Angie's husband Warren has accused the girls of being my groupies.

Today - work forced me to ride to one of our out of town locations. Used it as an opportunity to get a few extra bike miles in. Succeeded in that regards, I just won't do it with a laptop in the ruck sack again. Well, not for a long detour on the way back.

This evening was a milestone though, and a pleasing one. I've been following the swim sessions from the Ironman Start to Finish book and this evening was the first time I completed one of their 3.5k sessions in under the hour. In fact I just managed to get under 59mins. I would so like to get under the hour for the Ironman swim. Port Elizabeth might be too choppy, fortunately I've a second chance at Ironman UK in September.

Doesn't happen often....

... but it happened earlier this evening (Monday 8th Oct). In fact it's only the second time I can recall it happening since I was about 16 years old, so nearly almost quarter of a century. What was the occurance? Well, it was of swimming in a public session and having someone there faster than me. This evening it was Mike Auger, winner of this years Norwich Triathlon, that was dominating the pool.
(Obviously I get beaten by loads of people when the swimming clubs are in, but they don't count as public sessions.)

Early Morning Lake Swim

Went to the end of the lake and back again this morning. This time with John Digby the chairman and acting head coach at East Anglian Swallow Tails (EAST), which is a masters swimming club. We pretty much paced each other stroke for stroke down the lake 1550m and a similar number of strokes. Had a minutes look around and natter then swam back. Round trip of 49mins 12seconds. That equates to around 60mins for the 3.8k of the Ironman swim, taking off the minutes rest and I might be looking at 58mins for the Ironman swim.
The swim was followed up with a meeting of the 'Swiss 7' to finalise a few details for our trip to Zurich.

Received a medal today

My 4,045m swim in the One Hour Postal competition earlier in the year placed me 3rd in my age group. Received the medal this evening along with a cloth badge for having participated.

Swam ....

.... to the end of the lake and back this evening. Haven't done that in a while.

Swam with Sam Kingston, a fellow Swiss 7 member. He is definately quicker in a wetsuit.

Lake Swimming Started this morning...

.... and with water temperature of 13C and air temperature not much different it was pretty cold.
Just swam 1500m with John Digby of EAST in 0:24:07, which was quite long enough.
Takes me to 70miles swimming for the year to date.

Swimming Certificate and Medal

It's been a long time since I last recieved a swimming certificate, but received one today. It was the one for my 5k swimathon on Sunday.
It was purely coincidental to recieve a medal too. It was a bronze medal from a 30min postal swim in January. Four of us from our Masters Swimming Club, East Anglian Swallowtails (EAST) took part in a National Postal 30min swim challenge and we finished 3rd.
It was well worth going to the EAST session at UEA this evening. :-)