Race Report: Hell of the Ashdown 2012 (100km route)

I had a certain amount of trepidation going into this sportive. As I said previously I had a bad experience in 2010 with this course, and because of that I've always had demons to clear.

I signed up in November last year when entries opened - my friend Chris signed up too, and we secured the same start time of 09:02am. There are two route options, a "100km" route (actually 106km), and a "50km" route (actually 53km) called "Devil's de Tour". Chris and I signed up for the 100km version, and Mrs fancied taking on the challenge too and, seeing as this was her first organised bike event, she opted for the 50km route (her race report is here on www.totkat.org). A good plan - Chris had done the same thing last year.

My car is "in the shop" and so I have an enormous Audi A4 Avant of boat-like proportions for the week as a loaner car. It swallowed the bikes and associated kit like they were a small snack.

You could ship freight containers in this thing - I love it!

We signed in and relaxed with a cup of tea ahead of our start time. 9:02am came and, after a quick commemorative photo, we set off.

Chris (L) overloading the CCD with his jacket and me (R) posing ahead of the "Hell"

Chris and I had agreed before hand that we weren't going to race each other, we'd play it by ear and if one of us naturally pulled away we'd just roll with it.

Right at the start there's a massive hill - don't let it knock your confidence, it's short and sharp and soon over, then it's into the ride proper. I was a little restricted on the flat and downhill due to having a faulty front mech - I couldn't move onto the big ring at all, nor could I use the smallest cog on the cassette. I knew previously that I had been having some gearing problems, but thankfully, it being more about the uphills than the fast rolling flats, I wasn't too crippled.

First lesson: Always check your equipment well in advance of the event.

The first 30km flew past, and we made it to the first of the two feed stations in what felt like no time. There were two climbs I remembered from both years as being Big Climbs that Deserved Respect - the first was encouragingly named "The Wall", and came just after the stop. It's quite distinctive as you round the corner at the bottom and see it stretching up ahead of you into the sky. On the climbs, Chris was pulling away from me - he had a wider ranged cassette so he could stay sat down and plug away keeping a good cadence while I ran out of gears and needed to get out of the saddle a bit more. I caught up over the brows of the hills though, so we ended up staying together the whole way round.

The first feed stop

Second lesson: Think about the gearing you will need in advance, and make sure you've selected a cassette with an appropriate range (and appropriate chainrings to match).

The Wall, despite its imposing name, wasn't the mountain I remember. I felt quite good on the way up, and had plenty of energy left for the shallower climb that ran on from the top of the steep section - overtaking a dozen or two other riders on the way and catching back up with Chris.

It was disappointing not to have the high gears I needed to really take advantage of the rolling ups and downs, but with some occasionally comedic high cadence moments I don't think it held us up too much. I flew up the hill I remember walking up near to tears two years previously, and we made it to the second feed station in high spirits.

I knew it had taken around an hour and a quarter the last two years from the second feed station to the finish, and there was only the mighty "Star Hill" between us and completion. Again, I had this obstacle pretty much the size of Everest in my head, and was amazed that I just dug in and rode up it. I put in a couple of higher cadence out of the saddle moments, but most of the rise was sat down, plugging away, and overtaking people. What a different experience to the last two years!

Spot the comedy cadence and rest stops

It was a bit lumpy

We finished and rode over the timing mat at precisely the same time in order to get an equal time - though it transpires that Chris must have crossed the start mat a second behind me, as he ended up one second quicker! Bah!

I finished 369th out of 956, one place behind Chris, in a time of 4:37:31 - absolutely smashing my 2011 time of 5:23:27 (a 46:56 improvement) and 5 hour target. My secondary objective was to break into the middle third of finishers - as it was I was 39% down the field, so very nearly made it into the top third!

Obligatory finishers picture with Chris (I'm not sure why he was pulling a funny face!)

I'm really very happy about the result, even my most positive estimate put me at 4:45:00 - and I know with a bit less hanging around at the feed stations and having all my gears to hand (or foot) I could knock another few minutes off the time. So I think next year's challenge is to break 4 hours.

My bottle full of gels was an interesting experiment. I didn't get sick of the taste at all, but the liquid was a bit too viscous to eat easily through the bottle nozzle. With a bit of adjustment I think it could be a winning formula though, and certainly an order of magnitude easier than fiddling with individually wrapped gels.

I was particularly pleased about my heart rate - the majority of the time was spent in Zone 1, with 55 minutes in zone 2, and just under 7 in Zone 3. This means for the most part I was well under my functional threshold which means I have more "in the tank" to commit without crossing over into a level I couldn't sustain for an endurance event. This is what endurance training has given me, and proves that I am building a good aerobic base. There's a lot more work to do, but - just like my recent 5km PB - it's a great motivator to see real results-based evidence.

HR plot - lots of Zone 1 (under 152bpm), this is a good thing

Mrs had also done amazingly, and smashed her target with an amazing 02:26:14 finish. She was second female (the margin was under 2 minutes - she's blaming chatting at the feed station for that!), and beat most of the blokes too, coming a stonking 4th overall! Check out her position in the results table here.

My Garmin plot for the event is here.

Finish picture with a squeeeeee-ing Mrs

I got some odd looks when upon finishing I ran into the cafeteria, changed my shoes, and ran out! The 15 minute run I'd been advised to tack on the end was a real eye-opener. I remember the leaden legs I had at the Thames Turbo races last year, I had no experience of running off the bike at all. I'd by lying if I said that my legs were feeling fresh as I ran out - but certainly the long runs and brick sessions had helped. I kept cadence high and form good (and pretty much sweated to death due to running in bib-tights and two tops on the hottest day of the year so far).

A few of my favourite photos from the event, taken en route by Sportivephoto Limited.

Event photos, a couple with Chris, and one with a cheery wave for the camera

Am now very happy, no longer scared of the Big Hills, and actively looking forward to next year and the sub-4 hour challenge!

Official documentation!

Thank you Catford CC for a wonderful event, friendly and welcoming atmosphere, and brilliant marshals.

The first event on the 2012 race calendar

Tomorrow is the first event of the year, "Hell of the Ashdown" organised by Catford Cycling Club. A choice of 55km or 110km sportive in and around the Ashdown forest (in, around, and crucially up and down). It's all about the hills.

For the revised 2012 route there are 8 major climbs on the 110km route. Taken from their website:

1. Cudham Test Hill – New in 2009, this literally gives a short sharp shock in the first mile or so. Don’t worry if you have to walk the 1 in 4 stretch at the top because in any case we ask you to dismount to turn right at the T junction.
2. Toys Hill – You'll need to settle in for this 2 mile steady grind.
3. Up to Mark Beech – A new one for 2012
4. Forest Row to Ashdown Forest Heights - Another 2 mile steady slog up the same escarpment as the Wall
5. "The Wall" - This daunting climb was considered so hard that the Tour de France gave it a miss when the stage went over the Ashdown in 1994. On the Ordinance Survey map it’s steep enough to warrant a 'chevron' on two stretches. Although Kidds Hill is 1.5 miles long you will climb for a total of 2.5 miles to the summit of the Ashdown Forest at King's Standing.
6. "Nouvelle Col de Groombridge" - A new addition to the HOTA which we have just discovered. This narrow lane soars skywards seemingly forever.
7. Bayley's Hill – New in 2009 it replaces Ide Hill. We are not surprised if you've never heard of it because it's wisely shunned by those in the know. The quite lane starts on the low levels of the Weald of Kent and arduously toils up for about 2.5 miles, easy at first but it gets steeper until it rears up to crest the North Down’s Greensand Ridge.
8. Star Hill – 'The sting in the tail'. This is the one everybody talks about as it is a vicious climb coming towards the end of a gruelling ride.

I'm excited about this event. It's the first "proper" event since I've started the Ironman training. I definitely feel fitter and faster, and so I'm intrigued to see what difference that makes on the clock.

I've entered the 110km route in the last two years. It used to be held on the last Sunday in January to make it a real winter test, but the bitterly cold and icy days they had in 2009 and 2010 meant that from 2011 it was moved to the last Sunday in February. I can definitely agree that 2010 was a true winter day of near Arctic proportions!

In 2010 I had my only real experience of "bonking" (the cycling equivalent of "hitting the wall") - I ran completely dry - it was one of the most horrible experiences I've ever had. I couldn't get up any hills (even a slight rise) and was so weak that I couldn't keep the bike going in a straight line on the down hills. This kicked in after about 5 hours in the saddle. I sat in a car park by the side of the road and gave up. Tried to call Mrs (or Miss, as she was then), but there was no reception. I felt sorry for myself for a while and realised that if I didn't get my arse into gear I was going to be stuck in the car park for the rest of my life.

After hauling myself up, I was amazed to find the next feed station literally (and I mean literally) around the next corner. I stocked up on hot sweet coffee and the wonder that is Mule Bar, and rode the final hour to the finish. I learned a lot that day, I've never been on empty before, or since, and I never want to repeat the experience.

In 2011 I had a pocket full of Power Bar products so I could fuel on the bike (or by the road) and performed much better. I also stopped at the first feed station (I hadn't done in 2010, a really stupid and junior mistake, and the primary reason for my energy depletion later).

This time, I'm trying an idea for Ironamn fuelling - to put a load of liquid gels into a drinks bottle. You need to use thin liquid ones like the Science in Sport ones below, or the High5 IsoGel, otherwise the mixture is too thick to get through the nozzle.

Save time, pocket space, and stickiness!

There's nothing fiddlier whilst cycling than trying to extract a gel from your pocket, unwrap it, and consume it without dropping any rubbish. This could save a huge amount of time in an Ironman race, so it's a good opportunity to try it out.

12 gels fit, almost to the from

The bottle feels oddly heavy, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be very weird "drinking" the gels, but let's see how it turns out.

Heavy duty bag, perfect for car boot protection

We also took advantage of a good accessories sale at Evans and picked up a couple of soft bike bags - total bargain at about £35 each - 10% off total for two items, with 15% off if you buy 3 items, so we got two of these and a £1.99 water bottle. A bargain for saving the interior of the car!

This was the last two years' performance:

This year, I'd like to get sub-5 hours, but there is a different route so let's see what happens. Finishing in the bottom fifth (80th percentile or below) is a pretty poor show too, I'd like to be in the middle third (33-66%), but there are some kick-arse cyclists that do this every year, so let's just see how it goes.

Oh, and just to make it fun (and more Ironman relevant), I'm tack ing a 15-minute run onto the end as soon as I finish!

So that's it, all ready for the morning. I'll let you know what happens...

Shock news: Training works!

This weekend I had planned to go for a long bike ride with the Mrs on a route she tried out last weekend and really enjoyed. I like to get a parkrun in on a Saturday morning, and enjoy trying out unfamiliar courses, so I agreed to meet her in Kingston after my first visit to Kingston parkrun.

Unfortunately all hell broke loose at the day job, so Mrs was on and off the phone over night, and again this morning. Today's ride was off - rescheduled for tomorrow. Instead we'll go for a run together later this afternoon.

So that left me with a parkrun to do, but nothing afterwards. With working almost exclusively in Zone 1 lately, I have missed going for a 'balls out' parkrun, and seeing what I can do. With Kingston an easy 25 minute cycle away (a lovely warm-up and cool-down duration) I thought today was the day, let's put some real effort in and see how it goes.

I arrived at the start with a minute or two to spare, and joined the group. There seemed to be about 50 or 60 people there, a good size for a parkrun on a course that was fairly narrow in places, and had a number of people to navigate who were just out walking and enjoying their non-parkrun morning (they don't know what they're missing!).

The Kingston parkrun course

Elevation (according to Garmin)

I had quite a clumsy arrangement to run in, with my iPhone tucked down one glove (I fancied some music for a change today) and my bunch of house and bike keys tucked down the other glove. We set off after the race briefing and I was immediately caught behind someone slower. I held back and waited for a gap, and pulled round. I felt good, fresh from only having had a 15 minute swim yesterday, and confident. I didn't have "new PB" as the be-all and end-all, but my previous was set almost a year ago at Wimbledon Common parkrun on 5th April 2011, so I felt like an improvement was due.

I went off a bit quick (as ever) but tried to keep cadence high and speed constant. I was surprised at how quickly I reeled in a few people over the first couple of km. I was running well, I knew it was fast, but it was a bit unfamiliar as I'd spent so much time at sub-150 BPM heart rate lately, and here I was well into the 160s.

I haven't seen Zone 3 for a long time!

I tried to wind it up on the return leg (it's an "out and back" course) and checked my watch for the only time - it said 17 minutes and something, and I was a few metres shy of 4km. I realised that means that all I needed to do was put in a sub-5 minute km and I should break 23 minutes.

I wound it up over the last 500m, had a near sprint for the line, and stopped my watch. Looking down I almost passed out in shock - not that I'd broken 23, I was kind of expecting that, but by how much!

My previous PB was 23:07 set at Wimbledon Common parkrun on 15th April 2011

I still start too fast and get slower before bursting at the end though - this suggests there's more to come just by better pacing even with no fitness improvement.

Even though all my training for the last 6 weeks has been focussed on Zone 1 - I still smashed it! I'm overjoyed, and really happy to see some results from my hard work.

This is definitely getting a "Gold" entry in the training diary.

Upping the ante

When I signed up for IM Wales I thought I was taking on an immense almost insurmountable task. A monumental day of challenging myself and pushing my capabilities - and I'm sure that would be the case. However, something has been nudging at the back of my head, an urge to do, well, I don't know, just "more".

I know I can't take on an ultra-style event at this stage - I simply don't have the urge to try a double-iron distance race (some nutters in Lanzarote have finished just that, check out the Double Enduroman), and the concept of anything as insane as a deca-Ironman is a bit too "out there" for me right now (who knows, one day maybe...).

It seems like the fairies over at the WTC (World Triathlon Corporation, owners of the Ironman brand and series of races) were listening though, as earlier this week they published the following onto their news page regarding a new Ultimate Challenge:

Athletes of all abilities are pushing new boundaries in endurance racing although a fresh test has emerged which is arguably one of the hardest in Western Europe. The series of four UK and Ireland Ironman branded races is proving to be the ultimate challenge for some competitors next season. This will see athletes attempt an amazing two full distance and two 70.3 races between June and September next year.

It looks like we have Charlie and Kate from Suffolk to thank for raising the profile of this particular challenge, and piquing the interest of the WTC. From the same news article:

Charlie Stannett from Suffolk is a multiple time Ironman UK finisher and along with his wife Kate, is setting himself this ultimate goal in 2012, he said: “As 'Repeat Offenders' Kate and I had already entered Wimbleball and Bolton for 2012. As for Tenby I have a 2011 DNF to put right and Kate has a DNS to put right as she reluctantly withdrew from Tenby to focus on Kona. That meant we were already looking at the three UK events when, after an evening drinking too much wine, we spotted that Galway was also a possibility.” 

The UK organising team have agreed to provide some extra reward for athletes who are attempting the task that they are calling the Ultimate Challenge.

Dan James, Operations Director for IRONMAN UK, explains: “After launching the Ironman Ireland and Ironman Wales events last year some people started to talk about the ultimate test of completing our four races in one season. We thought this was incredibly hard but knew we had to recognise the achievement if someone could succeed in finishing all four in the same year.”  

As a result athletes embarking upon the ‘ultimate’ will receive special race numbers and a commemorative package including t-shirt, jacket and a unique medal as part of a special awards ceremony. A ‘Wall of Fame’ will also be created online to honour the success of those who can overcome the odds to finish all four races in the same season.

Well, as soon as I heard about a special finishers' medal my mind was made up. Game on!

I've exchanged emails with WTC and it looks like there are currently 9 people signed up for all four. A fairly exclusive club so far!

After the excitement had died down a bit (and I'd parted with a sizeable volume of cash) the reality of the undertaking started to become apparent. Whereas previously I would have had 13 weeks of recovery and training between Wimbleball 70.3 and IM Wales I was now going to be significantly more pressured.

17 weeks from this Sunday, on 17th June, is Ironman UK 70.3 Wimbleball:

Just 5 weeks after that, on 22nd July, is Ironman UK Bolton. This means my first full distance race is now 22 weeks away rather than 30.

I then have 6 weeks until 2nd September and the next race, Ironman Ireland 70.3 Galway. 

There is then only 2 weeks until 16th September and the fourth and final race in the series, Ironman Wales Tenby.

The two weeks between that last two will be hard, very hard. There will be barely enough time to recover, so appropriate pacing will be essential. In fact, pacing will be the key to success all the way through the year, from now until September.

I consider the Ultimate Challenge not to be about the distance or the individual events; it's in getting to the start line at Wimbleball injury free and mentally strong, and then maintaining that fitness and aptitude over the next three months. The 13 week recovery and training time I was expecting between Wimbleball and Wales would have really meant that I was competing in two independent races, whereas this challenge rolls the events into one three-month marathon.

At this stage, 17 and a half weeks out form the first event, I'm not thinking too much about that three-month period. I'm thinking about keeping my training consistent and productive. Getting my un-swimming turned into actual swimming, building a strong endurance base, and keeping fit healthy and injury-free.

It's very exciting though - I love having an adventure on the horizon, and this is the biggest one yet.

Oh yes, and the Mrs is doing it too. It's her birthday in October, it's a big one and I'm already thinking about how we can celebrate. It seems a dream that by then we'll have both completed four Ironman races!

It all just got a whole lot more serious…!

(And that's it now, really seriously definitely absolutely definitively and categorically no more race entries for this year).

New wetsuit

My wetsuit is very old, about 8 years now. Technology has come on a long way in that time, and wetsuit design, construction, and materials are no exception. For long swims it rubs, moves around, and generally becomes uncomfortable. Not what you want in an Ironman swim.

I've been very impressed with the reports on the latest Blue Seventy Helix wetsuit, so when the Legends Of Triathlon podcast auctioned one off as part of their sponsorship from Blue Seventy, I gave it serious consideration.

The ebay auction was for 10 days, and was due to expire while I was on a business trip to the US. In fact, it expired while I was sat in a presentation. Thankfully there were 208 other people sat in the session too, so I could keep a half-eye on my iPad and see what was going on with the auction.

I set a mental upper limit, and with a few seconds left made (yeah I'm one of those people, sorry about that) I made my bid, and... I won! The good thing about last minute bidding is the instant gratification.

I won! In dollars!

It could have been worse, it could have expired at 9.30am the next day when I'd have been on stage presenting - much harder to furtively check ones iPad from there...

So, the big unknown, is I kind of assumed it would be a 2012 version, seeing as that's what everyone has been excited about lately. However, checking just now I learn that it's not out until February (though it is February now) and you can't buy it yet.

So, will I get the really very good 2010 version at a bargain price? Or will I get the super amazing bar-raising 2012 version at a mega-bargain price? I'll let you know as soon as I know - one thing is for certain, it'll kick the arse off my old wetsuit!

(Actually I've just realised the one in the picture is a 2010 version so I reckon that answers that question...)

Un-swimming

I'm currently being un-taught to swim. I enjoy swimming. I've never had a lesson (discounting getting me from zero to my 10m ribbon when I was a mere sapling). I have swum regularly in the past, 3 or 4 times a week for a few months at a time, with these bursts coming every couple of years then dying away again. My self-optimised technique involved long lazy strokes, a minimum of splashing, and didn't really push my heart rate very high.

Using this method I've got through quite a few triathlons and a couple of 3.4km swims in the Thames. I thought I was doing OK, and I'd pretty much muddle through the Ironman swim with the usual minimum of fuss and hopefully no drowning.

And then last year I beat Mrs in one of those 3.4km swims. Swimming was her thing, it was to her what cycling was to me. Something she used to do an enormous amount of in "the old days", less in recent years, but still a good latent talent and strong muscle memory. Being beaten by hubby was not on. She sought assistance from a professional (coach, not shrink).

A few months after that we went on holiday. I got whipped to bits. Even swimming in the sea Mrs just took off - I couldn't hang on! And she hadn't even been taught to go fast yet! She's in the process of being taught to go fast and is probably putting in two lengths to my every one.

I gotta get me some of that.

So I did. I've had three coached swim sessions so far, and SwimCoach has very effectively untaught me to swim. My long lazy strokes? Wrong. The point at which I breath during a stroke? Wrong. My body position? Wrong. My catch? Wrong. My kick? We haven't discussed that yet, but I'm mentally prepared for it to be wrong.

I now feel like the least coordinated swimmer that ever graced the pool. I thrash and splash along, drinking water with every breath - it's a good job pools are constantly refilled otherwise me and my fellow swimmers would have ended up beached, me having drunk the pool dry.

I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel - but right now I can't swim at all. Mind over old-style has broken it, and I have no new-style proficiency yet. I know it'll come though. Practice, practice, practice. It will come in the end. I just hope it comes quickly enough so I can put in a good effort at the first Thames Turbo Triathlon, and then I need to get enough endurance in for a 2.25 miles swim when Wales finally comes round.

In any case, it's going to be a long time until I beat Mrs again.

Aerobic capacity benchmark

Coach said a good way of tracking aerobic capacity during a training run was to warm up for a few km, pick a start and end point a good distance apart, and then run it whilst adjusting effort to remain within 5 bpm of the top of HR Zone 1. See how long it takes, and try exactly the same run in 6 weeks, and then again in another 6 weeks. If my aerobic capacity is improving (i.e. I'm getting more efficient) then I should find that despite keeping within the same HR boundaries, I should get quicker. 

Sounds like a blast, let's try it.

Every Sunday I've been running round Richmond Park (this morning by some mad coincidence I ran past Mr & Mrs PSH who I'd only met properly for the first time yesterday! See previous post for who they are). It's mainly flat(ish) with one minor uphill and a corresponding downhill a couple of km later. I decided to set off and do about 2/3 of a lap as warmup (HR well within Zone 1) then at the bottom of the hill step it up a bit, and run to the bottom of the uphill on the next lap. This should give a test period of about 45 minutes. I then have a further 2/3 or so to finish off well within Zone 1 again. That should be long enough to notice a change even if I only get slightly faster, but short enough that I can manage my heart rate carefully during the period.

With only a slight adjustment to starting point due to pressing all the buttons on my watch apart from the correct one, this is what happened:

Objective, adjust effort to maintain HR from 146 bpm to 151 bpm

It's surprisingly hard to manage your HR within such a tight boundary. I found that when it crept up, reducing it was easy (slow down a bit), but the tough bit was getting it to stay high enough on descents. I pretty much sprinted down one or two small hills - and then have to decelerate rapidly at the bottom or it keeps on rising. No chance to relax! Keep checking the watch!

"Lap 2" is the experimental period

So, despite the very (very) slow ascents, and near sprinted descents, I think this counts as a success - I was only out of the target range for a short time, and I adjusted pretty quickly every time.

So, 0:46:47.57 is the first data point. I've made a note in my diary to try this again in 6 weeks, and in fact another 6 times throughout the year at roughly 6 week intervals depending what else is scheduled.

Ahh, so this is what training is for!

I have a history of being fairly spontaneous with my sporting objectives. Where as I'll deliberate for weeks over a new pair of trainers or some socks, I'll sign up for an 8 day 550 mile charity ride in California in the blink of an eye (which is what I did once in 2004, but that's another story).

For a while I've been thinking about an early morning ride to Brighton in time to get to Brighton & Hove parkrun. I thought it would make a nice training ride in the summer - its a route I know well, and the sun rising over the downs would be lovely. I wasn't expecting to do it in January, and I wasn't expecting to go to Eastbourne rather than Brighton, but when I found out a week ago that there was the inaugural Eastbourne parkrun event at the encouragingly named Shinewater Park I simply couldn't resist the opportunity for a good long training ride and short run afterwards. Decision made in an instant.

I got a good early(ish) night last night, and woke up this morning just before my alarm. I sprang (poetic licence) out of bed at the wholly unnatural time of 03:57 (there's a 3:57 in the morning as well as the afternoon, who knew?), gathered my carefully prepared cycling kit, and went downstairs for a warming bowl of porridge, banana, sultanas, and squeezy golden syrup (the container is squeezy, not the syrup).

Timestamped 04:12AM - that feels a very long time ago right now!

I was planning to leave at around 04:30 and everything was on time so far.

The route was easy - a couple of local roads and then all the way down the A22. There are more picturesque, challenging, and exciting ways to get to Eastbourne I'm sure - but I was on a schedule, had to run to get to, and wouldn't be able to see the scenery anyway - so A22 it was.

An uneventful ride out of London followed. I realised I was riding past Riddlesdown Park at one point, the third of the New Year's Day parkrun triple events. It was nice to think that in a few hours there would be dozens of people making the same journey to their local parkrun. No Riddlesdown for me today, much further to go this time!

When I decided on this ride I realised the lights I use for commuting would not cut it. I have a fairly good Cateye light that's probably 5 or 6 years old now. I have it set to fixed beam and velcro a Blackburn Flea flashing next to it. On the rear I have a standard Cateye 5 LED. No one is going to expect a cyclist on the A22 at 5 in the morning, so I needed to beef up my rear (as it were). Additionally, I assumed that parts of the A22 would be unlit, so unless I lit my own way I would be stumbling around in the dark. My front light was good at getting me seen, but not so useful for seeing by.

Conveniently the relentlessly fantastic Wiggle Bike Shop were having one of their mega sales and I found a Moon X-Power 1500 for the bargain price of £120, a whopping 60% off the equally whopping non-sale price of £299.99. A crazy amount to spend on a bike light (though you can spend a LOT more) but just the tool for the job.

Stick it on a tiny tripod and you've got your very own mini War Of The Worlds

The light was amazing, far better than I'd dare hope - so good that the full power setting made me very concerned about blinding oncoming traffic, so I did most of the dark sections on the lower powered setting, and some on the setting below that. I'm very impressed by the unit - the build quality, packaging, and professional feel all serve to make you think you've got a "proper" piece of kit. If I'd have paid £299.99 for it I would have been happy, but at £120 I feel I secured a real bargain.

Doubled up on the rear, and a front you can spot enemy aircraft with
(it's MUCH brighter than the picture suggests)

I enjoy time on my own sometimes, I am at ease with my own company, so I get a lot out of long rides on my own, mentally as well as physically. I've never ridden through the night on unlit roads before, so this was at times a very solitary experience - just me and my cone of light forging a path through the darkness. I really enjoyed it though - though I confess wouldn't have complained if it was a few degrees warmer. It was OK in London, but cooled down a good few degrees across the South Downs, and even more so for the last 15 miles.

I arrived at Shinewater Park at 08:20, a little ahead of my estimate.

90.64km in 3:43:54 including a couple of stops for nature and refuelling

I was the first parkrunner there, arriving at the same time as parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt (affectionally known as PSH). Paul founded parkrun a little over 7 years ago, growing it into the organisation it is today through passion, enthusiasm, and sheer hard work and determination. I've seen him at parkrun events two or three times before, and even used him to pace myself at Gunnersbury Park once (I hung on for 2km then he dropped me on the long energy sapping hill), but this is the first time I've officially introduced myself. He also knew who I was as we'd exchanged comments on Facebook before, we shook hands and had a brief chat. I was struck by his humility and unassuming nature. If you had taken an organisation from a dozen runners in Bushy park to now, with well over 16,000 running this weekend across in excess of 100 events in 7 countries (and plenty more in the pipeline) it would be easy to be big headed about it, but there isn't the slightest suggestion of that. This was further highlighted after the run when he introduced himself to a runner, and, commenting on his 100 shirt, said "Have you done many parkruns?", he said he had, nodding and smiling - not a trace of "Yes, I invented it it actually". I have a great deal of respect for that.

Being so early, I got asked to be in a few of the photos - so there's some pictures of me, the organisers and marshals, and PSH, Joanne (Mrs PSH), and their dogs. I felt like I'd gate crashed the photos a bit, but darn it I got up before 4am to be here, I was going to enjoy it!

Runners started to assemble, and we milled about expectantly. Someone came up to me and with a "You look like you cycled here, you must be Norm" introduced herself as Abradypus (Louise Ayling), someone whose blog I found late last year and have exchanged some tweets with. She had achieved the mammoth total of 51 different parkruns last year, being out of the country for one Saturday she explained. I'm a bit in awe of that - a level of obsession that even I'd be proud of! She's calmed down on the quest for more courses now - but will remain a long long way ahead of me in the Most Events table for some time yet.

The dizzy heights of 10th place

I'm languishing at 105th

The run was a good one - it's the most disorienting course I've run so far, and feels a bit like you're running in circles at the start, but the variations in terrain and scenery are good and the 5km flew by.

I went to the local eatery for a coffee with the parkrunners afterwards. I spent time talking to the chairman of Friends of Shinewater Park who explained some of the history of the park. It has been restored over the last 20 years, having previously been a rubbish dump! They have big plans for it, including capitalising on the diversity of natural habitats, considering a cafe on site (funding permitting). It's also on the site of a Bronze Age fort. I spent some more time talking to PSH, and Abradypus and a gentleman about training and marathon running, a few random people, and the event organisers. I've never made it to a coffee event after a parkrun, I normally have sometig else to do or get to - so this was a nice experience. I'm glad I hadn't booked a train back until 11am. General opinion was that I was a bit bonkers for having cycled down, but I don't mind that.

I put in a 5km time of 23:46 and was very pleasantly surprised! My PB is 23:07 so to be within 40 seconds and already having already cycled so far was hugely motivating for me. What's more - within a few moments of finishing I felt absolutely fine again. I seriously considered riding back to London, but decided to stick with the plan and get the train.

I have never felt so good after a three and a half hour ride in the freezing cold, never mind a ride that started before 5am and was followed by a very respectable (for me) 5km on/off road run. I'm on the train going back home as I write this, and I still feel absolutely amazing - no achyness, no feeling of processing a lactate buildup (sluggish, tired, weak) - I genuinely feel like I could put out another sub-24 minute 5km right now, or head out for another couple of hours on the bike.

Is this what training does? As I've said previously, I've never managed 4 weeks of consistent training before, and whilst I suspect quitting the beers has definitely helped (I've lost at least 2kg since jan 1st), but I can honestly say I have never felt this good after such a session.

If this is the result of just 4 weeks, I can only imagine what's to come with a few months under my belt. Consistency is king.

I'm so motivated right now - I feel amazing!

Success: Consistency be thy name, sleep be thy ally

All of the what can only loosely be described as training I have done over the last couple of years follows a very similar pattern.

Have a big night out; resolve that that's enough for now and I really should buckle down; start well, get a good few days in, maybe as much as two weeks; feel amazing, stronger and fitter every day!;10 to 20 days later growing euphoria erupts and one night (usually after a heavy weights session, there's a definite pattern) have a massive night out. The following day I miss whatever I had planned, maybe miss the day after too, probably go out again, and before I know it there's been a week of nothing - or at least very little.

Two great weeks on, one damaging week off. Rinse, and repeat.

Despite this, I have got a bit fitter, a bit faster, and even a little bit lighter. This cycle has delivered marginal gains. However, this year I want to get Much Fitter, Much Faster, and Much(cross out) Quite A Bit Lighter. Everything I have read, and everyone I've spoken to has said the same thing - the only way to start getting anywhere near uncovering what you're genuinely capable of is to train well. Training well means you need to:

1. Follow some kind of plan
2. Rest and recover appropriately
3. Train consistently

At the end of of this week I will, for I think the first time in my life, have completed 4 planned weeks of training comprising one complete rest day per week, and one or more scheduled activities every other day.

Everything is logged, all the numbers add up, I'm feeling great. But I'm starting to get tired. This morning, getting out of bed was tough, and I mean tough. On only a couple of days in the last 23 have I got 8 hours of sleep, more normal has been 7.5 or 7. This is usually absolutely fine, I have never been a "needs 8 hours or cuts everyone's head off until he's had a few coffees" kinda guy, however with the increased and consistent higher training load I think it's starting to catch up on me. I think Mrs (who has a record of being better at maintaining a consistent training load) has been right all along.

We need to get more sleep.

A brick session to remember: Part 2

Read A brick session to remember: Part 1 for the back story.

Huddled under the heater in the foyer of the Chevin Country Park Hotel and Spa, me and Mrs watched a chap park up in the car park and walk towards us. He introduced himself as Alec, an assistant to Jonny and Alistair. Evidently, "the boys" as they were regularly referred to, were on their way, just coming up the hill now.

We waited, a little nervously, and made some particularly tiny small-talk. The description had said "train with them on the Yorkshire Moors" and "join them for a run and a bike ride", but we didn't have any idea of what that really meant. The text is always going to imply something amazing to capture the interest, but what would the reality be? Would it be just us and them, or would there be more of an entourage, maybe some other people along as an obligation to their sponsors?

The boys arrived within a minute or two. They rounded the corner of the drive way, came up the path, and dumped their bikes on outside. They were dressed identically, and riding identical bikes. They certainly looked the part. They walked straight in and we were introduced.

We would be out on our own, the four of us, for "about 90 minutes" (we were asked how long we wanted) and then we'd come back, do a quick change, and go for a run for "about half an hour". Sounds awesome. I asked for a picture.

Alec reminded the boys to unzip their warmers so the BT sponsorship could shine through.

We headed outside and picked up our bikes. I asked for another picture :)

We've all got the same Gatorade 750ml bottles. It's a sign. I'm not sure of what, though.

We set off, out of the Hotel, and turned left. Holy crap I'm cycling with the Brownlees!

Very quickly they split up and cycled one each with us, Alistair and me at the front, Jonny and Mrs at the back. It certainly took a little while for me to relax into the ride. We went at a respectable pace, and kept the cadence high. I found it a bit hard to make conversation at first, but soon settled into it.

The boys were brilliant with us. Given they didn't know us from Adam (and Mrs Adam) they made us feel very at ease. The roads we were on were part of their training area, though they obviously go a lot further afield.

We talked about training (theirs and ours), their races, motivators, technique, and all sorts of other things. They would swap round occasionally, and we both had a chance to have a good chat with both of them. Speaking to Mrs afterwards I think we were both having the same conversations with each of them, but they didn't seem to mind.

I spent quite a while discussing grass roots sport with Alistair, and we spent some time talking about parkrun. It turns out Alistair has run parkrun, once before. Leeds run number 71, where he won - taking out the field with a super fast time of 15:36 - over 2 minutes ahead of second place! Here are the race results and his parkrun profile.

Mrs and I had decided to ask and see if they wanted to do Leeds the following morning, but they'd already told us they had "hard run training" the next morning, so we didn't ask in the end. Hard run training turned out to be four minutes full pelt on a grassy hill, then a short break, then three minutes, faster, then a short break, then two, and then one minute. A one-sided pyramid (sawtooth?) session.

We took a rolling route with a few hills, some short and sharp, others longer climbs. I realised it was quite a while since I'd cycled up a "proper hill" - the going was good, but a mental note was made to go and get some hill practice in soon...

Mrs was doing really well. I knew she was nervous going into the day, and worried that we'd all just zip off into the distance. More than once I was really surprised when we got to a top of a hill, and I turned around and she was just cresting it too - I don't mean that at all condescendingly, I've been cycling years and years longer than her, and more seriously, so I'm really pleased and proud of her performance.

Our cycle route.

We headed out along the ridge towards Ilkley, and then descended fast to the town. Taking a right after crossing Ilkley, we headed back up the valley before turning back round and up a long ascent to where we started. We asked for "about 90 minutes", we pulled back into the Hotel after one hour and 37 minutes. Pretty much spot on timing, not bad for guys who weren't wearing any watches!

Basically; down, along a bit, and up.

Occasionally when flying round some winding roads on a descent my mind wandered to what would happen if I accidentally clipped a wheel and one of them went tumbling off... "Careless oaf dashes Olympic dream" the headlines would read. Not the best way to end up in the newspapers. Anyway, nothing like that happened!

This is the full Garmin log of our ride.

We got back to the hotel, completed the longest T2 ever (about 10 minutes) and went out the front to meet the boys again. Mrs and I exchanged looks while we got changed - was this even happening?

Running was even more personal than cycling - the four of us could talk together. Well by talk I mean I could gasp the odd question and they could chat happily in response!

The most striking feature of our run was the effortless grace with which Jonny and Alistair seemed to cover the ground. Years of drills and circuits, and a mantra that the more time you spend on the ground the slower you are, has led to them almost floating over the terrain. It's a wonder to watch, it really doesn't look like there's enough time spent on the ground to lift off again with any force.

Running certainly separated the men from the boys. I found it tough to hang on at times. We were 100% off road, and went through woods, across uneven rocky areas, and sometimes where there weren't any paths at all. The Brownlees grew up in this area and have been running here all their lives - and it showed.

Our run route. Note the way it's nowhere near any roads or paths.

We talked about running technique, and the benefits of off road training with reducing injury and delivering a more rounded strength workout as no two steps were the same.

At the end I certainly felt like I'd run more than 5km, but felt very differently to after a normal run. There was no feeling of repetition in my knees or ankles - I felt more like I'd done a gym session!

This is the full Garmin log of our run.

We returned to the hotel, I was on cloud nine. We agreed to meet at 7 for dinner (yup, we were having dinner with them too!).

Mrs wrote some notes for her blog, I just had a shower and snoozed to repeats of Red Dwarf. I had a really odd dream about losing my way in transition, not having the right shoes (my SPD commuter shoes, not right for my tri-bike), and the lead female runner finishing before I'd even got out on my bike. Very odd.

We met in the hotel bar and took a table. Discussing money in triathlon, sponsorship, and the lack of a UK league system in triathlon meaning the boys race for a French team, we relaxed and felt very at ease. It felt like we were just sat in the pub with some mates. For all their Olympic potential, and clear hero status in British triathlon, they're just a couple of guys - happy enough to kick back and chew the fat as much as the next guy.

We moved through to the dining room and took our tables for dinner, still the four of us. Me, Mrs, and the hopeful Gold/Silver Olympic triathlon duo. I tried to imagine sitting in a similar place with two footballers - Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney maybe. Not only would you be absolutely mobbed by people and press, but the conversation wouldn't be half as interesting! The Brownlees were well spoken, polite, and interesting. They were bright and articulate. They are and will be great ambassadors for triathlon in this Olympic year, and beyond.

We talked more, covering diet (they eat whatever they want, near enough), drugs in sport and drug testing, sports science, training, and other non-triathlon topics. We talked about us a bit too, what we do, triathlon racing experience, successes and failures, and more. They seemed genuinely interested and listened.

We wrapped the evening up at about 10. Jonny had to be in in case the drugs testing crew turned up! Apparently you need to give an hour every day and say where you'll be, they can turn up at any time, and obviously without warning.

The Chevin Country Park Hotel and Spa.

So that was it, our day with Jonny and Alistair. They were great for their sponsors and really did commit a whole day of time - more than me and Mrs ever thought we'd get.

That was "meet your heroes" week. I'm not sure I'll have another one like that. I'm sure there will be other meet'n'greet poster signings, but I don't think we'll ever have a day with anyone like the Brownlees again - particularly with no PR, management agents, or entourage.

Thanks to Richard Downey from the Professional Sports Group for being so efficient and organised, thanks BT for having a ball, and thank you so much to Mrs for the +1 invite.

Most of all, thanks to Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee for a day of your time - good luck this summer, we'll be cheering you on until our voices are hoarse.

A brick session to remember: Part 1

I'm North of Leeds, near Otley, in an odd but pleasant enough little country spa. It's cold. I've got two racing bikes with me, and untold layers of warm running and cycling gear. I left London at 17:45 yesterday, after work, and drove until about 22:30 to get here, and I've been looking forward to this day for months.

What am I up to, you ask? (You did ask, I heard)

Mrs occasionally gets invited to special events through her job, I get to play +1. Last year we were fortunate enough to get a couple of seats at the BT British Olympic Ball. This was a fundraising event for the British Olympic Association that was held on 7th October last year at London Olympia.

Ticket, programme, and auction goodies

We got dressed up, arrived, at and set about getting acclimatised with the help of a few of the glasses of fizzy that were in generous supply. There were a lot of Olympians, past, present, and hopeful with well over 80 GB Olympic medals had been won by attendees, and hopefully many more to come. Our sporting interests are fairly polarised, so we recognised a couple of cyclists including Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish, and a few others who have are very active in sport and broadcasting such as Clare Balding, but there were many more faces that looked familiar but we couldn't place. All the guests had made a big effort to look their best, and we spent some time admiring the amazing dresses on display.

Almost immediately we spotted Alastair and Jonathan Brownlee. We circled a bit, nervously, then I approached and asked if we could get a photo with them. They graciously agreed, and we got a brilliant snap for the album:

I'm the one that isn't a girl or a Brownlee

We took our seats and looked through the goodie bags. There was a selection of products from the sponsors, plenty of pamphlets and adverts, and a few moments. I was particularly happy to get some chocolate from the BT Tower [@bttowerlondon] - we chat occasionally on twitter, and he/it even put my name in lights last summer. Don't judge me, I often speak to inanimate objects and have a tendency to anthropomorphise.

We hadn't done any research on what the night would involve, and were happily surprised when it turned out that the night was to be comparéd by Stephen Fry and Miranda Hart, both of whom me and Mrs are big fans of. After a song and dance into and a demonstration of some BMX riding where they seemed to spend more time upside down than downside down, Stephen and Miranda entered to get proceedings underway. We heard from many seniors in British sport and the Olympic Association including welcomes from Sir Clive Woodward CBE (Chairman, BT British Olympic Ball), Sir Michael Rake (Chairman, BT Group PLC), and Lord Moynihan (Chairman, British Olympic Association). Before the meal prepared by Tom Aikens (youngest ever chef to be awarded two Michelin stars) Grace was spoken by Denise Lewis CBE, and following food a toast by Ben Ainslie CBE, and a Team GB address by HRH The Princess Royal (President, British Olympic Association). We were also treated to a turn from from Rory Bremner and some entertainment from Tinchy Stryder and Dappy.

We ate, and drank, chatted to the other people at our table, and generally had a really nice time getting gently inebriated.

There were two auctions on the evening. One was the Grand Auction, a conventional live auction hosted by Edward Rising, with some big ticket items such as multiple holidays, first class flights to exotic locations, and a battery of Olympic tickets. I have honestly never seen money spent so quickly with the bigger items going for many tens of thousands to much "ooh-ing" and "aah-ing" and applause as each item sold. The second auction was a silent auction that was running in the background all evening. The items were listed in a catalogue and the current bid price for each was scrolling on TVs which were up all around the dining and bar areas. Bids were placed via what resembled credit card and PIN pad readers, one on each table. The cards for this auction were provided in the goodie bags, and unique to each guest. They were registered to you by filling in the registration card and handing it in to one of the helpers who were on hand.

One of the items in the silent auction was a training day with the Brownlee brothers.

Note the picture, it's an unrelated GB age-grouper also named Brownlee!

The text says:

44. Training with the Brownlee brothers 

Two guests will meet Alistair and Jonny Brownlee - the athletes to watch in the world of elite Triathlon and train with them on the Yorkshire Moors where they are based. Jonny is currently Sprint Triathlon World Champion and his older brother Al is European Triathlon Champion. You will join them on a run and a bike ride in the countryside surrounding Leeds and have the opportunity to take photographs and get autographs.

We talked about what an amazing day that would be, and given that there were no bids yet, the reserve was affordable, and we were both nicely lubricated by now, we thought we'd kick it off and place a bid at the reserve price.

Before long someone outbid us. Oh well, never mind. Although it was still an affordable amount. A shared thought and knowing look. We placed another bid.

Excitedly we watched for our lot to come round again on the TV. During dinner the price edged up slowly. It was starting to get a bit out of control, and moving from the realms of an unplanned but affordable impulse purchase to something that would require some planning to fund. We worked out what our maximum would be, gulped a bit, and placed the bid.

Then an amazing thing happened. Stephen and Miranda wrapped up, and announced that Tom Jones would be playing a set! I'm not a Tom fan, but the opportunity to have a dance to absolute classic songs, and be within about 2 metres of the man strutting his not inconsiderable stuff was too good to miss. We went for a dance. As is often my way, I danced for perhaps a bit longer than was necessary. Thankfully, there were no podiums.

Tom Jones, rockin' the mic right

I had to drive up to Wakefield the next day for a stag do, so we couldn't sty out for too long, so at about midnight and before the taxis turned into pumpkins and our clothes to rags, we gathered our things together and set off home.

On the way out, and really quite tipsy by this point, I insisted we waited by one of the TVs to see where the Brownlee bidding had got to. No further bids had been placed since we were last outbid - it seemed clear that just us and one other bidder had pushed the price to where it was now. Well, I'll have the last laugh! I popped over to the nearest table, borrowed their card reader, and nudged the bid up another few hundred - that'll teach him!

We left and headed home. The next day I got worried that we might have accidentally won, but I got no phone call or email, and after a few days thought nothing more if it. At least we'd pushed the lot up to a good price, and done our bit for the Olympic movement.

And then, quite a while later, I got a letter. We'd done a bit more for the Olympic Association than we'd thought...

Biggest drunken purchase. Ever.

And this is how me and Mrs ended up in North Yorkshire, huddled under a heater in the foyer of the Chevin Hotel and Spa in full cycling gear, waiting for Great Britain's triathlon prodigies and Gold/Silver Olympic Triathlon hopefuls Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee to come and meet us for a bike ride in the countryside, followed by a bit of a run.

The state of play when we left at midnight, and that's the way it remained. Oops...!

Part 2 to follow...