7 weeks to Wimbleball

It's starting to feel pretty close now - just 7 weeks today until our Ironman Ultimate Challenge kicks off with Ironman 70.3 UK Wimbleball. To keep the number of unknowns to a minimum, Mrs and I decided to book ourselves onto a familiarisation day to check out the area and the routes. In order to simulate race weekend as well as we could, we booked ourselves in to the same place we have lined up for the event weekend.

We took a steady drive down on Friday afternoon and checked in to the Anchor Inn - a nice little place on the Devon and Somerset border that's been transferred to new management around 10 weeks ago. Ann and John, the new proprietors, are slowly turning the place around following a few years of limited investment and care. It's still very quiet, most of the 6 guest rooms were unoccupied, and the bar was very quiet - but they've already made some significant changes in decor and the grounds to start bringing it up to spec. On a nice summer's day with tables down by the river I think they're going to do a roaring trade. So, that's one less worry for race weekend - our accommodation will be fine. I'd include a link, but their website has mysteriously disappeared - maybe that's the next thing to be refreshed.

The familiarisation event, organised by The TriLife and Ironman UK wasn't until Sunday, so Saturday involved (somewhat predictably) a parkrun. We got up nice and early for a tourist trip to Killerton parkrun (though not as early as you need to get up to cycle to Eastbourne parkrun). The lanes were great fun to drive round, I don't get to "play" in my car very often, so it was nice to have the opportunity (lots of blind corners and agricultural surprises though - stay alert, people!). Killerton parkrun is beautiful. It's on National Trust grounds and follows trails, winds around fields, and narrow tracks. The last 500m drops you out through a hedge (don't worry, there's a gate) and the finishing stretch is down past Killerton House. Mrs and I ran together all the way - no point in racing, got a busy day tomorrow - and she graciously let me win by 1 second, paying me back for when I let her win in similar circumstances back in frozen Sheffield when we ran Concord parkrun in -5C.

We used the afternoon to cycle up to Wimbleball Lake. The hills were short, and extreme. It was only about 11km but still took about an hour in each direction. It was immediately apparent that my bike was not set up for this kind of terrain. I'd decided to bring my TT bike rather than my road bike. The theory being that if I'm not sure if it's TT bike suitable, I should find out now, rather than bring my road bike and try and work out if I could have done it on the TT bike. I have hardly completed any hill work on this bike, so it took a while to get my position right, particularly when climbing out of the saddle. I found a technique fairly quickly, and was soon able to climb without hitting my bum with the saddle or banging my knees on the arm rests of the extensions - a good start. My gearing however was way off - with an 11-23 on the back I was crippled for low gears. Observation number 1 is that I'll definitely need to get an 11-28 on the back for this course!

The lake was calm and pretty. There was a little café where we had a cup of tea, and collected ourselves before cycling back to the pub. We were both hoping that the route didn't entail 56 miles of this kind of terrain - that would be a real nightmare. There was no flat whatsoever - all steep up and steep down.

We had a hearty meal for dinner, and got an early night - we needed to be at there lake for 7am. Ann and one of the bar staff brought us up a cold platter for breakfast. Cereal, breads, jams, macaroons, and lots of milk for tea. This was a lovely touch - we'd only expected some cereal!

Morning came and we ate and drove up to the lake. Already having ridden the route yesterday was a bonus as we knew where we were headed.

First up, after a short briefing, was a swim in the lake. We were all a bit nervous - it was seriously cold. The lake was at about 9C - 8 or 9 degrees colder than it would (hopefully) be come race day. With wetsuits on, we warmed up with some jogging, press-ups, high-knee jogging, and burpees. Normally this level of exercise in wetsuits would turn us into gasping sweaty messes - but it was so cold we were only just about staying warm. Without further ado we tentatively entered the lake.

A couple of buoys were set out in the same shape as they would be in the race, but much closer together. We had about 200m to swim in total. We started from the same place as the race starts - between two pontoons. It's a long time since I'd swum in open water, so I needed to remember sighting, what it's like swimming right next to other people, and how to swim in a straight line. I got round the course, but was getting very cold. We did a few drills afterwards between the pontoons - swimming backwards and forwards in a pack. I had one panicked moment with a couple of failed breaths and then a lung full of lake water - the shock of the cold made me cough a lot, and I started wheezing a fair bit. There were only two more exercises left so I stuck with it, but I'm very glad that it's going to be warmer for the main event - it would be no fun in this temperature. We'd only been in 15-20 minutes total and my hands were bright red and swollen, and I couldn't feel them or use them for anything. Still, it was good to see the start, get a feel for the run up out to transition, and get a first swim done in my new wetsuit.

Next, a quick change into cycling gear, top-up snack, and get the bikes out of the car ready for assembly (putting the wheels back on) and heading out to ride a lap of the bike course. This was the main reason we were here. Everything we've read about Wimbleball goes on and on about how hard the bike course is. Not an article goes by without some sentence like "52 hills in 56 miles" or "the hardest 70.3 course in the world". It would be easy for these comments to build up into a major psychological problem - how hard is the bike leg going to be? If every report and review says it's so hard, it must be almost impossible! How hard is it compared to, say, The Hell Of The Ashdown? The only was to find out, was to come and see. So, with much trepidation (not helped by yesterday's ride!), we kitted up, clipped in, and set off.

The objective wasn't to race round a lap, but to become familiar with the course. The instructors set the pace for the most part, and stopped to point out landmarks, give gearing advice, and talk strategy. We set off slowly, and after the first climb and descent split into two ability groups. There were about 8 in my group, and about 5 int he second group. To be fair there wasn't that much of a difference in ability between us. It seemed like we stayed about 5 minutes ahead all the way round.

So what of the course? Well, it is tough, there's no denying that - but it's not like the crazy short sharp ups and downs we'd ridden the day before. The first half is fairly rolling with good surfaces. There is strong local support for the event - the council come and fill all the potholes a few weeks before the race, do another check a few days before, and even sweep the circuit the day before! There's no call for over-confidence though, in previous years there have been torrential downpours before (and even during) the race, and that just washes all the crap back across the road. We heard a few times - good tyres are essential, don't pick anything too lightweight and insubstantial. A puncture will knock out any seconds gained by saving a few grammes on tyres, and plenty more besides.

From memory there are three large climbs that stand out among all the small ones. Only two of those stick in my head as being long slogs out of the saddle in 1st gear - on race day I want to be able to get up these hills without rising out of the saddle unless I decide I want to (change of position, little burst of speed, or to relieve an ache or cramp) - a timely reminder that a wider ratio cassette is an absolute requirement.

With lots of ups comes lots of downs. Some of the descents are very (very!) fast - and today in the rain (and occasionally hail) was not the day for showboating. On a few of the downs I had both brakes on full, and was still barely slowing down. Second essential thing - very good brakes, and confident stopping power. I'd been considering riding on wheels other than my current race wheels (HED H3C front and H3CD rear) because they have carbon braking surfaces. Performance is quite "grabby" and feels a bit like ABS in a car, and I would not feel confident descending at speed and stopping under hard braking. They're incredible for flying along in a time trial, but not so great when it gets technical.

We had a car out with us that had some supplies in the boot, so it parked up where each of the aid stations will be. This was very useful as it helps break the circuit into manageable sections. There are two aid stations, each of which is passed twice.

We pulled back into the lake - tired and wet, but very pleased with the ride. I finally had some context for the reports, and something to visualise between now and race day. It's hard, but it's not impossible. Key on the day will be managing effort in lap one, and making sure I don't burn all my matches in lap two, as there's still a run to come.

After lunch at the café and some chat back in the classroom with the TriLife crew and then the Ironman crew who are organising the race it was time to run a lap of the run course. All the press is about the bike course - today I learned that some hills were saved for the run too! It's a mixed terrain course, 3x7km (approx) to make the half marathon distance. There are a few dead turns (stopping to change direction 180 degrees round a marker), and a lot of technical sections - uneven terrain, mud and grass, inclines, adverse camber - you name it, this course has it! However, much like the bike course, I now know what to expect come race day.

When my head is all over the place, and my body is full of adrenaline, I will hopefully remember today - the experience has been invaluable, and I have far less to be concerned about in my head than I would have otherwise. It will still be a big day, there is still a lot to learn as racing a course is very different to just going for a look, but I think as a first timer over a new distance this was definitely the right thing to do, and I'm very pleased we made the effort to come and check it out.

The TriLife crew were excellent (Mike, Dan, and Dean) as were the Ironman team (Richard the Race Director, Dan the UK COO, and the chap who is going to be in charge of the aid stations). We were also joined on the day by Sam Baxter, a top age-group triathlete who placed 7th in his age group at Kona in 2011 - his insight into racing at the highest level was invaluable. There's an interesting piece on Sam here. Massive thanks to them all, and of course to Anne and John at the Anchor Inn. Mrs and I can't wait to see all of you again in seven weeks' time when we'll be doing it for real!

A couple of pictures

I don't normally buy race photos - but I couldn't resist these two. I'm certainly looking leaner than last year (though at between 7kg and 10kg lighter I should damn well hope so!).

How wet?! I was dryer in the swim...

The cycle photo is about 750m from the far turning point, so this would be about 13km into the 21.5km ride. The run photo is on one of the laps, I can't tell which one, so it's either about 2km in or a little way after 4km. I'd like to think I can still look this composed with less than a km to go, but I'm going to suspect it was the first lap :)

Number-belt fail (don't they always?)

The full set of photos are available to take a look at http://www.philoconnor.com/ - select "Sprint Series Race 1" under the Thames Turbo logo, and search in the top right box for number "055". I can't link directly to my pictures, they don't allow that.

Race Report: Thames Turbo Sprint Series - Race 1

An incredibly busy period at work means that it's been hard to find time to talk about my training, but try as it may work hasn't stopped me getting out and getting some miles in. Running and cycling have gone well, swimming has been my challenge, but it's starting to come together - albeit slowly.

Firstly, check out Mrs' Race Report.

Secondly, let me start out by saying I love the sprint tri series organised by Thames Turbo Triathlon. There are 4 held each year, on every bank holiday Monday. I completed them all in 2010 and 2011, and today was the first of 2012. They have a great atmosphere, and feel really inclusive - particularly to first timers. During the race briefing the first-timers are asked to raise a hand - it seems like there are always about 1/3 first-timers. I love events like this - a fun mix of those not knowing what to expect and being there for the challenge of the event, to groups of enthusiastic amateurs trying to set a new PB or shave a few seconds off transition (I'd put myself in this category), right up to accomplished club athletes who are there to stamp their authority all over proceedings.

Last year Mrs and I were caught out when we learned that Race 1 in the series was also the first race in the London League - so there was a really strong field. This year was the same - so there were a few more lean and serious looking athletes around, as well as a few more spanky bikes with trick bits and disc wheels than usual!

My training this year is targeted towards the 4 Ironman races, but this sprint series represents a good general fitness data point, and I'm hoping to see an improvement over last year given I have 3 months of focussed training in the bank, and over the last two years I'm not sure I've even managed 3 weeks of sustained training effort.

There are a few changes in the course this year. Transition is in the same place, but Swim In, Bike Out, and Run Out have changed sides. This makes for a slightly fairer and more logical route through as you move from left to right twice - picking your bike up the first time, and dropping it off the second. The swim, run, and bike courses were all the same (if you want to be picky, run was very slightly different as a corner had been cut and a few metres added on to the finishing straight to compensate, but there's no need to picky now is there?).

The two biggest changes by far are Sunday evening registration and chip timing (provided by Race Timing Systems).

You can now register up at Hampton Pool between 5pm and 6pm on Sunday night. This should alleviate some of the bigger queues in the morning - it did get quite crowded at times and this year they are allowing slightly larger fields. We drove up to pick up our packs (wrist band, race number, bike and helmet numbers, and the all important timing chip) and the place was packed. This would have been a big help to organisation in the morning.

Evening registration proved popular (with Mrs sneaking in on the left of the pic)

The timing chips have been mooted for some time, and it's great to see them now deployed. They placed sensor mats at T1 entrance and exit, bike finish, T2 exit, and run finish - this means we finally get splits for each discipline individually, as well as both transitions. An excellent improvement (previous manual timing meant we got three splits - swim + T1, bike, and T2 + run) , thank you Thames Turbo.

Race day comes around, and we're up at 4:50am for some porridge. The weather was not kind. On top of my tri-suit I wore bib-tights, long socks, a long sleeved base layer, a fleece jumper, and then winter gloves, overshoes, and a waterproof outer layer. I was dressed more for an arctic expedition than a 35 minute warm up ride to the event. With Mrs pulling off a similar Michelin Man impression, we set off - lights a-blinking from makeshift mounts.

Tri-bikes are not designed for easy light mounting

We arrived at about 6:20am, just about the right amount of time to get all set up in transition and ready for the off. Mrs was numbered 35, and I was 55. Competitors start at 10 second intervals from 07:00, so she was due to leave at 07:05:50, with me 3:20 later.

In short - it was cold. Damn cold. And very rainy. And cold. As I was queuing for my swim start I seriously thought we'd made a mistake not leaving clothes to put on during T1. It takes a long time to do this, but it's better than freezing to death! Anyway, too late now. I watched Mrs start, she seemed to settle quickly and be swimming well. I noticed the first few exiting T1 with long sleeved tops and waterproof shell layers on. I fretted a bit.

My swim start came, but with about five people left in front of me the timing start broke, so we were held for a few minutes while they got it sorted out (it was too wet and so the touchscreen stopped working - a replacement was quickly found).

When I finally stepped into the 28C heated pool it felt like it was boiling thanks to the differential with the air.

My swim was poor. I set off and within seconds lost form, regressing immediately back to my old stroke - but as I hadn't been swimming like that for months, I was uncoordinated and inefficient. I failed to tumble turn at the first turn (in the deep end) as I had no gauge as to how close the end was, and by the end of the second length I'd already been overtaken by the person behind me. I focussed hard on trying to think about what I was doing, and did get some rhythm back - but it's clear I need practice, practice, practice to really ingrain my new stroke. It's not there yet. I lost another 3 or 4 places in the first half. My breathing stayed controlled and I wasn't getting tired, so at least I was being slow efficiently! Swim time was 08:31 for the 12 lengths (432m).

T1 took 01:00 on the clock. I had decided to try attaching my shoes to the bike, then holding them in place with elastic bands. This meant a quicker T1 as you don't have to put any shoes on. Instead, once you've set off on the bike, you slide your feet in. The theory is that if you put your shoes on while you're moving, it'll be quicker than putting them on while you're stood still. It was still raining heavily, so my helmet had filled with water and gave me a cold splash as I flipped it onto my head. Thanks, but I'm already awake.

My previous PB swim + T1 time was 09:27 - so to I was surprised to see 09:31 in the results today, only 4 seconds down after what felt like a slow swim. Clearly my T1 had been good.

Off into the rain for the bike leg. I got my shoes sorted out and settled down for the 20km cycle (actually about 21.5km). The bike felt good. Really good. My position has felt a lot more comfortable on the couple of training rides I've had this year - I suspect due to having a lot less round my middle (I'm 6.8kg lighter than race 4 last year, and a massive 11.3kg lighter than I was for race 3 last year). I kept my cadence a little higher than I have had in the past - for triathlon cycling if you can keep your legs turning over a little faster than you would when doing a straight cycle time trial, it should help in the run, particularly at the outset.

I was going fast. It felt really fast. I flew past quite a few people (I don't know how many). Stayed on the tri-bars almost the whole way (exceptions being to brake for a car, and to make the two 180 degree turns at the end points of the course). In previous races I've felt my power decline over the last 10 minutes of the ride, but not today - I felt strong and even found myself pedalling out a bit (when you can't pedal fast enough in your gear for the speed you're going) and so notched up a gear or two to really push to the end.

Clean bikes go faster, right? (Apparently so...)

My time was 35:08 - a massive 01:12 off my previous best. I don't get speed/cadence data from the polar I wear for racing which is a real shame, I would have liked to see a comparison of this race with the last. I suspect the speed would have been comparable for the first 1/2 to 2/3, but then sustained rather than dropped off. I also feel like I was in control of breathing and heart rate during this leg, and I suspect was riding more efficiently. This is good news when there's a run to come, traditionally where I come unstuck.

The Thames Turbo races have a peculiar idiosyncrasy in that the bike finish is a km or so from transition, and therefore there's a "non-compete zone". This permits a maximum 7 minutes from passing over the bike finish timing mat to get back to the pool and pass over the T2 start mat. A smart competitor will take full advantage of this time to drop into a low gear, spin the legs round, and get your heart rate back down.  I caught Mrs right at the end of the bike, so we bimbled up through the non-compete together. As a result I took almost a bit too much advantage of this and clocked 06:51 in the non-compete zone. If you go over 07:00 then the clock automatically restarts and the time is added on to T2.

My T2 time was 01:06 - mainly due to my hands being so cold I couldn't get my running shoes on properly, or unclip my helmet. Got there in the end, and off for the run.

Over the last few months I've been working hard on my running technique and developing a more mid-to-forefoot strike. This reduces the shock and pressure on your legs when you run, and also supports an increased cadence and more efficient style. As a result I decided to get some lighter shoes with a little less heel cushioning for short distance races. I picked up some Brooks Racer T7 from Sweatshop using their now, sadly expired, buy-one-pair-get-another-for-£25 offer. This was their first proper race outing, and I was not disappointed.

I managed a quick turnover right from the start, I felt light on my feet and strong (despite the freezing cold and rain). I kept good cadence for the run, and even overtook a few people (normally people stream past me on the run - all the people I'd overtaken on the bike!). I hadn't thought about my watch at all - but remembered it just before the 4km marker. I had a quick look, it read 01:09:something - I knew I'd spent about 6:45 in the non-compete zone. Therefore I had about 6 minutes to finish, and still get in at under 01:10:00. I started to think - 6 minutes was generous for a km, if I could get in under 5 minutes I may even break 01:09:00 - that was my "wildest imagination" time! I pushed on - and really opened up over the last 500m, putting everything I had into the last couple of hundred. Race over. But what was my time?

I waited for Mrs and we walked back to the pool - both of us shaking with the cold. We warmed up and grabbed a cup of tea. I noticed a timing tent on the roof patio, so we went to investigate. They had a terminal where you put in your race number and a little thermal printer outputs your splits and provisional timings. This is what mine said:

Not bad, eh!

I was gobsmacked - I suspected I may have broken 01:09:00, but to clear it so convincingly made my day! Cant wait for race 2 - 4 weeks to go!

Check out the online results tool!

A fantastic first triathlon of the season. Thanks Thames Turbo, thanks Marshals (all 60 of 'em!), and thanks Mrs for also being into this crazy sport that means we both have someone to get up with at 04:50 on bank holiday Mondays in the cold and rain.

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!