My last blog was 5 weeks ago! It’s about time I updated this blog and gave a quick rundown on my last few weeks of training and where I’m headed this summer.
Training has been headed in the right direction under the tutillage of Simon @ Paradise Triathlon Training. In the main I have completed 99% of what Simon has asked, however, there were a few times where I have gone off the perscribed track and he’s definitely let me know about it 🙂 It’s good to know that he’s keeping an eye on me. It’s the benefits of having a coach, there’s nothing to worry about except the training put in front of you. A few months back I was trying to make everything work by writing my own program incorporating a few friends’ advice. The Training Peaks numbers were definitely going in the right direction but the fatigue was in the hundreds and I simply wasn’t receovering from the previous session in time for the next one. Simon has identified that immediately and rectified it.
I said in my previous post that I was chomping at the bit about there not being enough cycling but judging by the last couple of bike races that I have competed in there’s no need for extra “junk” miles/training as te legs seem to be there (or thereabouts). After my baptism of fire at Lea Valley in my last blog I decided to take on a bit of an endurance ride with the DAP boys in a local Reliability Ride (Sportive). It was only 50 miles and with the ride out & back it totall just under 80 so I was happy with the slightly longer than 4 hrs ride. I had anticipated to go in the slightly faster group which was starting off 30 minutes later but as I heard from no-one it was a bit of a risk to ride the distance relatively on my own. Instead I opted for the middle group and we cruised round at 20mph quite easily, however there were a few stops so we were caught by the faster group some 10 miles from home. Nonetheless we still kept it smooth and finished within 2:30hrs riding time.
My midweek training consists of a Tuesday & Thursday turbo session, one is dedicated to threshold and V02 work, the other is all about tempo and the ability of holding a high amount of watts for a longer time. The aid of Zwift has helped considerably as I enter races as part of my training session. I start with everybody else, however they soon ride off into the distance whilst i’m sticking to the numbers on the session plan and soon enough as I start to pick up the power and complete my sets I tend to overtake quite a few people on the way through to the finish, usually picking up a top-10 “accidentally” in the process!
The following week Suzy was on a Triathlon Coach training course in Oxford for the weekend so I gave her some company and whilst she was on the course I raced at a local airfield called Abingdon. A typical 3rd/4th category race where there were some very accomplished riders and in contrast some very inexperioenced riders unable to ride in one line, round corners and generally unable to handle their bike at speed – such are the dangers in lower category races. My own fault really as i let my 2nd cat licence slip last year due to concentrating on Barcelona. I kept near the front of the race and made sure I wasn#t caught up in any crashes at the back and found myself in a sprinting position at the end. Now, a few years ago I would relish this opportunity but in recent years my sprint isn’t that sharp anymore so I kicked with 300m to go and basically led out the whole bunch and rolled in at 7th position – a few points on my licence :0
The following week we had a weekend away in North Norfolk at Kelling Heath. It was pretty nice accomodation and we stayed Fri, Sat & Sun before heading straight back to work Monday morning. A quick run at Blickling Hall Park Run in the morning and I was off to Hingham, west of Norwich for CC Breckland’s Open 10-Mile TT. The last time I did this was 3 years ago recording an all-time slowest time of 27 minutes so I was keen to go a little quicker that than!
And I did – with 24:31 which put me mid-field. I never expected to go any faster than that as my training hasn’t been that “high-end” yet. Needless to say I was content with my performance but unhappy that I was “scalped” by a few riders I’d usually beat. Never happy!
The following week was a circuit race at Milton Keynes Bowl – a one hour affair round the bowl service road around the actual bowl. This week it travelled round in a clockwise direction which suits me better as the climb is shorter (albeit sharper) that way round. I found myself in 10th position for th ewhole race, just moving round people when I found myself slipping back too far and keeping at the head of things to stay safe. Unfortunatley I wasn’t that safe as with just under 2 laps to go the strong winds blew two young lads into each other directly in front of me and I had no option but to brake hard and stop. I wheeled my bike round them and remounted only to find the bunch some 250 meters ahead. I spent the next 1 3/4 laps chasing back on and full power (and heart rate!) and just as I caught the tail-end they were sprinting for the line so I came in at the back around 30th position. Unknown to me my team-mate – Bradley was caught up in the very same crash and came off with a bloodied chin and arm so I guess I was luckly to stay upright.
The weekend just gone I travelled with team mate Louis down to West Hanningfield near Chelmsford for a 50-mile road race. This was under the assumption I had been pencilled in by the organiser following an email conversation – he hadn’t!!! Instead I found myself riding behind the race convoy, with no number on, trying to get an hour+ of training at race speed to compensate the fact I wasn’t racing. I did this but was conscious that I may look like i was racing so I kept back from the bunch but kept it steady so i wasn’t that far away from the riders at the back. I stopped for a bit and then carried on riding just as the winning breakaway passed….. and I latched onto that for a while! I didn’t get involved in the racing but it was fun sitting at the back of a break and getting funny looks by riders because I wasn’t doing a turn at the front! Again being conscious that I wasn’t actually racing I dropped back and let them get on with it.
That’s the cycling, now for the swimming. This is by far the slowest part of my triathlon and needed attention. The benefits maybe seconds but at least I’ll be a bit more comfortable in the water and less knackered coming out now I’m getting a bit quicker and more efficient. Simon’s been perscribing three sessions each week, they’re mainly 3000m so it’s about an hour of swimming each time, with the recoveries it tends to go out to 1:15-1:20 but that’s fine. Each time I look at the set and say “how am i going to complete that” but it’s broken down into managebale sets and the distance is knocked off quite quickly – which is a hard thing to fathom in a small 20-metre pool. One session is based on speed, one of distance and the other on power – pretty much as you would in running and cycling training so it all makes sense to me. My swim times have reduced to under that magic 2:00 minute for 100m mark and I feel I’m now swimming faster than when I did when I had a wetsuit on. So here’s hoping the wetsuit will make me even quicker in a few months’ time.
Running’s been good, i’m consistently running around 5-min k’s without even trying and the mileage hasn’t gone up too much in recent weeks. A minor injury occurred a few weeks back – i rolled my ankle at Fritton Lake Cross Country event on the flattest, most un-muddiest parts of the circuit. I stopped for about 10 seconds to nurse it but then adrenaline took over and I carried on to finish. As soon as i finished i could feel the pain and I felt what can only be described as a boiled egg sticking out of my foot just to the side of the ankle bone. My sports therapy training knew that was an ATFL strain and I’d be off running for a while. I told Simon and he instantly told me off as I hadn’t been perscribed a cross country run and I should’ve told him my intentions. I think I mentioned it above but it’s good he keeps me in check from time-to-time. I need that.
Anyway – I ran Colney Park Run with William in just under 30-minutes the following Saturday and it seemed ok so I’m back on the plan 🙂
All in all i’m happy with the progress but there’s that little niggle inside me telling me i haven’t done enough so I’m thinking the periodisation training set before me will soon ramp up in preparation for Majorca 70.3 in May, then 3 weeks later in Samorin for The Championships as part of that relay team that qualified last October at Pageura.
Before that I have another Circuit Race at Milton Keynes, DAP’s own promotion near Beccles at the end of this month, another similar two hour road race and then Paris Roubaix Sportive which is 110 miles – on cobbles which is scaring me slightly a – the mileage I haven’t done recently and b – whether my bike can stay in one piece!
Speaking of which I have it currently in the local bike shop for a replacement frame due to a fracture in the carbon at the bottom bracket – here’s hoping they sort it out quickly.
