It’s Thursday evening and I’m the train on the way home from a pretty full day at work. It’s often hard from me to remind myself that I’ve got a hugely important race coming up in 2 days.... I always feel a bit annoyed really as I know I should really be at home resting and getting everything sorted for it; as it stands I’ve not been able to anything done yet.
The good news is that Sigma (my main equipment sponsor) has agreed to replace the bike I had broken last year until mine can hopefully be fixed. This is great news as the course on Sunday REALLY doesn't suit my aluminum TT bike. The super lightweight carbon "Nemesis" will be perfect for those nasty hills!
Training has....well just be moving along I guess. I just don't seam to be able to hit a peak though. I feel solid and fairly fit but I just feel like I’ve not got any zip... I'm having to trust that this will come on Sunday morning and that it’s just a case of the taper leaving me a little sluggish. I'm looking forward to the race though as I’m anticipating feeling this zip and being able to REALLY race, and execute the race properly this time too.
I'm still working on my swimming with Alex and there are definitely improvements. I have a length or 2 that feel great. The first few on Tuesday felt really good, but thereafter my lack of real swim strength with proper technique takes over and my stroke gets sloppy. I can feel it physically and also in the speed and efficiency that I swim but it just becomes so hard to keep it. However, it’s encouraging to know that it IS there. I just need to keep working at it. I've not been consistently swimming longer harder sessions more recently and I’m confident that when I do my technique and strength will improve in line with the work I’ve been doing. 6 weeks is the next target. I've entered London Triathlon Elite. It’s likely to have a lot of the top guys from around the world there due to the prize money and I’m desperate to be able to swim well enough to feel its worth racing too. 20mins is the goal. Right now I recon I’m at about 21.... It might not sound like much but trust me that minute is HUGE! In both effort to improve enough to go that fast and also the difference it makes to my race.
I've decided that whilst I’ll have an easy week next week after this weekends' race, the swimming HAS to be maintained.... If not upped! I heard one former world champion the other day say that he was swimming up to 30 miles a week when he won his title..... That's probably about 6miles a day (whilst biking and running too) if u allow for a rest day.... To help you grasp that, it’s nearly 10,000m a day or 400lengths of your local pool!....each day....consistently day after day week after week.... Looks like I’m going to REALLY start smelling of chlorine :-))
That's all for now...trying to keep this one more about training that anything going on in my head... I'm sure my last little rant was enough of that!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Choices
Well things have been ticking along nicely since California. I was pleased with the result there although I’d always want to come higher (than 9th). For a race SO early in the year and genuinely felt it was a platform from which we could build a really solid and hopefully break-through year of results.
Switzerland 70.3 is looming on the horizon now and for once it’s my bike that feels a little out of sorts. I raced Eaton last Saturday and managed a nice solid win, but the most encouraging thing was my swim. For once I came out the water "in touch" with the fish (well only 30s down instead of the previous 60-90s). At last I genuinely feel like my years (that’s no exaggeration) of hard work in the pool are starting to get me somewhere.
I'll be the first to admit that not all this time and effort has been used to maximum effect, buts its all part of a journey that's getting me to where I want to be. Never during this time have I doubted myself or the possibility that my dreams couldn't one day become real. Though there have been a few (that I’ve known about) people who have thought me naive and arrogant its simply been miss-interpreted self belief. I genuinely feel that if you truly believe and more importantly COMMIT to that belief and what it’s going to take to get you there, then anything is possible. Don't get me wrong, I’m still a long way off, but the journey hasn't stalled and I can firmly see the destination.
A large part of this confidence comes from my faith as a Christian, faith in God for whom nothing is impossible; faith in the plan he has for me and the person he wants and can make me. I recently preached on the choice that we have to accept the reality that God wants to give us and how important and POWERFUL this choice is. Take a listen to here more on it; one of my catch-phrases is "you always have a choice even if u don't have control". When people realize and live this out it can be a very powerful thing. When its done with God in a persons heart it can be world changing.
OK so I delved into the self-opinionated philosophical stuff I said I’d try to avoid in my blog, but for once I think it’s worth it.
Back to triathlon then.....
Well as I was saying, I feel in the best swim form ever (so far) and my running is at its normal pre-race level. Looking at the course in Switzerland I honestly think I can run a 1h15 (despite going up those horrible stairs 3 times). If I can execute a swim that I feel capable of right now, this should leave me well in the mix come the end of the race!
With all the hard work that me and bridge have put in for the past 3 years it’s nice to at last see that it was worth while. This will by no means be my fastest ever race, but I’m confident it will be the fastest I’ve ever raced before.
If you’re reading this from my facebook page, check out my website as well... Especially my main sponsors Sigma and Orca!
More to come soon.
Well things have been ticking along nicely since California. I was pleased with the result there although I’d always want to come higher (than 9th). For a race SO early in the year and genuinely felt it was a platform from which we could build a really solid and hopefully break-through year of results.
Switzerland 70.3 is looming on the horizon now and for once it’s my bike that feels a little out of sorts. I raced Eaton last Saturday and managed a nice solid win, but the most encouraging thing was my swim. For once I came out the water "in touch" with the fish (well only 30s down instead of the previous 60-90s). At last I genuinely feel like my years (that’s no exaggeration) of hard work in the pool are starting to get me somewhere.
I'll be the first to admit that not all this time and effort has been used to maximum effect, buts its all part of a journey that's getting me to where I want to be. Never during this time have I doubted myself or the possibility that my dreams couldn't one day become real. Though there have been a few (that I’ve known about) people who have thought me naive and arrogant its simply been miss-interpreted self belief. I genuinely feel that if you truly believe and more importantly COMMIT to that belief and what it’s going to take to get you there, then anything is possible. Don't get me wrong, I’m still a long way off, but the journey hasn't stalled and I can firmly see the destination.
A large part of this confidence comes from my faith as a Christian, faith in God for whom nothing is impossible; faith in the plan he has for me and the person he wants and can make me. I recently preached on the choice that we have to accept the reality that God wants to give us and how important and POWERFUL this choice is. Take a listen to here more on it; one of my catch-phrases is "you always have a choice even if u don't have control". When people realize and live this out it can be a very powerful thing. When its done with God in a persons heart it can be world changing.
OK so I delved into the self-opinionated philosophical stuff I said I’d try to avoid in my blog, but for once I think it’s worth it.
Back to triathlon then.....
Well as I was saying, I feel in the best swim form ever (so far) and my running is at its normal pre-race level. Looking at the course in Switzerland I honestly think I can run a 1h15 (despite going up those horrible stairs 3 times). If I can execute a swim that I feel capable of right now, this should leave me well in the mix come the end of the race!
With all the hard work that me and bridge have put in for the past 3 years it’s nice to at last see that it was worth while. This will by no means be my fastest ever race, but I’m confident it will be the fastest I’ve ever raced before.
If you’re reading this from my facebook page, check out my website as well... Especially my main sponsors Sigma and Orca!
More to come soon.
The unknown
Well switzerland is now only a matter of days away and its about this time before a big race that the mental side has to take over. I've never been one for a big taper (easing back on training to rest & prepare for a race) but i'm still learning all the time and i'm trying back off way more than i've done before races last year. This leaves u feeling odd in all sorts of ways......
You get used to the regular feedback from each session. How fast you were, how far you went etc. Without realising it you easily get attached and possibly reliant on these things...sometimes just to fill your life with 'something' sometimes to feed your confience and value. Neither is a good thing in my opinion and i'm working at seperation from attachemnt to these things.
All that aside the "hole" that appears during a taper week does inevatively lead to self questioning. I'm trying to remind myself that the training has been going well and that the plan me and Bridgitte have is a solid one. It can be hard though to put your trust in something that's not there until u really have to test it. I'm feeling really quite tired mentally as well which i'm sure isn't helping either so I really need to try and resolve this, this week. Its going to be a fairly intense couple of weeks as far as focusing on races goes so we'll see how everything is come June 18th.
You get used to the regular feedback from each session. How fast you were, how far you went etc. Without realising it you easily get attached and possibly reliant on these things...sometimes just to fill your life with 'something' sometimes to feed your confience and value. Neither is a good thing in my opinion and i'm working at seperation from attachemnt to these things.
All that aside the "hole" that appears during a taper week does inevatively lead to self questioning. I'm trying to remind myself that the training has been going well and that the plan me and Bridgitte have is a solid one. It can be hard though to put your trust in something that's not there until u really have to test it. I'm feeling really quite tired mentally as well which i'm sure isn't helping either so I really need to try and resolve this, this week. Its going to be a fairly intense couple of weeks as far as focusing on races goes so we'll see how everything is come June 18th.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Progress / The talent out there
Before I get started, thought I’d mention my first cover-shoot of a Sports Magazine… sounds better than it actually is (you’d only know it was me if you were told… which is what I’m doing now of course) but its still a big first for me. Check out 220Triathlon this month and if you can see past the bubbles... you'll see my ugly mug on the cover ;-) I'm also in one of the swim articles inside... with a nice pasty white November tan (the picures were taken last year)!
Progress…………..
Last week saw me repeat my regular (every 5 weeks) testing on the bike and run – swimming to be added next time I think. And it was a good week for me and bridge to analyse what we’ve been doing since Christmas and where it leaves me heading into California. I’m very pleased to say that it looks like all the work we’ve been doing has had the desired effect……
My 3k run time improved again, though only by a tiny amount. However, I feel stronger running at pace now and genuinely feel like I’m capable of running the kind of times I want to over my various race distances… in particular California on March 31st.
On the bike, things took a bigger up-swing with my VO2 max wattage and CP20 & CP60 (threshold or MLSS for those of you that use these terms) both going up after last months plateau. In both modes of transport, I’m back to my peak of last year and its really encouraging to be here so soon in the season and gives us a great deal of confidence that come Florida in November I can be exactly where we want to be in order to get that top 10 finish. For me, it makes all those HORRIBLE sessions where I’m running myself to the edge of my limits, seam worth while at last. I’d be gutted if all of that PAIN had ended up counting for nothing ha ha!
Progress…………..
Last week saw me repeat my regular (every 5 weeks) testing on the bike and run – swimming to be added next time I think. And it was a good week for me and bridge to analyse what we’ve been doing since Christmas and where it leaves me heading into California. I’m very pleased to say that it looks like all the work we’ve been doing has had the desired effect……
My 3k run time improved again, though only by a tiny amount. However, I feel stronger running at pace now and genuinely feel like I’m capable of running the kind of times I want to over my various race distances… in particular California on March 31st.
On the bike, things took a bigger up-swing with my VO2 max wattage and CP20 & CP60 (threshold or MLSS for those of you that use these terms) both going up after last months plateau. In both modes of transport, I’m back to my peak of last year and its really encouraging to be here so soon in the season and gives us a great deal of confidence that come Florida in November I can be exactly where we want to be in order to get that top 10 finish. For me, it makes all those HORRIBLE sessions where I’m running myself to the edge of my limits, seam worth while at last. I’d be gutted if all of that PAIN had ended up counting for nothing ha ha!
I’m not 100% sure what the course at California is like, but I know from the numbers we’re seeing right now that I’ve got a sub 2:10 bike time in my legs at a level that will allow me to then run possibly under 1:14 off of this (if the run is flat…?) If I can execute this properly on the day of the race, then I can’t wait to see what happens!!!
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The talent out there…………….
I went to a gig in London last night with some friends from church. We saw a couple of people play in a band, who one of my friends knew from her school days. It’s a while since I’ve seen live music and especially in such a small venue, but it struck home to me a few things beyond simply the good music.
It can be very easy in the life I lead to think that the world revolves around triathlon, sport etc. The focus and single mindedness that I try to maintain is not a bad thing, but it can lead to me forgetting that for other people, there is far more going on…. And as I remembered last night, there are A LOT of people out there who have phenomenal talents in a variety of different things. Two of the bands playing last night were fantastic… I mean, REALLY GOOD… to the point where I’m sitting there wondering how they’re not on a label and selling singles by the 1000’s….. to see people so dedicated to something that they clearly love so much and have been blessed with talents that allow them to do what they do… in something COMPLETELY different to the world I live in was so refreshing.
I think it’s important that I try to keep this outlook on things. It can be all too easy for me to fall into my little world and forget that there’s a whole big world out there full of people with passion and gifts for all kinds of things, that to them, are just as important as my triathlon is to me. It puts it all into perspective, whilst at the same time reminding me that my journey in pursuit of achievement in sport and I guess life in general, isn’t the isolated little struggle it can often feel like.
Doing what I do, as many other people who do triathlons would no doubt testify to, can very often result in peoples easily offered admiration. For some reason, most people seam to think that all of this is beyond them (in reality, I firmly subscribe to the “you can do ANYTIHNG” school of thought). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this is a bad thing, we all like to hear these kind of things said to or about us at the end of the day; but its easy to let this suck us into thinking that our dedication, focus and often sacrifice, is something that only we actually know and appreciate and live out. In actual fact there are people everywhere applying often the same principles, focus and sacrifice to their own lives in pursuit of other dreams that in their eyes are bigger than anyone else true knows or appreciates.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Early season form
Since my last post, there’s been more of the same going on in my life really… with maybe a couple of new things….. but we’ll save that for now ;-)
I’ve been as A LOT recently how my training has been going and its been difficult to say really. To my delight, my running continues in an upward trend. For the first time ever, I genuinely feel that a 15:xx 5k time is possible at my test race…. The Bushy Park 5k (www.bptt.net). This would mark a MASSIVE milestone for me and my running and to be hitting this so early this year as well, I hope, bodes well for my running throughout 2007. My target of a sub 1:15 half marathon on a 70.3 race would be far more realistic if this kind of pace were possible. We’ll know come this weekend as I plan to run it again. My last result of 16:19 was a PB, but I KNOW (my training data shows it) I’m running faster now, than I was back then. 19seconds is a big jump to make, but going on last weekends race (Milton Keynes Winter Duathlon) my ability to run this fast is definitely there….. I’ll let you know how I get one.
On the subject of the MK Duathlon, it was GREAT to get out and race again. There were some really good other chaps there racing (some Olympic hopeful Loughborough Performance Plan lads) who I’ve raced a little before. It was a great opportunity to gauge myself against them again and also compare my fitness and speed to this time last year. Being able to track improvements (or not if that’s the case) and make changes is imperative to me achieving my goals, so races like this act as great “yard sticks” for this. In a nutshell (well I’ll try to anyway Lol) I felt great on the first run, and was much faster than last year, hanging onto the Loughborough lads too. I rode hard, which was the plan as I’ve not been getting enough of this recently (and now is the time to be ramping it up for California) and came off the bike in FIRST, however the worlds most AMATURE transition then ensued… let me explain…. The bike was 12 laps and whilst Big-Cow (the race organisers) do everything they can to make sure people get this right, in the heat of “battle” the brain often ceases to function properly. I found myself passing the end of each lap, clicking my counter and within about 15 seconds asking myself “….did I click that lap?.....” this resulted in me starting what I thought was my last lap only to look behind me and see Dan and Mark heading into transition to start the run!!! Without thinking I jumped off my bike (still wearing my pyro-platforms) leaped through the cones into transition through my bike wherever I could and tried to pull off the pyro’s… completely missing out on the whole advantage of wearing them in the first place (i.e. FASTER transitions off the bike!). I set off on the run now only a couple of meters in front of 2nd & 3rd instead of 10-20 seconds… but something STILL wasn’t quite right…. I soon realised I forgotten one other thing in my comedy transition… my HELMET…. I was about 30m into the run and STILL WEARING IT!!! What a CLOWN ha ha! I threw it down to one side and carried on, but Dan was now breathing down my neck and my legs were still not enjoying the change back to running (a good sign that I need to start my Brick sessions ASAP). H passed my and my legs didn’t want to respond. The remainder of the final 4k run saw me gradually feel better as I went , but the early damage had been done and I came home, feeling strong, but down in 3rd.
All in all it was a really good session and very encouraging for me. To feel this good (personally) this early in the year bodes well and if I can really nail the next 4 weeks leading up to California, I genuinely feel like my targets for this race are possible.
I’ve had to re-asses my priorities again and keep things in check recently. When targets seam far away, it can be easy to let things in the present slip just a little. Over time this “just a little” soon adds up to A LOT and particularly with regards to my swimming, I’ve not been focussed enough recently. As this is my biggest weakness, this is not good and so new weekly targets and focus are being brought back into my training to ensure I get back to where I need to be. 5-6 LONG swims a week are going to be a MINIMUM for the next 4 weeks leading to California. Doing this, I know a decent (for me) swim is possible and with my bike and run targets now feeling realistic this will put exactly where I want to be when I cross the line.
That’s all for now. Hope you’re enjoying doing whatever it is you do.
God bless
I’ve been as A LOT recently how my training has been going and its been difficult to say really. To my delight, my running continues in an upward trend. For the first time ever, I genuinely feel that a 15:xx 5k time is possible at my test race…. The Bushy Park 5k (www.bptt.net). This would mark a MASSIVE milestone for me and my running and to be hitting this so early this year as well, I hope, bodes well for my running throughout 2007. My target of a sub 1:15 half marathon on a 70.3 race would be far more realistic if this kind of pace were possible. We’ll know come this weekend as I plan to run it again. My last result of 16:19 was a PB, but I KNOW (my training data shows it) I’m running faster now, than I was back then. 19seconds is a big jump to make, but going on last weekends race (Milton Keynes Winter Duathlon) my ability to run this fast is definitely there….. I’ll let you know how I get one.
On the subject of the MK Duathlon, it was GREAT to get out and race again. There were some really good other chaps there racing (some Olympic hopeful Loughborough Performance Plan lads) who I’ve raced a little before. It was a great opportunity to gauge myself against them again and also compare my fitness and speed to this time last year. Being able to track improvements (or not if that’s the case) and make changes is imperative to me achieving my goals, so races like this act as great “yard sticks” for this. In a nutshell (well I’ll try to anyway Lol) I felt great on the first run, and was much faster than last year, hanging onto the Loughborough lads too. I rode hard, which was the plan as I’ve not been getting enough of this recently (and now is the time to be ramping it up for California) and came off the bike in FIRST, however the worlds most AMATURE transition then ensued… let me explain…. The bike was 12 laps and whilst Big-Cow (the race organisers) do everything they can to make sure people get this right, in the heat of “battle” the brain often ceases to function properly. I found myself passing the end of each lap, clicking my counter and within about 15 seconds asking myself “….did I click that lap?.....” this resulted in me starting what I thought was my last lap only to look behind me and see Dan and Mark heading into transition to start the run!!! Without thinking I jumped off my bike (still wearing my pyro-platforms) leaped through the cones into transition through my bike wherever I could and tried to pull off the pyro’s… completely missing out on the whole advantage of wearing them in the first place (i.e. FASTER transitions off the bike!). I set off on the run now only a couple of meters in front of 2nd & 3rd instead of 10-20 seconds… but something STILL wasn’t quite right…. I soon realised I forgotten one other thing in my comedy transition… my HELMET…. I was about 30m into the run and STILL WEARING IT!!! What a CLOWN ha ha! I threw it down to one side and carried on, but Dan was now breathing down my neck and my legs were still not enjoying the change back to running (a good sign that I need to start my Brick sessions ASAP). H passed my and my legs didn’t want to respond. The remainder of the final 4k run saw me gradually feel better as I went , but the early damage had been done and I came home, feeling strong, but down in 3rd.
All in all it was a really good session and very encouraging for me. To feel this good (personally) this early in the year bodes well and if I can really nail the next 4 weeks leading up to California, I genuinely feel like my targets for this race are possible.
I’ve had to re-asses my priorities again and keep things in check recently. When targets seam far away, it can be easy to let things in the present slip just a little. Over time this “just a little” soon adds up to A LOT and particularly with regards to my swimming, I’ve not been focussed enough recently. As this is my biggest weakness, this is not good and so new weekly targets and focus are being brought back into my training to ensure I get back to where I need to be. 5-6 LONG swims a week are going to be a MINIMUM for the next 4 weeks leading to California. Doing this, I know a decent (for me) swim is possible and with my bike and run targets now feeling realistic this will put exactly where I want to be when I cross the line.
That’s all for now. Hope you’re enjoying doing whatever it is you do.
God bless
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