I now have some 40 photos of me at Ironman UK taken by my brother. These where either at the main venue Sherborne Castle or a few minutes walk away. Luckily there was none of me on the tougher cycle and run parts.
I also made my local newspaper (small photo and article) where I grew up.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Weekly Update - Rest Week
This week I have done no training sessions. Although I have done some walking and and a bit of swimming with my nutrition being described as a "rest" week.
The walking was a for a total of about 8 miles (an educated guess) which this also include pushing my niece and nephew in a pram, so I got a bit extra resistance walking.
The swimming did include some open water and pool swimming. The open water swim was in the north sea which I did a few minutes of swimming, which was really cold as I only had my speedo's, googles and swimming cap. A tri suit and wet suit would have been really useful. The following day a few miles away the lifeguard station had the sea temperature as 8C (46F)!!!
Then the next day I went to a pool with my 2 year nephew, which we where in the shallow end with him trying to swim. That was until he saw the giant inflatable in the middle of the pool, it was 15m (49 ft) in a 25m (82 ft) pool and only about 1.5m (5 ft) wide. It was an floating assault course with things to go through, climb under and up with a slide in to the water at the end. It was not really designed for adults, so as my nephew went though I had to struggle to get through and stay on the floating device. Then their was a enclosed slide which we then had to go on before finishing in the pool. You don't normally see this swimming training for an Ironman!!
I was then able to do a handful of lengths before a swimming lesson started.
Nutritionally the few days after the Ironman I was fine which did seem to help my recovery. Then for the following 5 days or so while I was away on my brother stag do I was having various food such as chips, meat pie, gravy, chippy butty (actually in a roll up north), bacon, other fried food and ice-cream. To wash this down a number of different types of alcoholic drinks was used.
My endurance training and cycling knowledge did come in use for one of the days when we had a 30 minutes go-karting race which I finished 2nd out of 11 and beat both of my brothers. :-)
Despite the lack of training and not so nutritionally complete I only put on 1/4 lb (0.1 kg) this week but my % body fat did increase by 2.5%.
I will do a couple of training sessions in the next few days before a local sprint triathlon at the weekend.
The walking was a for a total of about 8 miles (an educated guess) which this also include pushing my niece and nephew in a pram, so I got a bit extra resistance walking.
The swimming did include some open water and pool swimming. The open water swim was in the north sea which I did a few minutes of swimming, which was really cold as I only had my speedo's, googles and swimming cap. A tri suit and wet suit would have been really useful. The following day a few miles away the lifeguard station had the sea temperature as 8C (46F)!!!
Then the next day I went to a pool with my 2 year nephew, which we where in the shallow end with him trying to swim. That was until he saw the giant inflatable in the middle of the pool, it was 15m (49 ft) in a 25m (82 ft) pool and only about 1.5m (5 ft) wide. It was an floating assault course with things to go through, climb under and up with a slide in to the water at the end. It was not really designed for adults, so as my nephew went though I had to struggle to get through and stay on the floating device. Then their was a enclosed slide which we then had to go on before finishing in the pool. You don't normally see this swimming training for an Ironman!!
I was then able to do a handful of lengths before a swimming lesson started.
Nutritionally the few days after the Ironman I was fine which did seem to help my recovery. Then for the following 5 days or so while I was away on my brother stag do I was having various food such as chips, meat pie, gravy, chippy butty (actually in a roll up north), bacon, other fried food and ice-cream. To wash this down a number of different types of alcoholic drinks was used.
My endurance training and cycling knowledge did come in use for one of the days when we had a 30 minutes go-karting race which I finished 2nd out of 11 and beat both of my brothers. :-)
Despite the lack of training and not so nutritionally complete I only put on 1/4 lb (0.1 kg) this week but my % body fat did increase by 2.5%.
I will do a couple of training sessions in the next few days before a local sprint triathlon at the weekend.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Weekly Update
This week I did over 17 hours of training, nearly all on Sunday :-)
Sunday I used over 10,000 calories but this was replaced going round eating and drinking at least every 30 minutes. Since then I have been having various protein drinks to help with my recovery process.
However this week I have put on 1.5 lb (0.75kg) but my % body fat has gone down 4%.
This week will most likely be a complete rest from any training, although I will get some light exercise from some walking only a few miles.
Less than 2 week now to my next triathlon, a local "sprint" distance triathlon.
Sunday I used over 10,000 calories but this was replaced going round eating and drinking at least every 30 minutes. Since then I have been having various protein drinks to help with my recovery process.
However this week I have put on 1.5 lb (0.75kg) but my % body fat has gone down 4%.
This week will most likely be a complete rest from any training, although I will get some light exercise from some walking only a few miles.
Less than 2 week now to my next triathlon, a local "sprint" distance triathlon.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Made it on to the BBC Web site
On the BBC web site there is a photograph of me at Ironman. It is on the the cycle lap before you start to head back on the lap.
Going by the drinks bottles this was on the first lap so was only about 12 miles (20km) in to the cycling.
Going by the drinks bottles this was on the first lap so was only about 12 miles (20km) in to the cycling.
Ironman UK 2007 Race Report
The swim was delayed by 20 minutes, due to the main competitor car park (field) being too muddy to use due to the recent rain this was causing competitors having problems getting to the start, however I was there by 4:15am.
From the transition area they had a precession of the competitors to the lake entry point. This was good as you got encouragement from the spectators.
From the swim I had two swimming caps on and a swimming mask. I positioned myself for the start in the middle of the lake which was next to the lap divider buoys but behind the pack. I thought I would not get involved with the tussle of a mass swim start with 1,600 people. During the swim I got hit in the back of my head, in my swimming mask and my body this was while swimming the just the first lap of two. During the last lap of the swim my forehead was starting to get quite cold despite having two swimming caps on and being told before the race the lake temperature being 17C (62F). As I was only a few hundred meters from completing the swim I decided to continue on see how I felt when out of the water. Then about half way down the last leg I got cramp in my right calf, which I stopped briefly before continuing on with the swim which did go a few minutes later.
Based on my longest swim of only 2000m I estimated a fast time of 1:45 for the 3800m (2.4 miles), so when I did it in 1:29 I was well pleased with that.
T1 took 13 minutes but this includes time from leaving the lake and the run to transition and out on the bike. During transition I also put on a few pieces of cold weather cycling gear including my additional layer on my head which had already warmed up from the swim. As at the race brief the day before they warned about hypothermia.
The Cycle was 3 laps for 112 miles (180km), which on the way out section had 1 hill and the rest was undulating. They way back was hilly, there was 3 long hills plus a long 14% descent with the rest being undulating. The only flat bit was the 1 mile at the start/finish of the cycle section. A number people including the professional triathletes dropped out due to the conditions. On the cycle route you could still see the Homer Simpson which was next to the Cerne Giant on the hill side, it had faded turned brown as it was a biodegradable paint.
There was a cold north westerly wind which made it more difficult. My cycle computer had the temperature (excluding windchill) between 15-18c on the route. There was some light rain for about an hour on the start of the last lap of the cycle. My longest cycle ride before this was 76 miles about a month ago, although I had done a few triathlons including Half Ironman Distance. I did stop a few times to stretch my legs so they were not too sore after over 7 hours of cycling. I also stopped at most aid stations to get the required nutrition and fluids, as I decided to only take sodium replacement tablets with me on the cycle as there was plenty of aid stations on the route. My GPS watch just had enough power for the cycle lap which was setting to get a low battery warning in the last few miles. This was good for pacing myself over the long distance as used the pedal cadence and my heart rate functionality on it.
My cycle time was 7:44 which was an average of over 14mph (23 kmph) which I was pleased with considering the course and weather conditions. So I had done my two difficult parts of the triathlon and just had to run a marathon, the easy part so I thought as I have already run 6 marathons.
My T2 time was about 8 minutes, this including the time to run to the transition area after the cycle still wearing cycling shoes and after 112 miles of cycling. Here I put on two other short sleeve running tops, as the weather was still cloudy but at the end of the cycling it looked like it would improve. The buff scarf (cycling scarf) that I had underneath my helmet I decided to keep round my neck for the run in case it got chilly.
On the run for the two laps around the castle (9 miles/14km) I think I was doing just over 9mm pace and I was overtaking lots of people. I got warm during this section and out the buff scarf in my tri suit pocket and not to family members. After running through the town where there was a lot of support in the high street, you do two laps of a 3 mile section of a HILLY dual carriageway (the A30 to Yeovil, also known as babylon hill). This was into a cool headwind. By time I was half way done the first leg of first lap my leg muscles had gone and I was only running down the hills and walking up the hills. At this point virtually everybody was walking, I decided to stop recording my mile split times on my stopwatch.
By the time I completed the first lap of this section my arms where cold, luckily I packed a bag for the run special needs area which was at the end of the lap. However I packed a pair of running gloves and a running waist jacket, nothing with long sleeves. By the time I was getting near the end of the last lap of this section my arms where really cold it was getting dark and they had ran out of the foil space blankets. There was only a bin liner which would have kept by body warm which was warm and not my arms. I was very seriously considering stopping at this point to do to fatigue and my arms feeling cold but then I remembered the pirates motto “it’s not a knitting club” and a song from the last week that was on my Ironman playlist, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. I looked at my watch I had built up enough time earlier on the run to be able to walk complete all the way back. So as long as I could stay warm and my muscles not complete give out I will make.
Using what I had available I decided to put my arms inside the sleeveless jacket and hold it closed with my gloved hands. This made my arms warm again. As my core body was warm, they were out of the wind and the jacket was against my body so there was not much heat loss compared to a space blanket would have been in the wind. I was still able to run down the hills like this with my buff scarf around my face. This must have looked stange to people going the other way but I did not care as I was warm and I was back on the way to the finish. Going up and down a footbridge was a bit interesting due to my leg muscles fatigued at this point. I walked through the park and the town centre getting encouragement all the way.
When I got to the last few hundred metres I took off the jacket, this was to look better for the photographs at the end and cross as the finish as a pirate. The atmosphere at the end was great despite it being late, dark and chilly. With that last step I became an Ironman, the next fews steps was to get my medal.
I completed the marathon run in 5:43, which is nearly 2 hours away from my marathon pb that is how bad the run affected me.
My overall time was 15:19:36.
I really enjoyed the day there was plenty of support around the course. The weather conditions and hills were not that ideal but it was the same for everybody so you all had to deal with it whatever way you had to make it to the finish.
From the transition area they had a precession of the competitors to the lake entry point. This was good as you got encouragement from the spectators.
From the swim I had two swimming caps on and a swimming mask. I positioned myself for the start in the middle of the lake which was next to the lap divider buoys but behind the pack. I thought I would not get involved with the tussle of a mass swim start with 1,600 people. During the swim I got hit in the back of my head, in my swimming mask and my body this was while swimming the just the first lap of two. During the last lap of the swim my forehead was starting to get quite cold despite having two swimming caps on and being told before the race the lake temperature being 17C (62F). As I was only a few hundred meters from completing the swim I decided to continue on see how I felt when out of the water. Then about half way down the last leg I got cramp in my right calf, which I stopped briefly before continuing on with the swim which did go a few minutes later.
Based on my longest swim of only 2000m I estimated a fast time of 1:45 for the 3800m (2.4 miles), so when I did it in 1:29 I was well pleased with that.
T1 took 13 minutes but this includes time from leaving the lake and the run to transition and out on the bike. During transition I also put on a few pieces of cold weather cycling gear including my additional layer on my head which had already warmed up from the swim. As at the race brief the day before they warned about hypothermia.
The Cycle was 3 laps for 112 miles (180km), which on the way out section had 1 hill and the rest was undulating. They way back was hilly, there was 3 long hills plus a long 14% descent with the rest being undulating. The only flat bit was the 1 mile at the start/finish of the cycle section. A number people including the professional triathletes dropped out due to the conditions. On the cycle route you could still see the Homer Simpson which was next to the Cerne Giant on the hill side, it had faded turned brown as it was a biodegradable paint.
There was a cold north westerly wind which made it more difficult. My cycle computer had the temperature (excluding windchill) between 15-18c on the route. There was some light rain for about an hour on the start of the last lap of the cycle. My longest cycle ride before this was 76 miles about a month ago, although I had done a few triathlons including Half Ironman Distance. I did stop a few times to stretch my legs so they were not too sore after over 7 hours of cycling. I also stopped at most aid stations to get the required nutrition and fluids, as I decided to only take sodium replacement tablets with me on the cycle as there was plenty of aid stations on the route. My GPS watch just had enough power for the cycle lap which was setting to get a low battery warning in the last few miles. This was good for pacing myself over the long distance as used the pedal cadence and my heart rate functionality on it.
My cycle time was 7:44 which was an average of over 14mph (23 kmph) which I was pleased with considering the course and weather conditions. So I had done my two difficult parts of the triathlon and just had to run a marathon, the easy part so I thought as I have already run 6 marathons.
My T2 time was about 8 minutes, this including the time to run to the transition area after the cycle still wearing cycling shoes and after 112 miles of cycling. Here I put on two other short sleeve running tops, as the weather was still cloudy but at the end of the cycling it looked like it would improve. The buff scarf (cycling scarf) that I had underneath my helmet I decided to keep round my neck for the run in case it got chilly.
On the run for the two laps around the castle (9 miles/14km) I think I was doing just over 9mm pace and I was overtaking lots of people. I got warm during this section and out the buff scarf in my tri suit pocket and not to family members. After running through the town where there was a lot of support in the high street, you do two laps of a 3 mile section of a HILLY dual carriageway (the A30 to Yeovil, also known as babylon hill). This was into a cool headwind. By time I was half way done the first leg of first lap my leg muscles had gone and I was only running down the hills and walking up the hills. At this point virtually everybody was walking, I decided to stop recording my mile split times on my stopwatch.
By the time I completed the first lap of this section my arms where cold, luckily I packed a bag for the run special needs area which was at the end of the lap. However I packed a pair of running gloves and a running waist jacket, nothing with long sleeves. By the time I was getting near the end of the last lap of this section my arms where really cold it was getting dark and they had ran out of the foil space blankets. There was only a bin liner which would have kept by body warm which was warm and not my arms. I was very seriously considering stopping at this point to do to fatigue and my arms feeling cold but then I remembered the pirates motto “it’s not a knitting club” and a song from the last week that was on my Ironman playlist, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. I looked at my watch I had built up enough time earlier on the run to be able to walk complete all the way back. So as long as I could stay warm and my muscles not complete give out I will make.
Using what I had available I decided to put my arms inside the sleeveless jacket and hold it closed with my gloved hands. This made my arms warm again. As my core body was warm, they were out of the wind and the jacket was against my body so there was not much heat loss compared to a space blanket would have been in the wind. I was still able to run down the hills like this with my buff scarf around my face. This must have looked stange to people going the other way but I did not care as I was warm and I was back on the way to the finish. Going up and down a footbridge was a bit interesting due to my leg muscles fatigued at this point. I walked through the park and the town centre getting encouragement all the way.
When I got to the last few hundred metres I took off the jacket, this was to look better for the photographs at the end and cross as the finish as a pirate. The atmosphere at the end was great despite it being late, dark and chilly. With that last step I became an Ironman, the next fews steps was to get my medal.
I completed the marathon run in 5:43, which is nearly 2 hours away from my marathon pb that is how bad the run affected me.
My overall time was 15:19:36.
I really enjoyed the day there was plenty of support around the course. The weather conditions and hills were not that ideal but it was the same for everybody so you all had to deal with it whatever way you had to make it to the finish.
I am an Ironman
I am now an Ironman. :-)
Yesterday I completed the Ironman UK course in 15:19:36, I will post a report of the day on here later.
Yesterday I completed the Ironman UK course in 15:19:36, I will post a report of the day on here later.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Registered for Ironman
I have registered earlier today for Ironman. It is starting to get a bit more real now with only being a few days away now.
I even went through the finish, well the part that had already been put up plus I was driving in my car.
I even went through the finish, well the part that had already been put up plus I was driving in my car.
Last Run
This morning I did my last run before the Ironman. It was a 4 mile (6.5km) run with a few hills. It felt harder than normal but this was due to the rest this week and it was a week since the last run. Hopefully this will mean I am more fresh for the run on Sunday.
Weekly Weigh in
This week I have lost nearly 2lb (0.8 Kg) but my % body fat increased by 2.5%.
Strange as this was with less than 3 hours of training this week as it is the last taper week before the ironman.
Strange as this was with less than 3 hours of training this week as it is the last taper week before the ironman.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Last Swim
This morning I did my last swim before the Ironman.
It was a 1km (0.6 mile) pool swim which was at a fairly fast pace for me. The main thing was that it felt really good my stroke and rotation where better timed and I really enjoyed it.
It was a 1km (0.6 mile) pool swim which was at a fairly fast pace for me. The main thing was that it felt really good my stroke and rotation where better timed and I really enjoyed it.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Adjusting Sleep Pattern for Race
This week I am also adjusting my sleep pattern so that when I wake up at 3am on Sunday morning for breakfast it will not be a complete shock to the system.
I have been gradually changing my time to sleep and get up by an hour at a time and should have a few days at getting up at 3am. The main difference I have found is that I fell hungry mid morning and late afternoon.
Also I just Sky+ anything I would have watched and view them in the morning.
Reduced Caffeine
This last 2 weeks I have gradually been reducing the amount of caffeine I consume. Before this it was about 300mg daily which is on the fairly high side.
This week I have gone caffeine free.
I did have a bit of a headache at the end of the first day but that was fine the following morning.
The theory is that when I have the caffeine on the race day it will have a bigger impact and some current research suggests that it may reduce the pain felt in endurance events.
This week I have gone caffeine free.
I did have a bit of a headache at the end of the first day but that was fine the following morning.
The theory is that when I have the caffeine on the race day it will have a bigger impact and some current research suggests that it may reduce the pain felt in endurance events.
Early Morning Cycle Ride
On Monday morning I did a cycle at just before 7am. This was a good practice ride before Ironman which was also my last ride before then.
I had adjusted the cycle computer so it did not hit the handlebar stem next to the aerobar. The only problem was I did not reseat it correctly so was getting no reading for the first few minutes, after this it was ok.
At this time of the morning the sun was fairly low which made riding on the road a bit tricky in places. Luckily the Ironman cycle course is mainly a north/south ride with only a few minutes at the outbound section that would be facing the sunlight. However by the time I will first get their, the sun should be a lot higher than this so it should not be a problem.
However it may an issue on the swim which is two laps with the first part facing the direction of the sun. Although I have swam in conditions like that but it should be a bit easier by following all the splashes that will be going on with 1,500 people taking part.
The cycle was also cold despite the sun being out and was only 13c (55F) so it was fairly chilly when adding the windchill as well. I may wear some additional layers on the first lap of the cycle to warm myself up after the swim.
I had adjusted the cycle computer so it did not hit the handlebar stem next to the aerobar. The only problem was I did not reseat it correctly so was getting no reading for the first few minutes, after this it was ok.
At this time of the morning the sun was fairly low which made riding on the road a bit tricky in places. Luckily the Ironman cycle course is mainly a north/south ride with only a few minutes at the outbound section that would be facing the sunlight. However by the time I will first get their, the sun should be a lot higher than this so it should not be a problem.
However it may an issue on the swim which is two laps with the first part facing the direction of the sun. Although I have swam in conditions like that but it should be a bit easier by following all the splashes that will be going on with 1,500 people taking part.
The cycle was also cold despite the sun being out and was only 13c (55F) so it was fairly chilly when adding the windchill as well. I may wear some additional layers on the first lap of the cycle to warm myself up after the swim.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Weekly Update
This week I have put on 2 lb (1 Kg) but my % body fat remained the same. This was due to my training reduced which was only 3 hours but my food intake remained the same.
This week my training hours will be reduced due to the forecasted weather and changing the time I sleep to get used to the early morning race time.
This week my training hours will be reduced due to the forecasted weather and changing the time I sleep to get used to the early morning race time.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Taper week 1
This week I have been tapering back my training and doing about half the previous week's training. I seem to be more tired not doing the training although my muscles do not, I suppose that is the way it should be.
Insect Bite
On Monday I did a nice easy 4 mile cross country which was fine until afterwards I realised I had been bitten by an insect on the top of my calf. The next day it had started to turn red and swell up a bit. This is the sort of thing I wanted to avoid in the last few weeks before the race.
Luckily I work in a hospital so was able to buy some stuff from the pharmacy. It seems to be working and has now significantly reduced. It is not causing me any issues now training and have since been swimming and running.
Luckily I work in a hospital so was able to buy some stuff from the pharmacy. It seems to be working and has now significantly reduced. It is not causing me any issues now training and have since been swimming and running.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Race Haircut
At the weekend I got my race haircut for the Ironman.
I was planning to get it cut short but it is shorter than I planned for. I don't think I have had it cut this short since I was at primary school.
The only way to describe it is a military style hair cut.
It however was good for doing the 4 hours cycling in the heat at the weekend, so hopefully will be good for the race.
I was planning to get it cut short but it is shorter than I planned for. I don't think I have had it cut this short since I was at primary school.
The only way to describe it is a military style hair cut.
It however was good for doing the 4 hours cycling in the heat at the weekend, so hopefully will be good for the race.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Weekly Update
This week I did nearly 11 hours of training which was spread quite evenly between the three areas.
25% swimming, 40% cycling and 35% running.
The cycling and running had a long session. The swim was all pool based doing short sessions which I made some technical improvements during the last few. Some of the swims where also before a running session with a few days I did triple training sessions.
25% swimming, 40% cycling and 35% running.
The cycling and running had a long session. The swim was all pool based doing short sessions which I made some technical improvements during the last few. Some of the swims where also before a running session with a few days I did triple training sessions.
The Taper Begins
Today I did my last session before the two weeks of tapering down before the ironman.
I did a 62 mile (100 km) cycle ride with the temperature on my cycle computer reaching 34C (93F). I did this in just over 4 hours.
This was fairly good time as the route was undulating with a few big inclines and declines, so was a good training route for two weeks time. From my GPS the route had over 3,600 ft (1,100 m) of ascent.
I was also eating solid food on the bike every 20 minutes which was good to practice which I felt ok doing and when I finished.
I decided against doing any further on the bike or a run due to the heat, as that would have affected me and I did not want risk that being so close to the event now.
I did a 62 mile (100 km) cycle ride with the temperature on my cycle computer reaching 34C (93F). I did this in just over 4 hours.
This was fairly good time as the route was undulating with a few big inclines and declines, so was a good training route for two weeks time. From my GPS the route had over 3,600 ft (1,100 m) of ascent.
I was also eating solid food on the bike every 20 minutes which was good to practice which I felt ok doing and when I finished.
I decided against doing any further on the bike or a run due to the heat, as that would have affected me and I did not want risk that being so close to the event now.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Swim Improvements
Over the last 3 swim sessions in a pool I felt I have made some improvements with my technique. With better timing on the stroke with the body rotation phase, this has improved my speed but not making any more fatigued afterwards.
I just need to try this in a lake now, hopefully at the weekend.
I just need to try this in a lake now, hopefully at the weekend.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Weekly Weigh in
This week I have lost 1.75 lb (0.8 Kg), however my % body fat did increase by 0.5%.
The weight loss was mainly due to the longer training sessions which where done at a lower intensity which uses a different fuel source (more fat).
The weight loss was mainly due to the longer training sessions which where done at a lower intensity which uses a different fuel source (more fat).
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