Marks Training and Weight Loss Blog

2011 Stats Review

2012-01-09T20:28:00.000Z

This is a review of my training stats from 2011 which was the main events were a long distance triathlon and two marathons plus associated build up racesand training.

Below is my overall totals fro the year.

	Distance (Miles)	Time (Hours)
Run	946.5	151.9
Swim	54.0	45.1
Cycle	1,195.3	106.6
Walk	435.4	103.2
Cross Train	75.7	74.4

The cross training includes gym kit with distance apart fromcycle and run on treadmill , e.g. row, elliptical also football (refereeing)

The cycle distance does not include spin class session but thetime does include it. A rough estimated this would include about 300 miles tothe cycle based on effort and time but as it is not measurable, so they have notbeen included in the data.

From this data I need to increase my cycling a lot more anda my swim a bit more, although my running could be reduced slightly to accommodatethis.

Comparing 2011 to 2010

In 2010 I did two long distance triathlons, so the race miles may be higher, below is the comparison.

100% = Same, More is an increase, Less is a decrease.

	Distance	Time	Number of Sessions
Run	123.5%	123.1%	106.7%
Swim	124.4%	144.6%	155.6%
Cycle	94.1%	108.6%	180.2%
Walk	131.3%	117.8%	119.2%
Cross Train	31.6%	81.2%	112.4%

All 5 areas I have increased the number of sessions donebetween the two years.

Run

Both the distance and time increased by about the sameamount 23% but the distance was slightly more which also indicates the averagespeed was slightly higher.

Swim

The distance, time and number of sessions all increased byreasonable amount (24%, 44%, 55%). This means the average speed was slightlylower but there was a lot more sessions.

Cycle

The cycle distance decreased by 6% and the time increased by8% with the number of sessions increased by 80%. This means there was a lot more shorter sessions but also includes more spin classes in these values (apart from the distance, see above).

Walk

The walk distance increased by 31%, the time by 17% and thenumber of sessions by 19%. This means the walks were getting quicker and more of them.

Cross Train

Distance decreased by 69%, time decreased by 19%, number ofsessions increased by 12%. The decreases are likely caused by the reduced refereeing and referee fitness training this year.

Andover Marathon and Parkrun

2011-12-20T22:11:00.000Z

The day started early in time for breakfast and then to de-ice the car before travelling to the venue. When leaving it was still -1C (30F) and when I got a few miles in to the drive it start to lightly snow but luckily it was not settling on the ground. It was a tropical 2C when I arrived at the venue.

I got out of my car and promptly slipped on the ice all on the car park and landed on my right gluteus maximus (back side). It was sore but luckily I did not land on part of my car and nobody was around to see me fall. I then went round on the grass to avoid the ice.

For the parkrun it was too icy in places they changed the route to avoid the paths and just on the grass. As I was pacing somebody round running their non stop which we did and 1 minute quicker than their previous best. It was a comfortable pace for me as a warm before the marathon but was glad to have on a few layers to keep warm and avoid the mud.

Then carefully making it back to the car I changed some outer layers as was starting to warm up in the sun but was still cold but would hopefully I would warm up on the marathon. I also had a can of high caffeine drink to get a bit of a kick pre run.

The 35 of us doing the marathon listened to the race instructions and then we started the 105.5 laps!!

I lost count of my laps after about 4 laps in to the run and ignored the advice to disable the GPS on my watch. I was just focussing on and following the line between lanes 1 and 2 as per the race briefing.

The sun was out and clear blue skies but was bitterly cold made colder with the occasional cold wind but looked ideal conditions.

The first part of the race I went of faster than planned, which I think was not helped by the fact that I was being overtaking after 3 laps and there was people always around you. I found that I was trying to catch people up instead of sticking to my own pace, hopefully that would not catch up with me.

I liked the fact that I was only 200m from an aid station. So I had one isotonic drink on the table on opposites sides of the track and one of the sides I had my gels. This allowed me to stick to my nutrition plan of drinks and gels every 15/30 minutes after an hour, as I could tell when I need to get a gel or drink and return the bottle or gel bag the next lap. This meant I did not need to carry any nutrition for more than 400m.

I was glad of the two toilet breaks I took an hour and 3 hours in, especially as the it was the main track building which had a heater in, it was worth the 100m extra each time.

When I got to about 3 hours in my muscles were already feeling fatigued due to lack of training and the distance but my right glute was also sore from the fall on the ice earlier in the day and the fact we were running anti clockwise direction on the track meant more force would be used on my right side, doh!!

When I got a 4 hours in I thought I was nearly at the finish going by my GPS, apparently I was not that was a bit of a blow but I carried on but a slower pace, I should have listened to advice at the start.

Then I was told I had just 2 laps to go and picked up the pace and when the bell went for my last lap I then picked up the pace a bit more. As I crossed the finish line in 4:39 I was glad it was over and even got a great medal.

My average pace for the marathon was 10:40 per mile according to my GPS (some issue on a track) the second last 1/4 mile was at 8:23 pace the last 1/4 mile was at 6:15 pace. It was a bit of a hobble the short way back to the car with my muscles aching.

After putting some warm clothes on and had a sports recovery drink but there was still a few people left out on the track with the lights being on for about an hour.

The race T-Shirt with a Lion and Oak leaf, I found out they are part of the town crest.

Even the medal had a race t-shirt on.

Don't mess with me I survived the first Andover Marathon, GRR.

I just need to do a summer marathon without the swim and cycle warm up "bit" then run a marathon in all seasons. Also a trail/off road marathon would complete the set after doing a number of road and now a track marathon.

Marathon Week 4 of 4 (Taper)

2011-12-20T21:25:00.002Z

This week was a taper week which had a few christmas bashes to help relax before the the marathon.

This week there was only a few hours of exercise.

Marathon Week 3 of 4

2011-12-20T21:24:00.000Z

Week 3 and last week of training was a few high mileage days.

Monday was a nice 10 miler at night.

On Wednesday morning I did a 15 mile run before breakfast. Then straight on to a double gym classes followed by a light gym and swim with a aqua jog to relax. After some food and powernap I then did a 15 mile run at night with the last 5 miles being a fartlek session. The last few miles were particular tough but I made it through the session.

On the Saturday I did a Parkrun 5km up north at a new venue for me. It was a bit icy at the start and finish but still managed a fast time for me and beat my brother by 6 minutes. We then went on to 2 hours at the gym/pool, my muscles were aching for the next few days.

Marathon Week 2 of 4

2011-12-04T20:17:00.001Z

The second week of my marathon training plan is going well and I am in to double figure miles. Now just two weeks left which includes any taper.

The amount of training this week was above average for the last few months and the most miles run in that time frame. Just need to get some longer runs in this week before starting to taper and carb load at various Christmas meals :-)

You have got to like a 4 week marathon training plan.

Back posting

2011-11-20T20:06:00.001Z

I need to start back with a proper training plan and start blogging again.

Perhaps a 4 week marathon training plan will be a good start.

Weekly Weigh in

2011-09-08T20:52:00.001+01:00

This week I lost 2lb (0.9 Kg) and my % body fat reduced by 0.5%. Some of this may be due to water loss as weighed less than an hour after a gym session.

This was after a busy Saturday and a high volume of training.

Gym Session

2011-09-08T20:52:00.000+01:00

This week I changed my gym session to mix up my weights, core and cardio with the session feeling a lot better.

The weights included some circuits on resistance machines and some free weights. I did not do all the weights I would normally do but a selection I think this added variety to the session. For the core workouts I also did a selection from those I normally do. For the cardio I did a high intensity session on the gym bike followed by some rowing.

I think I will use this approach of selective exercises when I go to the gym instead of repeating the same set of exercises each time.

Weekly Training

2011-09-08T20:44:00.001+01:00

This week I did over 12 hours and over 100 miles of exercise with the majority of it done on Saturday. Below is a breakdown by time.

Bike	53%
Run	24%
Walk	15%
Cross	8%

This was a good amount of cycling which included a Time Trial. There was also a reasonable amount of running with walking amount reduced. However there was no swimming this week.

Busy Saturday

2011-09-08T20:39:00.001+01:00

This week I had a busy Saturday exercising.

First thing I did an undulating 24 mile bike road averaging 15.5 mph just in time to do a 5km run. I finished 14th in a time just over 23 minutes but I could not go any quicker due to my muscles fatigued from the fast cycle ride. I then did over a mile recovery run and walk before fuelling up for the next lot of exercise with a tea and bacon roll.

I then did a 20 mile cycle ride at an easier pace stopping at a local shop to get another drink and white chocolate chip and raspberry cookie (it tasted so good). I then did an undulating 18.25 mile cycle time trial, I had done about 4 hours of exercise by this point and the others turned up with their bike in the cars. I was 12th (last) but I managed an average speed of 17.98mph!! This was a good fast pace for me even before all the exercise.

Before leaving the TT registration area I bought a bottle of regular cola from the kebab van at the end of the lay-by as I was out of drinks and dehydrated. Then it was a nice gentle 11 mile cycle ride home for a well deserved rest and food and drinks.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-08-30T20:03:00.002+01:00

This week I gained 2lb 2oz (1Kg) and my % fat increased by 0.5%

This is despite the 10 hours of exercise but over a quarter of this was walking, I need to get some more endurance session back in my training. This was also strange as I thought I had reduced my food this week as well.

Weekly Training

2011-08-29T17:24:00.003+01:00

Increased training this week with about the same amount as the previous 4 weeks.

Below is the breakdown by time.

Walk	29.4%
Bike	29.1%
Run	22.1%
Cross	10.5%
Swim	8.9%

From this I need to reduce the amount of time walking compared to the rest of my training or used as part of recovery after a hard session.

This week included a training sprint triathlon, however the swim and cross training could be slightly increased with a slight reduction on the cycling.

Training Sprint Triathlon

2011-08-29T17:16:00.002+01:00

At the weekend I did a sprint triathlon in training which was made up of the following with a few minutes between each.

400m Swim
10 Miles (16km) Cycle
5km (3.1 mile) Run

A few miles cycling before afterwards this was all done before 10am!!

The swim was at reasonable pace but was limited to being in a 20m pools with a few other people at a slower pace. I was able to maintain the pace and was not fatigued at the end.

The cycle was around the town to get to run on time. This was on my "B" bike so there was more resistance due to the weight and aerodynamics plus a ruck sack on my back. This made the inclines a bit tougher as the bike has standard pedals and not clipped in.

The run was a parkrun 5km, it was the first time I had been to this venue for a couple of months. I decided to go for a fast run at the start although there was a few people at the front who obviously should not have been there. I went off fast and was able to hold on the pace apart from the two main inclines on the route. At the end I was only 25 seconds away from my course PB and was my quickest there this year.

This was a good training session I may do this again.

Weekly Weigh-in

2011-08-24T22:46:00.001+01:00

This week I have lost 2lb (0.9 Kg) and my % body fat has increased by 0.5%.

I was surprised by the amount of weight loss as I have been doing very little exercise. However unlike previous times I had reduced my food intake to match the drop in exercise levels.

Pier to Pier Sea Swim

2011-08-24T22:43:00.000+01:00

I recently took part in the Lowestoft Pier to Pier swim which is a 1,000 meter swim in the North Sea.

It was actually quite warm air temperature at 9am and waited until a few minutes before the start to fully put on the wet suit in the heat, even so I was glad to get in the cold north sea. It was ideal swim conditions with only small waves and it was sunny.

It started from the beach which for some reason I started near the right side which was the shortest distance to get past the end of the groyne. There was quite a few lifeguards on patrol on various canoes and surfboards in case anybody got into trouble.

When running in to the sea I was surprised there was not that many fast people on this side so I was able to get in to my swim rhythm quickly with only getting hit a few times. Once I reached the end of the gryone it was almost a 90 degree turn to the right to head towards the other pier, luckily this was easy to sight.

I was going at a good pace for me and was surprised how quickly I had got to the pier, there was a person in a canoe there to prevent you swimming in to the pier which I managed to avoid. At this point I knew there was somebody close to me as I was getting hit a bit as we turned round the pier. At this point I kicked a bit more to get some separation until I could not swim any further on to the shoreline. I then started to run up the beach about 20m to the finish. I was concentrating on the finish line and nearly fell over down a dip in the sand but I could hear the person behind me was close so I took the racing line, looking at the results he was given the same time as me.

I finished this in 19:41 and was 19th out of 41 who entered and was 7th in my age category. I enjoyed this low key sea swim/race and will do this again.

Outlaw 2011 - Post Race Review

2011-08-21T22:01:00.002+01:00

Just looking at my race times and race report and how I felt I needed to more distance training. That is backed up my by pre race training log which was shorter sessions and less build up races than normal.

Below is my comparing my times to last year which only part of the bike course is different which now had a 12% incline on each lap.

My swim was 32 seconds quicker, which is less than 1 second per 100m but at least it is going in the right direction. I think the pilates sessions has helped my posture to better maintain a streamlined swim position and aero position on the bike.

It all went pair shaped from then on, in comparison. My overall time was about 70 minutes longer with the bulk of this on run taking over 60 minutes longer. The bike was 8 minutes longer which is not bad due to the course change and lack of training. My T1 and T2 times needed improving before but this time even more, T1 was only a few seconds longer but my T2 was double the previous year.

From this I need to do some more mental training when fatigued, this is based on the time to make decisions in transition.

I thought my weight was more this year but looking at my records I was actually nearly 3lb (0.2 Kg) less but my % body fat was 2.5% higher. This means I had less muscle to body weight ratio. So I think I need to do more weights at the gym and regularly and not the ad-hoc I was doing in the months beforehand.

Data analysis from GPS

Cycle

From the bike the mile splits for the section to the laps you can see that most of the miles are faster than the average speed of 15.8 mph with only a few slower miles due to undulations.

After the mile with the hill the average went down to 11mph there was four consecutive miles over 20 mph averages with one of them averaging more than 24 mph, then the pace slowed down. The laps can be identified by the two sets of fast miles at the start and end, with the start of the lap being a few miles before this and the hill the speed deep 2 miles before this. The average speed of the sets of faster sections was reducing but still way above the average speed. The slow mile at the hill got slower until the last lap when it was close to the fast lap due to being near the end and got an energy boost. Most of the last ten miles were slower than the average due to fatigue but not helped due to the wind, undulations and poor road conditions.

Run

On the run mile splits the first 15 miles I would say are generally marathon pace allowing longer times if two aid stations, toilet break and retying shoe laces. It then gradually increases until mile 23 is twice the pace of the first mile. After mile 23 the pace slightly reduces mainly due to I knew I was the last part of the race around the lake and can see and hear the finish. The last part of a mile may not be accurate as I cannot remember if I stopped my watch as I crossed the finish line.

From the 10km splits the first two 10km were at about 65 minute pace, the third 10km was at about 88 minutes, the fourth 10km was at 108 minutes with the last few km at slightly slower pace.

Conclusion

So in addition to the longer individual training sessions it would be beneficial to do some long brick sessions. The run was on a flat course so running on a undulating route and also mix terrain would be helpful.

With more longer sessions and build up races I could also try out my bike and run nutrition more times and to the same plan which would be helpful to know before the race.

Also some weight loss and more gym work would provide additional benefits.

Outlaw 2011 - Race Report

2011-08-21T21:49:00.000+01:00

The Outlaw triathlon is a long distance triathlon which is 2.4 miles (3.8km) Swim, 112 miles (180km) Cycle followed by a marathon (26.2 miles 42.2km). The race is based at Holme Pierpoint in Nottingham and the surrounding countryside.

Pre Race

This year I was nowhere near as anxious before this race as last year, just a bit pre race nerves this year which is ok to have. This year it was due to the lack of training as my longest swim and cycle was about two third race distance but I had run a marathon back in April. From the Bala race I was even prepared to take part in poor weather conditions up to a limit.

As I am already an Outlaw I decided to buy some Outlaw merchandise at the race expo as that would not put a jinx on my race. My brother decided to buy something pre race even though he has not completed the Outlaw before, it is bit risky doing that on a long distance race.

As I had been getting up early all race week to ensure the 3am breakfast on Sunday was not a total shock, I had left early and was at the venue for the first race briefing. There was not much different from last year apart from a change of road on the cycle loop and some of the traffic management options used at various points. Plus the weather forecast was looking favourable for the race unlike the previous week.So after this I went back to the car park and started to pack my race bags that they provided.

They had only given one number so I had to ensure it was secured on a race number belt, so I picked one of the two I had brought with me.

Then also stuck the race numbers on to my helmet and bike.I decided to pack them in a logical order, put bike together, swim stuff, cycle kit and then run kit. So after getting the bicycle out of the car and bits I had loosened back in the correct positions I pumped up the tyres a bit.

For the swim kit I would bring it in the morning in my dry kit bag, so for the moment I put it in my open water swim kit box along with the usual kit I put in the race timing chip and race swim cap.

The cycle kit I decided on my tri specific cycle shoes which had more ventilation and easy release while on the bike, so I put these at the bottom with some talcum powder inside them. I then put some longer sleeve and various colder weather kit in as a backup options. I also put in a spare tri suit and a pair of cycle shorts so I would have plenty of kit options when I got to T1. It is better to put stuff in the bag that you may need and don’t use than not have it there when you need it. On top I put in my cycle helmet, sunglasses and new cycle gloves. The cycle helmet and gloves coincidently matched my bike colours.

I then started packing my run kit bag. First in was a newish pair of trainers that I had got which I had only worn twice while running. I put in some talcum powder to reduce any moisture in the shoe and hopefully prevent any blistering. I then put some running kit in the bag along with another tri suit and hat and gloves. The bit of running kit that was not in there were full length leggings.

There was plenty of aid stations on the course but to ensure I did not have to wait a while or they run out I had some of my supplies with me. For the bike I had filled my panier bad with some oat/fruit bars and a couple of gels and also had a packet of sports powered in my bike kit bag to take with me. For the run I put a few gels in which were caffeinated and the first time I will be using in a race and only the second time using them. I then decided to have a special needs nutrition bag as a backup option as would be accessible on the bike laps at the top end of the course. In there I put a a couple packets of sports powder, few of the new gels and two mini (250ml) bottles of regular coca-cola, I did not have time to make them semi flat so I would have to settle for the bubbles on the day.

I then racked my cycle and run kit bags on the rack and visiualised where abouts they were located. Even though they are numbered as this is an endurance event your mind can play tricks on you and can get disoriented easily.

After some basic safety checks by the marshals I then racked my bike in my numbered position.

It was fairly easy to find as it was nearly level with the only clock on the boat shed wall that I could see from transition and two rows from the lake.I took a few photos to familarise myself with the swim in and bike out areas of transition compared to my bike position. As they racked my bike this would be the only time I would need to be in this area until collecting my bike at the end. Normally there would be a bike to run exit.

After that we headed back to the hotel to relax before tomorrow. We decided to go for a easy swim in the hotels pool which was about 10m. Out of the three of us I was the slowest at swimming breaststroke even though one of us was not a triathlete. My excuse was I was saving my energy for tomorrow.The pre race meal we went to the a pub that had part of its name as our surname, we had to really.

There I had the 10oz Hawaii five-o gammon steak with peas, pineapple slice, fried egg and chips then for desert I had a raspberry trifle cheesecake. That made 3 fruit/veg in a single meal, I was starting to feel a bit light headed at this point :-)

After that we went around the area taking photos of the various shops with our surname in their names, the best was the police station. At this point we were nice and relaxed and headed back to the hotel and hopefully get some sleep before the alarms at 3am!!

Race Morning

I got up for my 3am breakfast on my first alarm out of the four devices with multiple times I had set. I then got ready for the day in a nice relaxed state not having to rush around in the morning. When we were going out of the hotel there was still there people drinking from that night, that is a more common endurance session than what we were about to attempt.

When we got to the race venue it was still dusk with the sun starting to rise which was in line with the swim outbound lake.
I then put my drinks on to my bike and setup my GPS devices. I then checked my tyre pressure using the highly scientific method of pushing the tyre with my thumb. Luckily there was a marshal there with a track pump so I did not have to get my hands dirty pumping my tyre.

I then went back to the transition tent area and put my post race warm clothes in bag and get my stuff I needed for the swim. On the lake bankside I had my pre race caffeinated energy drink and then got my wetsuit on. I then handed the non race stuff to our support crew and headed to the swim start with about 10 minutes to go before the race.

Swim
Out of the four boat ramp areas at the start I decided to go in the third which was based on their time slots the race organisers suggested. So once going round the taped off section I then eased myself into the lake. This was due to the cold water but also the mud and possible geese poo on the ramp with a a 1ft drop a down the slope a bit which I did not want to slip over and injure before the race had started.

As we were getting in before the race the music they had on made me chuckle, it was the star wars imperial march but I could have miss heard this under my two swim caps.

Just before the 6am start looking down the U shape swim course in the rowing lake, you could not see the turning point but I was nice and calm and relaxed while still being focused on the tasks ahead of me.

As the air horn sounded and the race started the flat/peaceful lake was then turned into arms and legs splashing and kicking making the water appear like white water rapids.

I had decided to start in the back left of this start bay as there was about 200m diagonal swim to the left before joining the straight section of the swim, as this should then spread out the swimmers as the faster swimmers were in the bays to the left.

However despite being at a slower than normal swim pace I was being hit a kicked a bit a fare amount up to this turn point and for the next 200m. At this point I was starting to get in to some more open water in the swim and not too many swimmers around me so that I could get back in to my swim rhythm. I noticed that there was a bit of weeds in the lake but only a very small amount compared to last year and my last lake swim.

As the swim was in a rowing lake it was easier to tell how far round you were as there was some big distance signs on both sides of the lake with distances to the row finish which was a bit before the finish but gave you an idea for pacing and not overdoing it. I felt that I had gone fairly straight on this section of the swim which rarely happens.I got to the far turnaround points and then from nowhere I was getting hit a bit by the other swimmers.

Once I got to the other side of the lake and the back section I found some space again and got into a good rhythm. Although about 200m later I slowed down as I noticed on breath stroke that about a dozen geese swam in front of the person ahead of me. Then for about a minute (felt longer) I had a geese pacer about 10m to the right of me.

With about 500m to go I was feeling strong and was able to put a bit more effort and on back section of the swim I was overtaking a lot of people with only a few overtaking me.On this few minute of the swim it was looking like it was sunny and warmer and I was going through kit options for T1/Cycle that I was no planning to use.When I got out of the swim it was fast time for me and I did not hit any of the many rowing lane marker buoys.

T1

When I got to T1 my brother was still taking his wet suit off, so I was minutes closer to him after the swim than anybody expected, I think it shocked him more than me. However he would normally make a few minutes up in T1.

I noticed that it was sunny and getting warmer with a bit of wind. So I dried off a bit and then had a towel on floor to dry my feet as I would be on them for the next 12 hours. I then put on long compression socks and another pair of cycle socks on top. I then put on my cycle top and arm warmers, skull cap, fingerless gloves, sunglasses and cycle helmet.
I decided against putting the longer and cold weather kit that I had brought with me, hopefully that would not backfire on me. My brother left a few minutes before me, I was ok my T1 time as it is a long day and best not to forget anything at this stage.

I then headed out of transition to get my bike which I had remembered the position despite being slightly disoriented after the swim. I then ran out to the bike exit of transition.

Cycle

In the first 100m (meters not miles) I had to stop. As I had not done handlebars up tight enough and with any weight on them they were dropping down. It took me under a minute to sort this out.

We then went round the lake on the pathway. Halfway down the other side of the lake a flock of geese decided to fly low in to the lake, I slowed down I thought the person in front of me was going to be knocked off but he was not.After leaving the lake side there was about a mile U turn section on the local roads to get the distance up.

I saw my brother on this section who was about half a mile ahead, it then took me to about 13 miles to catch him up despite being on my aerobars for most of this. He said the pace was a bit much for him and said he would slow down and go at his pace. I think he got caught up in the race and gone off a bit fast, I then pushed on at my pace.

The section to join the loop was longer than last year but was made up of long sections on some undulating sections. So I was able to stay on my aerobars for longer time, hopefully my lower back would be ok with spending longer time than normal in aero position (bent over the handlebars).

Within the first mile of the loop was a big hill that was 12% incline which was for about half a mile with first half being at a lower gradient. I called this incline col de pirate (had been watching the Giro d’Italia) or Pirate hill, as the Pirate manned aid station was about quarter of a mile after the top of the hill. Being a pirate I got plenty of support their and enjoyed the signs that they had put out along the road.

The road in to Southwell was fast road which I was easily staying in the 20-30 mph zone. There was a support in the town with most being at the 90 degree right hand turn with a official photographer on bend decided to use a flash luckily my bike hand skills have improved.

After a few undulating miles you joined the top section of the lap after going over a wooden ramp to avoid joining a main road with a very sharp left bend. This top section of the loop was the hardest part of the course which seemed a lot more undulating and into to headwind which I was going under 10mh in places.

When we turned off this road I was able to pick up my pace and was regularly in the 20-30mph zone and back on the aerobars.There was now just the two more laps to do on the bike and the 20 ish miles back to the end of the bike.

On the second lap about 65 miles in I stopped and got some of the gels, coke and energy drink. I was starting a bit early on the caffeinated products but I needed them already at this point. I was trying to stick to the energy drink mix that I had brought with me on for the bike as I think their drinks are more diluted than what I am used to.

Then half way round on the second bike loop I saw my brother on the side, who had pulled out due to the hills/wind not feeling right on that point on the previous lap. That lifted the pressure of being the fastest in our family but I still kept going at my pace.

The third loop was tougher especially the hill which some people were walking up with their bike. I managed to get up the hills without stopping. At the special needs aid station at about 90 miles I got the same as before which I was glad I put bag there the previous day as it was starting to get sunny and warm (out of the wind).

For bike nutrition I was trying to stick to a time based plan and not where the aid stations were. As they were about 12 miles apart (about 50 minutes) I would have half a banana at each with gels and water being option depending on how much stuff I had with me. I had a few bars and gels with me so I was not limited to at the aid stations and the few types of items they had. For the last hour I did not have any solid food sticking to the gels and drinks.

On the last lap it was starting to space out a bit more and was getting really warm. I was glad when I got to the end of the third lap until I realised I had about 20 miles left. This section had some relatively flat and fast sections along with a few inclines. In the last 10 or so miles there seemed to be more undulating sections along with more wind. The last few miles were on poor road conditions so you had to be mentally focused to stay on your bike. They had a small section through a country hall’s grounds to avoid a section of road but this had a cattle grid on the exit. I did not fancy going over this long in to the day so I went round it on the grass.

With less than a mile to the finish of the bike I was preparing for the run, by spinning at a higher cadence but at an easier gear then stretching my legs. With about 200m to go I took my feet out of the shoes and placed them on top of the shoes for a quick transition, I just had to be careful on the downhill section with speed bumps on the way into lake grounds. I got past this section and was able to quickly get of my bike and not fall over and handed my bike to the people (sea cadets) that were racking the bikes.

I then ran in T2.

T2

I got my run kit bag and headed to the changing areas. My knees hurting a bit from bike, so I had some paracetmeol that I had packed but had no available drink and could not swallow them, so I to bin these but had the strange taste still.

I then changed my tri suit and socks and put on race hat, just to feel a bit fresher. I put on no other layers that I packed but took some gloves with me as a long day and may get cool later.

I then tried putting my race gels in belt in T2 when mentally fatigued which these were not fitting, that wasted a few minutes.

This felt even to me a longer T2 time than normal.

I then headed out of T2 to use some of the facilities before starting the run.

Run

As it was getting hot and sunny there was somebody at the start of the run applying sun lotion out of what looked like a cooking mixing bowl. As I had not taken any due to the weather forecast the person put some on my neck and shoulders.

As it was warm I gave the gels and gloves to my brother as I decided I would not need them, don’t know why I took them out of T2 apart from mental fatigue.

I started of running at my marathon pace which was going ok. The first lap was around the lake and then there was three loops on the out an back to the city with each lap ending with a lap around the lake. The out and back section to the city was along the River Trent on a gravel footpath in places with a footpath underneath a Nottingham Forest FC stand to the turnaround point near the county council offices were there was a well stocked and manned aid station.

I was not too keen about running past the finish straight and line three times before.

I was walking through the aid stations that were about every 1.2 miles (12 minutes) apart while trying to alternating gels, water, isotonic sports drink and cola.

It was starting to get warm as some places there was very little shade and the wind had that we had on the cycle had stopped. So when the sun was behind me I was turning my cap around to try and prevent my neck from being sun burnt.

At the start of the day I was not looking forward to getting in to the lake now in the heat I could have done with a dip in it. At this point I had seen enough of the lake with the swim, lap on bike and four times on the run.

This was going well until I think about 16/17 miles then muscle fatigue and stomach ache/over nutrition caught up on me and had to walk virtually all of the remaining distance. Only down hill (under bridge) and final straight I managed any run/jog.

Other people were in similar situation and we ending up discussing our day so far and just getting to the finish. I knew I was not going to get anywhere near last year’s time but went to my adjusted goal of getting to the finish.

With the last 1km to go along the lake I started a very slow jog/hobble with slightly increasing the pace as the crowd support got more and the close to the finish I was.

For the finish straight I think I slowed down to high five the crowd and get photos from my supporters.

I crossed the finish line and the announcer said you are an Outlaw (again).

I got my medal and finishers t-shirt then some water and headed to the first aid tent.

Post Race

I went to the first aid tent as I thought I had blisters due to newish running shoes and my dodgy stomach.I laid down on the bed and they check my feet, which luckily had not blistered it must have been some drink/gel that had splashed on to my running shoes mesh which looked like dried blood colour.

After lying down for a few minutes with a drink of water I was starting to feel better from heat as well as everything else.

I then headed to the post race food which was pasta with various bits in. This looked nice but I did not fancy that at this point of the day. So I went for a roll and a couple of pieces of ginger cake and a cup of tea which was only my second of the day!!

Race Times

I finished the race with a time of 14:43:09

My official race times for the sections of the race are.

Swim = 1:23:19
T1 = 9:19
Cycle = 7:05:04
T2 = 14:32
Run = 5:50:57

For the 2.4 miles (3.8 km) swim my average pace was 34:43 per mile (21:35 per km).

For the 112 miles (180 km) cycle my average pace was 15.8 mph (25.4 kmph).

For the 26.2 miles (42.2 km) run my average pace was 13:24 per mile (8:20 per km).

I have created my post race review separately to the race report.

Last Two Weeks Weigh in

2011-08-05T08:15:00.002+01:00

Over the last two weeks I have gained 1/4 lb. Last week I gained 2 lb (0.9 kg) despite doing a long distance triathlon in over 14 hours of exercise. This week I lost 1 3/4 lb (0.7 kg) with only a very little amount of exercise.

The extra weight on the long distance triathlon did not help, so this will be reduced before my next long distance triathlon.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-07-19T19:30:00.002+01:00

This week my weight has stayed the same with my % body fat decreasing by 1%.

Not sure how this happened as I have done significantly less training this week.

Norwich Olympic Distance Triathlon 2011

2011-07-17T19:25:00.000+01:00

Pre Race

The race car park was 1.2 miles (1.5km) away from the start. So we put my kit bag on the shuttle bus which the spectators also used. I then cycled to the start/transition area, wearing my trainers instead of cycle shoes which was a bit interesting, got half way and realised that my cycle shoes were in the back pack I had on.
After I registered I racked my bike up which was a pick your own space in certain rows for each race distance. So I picked my sport on the second row level with the barn (cafe) doors so this would be easy to spot in T1 and T2.

It was starting to feel warm in transition despite it being just 7:30am, so I decided to put my cycling short sleeve on my kit box as a backup kit if I felt cold at T1 and help speed up my transitions.

Swim

Getting to the swim start required walking on a stone path which I was thinking why I went barefoot there. The swim was 1,500m in a U shape with a longer start section until the turn around point with the exit 3/4 way along the other lake side. Luckily the blue green algae was below the safety limits so the swim could go ahead.
From the starting point it was hard to see the 3 buoys perhaps not helped by being in the suns direction and reflection on the water with yellow buoys. The tip from one of the other triathletes was to head to the tallest tree on straight ahead.

For the start I started on the left side and was only a few people deep at the start due to being at the lakeside.
For the first few minutes I was getting hit a bit while swimming which I was more annoying than affecting my swim. There was a couple of times which I hit and slow down the person in front of me. I felt I was going fairly straight on target on this section. When I reached the third buoy I took my time to get my bearings for the sharp right turn to the next buoy. After 100m there was another right turn for the last section along the lake side to the finish. Half way down this section when sighting I noticed that swim a few meters ahead of me had stopped, this was due to about 5 swans decided to swim from one side of the lake to the other. I decided to slow down a bit to let them past before picking up my speed for the last section. At this point I was overtaking a few people as I had taken a slightly wider angle on the last turn than most people, this allowed me to see the swim exit banner from further out and stay aligned with it.

When I got to the swim exit I took my swim caps and googles off, the googles fell in to the murky water and somehow I found them on my first attempt.

My Swim time was 33:04 for the 1,500m lake swim.

T1

From the swim exit at lakeside there was a 100m to the transition area which they had mats to this areas which was starting to get slippery. I gave a few meters to get my thoughts together and then got the top of my wetsuit down to waist and started to run in to transition.

I got my wetsuit off fairly quick for me. Then as it was warm I decided against putting on my cycling top and just using arm warmers which I could take off if I got too warm. As I had got my kit laid out in the order I was putting them on I was fairly quick for me. Leaving T1 a quickly drunk a fun size can of coke to get some quick energy after the swim.

My T1 time was 4:00 which includes time leaving swim to the far end of T1.

Cycle

The cycle was 39km (24 Miles) of a single loop which had one stop point at a right hand turn. I decided to put a big effort in to the cycle section.

The section out of the transition was flat but had a few speed bumps in the road, that was Worthing noting for the inbound section to T2. The next few miles surprisingly there was a few gentle undulations, which I was overtaking a few people along this section with less people over taking me. When I got to the far end of the cycle course loop it was starting to get warm and flattened out but this meant the slight side wind had nothing to step it so required some bike skills to stay on the bike. I was also trying to stay on the aero bars as much as possible. When I got to about 3/4 way round there was a longer hill which there was a few people starting to overtake me.

However in the first 1 hour I noticed on my GPS device I had completed 19.2 miles!! My normal average speed is about 15 mph.

I knew there were only a few miles left on the bike so I would see if I could maintain the pace but accepting the run will hurt.

There was a right hand turn where you had to stop and put a foot down (else disqualified), I was gutted this slowed my time down. On the way back to the transition area I was maintain a fast pace down the country park road and made a note where the speed bumps were. After which I got my feet out of my shoes and peddled on top of them to have a quick transition.

My time was 1:12:36 which is an average speed of 19.6 mph !!

T2

Once I got to my spot which I easily remembered the location, I was pleasantly surprised that there was still lots of gaps for bikes still on the cycle course. I took of the cycle specific kit and put my running shoes on. To aid a quick transition I took my watch and hat with me and put on while running along.

My T2 time was 1:26.

Run

The run was a 11km off road run through the woodland and lakeside which was made up of two laps. It was starting to get quite warm now, so I was glad I decided just having my trisuit on. The first part of the run went through a different section of the park then I had ran there, I was glad it went through some woods to get some shade but had to watch out my footing more carefully than on a road surface. I was to glad of the hills in the woods which I decided to walk up the top half as my legs did not have much power in them after the cycle.
There was a few water stops on the route but I had taken a gel and sports drink me to enable to me to more regular drinks which ideal in these conditions. After the woods section you then ran along the lake side which was so tempting to take a dip to cool off. I got to near the start end of the lap before the first women over took me, not sure how far head start I had but normally they would have overtaken me on the bike. You then went on the path behind the finish area which you could hear people were finishing.

I then knew what was coming on the second loop, so I was prepared for the uneven ground, loose wood chipped paths and steps which I could then take in my stride. Once I got to the far side of the lake there was less than 2km to go I decided to pick up my pace a bit more until the finish. The last 100m you had to watch your footing on the paths and grass but I made it round.

My run time was 57:23 this is an average pace of 8:15 minutes per mile (5:44 per km).

Overall

My overall time was 2:48:29 and I was 91st overall, out of the 159 finishers in the Olympic distance. Which I was 114th (72%) in the swim, 82nd (52%) in the bike and 75th (47%) in the run.

Post race performance

Pre race

I spent a bit more time pre race in transition getting my kit ready with optional kit easily available if I need them due to weather conditions. I also spend time familiarising myself with my position in transition and the various in and out sections and the distances.

Swim

The swim I was glad I could sight better when in the lake than when stand on the lake side waiting to get in. I started in the faster end of the start which did not freak me out that much so was a good test. On the way back I did not feel as tired as I normally would and it felt like my swim technique was not affected. The swim time was about average for me.

T1

This was about half the time I normally spend in T1 even with the longer swim exit to T1. I had minimised the amount of kit to add and had laid out my kit in order to enable a quick change over.

Bike

I don’t know what happened on the bike as I averaged 19.6 mph which was over 4mph faster than my normal speed. The only notable difference I made was having less food and drink due to it being a shorter ride.

T2

This must have been affected by the fast bike ride as I was about a sixth of the time I normally spend in T2. It was helped by not adding extra layers of clothes and put some things on while running out.

Run

The run I went of fast and was able to maintain a similar pace (except the hills) all the way round on a hot day. It was good to run on multi terrain as I had to ensure I maintained my focus on the path conditions.

Nutrition

The bike nutrition I had my food early on the ride to give time to digest before the run and then switched to a sport drink. On the run I had a gel which I had before half way and a sports drink I took with me which I was taking regular sips and only had a couple of cups of water from their aid stations. This was enough for this distance race.

Overall
I was pleased with all my times on this race in particular T1, T2 and the cycle. The nutrition and kit choices will be different on longer races but provided a good test of different options on a shorter and hot race.

Below is the medal you got, I like the cog shaped.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-06-28T20:13:00.000+01:00

This week I have gained 1lb 2oz (0.5Kg) with my % body fat decreasing by 1.5%.

The weight gain was a bit surprising due to the 15 hours of exercise in the last week.

Last Weeks Exercise

2011-06-28T20:12:00.000+01:00

Last week I did over 15 hours of exercise, this included an open water aquathon and a hot and hilly hundred km cycle ride :-)
Below is the breakdown percentage by time.

Bike	38%
Run	17%
Swim	17%
Walk	15%
Cross	13%

I was pleased with the amount of time cycled and swam this week. This also included a open water race which I got to practice my transitions in a race conditions. The time walking could have been less with either my run or cross training being higher.

This was a big week for me, I think the following week will be slightly easier.

Hot and Hilly Cycle Ride

2011-06-28T20:03:00.000+01:00

This weekend I decided to do a fairly long cycle ride for me of 62 miles (100 Km). Not sure why I thought starting at 11:30am in 31c heat was a good idea.

The first 20 miles I was quite quick for me with a lot of time on the aerobars. The next 20 miles surprised me by how hilly they were especially when I knew the next 10 miles were hilly, hence my pace dropped down a bit. I was starting to get a bit dehydrated and/or the effects of the heat. The mobile take away was not in its usual place whihc I had planned to get some drinks from, the nearest shop I knew was back about 2 miles but I wanted to keep heading home. Then I remembered there was a supermarket petrol station only a mile or so away. When I got there I down 0.5l of cold drink and put the other in one of my drinks bottles for the remaining 10 or less miles.

I had two bananas while going around along with my 1.5l of drink (isotonic and minerals drinks) but I did not want nay of the food I had with me, must have timed having porridge correctly.

In the end I made it back in 4:12 which was an average of 14.8 mph which I was glad I made it back in the hot weather.

What a difference a couple of weeks make both hilly but one in 8c, wind and rain and the other in 31c, with a slight cooling breeze and sunny.

Evening Open Water Aquathon

2011-06-23T22:05:00.000+01:00

Tonight I did an evening OpenWater Aquathon. It started with a 750m lake swim and then a 5.1km run.

There was only about 10 people doing it, so there was not much of a mass start so started in the middle to get my swim start confidence. Most people left me standing in the first few strokes but there was a few other people at my pace plus the others lake swimming. In the last half of the straight I think I was catching some people up. I was sighting the buoys quite well and did not go too far of course but had not much arm power after the weights earlier in the week due to DOMS. The only issue was the amount and height of the weeds in places but good practise for my main race.

Transition was quick for me, once reached it from the lake which included climbing a ladder!! I had laid my running stuff out including an extra t shirt rolled to to get on easy when wet.

The run was 3 laps around the lake and a cross country style apart from the short section across the car park. I tried some different running shoes which was ok for this type of terrain but will need to try on other surfaces before using in main race. I was getting faster on each lap despite the swams of flies on the far side of the lake, I was glad a had a hat on so I did not get many on my face or swallow.

Based on memory I think my times were told to me as I went through each checkpoints was 16 minutes swim and 24 minute run.

Learning Points

On swim stay focused on stroke ignoring pace others around and amount of weeds.

For transition lay the kit out in correct order and prepared to get on when wet. Also have a towel to wipe feet on and stand on when putting shoes on to avoid getting geese poo on socks and in shoes.

On the run know the route and surface and have suitable footware.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-06-21T20:57:00.000+01:00

This week I lost 3lb 2 oz (1.4 Kg) with my % body fat increase 3%.

I was pleasantly surprised about the weight loss due to the low volume of training last week. The % body fat increase I was expecting due to the even bigger decrease in this the previous week. I think the ramp up in training already this week has helped with even more planned.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-06-19T21:34:00.000+01:00

Last week I gained 1 3/4 lb (0.8Kg) with an my body fat down 4%. Based on that it looks like I gained a lot of muscle this week.

Perhaps it was the 14 hours of exercise the previous week which included a hilly middle distance triathlon?

Last Two Weeks Training

2011-06-19T21:33:00.000+01:00

Over the last two weeks I have done 14 hours and 7 hours of training. Two weeks ago did include a triathlon in poor weather conditions which took me over 7 hours to complete. The following week I think I was affected by the race in cold and the journey back home on the same day.

Generally the % of time was a good mixture without doing long sessions (apart from the race). This week should be back to a good volume.

Bala Middle Distance Triathlon 2011 - Race Report

2011-06-19T21:23:00.001+01:00

The day before weather conditions were fine blue sky and some few fluffy clouds with a reasonable temperature (a bit on the cold side for me).

I was feeling fine and relaxed despite not really training enough for the Swim 2km, Cycle 81km and Run 20km in the hills of North Wales.

The forecasted weather was not looking good for race day so when I picked up goody bag after registration I was thinking about going home then but as I was up here I thought I might as well stay and do it as the lake looks quite nice.

A race report is available on the organising clubs web site (images may for dramatic affect and not the race day) along with the route and profile of the courses.

Race Day

On the day of the race after getting chip and number it then started to rain for the rest of the day. My idea of wearing long shorts to acclimatise was not a good idea in the cold and rain.

I had a good spot in transition which would be easy for me to find. Second row back from lake next to the tree (only one in transition area) it might give some shelter.

Swim

I was actually glad to get my wetsuit on, although my feet were cold on the damp grass and rain. It was getting colder while waiting for the race to start was delayed by 10 minutes

Once in the lake it felt it was warmer than standing around. It took me a few attempts to get my face in water due to temperature, I think the reported surface temp was 10c.

I started on back right of the start wave which was the first of three. Which I tried to go in a straight line to the last buoy as the rest looked like was on a slight angle from the start. This also avoided most swimmers who went to the left.

After about 950m we turned left for 100m, then the waves started before turned left again and the long swim back 950m.

I really enjoyed swim in the waves (0.5ft) getting thrown around a bit extra water swallowed sometimes when judging crest of wave wrong. I think the waves helped spotting the exit better as you were bobbing up and down and could spot the big red inflatable at the swim exit.

Got to end of the swim felt I could have done more and muscles not feeling as tiered despite the length of the swim. The hardest bit of the swim was getting out of the lake. As you are a bit disoriented after the swim trying to stand up in shallow water on stones was interesting and then walking along a pier to the transition area. It took me over a minute to get out of the lake after stopping swimming.

T1

I kept all the layers in my tri box but separated into cycle and run sides to try and keep the kit drier for longer. I had double of everything apart from leggings which I had just my trisuit on, including 3 pairs of socks (calf length and winter cycling socks) and overshoe covers. Then I had winter gloves two hats and sunglasses (optimistic), cycle helmet and a waterproof jacket.

The person next to me I thought he was putting on his wrong shoes (running not cycling) but he was quitting after the swim

Cycle

The course is a hilly out and back course. By the time I was on my bike people already turning back quitting on the cycle from the start of the cycle for miles with some of them just wearing trisuit in the poor weather conidtions. It was turning in to surviving and not a goal time.

A notable moment on the bike was about 8 miles in to the ride on the 10% downhill going 30 mph+ with brakes on (not working well in the wet) and a side wind which pushed the person in front of me in to my line and I was catching them up, it was “nice moment” with cars coming the other direction. Pity this was at a really great scenic view looking down in to the valley.

I was struggling on the hills which were not helped by the temperature being 8-11c on my bike sensor which does not include wind or rain chill.

When you see a person in phone box to keep warm you know it’s not going to be a good day. The ambulance and support vehicles were busy transporting people back to start and the marshals were in full weather gear.

Finally got to the turnaround point were the aid station was had a minutes rest filling up drinks bottle with isotonic powder I had and had something to eat. I also ensured that my kit was correctly fitting as I did not want to cold in this weather. There was quite a few taking a break from the elements. Then started off again which was up yet another hill.

There were a few supporters out in places braving the elements which was appreciated.

It seemed to be harder on the way perhaps due to the head winds and seemed more inclines. Up the 10% incline I was struggling to do 4 mph but I was catching others up until the pulled away on the down hill section.
I had oat and fruit bars on the bike every 30 minutes until the last hour then just drinks and gels, this seemed to walk for me nutritionally and I was able to open them up on the bike with my winter gloves on.

I finally made it back to T2.

T2

When I got back to my bike rack I was asked by a marshal "if I wanted to continue as I did not look well". "It was just the cold on the bike" I said and I was ok to carry on. I then changed in to to a couple of other dry running layers but keeping waterproof on top, plus a woolly hat with a baseball cap underneath and pair of running gloves.

Also took my 0.7 litre Polish Isotonic drink, it tastes a bit like hot lemon so might be useful keeping the cold away plus a few gels.

Run

The run is a hilly out and back along road next to lake.

The first half mile is on flat gravel path next to lake before joining the road and the only flat section that I remember. There was not many people going out still, I thought I was the last. However there was a few other that came past me after a few miles plus I was catching up others. This was going to be mentally tough as there was not going to be as much support on the run course (runners and spectators) as there normally is.

It was survival day and I was getting support from those going back and the few supporters that were out. I was planning to drink sips every mile marker and every 3 miles a gel.

After 3 miles in my muscles starting to fatigue and was walking any incline but I made time up on the down hills and any slightly flat bits.

I was really glad to see the turnaround point at the top of the steepest hill, I had some water (might be rain water). Now I was heading back to the finish only 6 miles/1 hour away.

I was now starting to Yo-yo with a few others when I was running and walking, so we were chatting a bit just to get round. By the time we had got to 2 miles from the end we were all doing our own pace to make it to the finish.

In the last half mile I saw a fellow pirate (tri club) 100m+ ahead turn around and then start to pick up pace. I nearly caught them up I need a few meters more to catch them.

However I made it, I survived Bala 2011.

Race Review

My times below are from the official results with some analysis from my GPS devices. These were my worst times at this course and my total time was 70 minutes slower than last year.
Overall time = 7:06:06
Swim = 51:07
T1 = 10:07
Cycle = 3:42:45
T2 = 10:09
Run = 2:12:01

Based on my position on each of the three disciplines the swim was the best, followed by run and then cycle. This was a bit of a surprise for me.

I did fell I had a good swim in terms of sighting and my muscles did not feel fatigued at the end of the swim or even part way round.

The cycle need to do more especially on hills. But I did cycle in wind and rain from the start and pleased with my bike handling skills in the conditions. I had good choices of kit available and nutrition on the bike. My average speed was 13.9 mph and fastest 34.2 mph with my cadence average being 63.7 and max at 87.1 rpm. Both of these averages need to be higher but I was in low gears on the inclines which slowed both speeds down. The most consistent 4 miles were about 7 miles from the end when I realised how close we were from the end of the cycle.

Running I was pleased with the endurance including mental part plus my kit and nutrition choices were good. My average pace was 10:41 with the fastest being 6:41 pace (for 0,4 miles sprint finish). My first mile split was 9 minute mile which was possible too fast and they got slower by about 20 seconds per mile from then until mile 6 which was 1 minute slower than the previous mile. The next 6 miles the split times fluctuated but all higher than the average pace.

My T1 and T2 times need to be improved but I was concentrating on getting warm dry layers of clothes on.

I was about 13 places from the end but from the number of entries 33% did not complete the race, I DID NOT QUIT.

After all that I was glad I did this race in the worst conditions I have raced a triathlon in, pitty it was on one of the toughest courses in the UK.

The post race chips, spam fritter and cup of tea tasted great and nice and warm, mmm.

Yateley 10km Race 1 Report

2011-06-19T15:06:00.000+01:00

My first 10km of the year was a midweek evening at my PB course. Based on the average of my 5km parkruns this year which were across different courses and effort this was extrapolated with my predicted time was 50:00, I had guessed about 53 minutes so a bit effort would be required.

There was a good few from the running club going so we car shared and went there in a convoy. After getting our race numbers and race chip there was the club photo in front of the new club flag.

I went for the a single layer top just the club running vest, as it was warm and I was planning for a faster effort. Before the race I had some of the isotonic drink I had with me leaving the remaining for the race as I would not have any water they had.

When we lined up due to the number of people there we are in the 60 minute area so would mean a lot of overtaking would be required.

The first 100m was on a school field with a narrow run section this prevented overtaking to many but is also this is way back to the finish. Once on the road I took the far side which I was able to get in to my pace without too many people in the way. Then some club mates went past and I tried to keep up with them for a mile but I had to slow down a bit but they were still in my sight ahead of me.

After two miles there was a bit of downhill section and a few bends which I seemed to be run quicker than the others around me plus I was taking more of a racing line on the route. This meant I was starting to catch the club mates up.

Just before the water stop at about 3.5 miles I caught up with one the club mates and thought I may have gone off to fast and not sure if I could maintain the pace but there was only 20 minutes left. As I had my own drink I went pass the water station without a break in my stride / pace.

The next mile seems like a long slog up a very slight incline and is always the mentally toughest part of the race for me. This time I only slightly slowed down from the last 2 faster miles and the same as the second mile pace.

When I got to mile 5 I started to pick up the pace even though there was a steep hill which I was cruising up overtaking people, it felt really good to do this. After a short recovery of about 50m of slightly easy running at the top of the hill I picked up the pace for the last few hundred meters and when I reached the playing field I picked the pace up again overtaking more people in the finishing straight which felt good.

In the end my time was 47:17 which was a lot better than expected with an average mile split of 7:31. I think it helped having people to chase down in a friendly competition.

I was pleasantly surprised of my pace for this race and change in nutrition to have smaller sips but at every mile marker.

Brighton Marathon 2011 Race Report

2011-06-18T19:49:00.001+01:00

Better later than neither with this race report only just 2 months after the race.

The route can be seen on the official web site and my reconnaissance of parts of the route a month before the race.

It was a hot sunny day with temperatures over 22c forecasted, more suited for a 10km not a marathon but I was prepared for warm runs based on some of the Ironman races I have done in the last few years in very warm conditions. The aim for this race was 4:27 (10 minute/mile pace) but that was based on cooler weather conditions.

As I got of the park and ride bus to the start there was a few of my club mates walking past, you could not have planned it better. Due to the delay getting to a race car park and then waiting for a shuttle bus there was enough time to put my tracksuit in the race bag and put on SPF 50 cream and place the bag in the trucks to be taken to the finish. As I was queuing up for the toilets pre race the gone want off for the start (that happened to me at London marathon as well).

I got to my section start point and there was already another section that was 1 hour behind my estimated time, so I would have a lot of overtaking to do. Before I got to the start line I was lapped by the leaders who had already done about 1 mile around the park!!

Out of all the people there the person next me was from a club about 5 miles away from where I live, so we got talking and did a couple of miles together dodging through the runners overtaking a lot of runners before I decided to slow down as was a bit too fast for me.

The first 6 miles were around the city centre which there was plenty of support including some of my family. I saw the Brighton council offices (looks like an Indian building) but was not happy about the international food market, cafes and bakeries that we past that were already open.

There was a slight incline on the way out of the city eastbound which was a lot more runners than I expected so I had to put in a few bursts to find some gaps to run in at my pace. I put in a few more bursts than planned especially after a couple club mate overtook me. It was good this section as you could see the other runners including some club mates going back in to city after completing this section of the course (about 7 miles). The course along the coast was undulating and exposed to the elements which was a slight sea breeze and sunshine.

My kit choice was quite good at this point as my base layer top had a zip so I could adjust when hot or colder (due to wind) and also a Ironman cap which I turned around to not burn my neck on the way out (learnt this from past races).

For nutrition I had a few gels, salt tablets with me and sticking to the blue (football team colour) powerade drink which they had en-route or orange. I was sticking to my plan which my non GPS watch would beep at regular intervals when to have gel or drink, so far it was working ok.

There was then a loop of over a mile which I had seen some of it so was prepared for the short sharp incline at the far end. I was not prepared for somebody falling in front of me in the gravel section through a school, luckily there was first aiders there only a few meters away. There was a lot more support here than I thought there would be. After this loop through the village you headed back to the seafront and the biggest incline on the course which they made you go all the way to the top before turning back towards the city. There was a good view of the city from this location, however I knew there was a cafe down on the seafront from my course reccie.

It was starting to get less congested now as the distance/pace and temperature was starting to take effect, the runners were quite.

The few miles back to the city centre were undulating until near the pier where there was a slight downhill as you went past the finish which was on the level below. I also knew this is where a lot of take away’s were located in this mile so I had to push through the mental barrier at this point. Then up the slight incline the other side of the pier but there was plenty of support.

It was getting a bit warm now so I my multi layers was starting to get a bit warm but was glad of the few showers they had placed along this route. I was starting to yo-yo between me and a club mate for a few miles until I started to pull away after an aid station at 15 miles.

This next few miles was going to be mentally tough an out and back along a straight road but I was presently surprised that there was lots of supporters all the way along with some music at the turnaround point. There was even person with hose pipe to cool you down if you wanted to. On the way back I tried one the water pouch things they had which was a good idea but I decided against using these as were a bit too fiddly for me when fatigued at the end of the race. So at the next aid station I got a water bottle and added a salt tablet to the water. I felt better than expected on this section of the route perhaps as on the way back I saw a few of my club mates who were still behind me.

The next few miles there was a less supporters as it was heading out of the west of the city. In the distance was a yellow and green top that I recognised and about 19 miles over took the norwich city supporter, I had a few polite words as I went passed him. Now I had additional motivation and could not slow down and let a norwich city support overtake me as an Ipswich Town supporter.

The wall was there at 20 miles so I had to physically hit the wall, it appealed to my sense of humour.

The route then went round and an industrial park and power station, there was very little support at this point but was music and a few aid stations which were needed in the heat. At about 22 miles I used the provided toilet facilities which were further than expecting, it was too crowded to use the planned locations and I did not want to queue up at the other toilet points.

Now we turned back and were heading east to the finish, so mentally it gave you another boost. At 23 miles we went through the wall again, so I hit it again.

Hopefully I would not hit the wall again in the race!!

This was also my trigger point if I was feeling good to pick up the pace which I was able to do. The next two miles were along the promenade which was starting to get more crowded as you got closer to the finish, some bits were narrow but I was ok getting through the section.

As I was feeling strong still I picked up the pace all the way along the promenade this is where my mental training techniques were coming in to play more. When we go to the statue were we turned on to the main road which was less than a mile to go, so time for another increase in speed. There was a slight downhill so I was using that to my advantage and was overtaking lots of people. When we got to the pier it was only 200m to go which the finish seemed further along than I thought but I gave it a last burst of speed to the finish.

From my watch I completed it in 4:10 which was 17 minutes quicker than planned and at an average speed of 9:31 minutes/mile. I was glad to change in to some cool dry clothes and have various recovery drinks and water, I must have had 2 litres in the 30 minutes after crossing the finish line but I did not feel that dehydrate while running. Below is my mile split data from my GPS.

Analysing my GPS data my first two miles were a lot quicker than planned pace with the second mile being 1 minute quicker than planned. The rest of the race was only slightly quicker than planned pace except mile 10 long downhill section, mile 14 adrenaline from crowds and racing club mate at half way. Mile 22 was only 40 seconds slower than the previous mile despite a pit stop. Then when I kicked from 23 miles the splits were 9:00, 8:38, 7:28, 6:35 (last is per mile pace based on the 0.37 miles). So the last few miles were my fastest and with the last 5km being a time of 24:27.

This shows I could have pushed a bit more during the race but was unsure due to the heat. This also means I had strong mental techniques to push through the hard bits at the end. Also my nutrition was ok during the race and I had identified at about mile 15 to have water only for a couple of miles instead of isotonic drinks to help settle my stomach a bit from all the sugar food/drink head in the last few hours.

Overall I am pleased with my effort at this race, I would do this race again.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-06-07T21:21:00.001+01:00

This week I have lost 1 lb (0.4 Kg) with my % body fat remaining the same. I am bit shocked about this due to the very little exercise done in the last week.

Last Two Weeks Exercise

2011-06-07T21:21:00.000+01:00

The last two weeks training has been opposites week, two weeks ago was really good and then last week was really bad.

Two weeks ago I did 13 hours of training and the following week just over 4 hours. Last week it was mostly walking as well. The previous week almost half was cycling which included at least 50 miles round trip to do a 5km parkrun in another city and a good mixture of the other training. The only good thing last week was a midweek 10km race that I managed to do 3 minutes quicker than planned.

Hopefully this week training will get back to a good amount and variety.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-05-24T22:03:00.000+01:00

This week I lost 1 lb (0.4 Kg) and my % body fat decreased by 0.5% with my waist staying the same.

I pleased with the loss, as I had done less exercise than the previous week and had a few beers and a pizza at the weekend and some chips during the week. I think from the exercise I did the high intensity exercises helped.

Last Weeks Exercise

2011-05-23T22:01:00.000+01:00

Last week I did over 9 hours of exercise which was made up of the following % by time.

Bike	23%
Run	22%
Walk	21%
Swim	19%
Cross	14%

These were fairly evenly spread out, although the walk could be less but is used as part of recovery from the other training sessions. The swim was a lot higher this week which was due to a few swims at the start of the week and my first lake swim of the year but this did not last until the end of the week. There was a couple of rest days at the end of the week which also affect my planned cycling due to the weather conditions, hopefully I will be able to do more cycling this week.

First Lake Swim of the Year

2011-05-17T22:31:00.000+01:00

Tonight I finally did my first lake swim of the year!!

There was a lot of grey cloud around and some light rain was forecasted for later on with the temperature (form my car) was 14c and the water temperature was reported as 17.5c but I still decided to do the swim.

After finally getting my wet suit on with some help from a running and tri club mate who had just finished and I then went to the lake entry point were the support person was. With in a second of getting the water due to the cold temperature I could not catch my breath, feel my hands or feet and peed myself. After a few seconds of deep breathing to calm myself down I did a few breast strokes with putting my face in to the water a couple of times I was ok and headed off on the swim lap.

I was having a good swim I decided to do two laps of the lake instead of the planned one lap. I was relatively pleased with my time but had a few technical issue which I could work on in the pool.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-05-17T22:24:00.000+01:00

This week I lost 1 3/4lb (0.8 Kg), surprisingly my % body fat increased 3% and and my waist down 1cm.

I felt my clothes were a bit loser by the end of the week but I was surprised by the % body fat increase but have been having a few biscuits each day at work this week. Although my weight loss was helped by the 14 hours of exercise which included 3 running races at the weekend.

Last Weeks Exercise

2011-05-16T21:16:00.001+01:00

Last week my exercise was over 14 hours with a total of over 114 miles exercised. Which included a triple running race weekend and cycling to each race. Below is a breakdown by time.

Bike	33%
Run	23%
Walk	18%
Cross	18%
Swim	8%

This was a good amount and mixture of training, to improve this I need to do more swimming and less walking. Although my time was longest on the bike there where a lot more of these (gym and outside) and as part of brick sessions. My longest cycle ride was just 22 miles so this distance needs to be increased.

Triple Race Weekend

2011-05-15T21:15:00.000+01:00

This weekend I did three running races with cycling to each race.

Yesterday I cycled to a 5km and strangely I had a fast time for me despite feeling not at a really fast pace. I then cycled about 12 miles to a 5 mile XC race. That was again at fast pace for me and even a sprint finish for th elast bit on the village playing field. I then cycled back luckily it was back wind.

Then today I did a longer warm up cycle of about 22 miles before doing a 10 mile running race. I would have liked to cycle further but I had to collect my race number on the day. The route I picked I saw a few miles of the run route on the way in to the village, which surprised me how undulating it was. The race I started at a fairly fast pace but slightly eased back on the bigger hills to conserve muscle strength for the end. It allowed me to pick up the pace in the last few miles and even more in the last half mile. My cycle and race nutrtion for the was ok and was fairly warm day.

The cycle back I took the more direct route and was a bit of a struggle in to a slight head wind and some sports of rain.

At both of the last races I did not have any of the food they had which included bbq, burgers, chips, ice-cream and tandoori, must be training harder now.

I was planning to do some lake swims on both days but I decided against that, it will have to wait until next week.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-05-10T22:14:00.000+01:00

This week I gained 1 lb (0.45 Kg) with my % body fat down 0.5% and my waist down 0.5 cm.

I was not surprised by the weight gain due to the low level of exercise this week and my poor nutrition at the weekend at a football match and watching a lot of sport on TV.

Last Week's training

2011-05-10T22:12:00.000+01:00

Last weeks training was just over 8 hours. This was made up of the the following by time.

Walk	39%
Bike	24%
Cross	17%
Run	13%
Swim	8%

This week had too high walking percentage compared to the rest of exercising, this needs to be corrected.

Pre Easter Weigh in

2011-04-30T14:30:00.002+01:00

The two weeks before Easter I gained 4lb (2Kg) despite running a marathon, perhaps I overdone the reovery food the following week after the marathon.

Easy Taper Day

2011-04-06T21:33:00.000+01:00

I had a nice easy taper day today :-)

Earlier in the day I was in the pool for 40 minutes. Then tonight as it was nice and sunny while still being fairly warm I went out for a cycle ride. As I was wearing a reflective top it was attracting all the insects and bugs. After that I did a 5 mile run at a fairly fast pace then to cool down I did a 1 mile cycle.

Mental Training Techniques

2011-04-05T22:53:00.001+01:00

I have written up below some of the mental techniques I use during races/training from short to long distances.
The key to these is that it means something to you and the more sensory rich the thoughts are the bigger impact they should have. Ideally you would try these during training before a race so you know which works for you.

The examples I use below use the mentally training techniques which are summarised on this web page, which you can search more on if you are interested in finding more about them.

Some a based on TV programs I have watched, lyrics in songs (not necessarily the song itself), keywords or personal experiences. The key point is that it is relevant for you and used in short bursts between focusing on the run. These examples hopefully give you ideas how you could adapt them to be more relevant for you.

Pre Race
The key point is to stay relaxed as much as possible.

Make sure you read the race information booklet so you know about the race route and any aid stations. Plus any details about the start and finish areas. The less surprises on the day the better.

In the week's beforehand I will listen to my motivational song playlist, look at any photos and/or videos of the race from previous year. I always like to see the finish line before hand (either in person or photos) to help visualise the end point goal for the race.
This helps stay focused on the event when the training amount decreases.

As your are tapering you have more spare time which you can put your feet up and watch a comedy TV programme or film.

Waiting at the Start Line
When waiting the few minutes before the start when I try to stay relaxed to avoid going off too fast and of plan. I focus on slow deep breathing going over my race plan and goals for this race in my head.

One of the songs I use to relax and visualise before the start is a previous song that my football team came out to at the start of the match. I remember the lyrics, the atmosphere and anticipation that I felt at the football matches which can be similar to a big race.

Hills
When go up or down hills in addition to trying to maintain proper running form I use some of these techniques.

Using keywords such as strong, powerful, focused...

A visualisation could include somebody shouting keep knees high, maintain form (that will take a lot of visualisation skills to imagine that)!!

Others that I have heard of are wings on feet which make you feel lighter and therefore easier to get up the hill.

Another option is visualising a steam train , this would be good option if you puff and swing your arms a lot getting up a hill or if you have seen a lot of Thomas and friends (formerly called Thomas the Tank Engine).

I use one based on my football team which are known as the tractor boys. So I have a couple of powerful visualisations both mentally and physically, either powerful tractor (blue of course) or a Suffolk Punch (from the club badge) which could be a real horse, Bluey or Crazee (club mascots).

Going Dutch
From the classic Dutch Euro Dance hit "No Limit" by 2Unlimited. Some of the key lyrics "No Limits", "no valley to low and no mountain to high" the high BPM and repetive also helps sink in the message. This one I heard at a European Ironman when on the run and I have used it since.

You'll never guess this Scouse song?
You'll Never Walk Alone is most associated with Liverpool FC although other clubs do use it and was from the musical Carousel. The lyrics have some key phrases which is worth reading them. They could only be improved (for this purpose) by changing the word walk to run which I sometimes do when thinking about it on a run. I use this when it windy, rainy, struggling or even starting to or feel like walking (key bits from lyrics).

Despite being thrashed something like 6-0 thrashing at the end of the season when we were being relegated, it was a sunny day and felt more like a carnival atmosphere. Seeing all the red scarfs, banners and flag at the other end (Kop end) and the sound was very impressive and emotional still to this day.

Video at Anfield

Video of Musical

Other versions of this have been released by most notiable by Gerry and the Pacemakers (good running reference in band name), Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Alicia Keys just to name a few of the well know performers from different eras and musical backgrounds.

Can you tell this is my favourite motivational song?

Kenyan
This song gets into your head especially as it repeats, if you get it in your head on a long run it is hard to forget about it, sorry. However a bit of humor is good to remember on a long run to help you relax and not tense up as much, so relax those shoulders.

Hulk
Why did X happen to Y? E.g. a family member lying in hospital with all sorts of medical "bits" connected to them and I am moaning about a bit of a run. This has Very Strong mental images and emotions for me.

I get angry, my muscles get bigger and only communicating by grunting (only slightly green if had a toasted egg and bacon sandwich before long run). I only use this when struggling a lot in a particular point in a race, as can be emotionally draining and you should try and stay positive with your thoughts.

Sesame Street
This video has Will.i.am. from the Black Eyed Peas along with various sesame street characters. It has some quite positive lyrics and up beat, the section with the various "what I am is..." you could add your own phrase to the list. If you have children who like sesame street this could be good option as would also use mental association.

Using the Force
Using the Jedi mind tricks to help against the dark side (e.g. pain a long run in this case). Again a bit of humor is good to remember on a long run to help you relax and not tense up as much.

Mr T
I pitty the fool who doesn't listen to Mr T's advice.

Post Race
Once rehydrated and had some suitable protein based nutrition to aid recovery, perhaps you could try some of the drink mentioned in this video :-)

Days after a marathon
Don't forget about the achievement of completing a marathon (or whatever your goal is) in the days afterwards, despite any soreness and difficulties trying to complete simple everyday tasks :-)

Weekly Weigh In

2011-04-05T21:46:00.000+01:00

This week I have lost 1 lb 4 oz (0.6 Kg), with my % body fat is down 0.5% and my waist measurement staying the same.

I am shocked by the weight loss as I have decreased my training but only slightly reducing meal sizes but then had two carverys in the week and a few cakes today!!

Last Week's training

2011-04-04T22:04:00.000+01:00

Last week I did under 9 hours of training which is about right for my marathon taper. Below is the breakdown by time.

Bike      32%
Run       28%
Cross    19%
Walk     13%
Swim      8%

The bike was mostly on a gym bike with various drills. The run time was down due to the taper but my cross training amount was about a fifth of my training this week so I am happy with this. The next week the time will be down a lot but will have a higher % of running.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-03-30T21:52:00.000+01:00

This week I lost 1/2 lb (0.25 Kg) and my waist decreased by 0.5cm and my % body fat remained the same.

I did a reasonable amount of training this week but pleasantly surprised of the weight loss due to it being a taper week where I normally keep or increase the amount of food when at the same time the training is reduced.

Last Week's training

2011-03-28T23:06:00.000+01:00

Last week I did 11 hours of training which was part of my marathon taper. Below is a breakdown by time.

Run	39%
Cross	30%
Swim	14%
Walk	10%
Bike	7%

I was pleased with the increase in swimming and cross training which was helped by having a day off work to some gym classes.

Included in this was 5km and run on part of the marathon course.

Brighton Marathon Reconnaissance

2011-03-27T23:06:00.001+01:00

I decided in my first taper week to do some reconnaissance of parts of the Brighton Marathon course after doing the local parkrun 5km. As you run most of the course in both directions I could see lots of the course with minimal running, for obvious reasons I did not run the official route on the road.

In addition to my run and photos taken, I am also using the official race video of the course and GPS data from last years route (I think very similar if not the same).

Miles 0 to 5
The start to mile 5 is in the town centre which I did not check. It starts with a loop around the park (preston park) where it starts at, there are some short inclines around here. The road looks narrow so may not get into your regular pace due to number of runners. It then heads to the city centre where it loops back on itself a few times for a couple of miles. There is likely to be a lot support here in the city centre.

Photo of taken from roundabout near the 13.2 and 26 miles opposite the pier looking across to about mile 5 before heading on road behind the building on the right but this side of the road on the way out and to the finish.

It then heads east out of the city on a road back from the seafront. The seafront road has a long steady incline (slog) so I suspect the way out road would be similar.

Miles 5 to 10
From about 5.7 miles you finally get to the seafront. There is runners in both directions from here on (apart from half a mile at about 8 miles), so there should be some extra support when you at least see other runners from the club(s) you are a member of. This section has some long steady inclines to the Brighton Marina (is visible landmark along the coastline) and for a mile or so beyond it.
At about 7.7 miles you turn left at roundabout (construction work on the junction as landmark)

Before running past St Dunstans which is set on a hillside.

You then run through Ovingdean which is a pleasant looking village until you reach the far end.

Where there is some nice short sharp inclines in some narrow stone walled lanes, very picturesque or you may think of some other phrase. It then heads through a school (possibly only grass/trail section on the route for short distance) before heading back on the road to the roundabout, this loop (roundabout back to same roundabout) is about 1.7 miles.

You then turn left to the go up what appears to be the longest/steepest hill on the course to the U turn point at 10 miles.

If you have time to notice the scenery there is a golf course with a big windmill to the left.

You head back west towards the city.

Miles 10 to 15
On the way back you can spot the marina and the pier along the coastline as reference points. It is undulating but slightly easier on the way back which is on the same road as on the way out. At the half way point there is an arch which may give your a boost along with the section from 12.5 - 13.2 miles being a decline.

You go past finish which on the promenade below at the roundabout opposite the pier go straight along the coast road (not in to Burger King or turn left to finish).

For the next mile or so as your are near the city centre and finish there is likely to be me support plus you also smell the fish n chips, doughnuts, fried breakfast and other such healthy food smell in the air.
From the pier there is a slight incline for the next half a mile. you then continue along the road past the burnt down west pier and then alongside a grass section before turning right in to grand avenue (statue of Queen Victoria) at the entrance.

Miles 15 to 20
This is an out and back section totalling about 3.5 miles. There is a slight incline when you turn right in to this road.

Which then leads in to the left turn into church road.

This road is a long straight road with slight incline for 1.5 miles before getting to U turn to head back along same roads (opposite site) to the Queen Victoria statue. This just appears uphill on the way out due long road an perspective however from GPS data it is a slight decline on the way out and slight incline on the way back (with a slight increase near U turn point).

After completing this section you turn right and again head west along the seafront road for 1 mile.

Miles 20 to 25
After 20 miles you head on to a small warehouse/industrial estate. You go through a wall (like the analogy) that a college made at 20.5 and on the way back at 23 miles. You then round a power station at 21.5 mile before turning back and now heading for the finish :-)

You are heading the opposite way to this photograph was taken.

At 23.2 miles you head on to the esplanade which is wide but slopes slightly to the right towards beach. Not sure if route is fenced off here so there is a lot of street furniture, people and dogs to dodge. Along with the multi colour beach huts you can see the west and main piers in the distance and therefore close to the finish.

At 24 miles a cycle path also joins the esplanade so caution may be required if they do not stop access while the marathon is on.

You then go through a left then right chicane at peace statue at 25 miles which looks like it is fenced off from then.

Miles 25 to 26.2
The crowds should be increasing at this point onwards. This is narrow section of road on the right had side with slight incline for half a mile.

With about half a mile to go there is a decline to the pier and then there is just the 0.2 mile to the finish which is along the flat lower level sea road.

The decision is then what suitable recovery food you have, other options may be available some may even be healthy!!

Other Comments

The weather started of cloudy and chilly when I started this run but got warmer near the end. Apart from the section in the town and the 3.5 mile run along the road it is on the coast line, so would be exposed to the weather elements. So kit that you could adjust would be better option but should have tried on long runs beforehand. If there is any wind it would be better prevailing from the north as there is some shelter from that direction all other direction it would not be as pleasant day.

From the email updates last year there was 150,000 supporters and 68.2% of runners it was their first marathon. So that average out at 5,000 people watching per mile I think the majority if 90% were in a square mile from the start (top left) to the finish (bottom right of area). Based on the percentage doing the first marathon if you have ran a marathon two people next to you have not, this is ratio is more likely increase the further back you are. May be worth noting when approaching aid stations, as they may suddenly stop at the first person.

I have not include details of aid stations and other race points which are on the course map and race information booklet. Which you should use the nutrition plan that you have used on your longer runs, proportionally increased for the last little 6 miles or so that you did not run in training.

Brighton Parkrun

2011-03-27T16:31:00.005+01:00

As part of my marathon training I took part in the Brighton and Hove Parkrun. It had over twice the amount of people of the normal parkruns I do with 287 people taking part yesterday.

It was a quite big park with lots of facilities, the photos below were taking 2 hours after the parkrun.

The Cafe is in the background which is were you get your barcodes scanned.

It was a two and half lap route around the park on the paths (there was a mini train which did not cross the route). It was however more undulating than I thought it would be which made it slightly more challenging but had no hills as such. The laps had long sections up to about 1km to the end of the route so you could get in to a good rhythm until any short inclines.

I was taking it at a reasonable effort until the last lap when I picked up the pace a bit and then kicked about 400m from the end. My official time was 24:00 which I was pleased with, my time on my GPS was 26 something, as I had forgotten to stop it until after the scanning my barcode!!

I visited the cafe after my longer run which did have a lot of choices of cakes, coffees and teas but seemed pricey for a fried breakfast (£7.50), I just had a cup of tea sitting in the sunshine outside.

Isotonic Guinness

2011-03-23T22:27:00.001Z

At work today after discussing various nutritional items including what multi-pack deals I had purchased recently, I came up with tonight's post exercise recovery drink of Isotonic Guinness, which is made from FCP approved products.

I went for the Tractor Boys blue, officially known as Powerade Ion4 Berry and Tropical flavour which about 100ml was added to a settled (expertly poured) 440ml of Draught Guinness. So it contains four of the minerals from the Powerade (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium) plus the nutritional components from the Guinness.

There was a bit of the blue colouring of the Guinness white head where the sports drink was poured in.

You could not taste the Powerade that much, I think at least a 50/50 ratio would be required due to the naturally strong taste of Guinness but hopefully it will help me recover from a tough few training days.

I think this would need to be repeated numerous time to scientifically prove if it aided the recovery process.

Taper Week 1

2011-03-23T21:57:00.000Z

My first taper week is going really well :-)

After Sunday's 21 mile race on Monday night I did 30 minute swim followed by a 6 mile run, then Tuesday a swim, spin and two core workout classes all before lunch. Today was a bit easy with a lunchtime swim and Aquajog followed by 11.3 miles ran tonight include 7 miles at a fast pace.

I think I may have a well deserved rest day tomorrow.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-03-22T19:53:00.000Z

This week I have lost 1lb 2oz (0.5Kg) with my % body fat increasing by 1.5%.

This mainly due to the 12 hours of exercise this week and eating more sensibly which did include a carvery (with vegetables) and an Irish Soda bread.

Now my training intensity should be reducing I need to make sure I reduce my food intake accordingly.

Last Week's training

2011-03-21T22:14:00.000Z

Last week I did just under 12 hours of training. Below is a breakdown of this by time.

Run	47%
Walk	23%
Bike	15%
Cross	8%
Swim	7%

The run totalled over 35 miles which included a 21 mile race and a couple of other runs. The walk figure is a bit high compared to the rest of the training but was used as a bit of recovery from the other session. In the next few weeks the run should decrease but the others apart from walk should increase, well that is the plan.

Cranleigh 21 Mile - Race Report

2011-03-20T19:30:00.003Z

As it was an early race start 9am it was still quite chilly 3c. So before the race I decided to go with the leggings instead of shorts but keeping the rest of my kit, the only problem I had forgotten to take a hi-tech pre race heat management system or commonly know a bin liner :-)

My goals for this race was get the nutrition rate and pace so I can run to the end with out any issues. For my nutrition again I was using the marathon race drink (in Tractor Blue colour) but I had six different makes of gels with me, hopefully that would not cause a problem during the race.

The 21 mile (and a bit) course was a 9 mile loop with two laps around a 6 mile loop (1 for the 15 milers). So I thought I would take the longer lap at an easy/marathon pace and then try and increase the pace on each of the other two laps. I assumed this course was undulating as was only a few miles away from the 20 mile race the previous week.

Before the start there was even a fly by.

Still at this point in time there was choices 15 or 21 miles?

If you were not sure where the finish was.

This is the view from start and was also the way back towards the finish for the two times round the 6 mile loop. About 1 mile down this road was a nice hill good hill in both directions which had to be done 3 times in total and within the last mile, nice!!

For the 9 mile loop I was slightly ahead of my target pace and had to keep my pace in check. I was using the other stopwatch to keep to the regular timed drink/gel nutrition plan. At 7 miles you could see a nice reasonably step hill in the distance with runners going up, I was strong up the hill which had a water stop at the top which I did not need so carried on. After this I got chatting to a person who was from norfolk, I did not hold it against them :-) We kept a slightly faster pace for the next 6 miles until about half way through the first smaller loop and then I picked up the pace slightly.

It was also starting to get warmer up to about 12c, so I occupationally took my hat off, my gloves were off after a few miles and where stored in my hat when running. Luckily I had planned my kit tops (just the 4) with two having zips so I could regulate my temperature a bit when it got warmer and cold. This race I was also drinking a cup of water every 2 or 3 water stations so I did not have just isotonic stuff all the way round.

The finish is just behind sign and tree but still another lap to and already got lapped by the first 10 runners on the first of the smaller laps :-(

This took you along part of the downs link.

This was for a few 100m along this path luckily this was a paved surface of this link. This also went behind where I parked my car with all the lovely pre race food and drink in there plus the shorts which I was think about changing in to. However I decided to carry on and not waste any time.

On the second of the smaller 6 mile loop you knew what was coming and I was starting to pick up my pace which was starting to feel harder on my muscles. I had some jelly beans that was offered by the marshals at 1 mile in to the loop which tasted good after all the gels had already. As I had plenty of drinks left I decided to change one of my gels until a few miles later as I only had one gel left and took an extra swig of isotonic drink instead. I did have a backup option of sports powder which I could make up with water at the aid stations if needed but I felt I did not need that.

About 3 miles in to the race and 3 miles from end of the smaller loop was a farm that sold fresh goats milk. This made me chuckle every time, as my brother always says when I go back home there is wired food in the fridge and normally asks where is the goats milk, now I know where to get some fresh stuff from.

On the last lap I was increasing the pace and I was just hoping my legs would hold out until the finish. Then with about 1 mile left to go we reached the hill. I powered up this not even reducing effort to chat to somebody who knew the running club top I was wearing, I think I shouted ok or something else back to them, I was on a mission. I was in the zone and overtaking runners up and down the hill.
I then was trying to increase my pace to the finish there was starting to be a bit more traffic but I thought the marshalls would sort the traffic out, which they did all the way round apart from the last 10m were a car had stopped too close to the hedge for me to get past, it slowed me down my 1 or 2 seconds!!

Here is the medal for the 21 mile race.

From my GPS watch my time was 3:16:56 at 9:18 minute/mile pace based on the 21.19 miles (the official measured distance with a few extra hundred yards was included in the race details), so I knew it was going to be slightly longer. This means I set a PB in my last race pre marathon :-)

For the first loop of 9 miles was 1:26:13 at 9:35 minute/mile pace.
For the first loop of 6 miles was 57:15 at 9:37 minute/mile pace.
For the second loop of 6.19 miles was 52:59 at 8:50 minute/mile pace.

The 20th mile (think had the hill in) I did in 8:46, the 21st mile I did in 7:38 and the last 300m I did in 1:15 (6:28 minutes/mile pace).

The course had 900ft of ascent and descent which both was about 20% of my total time. This was slightly less undulating than the 20 mile race the previous week yet I was over 4 minutes quicker than that race and the other 20 mile race I had done about a month earlier despite it being 1.19 miles further!!

I was pleased with making my goals of nutrition and running strongly to the end. I am surprised that second lap was at a slightly slower pace than the longer loop but I suppose the fatigue was starting to kick in and a pit stop before the adrenaline for the sprint to the finish on the last lap. Looking at the data this loop had my slowest two miles at mile 11 at 9:59 and 13 at 10:01. Excluding the last two miles (at lot faster) after mile 14 my pace per mile varied between 8:42 and 9:23.

I don't think I could have done many if any more miles after this, so now the dilemma of what pace to run the marathon sets in to my mind!!

I went in to the hall which did have the race results on television screens being streamed there (seemed to be a web page being refreshed from a laptop with a television output) but more importantly had tea and cakes there for sale :-)

Post race I hobbled around the main high street and went in to 3 shops looking for some suitable post race food, which included a health shop (must have been dehydrated). Finally went in to Marks and Spencer (has a good first name) and got a pack of scotch eggs and egg custards, just for post race protein :-)

Now its time to taper, let the taper madness commence.

Irish Soda Bread with added Guinness

2011-03-18T22:55:00.005Z

For St Patrick's day, late the night before I made a Irish Soda Bread with added Guinness.

This was not based on a family recipe handed over the generations (cooking skills must have skipped a generation) but from Nigella Lawson's television programme (links to a video of recipe). I have used this recipe to make the oaten rolls and a loaf before making a few tweaks each time but this was the best so far.

Here is a link to the a description of the recipe although is twice the amount used in the video and what I use.

Making the loaf version requires longer to cook about 20-30 minutes, if not it is not cooked all the way through despite looking cooked on the outside. I use a silicone loaf "tin" to cook these in which makes it a lot easier to make and get out in one piece.

The changes I made to the above recipe was to not add salt and put only 1/2 to 3/4 tablespoon of baking soda, just for taste. Instead of the butter milk or runny yoghurt I used a regular yoghurt (with prebotic and probotic bits). If I had more time I could have left the Guinness a bit longer to lose some more of its fizz, however the other half a pint of Guinness went to the chef :-)

The additions I made to the above included some fruit which was a handful each of cranberries and raisins plus a mashed up banana. To this I added a scoop of vanilla protein powder and a dash of HP Guinness brown sauce. As this looked a bit runny, I added some more flour and oats (roughly the same ratio as the recipe) but done by eye and not measuring, until it got to the right consistency as mentioned in the recipe video.

Not only does this have some carbohydrates and fat but also fibre, protein, calcium, sodium, potassium, various Vitamins, Guinness and some prebotic nutrients. So this was quite nutritious for me.

On St Patrick's day I cut it up in to about an inch thick slices which I got 9 out of the loaf, I then warmed it up in the microwave and ate the whole lot in 30 minutes followed by a pint a Guinness it was grand, slainte.

My Nutritional Plan - aka Foreign Cack Policy

2011-03-15T23:04:00.009Z

I have finally got down to writing my nutritional plan, a.k.a. my foreign cack policy (FCP). It has gone through a few iterations at work when they point out most of the stuff I have would be excluded and is likely to require a few more updates.

Any nutritional changes or exercise you should contact a medical professional. I have had years of practice of this nutrition and a few years at a level of exercise to be able to support this highly specialised nutritional plan.

My Nutritional Plan - aka Foreign Cack Policy (as of 18/06/2011)

All other regular food not specified in the FCP is allowed by default.

However may yet included on the banned or exception list after its proper nutritional classification within the policy has been defined.

Banned List
Salad (a.k.a. Rabbit Food), even Mr T ain't eating no weeds, fool.
Anything Green
Vegetables
Fruit
Coffee
Nuts
Seafood

Exceptions to the Banned List
Potatoes, including Sweet Potatoes
Peas
Carrots
Parsnips (only if roasted)
Banana
Orange (juice, mandarin , jaffa cake or Terry's Chocolate Orange)
Raisins
Cranberries
Pineapple
Nutmeg (as used on Egg Custards or in some Rice Puddings)
Mint
Sage
Meat-free products (except those with banned vegetables in them)
Tea (including Green Tea)
Fish Cakes

Some banned substances may be acceptable, only if cut small enough to be indistinguishable at first sight or part of meal that counter balances it, e.g. a curry that has some onions in it or onions in sage & onion stuffing.

Key Foods
Chips (not French Fries)
Cakes
Tea
Pepsi Max
Pasta
Isotonic Sports Drinks and Gels
Chocolate
Curry

Geographic Restrictions

Only products that are original from or made in the following areas, should be used to minimise the potential risk of any specified or unspecified banned food/drinks being consumed. However the Key Foods are exempt from this geographic restriction.

Europe (the continent and not the EU or EEC)
British Commonwealth
Current Countries that had all or part their geographic boundaries that was part of the British Empire.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-03-15T21:38:00.000Z

This week I lost 2 lb (0.9 Kg) and my % body fat down 2.5%.

I guess this was due to the 20 mile race and the 12 1/2 hours exercised last week while maintaining a reasonable diet. This week I am recovering a bit more from the 20 mile race so I am not expecting as big a lose next week but you never know.

Last Week's training

2011-03-14T22:37:00.000Z

Last week I did over 12 1/2 hours of exercise. This included a 20 mile race and a few hours on my day off work. Below is a breakdown by time.

Run	50.1%
Walk	17.6%
Swim	12.1%
Bike	11.5%
Cross	8.7%

This week I totalled a distance of 56.7 miles with 38.7 miles being running. In addition to the longer training runs I was glad that the swim time increased but possible improvements included increase cross training time.

Surrey Spitfire 20

2011-03-13T19:02:00.001Z

Today I took part in the Surrey Spitfire 20 mile which started and finished at Dunfold Aerodrome.

The day started misty and then turned into light rain. Not happy about my trainers wet or grass on them walking from the car park :-)

An early look at the start/finish line, preparing myself mentally for a sprint finish after 20 miles.

A view towards the burger van where a cup of tea and toasted egg and bacon sandwich was had about 1 hour before the race, hopefully that will not affect me during the race.

A view across the aerodrome. The race had about 3 miles on the aerodrome track going to the far side to the right of this photo before heading out in to the countryside. The far section there was a good racing line that could be taking, luckily I had practised this circuit on on Gran Tursimo 5 in the morning (although some parts of the race were in different directions and parts of the venue).
Due to getting carried with the crowds at the start the first few miles were done at a faster than planned pace of 10 minute/mile, although some of them could have been doing the 10 mile option.

You can not see the far end from here.

Watch out for speeding top gear cars :-)

The sun was trying to break through the clouds after the race. This is the last few hundred meters on the track before leaving the aerodrome and straight in to a hill. It seemed that every mile in the countryside lanes had at least one steady incline with miles 6(16) and 8(18) having a steeper hill.

The first time I went under the planned 10 minute/mile pace was due to a pit stop, with the rest on the first lap being up to 38 seconds/mile quicker. This meant I completed the first lap of 10 miles in 1:38:14, which was nearly 2 minutes ahead of schedule which is not a good idea on along run to go off fast. I was using the power gels that was provided en-route so I adjusted my nutritional plan to fit in with the water stations which were every 3 miles which should fit with my gel every 30 minutes.

The second lap also started at a faster than planned pace although I was starting to walk through the aid stations to ensure I got a gel a water in me and not on me. Only one aid station was out of sync with my plan so I had a different make of gel that I had with me.I also had one powerade drink with me which lasted the race taking sips every 15 minutes. After 15 miles I was trying out a chocolate protein bar on the run as had some caffeine and protein having half then and the rest a few miles later.

However when I got to about mile 17 I was in nutritional discomfort (gut ache) similar to on the Ironman run. Perhaps the toasted egg and bacon sandwich before the race followed by 5 or more powerbar gels and a chocolate protein bar was not a good idea. So the next few miles I was running for as long I could only about 100m then walking and repeating once I felt a bit ok. However once in the last half mile I picked up the pace as the quicker I finished the sooner it would stop. So with that in mind I had a bit of a sprint finish for the last 200m over and under taking a few other runners.It reminded me of my sprint finish at Ironman Austria last year, apart from the crowds, noise, music and hot temperature.

On my GPS I completed it in 3:20:19 which I was pleased with and was about 30 seconds quicker than the 20 mile I did a few weeks ago. From my GPS (therefore may not be that reliable) there was 1,000 ft of ascent which 21.5% of my time was on ascents and another 21.5% on descents, the flat sections must have been on the aerodrome as was 57% of my time.

My kit choices were good for the conditions which allowed some adjustment for the conditions if I got hot or a bit cold. My pacing at the start was a bit too fast which I did not think helped alongside my race nutrition changes made me walk in the last few miles. So next time I will try and stick to my plans better.

The medal, which we also got a chocolate bar, fruit juice drink and another isotonic sports drink!!

50 Parkrun 5kms

2011-03-10T21:06:00.002Z

I have finally got round to reviewing my first 50 Parkruns 5kms.These are race times which are from about 4 different venues but the majority are from my home race. Below is a graph of my times in minutes over time.

The overall trend is for a faster time which is always a good sign despite varying courses and effort put in.

The three noticeable peaks are due to being after an ultra marathon and Ironman races where my muscles were still a "bit" fatigued for obvious reasons.

The section where my times were decreasing down to my quickest time was strangely in my Ironman training period. So perhaps the endurance training allowed me to keep a fast pace for longer plus also the mental training for the Ironman helped on a short race.

The last few the times (and since) were increasing but I was using them as part of a long run.

I have got the 50 Club T-Shirt so I am not to concerned about getting another club level but more glad of a lie in.

Sextuple Decker Pancake

2011-03-10T20:44:00.000Z

On Shrove Tuesday a.k.a. Pancake day I had a sextuple decker pancake (6 layers) and even had two fruit in it.

Below is the topping for each layer of the sextuple decker pancake (top to bottom layer), mmm.
6 = Lemon Juice, Honey and Sugar
5 = Marmite and Brown Sauce
4 = Raisins and Dark Chocolate pieces (85% cocoa)
3 = Marmalade
2 = Sliced Banana and Honey
1 = Lemon Juice and Sugar

It took me a good while to eat this but I did finish it all. Mainly due to a large lunch plus I am not sure if the marmite was a good addition or not.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-03-10T20:36:00.000Z

This week I gained 1/2 lb (0.25 Kg) with my % body fat increasing by 1.5% and my waist staying the same.

This was not a really a shock due to the lower amount of exercise this week plus the normal amount of food plus a large portion of chips for lunch while out on a course.

Next week my exercise will increase so hopefully I will not increase the food intake too much to counteract this.

Last Week's training

2011-03-10T20:33:00.000Z

Last week I did just under 7 weeks of training totalling 40.2 miles (64.7 km). This was a rest week for me after a race on the last three consecutive weeks.

Walk	34.1%
Run	33.7%
Bike	15.5%
Swim	9.6%
Cross	7.2%

The walk was slightly longer than running but more distance was run. The swim was one longer than usual session which felt a really good session.

Next week will be a more active week.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-03-03T22:55:00.000Z

This week I have lost 1 lb (0.45 Kg) with my % body fat increasing 0.5% and waist staying the same.

I was shocked by the weight loss due to being on a chip diet for a week but I did do more exercise including two races.

The next week may not be as good news due to less exercise due to allowing my muscles to recover.

Last Week's training

2011-03-03T22:51:00.001Z

Last week I did 12 hours of exercise which was made up the following by time.

Run 40%
Cross Train 20%
Cycle 15%
Walk 15%
Swim 10%

This week it included some swim session which had different stroke drills.

This included a couple of races up north over the weekend, a 5km and half marathon.

The total miles was the highest for 2 months and is the 3rd longest week by time this year.

So overall my training is ramping up for the marathon and split across multiple disciplines which is helping not overstraining and for the post marathon / triathlon training.

Great North West Half Marathon 2011 Race Report

2011-03-03T22:43:00.004Z

The Great North West Half Marathon is based in the north end of Blackpool. I was using the same nutrition plan that I used the previous two races and also trying a different flavour of drink that will be used on the marathon.

The race morning it was quite heavy rain on the way to the race venue however buy the time we reached their it had stopped but the strong winds remained. Everybody seemed to be waiting inside the warmth of the race HQ at the hotel (castle designed front) until the last minute, I think this made people start in the wrong positions even though their was RW Pacers there with their boards with minute mile and time on them.

After the start the promenade narrowed quite a lot and you had to watch out for seats or bins which you could easily run in to in the crowd and do yourself an injury. After 500m along the lower path we headed along the top path past the start/finish and the opposite the race HQ before running along the lower path still heading south towards Blackpool Tower which you could be seen in the distance.

Running along the lower promenade I was still maintaining the fast pace that I started with to get past the crowd of runners, so I thought I would see how long I could maintain the pace for. After about 3 miles we reached the turning point (about 1/2 mile away from the tower) which then surprised me with a few inclines into a strong head wind.

After about 1 mile the undulations along the top path stopped but there was still strong headwinds for about another 5 miles which was quite chilly in the cool wind. Once we reached the far point was reached and returned along the lower path.

We then ran passed the start/finish to start the smaller loop. With the wind to our backs and the sun out it was starting to get warm running. Although the photos look summery it was only 6c.

After reaching the same south turn point we still had the inclines and head wind but only for a few miles and about half the first loop. At this point I tried to pick my pace up a bit on my tired legs.

When then turned on to the middle path with a bit less than 1/2 mile to the finish, so I picked up the pace again not at all think about my post race chips :-)

By the time I reached the finish I had overtaking a few more people insight of the finish. At this point my heart rate was higher and I was breathing heavily.

From my GPS watch I finished in 1:48 which is 2 minutes quicker than the half marathon 2 weeks ago which I also had a 20 mile race in between these. This is also my quickest half marathon for years so a good days training.

For the first 12 miles I maintained a pace of 8:16/mile (+/- 16 seconds) so was fairly evenly paced miles despite the difference in wind and inclines going in each direction. The 13th mile was completed in 7:08 and the pace for the remainder of the race (0.1 miles) would have been at 4:56/mile pace.

My nutrition plan worked well for the third race I had used it with my other watch used for when to eat and drink. I had learnt from previous races to start both watches at the same time and switch this watch then to actual time and ignore the first couple of nutrition beeps. This prevents the watch from being stopped as can be done by pressing (touching) the watch display.

I also learnt for races near the coast if the weather is changeable and/or prevailing in one direction your race kit may need to be able changeable when going in opposite directions to allow for different conditions.

Below are some photos at some of the local Blackpool landmarks on the way to the post race chips and freshly made seafront doughnuts.

Taken opposite Blackpool FC towards the tower.

Taken on the Golden Mile with the tower in the background.

Parkrun Stockport

2011-03-03T21:55:00.000Z

The Woodbank Parkrun 5km in Stockport in the War Memorial Park (same park different town) I would say is the best and most difficult parkrun that I have done.

There was a nice 1/4 mile walk from the car park to the start which was a bit chilly in the rain but I did not bring extra long sleeve tops even though I was up north, foolish.

The start was about 500m on an athletics track before doing laps in the park. After about 300m in the park there was a nice muddy cross country section which then joined a pathway. This point it was a step downhill were my heart rate was increasing going down hill!! There was a few bends at the bottom of the incline where you had to lean to one side to stay on the path if not you would hit a decent size tree.What goes down must go up, so there was a nice uphill section then with the recovery at the top being over 10m uneven wet cobbled section, nice. Then the rest of the lap was on pathway a bit outside the park. So when starting the second lap of the park I knew what was coming which I am not sure was a good thing but I managed to keep my high pace up. To finish there was a nice 100m on the athletics track.

I ended up 12th man to finish out of 36 and a total of 58 finishers. My time was good compared to my current times but as this is a tougher course I would need to a few more runs here to see how good it was. I will be back to run this parkrun.

Tour de Chippie 2011

2011-02-22T22:23:00.014Z

As it is national chip week plus I have not had chips for weeks, I am doing Tour de Chippie 2011.

The plan is 7 days and 7 different chippies, as a bonus 7 different meals (if possible due to my strict limited food options). These are proper chip shops (may be also serve other types of take way) but not fast food chains.

* Tour de Chippie is as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle, any changes to your diet and/or exercise should only be attempted after consulting your medical professional.

As part of my normal training I build up my effort, so I am easing in to the chip week with the chip efforts increasing to the end of the week. Days 1 to 5 are based in Hampshire with the last 2 days being set up north with the last day being in the most appropriate pla(i)ce to finish the challenge.

Day 1 (Monday) = Chips and Fish Cake

After a few miles ran I headed the 1/2 mile to the chip shop in North Hampshire, luckily the wind was blowing in the wrong direction so I did not smell the chip shop when out running. There I had chips and fish cake which I ate outside in the fresh as I did not want to smell my new car out. This is the only fish I normally have so I thought it would do me some good due to protein and omega fish oils.
The chips and fish cake tasted nice possibly a bit expensive for the amount/quality.

Day 2 (Tuesday) = Chips and Pea Fritter

After work I headed straight to the chip shop that is closest to my home. This chip shop normally wins all the local awards so I decided to try something different with my chips, a pea fritter which I thought would be a bit healthier as was in the vegetarian section of the menu. When I got home I added to this baked beans a some brown sauce. The pea fritter was a bit different then what I was expecting as must have been concentrated peas as the flavour was really strong. The chips tasted nice and where slightly thicker than most but are expensive for the amount.

Day 3 (Wednesday) = Chips and Spam Fritter
Today's chip meal is my favourite combination in the last year or so, so I really enjoyed this compared to the new option I tried yesterday. To make a change I and to fit in to my training I had this at lunchtime but had to wait a few minutes to get my spam fritter freshly cooked to order, so I got a few supplies from the tesco express next door. As it was raining I sat in a bus shelter eating my chips and spam fritter and loving it. The chips tasted nice and was slightly more portion size than the previous places which was topped of with a big spam fritter on top, mmm. This is the best option so far.

Day 4 (Thursday) = Chips and Curry Sauce
Today's lunchtime option was introduced to me a few years ago by some relatives in Ireland and is surprisingly a good combination. This chip shop generally has the biggest portion size in the area but there was a separate menu option for chips in tray with curry sauce (or a few other sauce options). So was smaller than a standard chip portion there but this was still about the same amount of chips for about a third of the price and tasted nice and was not as greasy as previously had from here. The curry sauce was tasty but was not too hot but spicy enough. As it was a nice fairly warm day so I sat outside sitting on a half missing park bench in the sunshine eating chips with curry sauce.

Day 5 (Friday) = Chips and Battered Sausage
Today's lunchtime option was a classic choice for me. As the chip shop was in a built area I drove to a nearby park and was walking round there eating them. So I got a bit of exercise and found a new park I had not been to. The chips tasted nice and was not as greasy as previously had from here, although they looked the smallest portion so far but the meal cost about a third less than those at the start of the week.

Day 6 (Saturday) = Chips and Home-Made Shepard's Pie
Today's option was a large portion of chips shared between three and home-made (made by my brother) shepard's pie and gravy. The chips were nice tasting and where a big northern portion :-)
However the shepard's pie was nice with cheese in the mash on top of the veggie mince, my only problem was there was onion in it!!! I had to have extra chips to take the taste away :-)

Day 7 (Sunday) = Chips, Meat and Potato Pie, Scraps, Gravy and Mug of Tea
As I was up in the seaside resort of Blackpool after doing a half marathon, I had to get some chips on the Golden Mile. This was the last day of national chip week so I splashed the cash with lots of options and sitting inside.

After a few minutes deciding what to have due to all the tasty options available with my chips I had a nice meat and potato pie, topped with some scraps and then some proper northern gravy with a mug of tea to wash it down. This had essential carbs, protein, fat, sodium and anti-oxidants to help the recovery process after the half marathon.
I still had my race top, number and medal on (underneath tracksuit) while eating the chips that's how dedicated I am.

Day 8 (Monday) = Chip Detox Starts :-)
Anything but chips!!

Post Chip Week Review

I successfully completed ALL the set chip targets this week including the bonus 7 different meals.

This actually made me think more about what I was eating and adjusting the rest of my daily nutrition to balance it out. Plus it gave me incentive to do more training to feel that I "earned" them rather than felling guilty for having them. Strangely I was quite restrained as I did not have a large portion of chips to myself at any point during the week.

I enjoyed all of the chip meals but I think the best were on the last day perhaps due to feeling I really "earned" them.

More shockingly I actually lost 1 lb (0.45 Kg) this week (Chip Week Tuesday to following Tuesday) on the chip diet but I did do a lot of exercise as well.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-02-22T21:46:00.001Z

This week I lost 1/4 lb (0.1 Kg), my % body fat went down by 0.5% but my waist went up by 0.5cm.

I think this is due to longer runs but with more rest days while staying about the same amount of food. This week I am trying to do some double training days as well as some rest, although I don't think my nutrition this week is ideal for weight loss.

Last Week's training

2011-02-22T21:44:00.000Z

Last week I did 10 1/2 hours of exercise which included a 20 mile race. Below is my breakdown of training as % by time.

Run     47%
Walk   27%
Cross 13%
Bike    9%
Swim    5%

This week there was less cross training, with a lot more running and even a swim. At the moment I am doing a few build up races for the marathon so I would expect my running be higher.

Bramley 20 Mile - Race Report

2011-02-20T22:26:00.001Z

My goals for this race was just to get the miles in, test some nutrition and kit options.

The miles increase was my biggest concern due to a big jump from my last big run which was a few weeks ago but a fast half marathon last week. So I had decided to use a run/walk method where I would run for 3 minutes and then walk for 1 minute for as long as I could and then a few miles out just run.

Before the race I decided to cycle the 4 miles to the race, which gave me a bit of a warm up (more than I would usually do) but I was a bit concern about the cycle back. I then meet up with a few club runners at a persons house for a last minute isotonic drink before heading to the race.

For the race I lined up a bit behind my estimated finish time but I was not racing this so it did not bother me. Not sure what was said over the muffled speaker but the race was a few minutes late starting. So I took my designer black bin liner off and wrapped it around my bum bag belt in case I need it later.

Once we got going I started my GPS watch and my other watch timer for the run/walk part. It took a bit of nerve to start walking in the first 1/3 mile, so I stayed on the side for the first mile or so as there was a lot of runners still due to the 10 mile race as well. The first few miles of this was ok but I was thinking my pace was a bit quick as I knew where the hills were on the route but I would see how far I would last. Not sure what happened to my club mates who were taking it easy which I did not see again.

Once I got to 30 minutes in I started the stopwatch, this was to allow the eat and drink at regular intervals (30 minutes and 15 minutes) to be displayed and beeped. So this watch had 4 beeps going regularly for run, walk, eat and drink and my GPS watch had beeps every mile with my pace. I waited to 30 minutes to start my race nutrition to give my muscles time to warm up to running. I had started with a two different flavour powerade isotonic drinks (make used at the marathon) and in my bum bag a few gels (3 different makes) and a powder mix isotonic drink which I used on the bike at Ironman Austria last year which has some protein in it. So every 15 minutes from then I was taking a few sips of drink and every 30 minutes a gel.
When the first bottle was getting low I finished it out of my drink schedule to a water station coming up after 8 miles. This was fairly straight forward but may have been better if I stood still instead of walking while trying to pour the powder in, this took me twice my normal walk length so I ran through the next walk schedule to balance this out as I was feeling ok.

The next few miles there was people going quicker and even some overtaking me until I realised they were just doing the 10 miles and were close to the finish. I had to run past and start another lap when there was runners with the medal walking back to their cars. I noticed on my watch was just past 1:40 when I complete the first lap which was the faster end of my estimated pace. Then there was a lot less runners even in the distance than the first lap but I maintained my pace and run/walk, this made the pit stop en-route a lot easier to find. This also test my mental strength and techniques as I was running alone for lots of parts of the second lap.

At this point I was still overtaking people some may catch-up again when I walked but others did not. The last 2 gels I took a few minutes ahead of schedule due to the positioning of the 4 drinks station on the 10 mile lap. When I got 18 miles I felt ok so I stopped the walk part and picked up the pace until the end. I had forgotten one of the hills which required a bit more effort than planned but I made it to the end with enough for a good sprint (was downhill a bit) and overtook people even with in the last 10m of the race.

On my GPs watch I completed it in 3:20:41 which I was happy with.

After I had recovered a bit and hot my heart rate down, I had a drink and a mars bar which were in the goody bag along with the medal (almost a trapezium shape medal, top and bottom not parallel).

I then headed back to the club members house where there was a lot of dicussion abotu people's races. There was also various food and drink but after a long run I find I can not eat much, so I had a few things to eat plus some drinks before heading bike on my bicycle which was not as bad as I thought it would be.

Below is my mile splits in minutes per mile from my GPS watch.

From this the mile splits are fairly constantly around 10 minutes my average pace for the race was 10:01. I was running at about 9:30 pace so the walks did not slow me that much. Miles 8 and 9 are both slightly higher than average due to this was when I was refilling my bottle so required a longer "rest" time when pouring the powder in and when filling it up with water. Mile 12 is when there was pit stop required. The last two miles were significantly lower than the rest of race due to no walk breaks and picking the pace up a lot.

For my race goals the main was being able to make the distance and even pick up the pace near the end.

The multiple layer kit I had picked on the day was ok for me as I did not get cold or too warm despite 2 layers of leggings, 2 pairs of socks, 3 layers on top and hat gloves but this was suitable for the conditions of 5c (3c with windchill). The multiple watches and functions worked will apart from I had accidentally stopped one of the timers for a few seconds but I realised what happened and corrected it.

The nutrition I used for this race including testing out the marathon drinks on a long run and various gels worked with the timings. I was also happy with using the other powdered sports drink part way through which gave a different taste which was good on a long run and I was able to stomach running even though is designed for cycling..

I was happy with the time as it was an ever split of 1:40 for both laps (to nearest minute on my GPS watch) and was at the quicker end of the 3:20 and 3:40 estimated time range I had calculated for this race.

Overall it was a good run out.

Pasta with Custard Doughnut

2011-02-17T22:14:00.002Z

I got some strange looks and comments at lunchtime for my lunch, it was a well balanced meal which had all the main food groups. It was a pasta, sliced smokey sausage, spicy baked beans and custard doughnut and it tasted really good.

Below are cooking guidelines, if you are interested in making it.

Pasta (about 150g of Tricolore Fusilli) cooked with no salt in water for 12 minutes, drained and some olive oil and a sprinkle of lemon juice added. Then about 30g of a pre-cooked smokey sausage was sliced thinly and added.
While the pasta was cooking a tin of baked beans a dollop of brown sauce and a squeeze (about 1 tbsp) of Marmite was added and mixed in. Then a sprinkling of spices (black pepper, hot paprika and ginger) was added mixed in and microwaved for 4 minutes stirring half way through.

About 1/3 of this was packed up in a tupperware container. Then the following day this was heated up in a microwave for 90 seconds, then a custard doughnut was added and the lid added and left to settle for a few minutes at my desk. Then the slightly warm doughnut was cut up in to chunks which allowed the custard flavoured filling to settle in to the pasta which made a really nice starchy and sweety meal.

Not sure of the exact amount of food groups but contained carbohydrates (both starchy and sugary), protein, fat and fibre and tasted great.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-02-17T22:00:00.000Z

This week I have lost 0.5 lb (0.2 Kg) with my % body fat remaining the same but my waist down.

The weight loss was helped by the volume of training this week and a fast half marathon but not so much the recovery food I had. This week should be less volume and more tapering but should include a long run/race.

Wokingham Half Marathon

2011-02-17T21:52:00.001Z

On Sunday I took part in the Wokingham Half Marathon. The plan was to take it nice and easy at marathon pace for the first 10 miles and then pick up the pace for the remaining 3.1 miles, that lasted just a few strides.

I think the problem was caused by the cold, wind and light drizzle so I wanted to get back quickly in to the dry and warmth plus I was with a group of club mates. We started of at a fast pace which I thought we would soon easy back but the first 3 miles got quicker and quicker. They stayed fast in the 8-9 minute mile range for the rest of the race until the person said can we get back in 12 minutes to set a new PB. The 12th mile was done in 7:52 and the mile pace for the remainder was 5:23 and we got back just under 1:50 which was the fastest I had done for a while and the person I paced got a 7 minute improvement on there PB.

During the run I was trying a new watch in race for the first time which I had set regular intervals for drink and food which I maintained throughout the race and felt ok. I had also tried three new food/drinks in the hour or so before the race which luckily was ok as well.

The recovery food included a home made chocolate fudge cake that one of the group had made, other recovery food included some 81% cocoa chocolate and dark chocolate jaffa cakes :-)

The only problem with the race (excluding the weather) was the medal had a yellow and green ribbon :-(

Last Week's training

2011-02-17T21:34:00.002Z

Last weeks training was a total of 14 1/2 hours and totalling 58.1 miles and was made up of the following by time.

Run      45%
Walk    22%
Cross 18%
Swim    10%
Bike       5%

This was a good volume and mixture of training but could be more cycling and less walking. The bulk of it was done on my day off with a total of 23 miles ran, 3 consecutive gym classes, 30 minute swim and a full carvery dinner :-)

It also included a half marathon.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-02-08T21:29:00.000Z

This week I have lost 1 1/4 lb (0.6 Kg) and my % body fat down 1.5%.

This was better than expected due to only 7 hours of exercise the previous week but there was a lot of high tempo work. Food wise I was eating better food choices and more appropriate portion sizes.

The following week should have a higher amount of exercise, so as long I keep my food intake in proportion to my training I should have a good week.

This Weeks Exercise

2011-02-07T23:23:00.000Z

This week I exercised for 7 hours which was due to a rest week but should have been slightly higher but will be ramped up again next week. Below is the breakdown by time.

Cross    37%
Run       24%
Walk     23%
Bike      17%

There is no swimming in this but does include some gym class sessions which should hopefully improve my form for swimming, cycling and running.

Weekly Weigh In

2011-02-01T21:30:00.000Z

This week I gained a massive 2oz and an increase of 0.5% body fat.

There was a reasonable amount of exercise but I may have eaten more calories while recovering from a cold, hopefully next week will be better.

This Weeks Exercise

2011-01-30T19:50:00.001Z

This week I just did over 8.5 hours of exercise which was 4 hours of running and 3 hours cross training. The amount of hours this week was limited by having a cold, next week it should be more hours with a shorter run.

The main art of running was 3 hours of running was a long run of 17 miles done early this morning with a few stops with the last being for hot sausage roll and a regular can of coke :-)

This Weeks Exercise

2011-01-23T21:38:00.000Z

Today I just did 4:57 of exercise in two back to back brick sessions!!

First was a short fast cycle followed by an easy pace 10 mile run on an undulating route which averaged under 10 min/mile pace. I then cycled over to a league cross country race. However by 2.5 miles in to the 5.5 mile race my leg muscles had gone and I had to walk up each incline plus my new running shoes were muddy!! I had a plateful of post race cakes and a cup of tea to give me energy for the cycle back but was an average of 3 mph slower than my normal pace.

This week I have done 15 hours of exercise with a total of 80 miles. Which was the following breakdown by time.

35% Running
30% Cycling
20% Cross training
10% Walking
5% Swimming

There is a good mixture of type of training but need a few more swim sessions. This next week I suspect the overall time may be less but the main goal this week is a LSR of about 15 miles.

New Year Weigh In

2011-01-23T21:22:00.000Z

I weighed in at the start of the new year which was the heaviest I had been for a year. This seemed to happen last year when I was a similar weight which decreased with my training increased and then gradually increased from the autumn onwards in a U shape.

As part of my training I need to reduce my weight which will then make me training a bit easier.

Gosport Half Marathon

2011-01-23T21:18:00.000Z

I only signed up for this race only a few days beforehand so only had 3 or 4 days to train for this race.

It was a good fast race subject to the weather. As most of the run was through and round an airfield, before a few miles along the seafront. Luckily it was only slightly cold and not much wind.

We went off at a fast pace which I thought I would not be able to maintain a few weeks after a marathon. So I slowed down and help pace another club runner. We were still going at a fast pace and we occasionally could see other runners from the club as the course looped around which every one of them was running strong.

In the last few miles we picked up the pace and ended up with a time of 1:52 which was a few minutes quicker than their existing PB. With a bit more serious training I could make an attempt at my half marathon PB!!

Dublin City Marathon

2011-01-23T21:07:00.000Z

At the end of October I was back in Dublin again as an official pacer for the sub 4:30 group along with three other pacers which 2 of them had also paced the previous year and we had all done quicker and this race a number of times.

At the expo we staffed the meet the pacers stand where we were giving out pace bands from 2:30 to 6 hours which had times at each mile split based on an even pace. I even had to remember some French from when I did GCSE’s!! One of our pacers had also made up a pacing band which also had the water and gels stations marked, this could be useful.

On the race day it started quite surreal. As we meet at the official race hotel (5 star) where the elite athletes stayed. We all then boarded the cold local double decker bus for the less than a mile journey to the start. What was strange was we had an official police (garda) escort on motorbikes which blocked of each intersection all the way to the start!!

We then warmed up in the elite section before getting our (weather) balloons and a photo at the front of the race. We then walked through the lined up runners to our estimated starting area. Along with the pace bands we each had at least a watch and/or GPS devices to help with judging pacing so amount the 4 of us which should get the right targets. It also helped that we had 2 big pink weather balloons and a sign for the pace so we could pass them around mainly when a comfort break was required or aid station was coming up. We all had official race kit with our pace time on the back.

For the first 10 miles or so up to the park was a lot of people following our pace but as we got further in to the race the numbers gradually decreased. When we got about 2 miles from the end we were encouraging those with us how had any energy left to push on for the finish, some did and others stayed with us.

At the end with finished about 25 seconds under our target with fairly even mile splits and was congratulated by the race organiser, then by some of the people who had followed our pacing.

It was a grand day and a great friendly marathon.

Mablethorpe Half Marathon

2011-01-23T20:47:00.000Z

Back in October I took part in the Mablethorpe half marathon as part of marathon training. I did think about doing there marathon as training for another marathon but decided against it based on the timings between races.

Before the races I was planning to do 7 miles to make it a 20 mile run. However due to the poor weather conditions of some light rain and fairly windy I did 5 and a bit running through the mablethorpe town and back along the section I thought would be the last few miles of the run along the promenade.

So a quick change it to race gear before the start but keeping the water proof. We started in Sherwood Fields in Sherwood Road :-) Photos are from the day afterwards.

After a few miles winding through the side streets of the town I was getting a bit so I decided to give my jacket to my brother who was there. I still had a long sleeve top on and a couple of other layers but I did not realise that we would be heading straight into the wind along a road which was very open to the elements. For some reason instead of keeping the pace steady and sheltering behind other runners I was over taking a lot and leading the groups!!

By the time we had reached the furthest point and started heading back at about 10 miles I somehow picked up the pace for each mile increasing all the way and ended across the field to the finish in an almost sprint!!

I was pleased with the time of 1:56 especially after already doing 5 miles. As a warm down I ran the 1 mile back to the accommodation which made it a 20 mile run which was the goal.

Then part of a balanced recovery food I had an XL All the Meats pizza, mmm.

Need to get back posting

2010-12-07T20:49:00.001Z

I need to get back posting as I have to write race reports for two half marathons, one marathon and completing 50 parkun 5km's (waiting to get t-shirt).

Weekly Weigh In - Loss

2010-10-06T21:55:00.000+01:00

Last week I lost 3lb (1.5 Kg) with my % body fat increasing.

However I had to weigh a day early and after a long run, so I suspect that most of this loss was due to sweat loss. Hopefully this week will not be too big a gain back.

Weekly Weigh-in = Loss

2010-09-16T22:09:00.002+01:00

This week I lost a massive 2oz (0.06 Kg) with my % body fat remaining the same.

I was expecting a bit more of a lose due to the 20 mile run, regular walking and 2 hour gym session but at least it is going down.

Long Runs Mid Week

2010-09-15T22:30:00.000+01:00

Today I ran 20 miles (32 Km). I did 10 miles (16km) before breakfast and started while it was still dark and tonight I did another 10 miles before dinner, ending in the dark.

There was three 5 mile routes that I did during this and ranged from 5.01 to 5.1 miles yet the average pace for each strangely was the same (to the nearest second), now that's even pacing.

The last 3 miles I started to feel my legs muscles strain a bit.

Unusually for me I only had one isotonic sports drink with me during all the runs. The run in the morning I had a cup of tea with 2 sugars in just to wake me up a bit, then during the day I was staying hydrated and eating smaller snacks through the day which fuelled me for tonight's session.

Weekly Weigh-in = Loss

2010-09-09T22:04:00.002+01:00

This week I lost 1/4 lb (0.1 Kg) and my % body fat remained the same.

I was a bit shocked with a loss as I had been eating cakes or other such unhealthy foods each day this week apart from today. However on Saturday I did do 4 1/2 hours of exercise and yesterday I ran 12 miles.

A lot of exercise on Saturday

2010-09-07T20:07:00.000+01:00

On Saturday I did just the 4 1/2 hours of exercise, this included cycling to and from events.

I first cycled to a 5km Parkrun which I did at a comfortable pace until the last lap when I picked up the pace a bit.

I then did a bit of cycling to Overton before a race. The 2 1/2 hours of cycling was undulating with a supring hill at the furtherest point, it was a 14% incline which I was only doing 3 mph up the slope. I was glad I finally made it to the race venue after a detour to the local cake shop!!

The race was a undulating/hilly 5 mile race made up of 2 laps, there was also a 2 1/2 mile fun run and some children's races so there was a good atmosphere. It was strange to do a race that started on a Saturday afternoon and it was even becoming warm (21c). I decided to go off fast and see how long I could mange the pace. This meant due to the amount of people I was going up along the embankment for the first section of uphill and downhill. By the time I got to the second incline in the first mile I had already felt I was starting to struggle a bit but tried to maintain the pace. When I got half way round it was downhill for a while and then there was more crowd to cheers us on. Then the second lap start but I knew what was coming which did not help. For the last half a mile I picked up my pace and was overtaking a few people although I did get overtaking in the last few strides of the race. However I did manage it in 38 minutes (7:30 min/mile pace) which was a bit of a pleasent shock. We also got a glass for finishing whic made a difference from the usual t-shirt and/or mdeal.

All that was left was a 11 mile cycle back including a step hill in the first 1/4 mile, I made it back at a slower than normal pace. After rehydrating a bit I the headed out for some chips and other such health food to replace the sodium lost :-)

Weekly Weigh In = Gain

2010-09-07T19:27:00.000+01:00

This week I gained 1/4 lb (0.11 Kg) but my % body fat was down 1%.

This week I did more exercise but also maintained the amount of food from previous weeks.

Bramley Training Run in Late Evening

2010-09-02T00:05:00.001+01:00

Tonight I did a nice 10 mile (16 km) training run around the Bramley 10/20 mile route with a quite a few other runners from a club. As I was going around at an easy pace (~9:30 min/mile) I took a few scenery shots in the late evening sunset/dusk. Luckily we had reflective kit on and I had Lars the torch with me :-)

At about 5 miles.

At about 6 miles.

At about 8 miles and nearly at the end.

Parkrun in the Sunshine

2010-09-01T23:50:00.000+01:00

Last weekend I took part in the Parkrun 5km in East Anglia. I did a 2 mile run around my old middle school (knocked down and now houses their) "cross country" route. Strange I now just use it as a warm up and do not stop like the lots I times I used to. I was taking it easy and was about 2 minutes off my PB at this course, so afterwards I took some photos of the event from about 1/3 down the course.

The run starts just to the left of this and is also run past on the second lap.

After this you go over the bridge, luckily you only run past it on the way back and not up the road!!

The view looking down on the bridge.

You then continue to run a bit further along the top path before going along the middle path along the cliff before returning along the promenade.

You then run past the finish and up a slope to start the second and last lap following the same route.

There is even a pirate ship you run past twice.

Unusually the sun was glistening of a flat North Sea!!

Then on the second lap with the finish line in sight sprint to the line.

Don't forget to stop after crossing the finish line.

Weekly Weigh In = Gain

2010-08-26T22:16:00.000+01:00

This week I have gained 1 lb 2 oz (0.5 Kg) with a 1.5% increase in my % body fat.

This was better than expected due to lower amount of training and the amount of unhealthy food I have eaten this week. It was just the 3 days with multiple cakes and the other day a large portion of chips with a spam fritter.

Weekly Weigh-in = Loss

2010-08-19T22:16:00.001+01:00

This week I have lost 1 1/4 lb (0.568 Kg) and my % body fat is down 0.5.

Not sure how that happened as I have only done 5 hours of exercise last week and I have been eating a lot more unhealthy food to aid my recovery from the Outlaw.

Weekly Weigh-in = Loss

2010-08-19T00:34:00.000+01:00

Over the last week including doing the Outlaw I lost 1 lb 2 oz (0.5 Kg) with my % body fat remaining the same.

I think next week will be an increase due to the recovery period from exercise and eating a lot more "recovery" food.

All my Outlaw Triathlon Reports

2010-08-19T00:27:00.002+01:00

Post Outlaw Performance Review

2010-08-19T00:26:00.001+01:00

I was pleased with my swim time and I did not feel too cold at any point of the swim and was feeling quite strong at the end and felt could go further.

T1 was a shorter distance but I was better prepared for the conditions plus we had official help getting the wet suit off.

The cycle I had a good overall time although the distance had started to affect me at about 75 miles but I managed to maintain a good pace to the end.
It is an average speed of 16.1 mph and from my GPS data I had maximum speed of 32.5 mph.

The graph below is my speed v distance, with the red line being my average for the complete course.

From it you can see the two points I stopped were the speed dips to zero. I am surprised at the amount of miles I was above my average speed. You can see the end part of the lap which is about 10 miles of above average speed about 30 miles apart, although the last lap it was not as fast as the other laps which would indicate muscle fatigue due to lack of long cycle rides. However for the remaining 10 miles when the adrenaline kicked in I still maintain a high speed. It also shows from about 75 miles there was more frequent slower sections again due to lack of long cycle rides.

T2 I was prepared for a quicker transition while on the end of the cycle, I minimised the amount of things I had to change which helped plus I also had a pit stop so thee could even be further room for improvement.

The run I went of faster than planned but I was able to maintain a run for most of the course while maintaining a reasonable pace. My average pace for the marathon was 11:18 minutes per mile.

From the graph below from my GPS device, the red line is my average pace for the complete course.

The spikes are when I walked through the aid stations and are fairly evenly spaced out. The course was virtually flat so there was no incline to slow the pace down apart from when going under one bridge. The fast spike down at 6 miles must be a GPS data issue when passing underneath the football stadium.

You can see I went off at a fast pace for the first mile. I the slowed down to a more suitable pace for the marathon and was faster than the average pace until 12.5 miles when I hit a bit of a hard patch during the race. After this for the next 10 miles I was maintain a fairly constant pace just a bit slower my race average pace. Then from 22 miles for 2 miles I picked up my pace this must have been at the last turnaround point and heading back to the finish. My slowed than for 2 miles when getting in to the lake area. Then for the last 1/2 mile I picked up the pace again. Strangely the last 200m of the race was my fastest pace at 7:59 minutes per mile.

I also got my nutrition fairly good and was only near the end of the run that I got a bit of an iffy stomach.

I enjoyed this event so much I have gone from not doing any long (ironman) distance triathlons next year to planning on doing this event again.

Post Outlaw

2010-08-19T00:22:00.001+01:00

You also got a finisher t-shirt along with the medal, so you had to put that on immediately.

I was slightly shattered to say the least but I still had to collect my bags and bike from transition.

You also got some more gels pack not sure if that is joke or not but will come in handy for other events/training.

The post race food was cold pasta and some strange type if soup both with vegetables in. I tried some of the pasta but it did not taste good after all the stuff I had eating all day, shame it did look good the few times I saw it when running past the finish area.

Once I got these and past the security checks I handed the bags to my brother and I pushed the bike using it as a walking aid!! That was after I found it in the transition even though they were in number order.

After getting some fresh warm clothes on I had a recovery milkshake which was easier to digest. We then headed back to cheer on other triathletes who were then on their last or 2nd last laps.

The post race chips and cider tasted so good while sitting down, although getting up and down the steps was a bit interesting due to muscle fatigue.

The next day I did a bit of light swimming in the hotel pool before using the steam room and sauna to help my recovery.

I had no breakfast as I had planned to stop at an all you can eat restaurant on the way back home.

I settled for the 7 courses and a drink with each as was also free refills. The plan was to eat reasonable portion sizes of different foods to get essential protein, nutrients and minerals to aid with my recover. I think below is what I had but has become a bit blurred after eating it all, my stomach was even in worse state than during the triathlon the previous day.

I first dodged the salad and soup sections and went straight to the chip shop section followed by, grill, pizza, pasta, indian, roast dinner and a chocolate cake to finish me off.

That capped of a good weekend all round. Just need to review my performance.

Outlaw Run

2010-08-19T00:21:00.002+01:00

At the start of the run there was plenty of pirate supporters and general support for pirates. I blame this for me going of closer to a 10km pace (8:30 minutes per mile) for the first half a mile or so. Plus I was also chasing down the person in the Norwich city top.

The run route was a lap of the lake and then it was 3 times out and back to the turnaround point in the city centre and a lap of the lake.

The out and back section was on the banks of the River Trent which was mostly a gravel footpath until near the city centre at Nottingham forest ground which you ran under a stand before about another half mile to the turnaround point. At the turn around point was an aid station and you could also see all the music festival and fairground rides on the other side of the river (this is where the Nottingham marathon and half finishes).

The run aid stations were said to be on average 1.2 miles (10-15 minutes) apart, so there was plenty available so was down timing the nutrition right for the conditions and the state you are in at this point.

There was a lot of support at the finish end of the lake on both sides of the lake with only a few at the far end.

I waited until the second aid station to get some just to settle my stomach from the transition form cycle to run. For the first lap around the lake I kept it at a fast but comfortable pace but the person in the Norwich top had a 1km lead on me. You got a bit of support as you ran the other side of the finish line which you had to do 3 times before finishing. You could see the (rowing) finish tower from the other end of the lake some 2km+ away.

From this point I was trying to run but walk through the aid stations. At the aid stations I was trying to alternate having from a combination of gels, sports drink, water and crisps. This was to ensure I was getting enough fluids, salt and carbohydrates (calories) but not too much to put stress on digestion. I was trying not to have any semi flat cola until the last 10 or so miles when I would be starting to hurt.

This plan was working well to about 12 miles when I started to hit the wall and had to take more walk breaks. So I decided to have one of the extra sodium gels I had taken with me before I got the next aid station (to save time) but they had ran out of water and this type of gels you need to take water afterwards.

So I was run/walking along and was chatting to a few of the other triathletes. One of them offered some of the drink he was carrying with him, I had the nerve to ask what it was as I did not want to get a dodgier stomach but any liquid would have done. It was just water with a salt tablet I have used, so it was ok. It was only another half mile to the next aid station at this point. When I reached it I had a few drinks and started on the cola drinks from then on a few aid stations.

At this point I was gone due the heat and fatigue but still walking along getting closer to the finish. I had to use various mental techniques to get me back running al be it at slower pace by about 1-2 minute per mile.

The one that got me moving again at this point was remember my nephew lying motionless in a hospital when he had meningitis, thinking he did not quit so why should I on bit of a swim, cycle and run. Plus he and his sister (my tri coaches) told me for the previous Ironman I just need to run fast. With that in my head I was getting a bit emotional (again) which I was using as a distraction to run through the pain.

When I got back to the lake side again I could hear my brother from about 1 mile, well it was the air horn he had. This gave me a bit of an extra boost.

I just had one more out and back section and a bit over ¾ lap of the lake to do. Looking at my time and distance on my GPS I did a bit of arithmetic and worked out I was possible on for a sub 5 hour marathon at the end of an long distance (Ironman) triathlon. That was my target for the remainder of the run.

I got chatting to person who was doing the same pace as me, it turns out he came from somewhere in the same country I am from. We ran together for a good few miles until near the end of the lake as it was his last lap, I asked if he would pace with me for one my loop but he declined.

On the last out and back section I over took the person on the Norwich city top, now I just had to maintain my lead. This gave me an additional incentive to keep going at the current pace/strategy.

Once I reached the turnaround point for the last time I think I started to pick up the pace slightly or it felt like it as I was on the last section before it will be over. When I collect the last band on the way in to the lake are it felt so good (low tech backup to timing mats and counting laps). I think it helped being lots of pirates doing the race and supporting as you did not have to go far to see another pirate. On occasions you were running with pirates who were on a different amount of laps, did this a few times on the last 10 miles of the run and within the last 3 miles.

With about 2 miles to go when running around the lake for the last time a gander of geese decide to waddle across the path. At this point I thought if they attacked me I could not run off that fast so I gave them a wide berth just to be on the safe side.

Within the last 1/2 mile I saw one of the pirates I knew who said that there was a “rival” tri group person ahead for me to chase down. I somehow managed that with a good few hundred meters to go and over took a few others. I did think about sprinting down the finish line area to overtake another person but I already had “sprinted” the finish at Ironman Austria so I decided to soak up the atmosphere this time.

I crossed the finished line and commentator said “You are an Outlaw”.

I finished the marathon in a time of 4:56:10 which is a PB (at Long Distance Triathlons).

I completed the triathlon in 13:32:54 which is a PB by another 59 minutes on top of the 58 minute PB improvements set in Austria just 5 weeks previously. This makes my average pace for the marathon was 11:18 minutes per mile.

Plus I finished in daylight for the first time!!!

From there I headed to the medical tent apart from the obvious fatigue I was feeling dehydrated, bit nausea plus feeling a bit sunburnt despite being covered up. After a well deserved sit down (not bad enough to lie down) and some water and ginger biscuits as was starting feel a lot better.

Now just need to collect my kit.