Whittle's Tri World

Trigger Point Performance Therapy: Starter Kit

2012-02-15T07:59:00.004Z

So, lately I've been using the Trigger Point Performance Therapy Starter Kit with the aim of reducing areas of tension in the key areas that influence movement quality, especially for running (in the lower limbs, that's mainly the calf (gastrocnemius & soleus) and the glutes (piriformis)). So what does that mean? Basically, it means reducing the length/tension relationship in the muscle, thus making the muscle more pliable or elastic (releasing the tension).

I've found that the Trigger Point Performance Therapy Starter Kit I have is a great kit to start with, it allows you to self massage and manage various aches and pains of the body, particularly for us multi-sport guys who always seem to suffer from aches and pains in the feet, achilles tendon, calf and glutes. For me, my achilles and lower soleus have never felt better!

This kit is definitely worth checking out, I know I'll be looking at their other sets soon, particularly the one which includes the kit for the quads and hamstrings (they call it the quad-baller). Train smart all!

Suspected hernia!!!

2012-02-10T22:28:00.004Z

OK, it seems I have a suspected sports hernia!

I've been trying to manage a groin/lower abs niggle for a while now (I had it a few months ago too, but it settled down quite quickly after some rest) so decided to do some internet diagnosis before going to see the doc last week. All symptoms point to a "sports hernia" and the doc confirmed that it "could be" a sports hernia, but she wasn't 100% sure, so I've been referred for an ultrasound to check it out. Hopefully I'll get that appointment soon, so I'll know either way.

I'm still doing some training, but very little if I'm honest and at a very low intensity. I guess at best the ultrasound will say it's a small strain and I need some rest & rehab for a few weeks, at worst I guess I'll have an operation to fix the hernia and that'll be me out for 6-8 weeks. I think either way my goal to try to qualify for the World duathlon age group champs may be out the window now. Hey ho, these things happen, it's not the end of the world I guess. Train smart guys!

Early 2012 race schedule

2012-02-03T07:36:00.002Z

So I've finally got my ass into gear and decided on an early season race schedule. It's subject to change of course, but it will look something like this:

11 Feb: Cardiff 10K
18 Feb: Welsh cross country champs
26 Feb: Big Adventure Store chilly duathlon
4 Mar: Cardiff 10K
10 Mar: Dambuster duathlon (British Champs & World/Euro AG qualifier)
1 Apr: Neyland duathlon
15 Apr: Cambridge duathlon (World AG qualifier)
25 Apr: InterService duathlon
27 May: Rodez French League duathlon (draft legal sprint race)

The ultimate goal would be to qualify for the World AG duathlon champs (Nancy in September), but I think it'll be out of my reach this year. Dambuster will have a stacked field as it's the British Champs, so if I have any chance it'll probably be to qualify at Cambridge. Like I say, maybe it's not possible this year, but that's the goal. train smart all!

Train smart all!

2012-02-01T19:58:00.001Z

Yes, it’s been a few weeks since my last “blog confession”, mainly work and work-related travel (alas only in the UK), hence my lack of blogging. I must make more of an effort to get a blog out more often!

So training has been interrupted slightly by the travelling, a slight back problem (which seems to be much better) and little groin niggle I’ve been managing for a week or so. It didn’t help that I did an 8 mile road race on Sunday (8 miles in 48:43 at 6:05min/mile pace), but a little bit of rest and conservative training will do the trick I’m sure.

I’m probably doing a 10K road race in 10 days time, which should be a good test of where my running currently is. I’m pretty sure it’ll be new PB for me, as I went through 10k in Sunday’s 8 mile race quicker than my current PB, so that bodes well.

Anyway, train and race smart all!

Been a little quiet lately.......

2012-01-11T18:09:00.003Z

I've not blogged for a few weeks, mainly due to being busy with work & the festive period and being injured, so not much to blog about really. Things have died down a little bit, so hopefully I can return to blogland with more frequent updates from now on.

The injury was a spasm of some kind in my back, which put me out of action for about a week or so. I'm back training now, but just easing myself back into it slowly, whilst concentrating on some mobility, stretching and strengthening exercises for the lower back and core in general.

Good to see Sags and Daz back in blogland, and I might take a leaf out of Daz's books and enter the Dambuster duathlon (GB Champs and World/Euro AG Champs qualifier) in March as a focussed race to start the year off, although I do have a few running races planned between now and then. Train smart all!

Cardiff ParkRun - New PB!

2011-12-24T15:41:00.003Z

I ran the Cardiff ParkRun this morning, again, with the hope of setting a new 5km PB. As you can tell from the title of the blogpost I achieved my goal, but it was far from easy!

I went into the run pretty fit; I had a great XC race 6 days previously and a tough track session on Tuesday, so I knew I was fit, but a few tight muscles from these efforts and a few long drives this week (London and back in a day & down to West Wales and back the following day) meant I was not exactly fresh.

To cut a long story short, I managed to cut 2 seconds off my PB time to get a time of 17:55 (on my watch, official time of 17:56). Pretty pleased to set a new PB, I wanted a quicker time to be honest, but a PB is a PB, so that's all good!

Have a great Xmas all, stay safe and catch up with all you in the New Year!!!

Merthyr Mawr Xmas Pudding Race

2011-12-18T17:46:00.003Z

Today was the Merthyr Mawr Xmas Pudding Race, a 6 mile multi-terrain race that is one of the toughest on the race calendar, the official description from the race website states:

Steve Ovett and JPR Williams are just a few of the legendary athletes who have used the sand dunes at Merthyr Mawr, Bridgend as a base for their training and especially the highest dune, the mother of all sand dunes, the highest in Europe, known to one and all as “The Big Dipper”. Running up it is a harsh challenge just in itself, but the fun continues with an eventual second long climb, off road rough moorland, and several streams towards the finish! Welcome to the Pudding Race, an annual Christmas tradition that draws runners from far and wide to compete in a truly memorable race, guaranteed to test every muscle and sinew in your body!

As you can see from the photo on the right, the race starts straight up "The Big Dipper", the biggest natural sand dune in Europe! It doesn't get any easier with more dunes, long hills, waterlogged fields, stream & river crossings and more sand running just to finish you off!

It's a tough, tough race but having done this race last year I knew what to expect. And as I knew the course I knew I could take a few people right at the finish if I was within touching distance. At about 400m to go and 3 guys about 50m ahead of me, I gave my last push and as they were pussy-footing through one of the stream crossings, I sprinted straight through to take 2 of them. With another 100m to go I got onto the shoulder of the 3rd guy and just managed to pass him with a few metres to spare.

I came 12th overall (the race was a sell out, 600 participants) and finished in a time of 40:15, which was about 4 minutes quicker than last year (I was 28th last year). I'm very happy with that result! A great race and one I will definitely do again. Train smart all!

Cardiff Parkrun

2011-12-10T12:06:00.002Z

This morning I did the Cardiff ParkRun and I went into it with every intention of setting a new 5km PB. I'm in OK run shape at the moment, not fully rested but hoped I could pull it together and go sub 18 minutes and dip under my PB time of 17:57.

This morning was absolutely freezing in Cardiff! And I mean freezing! I ran without a hat and gloves (nearly everyone else decided to go the safe route and wear them) and definitely regretted not wearing gloves as my fingers were freezing all the way round. I'm not exaggerating here, when I finished the race I couldn't feel my fingers. They were painful, it wasn't just the feeling of cold, they were actually hurting!

Anyway, the bottom-line is, it was a tough run, I was just off pace for the majority of the run, but finished strong. I looked at my watch and saw a time of 17:56, a new PB by 1 second!!! However, when I got home and checked the ParkRun website, my time was rounded up to 17:57, thus no PB, I had actually equalled my PB. What's the chances of that?!?!?!

So my challenge is now is take 1 or 2 seconds off that time before the end of 2011. There are a few ParkRuns scheduled before the end of the year, so if I rest up for a day or two before the race AND don't eat my own bodyweight in Christmas treats (I can't guarantee that!) I might just do it. In saying that, I have a tough multi-terrain race next weekend, so I might only have one shot at another ParkRun before 2012. It's all part of the challenge!

Cross country - Gwent League (Swansea)

2011-12-05T18:14:00.004Z

I took part in the 3rd leg of the Gwent Cross Country League yesterday down at Singleton Park , Swansea. I've never done the Gwent League before, so all of these races are new to me, I have no idea of the course or terrain until I turn up on the day. And this race was no different, I went in blind. My team mates are telling me about this hill or that incline and how you do 1 small lap and then 3 big laps; it means nothing to me, I just race the course on its merits.

Well, it turned out to be a tough race. The course was so wet and bogey, it turned into an energy sapping race. It was a real tough guys course, speed wasn't that important, if you weren't strong you weren't going to do well here!

Long story short I came home in 65th position out of over 250 starters, finishing ahead of a few of the guys who beat me at Bridgend a few weeks ago. I was pleased to be able to finish with a strong surge up the last hill to nick a few positions and a proper full on sprint, dipping for the line to take another scalp! Wet, tired but very happy!

Race and train smart all!

Prince2 project management course

2011-12-02T19:59:00.001Z

My employers sent me on a Prince2 project management course this week and to say it was time consuming would be an understatement! The course involves a great deal of classroom work, with 2 exams during the week and homework/study every evening. It does take over your life for 5 days!

You sit an exam on the Wednesday which gives you a Foundation Certificate (I passed that one), then the focus is on the Practitioner exam which you sit on the Friday afternoon. The Friday exam is tough, no doubt about that, I hope I did enough to pass (pass mark is 55%), but unfortunately you don't find out for a few weeks. To be honest this certification doesn't mean much to me personally, but it would be shame not to pass after investing so much time and energy into it.

Back to training and racing stuff, I've got a XC race on Sunday down in Swansea. Apparently it's renowned as a tough course, couple that with soft ground from the recent weather, it sounds like it's going to be a tough day at the office! It could be interesting - watch this space!

Passed my OU exam!

2011-11-30T19:49:00.002Z

So I had the good news this morning that I passed my Open University exam! I'm pretty pleased to be honest as this OU course took over my life for a while, so to pass is a big weight off my mind!

And I sat another exam today, I'm on the Prince2 project management course and had to do the Foundation exam today, with the Practitioner exam to come on Friday. This is a tough course, with many hours of homework/study in the evenings, so again I'm pleased that I passed the exam this afternoon, just the big exam to come on Friday now.

Back to sport and training, I hope to do the next leg of the Gwent Cross Country League on the weekend in Swansea; I guess it's time to get wet and muddy again but as they say, winter miles mean Summer smiles!

All quiet!

2011-11-27T07:25:00.003Z

I've been quite quiet on the blog for the last 2 weeks, unfortunately work and other distractions have got in the way, but (hopefully) I'm back in the groove now.

So what's been happening, I've managed to get in a few ParkRun's, one very disappointing as I went into it very tired and decided to try to race it, so came away with a not so great time (18:25), whilst the other one was yesterday where I ran it as a controlled tempo run as part of a larger session (I went round in 19:37, then went on for another 35mins or so after the race).

I've been enjoying the bike track work too, but think it may be tiring me out for my running sessions (the focus at the moment), so I need to switch things around so the running sessions are still quality whilst ticking over with the faster stuff on the bike. I've managed to get out on the bike too for a few longer rides with the lads, in fact I'm off out for 3-4 hours after I finish this blog post.

Swimming has been not existent at the moment, I was planning on swimming once a week and I must get back into that as I want to keep an element of swim fitness throughout the year.

I'm on a course all next week, so juggling the course, family, travel and training might be an issue, but I'm sure it's not going to be too much of an issue. Anyway guys, train & race smart!

Cold/flu!

2011-11-15T19:54:00.003Z

I've just come out the other side having succumbed to some kind of cold/manflu thing over the weekend, in fact I did no training for 3 days, which is unheard of for me!

I'm back training, maybe not 100% recovered but healthy enough to keep things ticking over. I have a 5km race planned in for Saturday, so should be healthy by then if not 100% fit, so won't be expecting to tear up any trees and get near/set a new PB, but it'll be nice to stretch my legs and see how I'm going. Train & race smart all!

Cross country racing

2011-11-10T22:48:00.001Z

I took part in a cross country race at Corsham yesterday, it's renowned as the hardest course on the circuit, but having never done it before you don't quite know what to expect. The race brief mentioned the big hill at the end, but that didn't quite do it justice!

It was a small field, but that didn't distract from the race itself, the brutal nature of the course made up for that! Huge long climbs out of the valley, followed by steep descents on wet, loose tracks back into the valley (several times) led to the hardest running race I've ever done! And then there was the big hill at the end that they mentioned in the race brief, it was an extremely steep hill on wet grass, which everyone walked (apart form the winner apparently), including me. It was just too steep to run, particularly as it came so late in the race, it really was that hard!

Overall, it turned out to be a good race, I came 8th overall but the damage is now becoming apparent. My legs are in pieces! Some serious recovery is now needed, race and train smart all!

Track cycling

2011-11-08T20:33:00.007Z

I've been partaking in some track cycling training over the past few weeks, just something a little different over the winter, adding in a touch of intensity rather than going down the more traditional route of LSD.

If I'm totally honest, the first few weeks were a bit slow, just going through the motions really with the other newbie's to track cycling, but Mondays session was totally different. I was allowed to progress to the faster group and we did lots of speed work (team TT's, through & off's, etc), so it was much more fun and much safer (some the novices bike handling skills leave a lot to be desired!).

And it showed yesterday with very tired legs! Therefore the Trigger Point Therapy Grid (see previous post) has been having a good hammering lately, rolling out my aching legs, all in the name of recovery! Train smart all!

Trigger Point Performance: The Grid

2011-11-02T15:40:00.005Z

The Grid from Trigger Point Performance Therapy is my toy! OK, it's not a toy, it's a revoluntionarly foam roller, you know the kind of thing, the tube shaped piece of foam that looks like a kids swimming float that runners use on themselves to make them cry!!! Traditionally, foam rollers are used to treat common running issues like iliotibial band syndrome, piriformis syndrome and plantar fasciitis.

As you can see from the photo on the right, the Grid has a hard hollow shell (so doesn't lose its shape like a traditionally foam roller) covered in a patterned EVA foam, whose patterns provide a different feel on the body depending on the pattern you use. Due to the faster running training I've been doing lately I've been using it a lot on my calves and glutes as these have been very tight of late.

The Grid has a series of DVD's too (which you have to purchase separately) which act as a guide to using the Grid as a tool for core strengthening exercises (whilst massaging you at the same time), with some of them being very similar to pilates exercises. I've been incorporating these exercises into my routine too and have found them very beneficial, I can feel the difference in only a week or so.

It's portable too, it's a small roller, less than half of the length of traditional rollers, so fits neatly into your bag when travelling (which I'm doing a lot of lately too!). It's a great bit of kit and for £40 I'd say it was a bargain! Check out the main Trigger Point Performance Therapy website for more information on the products and some great videos on how to use them effectively.

Cardiff ParkRun

2011-10-29T18:09:00.002+01:00

I did the Cardiff 5k ParkRun again this morning, it's a great race, I can't believe it's FREE and is on every Saturday of the year! I went into this run very tired, I had some tough run sessions in the week (Tuesday and Thursday) and was feeling a little battered and bruised if I'm honest.

Anyway, I managed to roughly hold my target pace, thanks in part to pacing off another runner who seemed to be running at the pace I wanted to run, and managed a push at the end to come home in 11th place and a time of 17:58 (on my watch, and that's all that counts!). Very pleased with that, it shows the training is going well and if I can run a sub 18min 5k tired, that bodes well for some spring duathlons! Race and train smart all!

Product review: Multipower Multicarbo Hi-Energy Jelly

2011-10-22T13:58:00.002+01:00

Multipower UK sent me some more products from their Endurance range to test a few weeks ago, amongst which was their brand new innovative Multicarbo Hi-energy jelly bar. Yes, a jelly bar!!!

The jelly bar is an alternative to the more traditional energy gel and provides the same energy boosting properties of the other products in the Multipower Endurance range. So what's it like? As a product, it really hits the spot, the orange flavour is subtle but in a good way, it's not overpowering like some other products on the market. The delivery of energy is fast and the amount of carbohydrate per pouch (28g) is definitely more than adequate for an instant boost.

The only slight downside is getting the jelly out of the pouch whilst riding, it's not that easy on the move, or at least it's not as easy as a traditional gel. It gets easier with practise, but it is a little fiddly to begin with.

Overall, it's a very good product, I particularly liked it as an alternative to a traditional gel and can definitely see it being a useful addition to your energy/nutrition plan during longer endurance events, like Ironman. Sometimes just taking gel upon gel is a little tiresome, so having a product that has a different consistency could work wonders. Check it out at www.multipoweruk.com

Cycling track session

2011-10-20T19:47:00.001+01:00

I went to Maindy cycle track yesterday to join in with Ajax CC and their group session. Just to set the scene, Maindy track is an outdoor track and they have sessions for novices, intermediates and experienced track users. As it was my first time on the track with Ajax I went into the novice group (I have ridden at Newport track once) to learn the ropes of riding on the track. The group was mixed with experienced road riders like myself to people who have only ridden a road bike once or twice in their life. This mix of riders proved to be tricky at times as some of the bike handling skills were quite poor (I'm being polite) and some of the guys thought their fitness levels were greater than they actually were; so at times the session was quite challenging. In fact, I nearly pulled off the track at one point as it was getting quite dangerous!

Anyway, towards the end of the season everyone was much more confident and the riding was much safer and faster, hopefully next week everyone will be flying and we can get in a great session, looking forward to it!

Cardiff half marathon

2011-10-16T20:12:00.003+01:00

I had 3 or 4 people running the Cardiff half marathon today and I'm pleased to say they all had a great day! Admittedly they're all novices, so improvements are expected, but working with novices makes it so exciting. They're all short on time due to work and family commitments but work hard with the limited time they have to train, and it showed today. I'm really proud of all them, very well done guys!

OU exam done.........thank God!!!

2011-10-14T18:08:00.004+01:00

I did my OU exam yesterday, this course has been the bane of my life lately, so I'm really pleased to get it done and out of the way. I've been studying loads in the last 2 weeks, not sure if I did enough to pass, but hopefully I did. I doubt I'll be doing a re-sit if I've failed!

Apart from that, I'll be posting up some new product reviews real soon and I've got some new toys, so I'll be telling you all about them too. We've got a big rugby match tomorrow, Wales are playing France in the morning, hopefully Wales can continue on with their current form and put on a good show!

Cross country - Gwent League

2011-10-09T22:03:00.002+01:00

I took part today in a muddy Gwent League cross country race, the first in this years series. I didn't know really what to expect as I've only ever done low key XC races and this one was expected to have a large high class field. And that's the way it turned out, a huge field (well over 300 people) and some very skinny, fast looking runners!

It was a 3 lap course for the men (advertised as 10k, but it was a little longer), mainly flat across playing fields with some short, sharp hills in some woods. As I didn't know the course (or how fast it was going to be) I decided to shadow one of the guys I knew for the first lap as he knew the course and I knew I could hold pace with him (I knew from previous runs I was just a little faster than him). This proved to work well, I took it "steady" on the first lap, overtook a load on the second lap and a few more on the final lap.

It was a tough race, very slippery on the hills and quite fast on the flat sections, There were some very fast guys there and I guess I need to learn a few tactics for the upcoming XC races (I was a little too "polite" with my other racers, letting them through at times) but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was 96th (out of 321) in a time of 41.18, happy with that on my first outing. Train and race smart all!

Check out these bad boys!

2011-10-08T06:10:00.002+01:00

You know me, all the gear no idea!!!

For the last few weeks on a Friday evening I've been delivering a talk (with a personal trainer friend of mine) in a local running shop on "How to run a successful half marathon" in the run up to the Cardiff half marathon next week. There was no payment involved, it was a bit of a loss-leader, but we thought we might pick up some clients during the 4 weeks; however the bottom line is, the store owner offered us a free pair of trainers! So I choose the Inov8 Talon 212 with a view to the upcoming XC races. The official description from the website is:

Super lightweight off road running shoe with low profile midsole. High levels of comfort, stability and performance with an aggressive sticky rubber outsole make this shoe ideal for X-Country to X-Mountain racers.

I'll tell you what, these trainers are so light, I'm very impressed. It'll be interesting to see how they go in my first XC race tomorrow! Train smart all!

First XC race of the season

2011-10-04T22:34:00.004+01:00

This weekend will be my first XC race of the winter season, it's race 1 of the Gwent League and kicks off in Bridgend. I've never done any of the Gwent League races, in fact I've only ever done 3 or 4 XC races in my (adult) life, so it's all new to me!

Apparently this race is a very flat lapped course, with one small hill, which you do 3 times. I think we're forecast heavy rain on Saturday, but pretty cool and clear on Sunday, so the course should be pretty fast! All the skinny "real" runners should go well on this course, not quite sure how my little triathlete legs will fair though! Train and race smart all!

Cardiff Parkrun

2011-10-01T12:59:00.000+01:00

I've been away from blogland for a while, busy doing Open University assignments and getting ready for the long-awaited exam. I've still got 10 days until the exam, but some serious study is in order to get through it.

I've been doing some good run training lately and I've just joined a local running club (but not run with them yet), so I went to the local 5k Parkrun this morning to meet the guys and try to bash out a fast 5k. I think "fast" is relative, but I was hoping to break 18 minutes by Xmas. I ran a 5k a month ago and went 18:22, so I thought sub 18 by Xmas was a real possibility. Anyway, the bottom line is, the race went well, I felt strong for the majority of the run and managed to come home in 17:59!!! Very pleased with that as I've run 17:56 about 18 months ago, but have been no where near that time since, so this proves the training is going in the right direction! Train smart all!

Tour of Britain

2011-09-19T23:00:00.003+01:00

The Tour of Britain rolled through South Wales last week, riding some of the "best" climbs the region has to offer. I've ridden these climbs, believe me they're very tough, but to see these guys hammering up them was a sight to behold.

One of the bigger climbs is up Caerphilly Mountain and it was Thor Hushovd who was one of around 25 riders to make it up the first category climb before the race dropped into the finish, to take the win. Awesome racing and great climbing in my own backyard!

My next challenge will be the Pembrokeshire Coastal Challenge, which is 3 marathons in 3 days on the coastal paths of west Wales. Sounds like fun, eh? Here's the official synopsis:

It took extensive research and many weeks spent wandering around the Welsh coast line but votwo have found the next challenge.... Pembrokeshire! Now in its 3rd year after a very succsessful 2nd event in 2010. The classic self navigation marathon a day for 3 days over coastal terrain is rolled out again and as ever you can trust votwo to have found the most challenging terrain for your running pleasure!

Train and race smart all!

Huge weekend of racing

2011-09-08T08:38:00.003+01:00

This weekend see's a huge amount of racing, particularly with Great Britain in mind. From the picture on the right you can see it's Ironman Wales in Tenby on Sunday. This was always going to be a tough event, with a hilly bike course (poor road surface too) and slightly undulating run, but the weather we have in Wales at the moment is going to cause the competitors so many problems. The surf report is pretty bad to be honest, so don't be surprised if the swim is cut short or even cancelled. I know the organisers have a back up plan where they can move the swim to another beach in Tenby, but that will mean a split transition and other logistical problems for the organisers and racers. I really hope the weather settles down, I know a few people who are racing and wish them a safe race, it could be a long tough day for a lot of people.

Switching distances, it is the ITU Grand Final race in Beijing this weekend, which sees the best of the best race off for the World Championship title. Like last year, the ITU World Champion is crowned using a series of races rather than a one-off race. The mens race (on Saturday) sees the Brownlee bothers racing and both can claim the title if certain permutations go their way, which leads to Sundays race for the ladies where Helen Jenkins can win the World Champs (again) if she finishes on the podium. All of these guys have been racing so strong this year, mainly to qualify for London 2012, but this lead to all of them being genuine World Champion contenders in Beijing. I guess I'll have to get up extra early on Saturday and Sunday to watch these guys race, it's going to be an exciting finish to the ITU season!

EDIT: I nearly forgot the Ironman 70.3 World Champs in Las Vegas this weekend too! Not sure who's racing this one from a GB point of view, but good luck to all pro's and age groupers!

Train smart all!

Post race update

2011-09-02T20:33:00.002+01:00

It's been nearly 2 weeks since the European Long Distance Champs and I'm just about starting to feel normal again. My legs were shot for about 10 days after the race, I would try to do some easy running and they weren't having any of it! I felt ok on the bike (I've been out on my mountain bike a few times and once this week on my 'new' road bike) but running has been a struggle. And with that in mind, I'm going to go against all conventional wisdom and do a local 5km ParkRun tomorrow morning! Yes, it's going to be ugly!

Since my return to normality I've had the opportunity to reflect on the whole GB experience. Some people knock the whole GB age group triathlon scene, but for me it was an absolute honour to pull on that GB vest. I never ever thought I would have the opportunity to race for Great Britain in any capacity, so to achieve this at the age of 38 is something I will be proud of for a long time.

Now that my triathlon race season is over, I can reflect on this year and plan for next year. Overall, I have had a good season, I have PB'd in several running racing and the Weymouth middle distance triathlon, whilst playing my part in the European Long Distance Champs. For the remainder of this year and into 2012, I plan to do a lot more racing. My race schedule was pretty light this year, so I plan on doing lots of running races & duathlons, some bike races and sportives and start doing some run and bike training with some local clubs. To improve my run and bike (my favourite legs of the triathlon) I need to start training with real runners and bikers, so that's what I plan to do! Race and train smart all!

European Long Distance Triathlon Champs - Finland

2011-08-24T13:42:00.002+01:00

Well, here it is, the race report from the European Long Distance Triathlon Champs that was held on Sunday in Finland:

We arrived early (we, being the 4 RAF guys who had made the team) and had lots of time to recce the swim, bike and run courses. The swim looked very long, the bike looked pretty flat (and boring) whilst the run looked like the only interesting part of the race, sweeping around the lake through a slightly wooded area with gravel trails. We attended the race registration and race brief and to be honest, the organisation wasn’t great, this definitely wasn’t a WTC event!

Back to the race, morning arrived and we had a quick breakfast in the hotel before heading off to the transition area. The location of this race was actually very good, with an athletics stadium being used for T1/T2 which was only 5 minutes walk from our hotel, with the lake being adjacent to the stadium. After putting all our nutrition onto our bikes we headed down to the start area. The elite men and women went off first, with the age group men going next (us) and the age group women to follow.

We all jumped into the water and after a minute or two, the horn went and we were off. With less than 200 men in our wave start, there wasn’t the usual biff you get at the start of an Ironman race, I quickly found some open space and headed the 300m or so to the first turn buoy. After this turn, we essentially had to swim in a big rectangle finishing down a canal next to the stadium. The out leg seemed to take forever! I managed to find some feet to sit on for a while and settled in to a pace that I thought I could hold for 4k. We eventually got to the far turn bouy (maybe 1.8k into the swim leg), turned, swam another 200-300m and turned again for the return and final leg. We were now swimming into a bit of current and the sun was rising in front of us which made navigation a little difficult.

I was starting to feel a little tired now. The current was sapping my energy and the navigation meant sighting was harder, fortunately someone swam up to me, so I jumped on his feet and trusted he was sighting correctly. It seemed his sighting was spot on as we arrived at the mouth of the canal in fairly quick time, I knew it was another 300m or so to go, so decided to stay with my new friend and let him direct me into the exit point. It got a bit congested here and I got a smack round the head for my troubles, but all in all it was an uneventful swim – just what I was hoping for. I stood up, checked my watch and saw 1:06. I was particularly pleased with this as I was expecting to see 1:10 – 1:15. Good start!

Quickly into transition the wetsuit was off and I was ready to exit T2. As I grabbed my bike Marc P (an RAF team mate) came into T1, I was quite happy about this as I expected Marc to beat me out of the water, but as he is a better biker I knew he would catch me quite soon. Anyway, out on the bike I went, I settled into the aero position and started pushing on, knowing Marc would be chasing me hard! Once I settled down I started thinking about my nutrition, I looked down at my Speedfil bottle (fits on the down tube, with a tube coming up to bike cockpit) and realised it was half empty! It was leaking! Things like this can put you right off your game, but there’s no point in worrying about it. I knew I had plenty of nutrition on me and I could always pick up some more from the aid stations as my cast iron stomach can cope with most types of sports drinks and gels.

The bike was 6 laps of 20k (well, it was a little shorter than 20k as they cut off a little part of the course for safety reasons), and it was a bit boring. We biked out of town, onto some fast roads, then onto a motorway for a mile or so, then climbed up a long shallow climb, back down the motorway and into town again. Coupled with that a few dead-turns (which really slowed you down!) and quite a bit of wind, it was not the most exciting of routes.

Marc came past me at the end of the first lap (as expected), so I estimated he was putting about 1:30 into me on each lap. I was ok with that as I knew my run was strong enough to pull that back later on in the day. The laps ticked away, and apart from some Spanish pro’s and some Finnish age groupers drafting, it was a very clean bike race. I came towards T2 quite glad the bike leg was over, I checked my watch and saw a bike split of about 3:26, I was ok with that. It wasn’t great, but it was ok, and I had my strongest leg to come!

The run was 4 laps of 7.5k, so it would be easy to gauge your pace and spot other age groupers and see where they were in the race compared to you on each lap. I set out on the first lap with the intention of going easy. As I was approaching the first turn point (at 3.75k) I was very surprised that I hadn’t caught anyone! This wasn’t normal. Was everyone else really running that fast? Was I running slow? Too slow? I put this to the back of my mind and continued on.

As it turned out I shouldn’t have worried as I caught 9 people in the next 3.75k (including my team mate Marc). The pace felt easy and I completed the first lap in about 33 minutes. Now it got a little confusing, as there were quite a lot of people on the run course, you didn’t know if they were on their first lap or third lap. It didn’t really matter though, as I continued to run at my own pace, I felt good and people were coming back to me fairly quickly. The laps ticked away and I continued to sip my energy gels whilst taking water and coke from the aid stations, everything was going to plan.

I was now coming towards the end of the third lap and I could feel myself slowing down. It wasn’t quite the Ironman-shuffle, but I was definitely slowing. I started the fourth and final lap knowing that if I ran the last 7.5k in 40 minutes I would break 7 hours for the race. This was now my motivation. I didn’t care who I was passing (I stopping counting after passing 25 people), I just wanted to keep pushing on to break the 7 hour barrier. I got the final turn point and worked out I had 20 minutes to do the last leg in, this would be a tough ask. I was now very tired. I had walked the last 2 aid stations, taking on lots of water and coke, so to get back to the stadium and do a lap of the athletics track and finish in 7 hours was going to be hard, hard work.

I pushed on, I was now hurting. I wasn’t out of breath at all, just tired and my muscles didn’t want to respond to my brain telling them to move – faster! I could now see the stadium and hear the crowds. I guessed I had about another 5 or 6 minutes of pain to endure. Surely I could do that? Could I?

I was pushing again, pain filled my legs and lungs but its amazing how the crowds drive you on. I entered the stadium and saw 2 Finnish athletes in front of me. I had about 350m to go and there was no way I was going to let them beat me! I pushed again, passed the first guy, reached the second guy, he tried to react but he was spent, I was past him and driving on to the finish line. I looked at my watch with about 50m to go, I knew I was under 7 hours, it was instant relief! With the Finns behind me and 7 hours in the bag, I could coast to the finish line savouring the atmosphere.

I’ll blog more later about my post race feelings, my crazy taper strategy and my views on the whole GB representation, but needless to say, I was very pleased with my race. I came 11th in my age group and went sub 7 hours, I’ll take that! Many thanks to my family, friends, coach and sponsors for all your support, I know it’s a cliché, but without all your help I would never have made it to Finland to represent my country. That means a lot to me, so I thank you all.

Back from my holidays!!!!

2011-08-08T23:53:00.001+01:00

I've been quiet lately as I've been away on my holidays! I had 8 or 9 days in Orlando, Florida with family friends, enjoying a fantastic time doing the Disney theme parks. Now I'm back, I feel like I've been on a training camp!!! If you've ever done Florida you'll know just how tiring these theme parks are! We did all the major parks, as well as doing the shopping malls and seeing an amazing show (Cirque du Soleil), I was knackered!

Going out to Florida with less 3 weeks to my A race is not perfect planning, as the training inevitably took a hit. But that's the life of an age-grouper I guess. I managed to run 6 or 7 times in those 8 or 9 days, but there was no swimming or biking to be done. The running consisted of about an hour each session, some sessions harder, some slightly easier, but with the heat and humidity in Florida in August they were all pretty tough!

Time to get some swim and biking done over the next few days and then start backing off after the weekend in preparation for the Finland race. Lots to do between now and then, lots of last minute prep and sorting out my bike, a bike box (thanks James!), nutrition, currency and other bits and bobs. Oh, and start back on the never ending OU reading/assignments (result in from 2nd assignment this week - 85%, happy with that!)! Train and race smart all!

Product review: Multipower UK endurance products

2011-07-29T13:41:00.001+01:00

Multipower UK sent me a load of goodies to test and review a few weeks ago, they’re part of their Endurance range and with Will Clarke as their main ambassador, triathlon is seen as an ideal target for these products. Just to be clear, I’m not sponsored by these guys, so have no need to big them up, the views expressed here are my own and totally impartial.

I received the MultiCarbo Energy Gel, the MultiCarbo Drink+, the Iso Drink and some Recovery Bars. I’ve used all of the products over a variety of sports and distances, from short sprint swim intervals to 19 mile endurance runs and now feel more than qualified to offer an opinion on all of the products.

Here’s a quick run down on the products:

MultiCarbo Energy Gel: The energy gel came in two flavours, Cherry-Banana and Lemon, both providing 26g of carbs. I used these on some longer bike rides; they provided the quick boost that I expected, keeping my energy levels up when I was starting to feel that inevitable fatigue creeping in. The Cherry-Banana flavour was nice, but the Lemon one took me back to my childhood, it tastes of Lemon Bon-Bons! Lovely!

MultiCarbo Drink+: The MulitCarbo Drink+ was Red Orange favour (different name, I know!) and is billed as a pre-training drink with magnesium to help prevent cramping. I drank this with my breakfast before a 4 hour bike ride, just to top up my energy stores before setting off on a long ride (I also ran off the bike too, so nutrition was all important on this day). The Red Orange flavour was really quite nice, a more subtle flavour, not overpowering or sickly sweet at all like some carb drinks.

Iso Drink: This Lemon drink was taken during my short interval swim sets, an open water swim session and during some the longer bike and run sessions. It worked well, there was no sign of the dreaded “bonking”, but the flavour, for me, was a little weak when compared to the Lemon MultiCarbo Energy Gels.

Recovery Bar: This protein rich bar is mainly aimed at promoting recovery after a hard session, but it tasted so good I was eating them as a mid-morning snack and during my longer bike rides. The bar was slightly soft, so it was easily digested when out on the bike and the chocolate flavour was just right, definitely not overpowering. Very, very nice!

Overall, I was very impressed with the product range. As I’ve been a triathlete for over 10 years, I’ve tried every drink, bar and gel on the market, and these products are more than a match to the more established companies. The Lemon flavoured MultiCarbo Energy Gel and the chocolate Recovery Bar were definitely winners for me, with the rest of the range coming a close second. I’m sure Multipower UK will be huge in the coming years, it won’t be long before you see these products in your normal triathlon, biking and running stores and believe me, they’re good. Check them out, you won’t be disappointed!

Cav wins the Green Jersey!

2011-07-25T11:18:00.001+01:00

Yes, yesterday Cav won the prestigious Green Jersey on the Champs-Elysees to become the first Brit ever to clinch the coveted title! He's now won 20 stages of the Tour de France, yes, 20 stages!

To quote David Millar, Cav is the "greatest sprinter in cycling history". But will the general public care, probably not. I don't think many people outside of cycling really appreciate what an phenomenon he is. He is a freak! He is the Usain Bolt of cycling, he is really that good! He's not just the best around at the moment, as David Millar says, he's probably the best sprinter the cycling world has ever seen. And he's only 26! He's got another 5 or 6 years left at the top, it's frightening.

Well done Cav, you're going to be a cycling legend!

Open Water swimming and new products

2011-07-22T13:57:00.002+01:00

Going open water swimming again this afternoon with James O and this time I don’t have a hole in my wetsuit! The last time I mentioned going open water swimming, I said I was looking at getting a new suit, well; I ended up getting a Blue Seventy Axis. The Axis is designed for people who don’t naturally come from a swimming background (i.e. didn’t grow up as a swimmer) as it has more buoyancy in the legs which raises them up, thus giving you a better position in the water. The proof is in the pudding I guess, watch this space to see how it went.

I have some new race nutrition arriving today from Multipower, they sponsor Will Clarke (he had a great ITU race last weekend!), so I’ll test them out over the next week or so before my big race in Finland next month. More product reviews on their way!!!!

Still as busy as a busy thing!

2011-07-19T06:29:00.004+01:00

Yes, I'm still running round with my head on fire!

My latest OU assignment is due next week, so it's all hands to pump on that front, and I'm still trying to continue with some consistent training. I managed 14 hours the week before last, 15 hours last week and I hope to do the same this week, although the weather might get in the way of some of the longer bike rides (I hate long turbo sessions!). I'll have a "big" week again next week, then I'll be taking a break for just over a week and then it'll be taper time! I love taper time!

You'll notice my GB kit on the right, this is my motivation at the moment. When I'm tired from training, study, work or driving, I take a quick glance at this photo, then I get my ass out the door and get the session done! Not long to go now!

The Open University

2011-07-11T18:45:00.002+01:00

The Open University has a lot to answer for! I have been enrolled on an Open University (OU) course by my employers, as part of my new job and I have to be honest, it's taking up quite a lot of my time. I knew it would be very time consuming, but I didn't realise just how much. I have to start another assignment very soon (this weekend probably), when it only feels like yesterday I handed in my last one! Don't worry, I'm not after sympathy from you guys (good! cos you're not going to get it, I hear you cry!), I'm just realising how much more time efficient I have to be.

Talking about being time efficient, triathlon training! Yes, I'm still training, I managed just over 14 hours last week and hope to do the same this week, fingers crossed. Things are starting to fall into place regarding my A race in Finland next month, the entry fee has been paid (£190) as has my flights and accommodation (another £450), I didn't realise representing your country would be so expensive!

So, if you know any kind hearted business people who might want to sponsor a GB athlete to the European Long Distance Triathlon Championships, send them my way! Train smart all!

Product review: BikeFood nutrition products

2011-07-06T18:55:00.004+01:00

I've been trialling some new nutritional products recently, namely the energy products from a UK company called BikeFood. I recently purchased two of their products, the Energy Drink Mix and the Raw Natural Energy Bars.

The Energy Drink Mix comes in 2 flavours, Orange and Berry, and both tasted great. Some energy products taste a bit too sickly sweet, but this one is just right. The Energy Drink Mix contains protein (Branched Chain Amino Acids), simple and complex carbohydrates, electrolytes and vitamins to deliver both quick and sustained energy, and aid in recovery too. And that's one of the good things about the Energy Drink Mix, due to it's make-up it can be used before, during and after your training, depending on the strength of the mixture you make. This makes it an all-in-one mix that you can use for training, racing and for recovery too!

As the name of the company suggests, this product is intended for use on the bike, but it works equally well on the run too. I've used the Energy Drink Mix whilst on my long runs (up to 2 hours) and found it delivers enough energy to keep you adequately fuelled without giving you any stomach problems.

The Raw Natural Energy Bars are the jewel in their crown in my eyes. They come in 4 different flavours, but the Mango one was my favourite. These bars are all natural, so no gluten, wheat, soya, dairy, added sugar, artificial sweeteners, flavours, cereal or other fillers - just all natural ingredients. The term 'raw' is used to describe food that has not been damaged by cooking, baking, pasteurising or otherwise heating. What does this mean? Well, it means it stays and tastes the way it was intended - natural! These bars are perfect for use on the bike, as the wrappers come off really easily (those bikers among you will know how important this is) and the bars aren't covered in any artificial sugary coating which melts in your pocket either!

BikeFood are trialling some energy gels as we speak (I hope to get some to try!), if they're anything like the energy drink and bars, I'm sure they'll be a winner - I look forward to testing them before Finland in August.

If you're after trying some new energy products, check out these guys, you won't be disappointed believe me! Train smart all!

Where's the time gone?????

2011-07-04T20:54:00.003+01:00

Another blog dedicated to Nat!!!

Yes, time is flying by, it's only about 7 weeks until the big race in Finland. Things have been really busy recently, what with work trips to Toulouse (not as good as it sounds!), OU assignments to write (78% in my first one!) and trying to fit in some decent training hours, it's been a little busy, but to keep Nat happy I'll be blogging more regularly over the next few weeks.

A big congratulations goes out to Super Sags, who was crowned British middle distance champ this weekend! Well done fella, truely deserved!

I'll be posting up some training updates, some product reviews and some race results, I bet you can't wait?!?!?! Train smart all!

It's been 2 weeks since my last confession........

2011-06-23T07:27:00.002+01:00

Yes, it’s been a while, funny how life takes over isn’t it? I know Nat has been missing my blogging!!!!

Training has been ticking over, nothing amazing, mainly due to an OU assignment that has taken over my life for the last 10 days or so. Assignment is now finished so I can get back to some form of real training, although saying that, a work trip to France is coming up and that’s definitely not good for the training.

On the plus side, my Team GB race kit arrived this week, very pleased with that!

Train smart all!

Weymouth middle distance race report

2011-06-08T07:13:00.000+01:00

I’ll try to keep this fairly short, so not to bore you guys too much!

I got to Weymouth a few days early, with my family arriving the day before the race. This gave me plenty of time to recce the new course, then chill out and relax. The weather forecast was not good for race day, it was meant to be raining with plenty of wind. I went to sleep hoping it wouldn’t be too bad by the time I woke up. I was woken at 3am by the torrential rain and thunder & lightening. It was not looking good! I went back to sleep thinking that if I woke up in 2 hours time (my alarm was set for 5am) and the weather was the same, I would simply go back to sleep and forget all about the race.

Anyway, I woke up at 5am and the rain had stopped but the clouds were still looking angry. I quickly had breakfast and made my way down to transition. I racked my bike and set everything up as per my usual routine (shoes, helmet, glasses, etc) except this time I had a gilet and arm warmers at the ready just in case those clouds opened up (they were still looking angry).

Some of the guys in transition were saying that the race was almost cancelled because of the weather conditions and the sea conditions. The sea conditions? I hadn’t even thought about that! I made my way over to the sea front and was confronted by some amazing surf! That was not on the schedule!

Anyway, to cut a long story short, we had our race brief and got ourselves ready for the beach start. The waves were looking big, but it was the same for everyone, time to get my race face on! The race referee sounds the horn and we’re off!

We make our way out into the surf, diving through the bigger waves until it was deep enough to start swimming. We swam straight out to sea before turning right at the first (very small) buoy; this is where it got “interesting”! The swell and the waves were crashing into everyone; you were being lifted up on a wave only to be crashed back down on the other side. This was not fun.

We reached the (very small) turn buoy, where we turned left and headed back out to the open sea. This shorter leg was easier and a welcome rest from the larger waves we encountered on the way out. We reached another (small) buoy, and turned left and headed back across the bay, parallel with the shoreline. This stretch was tough again. Waves were still crashing into you, I took a huge mouthful of sea water too and I ended up pulling my swim cap off as it was annoyed me (don’t know why?). I found some feet and followed them to the final (very small!!!!) turn buoy. We turned left and headed back to shore. I knew we were on the home straight now and knew this would be the easy bit as the waves would push us back to the beach.

I was relieved to feel the sand with my hands, stood up and started to peel my wetsuit off. I checked my watch, it said 23 minutes! Wow, that was one short swim! I was expecting to see 33 minutes not 23 minutes! But I didn’t care, it was dangerous out there, I was just so happy to get that out of the way, that was one tough sea swim.

I made my way up to transition and my Mother tells me my club mate, James, is only 1 or 2 minutes ahead of me. He should have been about 5 minutes up on me, but I guess with the shortened swim, that time gap was about right.

I head off on the bike (with my gilet on) and make my way immediately up the big climb out of the town. The bike leg was about 82km due to a change in the bike course, I knew where the hills would be (I drove the course the previous day) so got my head down and got on with it. I passed a few guys and was passed by a few guys, but I was happy with my pace, I wasn’t pushing it too hard, it felt just about right.

The wind had picked up and it was a little hilly now. I caught up with a girl after about 25km, I passed her, expecting not to see her again, however after a few minutes she came flying by me! I’m not sure what was happening, perhaps she just felt great and took off. I pushed on to catch her, a little harder than I wanted to, but she was holding a really good pace. I decided at this point of the race, this was going to be my new pace. As I said, it was harder than I would usually ride, but it felt good to ride with someone and just push it a little bit harder than is normally comfortable. We rode together (legally!) for the remainder of the bike leg. We both took turns (legally!) and just paced off each other. It wasn’t easy believe me (she was strong & went on to win the women’s race), but it pushed me hard and made for a good bike leg.

I entered T2, put my running trainers and compression socks on and I was away. My new bike friend was out of T2 before me (not compression socks for her!) and hit the run like it was a 5k! I decided there and then that she was either a much better runner than me or she was going too fast! Only time would tell on that one.

I settled into a rhythm, but probably did go a little too hard at the start. It was a 4 lap course so decided to try to take it steady for the first 2 laps and see how I was feeling after that. I was running OK but never felt great. OK, but not great.

It took me about 46 minutes to do 2 laps, I was feeling OK but not great. The sun had decided to come out, it was getting warmer and I was getting tired. OK, but not great.

I was now timing each lap and I was getting slower, not by much, but slower nonetheless. I finished the 3rd lap and knew I only had another 23 or 24 minutes of running left. I was tired. I wanted to stop. Not OK, not great.

I dug in and pushed on. I was working really hard now; my perceived effort was almost at max! I knew I had about 2 or 3 minutes of running left until the finish chute, I knew my family would be there cheering me on, I knew it was time to step into the hurtbox. Not OK, not great.

I pushed again and crossed the finish line in a time of 4:26:28. I feel OK, I feel great!

Swim (+T1): 25:50 (27th position)
Bike (+T2): 2:27:49 (35th position)
Run: 1:33:09 (21st position)
Total: 4:26:28

Overall position: 23rd
AG position: 2nd

Overall a tough day at the office. The swim was a nightmare, the bike was windy and hilly and I suffered a little bit in the final few miles of the run due to the faster paced bike, but in saying that, the result was very satisfying.

I’m still tired and sore today, but in good spirits. I feel OK, I feel great!

Quick race update

2011-06-05T22:58:00.001+01:00

A very quick update on yesterday’s middle distance race (I’ll post up a race report in due course):

Swim: terrible sea conditions! They almost cancelled the race. They ended up shortening the swim section instead. Very pleased to get out of the water in one piece.

Bike: Windy and hilly. I pushed it too hard trying to stay with another competitor (a girl! She won the women’s race).

Run: OK run, suffered a bit in the final few miles due to the hard bike.

Overall: 4:26. 23rd overall and 2nd in my AG.

Tough day at the office, but pleased with the final result. Full race report to follow!

Busy, busy, busy.......

2011-06-03T08:23:00.000+01:00

Well, it’s been a busy week or so since my last blog post. When you factor in family time, training, work, commuting to/from work, study (in my new job I have to do some education), sports massage, etc, etc, it soon adds up! And to add to that I’ve got a race on the weekend which I’ve had to prep for, it all adds up to a busy time, rushing round, trying to complete all your tasks to the best of your ability.

On the training front, I’m just putting the finishing touches to the big final training block with my coach, before my A race, the European AG Champs in Finland in August. We’ll be upping the duration of the sessions and getting race specific with a 4k swim, a 120k bike and a 30k run in mind. A bit of information came through from Daz about the race, it seems that it’ll be a simple 1 lap rectangular swim route (no convoluted zig-zag route), a fairly flat 4 lap bike route and a flat 4 lap run route. The course sounds like it could be fast, well, fast for the likes of Daz anyway!

As I alluded to above, I have a race this weekend. I have the Weymouth middle distance triathlon which consists of a 1.9k sea swim, an 85k bike and a 21k run. I’ve done this race a few times (I had a bit of a breakthrough race on this course last year) so am familiar with the area, however, there is a new bike and run course this year. This means I can’t compare last years time with this year, so I’m re-framing my thoughts on this race. I know if it was the same course I would definitely be chasing a time goal, but due to the changes in the course I can’t do that, so I’m not putting any emphasis on a time goal, I’m just going to race it hard and see what happens. This takes a bit of pressure off and allows me to just race it hard and try to enjoy the day.

Anyway, must dash, things to do, train and race smart guys!

Open water swimming

2011-05-26T20:50:00.004+01:00

I did my first open water swim of the year yesterday with James Organ and Adam Hale at Tri Open Water in Bristol. I have the Weymouth middle distance triathlon next weekend, so thought I'd best get out and do some open water swimming before race day. I tell you what, it was freezing! OK, you soon warmed up, but when you get it, it was baltic!

As I was putting my wetsuit on James spotted a nice big hole under my armpit! You know what that means don't you? Yes, a new wetsuit! I'm looking at a BlueSeventy Helix and possibly an Xterra Vortex 3, both top of the range suits and both offering some good discounts at the moment. Watch this space!

The swimming went ok, each loop was 600m and we ended up doing 4 loops each. I hope to get down to the lake once every 3 weeks or so and build up from 4 loops to 6 or 7, taking me up to 3600m or 4000m. I just hope the water warms up soon!

Product Review: Bike Floss

2011-05-18T17:25:00.001+01:00

Bike Floss? What the hell is that???? Indeed, that's what I thought when I first saw it. Essentially it's a pimped up pipe cleaner used to clean all those nooks and crannies that are difficult to reach with a rag. The official description from the Purple Harry website is:

A new, unique cleaning product unlike anything you have used before. Inexpensive yet effective, Bike Floss does all the hard work for you and effortlessly tackles the bike's mechanics, often expensive areas to replace if not maintained properly. Available in large bristle, medium bristle or large fleece, Bike Floss solves the problem of getting to the hard to reach parts of the bike and makes light work of the drive train, cassettes, derailleurs, brake callipers and levers. The Fleece option is especially suited to carbon components that may be scratched with the more abrasive Bristle versions, and this product also finishes and polishes to show your bike 'bling' in its most dazzling light.

I really liked this stuff. The floss is slightly abrasive, so makes cleaning those difficult areas (for me, today it was the chainrings and cassette sprockets on my mountain bike) really easy. The floss holds onto the dirt and grime rather than pushing it around the bike and then the fleece can be used to remove any remaining dirt and buff up any bling components.

For some reason I can't post a link on my blog, but there is a YouTube clip showing you how to use the products effectively, simply Google "Purple Harry" (the name of the company) and you'll find it there. Some of the best ideas or inventions are the simplest, well this fits he bill perfectly, it's a great little tool for cleaning your bike. Give it a go, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Train smart all!

New customised aero helmet

2011-05-15T08:31:00.008+01:00

So here it is, my new customised aero helmet. I know the boys in work will love that phrase!

It's a Welsh themed design, done by the genius that is Chris Grove from Performance Race Art (PRA) in Ammanford, South Wales. The guy is a real artist and is very busy at the moment, doing bespoke designs for bike frames, aero helmets and Moto GP helmets (he's done a few designs for the great Valentino Rossi). If you want a truly one-of-a-kind helmet design, Chris is your man! His website is under construction at the moment, but if you want his details, let me know and I'll forward them on.

It's so good I'll be afraid to use it, just in case I scratch it whilst in transition! Train and race smart guys!

Brize Norton sprint triathlon

2011-05-12T21:57:00.002+01:00

This was my first triathlon of the season. And after having a tough race only a few days before (including my crash), I was going into this with very little expectations. Anyway, this is a small event put on by the RAF to try to encourage new people into our great sport and we were not disappointed; we had some amazingly quick novices turn up, in fact the winner was a novice!

The swim went ok, I was held up for a length in the pool, but the guy in front very politely stopped at the end of the pool after I tapped his feet a few times. I touched the wall after my 16 lengths in a time of 6:43 and was fairly content with that.

Quickly through transition and I was out on my bike (after almost wiping myself out with a poor flying mount!). The bike course is flat, but it seemed quite windy to me and I never felt like I got going. My legs felt tired after the tough Olympic duathlon only a few days before. I didn't really see anyone on the bike leg, one guy from my swim wave was away up the road and the other two were behind me somewhere. About 2 or 3km from transition a guy from my swim wave caught up to me, we then rode back together, pushing each other hard to get into T2 first. My calf cramped up slightly as we rolled into T2 but soon released itself.

My new racing buddy just got to T2 first, we racked our bikes and set off for the run. I had a quicker transition and got a few seconds on him. I then felt that my laces were not tight enough on my running trainers (poor admin on my part!), so had to stop, pull them tight and then BANG. Cramp in my calf again! A quick stretch and the cramp was gone, but so was my new racing buddy. The calf still didn't feel right but I set off after him, he saw his chance and pulled away and put 15 seconds into me very quickly. I wasn't running that comfortably, the calf wasn't painful, just a little annoying. I ignored it and set about my task of catching the guy in front. I was working hard, but not getting any closer to the guy in front. It was still 15 seconds and even though I couldn't see the guys face (as I was behind him) he looked super smooth. At this point I thought I wouldn't be able to run him down, so just concentrated on my own running form, thinking "lean", "fast feet" and "head up and relax". I was passing other competitors from previous waves, but the guy in front was still looking good. I guess we were a little over 2km from the finish, we were crossing a meadow and I thought if I had any chance of catching this guy I would have to really work hard from here on in. I knew we had a short flat section ahead, followed by a small hill, if I could close the gap by the top of the small hill I might just have a chance. It was time to step into the Hurt Box!

It wasn't pretty from here onwards. I pushed really, really hard. I got to the small hill and pushed again, passing other slower competitors. I got to the top of the hill and timed how far in front my guy was, it was now 10 seconds. I knew we had just over 1km to go. He was still looking strong. Could I get to him?

I was pushing hard again, my form was terrible, there was sweat, snot and spit everywhere (sorry for the graphic description!). He was too far in front. He was looking strong. We rounded a corner and there must have been about 300 metres to go. However, as I got round the corner he was about 5 seconds ahead of me and slowing down. I actually thought I might catch him. He looked round, saw me and looked a broken man. Before I knew it I was on his shoulder. I remember reading a race report from an American triathlete called Jesse Thomas (who won Wildflower a few weeks ago) and he said as you catch the race leader (or any runner really) on the run, you must blow straight by him, to not allow him to latch on to you. With this in mind, I pushed again and he seemed to drop away, although I could still hear him working very hard behind me. We were now back on the RAF base, we had about 20 or 30m to go before turning a corner, then another 20 or 30m before the finish chute. I turned to see how much time I'd put into my new friend. He was actually still on my shoulder! OMG! It was going to be a sprint for the finish!

We turned the corner and both gave absolutely everything! We both were sprinting as if our lives were depending on it, we crossed the line and both collapsed on the floor. I got it!

I managed 12th overall and a time of about 30 seconds faster than last year. I've not analysed last years result, but I would imagine that the time was made up on the run. As I said earlier, I felt flat & tired on the bike, hence a fairly similar time overall. Looking at this years results there was only 25 seconds separating 7th and 13th position, so it was a close run affair at my level.

A great race and a big thanks go out to the organisers. Train and race smart all!

Last day in the office and the Gower duathlon

2011-05-07T18:54:00.003+01:00

Yesterday was my last day in the office before I start a new job on Monday. As I'm Mr Clean, my leaving speech could have been quite boring, but instead of just making stuff up (as is tradition!) they raided my blog (thanks Johnny Briggs) and made up a speech from that. It was quite funny actually, these "normal" people don't quite understand how I get so excited over bike bling, new trainers, a customised helmet, etc, etc! :-)

I know some of them will be reading this on Monday, so this race report is to you guys, you know who you are! :-)

The Gower duathlon: Let's start at the beginning. My alarm clock woke me at 5am, a quick breakfast and packing the car took about 20-25 minutes and I was on the road by 5:25am. The duathlon was, according to my SatNav, about 1hr25 away from my home, which would get me to the race location at about 6:50am ready for a 7:30am start. Perfect.

I made good time on the journey and arrived early. I had lots of time to prepare my kit, recce the transition/start/finish/mount/dismount areas and have the obligatory toilet stop. The weather didn't look too good at this point, the wind was strong and the clouds looked angry! The sprint race (5k/20k/2.5k) went off about 20 minutes before the Olympic race (10k/40k.5k), I had a quick warm up (some strides) and was ready for the gun.

The gun went and we were off! The run was 4 laps of 2.5k and it was a small field of athletes, so it was easy to see where you were in relation to everyone else. Everyone shot off (as usual in these races), but I ran steady for the first lap just to feel my way into it. I finished the first lap in about 9:20 and in 16th place, the run felt a little short but another runner had 2.48k on his GPS watch, so only 20m short I guess. I started to move up the field as the others slowed down after their initial enthusiasm and I picked up the pace slightly, I finished the second lap in 9:18 and 14th place, the third lap I was in 12th place (I didn't get my split here, but it was a little slower I think) and after completing the fourth and final lap I was in 11th position and feeling good with a 10k split of 38:02.

I was out on the bike in no time and hit the first of the inclines straight out of T1. The course is described as undulating and it is definitely that! The whole route was either up with wind in your face, down with wind on your face or flat (and not much of that either!) with severe cross winds! This was going to be a tough day! I passed a few people early on the bike and a "group" of about 4 guys came screaming past me within the first 10k or so. I think I pushed it a bit too much too soon if I'm totally honest, this year I've "only" done races with 20k bike legs, so you can push it the whole way - this was a whole different ball game! I had heard a rumour that the bike leg was more like 43k than 40k and this proved to be correct, my bike computer read 43.37km!

I definitely slowed in the last 15k or so and to make it worse it now started to rain! I wasn't feeling great at this point. I was tired, it was raining and the wind and the hills were sapping my energy. This was a real strength course and that's probably not my forte. I was now heading back into the town where T2 was and was starting to think about the transition and the run that was coming up. I came down this hill towards the town and was only about 300-400m away from transition. Only a bend in the road to navigate and then roll through the town into T2, sounds easy. Except it wasn't easy. The bend in the road was tighter than I remembered on the way out. I took it too fast, locked up the back end and my bike flipped me off! My hip and knee took the brunt of the impact and then my shoulder and helmet. I bounced down the road and my bike landed on top of me!

Like an idiot, I immediately jumped up to check my bike (of course that's the most important thing here, not me!) and see if I could continue. A shop keeper came over to help me, he had seen the whole thing and was asking me if I was OK. Of course I said yes I was fine. I wasn't.

I wasn't too badly hurt to be honest, but I was in a state of shock. The shop keeper took my bike and I sat on the side of the road for a few moments and took some deep breaths. I was OK after all. I got up and checked my bike. Apart from the chain being off and wrapped around my rear derailleur, the bike looked ok (my helmet was cracked but I didn't realise this until after the race). I sorted out the chain and thanked my shop keeper friend, got on my bike and rolled down to T2 (it was only 300m away). It was quite funny coming down to the dismount line actually, the marshals were expecting me to come screaming to the line and do a flying dismount, instead I rolled in, stepped off and walked into T2. They had stunned looks on them until they saw my ripped tri suit and blood on my knees.

At this point I didn't know whether I was gong to continue or not. Both knees were sore, my right hip was sore and my left shoulder was aching. Do I continue? What the hell, go on, why not, I thought to myself. I walked (limped) out of T2 and thought I'd just try to jog round the run. I guessed I was in about 12th or 13th position, so the plan was just to hold that position. I knew I would never catch anyone on the run, so the plan was simply to defend my position. As I left T2 another competitor entered T2, so I guess he would have been about 45seconds to a minute behind.

The second run (5k) was actually a different route to the 10k route and someone had told me it was a little short, this was also a factor in me deciding to continue with the race. I set off and jogged for about 5 minutes, I was aching and it was feeling quite awkward to run, I did think for a second about stopping and walking back to T2 but just kept going. The other competitors were coming past me (the other way) on their way to the finish, this pushed me on and I started to feel a little better. I was still sore and not moving as fast as I would normally but kept pushing. I got to the turn point and started heading back to the finish area. I saw the guy behind me was closing in on me, but I knew he'd have to be absolutely flying to catch me (he had a slower 1st run than me, only by 16 seconds though) and was confident I'd keep my position. But it wasn't easy! I was hurting and pushing and hurting some more!

I came round to the finish shute and crossed the line a very tired man in a time of 16:20 (definitely short 5k, more like 4k) for an overall time of 2:21:56 and 12th position.

That was one tough race! I guess I only lost about a minute on the bike "accident", maybe 30 or 40 seconds on the run and 20 or 30 seconds in transition when I was walking and deciding if I was going to continue, but the course was tough, the weather was terrible and I so wanted to pull out (many times!). I'm glad I continued but this race now has some bad memories, for many reasons! Race smart all!

OMG! Brutal bike ride!

2011-05-01T12:28:00.006+01:00

Boy, what a windy day today in south Wales! I was out the door at 8am with my cycling buddy Chris, only for him to say "it's windy out!". No sh*t! It was blowing a gale and to top it off, Chris choose the route and I think he found all the monster hills in the Vale of Glamorgan! A tough, hilly, windy 3 hours was had on the bike and you know what, I loved it! Sometimes the tough sessions are the most satisfying. It's these sessions that make you mentally strong as well as physically strong.

Time for some serious recovery now, stick some compression gear on, grab some food to refuel and maybe a snooze this afternoon. Happy days! Train smart guys!

Hullavington duathlon race report

2011-04-27T22:57:00.002+01:00

Just a very quick report from todays Hullavington duathlon. It was a tough day at the office, duathons hurt, especially when the field is stacked! But it was a good day for me. I haven't got previous times to compare against, but I know I am much faster this year than I have been in previous years (not hard, I hear Turbo cry!). The 1st run went ok and I entered T1 in 18:34 with Westy and Matt Tope. Happy with that, a quick change and then out on the bike. The bike was a tad windy on some stretches of the course and add to that some people were obviously not great bike handlers, I was fairly pleased to enter T2 in a time of 31:56 (note to self: more work needed on the bike!). Out onto the run, with Mike Masters about 5 metres ahead of me, he provided me the perfect target to chase down. I quickly passed Mike (he mentioned something about cramping after the race, but I think he was sandbagging!) and pushed on for the remaining 2k or so. The second run is so short, it's hard to chase people down, but I did manage to catch Paul Fullalove on the home straight to fininsh the 2nd run in a time of 9:12 to finish overall 45th with a time of 1:00:34.

It was great to meet up with all of the old faces and as Turbo eluded to, there were so many new faces too, RAF Triathlon is booming. OK, we might not be as fast as the Army (yet), but we'll get there. Train and race smart all!

Hullavington duathlon

2011-04-25T17:38:00.002+01:00

I've got a sprint duathlon on Wednesday at Hullavington, it consists of a 5k run, a 20k bike (on an old airfield) and a 2.5k run to finish. I'm looking forward to the race, mainly as it'll be a great opportunity to catch up with some club mates who I haven't seen for a while. The standard at this race is very high, many of the participants will be GB age group medallists, with one or two of them good enough to race at the highest elite level.

I'll be one of the guys at the back, chatting to TurboMan and others! ;-)

Trip to London

2011-04-22T08:46:00.002+01:00

I've just returned from a 3 day break in London with friends. A fantastic time was had by all, and we certainly "enjoyed" ourselves on the eating & drinking front. It was nice to have a break from triathlon, chill out and simply enjoy some great company.

London was very busy, obviously gearing up for the Royal wedding next week. The Household Cavalry were doing some dress rehearsals down at Buckingham Palace and as you can imagine, this drew a huge crowd of tourists! Anyway, back to some kind of normality and back to some training before Wednesdays InterService duathlon race at Hullavington. Train smart all!

University of Wales, Newport ISCA duathlon

2011-04-18T22:05:00.003+01:00

I did the Newport duathlon yesterday at Caerleon, near Newport; it was also the Welsh Champs so quite a few more fast boys turned up. It consisted of a hilly 4km run, an undulating 18km bike followed by another hilly 4km run. I did this race 3 years ago in a time of 1:13:13 and hoped this year I could go somewhere around 1:10, well, that was the plan anyway.

The race went well, I managed to come home in 17th place in a time of 1:06:45 (my watch said 1:06:30, not sure where the extra 15 seconds came from!). Very pleased to knock off nearly 7 minutes since the last time I did this race. Knackered now! Train and race smart guys!

University of Wales, Newport ISCA duathlon

2011-04-13T19:00:00.002+01:00

Another weekend, another duathlon! This weekend I have the University of Wales duathlon held at the Caerleon campus near Newport. I have done this race before (about 3 or 4 years ago) so I know what to expect; it starts with a very hilly 4km run, followed by an undulating 18km bike leg and finished off with the same 4km hilly run. It's actually quite a tough race, you might think because it's fairly short in length it would be easy, but that's what makes it tough, it's pretty much 100% effort from the gun! And that final hilly 4km run is a killer! That second run is the downfall of many people! Train and race smart all!

ITU Championship Series opener in Sydney

2011-04-09T07:18:00.002+01:00

This weekend see's the first round of the ITU World Championship Series race and it's a real who's who of elite Olympic racing. For the UK, we'll have the Brownlee brothers, Tim Don, Stu Hayes, Will Clarke, Adam Bowden and the ever-green Marc Jenkins; with the girls being represented by former World Champ Helen Jenkins, Vicky Holland, Liz Blatchford and Kerry Lang. Add to the mix all the top ten from last years World Championship Series and you have all the ingredients for an amazing FAST race!

A lot of people think ITU racing is boring and is just a race for "wet runners", but I have to disagree. These guys (and girls) are fast! And if someone is willing to take a risk on the bike and try a breakaway, it makes it even more exciting. And the fact that the UK has some of the top triathletes in the world helps too!

I know Macca is trying to make the Australian Olympic Squad and I hope he makes it, it would add a huge buzz to the sport. But I don't think he'll make it. The sport has moved on so much and you need to be able to run 30 to 31minutes off the bike and I'm afraid Macca is not in that league anymore. I love Macca, but his triathlon future should be in the Ironman game; leave the fast stuff to the young guns!

Train smart all!

What's new?

2011-04-02T16:17:00.002+01:00

Well, I've been away with work a lot over the last 2 weeks. I've just returned from 2 one week trips to Toulouse, which sounds quite cool, but it's not great for the training and the healthy eating goes out of the window! I usually plan a recovery week for when I am away in France, but 2 weeks is a little much. Anyway, I'm home now and can get back to some real training!

I did the Cardiff ParkRun this morning. I took my mountain bike and cycled to the race (about 30 minutes away), this was essentially my warm up. I've not had a great few weeks of training, so was really unsure how the race was going to go. It was damp and there was some drizzle in the air, which meant it was quite cool, perfect conditions really. I set off a little bit quick but managed to hold on for a time of 18:09, pretty pleased with that, particularly as I've not done any real speed work. That's my second fastest 5k time, with my PB being 17:56. A gentle cycle home for 30 minutes allowed me to cool down and stretch off nicely, a perfect morning really! Train smart all!

Pembrokeshire duathlon

2011-03-27T16:04:00.004+01:00

Well, that's my first multi-sport race of the season in the bag, I'd forgotten how much sprint races hurt! ;-)

Great race & a great weekend was had in west Wales with Team Whittle. The duathlon went well, I managed to go a few minutes quicker than last year (with the first 2 guys going a few minutes slower than they did last year) and managed to sneak into 9th position. OK, it was a local race and there wasn't the same level of competition there as in previous years, but I'll take it! I'm also quite pleased as it was my first outing on the road on my TT bike this year and all of last week I was in Toulouse with work, so it wasn't ideal preparation. I've got another couple of duathlon's next month and another one in early May and then it's the start of the triathlon season; it comes round so quickly these days. Train smart all!

Pembrokeshire duathlon this weekend

2011-03-24T06:45:00.001Z

This Saturday I'll be doing my first multisport race of the season, the Pembrokeshire duathlon. It's a 5k run/22k bike/2.5k run duathlon based out of Neyland marina, down in west Wales. I did this race last year, so know what to expect, it's 2 flat, fast runs and a fairly flat bike with one long hill right at the start of the bike leg. I think I got 22nd place last year, I'm not too worried about positions, but I'd like to see an improvement in my overall race time just to gauge how the training is going. I think I'll still have some fatigue in the legs from last weekends 100 mile sportive, so this short sprint race could be interesting!!!

This will be the first outing for my TT bike this year too. I wonder if I'll remember how to ride it! Train smart all!

Lionheart 100 mile sportive

2011-03-21T15:37:00.003Z

Yesterday I did the Lionheart 100 mile sportive ride at Longleat, Wiltshire. I'd never done a sportive before, so this was going into the unknown for me! A few of us travelled up from Cardiff (me, Chris, Bryn & James) and met up with John and (another) James for a (very) early start to the day. And it was freezing!

We got our kit sorted and rolled to the start line. Having never done a sportive before, I was a little unsure of the protocol but just decided to just go with the flow. We rolled around Longleat park for a few miles before turning to climb a big hill out of the estate, this is where it all went wrong!!!

My rear gear cable snapped! I was stuck in a massive gear! I thought my day was over. The teddies definitely came out of the cot!

I decided to roll back to the start (which wasn't that far away as we had looped around the park) where, luckily, the bike mechanic was able to change the gear cable quite quickly. I gave him a big kiss (well, not really!) and set off again.

I missed my group, so just set off and eventually latched onto some other guys. I caught up with my group whilst they were at the first feed station (James O seemed to be enjoying the cake!). From here on in it was a tough day for me! Most of the other guys were stronger than me and my lack of outdoor bike miles told. I was on the limit for most of the day!

The hills really hurt me and there were some massive climbs (both in incline and length). One at 80 miles was a particular killer, as was the one at 95 miles! I finished no problem (there was never a chance of not finishing), but that evening I was absolutely knackered! I mean it, really, really knackered!

It was a long day (on the road for 4:30am) but I'm glad I did it, I've never done a sportive ride, so that was an experience. And I've never done a 100 miles this early in the season. And it's over five and a half hours in the training bank! Train smart all!

Time flies!

2011-03-16T18:17:00.003Z

It’s been about a week and a half since my last blog, so what’s been going on? Mainly work and training if I’m honest. I’m finally over this bug/virus thing, so have been throwing myself back into training.

I have the Lionheart 100 mile sportive at Longleat this weekend (yes, I’ve never done a sportive) and that could be a real test for me. I’ve not done many road miles this year (really, I haven’t) so 100 miles with competitive lycra glad roadies could be fun! There are 4 or 5 of us going, so it should be a good laugh. We plan to stick together, however I’m sure that’ll soon go out the window (like when we hit the first hill and I get spat out the back!).

I’ve also decided to get my TT lid (aero helmet to the uninitiated) customised. I had a meeting with Chris from Performance Race Art (@Chris_PRA on twitter) this week to discuss designs and I have total faith that Chris will produce an amazing product. I’ve seen some of the bikes and race helmets he’s done (including Valentino Rossi’s) and they look simply awesome! I’m really looking forward to seeing how my design turns out, watch this space for updates!

Another 10k........more pain!

2011-03-06T16:20:00.003Z

I did the St David's Day 10k race in Cardiff this morning and it was bloody freezing! The weather aside, it was a great day. My wife and her friend did the 5k run and my niece did the 1k run (I did it with her and it was more like 1.4k rather than 1k). They all did great, I am proud of them all!

I hoped I would be able to PB from the 10k time I did 3 weeks, this was a little ambitious as I've been under the weather for a few weeks, so training has been limited. I set off a little too quick (I went through 5k 35 seconds quicker than 3 weeks ago) and at the 6km point we turned into a very, very strong wind; this coupled with the inevitable fatigue meant I slowed and was unable to negative split as I had hoped. Nonetheless, I still managed a PB of about 35 seconds to come home in a time of 38:27.

All things considered, I'm pretty pleased with that time. I know when I'm fully fit and I've done a block of speed work I can get that time to 38 minutes dead, with the possibility of breaking 37 minutes on a perfect day. Train smart all!

What's up?

2011-03-04T08:00:00.002Z

So what's been going on in Whittle world? Not a huge amount to report on really. I've been under the weather (hence the virus cartoon!) for about 3 weeks, so not your normal cold I would have thought. I'm just about through it now, but I'm still being very careful with my training and my diet, I realise I'm not as young as I used to be and can't get by without being extra careful about these things. As I'm doing the Euro LD Champs in August, I'm glad I've got this bug thing out of the way now, I'd be gutted if I got something like this in June or July.

I attended our clubs training weekend last week, well, I attended some of it. I went to coach rather than train and to attend our club committee meeting. I took out a group of novices for some run technique work, it went quite well; it's nice when you see them have that "light bulb" moment and it all seems to click and make total sense to them.

I have a 10k race this weekend in Cardiff. I'm really looking forward to it, mainly because my wife and her friend are doing the 5k and my niece is doing the 1k race, whilst uncle Mark (me!) will be tackling the longer distance. I should really be doing low 38's or even, on my best day, high 37, but I'm not in that sort of shape at the moment. I may target some duathlons next year, I mean seriously train for them, I think I would need to be able to run 37's for a 10k to be near the pointy end of the field (I mean the pointy end of local not national standard races). I am doing a couple of duathlons this year, but they're not that serious for me, they'll just be used as a hard brick sessions and as an opportunity to see where my fitness is compared to previous seasons.

TurboMan will be pleased to hear that I'm doing a 100 mile sportive in a few weeks time! Yes, a sportive! I've never done one before, so it should be good fun. A few of my mates are doing it, hopefully I can hang onto them for a while, as my road miles have been very limited this year. Train smart all!

The Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) as applied to coaching

2011-02-25T13:19:00.002Z

This is a post from Vern Gambetta, an expert in Functional Training, I think it applies to a lot of people who read this blog. I hope you enjoy it!

The Pareto principle states that 20% of the input creates 80% of the result. I would not get too hung up on the numbers as absolute, the key here is the concept. Everything is not weighted equally. You do not do a unit of work and get an equal result from that unit of work. Some types of training or methods can and will contribute more than others. The challenge for us in coaching is to carefully evaluate what we are doing in our training design and implementation to determine where we are getting the most return. We may have a favorite exercise or a workout that we think works, but if you step back you may see that it is not doing what you think it is doing, it is not where the results are coming from. In fact the results may be coming from something or somewhere else. It would be nice if every training session or method contributed equally to the adaptive process but that just does not reflect reality.

According to the Pareto principle the majority of the results come from a small percentage of the work. So find out where the results are coming from and focus your efforts there for the best return. To use a cliché, separate the wheat from the chaff, focus on the need to do and minimize the nice to do. A corollary to this is that more is not that much better; optimize the volume of work to minimize the law of diminishing returns. Make your decisions in training based on the return, know where you best results are coming from and focus your efforts there.

Wise words from Coach Gambetta, I think there are a few points that all of us could take on board from this. Discuss.

Product review: Newton Momentus trail shoe

2011-02-23T06:09:00.000Z

I reviewed the Newton Gravity trainer back in September last year and I must admit, I have become a huge fan! So when I received the Newton Momentus trail shoe, I was very excited. And as you can see from the picture, the colour of the trainer is simply stunning (well, in my eyes anyway!).

The Momentus is the first shoe in the Newton range that is designed for off-road. There have been some complaints in the past about the other models in the range, stating that they weren't hard wearing enough to use on tracks and trails, well, this is the answer. Even though it is billed as a trail/offroad shoe, I think that is a little misleading, the reason I say that is because it is great on the road too. Most Newtons have an upper with an open mesh (great for ventilation), therefore they aren't great for colder days, but these are a real good outdoor hard wearing shoe, offering greater traction and durability over some of the others in the range.

Without getting too technical, the Newton range offers a more natural running style by having a very small heel to toe drop (making them effectively flat), the drop on the Momentus is about 3% (some of the more performance Newton's are nearer 1.3%), with most other brands having a far greater drop. This low heel to toe drop makes the shoe almost flat (i.e. natural), therefore is closer to a more natural running style, i.e. barefoot.

What's the deal with those crazy lugs? Again, I won't go into too much of the science, but suffice to say they are there for a reason. The raised lugs (ridges on the forefoot) act independently from each other, compressing into a rubber membrane on impact, this effectively reduces impact shock by up to 44%. The lugs then return that stored energy (a bit like a coiled spring) which reduces fatigue and allows for reduced occurrence of injury.

Bottom line is, I love 'em! I am very much into the whole natural running philosophy and these shoes definitely help you transition to a more natural running style. I want people to run faster, more efficiently and with less injuries, and in my opinion, the Newton Momentus will definitely help with that.

Macca doing London 2012?

2011-02-17T15:28:00.003Z

So the 2010 Ironman World Champion Chris "Macca" McCormack is planning on going to the London 2012 Olympics? Yes, it's true, Macca stated yesterday that he wants one last shot at the Olympics. He went on to say:

It the one thing in my career I regret, not making an Olympics,'' McCormack revealed. "This is my last shot. The door swings shut after this.

"I don't know if I am fast enough anymore to win but I'd love to be there to help an Australian win a medal.''

McCormack is currently meeting with officials to work out a plan of attack but will travel to the US, Europe and Asia in April and May chasing the points required to put him back on the road to the Olympics.

"I'm like a kid I'm so excited,''

This is huge in the world of triathlon. It's going to create so much publicity in our sport and that can only be a good thing. But can he actually make the team? To qualify for the Australian team he has to gain ITU ranking points, ok, this might not be too much of a problem; however he's already committed to a race schedule this year which includes lots of long distance racing, including the Abu Dhabi Triathlon, some of the Tristar series races, Challenge Cairns, Pucon 70.3, etc, etc.

But if he does make the team, then what? Don't get me wrong, I love Macca, I think he's a legend in our sport. But can he contribute to a team effort in 2012? I mention a team effort because I think he's simply too slow on the run (in relative terms) to really compete with Gomez and the Brownlee brothers. However, I think he'd make an awesome team member for Team Australia. I think his job would be to swim with the front pack (I think he could just manage that), push a hard bike (he can definitely do that!) whilst protecting the "runner" in the Australian team, thus delivering the "runner" to T2 in great shape to run a low 30 minute 10k. Sounds easy, eh!

I look forward to watching Macca's season unfold - I'm excited!!!!

10k's hurt!

2011-02-13T19:34:00.002Z

I did a small charity 10k race in Cardiff yesterday. I didn't expect much as I've been laid low with a cold for a few weeks, but I thought I would do it anyway & blow out a few cobwebs. It was a late-ish start (11am) and a beautiful day, no excuses for not setting a PB! I was thinking back to my last standalone 10k and it was probably 8 or 9 years ago, something like 42-something, it's just not something I do very often anymore, however I was fairly convinced I would take a few minutes off this time. I was hoping for 38 or 39 minutes, in truth, if I was fully fit I would hope to hit low 38's. Anyway, I went through 5k in 19:35 feeling ok but fully expecting to slow a little bit towards the end. It was a twisty course, with some dead turns which broke up your rhythm, but nonetheless a big, big effort at the end brought me home in 39:02. Fairly pleased with the time and as it was a small charity race (i.e. no serious runners) I managed to get 4th place (see what I mean, mainly fun runners!). I have another 10k in 3 weeks time, sub 39 is the goal!!!!

I also found out I have managed to get a slot on Team GB for the European Long Course Champs to be held in Finland in August. Pretty pleased as I can now focus my training on this race and get down to some serious hard work. Train smart all!

Busy times.......

2011-02-11T11:12:00.001Z

It's been a busy week or so since my last blog post, the time seems to flying by at the moment. So what's been happening? Well, apart from some training, a bout of the flu (just a bad cold really, but took nearly 2 weeks to shift!) and trying to sort out a posting, not a great deal. Well, I say not a great deal, I guess in reality it all builds up and before you know it, its nearly half way through February!

Yesterday I spent yesterday in Maidenhead on a running coaching course; to become a coach rather than be coached, if you know what I mean. I've been doing some run coaching lately, running some courses for a Personal Trainer friend of mine and they've been well supported and turned out to be great fun. I put a lot of research into the courses before we rolled them out, including a lot of trial and error with myself and one or two other willing volunteers. Anyway, I heard about a course coming up run by the Newton Running Company (the company that makes Newton trainers), where they teach you their philosophy of run technique and seeing as I've been using their running trainers for the last 5 or 6 months I thought I'd give it a shot. It's the first course of its kind outside of the USA, so if I passed the course I would be one of only 12 certified Newton Natural Running Coaches in the UK. Needless to say, it was a great course, I learnt loads of new stuff and I was fortunate enough to pass. I'll go into the whole technique of Natural Running in a later post, but if you've looked in the Pose method, Chi Running or Barefoot Running, then many of the techniques won't be new to you.

I came across this post the other day, http://triathlon.competitor.com/2011/02/news/inside-triathlon-the-15-greatest-male-triathletes-of-all-time_19561 (sorry I can't seem to hyper link it), very interesting take on the 15 greatest triathletes of all time. There are a few howlers in there for me, can you spot them? The thing is, they didn't tell the audience what the criteria is for the "greatest triathlete", which leaves the door wide open for debate on these matters. I'll drop a few names for you, Peter Reid, Spencer Smith, Miles Stewart, etc, etc, etc. Happy to debate this!

Train smart bloggers!!!

Duathlon? Why so unpopular?

2011-01-30T21:15:00.000Z

Why is duathlon not as popular as triathlon? This is something that I’ve been thinking about lately. You’d think duathlon would be more popular, everyone can bike and run, it is the swim that usually puts people off triathlon – so why don’t they try a duathlon?

Is it because triathlon is more widely publicised (that’s where the funding/money is with it being an Olympic sport) or because triathlon has become the new “marathon” (the new endurance challenge for weekend warriors) or something else?

For a newbie, I would have thought that a duathlon would be a great introduction to multi-sport. There’s no worrying about the swim leg for one thing, and not even just the swim part of the race, what about all that swim training you need to do? And what if it is an open water event? You need a wetsuit and have you seen the start of an open water event? Brutal!

For me, the duathlon event is great for a number of reasons. Even for a triathlete, in a duathlon event you get to practise transitions – twice! In duathlons your transitions have to be on point, I think they are even more crucial than in triathlons where the swim tends to open up the pack a bit more.

Physically, duathlons are hard! In my eyes, they are harder than triathlons. If you think the run section of a triathlon is hard, try it after already running hard, followed up by a tough bike leg. But I don’t think it is the physical demands of duathlon that puts people off, so what’s the answer? To be honest, I’m not sure. Maybe if the money was pumped into duathlon, it would create a buzz and maybe TV and the media would pick up on it. My advice, go do a du!!!

Ramp test

2011-01-23T15:21:00.003Z

I carried out a Ramp Test today with Chris Tasker. Sam Stewart (one of our club mates) came along and did the test too. I've done a few bike tests in my time (like a CP20 or CP30) but I've never done a ramp test before; I knew it was going to hurt and I wasn't wrong! The test seems very easy at first and then creeps up on you little by little. Even though the test is relatively short in duration, it requires you to push yourself until you can push no more!

Chris is going to email me the results in due course, but it was good to lay down a marker and I'm sure I'll do another test in 6-8 weeks time; hopefully we'll see a steady progression. Train smart all!

What is this idiot going on about?!?!?!

2011-01-20T16:23:00.004Z

Floyd Landis is at it again! Talking absolute crap!

This week he suggested that drugs should be legalised in cycling - what an idiot! Essentially he says legalising doping is the only way forward in cycling because testers will always struggle to uncover the drugs cheats. He believes the fight against doping can't be won.

He said:
"You've got to legalise doping. They (the testers) are so far behind in the testing organisations that there's no way to change it now," Landis told Cyclingnews website on Wednesday.

"Just accept that it's here, that it's not going away and that it's just going to get more complicated and the fact that it's not that complicated yet compared to what it will be," he said.

"Ten years from now it's going to be four times as hard as it is now to test for things."

"Since you can't stop it you have to deal with it in rational kind of way," he said.

"You can't stop it and you cant fix it. Monitor it and make sure people don't hurt themselves, but you have to accept it."

I can't believe I'm spending my precious time giving this guy the time of day, but I thought I'd post it up in case you guys hadn't seen it. IDIOT!

First race of the season in the bag!

2011-01-16T15:24:00.005Z

This morning I did my first "race" of 2011, it was the re-scheduled Merthyr Mawr Xmas Pudding Race, it had been cancelled in December due to the snow! The official description from the race website states:

Steve Ovett and JPR Williams are just a few of the legendary athletes who have used the sand dunes at Merthyr Mawr, Bridgend as a base for their training and especially the highest dune, the mother of all sand dunes, the highest in Europe, known to one and all as “The Big Dipper”. Running up it is a harsh challenge just in itself, but the fun continues with an eventual second long climb, off road rough moorland, and several streams towards the finish! Welcome to the Pudding Race, an annual Christmas tradition that draws runners from far and wide to compete in a truly memorable race, guaranteed to test every muscle and sinew in your body!

This was the toughest "short" race I've ever done! With the energy sapping "Big Dipper" sand dune to start you off with, you know it's going to be a tough day! This is then followed up by more dunes, long hills, waterlogged fields, stream & river crossings and more sand running just to finish you off! As you cross the line you get your prize for your hard work, a Xmas pudding! Did I mention at the half point there was the welcome sight of an aid station, the volunteers were calling out what drinks they had available, "water, mulled wine, sherry!". I stuck with the water!

Not sure of my final position (not that important really, but the race was a sell out, 600 participants) but I finished in a time of 44:09, happy with that. A great race and one I will definitely do again. Train smart all!

Macca's Shiv!

2011-01-13T21:58:00.002Z

In line with Neilly G's recent blog posts, I thought I'd post up one of favourite bikes - Macca's Specialized Shiv. This is the one he used when winning Kona a few months ago. You all you bike geeks out there, Macca’s Shiv is built with SRAM Red components and standard style 900TT shifters rather than SRAM’s R2C shifters. McCormack’s mechanic says that Chris has a laid-back attitude about his bike and doesn’t concern himself with the details on his bike.

He rides Zipp 808 Firecrest tubulars. These brand-new race wheels got the special treatment and are covered with a custom set of red and white stickers, to match his frame, with “Chris Macca McCormack” emblazoned on them. On this rig he's got Speedplay Zero pedals with a titanium spindle. For Kona he had a single bottle holder on his frame and another between his arms, although his mechanic said he contemplated adding another behind the saddle before the race.

Macca doesn’t ride with a power meter and, in fact, doesn’t even have a standard cycling computer on his bike. He rides totally on feel, but as a multiple world champ I guess you know your limits! Train smart all!

A few bike falls...........

2011-01-10T22:27:00.000Z

It would seem a few of us took a tumble on the weekend whilst out on our bikes. And yes, that includes me! I went out for a bike ride with friends Chris and Bryn (not from Gavin & Stacey!) on Sunday, it was cold and icy to say the least. So whilst waiting for the guys to arrive I cycled up and down the street, just to make sure my gears were fine, etc, and whilst taking a (very) slow turn my front wheel went from under me and I was over. Fortunately I was only going slowly and there was no traffic about, so I escaped unhurt (apart from my pride!). Chris and Bryn arrived only for Chris to regale a very similar story to mine where he took a tumble 100 metres from his house too! I didn't feel so bad now! We didn't let that stop us, we soldiered on and ended up having a great 3 hour ride sandwiched between a great coffee stop (mmmmmm, hot chocolate!).

It sounds like Sags had a worse tumble than myself and Chris on the way to work, nothing too serious I hope, just a bit of road rash by the sounds of it. It couldn't have been that bad, as he still managed to get to the pool for his scheduled swim session - road rash or no road rash! Keep safe guys and train smart!

The future is............?

2011-01-03T17:46:00.002Z

2011 is here! I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all my friends & family all the best for 2011, I hope you achieve everything you set out to. For me, success is the sum of all the small efforts, repeated day in and day out - you'll get there in the end, believe and achieve!

Over the past few days I did some test sets in the swim, bike and run, just to see where I am compared to this time last year. OK, some things might be a little different, but in general I should be in a similar shape to this time in 2010. For those of you who know me, you know I'm a little coy when it comes to publicising my power/pace/speed figures and in continuing with that theme, I'm not going to give away my figures, but I will tell you if I've improved or not and by how much.

Swim: 400m - 5.5% improvement
Bike: CP20 - 17.5% improvement
Run: 5km - 4.2% improvement

I'm quite happy with these figures, particularly the CP20 bike test, but I should clarify one or two points. During the season I was faster than these times in the swim and on the run (not the bike though) but I'm not comparing my times now with my "peak" times, I'm just comparing my fitness now with last seasons fitness at the same time. Also, the bike improvement may be slightly skewed as my first CP20 test in 2010 was rather pathetic! So it looks better than it actually is, although I am very pleased with the improvement in power, even if I still have the power of a hamster!!!!

I've decided to apply for a slot on Team GB for the European Long Course Champs, to be held in Finland in August this year. If I'm successful in getting on the team that will be my focus for this year. It is a strange mix of distances: a 4km swim, a 120km bike and then a 30km run. So a shorter bike and run, but a slightly longer swim (only by 200m), I guess I'll have to get into the pool and get some serious yards in! If I don't make the team, then I'll have to re-assess my season and target some other races, probably a couple of middle distances races. Train smart all!

Great game of rugby!

2010-12-31T17:30:00.004Z

I just got home from watching the Cardiff Blues play the Ospreys in the Magners League. It was a great game, with the Blues having to survive an Ospreys second-half fightback to clinch the win in a thrilling derby clash at the Cardiff City Stadium.It looked too easy for the Blues who raced into a 24-3 lead thanks to the boot of Dan Parks and tries from Tom James and Richard Mustoe.

The Ospreys looked tired, however two tries in as many minutes from Paul James and Tommy Bowe brought them back into it. Andrew Bishop then ran over in the closing stages, but it was too late. The Blues ran out winners by 27 points to 25. Great game, cold, but a great game nonetheless! Now time to celebrate the New Year!

Ready for 2011?

2010-12-30T07:47:00.004Z

Are you ready for 2011? Isn't it amazing how quickly the year flies by? Or is that just me?!?!

Santa brought me a few new bits of triathlon bling, some new Look carbon pedals for my TT bike and a few new swimming toys (got to break the swim boredom some how!). On the swim side, I got a Finis alignment kickboard and a Finis swim snorkel, hopefully that'll give me a bit of motivation on the swim side as I find this discipline the most difficult to get excited about.

I'm now just starting to pull together some kind of triathlon plan for next season, I'm still to identify my A race but the smaller, more fun races are starting to come together. I'll also set myself some goals for individual test sets, based on last years times (or speed, power, etc) and my specific race plans. I hope you're all training smart (Sags!) and planning your race season with typical military precision! Or maybe not! Train smart all!

Xmas is coming!!!!

2010-12-24T23:01:00.004Z

Xmas is almost here and boy, is it cold! I guess it's all relative really, I've just returned from a 5 night break where it was at least 25'C everyday! Pure luxury! We were very lucky to get both our flights out of and into Heathrow due to the chaos that's been created by the snow, it could have been so different, but thankfully we weren't effected.

I hope everyone has been good boys and girls, and Santa brings all the tri/bike bling you asked for! So here's wishing you all a very Merry Xmas and best wishes for an amazing 2011. Train smart all!

Swim challenge complete!

2010-12-17T12:02:00.002Z

My 12 day swim challenge is over! I managed to swim 10 days out of the 12, which I'm really pleased with. With a work/life balance and the logistics of getting to the pool everyday for nearly 2 weeks, it's a challenge in itself. My swimming has improved vastly over the last few weeks, but that's not particularly difficult as I had ditched swimming for nearly 3 months post Ironman and whilst I was training for the Cardiff half marathon.

Time wise, I am about 2 months of where I was last season, so that gives me a good boost going into the New Year, particularly as I'm still uncertain of what triathlon distance I will be racing next year. Train smart all!

Still cold............

2010-12-12T12:42:00.002Z

Yes, it's still cold, which means more time on the turbo (doing some intervals and the SufferFest videos) and the running machine; however it seems to be getting a little warmer, hopefully it'll be safe enough to get outside and do some real training soon. As it happens I've been indoors a lot recently anyway, in trying to complete my 12 days of swimming challenge. It's getting a little tougher now, my shoulders definitely know they've been working overtime that's for sure!

I'm still undecided on my racing plans for next year, however the European Long course champs (4k/120k/30k) are on my radar. I'm not sure if I'd qualify and not sure of the logistics of getting to the race (the 2011 race is in Finland), but it is something I am seriously thinking about. If this fails to materialise then I think I will do some sprints and Olympic races and then focus on 2 middle distance races (the Weymouth middle and The Vitruvian perhaps). Who knows?

Train smart guys over the festive season, don't overdo it (training, that is!), if you're feeling unwell you may as well miss the session, it'll not make any difference come June/July/August (Sags, are you listening?).

A bit of a swim challenge...........

2010-12-06T20:37:00.002Z

I decided I needed a bit of a swim challenge to keep me motivated over the next few weeks and as I've got some things on just before Xmas, I decided to set myself a 12 day swim challenge. It wasn't meant to be mega mileage, just a simple challenge to get me into the pool and keep me motivated. I planned to do:

Day1: 400m
Day2: 800m
Day3: 1200m
Day4: 1600m
Day5: 2000m
Day6: 2400m
Day7: 2400m
Day8: 2000m
Day9: 1600m
Day10: 1200m
Day11: 800m
Day12: 400m

As you can see, not mega mileage, but 12 consecutive days of swimming will give my swimming a real boost before Xmas and set me up nicely for the New Year. I'll break up the swim distances into a combination of straight swimming and drills, to work on my stroke and build a little bit of speed too.Day 1 was today and it was nice and easy. It felt good to be back in the pool and that's something you don't normally hear from my mouth! Train smart guys!

Las Playitas resort & training camp

2010-11-29T18:03:00.005Z

James and I just returned from our own little training camp at Las Playitas, Fuerteventura. The training went something like this:

Day of arrival:
Arrived in resort and built our bikes. We met up with Pete McCrory who showed us around the resort and took us out for an easy 60min “shake down” ride. This turned into an easy 45min spin followed by 45min TT ride home (we got a little lost & needed to get home quickly as the light was disappearing!). Total 46km.

Day 1:
Bike: 3hr15 (82km & 1200m of ascent)
Swim: 55mins (mainly drills)

Day 2:
Bike: 3hr (82km & 1200m of ascent)
Run: 43mins (8.6km, hilly, off road, very hot)
Swim: 30mins (drills)

Day 3:
Bike: 4hr23 (133km & 1720m ascent)
Swim: 45mins (swim & drills)

Day 4:
Bike: 3hr22 (86km & 1051m ascent)
Run: 20min off the bike (10min hilly/hard & 10min easy)
Swim: 1hr (swim & drills)

Day 5:
Run: 1hr13 (13.5km, easy pace but very, very hilly)
Swim: 45min (drills)
Bike: 3hr05 (80km, 1120m of ascent & very windy)

Day 6:
Bike: 3hr20 (82km, 1121m of ascent, wind was unbelievable, very tough day in the saddle)
Run: 1hr (11.92km/hilly & hard)
Swim: 55mins (drills)

Total hours:
30hr02

As you can see, the bike was the focus, but we didn't do huge, mega mileage. However, 21 hours of climbing up the mountains of (very) windy Fuerteventura was hard work, especially as the temperature didn't drop below 24'C on any of our training days! On the last day, we biked a bit with one of the Team Saxo Bank boys (they do Riding with a Pro days), we didn't pay for it we just caught up with the group and followed them around for 80km. The whole Team Saxo Bank squad were arriving the day we were leaving so we missed them, but we did manage to meet Rasmus Henning after his IM Arizona exploits only a few days previous, he seemed like a nice genuine guy.

There is a new half ironman distance race based here next year (part of the Challenge family) and I tell you something, it is going to be rock hard! We cycled the bike course (many times) and it is mega tough! And if the wind picks up, it's going to be a nightmare for anyone who's not a really strong biker. We also ran most of the run route and that's a killer too. Some of it is off road, some on tarmac, but it takes you out to a lighthouse which you run up to AND that's going to finish off loads of competitors, it's really that hard! There aren't going to be any sub 4 hour times here I promise you!

The resort is great. It's not quite as big (or busy) as Club La Santa yet, but the accommodation is miles better, the resort as a whole is better, staff were very helpful & attentive, the food and restaurants are great and the riding on the island is breathtaking! Would I go back? Definately!

Time to suffer!

2010-11-14T16:56:00.003Z

Hey TurboMan, you've got to check out these video's at www.thesufferfest.com, OMG they're a killer!

I downloaded one called The Revolver, it was the best/worst 45 minutes of turbo pain I've ever had! It's a tough, tough session, perhaps not something you'd want to do all the time (it's too knackering!), but I think it'll be a go-to session for me when I'm short on time and just want a good hard hit out.

There's some great bike race footage too and some great tunes to help you push it to the limit. I've already downloaded another one (called Downward Spiral, the names are crazy!) and look forward to trying that one when I get back from my travels. Train smart all!

2010 triathlon season: a quick review

2010-11-04T16:06:00.001Z

With the winter fully upon us, I guess it is a good time to reflect on my 2010 season. This was my second season of “long distance” triathlon after completing Ironman Austria last year and having Ironman Regensburg as my A race for this season.

I changed coaches this year. There was nothing wrong with my previous coach, he was great and got me to a great time in Austria, but I had decided to coach myself for 2010 and see how that went. I quickly changed my mind and enlisted the help of Charles Couturier, a French Canadian who I had been “chatting” with for some time on a triathlon forum. This was to be my third coach in three years; a friend of mine called me a “triathlon whore!” which I found quite funny! Anyway, Charles and I came up with a training plan and philosophy that we thought would work (when I say “we”, I mean Charles and I just went along with it!) and I then set the following goals for the season:

1. 5 hours at the Weymouth middle distance race
2. Sub 11 hours at Ironman Regensburg
3. 1:25 at the Cardiff half marathon

Most of these goals were real stretch targets, goals that I could only ever hope to achieve on a perfect day with uninterrupted training. For those of you who regularly follow my blog, you will already know that I managed to reach all of these goals. It turned out to be a great year for me; I managed to go 4:37 in Weymouth (3rd in my age group), 10:33 at Ironman Regensburg and 1:23 on a “short” course at the Cardiff half marathon.

All in all, an awesome season! I’m very pleased to have achieved these goals, it hasn’t been easy believe me, but (like last year) the key is consistency in training. This is the most important factor for me. My continued improvement is all due to the commitment I placed on my goals and the will to achieve them. It might sound daft, but I truly believe if you set realistic goals, no matter what goes on around you, if you have focus & drive you can achieve those goals.

I must note again the importance of support during an Ironman season. Ironman training is damn hard! Yes, it is me doing the training and the racing but without a support network it is impossible. Without the support of my wife, family (Team Whittle), friends, coach Charles, club members, training partners and work colleagues, it wouldn't have been possible; so I thank you all for your continued love and support.

What will the 2011 race season bring? Who knows! Train & race smart all!

What's been going on in Whittle World?

2010-10-31T18:01:00.003Z

Just a quick update, been a busy time, so here goes:

In preparation for my Fuerteventura training camp with James O in 3 weeks time, I've been back in the pool and back on my bike. The swimming is tough, I haven't been swimming since the 1st August (IM Regensburg) and it definitely feels like it! I swam twice last week and plan to swim 3 times next week and 4 times the following week; that should be enough to get me through the training camp. And on to the biking, I've managed to get out on the bike a few times, but perhaps more so on my mountain bike. The weather hasn't been great and getting out onto the trails has been a lot more fun than risking the traffic on the roads - more mountain biking to come I think!

I did the Cardiff Park Run on Saturday, this is a 5k race which is held every single week of the year; and it's FREE! I managed a good time (for me), my second fastest on this course actually, 18:13. Happy with that, especially considering I haven't ran for a week and only ran once in the last 2 weeks.

The pilates and the TRX training is going well, I only now realise how weak my core was! Hopefully I can work my core over the winter and get some real strength ready for the spring and summer. Talking of the spring and summer, who knows what racing I will be doing next year, I haven't made any concrete plans yet. I think I will get Xmas and the New Year out of the way and then try to make a decision. Train smart all!

New bit of kit.......the TRX!

2010-10-24T21:50:00.000+01:00

I've been thinking about getting a TRX for a while, so I put it on my Xmas list and thought Santa might get it for me. However, before Santa had time to get to the shops to get me one, my amazing wife surprised me by ordering me one off the internet as a surprise present! Thanks babe.

So what's a TRX? Essentially it's a suspension trainer, which means you use your own bodyweight to carry out leveraged exercises. It's portable (it packs up really small), so you can take it on work trips or on holiday to make sure you get your workout anywhere you like. It can be used to build power, strength, flexibility, balance and mobility, all at the intensity you choose.

I've only used it a few times since it arrived, but I love it! It's a whole body workout system, however it really concentrates on the core on all the exercises that you do, as you have to brace or support your mid-section during all of the exercises. My abs know they've been worked that's for sure! Train smart all!

I went to a Pilates class.......

2010-10-22T19:57:00.005+01:00

I went to a Pilates class yesterday and I must say, I quite enjoyed it. It was the first lesson of a 5 week beginners class run by a friend of mine, John Bruno of John Bruno Total Training. Over this winter period it was my intention to get strong in the core so when John mentioned the class, I thought, why not?

We all know Pilates is used to promote correct posture and breathing, whilst enhancing mobility and stability throughout the body, and this mobility in the lower spine was something I was particularly looking for. Whilst improving posture, Pilates will also build your body's core strength through a series of low impact stretching and conditioning exercises, something totally different to our usual lung busting sessions! I like it, and it was nothing to do with the male/female ratio in the class! Train smart all!

Cardiff half marathon race report

2010-10-20T19:31:00.000+01:00

I did the Cardiff half marathon on Sunday, here's a quick race report:

It was a beautiful crisp morning in Cardiff, with a new course reputed to be fast, very fast! My training hadn’t been ideal as I missed a few sessions due to fatigue (mis-timed taper/overtraining?), but my goal was 1:25 which would have brought me a PB of 3 minutes and I was quietly confident that if I had uninterrupted training I had a time of 1:25 in me.

I’ll apologise now for the mixture of km splits and mile splits; my GPS watch was in kph and I took a few splits from the mile markers on the route too.

I started near the front of the race, with 15,000 competitors I thought it would be best to get out in front to avoid the inevitable crowding on the route. I didn’t feel great in the first few miles. My breathing was ok and the pace wasn’t too fast, but I just felt a little fatigued, despite this I went through the 3 mile marker in a time of 19:33, bang on my target pace of 6:30-6:35 min/mile. I continued on, dodging fellow racers who had incorrectly positioned themselves at the start and got to the 5k point (on my GPS watch, so not 100% accurate) in a time of 20:14. I was now starting to feel good, the feeling of fatigue was disappearing and I was looking forward to the rest of the race.

The next milestone was the 10k mark (again on my GPS watch, so not 100% accurate) which I passed in a time of 40:40, again feeling good, feeling smooth and passing loads of other competitors. At this point you see so many people who had set off at an unrealistic pace, who are now really struggling; I felt a little sorry for them (well, not much really!)as they had another 11k of pain ahead of them.

The coolness of the morning was starting to lift and the heat was starting to rise, or maybe it was just me and I was starting to work hard! The next few miles went quite quickly as another triathlete starting chatting to me about Ironman (he saw my tattoo) and this made the time fly by. We were both starting to work a little harder now and the conversation dropped off as we approached the 10 mile point. I had wanted to get to the 10 mile marker at or around 65 minutes and was nicely surprised to see 64:40 on my watch (I was ahead of schedule!) as I passed this point. Little did I know at the time, the course had changed slightly and was a little short (about 180m according to my GPS watch), so the 10 mile marker was probably 180m short, which means in real terms I was bang on schedule for a time of 1:25.

I started to lift the pace now and dropped my new friend. Many, many people were now struggling and you could see the pain on their faces! I could see a few guys ahead of me who I knew from a local 5k series and targeted them as my next people to pass (I spoke with them before the race and they both wanted to do 1:25, but they raced off at the start, way too fast in my eyes!). I passed them very quickly as they were both starting to suffer. I got to the 12 mile point and I was really pushing now. The finish area was a strange kind of out and back loop which seems never ending and threw a lot of people as it looked a lot shorter than it actually was. I was probably pushing a little too hard now, but the crowds were cheering very loudly! Then I heard Team Whittle (my wife, my 2 nieces and my Mum & Dad) cheering me on and that pushed me on again! I turned into the home straight, it was about 400m to go and I just gave it my all, it was not a pretty sight I'm sure! I knew I was going to go under 1:25; the only question was by how much.

I crossed the line in 1:23:39. A new PB of about 5 mins and I had achieved my goal of 1:25! I came 275th overall and 174th in my category, which I was very happy with. The officials from the race stated after the race they had to shorten the course by 193m due to an obstruction on the course, this upset a few people as they were after qualifying times for London, but it didn't bother me. At my pace I would have been about 40 seconds slower on a truely accurate course, so still well under 1:25, happy days!

It’s time for a rest now before I start preparing for a short training camp in Fuerteventura at the end of November. I guess I should learn how to swim and ride a bike again before heading out there! Train (and race) smart all!

What's been going on? Quick update

2010-10-07T20:13:00.000+01:00

So what's been going on in Whittle World? I've not blogged for a little while, for various reasons, the main reason is I've been too busy. Last week I was out in Toulouse with work (not all it's cracked up to be I promise you), I've also been preparing and delivering a new run workshop and my "normal' job has been particularly busy too.

I have the Cardiff half marathon a week on Sunday. Training has been going well; until this week that is! Everything was going as planned, times were looking good in training and then it all went wrong, I hit a wall and fatigue took over. I've taken it fairly easy this week and I'm coming through the other side now. I'm going to tick over until race day (Sunday 17th), keep fresh and then go out and enjoy the race. It's going to be a good day, my wife and parents will be there, as will my 2 nieces; it's going to be fun!

I had word last week from TurboMan and CaveGirl regarding their Barcelona adventure (they were part of an Ironman distance relay team). It seems not all went as planned for both of them, but these things happen, we learn from them and move on. Strength can be gained through adversity.

The Ironman World Championships are happening in Kona in a few days time. The hype has been building across all the usual social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, etc) and the tension is rising on the Hawaiian island. For me, the women's race is a no-brainer, it's Chrissie Wellington all the way; unless she has (several) mechanical issues she's got it in the bag! She is on another planet compared to the other girls, she's a phenomenal athlete and can dominate Ironman for as long as she wants to. Now the men's race is a different matter. Crowie has got the chance to win 3 in a row and you'd be a brave man to bet against him, but I really think he's going to get pushed HARD this year. My money is on Andreas Realert and Rasmus Henning giving Crowie a huge scare, in fact I'm going to put it out there, my money is on Rasmus Henning to take the title this year. It's going to be a fantastic race!

It's official!

2010-09-27T06:57:00.002+01:00

Yes, it's official, Ironman Wales is happening! It will be taking place on 11 September 2011 in Tenby with 50 qualifying slots for Kona (more than at Ironman UK this year I believe). I'm sure this will be a great event, maybe not as fast as some of the big European races but it will have some breathtaking scenery with the opportunity for the competitors to have a great family holiday at the same time. If I wasn't in Ironman retirement, I would be very interested!

Training for the Cardiff half marathon in 3 weeks time is going well so far. No injuries and my training times are (so far) looking good, so I just need to stay healthy and injury free before entering my taper in a weeks time and everything should be good for a successful race. Only time will tell.

No plans so far for next years races, any thoughts bloggers? Train smart!

Ironman Wales

2010-09-18T17:54:00.003+01:00

The word on the street is there will be an Ironman event in Wales next year! Apparently the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) who own the Ironman brand are going to make an announcement next week about a full distance Ironman event to held in Tenby, west Wales in September next year.

This is massive news and could be a huge money spinner for the west Wales economy, which is historically dependent on tourism for its income. If this rumour is true it will make for an amazing race, the scenery in that part of Wales is truly breathtaking, however I'm not sure it will be a fast race due to the undulating countryside around Tenby.

Could this race tempt me out of Ironman retirement, I'm not sure? But you never know! Watch this space.......

Product review: Newton Gravity trainers

2010-09-14T00:11:00.001+01:00

I bought a pair of Newton Gravity trainers recently, I had wanted to try a pair for a long time, before my Ironman in fact, but didn't want to change my trainer of choice before such a big event, just in case the trainer didn't agree with me. You may have heard a lot of hype about the Newton trainer, they've been around the running and triathlon scene for a little while now, and with elite pro's like Craig Alexander, Michellie Jones and Natascha Badmann using them they've received some good press.

In the last 9-12 months I consciously changed my running technique and moved to a more mid/fore foot striking action rather than a heel striking action. I wanted to use the Newton to try to encourage this new technique and hopefully make it permanent (practise makes permanent). So what's the Newton trainer all about? The Newtons have a few key features, the first is the reduced heel height (compared to height of the front of the shoe) to encourage mid foot striking and the second is their patented Action/Reaction forefoot technology (lugs on the fore foot) which encourages a natural or barefoot running gait and enhances the shock absorbency, leverage and energy return in the forefoot. It all sounds very space age, and to be honest I was slightly skeptical by all this, but it works. Or at least it SEEMS to work. In the Newtons I do feel like I am landing lighter and quicker, I am definitely landing on my mid/fore foot and it feels fast too. Certainly my 5k times have improved recently, whether that is because of the Newtons, another secret weapon I am currently using (I'll talk about this in a later blog) or just because I am fitter and faster, I'm not sure. But I like what I am seeing - long may it continue.

I got Newtons from Helen at Ten Point (www.ten-point.co.uk). Helen always provides amazing service and her knowledge in the biomechanics of running is second to none. If you're interested in running and changing your technique to a more effective and efficient style, give her a call, you won't be disappointed.

Another interesting new race

2010-09-10T14:47:00.003+01:00

Here's another new race to enter the triathlon calendar, it's a half Ironman distance race on the the 1st of May on the island of Fuerteventura.

Here's the official hype:
As of 2011 Fuerteventura, one of the sunny Canary Islands, will be a new location in the Challenge world series, which will then include as many as nine triathlon events each year. On May 1, 2011 the premiere of the Playitas Challenge Fuerteventura half-distance race will take place in southern Fuerteventura. The Playitas Sports Resort is going to be the main sponsor and co-organizer of the event. The Resort has achieved a good reputation among endurance athletes for the various training camps that are offered there, and is also well-known for its sponsorship of the Saxo Bank bike team.

The athletes may look forward to an unusual competition in the southern part of Fuerteventura, with a race course that reflects the rough beauty of the island. After the swim on a circuit in the Atlantic the demanding bike leg includes several inclines and leads through the beautiful communities of Tuineje and Pajara. The final half-marathon will be the highlight of the half Challenge: After a five-kilometre asphalt lap and two laps round a golf course, the run will take the athletes to a light house with a spectacular view of the sea. The run course is definitely very challenging and will demand a great deal of the athletes, so the race in Fuerteventura will certainly not be among the easiest races of the world-wide Challenge series. So it definitely fits what people often say in Fuerteventura: “Eres fuerte para Fuerte?” (“Are you strong enough for Fuerteventura?”).

Challenge organizer Felix Walchshöfer was impressed by the planned race course when he visited the island: “A Challenge is a test of one's abilities in a demanding undertaking – and this competition is going to be just that for the triathletes. The Playitas Challenge Fuerteventura is definitely going to be a new athletic highlight for the Challenge series, and the landscape is simply breathtaking!”

As regards the spectators, the location of the hot spots will be just perfect, since they will be very concentrated: The swim start, transition zones, run course as well as the finish line will be located directly in the hotel grounds, so that a major part of the race can be watched right from the Playitas hotel. But this was not the only reason why the local organizer Jörg Kinder, Sports Manager of the Playitas Resort and an active triathlete himself, wanted to have a Challenge race on Fuerteventura: “When I landed on the island for the first time about one and a half years ago, and did my training on the future race course, I thought: Wow, one should have a competition right here.” Kinder says that the Playitas Challenge Fuerteventura is a great chance for the island and for the Playitas Resort to obtain a better market position that differs from the current image as a sun and beach destination. The local Challenge organizer promises: “Together with the island government we are going to do everything to establish this event as a long-term athletic highlight in the Canary Islands. Especially the run course with the light house will be something that everyone remembers”.

The surrounding conditions for the competition are ideal. Fuerteventura International Airport is only a 40-minute drive away, the training conditions such as climate, little traffic and street quality leave nothing to be desired. The date for the competition on May 1 has also been well chosen. Says Felix Walchshöfer: “The date for the Challenge Fuerteventura has been set at the end of the training camp season and at the very beginning of the race season. It’s the perfect race to prepare for the Challenge Roth and of course for the whole season. I’m sure that the Playitas Challenge Fuerteventura will make the Challenge series even more attractive and we warmly welcome the new member in our Challenge Family”.

Sounds like a tough, hard race! I'll be training at the Playitas resort in November, so will recce the course, but I think it'll be a real hard bike leg, with a tough half marathon thrown in at the end. If anyone fancies doing it, let me know and I'll fill you in on the details I'll have gained from my training camp. Train smart all!

A new pb at Cardiff ParkRun this morning!

2010-09-04T18:40:00.002+01:00

Somehow I managed another 5km PB today at Cardiff's ParkRun. And not just a second or two, nearly 25 seconds! I come home in a time of 17:56, very pleased with that indeed!

It's now 6 weeks until the Cardiff half marathon, hopefully a few more weeks of solid training and I'll achieve my goal of a 1:25 half marathon. Only time will tell, in the mean time, train smart all!

How about this for a race?????

2010-09-02T19:18:00.002+01:00

This should be right up Turbo's street, check out www.tristar111nevis.com

A new event for the 2011 triathlon calendar has been announced with the addition of TriStar111 Nevis, the first overseas destination for Star-Events. The race on the tiny Caribbean island of Nevis will consist of a 1km of swimming, 100km of cycling and 10km of running will take place in April of 2011. Charlestown, the island's capital, will be the start and finishing point of the internationally successful triathlon format. TriStar111 Nevis will be the climax of a week full of fun and sports on the Caribbean Island of Nevis.

What do you reckon Turbo? Only a 1km swim and a 10km run, sandwiched between a 100km hammer-fest!!!!

New 5k PB!!!!

2010-08-29T10:38:00.000+01:00

I did the Cardiff 5k Park Run race yesterday (a spur of the moment thing) and as the name of this post suggests, I got a new PB. I was very pleased to finish in a time of 18:20, only a PB by 4 or 5 seconds but 40 seconds faster than 2 weeks ago on the same course; and all that with no "real" run training over the last couple of weeks and certainly no speedwork! Hopefully if I can stay fit over the next month or two we should see good things at the Cardiff half marathon, fingers crossed anyway!

TORQ performance nutrition products

2010-08-27T21:58:00.000+01:00

Just a quick shout out to TORQ performance nutrition products. I've been using their products this year for all my Ironman racing and training, and found them to be fantastic. I'm not sponsored by them (I wish!) but thought I would spread the word as their products are great and the service is excellent.

All their product range is totally natural, so you'll find no artifical colours or flavourings in them. I personally use the Torq Energy (Pink Grapefruit carb energy drink with electrolytes), the Torq Recovery (Strawberries and Cream), the Torq Gels (mixture of flavours, some including Guarana) and my favourite the Organic Mango Torq Bar (this one tastes awesome!).

Check out their products and services at www.torqfitness.co.uk, you won't be disappointed.

1:25 or bust!!!!

2010-08-25T20:43:00.003+01:00

That's it, I'm putting it out there! My goal for the Cardiff half marathon is 1hr25.

I think it is a bit of a stretch for me, but it's good to have a challenge! And that challenge has now been made public! I did 1hr28 at the Cardiff half marathon last year, however this year they have changed the course slightly, I'm not sure if it is going help or hinder me.

I have about 7 weeks until race day, that should be plenty of time (barring injuries) to get in top run shape, so there shouldn't be any excuses. If I'm able to run 1hr25 then I will, otherwise I will fail trying! I'll keep you updated on my progress. Train smart all!

What's new?

2010-08-20T08:47:00.002+01:00

So what’s happening in Whittle World at the moment? Well, I’m taking it easy, that’s what I’m doing!

I’m having a bit of down time before my next athletic adventure. My next goal is the Cardiff half marathon in October, I’ve done this race a few times and hope to PB on what is a fast course. I’ve been active after my Ironman a few weeks ago without really training properly, but am going to start next week with a semi-serious week and then start a good solid block of run training the week after. A friend of mine is doing the Cardiff half too and he’s hoping to lay the smack down on me! Should be fun!

I’ll post up some product reviews soon; I’ve just bought some new gear and will test it out and let you know what I think. Hopefully the gear will help me to a new PB!

A sports persons mentality

2010-08-15T17:32:00.002+01:00

I was trawling through my laptop today and came across this piece I wrote for a club magazine about 5 years ago. The message is still the same, but the main player in the article has got some attention at the moment that I'm sure he'd rather not have. Anyway, here it is, enjoy.

“Pleasure? I didn’t do it for pleasure! I did it for pain!” writes Lance Armstrong about his cycling career, pre-cancer, in his autobiography “It’s Not About The Bike”. In October 1996, Armstrong was given less than an even chance of survival, and less than a slim chance of riding competitively ever again. Yet, in 1997, after a momentous fight against the illness, Armstrong returned to the saddle, got back his fitness, and went on to win the 1999 Tour de France, arguably the most gruelling endurance event in the world. His body shape had changed, a result of the chemotherapy and drugs, and so had his attitude. Had they not, the Texan would be dead. Post cancer, Armstrong was down 7kg of lean muscle, but his heart and lungs were as strong or, implausibly, stronger than ever.

Armstrong had learned the hard way in life that you never really know what’s around the corner and that if and when you collide with something, no matter how large or small, the only way to beat it is to stand up squarely and be counted. If you have read his autobiography (the first one), you’ll probably agree that it was his inner belief, stubborn determination and sportsman’s mentality that helped him beat the disease (Armstrong still attributes some of his cure to luck and, of course, to the great physicians that treated him).

Post cancer, Armstrong returned to cycling with a different perspective. On a training ride around Boone, a small town in North Carolina, high in the Appalachians, he reflected, “As I proceeded upward I saw my life as a whole. I saw the pattern and the privilege of it and purpose of it, too. It was simply this : I was meant for a long hard climb….I rode with a pure love of the bike. If I ever get a problem again I will go back to Boone and find an answer. I got my life back on those rides.”

It’s not only great athletes like Lance Armstrong who have the sportsman’s mentality. Hopefully, you will not have to face anything as severe as Lance Armstrong’s adversary, however, in any kind of crisis – be it health, work or home related – maintaining a fitness lifestyle will keep you strong. Rest assured that the determination that sees you go out and train in all weathers, week in week out, will have a positive effect on life’s other challenges. When you push weights, complete a 5km row, a two hour cycle ride, or a 45 minute run, nobody will have carried you, nobody will have physically helped you out. It’ll be your sweat, breath and muscle but, above all, your mind that did it for you. It is this sportsperson’s mentality that will come to your rescue in the most difficult, challenging and stressful of times. Oh, and of course, it will make you feel even better during the great times!

5k's hurt!

2010-08-14T14:34:00.004+01:00

This morning I decided to go and do a 5km race, part of the ParkRun series in Cardiff. Why? Just to see how my body was feeling after almost 2 weeks post Ironman Regensburg.

Well, it hurt, alot! My muscles didn't feel too bad but my joints were sore from the first km. It was a tough run, perfect conditions really but not ideal preparation with an Ironman in my legs. I managed 19:00, which is about 35 seconds slower than my PB on this course, but I'm happy with that time. My PB was done back in April after I'd done quite a bit of speed work on the track, so I couldn't really expect to be near that sort of pace today. Anyway, good run and the start of things to come I think. Train smart all!

Ironman Regensburg

2010-08-08T09:56:00.004+01:00

Sorry for the delay in blogging my race report, a holiday got in the way!

Ironman Regensburg was my ‘A’ race of the 2010 season, I did a few other smaller races this year but this one was always going to be my focus. In the months running up to the race, training was going well, I had some good results in the triathlons I had entered and everything was looking good for a decent Ironman race. Something had to go wrong!

We decided to drive over to Germany, the “we” being myself, my wife Sarah, Jamie and his wife Lauren. We took the ferry to Dunkerque, then drove down to Koblenz in northern Germany for an overnight stopover. The following day we drove down to Bavaria, to the lovely picturesque city of Regensburg, our hotel was 5-10 minutes outside of the city but perfectly adequate for our needs.

We had a few days chilling out, going to the pasta party (slightly disappointing), checking out the expo, doing a recce of the swim, and finally racking our bikes and putting our bags into transition. And that was that, all done, all that was left was to get our heads down and mentally prepare for the race.

I was up at 4am ready for a 4:30am breakfast. Breakfast consisted of fruit & yoghurt, a cup of tea and a pretzel. This was followed up with a carb drink, a Torq energy bar and a small meal replacement drink. We all jumped in the car at 5:15am to drive to T1 (we had split transitions at this race) where we tinkered with our bikes for a little while before we headed back to our families to get lubed up ready for the swim.

The swim start area was quite narrow, and looked narrower with nearly 2,000 neoprene clad nervous athletes all milling around trying not to look nervous! The usual euro-pop was banging out on the PA system, and I’m sure they slipped in “Chariots of Fire” too. Jamie and I managed to have a few minutes in the water as a warm up and get a “feel” for the event, by now I was getting really excited.

With nearly 2,000 competitors all starting at the same time, the swim is always going to be chaos and this was no different! I will admit I hated every minute of the swim. The "biff" you get from all the other triathletes is huge, arms and legs everywhere! I got hit in the face a few times, but this did nothing to deter me from my own swimming. The swim course was fairly simple on paper, but in reality it was quite different, the buoys were small and everyone was swimming miles off course (including me!). Add to this cramp in both calves on the return leg and the lack of good feet to follow, I was convinced my swim time would be very slow, in fact I was on a bit of a downer for the final 600m or so thinking it was so slow. I guessed it would be about 1:15 or 1:20, however on exiting the water I was very pleased to see 1:09 on the clock. Swim done, now onto the bike!

T1 went smoothly, no issues here at all. In and out of the change tent, a quick stop for a pee and out into the Bavarian countryside. As expected, the roads were nice and smooth and the pace seemed pretty quick, not too fast but fast enough to know we were zipping along. I had a pre-planned power range that I wanted to stick to and at this time I was well within these limits. As I am not a great biker I knew that loads of guys (and gals) would be passing on the bike, this was fine by me, I had my race plan and I was more than happy to stick to it. And I guessed that they were either much better than me anyway or they were going too quick too early!

The bike was a 2 lap course, quite flat in parts with 2 large hills in each lap. The bike started well, the sun had not yet come out (the forecast was for a very sunny day) and the wind hadn’t yet picked up. The first lap went quite quickly, the big hills didn’t seem too bad, I was spinning away, going on feel now (not really using my power meter too much, a change of plan here), feeling good and completed this section in 2:44.

At this point I thought I should slow down slightly as I thought a 5:30 bike split was beyond me and would not set me up well for the marathon. Also at this point the heat was increasing and the wind had become stronger, so I naturally slowed down a little bit. And the big hills on the second lap started to bite a little bit too! At this point I got into a group of guys who were all riding at the same speed, for about 40k we all rode together (legally!) each taking a turn and keeping the pace up. This certainly helped with the overall bike split, not only as it keep the pace up but also relieved a bit of boredom! I went through the second 90km in a time of approximately 2:49 (which included a quick pee stop!), I was happy with this as I felt strong and hadn't pushed it too hard, I felt like there was always a little bit more in reserve if required. Bike done in a time of 5:34, happy with that!

I come into T2 and rack my bike. IM Regensburg has a slightly different racking system where you simply rack your bike in the next available slot, i.e. in bike time order. This worked really well when collecting your bike after the race......anyway, back to the race. I go straight into the transition tent, don my visor, put my trainers and socks on, nutrition goes into my pockets and I was ready to go. Another quick pee stop and now I was ready to go! As I left transition I was already doing the math in my head regarding possible finish times. This was a little stupid of me, so I put it to the back of my mind and got on with the matter of a 26.2 mile run!

I headed out and instantly felt good, but there was something else I could feel. Oh yes, that would be the heat! It was going to be a hot day! It was a 4 lap course through the city of Regensburg encompassing one or two of the local parks. Lap 1 felt soooooo easy! But even now people were walking. I was running on feel rather than pace, I tried to slow down to a 8:00-8:15 min/mile pace but it just felt like I almost walking, it was just too easy at this point. And the amazing crowd didn’t help you to slow down either.

Lap 2 went smoothly. The heat was really getting up now, but I was taking on plenty of water and nutrition and I felt good. It was during the start of this lap that I spotted Sarah (my wife) and Lauren (my mates wife), this really gave me a boost but I’m not too sure they were pleased to see me; as I passed them I threw one my sponges at them! It’s amazing what simple things make you smile during an Ironman run!

I went through the half marathon in approximately 1:44. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold this pace to the end of the race, but was pleased with the way it was going so far. Lap 3 started well. I spotted Sarah and Lauren again and called them over, they instantly thought something was wrong and started to worry. As I approached I cleaned myself up (with a pre-planned sponge), then leaned in, kissed my wife and told her I loved her. Soppy I know, but it was great having her support out there and the family is usually the last people to get thanked, she now knew how much I appreciated her encouragement.

Now lap 3 was beginning to get tough! Very tough! I was feeling fatigued and was walking through every aid station, taking on lots of calories and drenching myself in water to cool down. My stomach started to complain too. It was telling me to stop and have a toilet break, which I duly did but nothing was happening! I guess I lost a minute or two here (not too important at this stage of the race) but I knew I was on for a new PB as long as I didn't explode on the final lap, easier said than done!

The final lap was a killer! I was now simply running from aid station to aid station, just trying to keep moving, just trying to get to the next aid station. I was almost dead on my feet. So many people were walking and I just wanted to join them, the devil on one shoulder was telling me to have a little break, whilst the angel on the other shoulder was telling me hang on in there and just keep moving! From the final splits on the Ironman.com website somehow my times from lap 4 were the same as lap 3, but my effort level was through the roof, at this point I had decided to never do another Ironman ever again!

With about 5km to go I really had to dig deep, but still wanted to push on a little. I was really tired now but with only a few km’s to go I could see (and feel) the end in sight. As I approached the finish area I had a huge smile on my face. You enter the finish chute and the noise is almost deafening! The sheer elation you now start to feel is unbelievable.

As I am running down the finishing carpet I hear a shout from Sarah and Lauren in the crowd, I look across and my smile gets even bigger (if that’s possible). I high five the guy on the microphone and cross the line in a time of 10hr33. The feeling when you cross that line is simply amazing, all the hard work somehow seems worthwhile. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to a little emotion after crossing the line, the Ironman journey is a long hard road with many twists and turns, and crossing the finishing line is such a huge release.

Overall, IM Regensburg is a great race. The support of the people of Regensburg was amazing, couple that with some great (German) organisation and amazing scenery; and you have a great race. The organisers need to tweak one or two minor things before next year, but as this was the inaugural race I guess it can be excused.

I was very pleased overall with my Ironman race. My goal was to go sub 11 hours and secretly I thought sub 10:45 was a possibility if everything went well (which it rarely does in Ironman!), so am well happy with my time of 10:33. I guess it would have been nice to dip under 10:30 but in the bigger scheme of things, it’s not important. The race went well and I finished in one piece (just!).

And of course a huge special thanks goes out to my family and friends for supporting me throughout the whole Ironman process, it really does take over your life and my wonderful wife, Sarah, has been so supportive during the past 6 months. I couldn’t have done it without her; it was a great team effort!

Will I do another Ironman? After the race I said never again and had already decided to give Ironman a miss next year. Next year will be sprints and Olympic distance triathlons I think, or perhaps the World or European Long Course Champs (if selected). But who knows, maybe another Ironman to celebrate my 40th birthday in a few years time? Watch this space.

Ironman Regensburg: a quick update

2010-08-04T06:51:00.004+01:00

A full report will follow, but here's a quick update from my Ironman race on Sunday in Germany. My splits were:

Swim time: 1:09:06
T1 time: 4:45
Bike time: 5:34:05
T2 time: 4:43
Run time: 3:40:59

Overall time: 10:33:38

Very pleased overall with my Ironman time, my goal was to go sub 11 hours and secretly thought sub 10:45 was a possibility if everything went well (which it rarely does in Ironman!), so am well chuffed with a time of 10:33.

Regensburg was a lovely city, however with this being the first Ironman race here there were one or two minor things that will need to be tweaked for next year, but overall it was an amazing setting; if you want to do a good Ironman race in Europe that doesn't sell out within 12 hours, then this could well be the race for you.