Long and Winding Rhodes

What now then?

2007-07-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

I've decided that I won't be updating my blog; this is the last post. In all fairness it was dull as **** anyway (certainly compared to the NZ blog)!

And in all honesty, I don't actually want to update it anymore - I've got better things to occupy my time with.

I won't be doing much training over the coming weeks either, so North Barrule is out of the question too. I feel I'm not fit enough to break the record and in fairness I don't even want to try.

There are a number of personal things I'm putting ahead of training, so for the near (and perhaps distant) future I'll be doing sport just to put a smile on my face, not to fulfill some all-consuming obsession!

-AC

More Pictures

2007-07-09T12:24:00.001-07:00

Teammates Russell Collister (foreground) and Andy Bell (background), slugging it out on the bike in the 30+ degrees heat. The support from the Manx contingent in the crowd was phenomenal.

Jacqui pushing hard on the tough bike course.

Niall leading the way in the early stages of the race.

And on to the run (my favoured discipline) and it's a case of spot the white-boy who's been avoiding the sun all week! Note the look of pain on my face and the dirty patch on my right hip where I met the tarmac with some force on the first lap of the run.

-AC

IG Pics

2007-07-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

A few minutes (or hours?) before going into the ancient stadium for the opening ceremony.

The swim stadium featuring a 25 metre (+6") swimming pool that had to be cleared of algae before the swimming could start!

Pre race nerves showing in the transition area before the big race. Pictured here (left to right): Andy Bell (on my right shoulder), Me (center), Gav Quayle, Juan (bending over in foreground), Graham (with his back to camera) and the youngest member of the squad, Niall Shimmin doing his best Pop-Eye impression!

The start of the 3-million-mile swim. I'm the one at the back of the pack wondering what the hell hit me. In foreground Cat Dryden is bending over checking out the 26 deg celius water, and Eve O'Hare has her back to camera proudly displaying the Three-Legs-of-Man in the process. I think that's Jacqui on Eve's left shoulder.

-AC

Glory?

2007-07-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

I finished 11th in a time of 2:12 hrs. A full 11 minutes behind the leader. No individual medal (not even close), narrowly missed out on a team bronze. So basically I failed what I set out to do.

But glorious it was! Despite the worst swim of my life and a drastic start to the bike leg, I managed to slowly claw my way up the field from near last to 11th with a decent-enough run in incredibly hot conditions.

The reason why I didn't quit when it was all going wrong? Because supporters were there lining the course cheering as loud as they could; they believed, they made me believe. It was magic crossing that line with the Manx flag around my shoulders. Magic.

It was glorious!

And now? I'm glad it's over, time to play for a bit!

-AC

Feeling hot, hot, hot...

2007-07-03T04:57:00.001-07:00

Been in Rhodes since the early hours of Saturday morning, following a trip from Hell to get here. We were greeted off the plane at 0730 by temperatures of 29 degrees; miles hotter than the hottest summer's day in IOM.

The opening ceremony was on Sat night and unfortunately it went on until Sunday morning. With travelling through the previous night I pretty much got no sleep and felt pretty bad. It's now day 4 and I've got a full-on cold. Ironic really, given how hot it is here.

The heat makes running a nightmare. Swim and bike aren't too bad because the water is fairly cool and the wind on the bike helps to wick sweat away. Just that run...

I'm here now and there ain't no point worrying about it, just got to get on with it and go as fast as I can. Hopefully I'll be fast enough.

Apart from that Rhodes is very nice, if you want a holiday spot with guaranteed sun and heat then this really is the place for you. The town of Rhodes itself has got an old medieval centre too with surrounding walls which is worth a look. It's just a shame I hate sun bathing eh?

-AC

Limousin Training

2007-06-28T02:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back from France. Picture below shows me training for the heat in Rhodes (wearing a number of layers) on the one warm day (out of 6) that we got in France. The rest of the time the weather was cold and damp which wasn't great from an acclimatisation point of view.

That said however, I got some decent, hard training done, though this may have been offset by the number of croissants and baguettes I consumed!

Got today to get everything packed for Rhodes because I'm off tomorrow. If I can I'll spot a cyber-cafe and update whilst the Games is going on.

Canne wait.

-AC

Au revoir!

2007-06-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say that I'm going off the radar to the rural seat of France, the Limousin region. Hopefully I'll get some decent training done and get some nice rest in too. Will post again next Thurs.

-AC

Turbo!

2007-06-14T10:39:00.001-07:00

Turbo training during Sunday's tri-session. T'was very hot.

Bike is set up now but I'm not feeling too good; thick green gunk coming out of me! So training not going too well at the moment. Better to get it out of the way now then have it in two weeks time.

-AC

2007-06-12T00:09:00.000-07:00

Review of week 31 (04-06 to 10-06)

Periodisation: Build 2

Weekly aims were:

Complete Sunday's triathlon in under 2:08hrs. It's tricky to set a time limit on this because it depends on the weather (esp. the wind strength) but anywhere around the 2:00-2:15 will be a very decent workout.
Get bike set up with new aero-equipment before end of week (otherwise I won't be doing Sunday's session!
Sit on a hedge in the sun and watch a TT race drinking water and eating salad with my mates (whilst they drink beer and eat cake, hotdogs, and other lovely stuff!)

Didn't get aim 2 done because my stuff didn't arrive. Didn't stop me doing the triathlon session on Sunday - just used turbo trainer next to lake (good for heat training if anything!). Was pleased with the sess: posted a quick 22.14 for the swim (in perfect conditions) then cycled 57min on turbo then a 10.8k run in just under 40mins. Good workout.

As for 3, achieved that and loved it!

Physiological stats

Average Weight (kg) in morning: Sod this, not doing it anymore, suffice to say: "Who ate all the pies?!"

Average Heart Rate (bpm) in morning: Stayed about the same as last week

No worries here!

Preview of week 32: 11-06 to 17-06

Periodisation: Build 2

Putting more emphasis on the transition between bike and run this week to get used to it mentally and physically.

Weekly aims:

Research heat acclimatisation.
Complete 3 bike-run sessions.
Complete park run around 21:00-22:00
Get bike fitted with aero kit (it's all arrived now)

-AC

Pink Band update

2007-06-11T15:11:00.001-07:00

I have just got back from an Island Games Team get-together where with a little help from my friends (our team Dr Frank Vaughan was a legend!) I sold a load of pink bands. Just totalled it up and so far I've raised well over £280 which is awesome!

Hopefully I'll be able to get to the £500 mark by the end of the Games.

Thank you so much to everyone who has gave cash to this worthwhile cause.

-AC

Bugger!

2007-06-09T07:24:00.000-07:00

After coming up with the bike course for Sunday's Olympic-distance session, I'm not actually going to be able to ride it! My bike won't be ready so I'll be on the turbo trainer by the side of the lake instead!

-AC

TT

2007-06-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

A few pics taken on our lovely sunny bike-mad Island!

Darren, Phil and Mikey trying to be trees, apparently.

Some mad buggers tanking it around the TT course on a sidecar. Phil summed it up nicely when he said, " to be a sidecar passenger you need two things: small brains and big nuts!" Estimated speed around 120-140mph.

And some more mad b******* - the famous Purple Helmets renowned for their mad-cap biking antics, performing on Douglas Promenade. Wed night. Great fun.

-AC

Solid week

2007-06-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

Review of week 30 (28-05 to 03-06)

Periodisation: Build 2

Weekly aims were:

Swim Mooragh in under 23 mins. Faster than last week. Hopefully this will be part of a Swim-Bike-Run brick sequence on Sat morning.
Complete run speed session on Thurs.
Get rough idea about what's best to eat!

Didn't manage aim 1 - posted a 23:21 in the lake on Sat's session. Considerably slower than hoped. The choppy water didn't help though and it slowed everyone up I think. I'll crack it this week I hope. Got a great run speed session done on Thursday along Ramsey's north beach at low tide on the sand banks: seven 80-second efforts with the final effort lasting 3 mins (was gasping for breath at the end!). In terms of food I'm trying to limit the amount saturated fat in diet e.g. eating cottage cheese (instead of cheddar), and drinking low fat milk etc. I still get to scoff a bacon butty at the weekend though! All in all a pleasing week.

Physiological stats

Average Weight (kg) in morning: 73.9 (down 0.1)

Average Heart Rate (bpm) in morning: 46 (down 0.4)

No worries here.

Preview of week 31: 04-06 to 10-06

Periodisation: Build 2

Again, there will be more race-specific sessions (on Sunday we're doing an Olympic-distance session). I've also just bought a new turbo trainer for my bike so I'll be looking at sessions I can do on that.

Weekly aims:

Complete Sunday's triathlon in under 2:08hrs. It's tricky to set a time limit on this because it depends on the weather (esp. the wind strength) but anywhere around the 2:00-2:15 will be a very decent workout.
Get bike set up with new aero-equipment before end of week (otherwise I won't be doing Sunday's session!)
Sit on a hedge in the sun and watch a TT race drinking water and eating salad with my mates (whilst they drink beer and eat cake, hotdogs, and other lovely stuff!)

32 days to go until Rhodes Triathlon!

-AC

Bike course (RUN ADDED)

2007-05-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

Here's the map again with run course for Sunday's session added. Only proposed at the moment so any feedback let me know.

As mentioned in an earlier post, instead of going to Shropshire Tri on 10th June, I'm planning on doing an Olmypic distance training session.

Here's the 40km bike course. My apologies for the school-boy graphics but I don't have the time to muck around with a fancy-pants paint program!

Bike Route:

Start in transition at north of Mooragh Park Lake. Head out to Bride on A10. Turn right at Bride Church to Point of Ayre on A16. There will be a turn in the road, it's just after the 90 degree left hand corner after Cranstal, where a lay-by (with stone walling) at the road side appears. Head back to Bride same way. Go right at Church and follow A10 all the way to Ballaugh Cronk. Left at the Cronk back towards Ramsey on A13. When you reach Richmond Road turn left. Turn left when you reach Andreas Road (A9) then right back on to A10 towards the Grand Island Hotel. Turn right just before Grand Island and head back to transition at Mooragh. This should be 40km!!

Run Route:

Head out toward Bride on same course as bike. Turn left when you get to Ballacorey road. The road ahead will split into two - take the right fork (stay on Ballacorey). When you get to Ramsey-Andreas road (A9), turn left back towards Ramsey. Turn left at Bride Road junction and head toward Grand Island. Turn right down onto to prom and through to Finish which will be on the prom in line with the boat ramp opposite the junction that leads to the Mooragh Park car Park.

Any thoughts on the above, email me manxtriboy@hotmail.com

-AC

Another good week

2007-05-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

Review of week 29 (21-05 to 27-05)

Periodisation: Build 1

Weekly aims were:

Complete a quality track session (run) on Thursday - will affect Park Run on Friday: will be slower or miss altogether depending on how legs feel.
Complete first open water swim in Mooragh Park lake in under 23 minutes.
Park Run in 21-23 mins - not expecting any records this week!
Look at increasing stroke rate on Sat swim session.

Due to inclement weather decided to replace the track session on Thurs with a fartlek session instead. A smart move I feel. First Mooragh swim was 23:06 and Park Run 21:09 - close enough for swim and well inside aim for run. Good. As for 4, I did look at stroke rate but I'm not convinced I'm going to get much quicker! Aimed for 9 hours training, got 9 hours done.

Physiological stats

Average Weight (kg) in morning: 74.0 (same)

Average Heart Rate (bpm) in morning: 46.4 (up 1.2bpm)

Glad weight didn't go up by another Kg otherwise I'd definitely be worried. HR in morning has been pretty similar to last week. No worries there.

Preview of week 30: 28-05 to 03-06

Periodisation: Build 2

Build 2 essentially means that I'll be incorporating more race-specific workouts than in build 1. However, because I enjoy doing lower intensity base work, this won't be neglected either.

Weekly aims:

Swim Mooragh in under 23 mins. Faster than last week. Hopefully this will be part of a Swim-Bike-Run brick sequence on Sat morning.
Complete run speed session on Thurs.
Get rough idea about what's best to eat!

-AC

Life on the ocean wave!

2007-05-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

Just so you know I don't spend my whole life training, here's a couple of pics from the maiden voyage of my cousin Barry's boat along with her scurvy-ridden crew members! Any suggestions for the name of the sea-worthy vessel? I'm going for "Corny Hunt"!

Me, Paul (younger Bro') and cousin Baz.

Paul, Dad and Baz on the waves!

-AC

Life after Rhodes

2007-05-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

Just confirmed: my entry has been accepted for Bala (in North Wales) standard-distance (Olympic distance) triathlon on 16th September. This is a great race; last year Manx Tri Club won the Men's race so this year we have to go back and defend it with pride!

The race is also a World Championship qualifier for the 2008 Vancouver event next year. Perhaps that can be my next target?

-AC

Who wants a laugh?

2007-05-26T00:06:00.000-07:00

Check this out then:

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/isle?articleid=2893463

Just click on the vid!

Park run last night, not as quick as last time, but still quick (21:03). First open water swim was hard due to the constrictive nature of the wetsuit making my shoulders extra sore! Just 6 seconds (23:06) outside my goal so quite pleased with that. Can only get quicker I hope.

-AC

Andy's Pink Band Appeal

2007-05-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

“Life”, “Live Life” and “Hope”

In May 2005 my cousin Aalish Patterson was tragically killed in a road traffic accident. When a young life is taken away in such circumstances it leaves you wondering ‘what if?’

When Aalish died, the world lost her potential. This made me question what I was doing to fulfil my own – knowing that life can be taken away in the blink of an eye.

Representing the Isle of Man at the Island Games in July this year became my goal, my way of celebrating life. With only a matter of weeks left until the competition, I am selling these pink bands for £1 each to raise money for Project 21.

Project 21 was set up to raise money for a new headquarters and social centre to be built in the Isle of Man for children with learning difficulties. All money raised in Aalish’s memory has been donated to Project 21.

Support

By supporting this worthwhile cause, you’ll be helping children with disabilities on the Island fulfil their potential in the world by giving them Hope and Life.

Celebrate life! Wear your pink band with pride.

-AC

Successful week

2007-05-21T13:14:00.001-07:00

Review of week 28 (14-05 to 20-05)

Periodisation: Recovery Race-Prep week

Weekly aims were:

Win Peel Triathlon (have to aim high!)
Get plenty of sleep and start eating right again.
Practice transition routine twice before sunday.
8-10 hours (reduced from 15/16)

Really chuffed with the result in Peel yesterday, glad to have achieved my primary aim. I'm confident that I got more sleep over the course of the week than in previous weeks, as for eating right I made a few mistakes involving cereal and flap-jack overdosing! I'm looking into diversifying my diet with emphasis on more protein. As for hours trained, I managed between 6 and 7 so just fell short. Overall, a good end to a transistory week.

Physiological stats

Average Weight (kg) in morning: 74.0 (up 1kg!)

Average Heart Rate (bpm) in morning: 45.2 (down 1.5bpm)

HR is down slightly, perhaps due to sleeping better. With regard to weight going up 1kg means I've put on 2.2kg in 4 weeks. This could be cause for concern if I put on the same amount over the next four weeks but at the moment I'm not concerned because it is likely this is lean muscle mass (I frickin' hope so anyway!).

Preview of week 29: 21-05 to 27-05

Periodisation: Build 1

I'm planning another easy(ish) week to accommodate for recovery from Peel race: I'm looking to stay off the bike for a few days because of a niggle in my right hamstring which has been slow to recover. In terms of swim and run, I think I should be able to managed a couple of mod-high intensity sessions. I'll be playing it by ear I suppose.

Weekly aims:

Complete a quality track session (run) on Thursday - will affect Park Run on Friday: will be slower or miss altogether depending on how legs feel.
Complete first open water swim in Mooragh Park lake in under 23 minutes.
Park Run in 21-23 mins - not expecting any records this week!
Look at increasing stroke rate on Sat swim session.

-AC

Mission Complete...

2007-05-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

Good news from Peel; I won the sprint triathlon this morning with an average swim, solid bike and an all-out-attack on the run. My time was definitely a P.B. someone mentioned a course record but that hasn't been confirmed. Results can be found on the link below. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures; firstly it's to difficult to weild a camera in action and secondly my Dad had enough on his plate giving me splits on the leader going into the run.

http://www.manxtriclub.com/Peel_Triathlon_Results_May_2007.pdf

I've been struggling with motivation the last couple of weeks, I think because the pressure to train can become a bit much sometimes. Although now, I feel much happier and I'm going to use this result as a spring board to mount my final assault on the Island Games.

-AC

Transition fun

2007-05-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic' of my mock transition zone. Directions for use:

Transition 1 (T1)

1. Dip feet in bucket of water with swimming hat, goggles and ear plugs on (yup, this does look daft!)

2. Run to bike whilst taking off swim apparel above.

3. Wipe feet on towel whilst putting cycle hat and number belt (facing backwards) on.

4. Run (rather gaily on tip-toes) with bike to the 'mount zone'. Note: shoes held horizontal by elastic bands.

5. Mount bike and get pedalling. Attempt to get wet feet into talc-lined cycle shoes. Keep cycling!

5.5. Put shades on to stop flies smacking in eyes.

6. On approaching dismount zone remove feet from shoes and perform a moving-dismount (quite tricky for uncoordinated fools like me!)

7. Run to transition with cycle helmet firmly fastened.

8. Rack bike then remove helmet.

8.5. Switch number belt to back.

9. Whack running shoes on and peg it!

Sweet.

-AC

Tired & unmotivated

2007-05-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

Review of week 27 (07-05 to 13-05)

Periodisation: Build 1

Weekly aims were:

Top 3 finish in Peel to Douglas run (hopefully sub 60 minutes)

Complete a Swim:Bike brick (back to back) session on Wed

Complete 7-8 hours cycling in week

Planned number of hours = 14

Achieved 1, happy with that result (pat on the back!). My swim-bike combined session got moved to Thurs due to sore legs on from 1. This in turn meant I had to cancel a high quality run session on Thurs (and therefore only did 13 hours in week) which I'm not too chuffed about. Completed nearly 10 hours on bike so got no.3.

So, on the face of it, a successful week? Nah. Not happy. This blog was meant to capture the highs and lows, and apart from the Peel to Doulgas run, this week has certainly been a low. I've been nursing a niggle in my right glute/hamstring, have been continuously tired and as a consequence, have struggled with motivation to complete quality training. Lack of motivation and tiredness has caused me to be irritable most of the week (not much fun for Mum and Dad!). It has also meant my eating habits have been a bit ridiculous: characterised by overeating and lack of variety simply because of a 'can't be arsed cooking' attitude.

This is reflected in...

...Physiological stats

Average Weight (kg) in morning: 73.0 (up 0.7kg)

Average Heart Rate (bpm) in morning: 46.7 (up 4.7bpm)

Significantly my HR has been up markedly the last few days to around 50bpm, and coupled with this, it's not as regular as in previous weeks. Sometimes it beats faster for a few seconds before returning to a more normal rate. This tells me instantly something ain't right.

Not worried about weight increase because I know this is probably related to overeating i.e. due to be unmotivated/tired. This will sort itself out with plenty of rest.

So simple solution: rest.

Given the above I've decided to detour away from my planned schedule (which would see me do 15/16 hours) in a bid to regain some motivation and get some rest for the Peel triathlon which is 20th May, i.e. the end of upcoming week...

Preview of week 28: 14-05 to 20-05

Periodisation: Build 1 (changed to recovery-based race-prep week)

Weekly aims:

Win Peel Triathlon (have to aim high!)
Get plenty of sleep and start eating right again.
Practice transition routine twice before sunday.
8-10 hours (reduced from 15/16)

Just so you know, the Peel Tri is a very significant race even though it's only a small local event. This is because I'll be racing against my Island Games team mates and we'll be all out to beat each other under the scrutiny of the local athletic fraternity and the press. Frankly, it's exciting, I frickin' love the course and I love the competition; if I can't use that to stoke up some motivation I might as well quit now!

-AC

Lake District & Back

2007-05-13T06:54:00.000-07:00

Decided to do a course in dry stone walling over the weekend (stone walls being one of my obsessions!) in the Lake District. So as to get some training in I thought I'd cycle there and back with a return ferry trip to Heysham, Lancs., thrown in.

I was on my road bike which meant no panniers, which meant big rucksack, which meant sore back! By in large I enjoyed it, being back on the saddle in unfamiliar territory gave me the taste of touring again and made me think of NZ. I'll almost certainly be buying a new mountain bike which I'll convert for touring later on in the summer after the games.

Ride stats (from home to Lake District and back)

Time = 7:12hrs, Distance = 183km (114 miles), Av. Speed = 25.4kph, Max. sp. = 64.4kph

Anyway, weekly review later today, for now here's some pictures of the weekend...

The peeps on the course and our wall in the background (luckily my section is well covered - I was rubbish!)

Back home - the tower of refuge (built in 1800s as a haven for shipwrecked sailors) with early morning sun behind a photographically-fortuitous cloud!

The green hills of home. Looking NW(ish) out over Abbeylands.

-AC

Peel 2 Douglas 10 Mile Run

2007-05-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

Well I've achieved my first training aim of the week by finishing 2nd in the Peel to Douglas run this evening in a time of 56:03.

See www.manxathletics.com for more info.

I finished behind John Halligan who outsprinted me at the end. I realised with 200m to go that I had achieved what I set out to do and was not keen to slaughter myself in a sprint finish. The fact that John is a great athlete with a mean turn of speed (must be the track work shining through) didn't help my cause either!

I also learnt not to nail a 1-pint+ smoothie containing 1 banana, 2 kiwi fruit, 250ml whole milk, 250ml water, and a spoonful of smooth peanut butter just 90min - 2 hours prior to an event. It felt like a lead weight in my belly for the whole race! I will learn.

With respect to yesterday's 100km cycle, the legs felt a bit heavy in my warm up but once we got into the race, they were sound. I would probably have benefited from sticking to the easy 2.5hr ride I had planned though.

Anyway, I enjoyed it, it was a good battle with John and that's the stuff we race for. Daz Gray who finished 3rd deserves a mention for pushing the pace for the first half of the race - he's a grafter alright; doggedly determined!

-AC

New links added

2007-05-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

Just added the Island Games website which features a countdown timer to the opening ceremony on 30th June along with a whole host of useful IG info.

Also added the Rhodes '07 website which has some good pictures and sport-related info along with lots of info on the Island of Rhodes itself.

-AC

Review point

2007-05-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

Review of week 26 (30-04 to 06-05)

Periodisation: Build 1

Weekly aims were:

Two high intensity swim sessions (Tues & Sat)
High quality run session on track – 4/5 5 min intervals at race pace (Thurs)
Easy day Sunday – Peel 2 Douglas Run is on Mon 7th May.
Planned number of hours = 13

Got in my two quality swim sessions. Tues session focussed on endurance work at a fairly high intensity (it was hard anyway!) and Sat session focussed on speed work using intervals of increasing distance up to 20% of total race distance.

My high quality run session (Thurs) did not materialise. I was sore from working on Wed and paid the price of not adhering to my 4th training objective. Must try harder to manage work commitments.

Supposed to have an easy day today (Sun) in preparation for tomorrow's Peel to Douglas road race (10 mile run). Could a 100km 3:45 cycle today be considered easy? Well my average speed was around 27kph which is considered easy but there were a few tricky hill climbs so it was probably harder than I should have done. However, I was feeling good for it and when you feel good you go for it! I guess I'll know by tomorrow night whether I did too much today.

Hours planned = 13. Hours done = just over 12. I'm happy with this given I lost out on Thursday's track session.

Physiological stats

Average Weight (kg) in morning: 72.3 (up 0.7kg)

Average Heart Rate (bpm) in morning: 42 (up 1bpm)

There was a direct correlation between hard days at work (Tues & Wed) and an elevated HR in the morning (4 or 5 bpm higher). Emphasises training objective 4 again. My average weight in morning is up nearly 1% on last week. Since I don't think I'm getting fatter, it could be due to increased muscle mass due to work and swimming which is making my upper body slightly bigger - I hope!

All in all a decent week in which I've been shown the effects of my gardening work on my body's ability to train.

Preview of week 27: 07-05 to 14-05

Periodisation: Build 1

Weekly aims:

Top 3 finish in Peel to Douglas run (hopefully sub 60 minutes)
Complete a Swim:Bike brick (back to back) session on Wed
Complete 7-8 hours cycling in week
Planned number of hours = 14

Brief respite: Football Dinner

2007-05-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

Last night, to recharge the social batteries, I made my way to the Ayre United 40th Anniversary Dinner with my Dad and Uncle Walter (who I stayed with when in NZ). As we've all played football for Ayre at various different times in the past 40 years we enjoyed a night of nostalgia, over-indulgence and general merriment. It's OK folks - I only had 1 pint of Guiness (honest!). See pics above.

TOP: Uncle Walter 'breakin' it down' on the dancefloor with a mysterious lady friend!

BOTTOM: And one for my brother Matty featuring his good mate Gordy (center) and another couple of wallys in the Ayre team.

Needless to say fun was had by all.

Didn't get home until 2:45am (wayyyyy, past my bedtime!) but it didn't stop me from getting up at 9am this morning to complete a 3:45hr, 100km cycle.

-AC

Train smart

2007-05-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

I decided, after a ridiculously hard day at the 'office' yesterday that involved making brutal use of a 16lb sledge hammer for 8 hours, a 125 min cycle (involving a ten mile time trial) and a 16 min hard run (straight off the bike), to follow some good advice and take today off training.

Sometimes you've got to train smart not hard, even if it goes against what your gut or guilt says. It's probably not a coincidence that my HR was elevated by 5 or so BPM this morning.

The reason why my time trial yesterday was 2 minutes slower than last week is because I rather stupidly went the wrong way! Won't make that mistake again.

The week that was, the week ahead.

2007-04-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

Right it's Sunday night and that means taking stock...

Review of week 25 (23-04 to 29-04)
Periodisation: Base Recovery Week

'Periodisation' refers to the period of training that I'm in with respect to my annual training plan. This week was essentially the last of my base training; the training you do each winter to train for racing in summer.

Weekly aims were:

Single high intensity session for each discipline; all other sessions at recovery intensity.
Push hard gears for 10MTT on Wed.
Sub 21:00 min for Park Run.
Planned number of hours = 10:45

Weekly aims achieved: get in there! Fell slightly short of planned hours (did 10:00) due to missing a swim session on Friday because of being tired due to work.

Physiological stats

Average Weight (kg) in morning: 71.6
Average Heart Rate (bpm) in morning: 41

Before getting up I take a resting heart rate whilst lying in bed. The reason being that an elevated HR (in beats per min) can point towards a potential problem e.g. fatigue, illness, tiredness etc. If it's between 40 and 42 I know I'm good; if it goes up to 50 or 60 I'll know something is up and think about taking it easy or taking day off training.

I also weigh myself (after a trip to loo) to check how dehydrated I am. I reckon my non-dehydrated weight is around 72kg. It's not uncommon for me to weigh less than 71kg of a morning which tells me that I need to get 500-1000ml of fluid in me before getting any serious training done.

Preview of week 26: 30-04 to 06-05
Periodisation: Build 1

Build 1 refers to the beginning of race-specific training. Basically this means a great proportion of my training will be of a higher intensity. The plan is to progressively build up to an 18 hour/wk peak around 2-3 weeks before the Island Games.

Weekly aims:

Two high intensity swim sessions (Tues & Sat)
High quality run session on track – 4/5 5 min intervals at race pace (Thurs)
Easy day Sunday – Peel 2 Douglas Run is on Mon 7th May.
Planned number of hours = 13

Ramsey Park Runs

2007-04-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

Like the 10 mile cycle time trials I posted last night, I've done the same with the Ramsey Park Runs - a summer series that involves running just over 6km (3.8 miles) around the Mooragh Park lake in Ramsey (see picture).

I love doing them because Ramsey is my home town and it's a great workout; you always cross the line feeling like you've pushed it! Because I've done them for the past 3 years I've got a good record of 'where I'm at'.

Looking back:
2004 - Fastest time = 21:51 min
2005 - Inj
2006 - Fastest time =21:29 min
2007 - Fastest time = 20:32 min

This is obviously good news, especially when compared to my times of this time last year which at the end of May were nearly 2 minutes slower.

So another week and a another pair of shiny new PBs in both bike and run. Things are going the right way.

Here's a picture of a spring lamb, just to make my friends in NZ jealous. He's a manx native too - a Loaghtan (pronounced "Lock-tan"), ain't he cute?! Lovely weather were having at the moment guys!

-AC

Bike Time Trial results posted

2007-04-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

I've began to add the results of my 10 mile time trial (cycling) results. We do them every Wednesday as part of a summer series (see www.manxroadclub.com for more details). Yesterday was the second one of the season and I got a personal best (PB) in a time of 24:33min.

Last year's best time was 24:58 min (set in June) so I'm theoretically in better shape!

They're a great way to increase your bike force because they simulate a race environment and make you go "eyeballs out"! Hopefully we'll see more incremental improvement as the season progresses.

-AC

Shropshire Triathlon

2007-04-26T00:03:00.000-07:00

I've rather controversially decided that I won't be competing in the Shropshire/Ellesmere triathlon this year. I know many of my IG team mates are going to it as race preparation for the games over the standard distance (1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run).

I won't be going because it's going to cost £300 minimum which is money I feel can be better spent on my first stationary turbo trainer and a new pair of pedals for my bike, which I feel I'll get more out of in the run up to Rhodes.

So, I'm planning my own Olympic-distance tri based at the Mooragh Park in Ramsey on the day of the Shrops tri - Sun 10th June. I'm calling anyone who is not doing Shrops and would like a decent workout to join me in this strictly unofficial triathlon/glorified training session. I've not worked out the bike or run routes yet but know that Olympic tris have been held at Mooragh in past so I'll find out the options.

Anyone who wishes to join me, or knows the IG 2001 route that was used in Ramsey, let me know: manxtriboy@hotmail.com.

-AC

Island Games Seminar

2007-04-24T15:18:00.000-07:00

Been to a seminar tonight that rather helpfully addressed 'performing in the heat'. Picked up a lot of useful information but to summarise here's the 3 main points I took from it:

1. Sweat evaporation is the only method the body can use to regulate temperature when environmental temp goes into 30s (Rhodes max temps in July can get up to 34-36 deg celcius; significantly higher than IOM's!). For body to cool, sweat must be evaporated from the skin; the rate of which is affected by humidity in air (RH for Rhodes is 60-80% which is high). Clearly the conditions in Rhodes are going to be tricky to deal with compared to IOM, this means appropriate preparation is very important.

2. Climatic adaptation takes on average 7-14 days a requires workouts of moderate intensity lasting for 60-100 minutes. Adaptation results in lower body temperatures and decreased heart rates for a given workout intensity in the new conditions. It also results in greater amounts of sweat being produced over the period of adaptation. This is siginificant given that we will be arriving 7 days prior to the event: will this be long enough to adapt?

3. Unaddressed water loss due to sweating results not only in dehydration but also a loss in bodily salts. The combined effect eventually leads to heat-related illness. To overcome this issue just drinking water will not suffice as the salts need to be replaced. This requires some kind of sports drink to be consumed. Along with monitoring fluid loss during exercise I will need to start getting used to sports drinks.

There was also information on anti-doping policies in sport, the main thing to be taken from it: athletes have sole responsibility for what goes in their body and therefore strict liabilty lies with them and no one else if a drug test is found to be positive. The message therefore is to be very aware of what goes in!

Anyway, I'm sure if you've read this you're bored, but it's all relevant and will help contribute to training objective 3: learning to cope with heat!

-AC

Welcome...

2007-04-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

...to my new blog.

To get to the point, it will track my training (along with other appropriate musings) from now until 'my big race' on Friday July 6th 2007: The Island Games Olympic Distance Triathlon.

Athletic background:

Early 2003: Embarked on quest for fitness (and sanity) due to job as trainee accountant. Lose some Nottingham Uni puppy fat (pizza & beer) by running, cycling and swimming (triathlon?). Begin dreaming about Island Games (IG) and representing my country: the Isle of Man!

Early 2004: early 2005: With Shetland 2005 IG in mind concentrate on running. Win '04 and '05 IOM Cross Country (XC) Championships (running).

Spring/summer 2005: Unable to convert XC prowess to the athletic track and due to knee injury miss out on Shetland competition. Not too happy.

7th May 2005: 17 year-old cousin Aalish killed tragically in road accident. Realise what is important in life: knee injury and running becomes insignificant so decide to enjoy life with mates (more beer and pizza!).

March 2006: Return from snowboarding jolly (and broken toe) in the French Alps. Decide enough is enough: time to bite the bullet and be all I can be in triathlon. Dare to dream again.

Summer 2006: Qualify for IG '07 after some decent results in UK triathlons notably at Salford and Bala. Winter 2006/2007: Leave for New Zealand on quest of discovery. See http://www.sweetabix.blogspot.com/ for further info!

Spring 2007: In arguably the best shape of my life steer final course for Rhodes 2007.

-AC