Unofficially I started getting "prepared" this week... Prepared to start H.I.M training which is starting in January (race 1st June).... So I guess you can call this Prep 1:1
So I had a training week kind of planned and was hoping to stick to it.... and by and by with some form of miracle I kind of did - apart from the big MISS on my long run today which was down to me tweaking my knee in a shower rail erecting incident and also inclement weather - had I gone for a run after my swim I may have made it!!
But anyway - I'm quite happy and I score myself 8 out of 10.... lose a 1.5 points for missing the long run and 0.5 points for doing a 1hr 15min turbo session yesterday rather then a 2 hour club ride.... but in a feat of complete amazement I did make it to the pool the allotted 3 times for a minimum of 20mins...
Stats then are;
TOTAL : 4hrs 48mins (plus a little bit of stuff I didn't record I think I will round that to 5)
Core/ Stretch: 1 session from 1
Swim: 3 sessions from 3 (3.4km in 1hr 23mins... a mixture of FC sets and drills)
Bike: 2 sessions from 2 (30+km in 2'15mins.. how come my turbo km are always so low?!)
Run: 1 session from 2 (4.80km in 30mins)
The aim of the next few weeks is training rhythm and some consistency... I'm not interested in speed and just want to start building endurance... so am not going to get bothered about what I'm logging exactly as long as I'm logging something regularly and keeping myself regularly active without getting frazzled... no work travel till mid Jan and whilst it's going to be manic I'm hoping I can achieve balance and find the routine!
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Saturday, December 07, 2013
CTS Dorset "race" report
Well despite the east and north of the country being bashed my a big storm yesterday there had been no bad weather on the South Coast and so to Lulworth Cove we headed for the latest instalment from Endurance Life coastal trail series.
This event is marked as "extreme" largely due to the cliffs you climb up and roll down on the course. For a change for a CTS event the 10k was actually just short of 10k, coming in at 9.9k..... Unlike the "half marathon" which would be hard enough on these trails without throwing in an extra few miles... Coming in at 16miles, marathon something like 27 and the ultra too many miles to contemplate (33 and a bit I think!).
People evidently come from far and wide for this one as a evidenced by coach load of Dutch appeared just as we arrived for check-in! Now I haven't be training much due to the lurgy I had in November... But at least we have hills, although small ones... To train on... I'm not sure there are any really big hills in Holland and I don't think much in the way of cliffs... So I can see the appeal but how would you train for this (lots of incline 10 on the treadmill!?)
Anyway... To the race .... Given we were starting up a lovely hill (pictures to follow)... And gIven I've not trained much or run an awful lot recently I had already planned to walk the hills, come cliff faces, ... Although when it came to it this is what pretty much everyone did! The first 5k contained 4 significant climbs, of increasing length and steepness ... I had lots of fun on the down hills.... Arms out flying down was ace.... I hope I didn't annoy people... There were a couple of us really fast on the downs, with little holding back... I jogged on the flats and walked upwards.... And when my HR exceeded 170 (!!!!!) whilst walking up the hills I just stopped and took in the view and waited for me to recover a bit!
Having taken between 42 and 45 mins to do the first 5k we then turned inland and headed back... With a completely different aspect and with once again amazing views.. And at one point with no wind and the sun out it was hard to believe it was winter! The biggest danger in the first section of the return loop were cow-pats with one poor runner getting had by one of them... Slipping up, just lucky she didn't face plant in another on the way down! Travelling across the flat inland route was far more straight forward (thankfully) .... Until we got to the last and steepest descent back to the start/finish.... This one I decided not to run down like a demented dog, it just seemed too steep to risk... So I held back and put the brakes on a bit which frankly well and truly buggered my quads but that didn't matter because the finish was just around the corner! Yipppppeeeeee!
What a truly wonderful place for a run!
Given my last Endurance life event was, quite frankly, an awful experience (pushed too hard), I'm pleased to report the mixture of terrain and speed with rests meant for me it was far more enjoyable. I took the enjoyment of this event as essential to my "race" success and was the prime goal which I think I succeeded .... I'm now looking forward to a nice pint of ale with sausage and mash to celebrate!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
This event is marked as "extreme" largely due to the cliffs you climb up and roll down on the course. For a change for a CTS event the 10k was actually just short of 10k, coming in at 9.9k..... Unlike the "half marathon" which would be hard enough on these trails without throwing in an extra few miles... Coming in at 16miles, marathon something like 27 and the ultra too many miles to contemplate (33 and a bit I think!).
People evidently come from far and wide for this one as a evidenced by coach load of Dutch appeared just as we arrived for check-in! Now I haven't be training much due to the lurgy I had in November... But at least we have hills, although small ones... To train on... I'm not sure there are any really big hills in Holland and I don't think much in the way of cliffs... So I can see the appeal but how would you train for this (lots of incline 10 on the treadmill!?)
Anyway... To the race .... Given we were starting up a lovely hill (pictures to follow)... And gIven I've not trained much or run an awful lot recently I had already planned to walk the hills, come cliff faces, ... Although when it came to it this is what pretty much everyone did! The first 5k contained 4 significant climbs, of increasing length and steepness ... I had lots of fun on the down hills.... Arms out flying down was ace.... I hope I didn't annoy people... There were a couple of us really fast on the downs, with little holding back... I jogged on the flats and walked upwards.... And when my HR exceeded 170 (!!!!!) whilst walking up the hills I just stopped and took in the view and waited for me to recover a bit!
Having taken between 42 and 45 mins to do the first 5k we then turned inland and headed back... With a completely different aspect and with once again amazing views.. And at one point with no wind and the sun out it was hard to believe it was winter! The biggest danger in the first section of the return loop were cow-pats with one poor runner getting had by one of them... Slipping up, just lucky she didn't face plant in another on the way down! Travelling across the flat inland route was far more straight forward (thankfully) .... Until we got to the last and steepest descent back to the start/finish.... This one I decided not to run down like a demented dog, it just seemed too steep to risk... So I held back and put the brakes on a bit which frankly well and truly buggered my quads but that didn't matter because the finish was just around the corner! Yipppppeeeeee!
What a truly wonderful place for a run!
Given my last Endurance life event was, quite frankly, an awful experience (pushed too hard), I'm pleased to report the mixture of terrain and speed with rests meant for me it was far more enjoyable. I took the enjoyment of this event as essential to my "race" success and was the prime goal which I think I succeeded .... I'm now looking forward to a nice pint of ale with sausage and mash to celebrate!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Lulworth Cove
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
Err November
Well November was pretty much a complete write (or wrong) off.... Had a cold - that was fine but lost a couple of training days... got better... then got another cold/ lurgy/ virus/ thing which just wiped me out.... so the monthly stats are easy and short....
Run: Total 27.3km in 2hrs 54min (about half of October)
Bike: Total 134.3km in 5hrs 25mins (down from Oct - but this was only due to 2 long rides and no commuting)
Swim: Total 0.9km in 20mins (err... yes about the same)
Other Stuff (Yoga, stretching, core etc) 1hrs 37mins (at this rate I will be weak)
I think I had something like 16days just ill with the strength of a weak kitten.....
...Didn't do any of my planned events... understandably ... all in all a rubbish month to quickly forget!
My aim for December is just to get some consistency and routine back in my life!! All my work travelling is already done for the month and (fingers crossed) no sign of any cold on the horizon.
I wonder what the stats will be like for December... and will I do another 10 blogs and so surpass my 2010 blogging year?!?
Run: Total 27.3km in 2hrs 54min (about half of October)
Bike: Total 134.3km in 5hrs 25mins (down from Oct - but this was only due to 2 long rides and no commuting)
Swim: Total 0.9km in 20mins (err... yes about the same)
Other Stuff (Yoga, stretching, core etc) 1hrs 37mins (at this rate I will be weak)
I think I had something like 16days just ill with the strength of a weak kitten.....
...Didn't do any of my planned events... understandably ... all in all a rubbish month to quickly forget!
My aim for December is just to get some consistency and routine back in my life!! All my work travelling is already done for the month and (fingers crossed) no sign of any cold on the horizon.
I wonder what the stats will be like for December... and will I do another 10 blogs and so surpass my 2010 blogging year?!?
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