PM. Cycle 27km (turbo) 26.1km/h, steady easy. HR 130(139)
Tired legs from yesterday and it’d been trying to snow most of the day. Sat on the turbo for an hour and spun my legs out whilst watching “Escape to the Country”. Oh the joy, the couple were going to have a second viewing of one of the houses. That never happens.
72.8kg
AM. Run 23½km inc. Watford Half marathon
1½km w/u
Half marathon: 1:31:40 (7:00 mi/mile), brisk, HR157(171)
0.8km w/d
Route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2530623
Results: http://www.sportsystems.co.uk/ss/resultsEvent.htm?eventId=319
Ended up going down the pub last night and having five pints of Breakspear, so not feeling as fresh as I could be for this event. I’ve missed some mileage in January, so it was only ever going to be a steady run out for me. I’ll save a big effort for Milton Keynes in a month.
Bumped into and old friend Errol Maginley in the HQ, he was running with some mates who were planning on doing the London marathon later in the year, but this would be his longest race, and “Savaloy” from the tritalk forum on the start line. I was aware that I only needed to treat this as a steady, fast training run – if I went too hard I could do more damage to my long-term plans than good. I set off at a pace about 15-20 seconds slower per mile than my “usual” half marathon pace. This felt very comfortable and I got to halfway in 46:18, running the second half in 45:22.
Very enjoyable, I was surprised how just a little easing in my usual race pace made the running much easier. No hanging on for the last mile or sore feet. My calves stiffened up a bit, but will be fine in a day or two.
72.9kg
Today Jules had a beginners mountain bike course at Sandy Balls leisure park, New Forest, with instructors from VO2. With her bike in the back of the Polo there wasn’t room for another so I packed my walking boots, camelbak and a map.
While she was learning the techniques, I took myself off for a 4-hour walk over the New Forest. The weather was very good for being outside, even if there were some bits deep in mud and a couple of swollen streams to negotiate. The big trails on the far side of the moor were heavy with people riding horses and out walking but it didn’t take long to leave the crowds behind. I was aware that I had a half-marathon to run the next day, so 4 hours was my limit for today. I saw plenty of New Forest ponies, and at one point in an isolate copse, chanced upon a herd of deer. I got a few pictures, so I’ll upload those in the next day or so.
I got back to Sandy Balls and had a takeaway sandwich and coffee and read the paper in the sunshine. When Jules got back from her afternoon on the bike, we had a look around the cycle centre. They had some cool T-shirts, but I picked up some aero brake levers for £5 less than the online price to go on my trike, and some track mitts for the summer.
Jules slept most of the drive home – she’d had a long day on the bike, but it had provided good experience and some useful lessons in handling a mountain bike.
73.4kg
PM. Cycle 122km (28.6km/h), steady HR 134(159) asc. 755m
A nice day for a bike ride for once, I took the afternoon off work and went out through Henley/Goring/Blewbury and a loop back home. Just a small shower through Cray’s Pond and a rainbow afterwards. Even Didcot power station looked quite good in the sunlight. My back was aching a bit after 2 hours, and I hope it doesn’t linger on into the spring. I don’t fancy riding a 12-hour time trial with it aching like that. Bike needed a bit of a wash when I got home.
My cold has mostly gone, and I’m thinking that I might have to step up my mileage if the weather carries on like this. I’ve not been for a swim for a week – been too tired in the mornings, although that’s mostly the effect of the cold, I think.
74.1kg
PM. Run 11km/52, steady. HR144(155)
Steady run after work. Legs not feeling too fresh after the sudden increase in running. Left calf still a bit sore, but otherwise OK.
73.9kg
PM. Cycle (turbo) 30km/1:05:36 (27.4km/h), steady, HR141(148)
On the turbo for a steady hour or so after work, listening to Simon Mayo on Radio 2.
72.9kg
PM. Run 16km/1:16 steady, HR 147(166?)
Steady run after work. Nose still a bit gummy, left calf (and to some extent, the right one too) sore most of the way round, but not too bad really. Some dodgy readings from the HRM this evening, not sure I really believe that max of 166.
Went to my cycling club’s committee meeting in the evening. Everyone’s been struggling with the icy weather and motivation to train on the turbo.
73.9kg
Lunchtime. Erg 10km (C2 Challenge Series)
10km: 38:27.0 (1:55.4/500m) r25. HR154(171)
5km splits: 19:21.0 + 19:06.0
My back hasn’t been feeling too bad lately, and today is the last day I could possibly register a time for the January challenge, so I nipped home at lunchtime and gave it a go. I changed my stroke to a much more upright one, with very little lean forward at the catch and very little layback at the finish to accomodate any problems with my lower back, and set off at a comfortable 1:56 pace, r24/25. By halfway I was still feeling OK and reckoned I could afford to spin the speed up a bit so I did the second half at about 1:54 pace, with a little 1:52 sprint at the end. My cold, although getting better, was definitely a hindrance at that pace but I was reasonably satisfied with the final time. It’s nearly a minute slower than I’d managed a year ago, but no matter, I was just pleased to find I could still get up off the machine OK at the end, although I’m sure I’d better be taking it easy on my back for a few weeks yet.
Legs a bit knackered from Saturday’s run (2-day DOMS taking effect), so although I had it in mind to get on the turbo after work, that was all the training I did today.
73.3kg
Run 100km/9 sessions
Cycle 757km/14
Swim 17400m/5
Erg 6km/1
Weights 2:05h/2
Hours per week: 9:39
Rest days 4
A fairly solid month’s base, although it’s been a bit of a struggle. The weather’s been colder than I can remember for many winters, and the snow hasn’t exactly helped. I started the month with a sore back which is slowly getting better, but it’s kept me off the erg when it would have been really useful to be able to cross-train on it. I’ve still not registered a time for this months C2 Challenge (10km), but have until 11pm tomorrow to do one - a lunchtime attempt is on the cards. I’m back running after tweaking a calf muscle, running in the snow on the 11th, and a small cold in this last week hasn’t been great. Hopefully February will give me a chance to regroup and get some more miles under my belt.
PM. Cycle 66km, steady, HR126(151) asc. 345m
Inc. one lap of Benson/Thame:
Lap 1. 49.3km/1:43:19 (28.6km/h) HR126(151)
Very cold and frosty outside. Jules was off mountain-biking first thing in the morning, but I stayed in and read the paper until midday. I went out with the intention of doing another 4 hours, but the cold got to me and I called it a day after a couple of hours. The roads were only just about rideable, there was still plenty of ice on the puddles and gutters. Around Thame the surface seemed particularly slippy. I caught up with Steve McKeever and someone else, riding back into Oxford on the B480.
73.4kg
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