Ironman Training Week 3 (of 52…)

In Which I Ride LOADS

Monday
Today, I began week 3 of ironman lanzarote training with a run home. The training plan I’m following called for a 45 min run, which took me 47 minutes. Quite warm.

Tuesday
I rode the normal way to work then had a shower. (After I got off the bike.) After work I rode for 45 mins aiming for 100+ rpm but as I’m too lazy to set up my bike gizmo rpm track thing, I was trying to count in my head. Think I did it. Total of 12 mile for the day.

Wednesday
I was working 6-6 today but swapped my shift to work 10-9 (see? All going on over here!) this meant I could get my run out of the way in the morning, so I ran to work. Totally misjudged the distance though as I went a different way round, and so ended up looping quite a bit through the nice (ahem!) areas of Bradford. 10km done (including lots of hills) in just over an hour.

Thursday
Rest day! Hooray! Also, it was Sarah’s granddad birthday. (Norman, who did his first ever triathlon last year at age 83. Read about it here ) We went up to his house on the evening and he told me that I could borrow his road bike that he’d bought the year before, so that I could get some proper practice in. Very nice of him! (4x) Ironman Tony said we’d go for a ride on Sunday.

Friday
Today was another hour run, so did the 10km circuit around home which takes in plenty of hills (and so plenty of downhills.)

Later on in the day I had my first ever go on a road bike. Chuffing hell was I nervous! Only did 2 miles, due to having tired legs, but I got up to 32mph!

Saturday
Brick day. Rode to work on the road bike, took it steady due to nerves. After work I rode 30 mins home then went out straight away for a mile run. (This was after a 12 hour shift..!)

Sunday
As promised, Ironman Tony picked me up at 08:10 ready to get out for a proper go on Normans road bike. Drove down to shipley where we got ready to set off in the rain. Tonys brother Peter was gonna come, but turns out he’s scared of the rain. Think he might be from Oz. While we were getting ready, Nigel (another brother) pulled up to say hello. He was on his way north to take part in the great north swim in the Lake District (2 mile swim.)

Then, we were off. Pouring down so were soaked within the first mile. I thought we’d be the only idiots riding in this weather, but no, there were loads out on the roads.

I followed Ironman Tony and kept his pace through Saltaire, Cottingly and around Bingley. There were a lot of ups and downs (as the road went up and down) and eventually we reached Skipton where we stopped for a coffee. (Tony had tea.)

We’d covered 15miles in little over an hour. That’s the fastest I’d ever gone!

Drinks drunk (drank?) we were off again and the rain stopped. More hills on the next part of the ride, but more countryside which was nice. Saw a sheep that reminded me of our cat, which isn’t something you see everyday. Unless you have a sheep and a cat and the sheep looks like your cat.

Skirted around North Yorkshire to Bolton Abbey, saw a big horse show then a big horse shit, then joined the main rode again and headed towards… I want to say Burnley in Wharfdale? Not sure. We stopped for a pit stop though, and I took this pic.

Right, last bit of the ride. Went up a long, steady upwards hill towards Guiesley and then turned down the big hill towards Shipley (got to 35mph.) Saw Tonys car, but asked if we could ride a little bit further to get my tomtom watch ticking over to the next number. Finally, done.

Before today my longest ever ride was 20 miles. Today we did 40 miles in just under 3hours. Chuffed!

Ironman Training Week 3
Swam: 0 miles
Cycled: 64.17 miles
Ran: 18 miles
Total time: 7h 54m 15s

In Other News
This:

Ironman Training Week 2 (of 52…)

In Which I Keep At It
Week two done with already! Where’s the time going? 1/26th of the way finished!

Monday
Cycled to work, then cycled further home. Uneventful.

Tuesday
I didn’t start work until 10 so used the late start as a chance to get an early run done. Set off from work at 8 (just as the rain started, the bugger) and ran into Shipley then into Bradford. (Which is where I work. Which is why I went there.)

It measured just under 6 miles so ran up and down in front of work for a bit to get my tracker to click onto 6 miles. (To the amusement of Sean who I work with, and who was standing out front on his break. Think his actual words were ‘you look like a bit of a twat.’)

Handily, in our staff room at work we have a shower. (Not IN the staff room, in a separate room next to the staff room.) Unhandily, there was no hot water. I mentioned it to the maintenance bloke later on (after a cold shower) and he told me about the pull cord right next to the shower that turns on the hot water. Didn’t feel stupid at all.

Wednesday
Rest Day! Yay!

Thursday
Day off from work so went out for a steady 10km (6.2mile) run. I ran quite well and was happy to keep a 9min/mile pace and finished in 55:55! That even included hills!

Friday
Worked 12 hours (6 til 6) then ran 10km home. Quite tired and a bit achy, but managed to do it in 01:02:00. It’s only just over a year ago that that was my PB, so to be able to do it after 12 hours on my feet and having done a 10k the day before isn’t too bad!

Saturday
Used today for brick day. (Cycle followed straight away by a run.) Worked 12 hours again (what the hell, work?!) so really didn’t fancy the run bit. (Or the bike bit either.) Rode 6 miles then ran just under 2. Tiredly.

Sunday
Day off again, and the training plan called for 1 1/2 hours on the bike. Rode down to the canal then decided to aim towards Leeds for 40mins, turn around and ride back. (Knowing that I’d be slower on the way back as last 2 miles are uphill.)

It was a nice sunny afternoon so plenty of people on the canal path, most of which were too chuffing ignorant to move out of the way. When I started riding through the puddles they moved though!

After I reached 40 mins I stopped for a drink of my water. Swallowed it wrong so just as a family rode by I choked a bit and spat water everywhere, felt a bit daft so started riding home.

Bit further along was a group of lads with a puncture who looked like they had given up so I stopped and asked if they were ok. They told me the inner tube was shredded so I did the nice thing and gave them my spare inner tube. Wasn’t til I started riding again that I realised I was about 8 miles from home with no spare inner tube so decided to be more careful around the stones. Got home safe!

Ironman Training Week 2
Swam: 0 miles
Cycled: 33 miles
Ran: 20 miles
Total time: 6h 07m 43s

#TrainHardFinishEasy

Ironman Training Week 1 (of 52…)

In Which I Proper Start My Training
After a lovely week in lanzarote, and a lovely few days off afterwards, I got my training plan for Ironman Lanzarote 2015 organised. And when I say ‘my training plan’, I mean I copied one from a book.

That book.

In the book, as well as telling you all about time management, strength training, mental training and healthy eating, it gives you three different training plans depending on whether you want to finish strong, finish good, or just finish. Each plan is split into three 10 week schedules, base, build and peak.

All the plans are based on time, not distance, so it’s easy to plan around work.

I have exactly 52 weeks until Ironman Lanzarote, and as it happens 21 weeks until York Marathon.

That means I can follow the toughest plan for the 10 week base, then 10 week build stages, have a week taper for Yorkshire Marathon followed by a week recovery, then follow a full 30 week plan.

If I’ve coped ok with the tougher training schedule I’ll start that again from the beginning, but if I found it tough I’ll drop down to the intermediate program.

I’ve finished the first week though, and so far so good!

My first week was set as follows (with what I actually did in brackets):

Monday – 30min run. (34min)
Tuesday – 1hr bike. (1h 4min)
Wednesday – 30min bike. (19min to work + 30min home)
Thursday – 30min run. (32min)
Friday – Rest (Rested)
Saturday – 30min bike, 15min run (17min ride to work, 27min ride home then 15min run)
Sunday – 45min run (45min run)

Total distance of 40 miles (13 run, 27 cycled.)

But! I hear you cry, But! What about swimming?!

Ah swimming! Not started training that yet, next week should be starting proper triathlon swimming lessons. So there!

Of course it’s only fair that I direct you to where you can buy your very own copy of Be Iron Fit by Don Fink and that’s here: Be Iron Fit

In Other News
Started healthy eating (haven’t had any alcohol in over a week, cut down on bread and so far lost 3lbs in my first week!) Noticed this on Ainsley Harriott couscous.

Calm down Ainsley mate.