Ironman Florida

Yesterday I finished Ironman Florida in a personal best time of 9:28:08, but I'm leaving with mixed feelings as I've not achieved my goal of qualifying for the 2010 World Championships in Hawaii.

My pre-race preparations have gone well, but I knew coming into the race that I was short of training as I've only managed 3 good weeks of high volume training, yet I was hoping that this will get me through the race in a reasonable form.

We arrived in Florida on Saturday and the week before the race had gone very quickly and was unusually relaxing with just enough training to keep loose and no last-minute disasters except for a swollen foot 3 days before the race.

By the time we realised the race morning was upon us and I was feeling well an had my whole support crew behind me.

The race morning started with a fairly warm temperature, but unlike the previous few days there was a bit of a chop in the Bay of Mexico where the swim was taking place. It actually didn't look too bad from the shore, but as soon as I got in the water it was up and down all the time and you couldn't see the buoys. I decided to start far on the right hand side of the anti-clockwise rectangular course and I had a fairly clean start until the first turn-around buoy where I got kicked a few times, but overall the swim was fairly clean. I exited the water in 1:08, which was disappointing, but as I later discovered the conditions made the swim 5-4 minutes slower than usual for everybody.

The bike is flat with some long straight sections typically with some strong head and tail winds. As soon as I got on the bike I tried to get into a good rhythm and keep a steady pace. Unfortunately he nature of the course meant that drafting was always going to be a problem and soon enough large packs of riders started forming. It's pretty impossible to drop a large pack of drafting athletes of similar abilities on such a flat course so I decided to stay on the back of the group with a legal distance of 10 meters, which still gives you enough benefit to be faster that riding solo. I had to work a little too had on some rolling sections up the small hills and then coast downhill to stay legal. I came into transition with a 4:50 bike split which I was happy with, but my legs felt tired.

Starting the run I didn't feel too good, but decided just to keep it steady and see what happens. I had to walk through some aid stations to make sure I get enough fluids on board. A few people passed me and I've had to let them go. I finally started to feel a little bit better after about 10 miles and started to pass people back. the last 3 miles were difficult but my support crew gave me a lot of encouragement along the route and there was good crowd support in the last 2 miles which kept me going. I finished the marathon in 3:18, very tired and with nothing more to give in the tank.

My time of 9:28:08 was good enough for 62nd place overall and 18th place in my age group, some 12 minutes short of the last Kona place. I was happy with my performance and given my training I don't think I could have done any better. I wonder what the result would have been if everybody was riding solo because as soon as a marshal pulled alongside our cycling group and started giving out warnings the gaps opened and I found myself off the front the he group. Unfortunately I don't think enough penalties were given out. There is no point in dwelling on it, though, I'm happy with how I performed, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to get a qualifying spot. Maybe next year in Germany.

That's it for this year. Time for some R&R...

Mike.

My travel blog: http://alexmike-travel.blogspot.com

London to Brighton

This year again I joined a few mates from work for the off-road London to Brighton ride. The ride is mostly flat with a couple of gentle hills and I've even managed to convince Alex to join us. We all had a really good time and the good weather definitely helped. It took us 10 hours in total with about 6.5 hours riding time and a few stops. Hopefully we can do that again next year.

The next day was the Run to the Beat half marathon in Greenwich. I did some pacemaking for this race last year and as a result had a free entry into the "elite" field. Unfortunately my performance was nothing but elite. I felt OK at the beginning but after 4 miles my legs completely sized up. Eventually I ended up somewhere around top 50 in 1:27, some 25 minutes behind the Kenyan winners. I was a good training day though.

The week after Chris and I did a mini-Ballbuster brick session on Saturday and on Sunday I joined some of my teammates for the annual Ride of the Falling Leaves. We were lucky with the weather with clear skies and little wind as it usually rains during this ride. I missed the 4-hour gold standard time on both of my previous attempts so I was hoping that finally I might be able to finish in under 4 hours. Things were going well, we were keeping a good pace and my legs felt good. Unfortunately when the hills started our group got split up and we were in danger of missing the 4 hour mark again. Jim and I decided to press on and eventually made it back in 3:54 after some strong riding. Another good training day.

It's 4 weeks to Ironman Florida now and I'm getting a little anxious that I've not really done enough training to race it properly. Whatever happens I just want to go and have fun. It's been a long year.

The Vitruvian Middle Distance Triathlon

I competed in the The Vitruvian triathlon last weekend trying to get some more racing done before the UK season comes to a close.

It was a tough day for me. It started off OK and even a 4am wake up time on a chilly September morning and a swim in the murky waters of The Rutland Water were not as bad as they may seem. I was off in the water at 6:40 in the mens AG35-39 wave and had a reasonable good swim. As soon as the gun went off I found some clear water and got to the turn buoy with the leaders. Unfortunately I lost them at the turn and swam the rest of the 2 lap course on my own exiting in 32min 40sec, which I was happy with.

I went off reasonably hard on the bike hoping to catch some people. Surprisingly there were a few tough hills on the bike which I didn't account for and after the first lap the wheels came off. I must have lost about 10 minutes on the second lap and was not able to raise my effort, heart rate or power.

On the run I immediately felt that my legs didn't have anything more to give so I just cruised through the 2 lap course walking through some of the aid stations to get some drinks and gels on board. It was great to have the support from Alex and Jim's wife .... In the end I finished in 4:33, in 21st place in my age group and 53 overall - disappoining result. To top it off I had some alergic reaction after the race - not quite sure what caused it.

Jim went like a rocket and won his age group with a speedy bike and a fantastic run. Very impressive.

Now it's time to recover and change things for the Florida IM, although I'm not to hopeful now...

Onwards...

Wiesbaden 70.3 Half Ironman

Wiesbaden hosted this year for the 3rd time a middle distance triathlon as part of the 70.3 Ironman series. The event is very well organised and run over a challenging course with over 1500m climbing on the bike and a challenging run finishing in the centre of Wiesbaden.

This year my teammate Chris with his wife Lisa and Alex and I decided to make the trip dow to Wiesbaden to see what the fuss is all about. The drive tuned out to be rather long and we arrived just before 6pm after an early morning start. Wiesbaden turned out to be a really nice typical German town with lots of little restaurants, coffee shops and expensive shops.

The preparation before the race went without any major incidents and the time passed quickly. Sunday greeted us with a really warm and windless weather and the additional bonus was a lay in due to a relatively late start at 8:55am. The race was run in waves with over 3000 athletes competing in total. We were placed in the AG35-39 wave, but unfortunately the organisers decided to place some of the best age group athletes from all waves (including our age group) with the professionals. This meant that they would have the opportunity to draft and pace of the pros while we would have to fight through the congestion on the course.

We arrived in transition with plenty of time for a change and after the usual faffing around we were off in the warm water of River Main at 8:55. The swim went well for me, there wasn't too much pushing and shoving and I had someone to draft of most of the way. I was quite happy coming out of the water in 34:15, having had one of the easiest swims in a long time.

Quick transition where I've managed to pass Chris and onto the bike and my legs didn’t feel too good. I was going through the motions and passing quite a few people but never felt totally in control and was going up the first climb of about 8km quite steady. The bike was certainly much more hilly than I expected with some long steady climbs. After about half way I started feeling better and was able to push a bit harder. Some of the descent were quite scary, especially the run back into town where we hit over 80km/h. Bike time 2:51 which I was Ok with considering my condition.

Once I got of the bike my legs felt really heavy. I took my time in transition and after a couple of km of the run started to feel better and picked up the pace hoping to run at least a decent half marathon. Unfortunately it wasn't to be and after 2 laps I started to slow down considerably on the hot run and congested run course. Eventually I ended up running 1:31 for a total time of 5:02, 117th place overall and 24th place in my age group. At the finish I had absolutely nothing left and felt more like I've just completed a full ironman than a half.

Overall I guess I'm happy with how I've executed the race, but it shows just how much of a gap I have this year to the top guys. The standard of racing over the last few years has definitely improved in the European Ironman races and it looks like I have some catching up to do.

Next race will be the Vitruvian middle distance race in the UK in September.

The London Triathlon

What can I say, the The London Triathlon is one of my favorite short course events and another one has come and gone.

I had a good day and came 27th overall in the sub-2:30 category. It was fun riding past all the London landmarks, particularly the Tower Bridge and the Parliament and the sub 2:30 wave format provides some exciting racing and is the next best thing beside racing elite if you can't swim sub 18 min for 1500m.

I had a reasonable swim, although I was upset with myself for loosing the pack I was in at the turnaround buoy and coming out of the water in 26:30.

The bike was much better and I went full gas straight away and was passing easily. A planet-x sponsored athlete came past me after the first lap and I tried to stay with him but couldn't, so I just kept my rhythm and finished with a 1:02 split.

I felt good on the run straight away and just got quicker as the run progressed - 33:52 run split.

Total time 2:07:41, which as I recollect might be my PB and is certainly my quickest time on this course.

Next on the list is the 70.3 Half Ironman in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Ironman France

Ironman France takes place in Nice every year typically on the last weekend of June.

The race is considered one the hardest on the Ironman circuit with almost 6000ft of climbing on the bike and a hot, exposed marathon course.

This year I was going to use the race as a preparation for the second half of the season leading up to Ironman Florida in November.

My preparation leading up to the race was good during the last 8 weeks with some consistent training and some big mileage done in Lanzarote, but I lost 2 months of training in spring and due to all sorts of running injuries I'v not been able to do enough run training so I knew that I was in for a tough day. Nevertheless before the race my weight was down to 69kg and my threshold power on the bike was up to about 250W. With 3 weeks to the race I did the Weymouth middle distance race and finished 14th in 4:23 which I was happy with and a week before the race i set my PB on the local climb up Box Hill with 6:35 averaging 331W which gave me some confidence going into the race.

The travel and gear set-up before the race was unusually stress-free and I woke up on the race day relaxed and ready to go. A bit of a drama unfolded in transition as I ripped the valve off my front inner tube and only just managed to get it changed with 30 seconds to spare before I had to leave transition. I hindsight I probably didn't even pump my tires up enough, but at least I had a bike ready to ride.

The swim was a 2 loop course with a beach start. First lap was very physical with 2500 athletes fighting for position and I got beaten up pretty badly not really able to get into any kind of rhythm. Second lap was a bit better and I exited the water in 1:07 - not a great time but it was a fairly comfortable swim and all the times were several minutes slower, so I was happy with that.

The bike started well with a fast flat stretch and I immediately felt good and was passing loads of people. The first couple of climbs went well, but on one of the descents I lost 2 of my water bottles which left me with one drink bottle for the 20km main climb of the day. Once I got to the top I knew the rest of the day was going to be tough as I was feeling already dehydrated, disorientated and not comfortable. I lost quite a few places on the descents and never really felt comfortable for the rest of the bike leg. The views were spectacular and I tried to concentrate on enjoying the views to shut off the pain. Bike split 5:38, 178W ave power.

Needles to say I was happy to arrive in transition and get off the bike. When I got to the transition it was already very hot, but I set out on the run trying to keep a nice and comfortable stride cadence. The legs didn't feel too bad at the beginning and I was starting to pass a few people. Unfortunately after about 15km my right hamstring completely locked up and I was reduced to a shuffle. From this point it was just a case trying to keep going to get to the finish.

Coming down the finishing straight I walked the last 200m enjoying the atmosphere and the crowd's support. Run split 3:30. Finish time 10:27:18, 249th place overall and 59th in my age group.

It was a really tough day and I felt really dehydrated and tired for the next two days. A spectacular race though and a tough course which will hopefully toughen me up for the rest of the season. The biggest surprise was not how tough the climbs were, but how difficult and technical the fast descents were. In hindsight the course is definitely more suited to a road bike than a time trial bike because of the technical descents and you can't make up the time even on the flats as there are big groups bunched up that the marshals don't even try to break up

Anyway, time to recover a bit, he next race for me is the London Triathlon Olympic distance and then Germany 70.3 in Wiesbaden.

The winter gone and forgotten!

The winter is almost over and the racing season has begun. Running season is well underway with people training for spring marathons and most major UK half marathons taking place in March. The cycling season kicked off with Surrey League races at the end of Feb.
I jumped into some early season racing with a cycling E123 handicap race at Chertsey. The first race of the season is always a bit nervous for me, not knowing if I'm going to be able to hang onto the bunch and not knowing if I still have the nerves to ride at high speed in a close bunch of riders. Chertsey was no exception and the first few laps were nervous and a big crash happening quite early on didn't help the situation. After a while things calmed down a bit and as the race progressed I was getting more and more comfortable. 10 elites and first cat riders got away quite quickly and with nobody willing to ride hard to chase them we were left to ride for the minor places. With 3 laps to go I saw a couple of strong riders attack and I jumped onto their wheel but the bunch didn't give us too much time and we all gave up fairly quickly. The sprint was uneventful and I was pretty spent from my previous effort and ended up safely at the back of the main bunch. I was happy with that for the first race and lucky to have avoided the crash.
The weekend after I went along with one of my teammates, Jim to Ramsgate for the annual pre-London Marathon warm up race - the Thanet 20. My running has not been going too well recently and I hadn't run that far for a long time so I knew that I was in for some serious suffering. And suffer I did. The first 13 miles were actually not too bad with no wind and quite good running temperature, but after 14 miles I didn't have much left in the tank and was just happy getting to the finish line. I ended up in 15th place in 2:12:24. The best thing about the race was a big fry up breakfast we had at a local cafe - even I was quite satisfied.
I took a couple of easy days after the race and lined up on Saturday for another running race - this time a 10M at Battersea Park. The Battersea Park races are always some of my favourite with a nice flat course and a low-key atmosphere. At first I seemed to be going quite well with 5:55 miles, but it seems that the 20-miler took a lot out of me and 6 days recovery wasn't quite enough as after 4 miles I completely run out of stem and was reduced to jogging back to the finish. Finish time 1:02:14, 9th place and missed out on the trophies. I hope I can recover enough for the Hastings Half Marathon on the 15th March.

Mallorca 2009

Last week we were lucky enough to leave the British winter behind and go for some warm weather cycling in Mallorca. The weather wasn't actually that warm, but it was still great to get out onto some open road with no snow. The winter this year has been particularly harsh and my cycling fitness is a long way off where it should be at this time of the year so I took the opportunity to do some long base miles and take on some of the best climbs Mallorca has to offer. This time we were not staying at the usual location in Santa Ponca, but on the other side of the island at Puerta Pollenca, which I think is a better location for training.
On the first day after a short flight from Gatwick and unpacking the bikes we took the bikes for a short spin to the nearby Cap de Formentor.

The second day was the start of the professional cycling race at Palma de Mallorca and after a ride down to Palma we were able to watch some good racing action from the criterium, eventually won in a sprint by Gert Steegmans, before returning back via the climb to the Lluc monastery.

During the next days we've managed to see the race three more times at various places around the island, but unfortunately we missed it at one of my favorite climbs to Col de Soller.

After a short ride in the mountains in the morning on Wednesday it was already time to pack the bike again and return to the snowy London.
The five days on the island passed very quickly, but I've achieved my objective of kick starting my cycling with some base miles and I was happy having done 570km. This should give me a good base to start some intensity training as soon as the weather improved in London.

Canterbury 10

Last Sunday I made my annual trip to Canterbury. Not to see the Cathedral, but to run the 10 mile road race. The course is undulating through the Kent countryside and it’s a good way to kick start my running in January. The weather is usually quite temperamental for the race day, but this year it was particularly bad with gale force winds and lashing rain with some deep puddles on the run course.
After a 3 hour hilly bike ride on Saturday my legs felt tired before the start and I wasn’t looking forward to running for an hour in the rain. The first couple of miles were tough, but about 3 miles into the race I’ve managed to get into a steady rhythm and was running at a reasonable pace. A couple of runners went past me in the last 2 miles and I wasn’t able to increase my effort to go with them, so in the end I was content to finish in 22nd place in 1:02:22. It’s only 20 seconds quicker than last time I run this race in 2007, but given the conditions I’m happy to have given it a 100% effort.
In the last blog entry I’ve mentioned that I’ve changed my training approach this year and promised a bit more detail, so here it is:
I’m focusing more on quality of training than before. In practice it means that I’ve cut out most of the “junk mileage” I used to do. Gone are the runs to the pool, easy bike rides with no purpose and the endless coffee stops. Every session has a purpose. It doesn’t mean always going hard, but most sessions have a speed, strength or technique element. I also try to mix longer aerobic efforts with some fast repetitions to target different muscle groups and energy systems. I’ve also cut out most rest days. I think the idea of rest days mostly comes from single sport background and I’ve used them to a good effect when I was only running. I think in triathlon training gives you the opportunity to target different muscle groups in different sports and as long as you’re not always stressing the body aerobically you don’t really need complete rest days and by resting completely you’re not only not recovering as effectively but also wasting an opportunity for some valuable training. I get pretty tired sometimes, but by keeping the overload moderate at the moment I can manage fatigue and it doesn’t seem to be adversely affecting my training levels.
I’m just finalising my race schedule for 2009 and I should be able to post it in the next update.
Mike.