Ironman Eve
It's the day before and I have just checked in my bike and my transition bags. Nervous times, as if you get this wrong, I might have to head out on the run in my cycling shoes or half naked. But after triple checking everything, I should be right.
It is a beautiful day down here today. Unfortunately, it is not predicted to hold out. At the briefing this morning they told us that some drizzle is expected tomorrow morning, turning to rain in the afternoon, and possibly heavy in the evening. Local farmers are over the moon, visiting triathletes not so much. Why oh why couldn't it be today?!?
Nevertheless, the show must go on. Actually, my biggest concern is that ankle has flared up a little in the last 24 hours. Not too bad, but just feels a bit tender and swollen. I am sure it will be OK, but you can't help dwell on these things as you just wait around.
This morning I went for an easy 15min swim out on the lake. I'm looking forward to the swim now, after some trepidation with my lack of sea swims lately. But the lakes is beautifully clear, which will make a difference, and not having to put up with 'sea water mouth' is so much better. After that went on a 30min bike and a 15min run just to remind the body what it will be doing tomorrow. Nothing left to do now but have an early dinner and hopefully get some sleep tonight.
It's an early start tomorrow, with the alarm set for 4.45am. Will try to get down to the transition area around 5.30am, giving myself plenty of time to get ready and for any "oh shit, I left such-and-such behind"! And then it will be time to get in the water for a short warm up swim before lining up and waiting for the gun....
Thanks for all the messages, I'll try to do my best for you all tomorrow. I look forward to updating you all next week on my IronSam experience.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Week minus 0: The Final Countdown
Not much can be done now, just make sure I have everything packed tonight, and hope that the weather will be OK. But it doesn't look too good on that front at the moment! The forecast is:
Rain developing, heavy falls possible. Northerlies strengthening.
On the plus side, if it is northerlies it shouldn't be cold and if they are strengthening during the day that could help on the return legs of the bike.
This week I went for a couple of short swims (1km) at the start of the week and a nice dip in the hot tub afterwards. On Tuesday I took the bike in for a pre-race tune-up, though when I went to pick it up after work they didn't have it ready, someone mistakenly had it in for a Wednesday pick up - which meant I had to run home. And on that run home I was looking to cross the road and missed a hose laid across the footpath. I came right down on that hose and rolled my ankle. It was very painful at first and you can just imagine the thoughts going through my head. I limped across the road and tenderly tried to walk it off. And can certainly thank my resilient body, as I was running again in very short order. Phew!!
Went for an easy 1hr spin on the bike tonight before packing the car (there's a lot of stuff!) - no, not the mini, I have got a work car - and all that is left to do is drive down tomorrow morning and get prepared for Saturday. Am I nervous? At the moment, I don't think so - and that's got me a little nervous! Plenty of "what ifs" are running through my head though. The weather of course, but also things like "what if my nutrition plan goes wrong", "what if I get a puncture", "what if I go of course on the swim and find myself at Turangi" - really helpful stuff! And I keep on imaging (well, I hope I do) lots of little niggles in my joints and muscles. Of course, there isn't much I can do about any of that stuff, I just have to trust my training.
Thanks for all your well-wishes, and look forward to writing up the race report when I get back next week. Though, a warning for you all, the photos might be ugly!
Not much can be done now, just make sure I have everything packed tonight, and hope that the weather will be OK. But it doesn't look too good on that front at the moment! The forecast is:
Rain developing, heavy falls possible. Northerlies strengthening.
On the plus side, if it is northerlies it shouldn't be cold and if they are strengthening during the day that could help on the return legs of the bike.
This week I went for a couple of short swims (1km) at the start of the week and a nice dip in the hot tub afterwards. On Tuesday I took the bike in for a pre-race tune-up, though when I went to pick it up after work they didn't have it ready, someone mistakenly had it in for a Wednesday pick up - which meant I had to run home. And on that run home I was looking to cross the road and missed a hose laid across the footpath. I came right down on that hose and rolled my ankle. It was very painful at first and you can just imagine the thoughts going through my head. I limped across the road and tenderly tried to walk it off. And can certainly thank my resilient body, as I was running again in very short order. Phew!!
Went for an easy 1hr spin on the bike tonight before packing the car (there's a lot of stuff!) - no, not the mini, I have got a work car - and all that is left to do is drive down tomorrow morning and get prepared for Saturday. Am I nervous? At the moment, I don't think so - and that's got me a little nervous! Plenty of "what ifs" are running through my head though. The weather of course, but also things like "what if my nutrition plan goes wrong", "what if I get a puncture", "what if I go of course on the swim and find myself at Turangi" - really helpful stuff! And I keep on imaging (well, I hope I do) lots of little niggles in my joints and muscles. Of course, there isn't much I can do about any of that stuff, I just have to trust my training.
Thanks for all your well-wishes, and look forward to writing up the race report when I get back next week. Though, a warning for you all, the photos might be ugly!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Week minus 1: Tapering
The tapering finally arrived. It is quite a weird feeling. After much higher training hours over previous weeks, despite knowing that the tapering is good for me, it is hard not to feel like I'm being lazy. The week consisted of a couple of 2km swims, a 45km ride, a short interval run and an easy 90min run (where it was quite hard to keep a slow pace - the running has definitely come along nicely). And at the end of the week there was a little treat, a 45min sports massage.
For the final weekend, I had planned a combo session on Saturday morning, including a 60min sea swim and then just a 2hr ride on the Sunday. But the weather gods were definitely against me. Saturday was an absolutely right off as a tropical depression battered the top of the North Island.
While thankful that this weather didn't hit next weekend (or one of the big training weekends), it has also crept in bad 'what if' thoughts about the weather for the big day. This is certainly not the sort of weather map you want to be looking at a week before the Ironman!
So on Saturday morning, for the first time I pulled out the indoor trainer for the bike and did 45kms in the garage. It was only for 75min (as opposed to 2hrs), but it is pretty tough on the indoor training as you are constantly pedaling without the momentum you get from a normal ride. Plus, without any wind, it gets pretty hot and sweaty. I then had a lazy Saturday and just watched the last ODI between the Black Caps and England on the TV (thumbs up for free-to-air Prime - who needs Sky).
Sunday I was hopeful for some improvement in the weather so that I could get out for my sea swim. Waking up in the morning, it was certainly calmer and wasn't raining, but driving out along the eastern bays, it still looked pretty choppy out there. And though the water was less than appealing, I didn't want to head into the pool and decided to brave it. It started off OK - despite having to dodge a fair bit of seaweed - but the longer I was out there, the bigger the swell got and I was rolling around quite a bit amongst the white caps. Move than once I thought Rich was right - "nutter"! I managed 50 minutes in the end, but after all that I wasn't going to be jumping on the bike - especially with the road looking really greasy, it just wasn't worth the risk of crashing coming around a tight corner. So it was back to the garage for another sweaty 60min ride on the indoor trainer.
In the end, this forced lay-off will probably do me even more good, so I am not too worried about it all. This week's 'training' is all very light, just gentle reminders to the body of what it will be doing on Saturday. A couple of 1km swims, a short run, a short ride, a tune-up for the bike and a much needed haircut. Nutritionally, there is a focus on protein at the start of the week to help muscle repair and then on carbohydrates later in the week for some carbo loading. As well as heaps of water and heavily salting my meals to help hydration.
We drive down to Taupo on Thursday morning to register. Friday morning there is a compulsory briefing and hopefully some information about how the transitions and support stations will work. And then I will go for a 500m swim in the lake (and work out what the 'sighters' for the buoys are), a 30min bike and a 10min jog. All that will be left to do then is to have an early dinner (so that nature can take its course before the race the next morning) and a quiet night. Hopefully I'll sleep OK, though the night before isn't as important as getting sleep the two nights or so before that. And I will always be able to console myself if I sleep poorly by looking at all other competitors on the start line who would have also had a sleepless night.
Start time is 7am, so it will be an early start for me, probably before 5am to have some breakfast and getting down to the start line so I have plenty of time to get myself organised - though there isn't much to do as the bike and everything for the transitions has to be dropped off the night before. I have race number 408, and you can follow how I am going on race day at http://www.ironmanlive.com/. So, the big question is - what are my expectations?
At the moment, my stretch goal is to go under 12 hours. I've got a history of achieving my stretch goals, but considering my preparation my pick is that I probably wont be able to do it this time, but we will see.
I'll post another update on Wednesday before heading down, and if I can piggy-back off someones wireless I'll let you know how I'm feeling the night before. Until then, my fingers will be well and truly crossed following the weather forecasts during the week.
P.S. Just got back from an easy 45min evening run under a calm blue sky and alongside a harbour as flat as a pancake - grrrrrrrrrr!
The tapering finally arrived. It is quite a weird feeling. After much higher training hours over previous weeks, despite knowing that the tapering is good for me, it is hard not to feel like I'm being lazy. The week consisted of a couple of 2km swims, a 45km ride, a short interval run and an easy 90min run (where it was quite hard to keep a slow pace - the running has definitely come along nicely). And at the end of the week there was a little treat, a 45min sports massage.
For the final weekend, I had planned a combo session on Saturday morning, including a 60min sea swim and then just a 2hr ride on the Sunday. But the weather gods were definitely against me. Saturday was an absolutely right off as a tropical depression battered the top of the North Island.
While thankful that this weather didn't hit next weekend (or one of the big training weekends), it has also crept in bad 'what if' thoughts about the weather for the big day. This is certainly not the sort of weather map you want to be looking at a week before the Ironman!So on Saturday morning, for the first time I pulled out the indoor trainer for the bike and did 45kms in the garage. It was only for 75min (as opposed to 2hrs), but it is pretty tough on the indoor training as you are constantly pedaling without the momentum you get from a normal ride. Plus, without any wind, it gets pretty hot and sweaty. I then had a lazy Saturday and just watched the last ODI between the Black Caps and England on the TV (thumbs up for free-to-air Prime - who needs Sky).
Sunday I was hopeful for some improvement in the weather so that I could get out for my sea swim. Waking up in the morning, it was certainly calmer and wasn't raining, but driving out along the eastern bays, it still looked pretty choppy out there. And though the water was less than appealing, I didn't want to head into the pool and decided to brave it. It started off OK - despite having to dodge a fair bit of seaweed - but the longer I was out there, the bigger the swell got and I was rolling around quite a bit amongst the white caps. Move than once I thought Rich was right - "nutter"! I managed 50 minutes in the end, but after all that I wasn't going to be jumping on the bike - especially with the road looking really greasy, it just wasn't worth the risk of crashing coming around a tight corner. So it was back to the garage for another sweaty 60min ride on the indoor trainer.
In the end, this forced lay-off will probably do me even more good, so I am not too worried about it all. This week's 'training' is all very light, just gentle reminders to the body of what it will be doing on Saturday. A couple of 1km swims, a short run, a short ride, a tune-up for the bike and a much needed haircut. Nutritionally, there is a focus on protein at the start of the week to help muscle repair and then on carbohydrates later in the week for some carbo loading. As well as heaps of water and heavily salting my meals to help hydration.
We drive down to Taupo on Thursday morning to register. Friday morning there is a compulsory briefing and hopefully some information about how the transitions and support stations will work. And then I will go for a 500m swim in the lake (and work out what the 'sighters' for the buoys are), a 30min bike and a 10min jog. All that will be left to do then is to have an early dinner (so that nature can take its course before the race the next morning) and a quiet night. Hopefully I'll sleep OK, though the night before isn't as important as getting sleep the two nights or so before that. And I will always be able to console myself if I sleep poorly by looking at all other competitors on the start line who would have also had a sleepless night.
Start time is 7am, so it will be an early start for me, probably before 5am to have some breakfast and getting down to the start line so I have plenty of time to get myself organised - though there isn't much to do as the bike and everything for the transitions has to be dropped off the night before. I have race number 408, and you can follow how I am going on race day at http://www.ironmanlive.com/. So, the big question is - what are my expectations?
At the moment, my stretch goal is to go under 12 hours. I've got a history of achieving my stretch goals, but considering my preparation my pick is that I probably wont be able to do it this time, but we will see.
- For the swim, I am thinking my goal time would be 1hr10mins, though I am thinking I am more likely to be around 1hr15min - depending of course I much distance I add to the 3.8km with my wayward swimming.
- I certainly wont be rushing through T1, especially as some machiavellian organiser has put in a 400m run from the lake to the transition tents. I'll be making sure I dry myself well so that I don't get too cold at the start of the ride (something I am quite worried about) and getting comfortable in my bike gears. There are helpers in the transition tents for all this - they even put sun cream on for you. So I'll be happy to take 10 minutes or so in there.
- My goal time for the bike is 6hrs, so an average speed of 30kph. This will depend on what the climbs are like and how strong any wind is. But I also have to be careful that I don't push too hard that it hurts me later. So I would be happy if the bike time extends out to 6hr15min, but in the right conditions I do think a sub-6hr ride is possible for me.
- T2 will be pretty slow for me as well, as I'll be having a full change of clothing, again making sure I am comfortable before I head out. So this might take me anywhere between 5-10 minutes.
- Then comes the run, and this is the big unknown. My running feels good, so in the back of my mind I think there is a potential to run a sub-4hr marathon. However, this could just as easily by 5hrs+. If I want to make my sub-12hrs goal, then I will probably have to do it in around 4hr15min, so we will just have to see. I will try to focus on keeping on running and enjoying it - if that is possible.
I'll post another update on Wednesday before heading down, and if I can piggy-back off someones wireless I'll let you know how I'm feeling the night before. Until then, my fingers will be well and truly crossed following the weather forecasts during the week.
P.S. Just got back from an easy 45min evening run under a calm blue sky and alongside a harbour as flat as a pancake - grrrrrrrrrr!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Week minus 2: Faster
The body has been showing the effects of wear and tear this week from all the training. I started the week feeling very average indeed, with a lot of fatigue and headaches later in the day. I had a brief coldsore at the base of my nose, I've got ulcers in my tongue, and my middle toes have developed funny little blisters on the end of them. So the week didn't start well as I took an unscheduled day off on Monday and dropped my short run training session. However, things got better through the week.
Coming down from the peak distances of the previous couple of weeks, I decided that the training sessions would be at a higher intensity to really test where my fitness is at. On Wednesday night I charged out on my short ride and maintained an average speed of 31kph over the 37km ride (which includes a couple of climbs). And on Thursday night, I also spat out a 1hr39min Half Marathon, and did so quite comfortably with plenty of running left in the legs at the end.
Saturday was a funny day weather wise. The afternoon was predictions of thunder storms and hail, which wasn't so pleasing as I was being forced to train later in the day because of the timing of the tides - either that or go for a sea swim at 4am! In fact, I nearly threw in the sea swim altogether. Parking up at Kohimarama Bay (my usual spot), the sea was looking particularly angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to return soup at a deli. But I decided I had to toughen up and just get out there. And it was pretty choppy and I got thrown about a bit, but I was pretty happy I still managed 40 minutes out there. I then followed this up with a 1hr30min bike and then a 75min run, all of which was without the presense of any that forecast weather.
Sunday was my last big ride, 5 hours out and around my normal Clevedon/Maraetai loop. It didn't start all that well, with a puncture about an hour in. On reflection, it was probably good to have a practice of changing a tube (though fingers crossed that I won't be needing it come March 1st), though the resulting dirty fingers don't make feeding myself an appetising proposition for the rest of the ride. Apart from that it was a really good ride, and I managed an average speed of 29kph over the 145km - not bad for riding by yourself and with a few climbs. In fact, I was looking at maintaining 30kph until the Whitford hills got the better of me. And holding the aero position is a lot more comfortable than it was a few weeks ago. Though I was reminded what a bunch of idiots this country is full of, when someone threw a bottle (plastic) at me when they drove past - they missed, which was just as well as I was travelling at 45kph at the time and I wouldn't have wanted to come off. Arriving home, I put on the running shoes and headed out for a 30 minute run - I wasn't setting any records, but it didn't feel absolutely horrible either. Actually, it was when I stopped that I didn't feel so good - the legs were very wobbly. So that seems to be the learn for the big day - don't stop running!
So now the taper is here - yay! Been looking forward to this for a while. Still keep the same number of training sessions, but of a much reduced length - e.g. for long ride next weekend is only 2 hours. My body will certainly appreciate the recovery, here's hoping it will be in good knick in less than two weeks time.
The body has been showing the effects of wear and tear this week from all the training. I started the week feeling very average indeed, with a lot of fatigue and headaches later in the day. I had a brief coldsore at the base of my nose, I've got ulcers in my tongue, and my middle toes have developed funny little blisters on the end of them. So the week didn't start well as I took an unscheduled day off on Monday and dropped my short run training session. However, things got better through the week.
Coming down from the peak distances of the previous couple of weeks, I decided that the training sessions would be at a higher intensity to really test where my fitness is at. On Wednesday night I charged out on my short ride and maintained an average speed of 31kph over the 37km ride (which includes a couple of climbs). And on Thursday night, I also spat out a 1hr39min Half Marathon, and did so quite comfortably with plenty of running left in the legs at the end.
Saturday was a funny day weather wise. The afternoon was predictions of thunder storms and hail, which wasn't so pleasing as I was being forced to train later in the day because of the timing of the tides - either that or go for a sea swim at 4am! In fact, I nearly threw in the sea swim altogether. Parking up at Kohimarama Bay (my usual spot), the sea was looking particularly angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to return soup at a deli. But I decided I had to toughen up and just get out there. And it was pretty choppy and I got thrown about a bit, but I was pretty happy I still managed 40 minutes out there. I then followed this up with a 1hr30min bike and then a 75min run, all of which was without the presense of any that forecast weather.
Sunday was my last big ride, 5 hours out and around my normal Clevedon/Maraetai loop. It didn't start all that well, with a puncture about an hour in. On reflection, it was probably good to have a practice of changing a tube (though fingers crossed that I won't be needing it come March 1st), though the resulting dirty fingers don't make feeding myself an appetising proposition for the rest of the ride. Apart from that it was a really good ride, and I managed an average speed of 29kph over the 145km - not bad for riding by yourself and with a few climbs. In fact, I was looking at maintaining 30kph until the Whitford hills got the better of me. And holding the aero position is a lot more comfortable than it was a few weeks ago. Though I was reminded what a bunch of idiots this country is full of, when someone threw a bottle (plastic) at me when they drove past - they missed, which was just as well as I was travelling at 45kph at the time and I wouldn't have wanted to come off. Arriving home, I put on the running shoes and headed out for a 30 minute run - I wasn't setting any records, but it didn't feel absolutely horrible either. Actually, it was when I stopped that I didn't feel so good - the legs were very wobbly. So that seems to be the learn for the big day - don't stop running!
So now the taper is here - yay! Been looking forward to this for a while. Still keep the same number of training sessions, but of a much reduced length - e.g. for long ride next weekend is only 2 hours. My body will certainly appreciate the recovery, here's hoping it will be in good knick in less than two weeks time.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
PJ Harvey
On Wednesday night Anna and I went with Stu and Fritha to the PJ Harvey concert that was up here in Auckland. Now, PJ Harvey you say? Well, Stu & Fritha were coming up to go and I was did know her more grungy music from the 90s and I thought it would be something different to go to. And well pleased we did.
PJ Harvey is a very experimental artist and during the concert you couldn't help but to be struck by how talented she is - moving from a variety of different instruments and a variety of different genres. The songs on the piano from her latest album - White Chalk - were particularly enchanting.
Both of us were very happy we went to see her. It might not the music I will typically listen to on my iPod (though will be more now), but if I am going to pay to see someone live, I would prefer to see real musical genius rather than an under-performed over-produced sound I can get straight from an album.
The review from the NZ Herald
On Wednesday night Anna and I went with Stu and Fritha to the PJ Harvey concert that was up here in Auckland. Now, PJ Harvey you say? Well, Stu & Fritha were coming up to go and I was did know her more grungy music from the 90s and I thought it would be something different to go to. And well pleased we did.PJ Harvey is a very experimental artist and during the concert you couldn't help but to be struck by how talented she is - moving from a variety of different instruments and a variety of different genres. The songs on the piano from her latest album - White Chalk - were particularly enchanting.
Both of us were very happy we went to see her. It might not the music I will typically listen to on my iPod (though will be more now), but if I am going to pay to see someone live, I would prefer to see real musical genius rather than an under-performed over-produced sound I can get straight from an album.
The review from the NZ Herald
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Week minus 3: Tiring
A very frustrating end to the week!
It all started very well. I extended my long swim to 4km this week and I felt good in all my shorter training sessions. Come Thursday morning, I decided that I would go for a 3hr30min long run. The run itself went well enough, though it was pretty hard and I was pretty knackered afterwards - just as well I didn't have anything planned for the next couple of days.
In fact Saturday would be my first morning that I didn't wake up to the alarm for quite some time - it is a bit depressing sometimes when you are getting up earlier in the weekend than you do during the week! But typically, despite there being no alarm, I didn't sleep much past 7am. On all of Saturday I felt pretty lethargic- and I now question the wisdom of that long Thursday run. Later in the afternoon, I even joined Anna on an 'easy' ride. I could hardly get my legs moving though and I could have just about gone to sleep on the bike.
So I was hoping that these two days of rest would put me in good stead for the ocean swim on Sunday morning. But I never got to test this out....
Getting up early Sunday morning and getting myself ready, to weather was looking a little dodgy. Driving down to the start at St Helliers, I was quickly told that it had been cancelled. And it was pretty understandable why. Some wild weather was about - light rain and some really strong winds. So out went my plans for my big training day - and by the looks of it, I wasn't the only one. There were a few hardy souls who we're still heading out into the water, but the idea of chugging back sea water for an hour wasn't doing much for me. So reluctantly, I had to go to Plan B - though it was very tempting to just go back to bed, there is nothing like having your training plans go awry - very frustrating!
So I headed down to the pool and did my 3.5km there - not the same as the test run the open water swim would have done for me, but I still wanted to do my pseudo 'Half Ironman' hit out. I timed my swim for one of the few times, and I am little surprised how slow my swimming still appears to be. I did the 3.5km in 1hr6min, which probably isn't too bad, but I definitely seem to be a slower swimmer than I was when I first left NZ. I'm not sure whether it is a technique problem or just my stroke rate? Not much I can do about it now, but in retrospect I could have focused a bit more on technique in my training.
Getting back home, the weather was still pretty wild and the prospect of getting on the bike wasn't very appealing. But I knew I had to, so I saddled up and headed out. The wind was pretty crazy, and head-on it was difficult to just keep the speedo above 20kph. It ended up taking 3hr20min to complete the 90km, which is a little slow, but with the wind the way it was, I can't reflect on that too much.
Typically, with what would have been perfect running conditions, no sooner had I headed out to pound the pavement did the weather calm down, the skies open up and it was hot and sunny. Nevertheless, I actually felt very good during the whole run and it was the most encouraging aspect of the whole day. I ended up completing the half marathon distance (21.1km) is 1hr50min, which I am very happy about. I ran at a pace I felt comfortable and easily could have kept going. I can't see myself running a sub-4hr marathon in the Ironman - but I'm feeling a lot better about what will be toughest part of the race. On the run I also trialed out eating potato crisps and pretzels, as these will be available at the aid stations and are suppose to be good for getting your salt levels up (to avoid dehydration). I certainly got some weird looks running along the road popping chippies in the mouth or with a pretzel stick hanging out my mouth like a cigar. But they seemed to go down OK, so that is another tick for the preparations.
What didn't go so well was the trying out of the all important night-before dinner. I have been wanting to try something else other than the usual pasta - as it can often make you feel a bit stuffed the night before. I found a recipe for a Rice Pilau with spinach, spring onions and herbs and thought it could be a good replacement. But it turns out that it didn't work at all. I was very bloated all day and was getting plenty of turbo blasts from the 'back engine'. So back to the drawing board on that one, and I might have to revert to the tried-and-true pasta dish.
So only one more week of full-on training before the two week taper - and man am I looking forward to that! I'm definitely suffering a little from training fatigue at the moment, and tiredness is my ever present companion. So if I can just get through this week - which won't be as tough as the previous two - I can then start looking forward to the big day.
A very frustrating end to the week!
It all started very well. I extended my long swim to 4km this week and I felt good in all my shorter training sessions. Come Thursday morning, I decided that I would go for a 3hr30min long run. The run itself went well enough, though it was pretty hard and I was pretty knackered afterwards - just as well I didn't have anything planned for the next couple of days.
In fact Saturday would be my first morning that I didn't wake up to the alarm for quite some time - it is a bit depressing sometimes when you are getting up earlier in the weekend than you do during the week! But typically, despite there being no alarm, I didn't sleep much past 7am. On all of Saturday I felt pretty lethargic- and I now question the wisdom of that long Thursday run. Later in the afternoon, I even joined Anna on an 'easy' ride. I could hardly get my legs moving though and I could have just about gone to sleep on the bike.
So I was hoping that these two days of rest would put me in good stead for the ocean swim on Sunday morning. But I never got to test this out....
Getting up early Sunday morning and getting myself ready, to weather was looking a little dodgy. Driving down to the start at St Helliers, I was quickly told that it had been cancelled. And it was pretty understandable why. Some wild weather was about - light rain and some really strong winds. So out went my plans for my big training day - and by the looks of it, I wasn't the only one. There were a few hardy souls who we're still heading out into the water, but the idea of chugging back sea water for an hour wasn't doing much for me. So reluctantly, I had to go to Plan B - though it was very tempting to just go back to bed, there is nothing like having your training plans go awry - very frustrating!
So I headed down to the pool and did my 3.5km there - not the same as the test run the open water swim would have done for me, but I still wanted to do my pseudo 'Half Ironman' hit out. I timed my swim for one of the few times, and I am little surprised how slow my swimming still appears to be. I did the 3.5km in 1hr6min, which probably isn't too bad, but I definitely seem to be a slower swimmer than I was when I first left NZ. I'm not sure whether it is a technique problem or just my stroke rate? Not much I can do about it now, but in retrospect I could have focused a bit more on technique in my training.
Getting back home, the weather was still pretty wild and the prospect of getting on the bike wasn't very appealing. But I knew I had to, so I saddled up and headed out. The wind was pretty crazy, and head-on it was difficult to just keep the speedo above 20kph. It ended up taking 3hr20min to complete the 90km, which is a little slow, but with the wind the way it was, I can't reflect on that too much.
Typically, with what would have been perfect running conditions, no sooner had I headed out to pound the pavement did the weather calm down, the skies open up and it was hot and sunny. Nevertheless, I actually felt very good during the whole run and it was the most encouraging aspect of the whole day. I ended up completing the half marathon distance (21.1km) is 1hr50min, which I am very happy about. I ran at a pace I felt comfortable and easily could have kept going. I can't see myself running a sub-4hr marathon in the Ironman - but I'm feeling a lot better about what will be toughest part of the race. On the run I also trialed out eating potato crisps and pretzels, as these will be available at the aid stations and are suppose to be good for getting your salt levels up (to avoid dehydration). I certainly got some weird looks running along the road popping chippies in the mouth or with a pretzel stick hanging out my mouth like a cigar. But they seemed to go down OK, so that is another tick for the preparations.
What didn't go so well was the trying out of the all important night-before dinner. I have been wanting to try something else other than the usual pasta - as it can often make you feel a bit stuffed the night before. I found a recipe for a Rice Pilau with spinach, spring onions and herbs and thought it could be a good replacement. But it turns out that it didn't work at all. I was very bloated all day and was getting plenty of turbo blasts from the 'back engine'. So back to the drawing board on that one, and I might have to revert to the tried-and-true pasta dish.
So only one more week of full-on training before the two week taper - and man am I looking forward to that! I'm definitely suffering a little from training fatigue at the moment, and tiredness is my ever present companion. So if I can just get through this week - which won't be as tough as the previous two - I can then start looking forward to the big day.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
The Ponsonby Cafe Files: Richmond Rd Cafe
With the prospect of "Pub Watch" reviews short in supply back in NZ, I'm starting a new series on the superb cafes around Ponsonby - all within walking distance of our place.
The first entry suitable goes to the Metro 2007 Best Cafe winner, Richmond Rd Cafe. From their October edition:
"Cafe is a study in contemporary urban chic, with sharply modernist décor, attentive service, lots of magazines (all of them glossy), a big balcony and a leafy, picture-window outlook. The food and coffee are superb. With close-packed tables and all that über-cool."
And it certainly lived up to its reputation, being one of the best cafe brunches we have ever had. The flat whites were strong and delicious and it too some restraint to order another straight after the last gulp. Anna ordered the bianci di spagna beans, with chorizo on sour dough, and I the breakfast grill, which came with no less than 2 poached eggs on toast, 2 rashers of bacon, 5 mushrooms, 6 tomatoes, a kumara rosti and 2 large pieces of the most delicious black pudding I've tasted (Jabs - this was up there with the black pudding at Gleneagles). In fact, all the servings we saw come out were nice and large, something that can be of a rare quality at many cafes.
It was so good, it is going to be difficult to continue this series as we will want go back there each time!
With the prospect of "Pub Watch" reviews short in supply back in NZ, I'm starting a new series on the superb cafes around Ponsonby - all within walking distance of our place.
The first entry suitable goes to the Metro 2007 Best Cafe winner, Richmond Rd Cafe. From their October edition:"Cafe is a study in contemporary urban chic, with sharply modernist décor, attentive service, lots of magazines (all of them glossy), a big balcony and a leafy, picture-window outlook. The food and coffee are superb. With close-packed tables and all that über-cool."
And it certainly lived up to its reputation, being one of the best cafe brunches we have ever had. The flat whites were strong and delicious and it too some restraint to order another straight after the last gulp. Anna ordered the bianci di spagna beans, with chorizo on sour dough, and I the breakfast grill, which came with no less than 2 poached eggs on toast, 2 rashers of bacon, 5 mushrooms, 6 tomatoes, a kumara rosti and 2 large pieces of the most delicious black pudding I've tasted (Jabs - this was up there with the black pudding at Gleneagles). In fact, all the servings we saw come out were nice and large, something that can be of a rare quality at many cafes.
It was so good, it is going to be difficult to continue this series as we will want go back there each time!
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Waitangi Day at the Hockey
Leaving the 7s to the debauchery and the T20 to the farce that was Eden Park, I decided to do my bit for minority sport in NZ and went along to the Men's Hockey Olympic Qualifying Tournament that is on this week on the North Shore. The 'Black Sticks' are competing with five other teams for the last spot at the Beijing Olympics.
On a scorching day, Rate & Tom joined me in the stands as we cheered on NZ against Argentina, the two top ranked teams in tournament, and at that stage the only two unbeaten teams. Unfortunately our patronage was not enough as the Argentineans were worthy victors 3-1. NZ are still likely to play them again in the final on Sunday, but they will have a lot of work to do if they are to get the better of the 7th-ranked team in the world (NZ are 10th).
We stayed on to watch the Ireland play USA afterwards, and though the quality wasn't the same, there were plenty of goals to see. All one-sided though, as the Paddy's trounced the Yanks 8-0.
Was an enjoyable (and different) way to spend the afternoon, the hockey is fast and surprisingly physical. Though I didn't see anyone employing the one-handed hit and sprint used so effectively by myself in my one season of 6-a-side hockey a few years ago - strange that. Men's hockey also seems notable for being somewhat popular with an array of rather attractive young ladies, so even more reason to go in the future. Of course, I just go for the sport....
Leaving the 7s to the debauchery and the T20 to the farce that was Eden Park, I decided to do my bit for minority sport in NZ and went along to the Men's Hockey Olympic Qualifying Tournament that is on this week on the North Shore. The 'Black Sticks' are competing with five other teams for the last spot at the Beijing Olympics.On a scorching day, Rate & Tom joined me in the stands as we cheered on NZ against Argentina, the two top ranked teams in tournament, and at that stage the only two unbeaten teams. Unfortunately our patronage was not enough as the Argentineans were worthy victors 3-1. NZ are still likely to play them again in the final on Sunday, but they will have a lot of work to do if they are to get the better of the 7th-ranked team in the world (NZ are 10th).
We stayed on to watch the Ireland play USA afterwards, and though the quality wasn't the same, there were plenty of goals to see. All one-sided though, as the Paddy's trounced the Yanks 8-0.
Was an enjoyable (and different) way to spend the afternoon, the hockey is fast and surprisingly physical. Though I didn't see anyone employing the one-handed hit and sprint used so effectively by myself in my one season of 6-a-side hockey a few years ago - strange that. Men's hockey also seems notable for being somewhat popular with an array of rather attractive young ladies, so even more reason to go in the future. Of course, I just go for the sport....
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Week minus 4: Encouraging
Another big week of training and I feel pretty good at the end of it. Though I had another episode which nearly saw me not here at all. It was at the end of my Wednesday ride, where I was doing my good citizen bit and waiting for a green light, which when eventually got, I was nearly taken out by some stupid blond bimbo who must have gone through the red light from about 20 metres back. I was just lucky that I heard the swerve of the tyres and was able to kick the breaks and twist my wheel, without that the only Ironman I might have been doing might have been that bolting my body back together.
Fortunately I survived and was able to head out the next morning for my long run - which I have now stretched out to 3 hours. Probably felt the best I have yet on these long runs, and even included a couple of hills into the run for good measure. My dilemma now is whether to extend the long run...longer. I have read advise that you don't need to run more than 3 hours in training, as the benefits for your fitness probably isn't worth the strain you put on your body. However, when I trained for the Edinburgh Marathon I included a 3hr 30min training run and I am tempted to do the same now. I've got a shorter long run planned for this week, so I've got a week or so to think about that one.
Saturday I had to go out for the combo training session early as the tides were against me. But that made for a beautiful swim at around 7am with the sea was near dead flat. Just a shorter combo session this week, with a 40min swim, 1hr 30min bike, and 45min run. But encouragingly, the whole session felt really comfortable and I could have easily kept going at the end of it.
Sunday was another long ride - this time I planned on riding the full 180kms. My second 6am wake up of the weekend and I was out on the bike before 7am. I was also using this ride to trial my eating plan for the Ironman. The bike is considered a "rolling buffet", where you try to get into your body as much carbohydrates as possible. Based upon my weight, that's suppose to be around 450 grams, which I have tried to fill with the following menu:
4 x bottles of carbo/hydration sports drink
2 x bottles of water (minimum)
3 x powerbar gels
2 x powerbars (resemble chewing cardboard - yum!)
2 x muesli bars
1 x banana
2 x vegemite sandwichs (which might sound strange, but the vegemite is a good source of sodium - for hydration - and the savoury flavour is great amongst all the sweetness)
It works out that I have to eat something every 30 minutes and it is quite a stomachful. A few times I didn't really feel like eating, but it will be important that I load up for the marathon that will follow. The drink is the difficult part to replicate in training, as I have to find somewhere to refill my bottles. I am now pretty well educated on the proportion of properties that have taps at the front of their houses (not enough), and when they do, the proportion that have hoses attached (too many).
Along with battling the "rolling buffet" bulging out of my pockets, I also had my first run-in with the weather. Incredibly, for the first time in all this training - and this harks all the way back to November - I was rained on. It was probably only for an hour, but it did make the point to me that I will need to be prepared if this eventuates at Taupo, as it won't be as warm as it is in Auckland. I also found out that my bike computer doesn't seem to like the rain any more, as it went a little haywire. At first, it shut off completely, though after five minutes or so the speed reading started again - though jumped around from time to time. More concerning was that my cadence reading (my pedal revolutions) didn't work for around an hour. The cadence reading is quite important to me as I use it to help me select the appropriate gearing (especially on hills) and to monitor the effort I am putting in. I was worried that my computer was broken completely, so it was with relief that speeding down a steep hill at a clip under 80kph must have either dried it out or jolted it back into work. But I'm going to get a new battery for it anyway, just in case.
Apart from all these distractions, I ended up completing my big ride - though I can't say comfortably, the body was again pretty sore at the end. But I racked up 185km, and when I got home I quickly popped on the running shoes for 15 minute jog. I was surprised that my legs coped with this reasonably well and, except for a nasty steep street, I again felt pretty good.
So onwards and upwards for the last 4 weeks of training. This week again has another test at the end of it - I am entered in a 3.5km ocean swim, which I am going to use as a quasi Half Ironman, by going for a 90km ride and a half marathon run straight after it. I'll let you know how it went next week.
Another big week of training and I feel pretty good at the end of it. Though I had another episode which nearly saw me not here at all. It was at the end of my Wednesday ride, where I was doing my good citizen bit and waiting for a green light, which when eventually got, I was nearly taken out by some stupid blond bimbo who must have gone through the red light from about 20 metres back. I was just lucky that I heard the swerve of the tyres and was able to kick the breaks and twist my wheel, without that the only Ironman I might have been doing might have been that bolting my body back together.
Fortunately I survived and was able to head out the next morning for my long run - which I have now stretched out to 3 hours. Probably felt the best I have yet on these long runs, and even included a couple of hills into the run for good measure. My dilemma now is whether to extend the long run...longer. I have read advise that you don't need to run more than 3 hours in training, as the benefits for your fitness probably isn't worth the strain you put on your body. However, when I trained for the Edinburgh Marathon I included a 3hr 30min training run and I am tempted to do the same now. I've got a shorter long run planned for this week, so I've got a week or so to think about that one.
Saturday I had to go out for the combo training session early as the tides were against me. But that made for a beautiful swim at around 7am with the sea was near dead flat. Just a shorter combo session this week, with a 40min swim, 1hr 30min bike, and 45min run. But encouragingly, the whole session felt really comfortable and I could have easily kept going at the end of it.
Sunday was another long ride - this time I planned on riding the full 180kms. My second 6am wake up of the weekend and I was out on the bike before 7am. I was also using this ride to trial my eating plan for the Ironman. The bike is considered a "rolling buffet", where you try to get into your body as much carbohydrates as possible. Based upon my weight, that's suppose to be around 450 grams, which I have tried to fill with the following menu:
4 x bottles of carbo/hydration sports drink
2 x bottles of water (minimum)
3 x powerbar gels
2 x powerbars (resemble chewing cardboard - yum!)
2 x muesli bars
1 x banana
2 x vegemite sandwichs (which might sound strange, but the vegemite is a good source of sodium - for hydration - and the savoury flavour is great amongst all the sweetness)
It works out that I have to eat something every 30 minutes and it is quite a stomachful. A few times I didn't really feel like eating, but it will be important that I load up for the marathon that will follow. The drink is the difficult part to replicate in training, as I have to find somewhere to refill my bottles. I am now pretty well educated on the proportion of properties that have taps at the front of their houses (not enough), and when they do, the proportion that have hoses attached (too many).
Along with battling the "rolling buffet" bulging out of my pockets, I also had my first run-in with the weather. Incredibly, for the first time in all this training - and this harks all the way back to November - I was rained on. It was probably only for an hour, but it did make the point to me that I will need to be prepared if this eventuates at Taupo, as it won't be as warm as it is in Auckland. I also found out that my bike computer doesn't seem to like the rain any more, as it went a little haywire. At first, it shut off completely, though after five minutes or so the speed reading started again - though jumped around from time to time. More concerning was that my cadence reading (my pedal revolutions) didn't work for around an hour. The cadence reading is quite important to me as I use it to help me select the appropriate gearing (especially on hills) and to monitor the effort I am putting in. I was worried that my computer was broken completely, so it was with relief that speeding down a steep hill at a clip under 80kph must have either dried it out or jolted it back into work. But I'm going to get a new battery for it anyway, just in case.
Apart from all these distractions, I ended up completing my big ride - though I can't say comfortably, the body was again pretty sore at the end. But I racked up 185km, and when I got home I quickly popped on the running shoes for 15 minute jog. I was surprised that my legs coped with this reasonably well and, except for a nasty steep street, I again felt pretty good.
So onwards and upwards for the last 4 weeks of training. This week again has another test at the end of it - I am entered in a 3.5km ocean swim, which I am going to use as a quasi Half Ironman, by going for a 90km ride and a half marathon run straight after it. I'll let you know how it went next week.
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