tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83236708830619985182024-03-19T10:49:04.592+00:00My Ironman JourneyTraining, racing and thoughtsBryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-23157310627498852092018-09-23T20:52:00.002+01:002018-09-23T20:53:31.714+01:00Ironman ItalyNot my usual race report, and not one I particularly wanted to write either ...<br />
<br />
It’s been a long season. Ironman Lanzarote in May and then Ironman Italy in September means that you have to be fit and training properly all year. Full on. No messing. Fully focussed.<br />
<br />
However, the season hasn’t panned out as I’d hoped.<br />
<br />
Ironman Lanzarote was good, spoiled slightly by some over enthusiastic run pacing and giant blisters on both feet. Still, a race I was largely satisfied with.<br />
<br />
Ironman UK was next. However, despite lots of physio, an achilles injury picked up shortly after Lanzarote meant I couldn’t run at all so didn’t actually start the race.<br />
<br />
Not to worry, Ironman Italy would be my redemption. Ironman number 14. Still troubled by the achilles, run training was limited to 30 minute sessions. Despite this, I was convinced that with some smart race management, a solid race was on the cards. A sub-11 hour finish was definitely on, with my eyes secretly fixed on a sub-10.30 finish time.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to the race.<br />
<br />
The swim was hard. I felt tired from the gun. My chest was tight and I struggled to breath. Despite it being a rolling start, I swam through loads of people who had (perhaps optimistically) put themselves in the sub-60 minute swim category. I tried all sorts in a vain attempt to make myself feel better. Longer strokes, slower swimming, drafting swimmers, loosening my wetsuit. No, no good, I still felt off. Getting a few jellyfish stings on the face didn’t help either!<br />
<br />
I finished the swim, not knowing what time I had done, and made the long, long run through transition. Looking back, a 54 minute swim was actually pretty good and one I should be pleased with.<br />
<br />
Out onto the bike. Onto the aero bars. Keeping it easy for the first hour to build into the race. Heart rate would not come down. My Garmin watch has this feature that gives you a rating of your current form, based on your heart rate and power. After 10 or 15 minutes, the rating flashed up on my watch. Minus 4.<br />
<br />
I could not get comfortable on the bike. My upper body ached when I tucked in to my time trial position. I could tell you more tales of woe, about the cramping in my calves, cramping in my upper leg / groin, delicate stomach, the boiling temperatures, the large patches of white salt crystals on my race kit etc etc. After about 120k I was losing the fight. I got up, out of the aero position, sat up and pedalled. I was probably still rolling at 32kph - until the headwind struck - wanting to get back to transition.<br />
<br />
There were dark moments during this stretch, particularly as the strong headwind whipped up. I fought with myself to keep going, telling myself that I would feel better when I got back to transition (although I’m not sure I believed it).<br />
<br />
Coming into transition, almost certain I was going to pull out, I see supporters. Lynn’s sister and brother in law were there cheering - so out came my smile and a wave, pretending all was well. Afterwards they would tell me that they knew something was amiss. Past Mike and the RaceForce crew - more waving and smiling, more pretending.<br />
<br />
Into transition then.<br />
<br />
Sat on a bench, head in hands, trying to summon up some energy and some positivity. Had an emergency mars bar from my transition bag, hoping that might help. Put fresh socks and my run shoes on, hoping that would change my mindset. A fellow competitor asked me if I was ok, then half-joked “the hardest bit is still to come”. He was right. I realised I was in no fit state to run a marathon, however much I recited positive mantras. Finally, after at least 20 minutes of soul searching, I walked gingerly to one of the race crew and told them my race was done.<br />
<br />
Sitting here, the day after the race, I have no regrets about my decision.<br />
<br />
The only thing that would have got me to carry on - and it nearly did - was the thought of all the sacrifices that Lynn and the girls have made whilst I have been training. Lynn has been amazing. Letting me get on with training, preparations, travel, racing, picking up my slack at home and missed time with the girls, all the while enthusiastically supporting my efforts. I wanted to finish more for her than for me.<br />
<br />
I am now ready to go home, see Lynn and the girls, enjoy family time and have a break from training ... for a few weeks.Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-19379619970140663572017-08-11T18:27:00.001+01:002017-08-11T18:48:38.275+01:00Ironman Switzerland 2017<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;">The
alarm chimed quietly.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Nobody
stirred.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Not even the grinding of the
zips of the giant tent made the slightest difference.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Lynn and the girls slept peacefully.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Darkness.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Quiet all around the packed campsite.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>4am and I seemed to have the early morning tranquillity to myself.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>With most of the preparation taking place
last night, I methodically prepared myself, dressing and eating in the gloom and
the shadows of the phone torchlight.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Race kit – the white, black and red Fusion Speedsuit that has been a
feature of all my races since 2014 – was chosen, the Ironman tracking and
timing chip carefully placed around my left ankle and suncream liberally
applied.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Breakfast was light, consisting
of a Trek flapjack and a Clif bar followed by a banana.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">Almost
an hour later and well wrapped up to avoid the early morning chill, I began my
2k walk up to the Ironman transition and race start area.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Walking slowly, lost in my own thoughts about
the day ahead.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Reminding myself that
over the past few months I had done plenty of work – not as much as I would
have liked – but still enough for a good, solid performance.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhykjswESAF9cwZkHOM3Ek_WQy4M9-I29nKcTrRJkd6-qKULANa-LJwIIShc-3Jr5L5_Hy8lNlu4grpAYKcFioSt-AMcg7EL39lmWWNfbWceb6hfpM-48PyQvhU8-TVINyrQkk9VC1zBjsN/s1600/Switzerland+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhykjswESAF9cwZkHOM3Ek_WQy4M9-I29nKcTrRJkd6-qKULANa-LJwIIShc-3Jr5L5_Hy8lNlu4grpAYKcFioSt-AMcg7EL39lmWWNfbWceb6hfpM-48PyQvhU8-TVINyrQkk9VC1zBjsN/s320/Switzerland+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">I
met up with Paddy in transition – as due to the Ironman TriClub initiative we
were racked next to each other.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He
looked relaxed and confident.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I went
through the usual pre-race routine of pumping tyres, calibrating my new Garmin
Vector pedals, filling my two water bottles (one on the frame and one on the
aerobars) and placing my Torq strawberry and banana gels in an open tub on my
bike.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I didn’t bother checking my bike
and run bags that I’d placed in transition yesterday – I knew everything I
needed was already safely packed away in there, ready for the moment they would
be called upon.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">I
went through the painful routine of putting my super-tight wetsuit on before asking
a complete German stranger to manhandle me and zip me up.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Into the 21 degree water for a short warm up
and I was ready to start the race, as ready as I was ever going to be.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;">The
swim is self-seeded, meaning that the faster swimmers – in theory - should be
at the front of the queue to enter the water and the slower swimmers at the
back.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I walked over to the area where
swimmers were expecting to swim for 60 minutes or less, the fastest swimmers in
the race.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I wasn’t feeling super
confident about the swim so I positioned myself about two thirds back in this particular
section, allowing others in front of me.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I had a strategy of trying to keep the swim easy, or as easy as
possible, saving energy for the parts of the race that would require the
greatest effort.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">The
rolling start meant that there were eight ‘lanes’, with eight swimmers starting,
before another eight swimmers joined the fray, separated only by 5 second
intervals.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>There were eight or ten
groups of eight before me, maybe more. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>My
biggest concern before the swim start was the state of my goggles. They were
completely fogged up and no matter what I did, visibility through the lenses
was poor. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>My plan, if I absolutely had
to, was to swim into some clear water and wash them with the clear lake water.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">6.45am
and the age group athletes had started.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>One wave, five seconds gap, another wave, five seconds gap.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I was inching closer to the lakeshore.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Another wave.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Heart was bumping.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Another
wave.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Goggles still fogged.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Another wave.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Very soon, I no longer had a close up view of large men in black rubber
suits, but a clear, uninterrupted view of Lake Zurich.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>A Lake Zurich that shone brightly with the
reflection of the early morning sun.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Three … two … one.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This was it.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Go!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;">Running
through the sandy shore and into the cool waters, with fellow enthusiasts for
company.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This is why I’d subjected
myself – and my family – to hours of training, to a thousand mile road trip, to
a camping trip that revolved around race preparation and the enormous guilt
that accompanies all of that.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Entering
the water in this environment was a marvellous feeling.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisizaUAqLi6VaMvAGqrRhTGqUd8BGBXddMkOIqX68xMtLa4h6qnya9o2t57mtsD8Cr8zU9l6juTfHtGIf1C9D_u4L5mM79s5RSosdDezLUXUJgbIN8cZAU1HcAtyda7iWZscP-OX6_xcbD/s1600/Switzerland+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisizaUAqLi6VaMvAGqrRhTGqUd8BGBXddMkOIqX68xMtLa4h6qnya9o2t57mtsD8Cr8zU9l6juTfHtGIf1C9D_u4L5mM79s5RSosdDezLUXUJgbIN8cZAU1HcAtyda7iWZscP-OX6_xcbD/s320/Switzerland+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;">Dive.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>One stroke, two strokes.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I was in and I was swimming.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I immediately knew that many of the swimmers
in front of me, the people who I’d let go in front of me a few minutes earlier,
were not ‘sub-60 swimmers’.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I caught one
guy, then another before colliding with several more.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I hit (accidentally), I got hit.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I swam over legs, I bumped into bodies.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was all a bit rough.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>After swimming for 400 or 500m and reaching
the first turn buoy the field thinned out a bit.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Most of the athletes around me were now
swimming at a sub-60 pace.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This was much
better.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I swam alongside a group of
swimmers, swimming in their wake, conserving some energy.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;">Outside
of the bumping bodies and the clashing arms, the water was clear and calm.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Sunshine and blue skies.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And the hills across from the lake.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>A beautiful setting for a swim.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;">I
stayed in a group of swimmers, moving up through the field all of the time,
until about 2,000 metres when I found myself slowing down to remain behind the
leader of the group and stay in the draft zone.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I was swimming slowly.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In
hindsight, this was probably an ideal pace, using minimal effort and conserving
energy.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I spotted four swimmers about 50
metres ahead.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Let them go” I thought
repeatedly.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The temptation was too much though,
and I decided to push on, swimming at pace to try and catch them.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It took a few hundred metres of effort,
effort I probably didn’t need to spend, to draw level with them.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;">I
stayed behind this group, benefiting from their efforts by swimming in their
moving water, whilst I had a little rest.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>After 3,000 metres, I started to feel the earlier efforts.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>My stroke, never the most smooth, was
becoming ragged.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>My arms were
tiring.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The power was still there, but
the effort needed to stay ‘on pace’ and with the remaining two guys was
becoming greater.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I decided the benefit
of swimming in their wake, using a little extra effort, was worth it.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;">The
big, yellow inflatable swim exit was a welcome sight.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I could see twenty or more volunteers at the
waters edge, ready to give swimmers a helping hand onto dry land.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I reached up and grabbed the hand of the
first volunteer, a petite lady, hoping I wouldn’t drag her in the water with
me.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Onto dry land.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Yes!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">The
first thing I noticed was the noise.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The
crowd was thick and making themselves heard.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Cheering, shouting, yelling.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>My
smile widened.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This is what it’s all
about.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This is why we do it.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I spotted Eric and the rest of Paddy's family
and entourage, or should I say they spotted me.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Brilliant.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I made the long run
through transition area, struggling (as usual) to unzip and remove my wetsuit
as I ran.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;">My
swim was 57 minutes. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This was the 35th
fastest swim of the day, including all of the professionals, out of more than
1,700 athletes. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I was also 2nd (by 13
seconds) in my age group!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In Barcelona
2014, with a swim time of 54 minutes, I was 66<sup>th</sup> out of the water
and 6<sup>th</sup> in my age group.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In
2015, my swim was 53 minutes and I was 36<sup>th</sup> overall, 5<sup>th</sup>
in my age group.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">After
the struggle with my wetsuit, I put my new Rudy Project aero helmet on.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Never try something new on raceday,
right?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Shoes, race number and Oakleys
on, I ran over to pick up my trusty race bike. The Trek Speed Concept is now
seven years old and is a super bike, but is probably showing its age a bit. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This was to be my 10th Ironman race on this
bike.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">After
mounting the bike, I was off along the flat section, through Zurich town centre
and out of town. The road surface was good - not super-fast but mostly very
smooth. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The early morning sunshine and
blue skies were a welcome sight, as was the lack of wind in the air. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>My plan was to be restrained in this section,
ignoring the pleas of the road – flat and smooth - to go faster.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I was trying to keep my heart rate relatively
low whilst keeping a watchful eye on the numbers on my new powermeter. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The first section of 30k was covered quickly,
an average of 35kph, yet my heart rate had stayed in the 140’s.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I made the left-hand turn at the roundabout
and headed into the hills. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I was feeling
pretty good at this point. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">I
went through the first aid station, picking up a cold, fresh water bottle. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was 9am and it was already getting hot out
here! <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I took the hills easy, clicking
into my low gears and not putting too much pressure through the pedals.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>As well as some ‘normal’ hills, there were
two long climbs in the middle of the course – The Beast and Egg - and a
shorter, steeper section towards the end of each lap called Heartbreak Hill.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Not knowing the course particularly well, I
was expecting to tackle The Beast at every turn.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The anticipation of the climb was finally
rewarded after about 55k. The Beast was a 4k ascent - not ‘out of the saddle
steep’ but a long, winding grind upwards - maybe 6% or 7% gradient? <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Conditions definitely made this section harder.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was so hot.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Gripping the handlebars tightly during the
climb, I noticed how much sweat was dripping off my arms.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Reaching the summit was rewarded with a very
quick descent followed by another 4 or 5k climbing up Egg. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This was a shallower gradient, but the road
was never ending.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Once over the top of
the hill, there were some fast, flat sections followed by a screaming fast,
twisting descent which tested both my nerve and my brakes! Down the hill and
back onto the flat section, returning into town feeling relatively fresh. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The heat continued to rise.</span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;">On
the way to Heartbreak Hill I passed our campsite, our home for the past four
days.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Lynn and the girls were waiting to
give me a boost, a super cheer.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I slowed
down, came out of the aerobars and sat up to see Lynn and the girls - dressed
in their matching Ironman supporters t-shirts - enthusiastically cheering,
waving and ringing cowbells! <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Amazing
enthusiasm and support.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">I
approached the hill, put my bike in the right gear and began the short, sharp
1k climb (10-12% gradient) through the crowds to the summit. Loud and colourful
supporters lined the hill, giving me goosebumps and broadening my smile. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Down the steep descent and back onto the flat
roads, past the campsite and my amazing support and onward, towards the start
of lap 2.</span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">I
checked my Garmin, looking at the time taken to complete lap 1 and my average
speed.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I concluded that a fast time
wasn't likely today – and the bike leg was likely to be about twenty minutes
slower than I optimistically predicted.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">Onto
lap 2, through the city centre and back onto the long, flat stretch of
road.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I noticed that the trees were
swaying a little, and I was now heading into a slight headwind. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This dented my speed.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>On the first lap, 35 or 36kph was a common
sight on the display of my Garmin, but I was now seeing 32 or 33kph for the
same power output and heart rate. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I had
strength in my legs and enthusiasm in my belly, so it was now my turn to overtake
some of the tiring triathletes around me.</span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;">During
this section, I realised that I had been sitting on the bike for almost 4 hours
and hadn’t yet needed the toilet. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was
in excess of 31 degrees and I was sweating – a lot. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I stopped at an aid station, put my bike down
and headed for the toilet, forcing myself.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Without going into too many details, it was quite painful, indicating some
level of dehydration. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I left the
toilets, immediately feeling better.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I
resolved to drink more fluids on the second lap.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">I
felt more confident on this lap, as I knew the course a bit better, knew when
to push and knew when the hills were coming. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>However, the second time up The Beast, and it
was like an oven. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Inland, there was no
breeze, it was 33 degrees and I was cooking.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I made sure I stayed medium rare and not well-done by staying behind
another guy who seemed to be wrestling with his bike to make it go upwards,
further up the hill.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;">The
last third of the bike leg and I felt pain in my right hip.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I wasn’t sure if it was my hip or I had tight
glute muscles.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>As I sit here writing
this 12 days later, this area is still painful when I try pedal or run.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It didn’t stop my pedalling or interfere too
much with my riding, it was just something I noticed.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">More
slow climbing up Egg, then the screaming descent back down - still as
exhilarating as the first lap – before pedalling quickly through the flat
section – assisted by a tailwind - back into town.</span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">Passing
the campsite again and sure enough there they were.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Once again, I slowed down to wave and blow
kisses at Lynn and the girls before cycling up towards Heartbreak Hill for the
last time. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The crowds had thinned and my
legs had done 170k at this stage so this felt a bit tougher than the first time
around.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">180k
of hot, hilly riding after a solid 3.8k swim. That's seven hours of effort, of
my heart beating at least 150 beats per minute. My longest training session
leading into the race had been four hours. Energy levels had not been
conserved, as much as I'd like to think they had.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">Into
the welcome sight of transition. Relief. Seven hours into the race. Boiled.
Right hip / glutes hurting. Dehydrated. I got off the bike and started to run,
pushing the bike along as I went, to put it back in the rack. After the first
few steps I realised that I would be better to walk it back into transition and
settle myself before starting the marathon. It also dawned on me, for the first
time in the race, that perhaps I was a little underprepared for today. I would
soon find out.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">Bringing
my bike back into transition and back onto the steel racking, I was deflated
when Paddy's Scott bike wasn't there. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I
know he was aiming high, aiming for a fast time. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I didn't see him at any point on the road, but
I had assumed that he had zoomed past when I stopped at one of the toilets en
route.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">Once
the bike was racked, I grabbed my red run bag, which was hanging on the hooks
with hundreds of other identical bags, and ran into the change tent. I changed
into fresh socks, laced up my On Cloudflyers, grabbed a plastic food bag
containing my Garmin run watch, Torq energy gels and sun cream and ran gingerly
out of transition. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">Running
along, I reached into the plastic bag and found my Garmin, switching it on
before putting it on my wrist. Nothing happened. I switched it on again. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Nothing. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>"Oh come on!" I yelled. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I had a few issues with the watch on Saturday,
but thought I had solved them. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Apparently
not. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I was going to have to run a
marathon with no idea of time, of pace, of distance or of heart rate. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This would be a first! <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I was so disappointed. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>So frustrated. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Of all the times the watch chooses to give up.
<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Race day. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Soon after, I spotted Lynn and the girls. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>What a welcome sight they were! <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I dumped my useless watch, took off my now
redundant heart rate monitor and threw them to the ground for the girls to sort
out.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">My
plan was to run slowly for the first lap, then increasing the pace slightly for
the rest of the run. I also planned to walk through each of the aid stations,
taking in water and nutrition as I went along.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">I
didn't know the run course at all so everything on the first lap was a
surprise. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It is a varied run route, taking
in the park, the lakeside, Zurich city centre and the opposite side of Lake
Zurich, passing some pretty packed bars and cafes along the way.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Each of the four laps of the run had six aid
stations. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Six aid stations on a 10k
loop! <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>As well as an assortment of drinks
(energy drink, water, coke, red bull), gels, fruit, salty snacks, soup (!), all
of the aid stations had plenty of cold, wet sponges. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>At every aid station I grabbed at least two
sponges and squeezed them out over my head to help cool down.</span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;">The
first lap went quite well. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Running
slowly, yes, but cooling down at each aid station and seeing the sights of
Zurich. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I was enjoying this and I was
convinced I could plod my way to a sub-4 hour marathon and a sub-11 hour
finish. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Somewhere during the second lap
this seemed to change. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I wasn't feeling
so 'fresh'. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In fact I was feeling
dreadful. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Still, I ran on. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">The
running - such as it was - was painful. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Each
foot strike sent pains into my leg muscles. My glutes had stopped working and we're
now just feeling the impact of the road and telling me to stop. </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">Large
blisters were forming on both feet, due to the amount of water I was squeezing
and pouring over my head. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">At
the start of the third lap I began walking, walking a lot. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The running was less and the walk breaks
extended. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I was defeated. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I have never had a run as bad as this. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>There would have been a psychological
breakdown, no doubt, perhaps as a result of the Garmin malfunction or a
realisation that the race time would be below my expectations. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>However, this was definitely more of a
physical problem. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>My muscles were shot,
they hurt, hurt like I've not experienced before. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Each stride making me wince.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">At
this point on the fourth lap I was still walking. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I had just seen Paddy overtake me. I was glad
for Paddy, but I was beyond caring about my own race. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>No amount of crowd support and words of
encouragement could shake me out of my slump. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I walked up towards the town centre, with my
head bowed but still giving the occasional smile to the well-wishing and
encouraging spectators.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I spotted a big,
shiny clock on the side of one of the high-end shops. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I quickly calculated that I had been racing
for 11 hours and 20 minutes. 40 minutes remaining before 12 hours of racing and
I had about 6k to run. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">At
that moment, something happened. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">I
realised that, after putting in all of this effort, I really didn't want to go
home with an Ironman finish time of more than 12 hours. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">Pride
kicked in. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I simply had to run to make
it under this new goal, no matter how much it hurt. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">One
step, ouch, two steps, argh, three steps, ooofff, this was hurting but I was
running again. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">It
was slow, it was ugly, it was painful, it was running. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">As
badly as I was moving, I was starting to pass people again. Come on, keep on running!
Keep on moving forward.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;">Soon
enough, I found myself running along the finish chute. I was scanning the deep
crowds for Lynn and the girls. And then I heard them. Cheers. Smiles. Cowbells.
Yelling.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Jumping. The painful memories
of the last few hours extinguished in a single moment. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>My smile had a reason to be back. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>My arms shot out to high five any and all
spectators who dared stretch out their arms. I bounced along the carpet,
milking the applause, and realising what a beautiful place this now was. </span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_llUuJVSW_W97ZwYw-45Zl57I8S1fCFvXdoGA-koAwtuJnks4Xc6eLoIxVSdLp8JCYzNM4a1ZVqMw_KgSmeXHgVW-SadAfNWLGJJdg13klEnf7lX0-Y8teeVwLp_4GYxDEu3ZAeZ5V50/s1600/Switzerland+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="719" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_llUuJVSW_W97ZwYw-45Zl57I8S1fCFvXdoGA-koAwtuJnks4Xc6eLoIxVSdLp8JCYzNM4a1ZVqMw_KgSmeXHgVW-SadAfNWLGJJdg13klEnf7lX0-Y8teeVwLp_4GYxDEu3ZAeZ5V50/s320/Switzerland+4.JPG" width="213" /></a><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">The
Ironman finisher zone definitely causes acute memory loss and comes with a pair
of rose tinted glasses. Side effects include a confidence of ‘definitely
smashing future races’!</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLw83DFrBIrV6GLGZfyhCrLWuv06CCcmjxby3kYMWdW9hwjbaTnXH6BwR-MZ5bxSQGN9IEeEfvHfXSMZPmVgpRcjytiyCInQJcBYa8zaBGH3y386XFmN3h0f777MPxtEOzgLUMe4PliVyE/s1600/Switzerland+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLw83DFrBIrV6GLGZfyhCrLWuv06CCcmjxby3kYMWdW9hwjbaTnXH6BwR-MZ5bxSQGN9IEeEfvHfXSMZPmVgpRcjytiyCInQJcBYa8zaBGH3y386XFmN3h0f777MPxtEOzgLUMe4PliVyE/s320/Switzerland+5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: white;">After
taking a year off triathlon and Ironman in 2016, 2017 was a hard road back to
speed and fitness. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This was my first
race since Ironman Barcelona in 2015 and a reminder of how tough this sport is.
<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">Although
an hour outside my original target, I had reached my new goal with 5 minutes to
spare, finishing in 11.55. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This was my
second slowest Ironman finish, with my very first Ironman (in Switzerland in
2009) being 40 minutes slower. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>A 4 hour
and 51 minute marathon run was my slowest Ironman run, by some distance, 1 hour
and 18 minutes behind my Ironman Barcelona run of 2014. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 8px 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">Not
a time or performance to show off, but I’ve realised that each Ironman finish
is something to be proud of, to be grateful for and to celebrate. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It takes a lot of effort and sacrifice to even
make the start line, and an enormous amount of energy to get through 140.6
miles to reach that glorious finish line, no matter how long it takes. It takes
generous family support and sacrifice in the months leading up and on the day
itself. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>All of which I am very grateful
for and appreciate immensely.</span></span></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="color: #454545;"></span>Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-48758407785511361662016-09-21T13:51:00.000+01:002016-09-21T13:51:37.412+01:00Back in the game!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, Ironman Switzerland it is
then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After almost a 12 month lay-off,
Ironman is back in focus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Switzerland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My very first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2009.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where
the addiction and fascination with the sport really took off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“No more” I cried during the last lap of the
run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Never again” and “stupid sport”
were also heard during the long run in to the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“What’s the point of this sport?” was
repeated in darker moments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This will be Ironman number 12.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigogJHUANLxqgt82fibU5eRa3OZ6ynluduMwO91fOta1MZiRXZ9M_NeYi_Oy_e9eGRQ9HTY5-crOpWvHaNDU5D8sBVT17Kh5pXBxULiebs4ldvVhSXsU9RyLslWoyDz6wxOR7u51407ai0/s1600/Ironman+Switzerland+Finish+Line+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigogJHUANLxqgt82fibU5eRa3OZ6ynluduMwO91fOta1MZiRXZ9M_NeYi_Oy_e9eGRQ9HTY5-crOpWvHaNDU5D8sBVT17Kh5pXBxULiebs4ldvVhSXsU9RyLslWoyDz6wxOR7u51407ai0/s400/Ironman+Switzerland+Finish+Line+Photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Entering Switzerland has me fired
up again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Focused training, oh how I’ve missed
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Listening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Watching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t get enough
Ironman and triathlon talk at the moment.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Plotting, oh the plotting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Making a schedule where I can fit training
in, where it fits in with the family, where I can still spend time with Lynn,
where I do not neglect everything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s
the challenge, right there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s easy to
become obsessed and let it take over everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hard part is to recognise this, and
adjust accordingly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The family are on
board, positively encouraging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not
turning their encouragement sour by over-doing it is the key.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Filtering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deciding on the approach to training, particularly
during the winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Train slow in the
attempt to build solid endurance, an aerobic engine?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Include more intense sessions with a focus on
improving power and pace?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Researching
different scholars of the sport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Different viewpoints, different approaches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s the fun, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming up with an approach, a method, that
works for me, that fits with my lifestyle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where to begin?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How high do you aim?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How big should the goal be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What will fire me up?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What will get me out of bed in the early mornings
or keep me training when all others have gone to sleep?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand, do I really want a big
performance goal?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is part of the joy
just the fact I can do this sport, whilst also living a normal life – with a
wife, three children, a business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do I
need to reach for a sub-10 hour goal?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do
I aim at getting closer to the top age groupers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do I use 2017 as a progression year, to have
a crack at the big one in 2018?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or am I
happy participating and seeing what I can do with what I’ve got?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a tough one to wrestle with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the reality kicks in, and there are other
priorities to deal with, will these fit with my race goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do I adjust?</span></div>
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</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The answer, in part, is smaller
goals perhaps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not necessarily race
related, more progression and training related.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A goal of four runs per week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s a small, achievable goal isn’t it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Done for the next 40 weeks though, and that
frequency and consistency transforms me into a much better, more robust Ironman
runner than I’ve previously thought I was capable of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Power on the bike is pretty low in comparison
to good age-groupers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Increasing power
on the bike by 5 watts per month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sounds
straightforward, achievable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Easy to
digest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s 50 watts of extra power available
on race day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Build speed on the
swim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fast 50m and 100m efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A 1.05 all-out effort translates into
comfortable 1.20 cruising pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A sub 60
second swim in a gala is still in focus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s 50m training efforts at 30 seconds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can these goals be done?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can they be achieved at the same time?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will achieving bike power goals impact on the
swim intensity?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Set them, aim for them, recalibrate them as we
go along.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Lots of thinking to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of information to digest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of dreams to have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of training to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ironman Switzerland 2017.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Exciting times ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-88197235168227260142015-10-12T21:18:00.000+01:002015-10-12T21:43:53.973+01:00Ironman Barcelona 2015 - 10 Week Training SummaryHere is a quick review of my last 10 weeks leading into Ironman Barcelona.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mWxYuSt3O4qXJ56wsXI2BJaUIEha5XP8jbNEmAl5ZxBCaWHsIjWXg3E5YY3XfDZAumMsbP0v-BISMpM-VkFmyRFnRfgDv2XyXuxU1xmdIiTAUwFT13sWvmQ3D4RbAqADn5dPK0gBIvuM/s640/blogger-image--521735768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mWxYuSt3O4qXJ56wsXI2BJaUIEha5XP8jbNEmAl5ZxBCaWHsIjWXg3E5YY3XfDZAumMsbP0v-BISMpM-VkFmyRFnRfgDv2XyXuxU1xmdIiTAUwFT13sWvmQ3D4RbAqADn5dPK0gBIvuM/s640/blogger-image--521735768.jpg"></a></div><br>
Training time was at a premium. During this period Lynn had a serious car crash, we moved house, it was the summer holidays and we needed to entertain the girls, and then we had to adjust to increasing commuting time for the girls school runs. Training, although usually high priority for me, was not high on the family priority list! That said, Lynn gave me some great support and encouraged me to find time for training, often sacrificing her own spare time to support me.<br>
<br>
A couple of quick observations:<br>
<ul>
<li>I had almost two weeks out whilst trying to get my left knee fixed - it had been swollen, crunchy and cracking since the end of May and I had tried - in vain - to train on it. The MRI and the cortisone injection was the last throw of the dice!</li>
<li>Run training was limited throughout. Long run peaked at 1 hour! It was painful to run beyond that. I tried to make up for that in the last few weeks by increasing frequency of shorter runs. Most of this running was steady - nothing particularly fast.</li>
<li>All bike training was indoors on the turbo trainer. Managed to do quite a few 2 hour + sessions to try and build some endurance.</li>
<li>Swim training was consistent, notching up 18 sessions (all in a pool) during the 10 weeks. However, all sessions were 40-50 minutes.</li>
<li>All gym sessions focused mainly on core work, with some low-weight leg exercises as the knee started to get better.</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaObLZ_SAYWOVT4x1_7yUxRjN6M9nzv0-kv7j_hqcO2DhggF_Ak0MKFtuiXX1TdVRe3bEfJj3Al8dz6sijPXH7q7cfHkE7sfnuDmhaFWRATkjMsR_YyoTyUHK02JhCfyWh5_qas-jWLS3w/s640/blogger-image--1384635870.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaObLZ_SAYWOVT4x1_7yUxRjN6M9nzv0-kv7j_hqcO2DhggF_Ak0MKFtuiXX1TdVRe3bEfJj3Al8dz6sijPXH7q7cfHkE7sfnuDmhaFWRATkjMsR_YyoTyUHK02JhCfyWh5_qas-jWLS3w/s640/blogger-image--1384635870.jpg"></a></div>In summary then. Over the 10 weeks, I averaged just less than 8 hours per week, with an average of 8 sessions per week. 78 sessions consisted of 24 bike sessions, 20 run sessions (including 5 short runs in race week), 18 swim sessions and 16 sessions in the gym. <br>
<br>
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mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-priority:59;
mso-style-unhide:no;
border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;
mso-border-alt:solid windowtext .5pt;
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-border-insideh:.5pt solid windowtext;
mso-border-insidev:.5pt solid windowtext;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="background: #C00000; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #C00000; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Monday</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #C00000; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Tuesday</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #C00000; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Wednesday</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #C00000; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Thursday</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #C00000; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Friday</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #C00000; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Saturday</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #C00000; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Sunday</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="background: #C00000; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 10</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">8
hours 26 minutes</span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 70’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Tempo</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">-</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 180’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">6x20’ @z3</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 30’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Easy</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">-</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 75’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Strength endurance</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 150’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">5x20’ @z3</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="background: #C00000; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 9</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">8
hours</span></b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 55’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Steady</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 60’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">10x3’ @z4</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 25’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 60’</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 25’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 50’</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">-</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 60’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Strength endurance</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 144’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">3x30 over/under</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="background: #C00000; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 8</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">6
hours 50 minutes</span></b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 45’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 40’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 75’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">5x10’ z3/4</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #BFBFBF; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Physio</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #BFBFBF; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Resting swollen knee</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #BFBFBF; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Resting swollen knee</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #BFBFBF; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Resting swollen knee</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 50’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 40’</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 55’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 45’</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="background: #C00000; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 7</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">3
hours 6 minutes</span></b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #BFBFBF; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Resting swollen knee</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #BFBFBF; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Resting swollen knee</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #BFBFBF; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Resting swollen knee</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 50’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">4x8’ z3</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #BFBFBF; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">MRI Scan</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 75’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">10x5’ z3</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 60’</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="background: #C00000; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 6</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">8
hours 6 minutes</span></b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 70’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">5x10 z3</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 35’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Steady</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #BFBFBF; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 191; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Cortisone injection</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 30’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim 40’</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 35’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Steady</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 120’</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 120’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Tolerance efforts</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="background: #C00000; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 5</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">10
hours 29 minutes</span></b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 120’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Z3 efforts</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 10’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Brick</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 50’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 50’</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">-</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 55’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">10x3’ z4</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 20’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 45’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 65’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Steady</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 120’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">4x20’ z3</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 60’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 35’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Steady</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td style="background: #C00000; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 4</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">10
hours 30 minutes</span></b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 25’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 40’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 30’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Steady</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Physio – 70’</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 70’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">3x10 z4</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 30’ </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Steady</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 55’</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">-</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 48’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Tempo</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 140’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">3x30’ over/under</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 40’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 45’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 35’ </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Easy</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td style="background: #C00000; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 3</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">12
hours 14 minutes</span></b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 150’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">5x20’ z3</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 50’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Brick</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 30’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 25’</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">-</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 70’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">5x10’ z3</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 40’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 50’</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 95’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">2x20 z3</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">1x30’ race pace</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 60’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Brick</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 120’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">4x20’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 30’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Brick</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td style="background: #C00000; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 2</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">7
hours 43 minutes</span></b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 40’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 45’</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Physio</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 20’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 40’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 40’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Easy</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 50’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">10x3’ z4</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Gym – 30’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 40’</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Turbo – 60’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">2x20’ Race Pace </span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">-</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="background: #C00000; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Race Week</b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 40’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 30’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">4x2’ efforts</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 25’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Steady</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 20’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Steady</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Swim – 35’</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">-</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.75pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Bike – 40’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 10’</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Run – 15’</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.8pt;" valign="top" width="77"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">RACE DAY</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-81129133335678052722015-10-11T18:47:00.001+01:002015-10-12T11:40:30.541+01:00Ironman Barcelona 2015<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After a good two porridge, two pastry, two coffee breakfast, I made my way to transition to sort my bike out, get my wetsuit on and get ready for the race. </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8eA3Drtzco04rxxBsvEGw5QvtZ5nd5vMiVuZHAfnjKKMzbDBjW44fCZ0n-c0IfPBj3kKegtTf15JTVjxChI4a1IVMezjwWrBX7D6EYfhL86B4F7JiwiMxXu8bzdl_UINCIk08-4fo27O/s640/blogger-image--698039131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8eA3Drtzco04rxxBsvEGw5QvtZ5nd5vMiVuZHAfnjKKMzbDBjW44fCZ0n-c0IfPBj3kKegtTf15JTVjxChI4a1IVMezjwWrBX7D6EYfhL86B4F7JiwiMxXu8bzdl_UINCIk08-4fo27O/s320/blogger-image--698039131.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race kit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJDStIJDrntqMB4LUdzCV88LkKBYMZYU-WjdwMEOy63Sj2n6N3aSrUv5AWzN1ugKE5PhtK95_N-ta9n1Nu7IoiYujzRovbH1B5_7AWRD9GgiNywrqacghfs_hE7kpWDwTRlzbwyt4UGkt/s320/blogger-image--148158266.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race weight (10st 2lbs)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I decided to get in the water and do a warm up in the choppy water. Swimming out to sea felt like swimming uphill, with a wall of water facing you. Turning around and swimming towards shore was a surfing-like experience, although being dumped onto the sand by a big wave wasn't too much fun. I was in the water for a full 15 minute warm up. I made my way from the water into the start pens, trying to squeeze through the masses and get to the front. After climbing over a few fences, and standing on a few toes, I made it to the 55-59 minute estimated swim time pen. The quickest pen available. Once there, I glanced over my shoulder and, amazingly, spotted Lynn and the girls. They had made it to the swim start. That's the first time they'll have seen one of my swim starts. Seeing them was completely unexpected, and with my emotions running high anyway, I got a little misty-eyed.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSNRnn0NS0lJ2upKjAGPDhl01NUgZr0gsp2Pl4-_JmdfxZbg7gdP7Y-JpHp7ljsLyqihDhsIkvN1-oC-RziHeaUJnM_IXumnsjECUbojUDDuvLgehc53C5e3RL6RFlBZNkUsDj1o5rRPP/s640/blogger-image-856447152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSNRnn0NS0lJ2upKjAGPDhl01NUgZr0gsp2Pl4-_JmdfxZbg7gdP7Y-JpHp7ljsLyqihDhsIkvN1-oC-RziHeaUJnM_IXumnsjECUbojUDDuvLgehc53C5e3RL6RFlBZNkUsDj1o5rRPP/s320/blogger-image-856447152.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Riley!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The male pros went off first, then the female pros went five minutes later. Ten minutes after that, it was our turn. We were shepherded into the water, with our individual times only starting when we crossed the timing mats on the beach. This new 'rolling start' method was actually a bit rougher than usual, with people trying to push past to get into the water, and then a few stray arms and legs hitting out in the water. Despite the choppy conditions, and the over-aggressive swimmers next to me, I got straight into a relaxed stroke, with very little leg kick, and low perceived effort. I passed quite a few people early on - despite people self-seeding themselves at the front - before the first turn buoy. At the buoy, I stayed on the inside to make the right hand turn, taking a few hits. Ouch. Once I'd made the turn, the rolling waves were pushing me further forward, faster, overtaking people. I stayed behind a couple of swimmers, conserving energy, then noticed a small group further ahead. A few hard strokes later, and I quickly caught that small group. Ahead of them, there were two more guys, making decent progress and pulling away. I decided to catch them, taking the faster draft.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After reaching the far end, we turned left at the buoys and made our way back into the choppy water. I still kept the swim relaxed, using a high arm recovery to compensate for the waves. <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I swam easy with them the whole way around. </span>Swim felt easy. Fun even.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It turns out I was 5th in my age group for the swim, beaten by 30 people overall, including the pros. 53 fun-filled minutes.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Transition was smooth. Wetsuit came off without problems. Running towards my bike, enjoying the cheering crowds, waving my helmet over my head like a scarf at a football match, as I ran towards my bike. I was having a good time! Onto my bike and away.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After 1k, my chain came off just after the dead turn on the technical section. Bizarre. I stopped, sorted that out relatively easy and quickly, and back on the bike again. Over the speed bumps, through the narrow roads, up and over the hill. Now settle into the bike, find a rhythm and get to work.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I probably pushed a bit harder than I had planned during this first stage. It all felt so easy. I was constantly swallowed up by packs of riders. Big groups. Rather than overtake and and zoom past, many of them forced me to change pace and rhythm. Many of the riders seemed to overtake, cut me up, then slow down, open a gel, have a drink, ease off the pedals. To ensure I didn't get a drafting penalty, I'd then have to back off and sit up, rather than pedal and stay low on my aerobars. It was so frustrating.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I was zooming along. 35-38kph. Eating well. Drinking plenty of water. Yet, still being passed by lots of athletes. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After a couple of hours, my stomach didn't feel right (actually at a couple of stages on the bike). Lots of burping. I dropped the frequency of eating my gels from 30 minutes to every 45 minutes. I also had a salt tablet. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I caught up with Will again - he had passed me after about 45k - shortly after he had been in the penalty tent for drafting. He was not happy. I followed him for a little while, from a 'safe distance', only to be swallowed up by another giant pack. Almost as soon as the riders behind had caught me, and swallowed me up, I spotted a blue card raised in the air and the blue jacketed Marshall on the back of a moped pointing at me. I had just been given a drafting penalty. Unbelievable. I shamefully stopped at the next penalty tent for five minutes, watching my average speed drop with each passing minute. Me and an Irish guy in the tent watching groups of riders going past. I passed the next two penalty tents - frustratingly, not a single rider in them. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2Kk1mYKyJ2GTUHYK-Ixqn6A2gf77pB_e4CKyVrJ4UGp_wWXETo1pDlJhoGTCNBaXyy9OrZwDcB1Dh_PQIjIcXhrBY4mCNZIh738IWqRb2bc7v35Gf2YAkq3XbSdHKdAF0rVQiMjWWqtG/s640/blogger-image--1020778882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2Kk1mYKyJ2GTUHYK-Ixqn6A2gf77pB_e4CKyVrJ4UGp_wWXETo1pDlJhoGTCNBaXyy9OrZwDcB1Dh_PQIjIcXhrBY4mCNZIh738IWqRb2bc7v35Gf2YAkq3XbSdHKdAF0rVQiMjWWqtG/s320/blogger-image--1020778882.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Shortly after my five minute penalty, Martin overtook me, looking powerful. I put in a bit of effort and went past him again. Then he went past me, then I went past him. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Despite my penalty, I returned back to transition with a 5.13 bike split (34.5kph average). I wasn't feeling fresh, but I was in a good place. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Into transition, quick trip to the loo and then out on the run. Reminding myself to go slow, go slow, go slow. With this run, I was entering into the unknown. I had only been able to run in the last few weeks, following a cortisone injection to reduce knee swelling, and even then I had been unable to run more than one hour without knee pain. My last long run - 2 hours or more - was more than one year ago! This was going to test everything.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">First lap, going well, but perhaps given my recent running history was a little too quick. 52 minutes for the 10.1k. Onto the second lap and my stomach started cramping. I stopped taking gels and switched to cups of Coke at the aid stations. I then had to urgently stop at a portaloo and wrestle myself out of my one piece race kit. Back out, stomach a little better, running well again. Blisters on my right foot were starting to cause problems. At the top end of the course, in Pineda, I stopped at the Red Cross tent to see if they could strap up the blisters. Five small plasters - to cover one big blood blister on my big toe, and another sore, burst blister on the ball of my foot - was all I managed to get off them. I started running again, albeit with a bit of pain in my scantily plastered, blistered right foot. Second lap - including a trip to the portaloo and the Red Cross tent - 1.03.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I could feel my energy dropping, probably due to lack of gels and fear of causing stomach problems. Sips of Coke at each aid station had not been an adequate replacement for my powerful Torq gels. I reached the start of the third lap and my knee started to ache now. It was really quite stiff and sore. So I started walking. Walking. Walking. Reflecting on the race, I can see I really lost focus at this point and just started to feel sorry for myself. I had thoughts of just walking for the rest of the run. Nobody would blame me. My poor knee. Everybody would understand. My lack of run training. That's a decent excuse. It's my turn to walk this year. That's ok, everybody has to have a turn. I walked for 7k. 7k?! During the walk, I took my HR monitor off, a clear signal I had given up on this race. I had given up on Ironman. I never wanted to be in this position in a race again. I quit Ironman racing there and then.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I had a caffeine gel during my walk, just to try on my now relaxed stomach. I got to the top end of the course and my mindset changed a bit. Maybe it was the gel. Maybe it was all that thinking time. Maybe it was seeing all of those athletes pass me. I thought I had to try something different. I had to try and run through the pain / discomfort. I'd try to run a bit, walk a bit. I ran for 100 steps, then walked for 50. Ran 100, walked for 50. Ran 100, walked for 50. This was better. Despite the improvement, the third lap was covered in a pretty depressing 1.22.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I got back near transition, about 12k from home, and took some ibuprofen from Lynn. Almost instantly, I was transformed. Perhaps a mental boost, perhaps genuine pain relief. Whatever. I was off, running, running fast. I had a point to prove, to myself if nobody else. I am a better athlete than I was showing out there. I'm a 9.50 guy. I'm a 3.37 Ironman marathon guy. I started zooming past athletes. For the first time in the race I started seeing kilometre splits with a 4 in front of them. I was catching and overtaking athletes and club mates who had left me standing not long ago. Obviously the walking had helped me recover, but this last lap left me with a feeling of "if only". If only I'd taken the ibuprofen earlier in the race. If only I hadn't lost focus and just walked (slowly) for 7 whole kilometres. If only I hadn't wasted time at the Red Cross tent getting useless plasters put on my feet. If only I had continued taking gels and not let my energy stores run out. If only I'd given myself some more positive self-talk during the run. If only I'd listened to random spectators who insisted on telling me I could do it. If only.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In that last lap, according to the official tracker, I ran 10.2k in 53 minutes. I made up 6 minutes on Will, 13 minutes on Martin, 9 minutes on Paul, 16 minutes on Gregg.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Although I ran hard during that last lap, I crossed the finish line with more in the tank. I didn't leave it all out there. I was so disappointed. I didn't even check my finish time. It was actually 10.33. I 'ran' a 4.21 marathon.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For days afterwards, I was disappointed with this race. I had excuses going into the race, and I had used them. I had fallen into the trap. Training going into the race wasn't ideal, but then whose is? I wasn't 100% fit on the start line, but then who is? I had some setbacks during the race, but who doesn't? </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Look at the positives</b>. I had a great swim. The bike was good - and without the penalty would have been a best ever bike split. I came off the bike with a good shot at a PB or at least another sub-10. Lap one of the run was good. Lap four was great - my quickest ever final 10k of an Ironman. Lap two was ok. I had enjoyed the training to get me to the start line. I enjoyed our weekend away. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I'm determined not to let one run lap, 10k, spoil my overall perception of the race and Ironman racing. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What's the quote? <b>Don't wish it was easier, wish you were better!</b></span></span></span></span></div>
Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-62333637277004972632015-09-27T15:11:00.001+01:002015-09-27T15:34:53.251+01:00Ironman Barcelona Race Plan - The 2015 edition!<h2><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ironman Barcelona Race Plan - The 2015 edition!</span></h2><div><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Goals</b></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1. <b>Dream Goal:</b> 9.45</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">2. <b>Second Goal: </b>Break 10:00 </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">3. <b>Run Goal:</b> Sub-3.45 run<br><br></span></div><div></div><div><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Keys For Success</b></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Bike pacing (sensible, no power spikes)</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Nutrition (keep it going on the run)</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Run pacing (first 15k)<br><br></span></div><div></div><div><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Swim</b></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Do a dry land warm up, with some arm swings, gentle jogging and a few stretches. Get in the water if possible and do a warm up, with some sprints included.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FlYlKDf-GDpRMpOMto3m70iLaJICe2DUvOvTLAYFc96jihEK_Rrc81NGScxg2EfE5zVsQU3RDbP4yXAzsfqsKOfw89HTj9uZS3BNexNc4-4zZLOFbLZ5HzAJIwvX7sy4fJKaESGmaLQN/s640/blogger-image--745744872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FlYlKDf-GDpRMpOMto3m70iLaJICe2DUvOvTLAYFc96jihEK_Rrc81NGScxg2EfE5zVsQU3RDbP4yXAzsfqsKOfw89HTj9uZS3BNexNc4-4zZLOFbLZ5HzAJIwvX7sy4fJKaESGmaLQN/s640/blogger-image--745744872.jpg"></a></div>It is a rolling start, something I've never experience before. I will seed myself in the sub-55 section. Once into the water, I’ll start fast – but controlled. Keep leg kick slow to avoid going too hard. If I can get a draft, great, but if the lead swimmers are going too fast, ease off and swim on my own. Swimming has been good in training, smooth and controlled.<br></span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>Have good focus on breathing. Concentrate on technique throughout the swim. Keep a long stroke, good catch with both hands, solid pull with no slips. Keep leg kick – and therefore intensity – low. To remain controlled, count strokes if necessary.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><br></b><b>Mantra</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- It’s a long day, keep it controlled, long and strong!</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><br></b><b>Transition to Bike</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Remove wetsuit to the waist then hat & goggles. Find something to lean against to support whilst getting rest of wetsuit off! <br><br></span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Bike kit depends on the weather & forecast for the day! Socks and shoes as a minimum. Arm warmers as a possibility. A gilet if really cold.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><br></b><b>Bike</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Put the bike in an easy gear in transition and start the bike by pedaling easy, over the speed bumps, through the town and over the hill. I’m expecting people to come past me. Let them go.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>I’m breaking the course down into five sections, each taking roughly one hour.<br><br></span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQg-rNIP7BEvxM2UxxFvyh2xcd1GfkBcmpRKhZLQZz_EieGR6AB0aRGaWrqMezzxl1bCg4mnSDVTJN24xr0kLe-6uHAIIZpzyA__YtrlGnB26kJo_q9WuFfPduQP4kSyqXsLCZaE4lsFy/s640/blogger-image-1351941231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQg-rNIP7BEvxM2UxxFvyh2xcd1GfkBcmpRKhZLQZz_EieGR6AB0aRGaWrqMezzxl1bCg4mnSDVTJN24xr0kLe-6uHAIIZpzyA__YtrlGnB26kJo_q9WuFfPduQP4kSyqXsLCZaE4lsFy/s640/blogger-image-1351941231.jpg"></a></div>The first section is the section from T1 to the turnaround point at Montgat (39K). This section of the bike will be easy. Power numbers should be no higher than <b>170W</b>. HR will come down after the swim and will be low. I’m expecting lots of people to pass me.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>The second section is back towards Calella (36k). In this second section I will increase the effort slightly – but still keeping things nice and steady. Increase to <b>180W</b>. Depending on any wind, this should be 34k per hour (ish). Allow HR to drift to mid-140’s.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>The third section is back towards Montgat (36k). This section should be paced similarly to the 2nd. If the headwind picks up on this section, don’t fight it. Avoid looking at the speed and keep eyes on the power and heart rate. Keep it steady, ready to take advantage of the tailwind on the way back!</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>The fourth section is back into Calella (36k). Section four is where we can pick up the pace slightly if still feeling fresh. Keep an eye on heart rate. Don’t let it go above mid-140’s. Power numbers can creep up to <b>190W</b> on this section.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>The fifth section is the mini lap and back into T2 (33k). In 2012, the pace of section 5 slowed – despite feeling great - primarily due to volume of riders on the course. Keep it consistent and overtake when necessary rather than slow and stay behind riders. Start to think about the run during the last 10K, getting out of the saddle and doing a few stretches.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><br></b><b>Pacing & Pace Guide</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Keep an eye on power and heart rate. Think about legs too. If HR climbs or legs feel tired, but power isn’t high, back off for a bit, eat some food and try again later on. </span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>Avoid playing games with the Garmin trying to keep a high average pace or high power score!</span></div><div></div><div><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></b><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 288px;"><colgroup><col span="2" width="144" style="width: 108pt;"></colgroup><tbody><tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td class="xl67" height="17" width="144" style="height: 12.75pt; width: 108pt;"><b style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Bike Split</b></td><td class="xl68" width="144" style="width: 108pt;"><b style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Speed</b></td></tr><tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td class="xl66" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">05:30:00</span></td><td class="xl69"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">32.7 km/h</span></td></tr><tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td class="xl66" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">05:20:00</span></td><td class="xl69"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">33.7 km/h</span></td></tr><tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">05:15:00</span></td><td class="xl69"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">34.2 km/h</span></td></tr><tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td class="xl66" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">05:10:00</span></td><td class="xl69"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">34.8 km/h</span></td></tr><tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td class="xl66" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">05:05:00</span></td><td class="xl69"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">35.4 km/h</span></td></tr><tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td class="xl66" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">05:00:00</span></td><td class="xl69"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">36 km/h</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><br></b><b>Nutrition</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I’ll be using Torq gels – taking one every 30 minutes and washing down with water. I’ll take the first one when I’m out of town and over the hill (after about 15 minutes). I’ll also use the Torq gels with guarana to give me a caffeine boost, taking one after 2 hours and then again at 4 hours. I’ll keep taking gels up to the end of the bike as per schedule</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhkafWmoWEITUvnWNJvwV-nB3cerobH1Yn5dtL4ieCYpLWU5XYXlngWppRE6cCUwyCJ2Em5AzTxfEVpxKDivKacdCrvARui0oeTmCi8xdMr_5A9G5r_T0Wvkkestqfv0xWLS6hc_CXX3F/s640/blogger-image--1783555210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhkafWmoWEITUvnWNJvwV-nB3cerobH1Yn5dtL4ieCYpLWU5XYXlngWppRE6cCUwyCJ2Em5AzTxfEVpxKDivKacdCrvARui0oeTmCi8xdMr_5A9G5r_T0Wvkkestqfv0xWLS6hc_CXX3F/s640/blogger-image--1783555210.jpg"></a></div>For drinking, I will use 1 water bottle in the cage, replacing at every aid station. If it is particularly hot, I’ll have two bottles on the bike.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>The gels will give me 230 calories per hour, 1150 calories for the bike leg.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>If stomach shuts down or starts to feel bloated, I’ll slow down so my HR drops and my stomach starts working again! I’ll also alter my feeding schedule, taking a break from gels for 15-30 minutes.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><br></b><b>Mantra</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- The race doesn’t start until the last hour of the run! Keep things steady until then!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Ignore drafters and don’t race after clubmates!</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><br></b><b>Transition to run</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Into T2, grab bag and sit down. Put fresh socks on, shoes on, grab plastic bag with remaining kit in and move quickly out of transition. </span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Plastic bag is likely to contain:</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Garmin</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Visor</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Sunglasses</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Gels</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Suncream</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I can sort myself out with these bits of kit whilst I’m moving.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><br></b><b>Run</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I will begin the run slowly, jogging rather than running! The aim is to get the HR really low (140’s) and to get used to running. The pace will be between 5.15 and 5.30min/k. Small steps, quick cadence.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><br></b><b>Pacing</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The run will be broken down into five sections.<br><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_rL9t5vIPJCKxpHxSZ28Jd5a3GBW-fXt5nIqESHycQip4106t28EFDjBhWHi39HEUjs6wvikczv4AS-J1yKe83wyiyBlXqVfxiPxB54LH9crZ7lqJSaQxnoHX-dC-sGIH5zPcDyVFsxy/s640/blogger-image-691556405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_rL9t5vIPJCKxpHxSZ28Jd5a3GBW-fXt5nIqESHycQip4106t28EFDjBhWHi39HEUjs6wvikczv4AS-J1yKe83wyiyBlXqVfxiPxB54LH9crZ7lqJSaQxnoHX-dC-sGIH5zPcDyVFsxy/s640/blogger-image-691556405.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1. The first 1.5k towards the turnaround point will set the tone for the race. This should be easy, allowing myself to sort out my garmin etc. Enjoy the spectacle.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">2. The first 10k loop to Pineda and back will be a continuation of the easy running. I want to be running no faster than 5.15min/k. HR should still be low, ideally in the high 140’s. Take a look at the sights, spot spectators, smile a lot! Remember, this is the fun and easy part of the run!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">3. The second 10k loop will see a build in pace, picking up to 5.10min/k’s. Continue walking through aid stations to pick up water, but be disciplined about how long I walk for – 50 metres max!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">4. The third 10k loop requires concentration and a bit of mental toughness to keep the pace consistent. Running should be at the same pace as section 3. However, it will start to hurt. The easy pace will feel hard to maintain. It will be uncomfortable. Use technique cues – hips up, light feet, shoulders back. If absolutely necessary, incorporate a short walk every k – 10-15 seconds only.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">5. The last 10k. If I have anything left, this is where we can pick up the pace / effort. Don’t feel sorry for myself. Keep going. I’ll regret any walking later.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><br></b><b>Nutrition</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I’ll have a gel at each turnaround point (5k) starting at the first turnaround at 1.5k. Alternate between normal gels and Guarana (caffeine) gels – so normal gels in Calella and caffeine at Pineda. Drink water at the aid stations. </span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>Have some emergency coke with supporters. Pick that up after 20k.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Have some ibuprofen / paracetamol on standby in case knee flares up.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>If my stomach shuts down, slow down a bit. Drink coke at the aid stations. Grab some chocolate from support team.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>If it is particularly hot I’ll pour cups of water over my head to keep cool.<br><br><b>Pace Guide</b><br></span><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 288px;"><colgroup><col span="2" width="144" style="width: 108pt;"></colgroup><tbody><tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td class="xl65" height="17" width="144" style="height: 12.75pt; width: 108pt;"><b style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mins per KM pace</b></td><td class="xl66" width="144" style="width: 108pt;"><b style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Marathon Time</b></td></tr><tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><td class="xl64" height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">05:05 - 3:34:31<br>05:10 - 3:38:02</span></td><td class="xl67"><br></td></tr><tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td class="xl64" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">05:15</span></td><td class="xl67"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">03:41:33</span></td></tr><tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td class="xl64" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">05:20</span></td><td class="xl67"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">03:45:04</span></td></tr><tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td class="xl64" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">05:25</span></td><td class="xl67"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">03:48:35</span></td></tr><tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><td class="xl64" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">05:30</span></td><td class="xl67"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">03:52:06</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><br></b><b>Mantra</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Easy, Easy, Easy<br>- Do What You Can Right Now<br>- Do Justice To Your Training!<br>- The Race Starts At Mile 18!</span></div>Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-5760452568123951122015-06-02T20:52:00.001+01:002015-06-02T21:02:31.408+01:00Challenge Salou - You Were Awesome!<div>Up <a x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">at 4.30am </a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">for a breakfast of super sweet rice pudding and pain au chocolat - all consumed in the bathroom whilst Lynn and the girls slept. Race kit (Fusion Speedsuit) - check, suncream applied - check, warm clothes on - check, Rucksack with swim kit, bike bottles and pump - check. That was me all set to meet Daniel </span><a x-apple-data-detectors-result="1" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">at 5.30am </a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">in the hotel lobby and make the quiet 10 minute walk to race HQ.</span></div>
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<div>However, <a x-apple-data-detectors-result="2" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event">5.30am</a> in Salou is not as quiet as you might think. Our route to transition took us past four or five bars and restaurants - all of which were packed with people, some spilling out onto the pavements, and bumping music. Lively. I'm not sure who was the most confused, us watching this spectacle or the revellers seeing two men in lycra walking through the Salou equivalent of Mathew Street!</div>
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<div>I was probably a bit too laid back at the start, as despite my early arrival at transition, I had to run from the bag drop-off to the beach to be in time for a 50m warm up in the water before lining up on the beach with the other athletes in my wave start. Not great Bryan, sharpen up! Despite my lateness, I managed to squeeze my way to the front and was in a great position to run into the water when the cannon boomed. </div>
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<div>3-2-1 boom. Go. </div>
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<div>I ran over the soft sand into the shallow waters, with more than 100 other black-suited swimmers. And we ran. And ran. The water stayed shallow for 20-30 metres before dropping to depths where swimming was actually possible. I dolphin-dived four or five times, suddenly forgetting where I was, forgetting the drama and excitement of the race and just enjoying the sensation of diving into the water and gliding. </div>
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<div>Inevitably, the time to stop messing about and start swimming came. I settled into a rhythm pretty quickly, lots of space around me, no clashes with other swimmers. Once settled, I looked around, observing how the race was unfolding. The faster swimmers were 10 metres to my right, about 10 metres ahead. I set my internal rudder 10 degrees east and made my way over to join the party. I caught up with them, with the notion of sticking with them and enjoying a relaxed, easy, drafting swim. However within the space of a pool length I had passed all but one of them. So much for that plan! The guy in front was swimming a bit quicker than I wanted to so I let him go, using him and the canoe that accompanied him as my sighting guide, ensuring I swam in the right direction. After passing the second of five buoys that marked out the 1.9k swim course, I rolled over onto my back to see what was happening around me. Not a lot as it turned out. I was alone. A distance ahead of the other swimmers. </div>
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<div>Goggles were fogging a bit, making sighting a bit more difficult. However, the turn buoys were big and easy to spot, with giant balloons attached to them, the course very easy to navigate. Arms and shoulders were also starting to ache a little, partially down to swimming in a wetsuit for the first time in 8 months, partially the pace of the swim but also due to the limited time spent in the pool this year. I felt myself slowing a little as we neared transition. That's fine. Don't fight it. Conserve energy for the rest of the race.</div>
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<div>I ran along the soft sand with wet feet, stripping as much of my wetsuit off as I could before reaching my transition bag and the change tent. My wetsuit - Blueseventy Helix - is great for swimming in but really difficult (for me anyway) to take off. I eventually wrestled it off my calves and ankles and went through my transition routine. Running to my bike I felt fantastic. Energy aplenty.</div>
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<div>Once past the mount line and onto my bike, I pedalled easy for a few minutes, allowing my body time to adjust to the new position. I checked my Garmin. Power numbers appearing. Heart rate monitor recognised and working. Satellites acquired and speed and distance numbers increasing. All good. All expected data present and correct.</div>
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<div>Looking down I noticed my heart rate was high - about 155. I expected this so continued cruising through the twists, turns and roundabouts taking us out of town and onto the main cycle route. Once onto the wider, flat, black tarmac main road I settled into my aerobars, my race position. Speed started to rise. I then checked my power numbers. Too high. The internal dialogue then started. </div>
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<div>"Your power numbers are too high, slow down" cried one voice. </div>
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<div>"Oh stop. I'm feeling great, and I reckon I can sustain this" came the rebuttal from the idiot voice.</div>
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<div>"Don't be ridiculous! You've never trained at this level, you have a long race ahead and you want to run strong".</div>
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<div>The first of the u-turns signed on the route came without much warning. I saw a man in a yellow vest waving his arms about 50m in front of a roundabout. I thought he was telling me to go around the roundabout and make my way back. Once I'd passed him, I quickly realised I was supposed to turn around him! Oops. I breaked hard and made a slow turn around and pedalled, back on the correct course. Much to my embarrassed self's relief, I wasn't the only one to make this error. The five guys behind me also shot past. Shortly after the turn, I spotted Daniel coming the other way. "Hey Daniel!" I shouted, alas without reply. I looked at my Garmin and I reckoned I was about 4 minutes ahead. I definitely wasn't expecting him yet so he must have had a super swim. </div>
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<div>The route soon took us off the main road again, going through some more roundabouts, another u-turn, and a back road that looked very out of place in this race! After about 20k we emerged onto the main road, a large dual carriageway that was completely closed to traffic. Speed started to pick up. Heart rate was dropping. I was feeling good. A few people passed me, but not many. I was passing others in front. A mix of female athletes who started 10 minutes in front of me and the over eager athletes who started the bike at a pace they would struggle to maintain. I was eating and drinking regularly. Torq gel every 40 minutes - which in hindsight might not have been enough? - and sips of water.</div>
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<div>This was not a hilly bike course, whichever way you look at it. However there were a couple of 'hills' near the turnaround, between 45 and 55k. Nothing to change gear out of the big ring for, but enough to drop speeds to 20-22kph.</div>
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<div>After picking up two bottles of water at the aid station, I made my return journey, back to transition. I noted my time at the turnaround and then looked across the road, trying to spot other athletes such as Daniel, Alastair, Jeff, Jon, Natalie, Hannah and trying to gauge the different gaps between us all. I spotted Daniel with ease, a little too close for my liking! Somehow I missed the 6 feet five inch frame of Alastair. Maybe I blinked and he just powered past? Probably. I shouted encouragement to the other guys - I love that stuff - and most of them replied, others silent just in their own focussed zone!</div>
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<div>I felt like I powered back to transition, seeing my average speed creep higher the longer the race went on. Out of the saddle on the 'hills', just to change position and stretch my neck and back, I felt powerful. Still being careful not to overdo things, despite my eagerness to charge. I enjoyed the last 40k the most.</div>
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<div>In no time I was making some more twists and turns and navigating roundabouts. Transition was fast approaching. The enthusiastic crowds were thickening now, and I milked the support, waving, smiling and giving thumbs up. I was still feeling great.</div>
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<div>Off the bike, running towards transition the first person I see cheering is Kate. Fantastic! Bike racked, I ran and grabbed my run bag, changed into my running shoes and then spotted Lynn and the girls immediately. Awesome!</div><div><br></div>
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<div>I started out of transition and my legs felt ok. Not great, not light, but turning over well. "Keep it going and they'll soon feel good" I told myself optimistically. Through the first 2k in the sticky heat, running along at 4.45min/k pace and then ... ouch! Right hamstring cramp! Out of nowhere it struck and didn't let up. "Come on! Give me a break!" The voice in my head screamed. I stretched and massaged it a little and it eased up. I continued on, and after 400m or so my hamstring started to feel normal again. My pace picked up a bit, moving nearer to my pre-race goal of 4.30 min/k. For the next 5k I was running at this sort of pace, keeping the gap between myself and Daniel 'interesting'. He was closing, but not fast. It could be an interesting race. </div>
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<div>After about 8k I felt my left knee go weak and a sharp pain struck every time I hit the ground with that leg! That's not good. About 10 days before the race this knee had swollen after one of my run sessions, and it hadn't been right since. Running along the prom next to the sand, in a race with some fantastic athletes, I no longer had any power in my left leg. Argh!! The pain eased as I slowed a little to 4.45min/k. I cracked on with it, trying to keep my cadence high and my pace consistent.</div>
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<div>"Two more laps and I'm done. Come on, just two more laps". Sensible voice keeping me on track. The third lap was the worst though, with cramp striking again, although much more easily treated this time. Pace was 5 minute kilometres when running, although I was definitely taking more time walking through the aid stations. The idiot voice was strong, and my mood wasn't good, only lifting briefly when I saw Lynn and the girls. They always pick me up. Never fail. </div>
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<div>I had a gel, and coupled with my awesome support, I started to feel a bit more positive about things. One lap to go. Picked up the pace a little and moved ahead of athletes around me. This was better. Reached the turnaround point at the far end of the course. 2k to go. Come on. Calf muscles started to pulse. "Don't you dare" I said to myself, "don't even think about it". I shortened my stride even further and gritted my teeth.</div>
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<div><br></div><div>Picking up my last of four wristbands, signifying four completed laps, I entered the finish area and I spotted Lynn and the girls again. I stopped and gave them all a kiss! I glanced at the clock as I crossed the line - 4.51. A PB. First time under five hours. How did that happen? With that horrible last half of the run too. Awesome! Just shows what you can do if you just keep moving forward. No feeling sorry for myself and giving up. Just keep moving.</div>
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<div>A great time was had by all. This race has a new set of fans. Challenge Salou - you were awesome! </div>
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<div></div>Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-63052187741364518152014-10-23T11:24:00.002+01:002014-10-23T11:24:59.380+01:00Ironman Barcelona – Training Review<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve had a review of my training leading into <a href="http://bryanriley.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/ironman-barcelona-2014.html"><b>IronmanBarcelona</b></a>. After a couple of weeks of
rest and unstructured training after a disappointing <b><a href="http://bryanriley.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/ironman-uk-ironman-too-far.html">Ironman UK</a></b>, I started training properly with <b>8
weeks</b> to go.</div>
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<br /></div>
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A couple of key areas to point out:<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li>Most weeks were less than 10 hours worth of training</li>
<li>There was a stronger focus on higher intensity work</li>
<li>I ran at least three times per week – sometimes four – and included
interval work and a ‘faster’ long run</li>
<li>Long run peaked at 2 hours</li>
<li>Cycling was limited to twice per week – generally strength intervals
and longer ride</li>
<li>Long bike peaked at 4 hours</li>
<li>Swim was squeezed in when possible, with limited structure</li>
<li>I maintained a session in the gym on most weeks, focussing
on core strength, stability and mobility</li>
<li>I had a minimum of one rest day per week, sometimes two.</li>
<li>There was consistency in the training</li>
<li>Most days had just one session, ensuring I was ‘fresh’ to
perform that session</li>
</ul>
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<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background: gray; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 128; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 47.95pt;" valign="top" width="64">
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</td>
<td style="background: gray; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 128; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Mon<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background: gray; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 128; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
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<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Tues<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background: gray; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 128; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
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<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Wed<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background: gray; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 128; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Thurs<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background: gray; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 128; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Fri<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background: gray; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 128; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
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<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Sat<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
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<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Sun<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: gray; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 128; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 47.95pt;" valign="top" width="64">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Week
8<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">7
hours & 40 mins<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F79646; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent6; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
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<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Tempo)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Gym<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Speed Swim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Turbo Intervals (3x10’)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Speed intervals)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Strength Intervals)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run (Brick)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F79646; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent6; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run (Long)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">1hr40 inc. 2x20 @ 4.30min/k<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: gray; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 128; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 47.95pt;" valign="top" width="64">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Week
7<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">10
hours<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Swim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Threshold)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Strength Intervals)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F79646; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent6; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Intervals – 4x8’ @ 4.30min/k)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Gym<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Short Swim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Strength Intervals)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Sports Massage<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run (Long)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">2hrs10 (inc 2x20’ @ 4.30min/k)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F79646; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent6; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Sprint Intervals)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: gray; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 128; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 47.95pt;" valign="top" width="64">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Week
6<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">8
hours & 50 mins<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(60’ Tempo)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(70’ Tempo)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(3hrs30 tempo)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(30’ easy)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Long)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">1hr40 (inc 2x20’ @ 4.30min/k)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Strength Intervals)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F79646; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent6; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: gray; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 128; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 47.95pt;" valign="top" width="64">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Week
5<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">10
hours & 15 mins<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(FTP Intervals)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Intervals 4x8’ @ 4.20min/k)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Long)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4 hours<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Sprint intervals)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Swim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Threshold)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F79646; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent6; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Long)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">2hrs (inc 3x20’ @ 4.25min/k)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: gray; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 128; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 47.95pt;" valign="top" width="64">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Week
4<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">11
hours and 35 mins<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Strength Intervals)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Intervals 4x8’ @ 4.20min/k)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Long)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4hrs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(30’ Brick)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F79646; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent6; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Swim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Speed intervals)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Gym<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Swim (Speed intervals)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Long)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">1hr50 (inc 3x20’ @ 4.25min/k)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: gray; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 128; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 47.95pt;" valign="top" width="64">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Week
3<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">8
hours and 45 mins<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Swim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Speed intervals)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Sprint intervals)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Long)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">3hrs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(50’ brick)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Intervals 4x8’ @ 4.20min/k)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Swim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Threshold)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Gym<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F79646; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent6; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Swim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Threshold)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: gray; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 128; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 47.95pt;" valign="top" width="64">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Week
2<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">9
hours<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Mixed inc FTP test)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">1hr45<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(50’ Brick)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F79646; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent6; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(IM Race Pace - 1hr30)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(30’ Brick)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(50’ Tempo)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Sports Massage<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Gym<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Short Swim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F79646; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent6; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(IM Race Pace – 1hr)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(20’ Brick)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: gray; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 128; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 47.95pt;" valign="top" width="64">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Race
Week<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Steady with 4x2’ efforts)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Easy with 4 x 1.30 efforts)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Sports Massage<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Swim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Speed intervals)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Easy)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(60’ tempo)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Swim (Wetsuit)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Easy with 4 x 1’ efforts)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(60’ steady with efforts)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Short wetsuit swim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #F79646; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent6; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 51.5pt;" valign="top" width="69">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">RACE DAY<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-41083616060756608892014-10-09T20:18:00.001+01:002014-10-09T20:25:30.979+01:00Ironman Barcelona 2014<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b></b></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrBBqFe1hmL_-FW9yo9qF_0LgDXzsp8fWcOaGOF0eeenWWqIPevmyqYv0AENx1o0Zf6wRdFsg3xoomMliZYPWRApFcaRe4P88HhXqAdMH15Iv_qQjtv2Lck_JJXxS2-K5ZsphLqoOQ-bI/s640/blogger-image-947652341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrBBqFe1hmL_-FW9yo9qF_0LgDXzsp8fWcOaGOF0eeenWWqIPevmyqYv0AENx1o0Zf6wRdFsg3xoomMliZYPWRApFcaRe4P88HhXqAdMH15Iv_qQjtv2Lck_JJXxS2-K5ZsphLqoOQ-bI/s640/blogger-image-947652341.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My perfect race!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b></b></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Pre-Race</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Ironman Barcelona was to be my 10th Ironman (or Iron Distance race) and I had high hopes for it! I had a race plan and some goals - with the dream goal of finishing in less than 10 hours. Training since a disappointing Ironman UK had gone well. Lynn gave me unbelievable support throughout the build up and was really encouraging me to do the best training I could possibly do before the race. I could not have wished for more. As well as some great training sessions under my belt, I had lost more than 4kg's in the month before the race, so I was feeling physically ready.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwg7-QGys4CcpT6glAPf_42DRIfuZ0Py_xpdvlEFV3T9krc3AR-S04Srzp4JdpKxgCF9_9K9X3KJnL0vMM63pQQBGKkrI3_XcVzOveEpL61PfmTTswDUbjYiuA9MzuP5kKEXkkcOPi8pge/s640/blogger-image-1633071425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwg7-QGys4CcpT6glAPf_42DRIfuZ0Py_xpdvlEFV3T9krc3AR-S04Srzp4JdpKxgCF9_9K9X3KJnL0vMM63pQQBGKkrI3_XcVzOveEpL61PfmTTswDUbjYiuA9MzuP5kKEXkkcOPi8pge/s640/blogger-image-1633071425.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron fit?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I flew out on Thursday morning - Lynn and the girls and Nicola and Daniel were flying out on Friday night. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I kept myself busy, going for a swim in the sea, a solid hour on the bike and then a 25 minute run. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Friday morning consisted of another hour on the bike with Gregg, Stuart and the Raceforce guys. A sea swim in late afternoon rounded off my pre-race training. Lynn and the girls arrived on Friday night. All that was left to do now was relax. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxVNGjW79zjHsw-t5AYfFCiu8iJRyWQphSURsrl2aVRtpgBhImIrHeXW2KGNEdaWWM8c_NqKwzvrUicqMY_yrnlTbAau_pBAHcJhmG38dPIYeVlepXa5UJOcRXdBGcUtAYfq9O7Iucekb/s640/blogger-image-1321831543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxVNGjW79zjHsw-t5AYfFCiu8iJRyWQphSURsrl2aVRtpgBhImIrHeXW2KGNEdaWWM8c_NqKwzvrUicqMY_yrnlTbAau_pBAHcJhmG38dPIYeVlepXa5UJOcRXdBGcUtAYfq9O7Iucekb/s640/blogger-image-1321831543.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the support crew!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3o4yc0Mm49SHFtxCDLYtUdxa4ky-N1uBl87x_PPSAU_6UCPAlZmcb68q_GSLPz3Uzpk1txmShWdXwlFbLkuKb0RHvE-16GhRGX_TWrOfcCh6Tst4wTGtpLzB7VAU1S8irD0YufFKlNQdY/s640/blogger-image-1455517149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3o4yc0Mm49SHFtxCDLYtUdxa4ky-N1uBl87x_PPSAU_6UCPAlZmcb68q_GSLPz3Uzpk1txmShWdXwlFbLkuKb0RHvE-16GhRGX_TWrOfcCh6Tst4wTGtpLzB7VAU1S8irD0YufFKlNQdY/s400/blogger-image-1455517149.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ironkids!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Saturday brought the Ironkids race. Great fun for the girls, all of whom received a backpack and a finishers medal. Dropped off bike and bags in transition later in the day before meeting up with everyone for dinner. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I had a decent nights sleep before waking up at 5.45am to
thunderstorms and torrential rain. Two
hours later, it was still the same. In
that time, I had breakfast (two pots of porridge and a cup of coffee), walked 2k
to transition, pumped my tyres on the bike, sorted out nutrition and bike
computer, put on my wetsuit and walked 1.5k back to Gregg, Paddy, Stuart &
Steve’s hotel. I was so wet and cold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YXzKdbmLQIbzCLDtR791IyO9k59ZTOgJ6z7zy3flNWIdy5RwMbkVTivoFeru2fJtsZLqlIjkJ98KsTy-kLuc4KZUjwNGR7PEad0OLLWlaabhLkv-qyF92P-5tHWeqZPQYlOsOyWkc-oO/s640/blogger-image-2123747653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YXzKdbmLQIbzCLDtR791IyO9k59ZTOgJ6z7zy3flNWIdy5RwMbkVTivoFeru2fJtsZLqlIjkJ98KsTy-kLuc4KZUjwNGR7PEad0OLLWlaabhLkv-qyF92P-5tHWeqZPQYlOsOyWkc-oO/s400/blogger-image-2123747653.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quick pre-race photo with the Race Force guys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The race start was
delayed by 30 minutes to allow the thunderstorms and torrential rain to pass! Gregg, Steve, Stuart, Ash and myself huddled
up by the beach bar and had a cup of coffee whilst we were waiting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It was cold, wet
and miserable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Swim<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I did my pre-race warm
up on the beach, doing some vigorous arm swings, a few jumps and some other
stretches. I was too cold to venture
into the water for a proper swim warm up.
Instead, I joined the hundreds of other athletes awaiting their turn to
enter the water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I was in the 40-44
year olds wave, 20 minutes after the professionals, 3 minutes after Gregg,
Steve and Will (35-39) and 9 minutes after Paddy (18-29). I couldn’t get near to the front of the beach
for our start, instead I had to line up on the 4<sup>th</sup> or 5<sup>th</sup>
row. When the gun went off we all
charged into the water. Bodies
everywhere! I decided to take no
mercy. These guys had put themselves on
the front row knowing they were not super swimmers, I wasn’t going to sit and paddle
behind them. I kept my head up, spotted
tiny gaps and just went for them. I swam
over legs, knocked into people’s arms, bustled my way past. It felt brutal but within 100m or so, I was
free! Clear water. Well, bouncing water. It was choppy out there. It was very easy to swallow lots of really
salty water – so I was very conscious of my breathing. I changed technique for this swim to combat
the waves, having more of a high arm recovery than high elbow. There was no gliding at the front of the
stroke either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The swim was made
all the more difficult by the wave starts that had been organised. Effectively, I had about 1500 people ahead of
me – most of whom had between a 3 and 9 minute head start on me. This was going to be carnage. I bumped into so many swimmers. The blue caps of 35-39’s were first, then the
green caps of the 30-34’s, then the white caps of the 18-29’s. I reckon I swam through / over / around /
into most of them. It was a very
disrupted swim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Not once in the
swim did I feel tired. Not once. Usually the last 800m is a bit of a slog,
with heavy arms. Not today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilQ2b8XQIBjMTo-Hm9dIkMMIbqVKt3WhHbA29z0TQgfEFoUS1cG-U1q9v2bSKnMy3yxw9VqFJ85t67wjPgKBZJfxjmpTdujscdyL4itWDEwlqu5Q1JcuD183oSae5NM6WzGMqoBgVvANW/s640/blogger-image--342070074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilQ2b8XQIBjMTo-Hm9dIkMMIbqVKt3WhHbA29z0TQgfEFoUS1cG-U1q9v2bSKnMy3yxw9VqFJ85t67wjPgKBZJfxjmpTdujscdyL4itWDEwlqu5Q1JcuD183oSae5NM6WzGMqoBgVvANW/s640/blogger-image--342070074.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Focus!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I exited the water
after 54 minutes, 5th from my wave out of the swim and 62nd quickest
overall. The fastest time of the day was
just under 50 minutes. Given the
conditions, I was quite happy with that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Transition
1<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I ran up the sandy
beach and into the transition tent, stripping my wetsuit as I went. Surprisingly, the wetsuit came off easily for
once. Emptied my transition bag onto the
floor and put socks and shoes on, race belt on, salt tablets into my pockets,
helmet and glasses on and then a quick dash to the bike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The first couple of
kilometres are along a narrow road, with speedbumps, a chance to settle onto
the bike and not go off too hard. The
road was slippery though. I felt my back
wheel slide a couple of times during this section. Easy, easy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">My HR monitor
refused to work at all on the bike. Perhaps
from the salty water of the swim?
Whatever the reason, I was going to have to rely solely on my power
meter - and my perceived effort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As per my plan, I
rode pretty 'easy' for the first 39k up to the turnaround point. I didn’t put any real pressure on the pedals,
and backed off when I felt my power rise.
That said, I was still riding pretty quickly. I didn’t sit in any pace lines, just riding
on my own (being overtaken a lot!), yet averaged over 35kph for this section,
with a Normalized Power of 168w. Gregg
was one of the guys who overtook me on this section. I was riding at 42kph on this bit of road and
he flew past me like I was going 20kph.
Go on dude!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8j1KgQx5_a2Ez1HmstbMYqlnleJynrh-ffI0mz4TzEE43iu-jf90Ihq2a2q1LHT2uyTFOqS2_bJ4Lfh22kxwu2hBum0K5HGgxo8Kd47kjZBrjSLgXgJadKGV6CdEjDE6sjedaOjT-rUV/s640/blogger-image--1258675277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8j1KgQx5_a2Ez1HmstbMYqlnleJynrh-ffI0mz4TzEE43iu-jf90Ihq2a2q1LHT2uyTFOqS2_bJ4Lfh22kxwu2hBum0K5HGgxo8Kd47kjZBrjSLgXgJadKGV6CdEjDE6sjedaOjT-rUV/s640/blogger-image--1258675277.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting off easy - it's a long day ahead!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">At the turnaround
point I had decided to put a bit more effort into the bike, increasing power
slightly and building into the race. My normalized
power for this section was 175w but average speed for the return leg was
34.2kph. Will passed me after about 60k,
obviously in a good mood, singing "Do You Want To Build A Snowman". He was looking good!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">At the end of the
first lap, amongst the crowds, I spotted Lynn and the girls for the first
time. It was a great feeling! I love seeing them out on the course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAy3sQs7K0RzyKgYrgG7SX2rp7ce2bYnDxIg8ny1LIrlPqLwfMKoPF5pUbnkliv7sG3KHqngCAX2-IbXhgjow6T9MkG-Dg68fPPSmGOQNa3idu7Rxf1PvdrlAfF2KI8JArF9FHqH_DFUo/s640/blogger-image-1838746142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAy3sQs7K0RzyKgYrgG7SX2rp7ce2bYnDxIg8ny1LIrlPqLwfMKoPF5pUbnkliv7sG3KHqngCAX2-IbXhgjow6T9MkG-Dg68fPPSmGOQNa3idu7Rxf1PvdrlAfF2KI8JArF9FHqH_DFUo/s640/blogger-image-1838746142.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotted having too much fun!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This next section I
picked up the pace and power again, averaging 36.2kph and 179w NP up to the
next turnaround point. During this
section I started overtaking people.
People who had flown past early on were now staring at my back
wheel. It was starting to get hot and I
looked around and noticed a lot of people sweating heavily. I did a quick check on myself – no sweat. I was 110k into the race and I was feeling
fantastic. I passed Paddy on this
section and he looked like he was cruising. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUbExtv2ro7gaSqvQFNIL6akmwYeK4lcwSuiSN7fb9qwQjiLjPF2WVS9jKVKkPwhBKUihwZNqNbysT0s92zZ4TWeuBELnPDLdgOvdxaFyQjpPJCGmHHle6PnzUCvBp4fR0PVl-PzE5v-T/s640/blogger-image--836961248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUbExtv2ro7gaSqvQFNIL6akmwYeK4lcwSuiSN7fb9qwQjiLjPF2WVS9jKVKkPwhBKUihwZNqNbysT0s92zZ4TWeuBELnPDLdgOvdxaFyQjpPJCGmHHle6PnzUCvBp4fR0PVl-PzE5v-T/s400/blogger-image--836961248.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Building into the race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The return to
Calella was done in 34.5kph, with NP of 180w.
So that was 150k done and my power was still increasing as the race wore
on. I was eating and drinking well,
having Torq energy gels every 30 minutes (with a caffeinated one at 2 hours and
4 hours) and picking up one bottle of water at each aid station. I was dropping more and more people too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gregg and Will were
both flying! Gregg must have built up a
12 minute lead at this point, with Will not far behind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkFZTlZkaZVo9I82z6uhEc3I8D7tI0II3OaLOLgDeoyyRP7TQF3YmINi6zyE_dUUiO44XxUWqIg5D6jS_vfcnVYZ5K5nCURc0aFHj60D96w-csfHQq-d3OCEnBmA3ARx0RxdCHVG_wqVX/s640/blogger-image-1152351198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkFZTlZkaZVo9I82z6uhEc3I8D7tI0II3OaLOLgDeoyyRP7TQF3YmINi6zyE_dUUiO44XxUWqIg5D6jS_vfcnVYZ5K5nCURc0aFHj60D96w-csfHQq-d3OCEnBmA3ARx0RxdCHVG_wqVX/s640/blogger-image-1152351198.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotted Lynn and the girls, Mum & Dad and Nicola & Daniel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Again, I spotted
Lynn and the girls, Nicola & Daniel, My Mum and Dad all out cheering! Awesome!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The last 30k ‘mini-lap’
was done in average speed of 34.3kph and NP of 183. I was finishing the bike having had no dark
patches or stomach issues and with energy still in the tank!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.65pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 530px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 177.95pt;" width="237"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.2pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Speed
(kph)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.25pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>NP
(w)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.25pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Cadence<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 177.95pt;" width="237"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Section 1 - Calella to Turnaround<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.2pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
35.4<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.25pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
168<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.25pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
89<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 177.95pt;" width="237"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Section 2 - Turnaround to Calella<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.2pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
34.3<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.25pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
175<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.25pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
85<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 177.95pt;" width="237"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Section 3 - Calella to Turnaround<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.2pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
36.2<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.25pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
180<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.25pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
85<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 177.95pt;" width="237"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Section 4 - Turnaround to Calella<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.2pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
34.5<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.25pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
180<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.25pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
83<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 177.95pt;" width="237"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b>Section 5 - Mini-Lap<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.2pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
33.7<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.25pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
182<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.25pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
82<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">There were lots of
people in the penalty tent. Drafting I
guess. There were so many ‘draft busters’
out on the course, so many penalties must have been given out. I imagine if you’re at the front end of the
field, trying to qualify for the World Championships or make the podium, the
sight of some of the drafting must drive you mad. As frustrating as it was to see, I wasn’t
going to let it affect my mood. I was in
my own race, looking for my own performance.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtQVC4M2gNMWrbUA4gTgEsYAg3D8lSBDYhlFlk0vglC2LKzwhugGzEejUN3cGn574FQPAoZyhI0iaCcF3FZRAiunRd6wX4Yn59a1MX2diexM6bkKkqoLHgpd7tX8JHcLjCTTZLWB0vlN9/s640/blogger-image-1518979521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtQVC4M2gNMWrbUA4gTgEsYAg3D8lSBDYhlFlk0vglC2LKzwhugGzEejUN3cGn574FQPAoZyhI0iaCcF3FZRAiunRd6wX4Yn59a1MX2diexM6bkKkqoLHgpd7tX8JHcLjCTTZLWB0vlN9/s640/blogger-image-1518979521.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding to conserve energy for the run</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I rode into T2 with
a 5.10 bike split, averaging 34.7kph and NP of 177 (Intensity Factor of
0.74). I zoomed through transition as
fast as I could, including changing socks.
I grabbed a bag with my Garmin and my gels in and ran out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Once I’d fired up
the Garmin, I realised I 'only' needed to run 3.45 (ish) on the marathon to finish
under my Big Hairy Audacious Goal of 10 hours.
To put this into context, in the 9 Ironman’s I have previously done, I
have run under 4 hours twice on an Ironman marathon – a 3.59 here two years ago
and a 3.29 in IMUK in 2011 (on a short course). Also, my standalone marathon PB is a 3.22. However,
I had a strong belief in myself, in my running, and if I executed the run well
then I’d achieve it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzUzODzIMqt4jHXcJ01gwFFZnKk0UPhSddvYPwdO9Cye257rLEEAdFop2BrcdCuFFsi0stAOXy5qH2NR4tJpK_yoIu21REU0MzTIsMgGxTeJgt2danZoUwIDX_HJeG_Zm_HpUOmta6McJ/s640/blogger-image-2028501921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzUzODzIMqt4jHXcJ01gwFFZnKk0UPhSddvYPwdO9Cye257rLEEAdFop2BrcdCuFFsi0stAOXy5qH2NR4tJpK_yoIu21REU0MzTIsMgGxTeJgt2danZoUwIDX_HJeG_Zm_HpUOmta6McJ/s640/blogger-image-2028501921.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start off easy - the race doesn't start until the last 20k of the run!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I started the run
telling myself to slow right down and not to blow it on the first 10k. I was going past runners, but knew I was
running too fast. I forced myself to run
behind another runner, slowing me right down. I started running with a British guy but I
noticed my pace creep up a bit, so being sensible I slowed down, waved him off
and wished him well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkeQVMVy7zW3lHgc_B-dpF4O9_vceZ1Jb2cA6WzMrRFLQLvmVMRzjlOKfGlq_pyuzQjNwGZiiK_IDwM45q7m0udbDbm37f6iynBH0YKiEMEaJ32tK1o7fzEyzp8zZT1IoR2agdrTWuwld/s640/blogger-image--380092820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkeQVMVy7zW3lHgc_B-dpF4O9_vceZ1Jb2cA6WzMrRFLQLvmVMRzjlOKfGlq_pyuzQjNwGZiiK_IDwM45q7m0udbDbm37f6iynBH0YKiEMEaJ32tK1o7fzEyzp8zZT1IoR2agdrTWuwld/s640/blogger-image--380092820.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice rhythm</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I was feeling
fantastic whilst running - light on my feet and energetic. I was taking on energy – gels and not coke
this time – with just a couple of sips of water at each aid station. I passed Will after 6k and Gregg after 15k. Both of them looking good and on to great performances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Again, my support
crew were out on the run, making all sorts of noise! Turbo-charged! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I went through the
half marathon in approximately 1:45. It
was here that I started to get a bit emotional.
I realised that the wheels would have to come off completely for me to
miss my sub-10 hour goal. I was still
feeling awesome and I had more than 2 hours to run 21k. This was on!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The support I had
on the run was outstanding! So noisy, so
emotional, so invested, so passionate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUQKkQCCgEzYBUps_R-3Fho1fau_CdBMxSZvHLV54LVWASTPU1JKOgfxRFbokhl0y9KmddFM85i-XW0bjmHB_ugpKjqsK8FyfRa1f8Kj-rtjtuM047YCz2YTpyyql9UT4sMPlzb33qI6g/s640/blogger-image-1203767968.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUQKkQCCgEzYBUps_R-3Fho1fau_CdBMxSZvHLV54LVWASTPU1JKOgfxRFbokhl0y9KmddFM85i-XW0bjmHB_ugpKjqsK8FyfRa1f8Kj-rtjtuM047YCz2YTpyyql9UT4sMPlzb33qI6g/s400/blogger-image-1203767968.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still feeling good!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">At about 25k I
started getting some stomach cramps – but a quick trip to the portaloo helped. I held back on eating too much then, only
taking another gel between 25k and the finish.
The only other time I broke stride was through the aid station at 36k
(ish) when I had a really acute stitch.
I walked a bit longer through that aid station, but soon picked up my run. Actually, the only walking I did in the race
was through the aid stations, and even then it was just enough time to have 2
or 3 sips from a water bottle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Going into the last
lap, I made a decision to slow my pace down.
I didn’t want to get cramp or have any other mishap. I was so close to a sub-10 I wanted to take
no chances. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This was reflected
in the splits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>5K Splits<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>5k Average HR<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" width="64"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>5k<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
25:27<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
151<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
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<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" width="64"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>10k<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
25:27<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
155<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" width="64"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>15k<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
25:10<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
156<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" width="64"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>20k<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
25:08<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
155<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" width="64"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>25k<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
25:37<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
152<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" width="64"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>30k<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
27:43<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
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150<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" width="64"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>35k<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
26:17<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
150<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" width="64"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>40k<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
27:17<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 79.15pt;" width="106"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
148<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">For the last 2k I picked
my pace up. I ran straight past the aid
station, waving at the volunteers as I went.
This was joy. I turned into the
finish chute and high-fived as many people as vigorously as I could! I was delighted. Not relieved to finish or satisfied with the performance,
but genuinely delighted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyv1riPbmYX9VxoQ94twm86gZzajlExYI6gNFaQkQ38jjTWnDTR4OmEjcdo2WbfJ8Qhisx-XGoQZdkKQaLdxJP7dAa2XmJxMeQWz-0kaQMBWpomrNdSy_8HeX7xPx69GaXt1w21tMsYMRi/s640/blogger-image-2005890042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyv1riPbmYX9VxoQ94twm86gZzajlExYI6gNFaQkQ38jjTWnDTR4OmEjcdo2WbfJ8Qhisx-XGoQZdkKQaLdxJP7dAa2XmJxMeQWz-0kaQMBWpomrNdSy_8HeX7xPx69GaXt1w21tMsYMRi/s640/blogger-image-2005890042.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High-Five!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I’d finished the
marathon in 3.37 – or 3.39 if you include the transition like the official time
did! What a run!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCddzAFQ75xKkBC-8V0qMY1Md-6ZMioRaNe3rlMTgcgCBqW_W56IL23wocHVT79CFE9gKFoHdEf_E9icJVFNAtpWpKyhZ1h13TeIe10ynwqK-73zAE_5F_buNxmWrt2UX5T_t2vxxnB66/s640/blogger-image-146593174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCddzAFQ75xKkBC-8V0qMY1Md-6ZMioRaNe3rlMTgcgCBqW_W56IL23wocHVT79CFE9gKFoHdEf_E9icJVFNAtpWpKyhZ1h13TeIe10ynwqK-73zAE_5F_buNxmWrt2UX5T_t2vxxnB66/s640/blogger-image-146593174.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love it when a plan comes together!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I genuinely believe
that I could not have executed that race any better. It was perfect. Physically I was prepared. Mentally, I believed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">9 hours and 50
minutes of absolute perfection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-28052060955150712582014-09-25T13:12:00.000+01:002014-09-25T13:12:12.203+01:00Ironman Barcelona Race Plan - My 10th Ironman Special<div>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Goals</span></b></div>
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1. <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Dream Goal:</b></span> 9.55 (55’, 5.15, 3.45)</div>
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2. <span style="color: yellow;"><b>PB Goal:</b></span> Break 10:19 (1.00, 5.25, 3.50)</div>
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3. <b><span style="color: yellow;">Run Goal:</span></b> Sub-3.45 run<br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Keys For Success</span></b></div>
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- Bike pacing (sensible, no power spikes)</div>
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- Nutrition (keep it going on the run)</div>
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- Run pacing (first 15k)<br />
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<b><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Swim</span></b></div>
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Do a dry land warm up, with some arm swings, gentle jogging and a few stretches. Get in the water if possible and do a warm up, with some sprints included.</div>
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I will line up towards the front, front row if possible, to the left hand side to avoid the scrum! Once into the water, I’ll start fast – but controlled. Keep leg kick slow to avoid going too hard. If I can get a draft, great, but if the lead swimmers are going too fast, ease off and swim on my own.<br />
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Be aware that I will catch some of the earlier waves. Make sure I spot these swimmers in advance and not bang into them!</div>
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Concentrate on technique throughout the swim. Keep a long stroke, good catch with both hands, solid pull with no slips. Keep leg kick – and therefore intensity – low. To remain controlled, count strokes if necessary.</div>
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<b>Mantra</b></div>
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- It’s a long day, keep it controlled, long and strong!</div>
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<b><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Transition to Bike</span></b></div>
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Remove wetsuit to the waist then hat & goggles. Find something to lean against to support whilst getting rest of wetsuit off! <br />
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Bike kit depends on the weather & forecast for the day! Socks and shoes as a minimum. Arm warmers as a possibility. A gilet if really cold.</div>
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<b><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Bike</span></b></div>
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Put the bike in an easy gear in transition and start the bike by pedaling easy, over the speed bumps, through the town and over the hill. I’m expecting people to come past me. Let them go.</div>
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I’m breaking the course down into five sections, each taking roughly one hour.<br />
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The first section is the section from T1 to the turnaround point at Montgat (39K). This section of the bike will be easy. Power numbers should be no higher than <b>160W</b>. HR will come down after the swim and will be low. I’m expecting lots of people to pass me.</div>
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The second section is back towards Calella (36k). In this second section I will increase the effort slightly – but still keeping things nice and steady. Increase to <b>170W</b>. Depending on any wind, this should be 34k per hour (ish). Allow HR to drift to mid-140’s.</div>
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The third section is back towards Montgat (36k). This section should be paced similarly to the 2nd. If the headwind picks up on this section, don’t fight it. Avoid looking at the speed and keep eyes on the power and heart rate. Keep it steady, ready to take advantage of the tailwind on the way back!</div>
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The fourth section is back into Calella (36k). Section four is where we can pick up the pace slightly if still feeling fresh. Keep an eye on heart rate. Don’t let it go above mid-140’s. Power numbers can creep up to <b>180W</b> on this section.</div>
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The fifth section is the mini lap and back into T2 (33k). In 2012, the pace of section 5 slowed – despite feeling great - primarily due to volume of riders on the course. Keep it consistent and overtake when necessary rather than slow and stay behind riders. Start to think about the run during the last 10K, getting out of the saddle and doing a few stretches.</div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Pacing & Pace Guide</span></b></div>
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Keep an eye on power and heart rate. Think about legs too. If HR climbs or legs feel tired, but power isn’t high, back off for a bit, eat some food and try again later on. </div>
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Avoid playing games with the Garmin trying to keep a high average pace or high power score!</div>
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<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 288px;">
<colgroup><col span="2" style="mso-width-alt: 4608; mso-width-source: userset; width: 108pt;" width="144"></col>
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<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt; width: 108pt;" width="144"><b>Bike
Split</b></td>
<td class="xl68" style="width: 108pt;" width="144"><b>Speed</b></td>
</tr>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">05:30:00</td>
<td class="xl69">32.7 km/h</td>
</tr>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">05:20:00</td>
<td class="xl69">33.7 km/h</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">05:15:00</td>
<td class="xl69">34.2 km/h</td>
</tr>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">05:10:00</td>
<td class="xl69">34.8 km/h</td>
</tr>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">05:05:00</td>
<td class="xl69">35.4 km/h</td>
</tr>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">05:00:00</td>
<td class="xl69">36 km/h</td>
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</tbody></table>
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<b>Nutrition</b></div>
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I’ll be using Torq gels – taking one every 30 minutes and washing down with water. I’ll take the first one when I’m out of town and over the hill (after about 15 minutes). I’ll also use the Torq gels with guarana to give me a caffeine boost, taking one after 2 hours and then again at 4 hours. I’ll keep taking gels up to the end of the bike as per schedule</div>
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For drinking, I will use 1 water bottle in the cage, replacing at every aid station. If it is particularly hot, I’ll have two bottles on the bike.</div>
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The gels will give me 230 calories per hour, 1150 calories for the bike leg.</div>
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If stomach shuts down or starts to feel bloated, I’ll slow down so my HR drops and my stomach starts working again! I’ll also alter my feeding schedule, taking a break from gels for 15-30 minutes.</div>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Mantra</b></div>
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- The race doesn’t start until the last hour of the run! Keep things steady until then!</div>
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- Ignore drafters and don’t race after clubmates!</div>
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<b><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Transition to run</span></b></div>
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Into T2, grab bag and sit down. Put fresh socks on, shoes on, grab plastic bag with remaining kit in and move quickly out of transition. </div>
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Plastic bag is likely to contain:</div>
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- Garmin</div>
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- Visor</div>
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- Sunglasses</div>
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- Gels</div>
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- Suncream</div>
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I can sort myself out with these bits of kit whilst I’m moving.</div>
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<b><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Run</span></b></div>
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I will begin the run slowly, jogging rather than running! The aim is to get the HR really low (140’s) and to get used to running. The pace will be between 5.15 and 5.30min/k.</div>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Pacing</b></div>
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The run will be broken down into five sections.<br />
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1. The first 1.5k towards the turnaround point will set the tone for the race. This should be easy, allowing myself to sort out my garmin etc. Enjoy the spectacle.</div>
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2. The first 10k loop to Pineda and back will be a continuation of the easy running. I want to be running no faster than 5.15min/k. Closer to 5.30 would be ideal. HR should still be low, ideally in the high 140’s. Take a look at the sights, spot spectators, smile a lot! Remember, this is the fun and easy part of the run!</div>
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3. The second 10k loop will see a build in pace, picking up to 5.10min/k’s. Continue walking through aid stations to pick up water, but be disciplined about how long I walk for – 50 metres max!</div>
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4. The third 10k loop requires concentration and a bit of mental toughness to keep the pace consistent. Running should be at the same pace as section 3. However, it will start to hurt. The easy pace will feel hard to maintain. It will be uncomfortable. Use technique cues – hips up, light feet, shoulders back. If absolutely necessary, incorporate a short walk every k – 10-15 seconds only.</div>
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5. The last 10k. If I have anything left, this is where we can pick up the pace / effort. Don’t feel sorry for myself. Keep going. I’ll regret any walking later.</div>
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<b>Nutrition</b></div>
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I’ll have a gel at each turnaround point (5k) starting at the first turnaround at 1.5k. Alternate between normal gels and Guarana (caffeine) gels – so normal gels in Calella and caffeine at Pineda. Drink water at the aid stations. </div>
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Have some emergency coke with supporters. Pick that up after 20k.</div>
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If my stomach shuts down, slow down a bit. Drink coke at the aid stations. Grab some chocolate from support team.</div>
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If it is particularly hot I’ll pour cups of water over my head to keep cool.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Pace Guide</span></b><br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 288px;">
<colgroup><col span="2" style="mso-width-alt: 4608; mso-width-source: userset; width: 108pt;" width="144"></col>
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<td class="xl65" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt; width: 108pt;" width="144"><b>Mins
per KM pace</b></td>
<td class="xl66" style="width: 108pt;" width="144"><b>Marathon Time</b></td>
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<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">05:10</td>
<td class="xl67">03:38:02</td>
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<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">05:15</td>
<td class="xl67">03:41:33</td>
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<td class="xl64" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">05:20</td>
<td class="xl67">03:45:04</td>
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<td class="xl64" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">05:25</td>
<td class="xl67">03:48:35</td>
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<td class="xl64" height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">05:30</td>
<td class="xl67">03:52:06</td>
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</tbody></table>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Mantra</b></div>
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- Easy, Easy, Easy<br />- Do What You Can Right Now<br />- Do Justice To Your Training!<br />- The Race Starts At Mile 18!</div>
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Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-78155198143430314502014-08-02T13:27:00.001+01:002014-08-02T13:56:17.162+01:00Ironman UK<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Minutes before we were allowed into the swim, 2000 people dressed in rubber suits standing shoulder to shoulder, the announcer reminded us all to take a moment to say thank you to our loved ones. Thank you for all of your support. Thank you for your understanding and patience. Thank you for looking after our children whilst we were out training. Thank you for cooking and feeding us, particularly after long training sessions. Thank you for putting up with early morning alarm calls, for chlorine and sweat smells around the house. Thank you for all of that and much more. </span></div><div><br></div><div>This really resonated with me and I felt myself getting a little choked. It's a pretty selfish sport, spending hours per week on our own, away from the demands and pressures and responsibilities of everyday life. I really appreciate the support I am given every day. This was a timely reminder to really appreciate and acknowledge this support, and to remind us that we couldn't do this on our own.</div><div><br></div><div>With that done, the first tear of the day shed, we were led into the water and made our way to the start line.</div><div><br></div><div>Swim</div><div>I positioned myself on the front row, pretty central, but away from the bunching on the left. The swimmers behind me started edging forward, past me and past the start line, meaning that I started the swim behind a few other people. Hooter went, water-polo style in front of one guy in front, and wedged myself between two others. A few bumps later and I was clear. Relaxed swimming was the aim, with very little kicking and no heavy breathing. I decided I wasn't going to draft on this swim. I wanted to swim at my pace, and I wanted clear water to swim in. After a couple of hundred metres I was in the exact position I wanted to be in, having executed the start perfectly. To ensure I stayed in my moment, my race, I started counting my strokes. This had the effect of blocking out others and focusing on my technique. Finger entry, stretch and glide for a moment, catch the water early, keep a high elbow underwater, pull then push, high recovery and out. I've never done this in a race before, but it really worked. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOz_-KSTHPe_kS3p_MEGxPWkiiL2S6kRmY4QOkM80gDyG-bKcUHbbdlWYapmlKRzHAA92QckywALkwgzOomhLBfxpiARztXM0c3Pjr1YqM2aYiLDf5Wa-ISGPPWLND-mBCq-s3_Qyjo8D/s640/blogger-image-1478135617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOz_-KSTHPe_kS3p_MEGxPWkiiL2S6kRmY4QOkM80gDyG-bKcUHbbdlWYapmlKRzHAA92QckywALkwgzOomhLBfxpiARztXM0c3Pjr1YqM2aYiLDf5Wa-ISGPPWLND-mBCq-s3_Qyjo8D/s640/blogger-image-1478135617.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>Before I knew it, I'd reached the first giant orange turn buoy. I was approaching it with five or six other guys. I took the inside line and prepared myself for a bit of a scrap on the turn. Surprisingly, they all seemed to go a bit wide, leaving the water clear for me. I took the advantage, staying tight to the buoy and without any extra effort moved ahead of all but one of the other swimmers. I continued counting my strokes, often losing count, or drifting off a little, only to start the count again. Once past the second orange marker, I had a proper look in front of me to try and see the masses in front of me. Where were they? I was taking this swim easy, there should be loads of guys in front of me, but there really weren't. Before long I was heading back to the start area for the end of lap one. After the quiet solitude of the murky water, the noise from the crowd as I exited the water and made the short run (100m?) back to enter the water was intense and shocked my system. I milked the moment, waving, smiling, fist-pumping, high-fiving people. This was a special experience. I couldn't help myself. A quick look at the race clock, 26 minutes for the first lap. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZyUzsct3sOEU1bIKxQ5Ckd1Ikh5ZRRobE5m6caZoB-4GfPJOX8oDei8KjYnPQqU4b8Iu8RVCTN0E8ZVnQqgySUJdejdmv8Y8c5iyeAWAH4ssL05207Rnt5U2yW5p6f6cSJ8IkYFinB0d/s640/blogger-image--382699699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZyUzsct3sOEU1bIKxQ5Ckd1Ikh5ZRRobE5m6caZoB-4GfPJOX8oDei8KjYnPQqU4b8Iu8RVCTN0E8ZVnQqgySUJdejdmv8Y8c5iyeAWAH4ssL05207Rnt5U2yW5p6f6cSJ8IkYFinB0d/s640/blogger-image--382699699.jpg"></a></div>Before jumping back into the cold, I looked at those ahead of me and spotted a couple of swimmers within 20 metres or so. I thought I'd be able to catch them just by keeping up my steady rhythm. However, the run through the crowds upset my concentration a little and I found it harder to focus on counting my strokes. My mind started to wander. And just like last year I started to go off course. I just didn't know it yet! I was heading towards the giant orange buoy in the distance ... just not the right one. I woke up and clicked that I was navigating my way to the second buoy, not the first. Sometimes Riley you're an idiot! Quick correction on the internal compass and I was back on track. I had lost ground on the two swimmers in front of me. Not only that, but I could see a line of others coming up close. They must be the swimmers I overtook at the turn buoy almost a lap ago! Round the first orange buoy, then the second, and I was onto the long stretch (800m?) back to shore. Despite focusing on technique, my stroke was beginning to tire. Arms were heavy and slow. What I could do with now was a draft of another swimmer to tow me back to transition. Ask and ye shall receive! The line of five or six bodies had caught me. Brilliant. I positioned myself behind the lead guy, and alongside the second swimmer. Not sure the 2nd guy was that impressed - he'd probably been in that position for most of the swim and didn't want to have to fight for 'his' position now. We clashed arms and bumped each other for the next few hundred metres. This train of swimmers were moving quickly and I had to work to keep position. We passed another swimmer who had been quite a way ahead of us. I felt like I was riding a wave! Who was this guy leading our pack - and why wasn't he further ahead in the swim? We were passing some of the back markers who were struggling on lap one. A few of them breaststrokers too. I felt for them. They were in for a long day battling cut off times. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroNE9lOeFL75kJlcFaflarH6sOiTHkF6LI8vylxhX1-rWCi1KuukyJmzhyphenhyphenV6JyazkZaKoyTAj89E96Jrs-Voy6rTw3TTDkb_gSdkFgSgFbSUE0et1a1BbcJuf5vSdCHqGQ_hhXxTyGrIQ/s640/blogger-image--535543174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroNE9lOeFL75kJlcFaflarH6sOiTHkF6LI8vylxhX1-rWCi1KuukyJmzhyphenhyphenV6JyazkZaKoyTAj89E96Jrs-Voy6rTw3TTDkb_gSdkFgSgFbSUE0et1a1BbcJuf5vSdCHqGQ_hhXxTyGrIQ/s640/blogger-image--535543174.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I reached the pontoon and accepted the hand of one of the helpers, pulling myself out of the water. 22nd person, including the pros, out of the water. Outstanding result from a pretty relaxed swim. The noise from the crowds had increased. Goggles off, swim hat off, running, smiling, waving, more fist-pumping, reaching for the zip at the back of the wetsuit and pulling. The run is a couple of hundred metres and the crowds were massive. By the time I'd made the run from the waters edge to the transition tent, my wetsuit was off my shoulders and pulled down to my waist. Into the tent, I quickly identified my blue bag in a sea of 2000 other blue bags, and found a white plastic seat where I could change. This wetsuit I have is tight. It does not want to come off. It stuck around my calves. No amount of tugging and pulling seemed to help! In this race there are no wetsuit strippers - volunteers who help you get your wetsuit off quickly - and there are no walls or poles to stand and balance against. Wetsuit eventually came off and I went through my routine of quickly dressing for the bike. Socks, shoes, race number, helmet, glasses. Quick reapplication of chamois cream - because you can never have too much when embarking on a 180k bike ride! Found my bike - couldn't miss it next to the big 'H' sign - and off I ran to the bike mount line. "Come on Riley!" boomed the deep tones of Steve Ormesher, supporting on the other side of the fence, a regular sound I would hear throughout the rest of the day. </div><div><br></div><div>Onto the bike, and through the speed bump lined path out of Pennington Flash. As with every other year, triathletes taking the speed bumps too quickly and seeing their drinks bottles jettisoned from their bottle cages. The road was littered with them already. Guy in front of me lost both bottles - and his oakleys - and just carried on. Can't help feeling he would regret that decision later clouding on. </div><div><br></div><div>There is nothing fast about the 25k stretch from Pennington Flash to the start of the bike loops - it goes up, the road surface is bad and it twists and turns. I wasn't going to be too aggressive and force the pace at this early stage of the race. That wasn't everybody's strategy however. A few guys zoomed past me at a pace I'd be pleased with in a much shorter Olympic Distance triathlon. I was taking it nice steady here. </div><div><br></div><div>If I hadn't done much endurance training for swimming, then my cycling was on a completely different level. In the weeks and months leading up to the race I'd managed two rides of 120k and a couple of 90k rides, including the Outlaw Half Ironman race. The remainder of my cycle training had been limited to shorter (1-2 hours) turbo sessions. With that limited endurance base, I was definitely staying conservative with the pace and effort today.</div><div><br></div><div>It was misty this morning. Really misty. My glasses were fogging up too. Not a great combination for spotting - and then avoiding - potholes in the road! 15k into the ride, it started to rain. Heavy rain too. I was cycling along through the fog, on a pretty chilly day, in nothing more than a pair of shorts and a triathlon tank top, with the rain needling my skin, unable to see very far ahead. Not really a glamour sport is it? The glasses soon came off and were tucked inside my top for the remainder of the bike leg. </div><div><br></div><div>I soon reached the first aid station and the beginning of the first of two 75k loops. Opting for just one bottle on the bike today, I was going to pick up a fresh water bottle at each of the six aid stations en route. I was going to fuel with the twelve Torq energy gels I'd brought with me - one every 30 minutes. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipuH9ALb9aH4qmi5hqcbEtIuWpS6IWFOv8NW9T75Q8fhPB-VT9FmhL3Kbc0h6wGGGcDGzqejwc-pCMofsi_ndXbimn58XWy8yT7cvy4Srg4Lb4yvg7DdxTEbN1hiY9RNrxuc8Tctzaueku/s640/blogger-image--1013593924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipuH9ALb9aH4qmi5hqcbEtIuWpS6IWFOv8NW9T75Q8fhPB-VT9FmhL3Kbc0h6wGGGcDGzqejwc-pCMofsi_ndXbimn58XWy8yT7cvy4Srg4Lb4yvg7DdxTEbN1hiY9RNrxuc8Tctzaueku/s640/blogger-image--1013593924.jpg"></a></div>First climb of the day was soon here. Sheephouse Lane. I don't like this climb, not because it's particularly difficult, but because it takes ages to get up and really saps your average speed! I popped the bike in the lowest gear and tried not to use too much energy or let my heart rate rise too much. This was not everybody's approach. Some people looked like they really wanted to win the king of the mountains jersey and could be spotted out of the saddle, calf muscles bulging and faces grimacing. I think I might even have heard some grunting. Dudes, we're two hours into a 10 or 11 hour day here! The mist made the climb a bit more exciting as I had no idea where the top of the climb was. I remember being surprised that I'd reached the top so soon. Once up and on top of Winter Hill, it was time to focus on the twisty, moon-like surface descent. I say focus because there is one turn on the way down that is particularly tight - which I nearly overshot the first time down - and some really terrible holes in the road which if hit at speed could do some damage. Safely negotiated, it was soon back to climbing though following the sharp left hand turn through Belmont. Support was building on the course even though it was still only 8am. I'd forgotten how much this bit of road goes up. You reach a point however when you crest the top and then zoom for the next 5 or 6k hitting 50kph without really trying. Everybody's favourite bit of the course! </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyFyEB1tHV0_cSk7P2dR-O_xTdtykK6dB5JmHENebop5wfXpGFSpK4JL-wQc9yTbHrLK1uuQXgscPZkMomjqRRXn97RBYJOoSzKWMhEdisBDK3v6sxVOWCpJOMqhk5i0_aSRUlgqmpiPV/s640/blogger-image--1438742578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyFyEB1tHV0_cSk7P2dR-O_xTdtykK6dB5JmHENebop5wfXpGFSpK4JL-wQc9yTbHrLK1uuQXgscPZkMomjqRRXn97RBYJOoSzKWMhEdisBDK3v6sxVOWCpJOMqhk5i0_aSRUlgqmpiPV/s640/blogger-image--1438742578.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I was racing with a powermeter today and my plan was to keep my pedalling at or below 160 watts - 65% of FTP - except for the hills where I would keep it as close to 200w as possible. On the flat 160w could be between 32-36kph depending on the type of road surface. Speaking of road surface, the roads on this racecourse make you work for every bit of speed you get. These are not fast, smooth Tarmac that can be found on European roads. They are rough, they cause the bike to vibrate, they have holes in them and they are hard to ride 180k on.</div><div><br></div><div>The course continued to twist and turn, and it went up and down. The new section of the course, introduced this year, continued with this theme. Up another hill. Right at a junction followed by a sharp left. Left turn followed by a sudden right. And so on. You get the picture. The support here was good though. Spotted a few of the MerseyTri supporters around here. Soon enough we were upon the much talked about Hunters Hill. I hadn't seen this hill before so didn't know what to expect. It was steep, but not crazy steep that you had to get out of the saddle. It went on, enough to make it hurt, but didn't go on too long to make it a lung-buster. Up and over I went. </div><div><br></div><div>I finished lap 1 and rode through Addlington, or COLT Alley, as it is known due to the support of the COLT triathlon club along this short climb. Fantastic atmosphere here, goosebumps and smiles aplenty! Lap 2 was very similar to lap 1 - except I now knew what the course looked and felt like, the amount of supporters increased and the sun was making an appearance. If anything, I took this lap even steadier than the first, aiming to arrive in T2 with decent running legs. I gave myself a little cheer as I passed the 127k mark, my longest ride of the year before today, and the 160k point - my first 100 miler of the year! I came into transition feeling pretty good. Nutrition and hydration had gone well, my legs hadn't started to fatigue, I felt like I was in good shape.</div><div><br></div><div>The crowds coming into T2 were big and noisy. It felt like a hero's welcome home. Once inside the transition tent, I changed socks, laced up my runners, grabbed my Garmin and visor and a Mars Bar and back out into the crowds. Almost immediately we were met with a pretty steep hill, which I decided to walk and save my legs. Start easy and build into it was the plan. Reaching the top, I broke into a run, as easy as I could manage. Before long I had reached the first aid station and a quick trip to the portaloo beckoned. A walk break and a toilet stop within the first 2k - I was certainly keeping with my 'start easy' strategy! </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2QIIKthtsU1ILa6Z2kLyzpx1pyYPrGgE-a1g_n3x9pALrEY8FmSIQ4RIHJKLRY0u7rG7mYl7BeNH9nZKlOoVD0I_PisVk3nsVBIxrZgXxdj2691BaKWAWHRPW8OUujr_YmsmgmgLfZnS/s640/blogger-image--59206090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2QIIKthtsU1ILa6Z2kLyzpx1pyYPrGgE-a1g_n3x9pALrEY8FmSIQ4RIHJKLRY0u7rG7mYl7BeNH9nZKlOoVD0I_PisVk3nsVBIxrZgXxdj2691BaKWAWHRPW8OUujr_YmsmgmgLfZnS/s640/blogger-image--59206090.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Once moving again, I felt fantastic. I was running as slowly as I thought I could possibly go and my run splits were between 4.30 and 4.45 per k. Heart rate was low too - in the 140's. At this point, I should have realised that this was clearly not as slow as I could go - I would discover that later! I was overtaking loads of people here. "What a runner you are" I thought to myself, "you're going to kill this marathon!" I naively proclaimed. </div><div><br></div><div>I've raced this course twice before today, each time having a super run. First time, I ran a 3.29 marathon and the second, last year, running a negative split 3.52. I had really enjoyed the laps. 4.5k uphill before turning and running 4.5k downhill. At this point, reaching the start of the laps in great shape, I had no reason to believe this time would be any different. </div><div><br></div><div>After 8k or so, I was onto the main road, greeted by enthusiastic MerseyTri supporters led by a very encouraging Rob Fletcher, and I was on my way to a great run. I set off, but I had a nagging pain in my right foot. My big toe and ball of my foot to be precise. The familiar sensation of blisters beginning to form whilst simultaneously being squashed with every step. Ouch! Too early for blisters surely, I still had more than 30k to run! My own fault for wearing brand new socks, making the rookie mistake of trying something new on race day! Still clipping along but feeling a bit more laboured now, despite the support and the downhill section.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdXlrnTuzppJqABsB7BQ13YfuCiaacKiEUYpdhO3J-VllWUoje8tkG-QF8-lntiu3AqjYs0xtPUDvN2KlpnSiNEGghNhUteKpzmMja-qJ4IGkvf77_VbXgYhMcux9wD8H_JEecsSyrJh6/s640/blogger-image-1283744269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdXlrnTuzppJqABsB7BQ13YfuCiaacKiEUYpdhO3J-VllWUoje8tkG-QF8-lntiu3AqjYs0xtPUDvN2KlpnSiNEGghNhUteKpzmMja-qJ4IGkvf77_VbXgYhMcux9wD8H_JEecsSyrJh6/s640/blogger-image-1283744269.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I soon reached my favourite spot on the course, the short and steep descent into town. It's my favourite spot because Lynn and the girls had based themselves there - and it was the first time I'd seen them since kissing them goodnight. The girls were jumping up and down, shouting and screaming. I stopped for a sweaty kiss and cuddle with them all before telling them I didn't need anything from them as I was feeling good. When I saw them again, after running 2k through a very energetic and passionate crowd in Bolton town centre, my energy and outlook wasn't quite as positive. </div><div><br></div><div>My rhythm wasn't quite there anymore either. My effortless 4.45's of 30 minutes ago were definitely a thing of the past, a distant memory, consigned to history. I reprimanded myself constantly. Halfway along the uphill part of the loop and I got a surprise. My mum and dad, and two of my nieces were there cheering for me. It definitely gave me a lift. </div><div><br></div><div>By the time I'd reached Lynn and the girls again I was reaching the half marathon point. Had a quick chat with Lynn, told her that my energy was waning. Her sage advice? "Just finish. Don't worry about the time. Just think how lucky you are to be here". I muttered something about not feeling very lucky right now and I headed on up the hill again. Of course Lynn was right. With three young daughters and family life taking priority, I was lucky to be able to find time to train and be able to do these crazy races. At the time, my thoughts were dominated by a simple phrase of "should have started easy you idiot, now you've ruined your race". I decided on a different run strategy now, abandoning the 'only walk through aid stations' plan. I was now going to cover each km with 1 minute walking and 4.30 minutes of running. Simple. I did this for the next lap and was feeling a bit better about things. However, after seeing Lynn and the girls for the third time and walking up the steep hill out of town, I just abandoned the fight. I walked, and walked, and walked. Both feet were sore with big blisters, there was no zip left in my legs and I had no energy. This uphill section was my lowest point in the race. For two consecutive k's I walked (9.xx minute kilometre pace). Finally, I had a quick word with myself and started to run again. Whenever I did run, I was running at 5 minute per k pace and flying past people. I just didn't have the energy - or the fight - to keep it going for very long!</div><div><br></div><div>In hindsight, perhaps I should have tried something different with nutrition. Switched from coke to gels, eaten another chocolate bar or maybe picked up a red bull at the red bull aid station. </div><div><br></div><div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Finally, I made my way downhill into town for the last time. I ran straight through the last aid station without picking anything up, passing three guys in my age group in the process, and headed to the finish chute where I was greeted by my medal and my family.</div></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpjESwZ2eWuRcWkoHx_L3Al0C3nKcRHYi7fqSKV6pdhv98M5l4c-WLpzIFoExQtDTNILCX6HTzH0-OAHWmR4MG7dySMB97DTLj1MWvLsWJ-3HdN1F5IARK2Hp12lNzu2v0xXxV-Of3sDX/s640/blogger-image--729599602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpjESwZ2eWuRcWkoHx_L3Al0C3nKcRHYi7fqSKV6pdhv98M5l4c-WLpzIFoExQtDTNILCX6HTzH0-OAHWmR4MG7dySMB97DTLj1MWvLsWJ-3HdN1F5IARK2Hp12lNzu2v0xXxV-Of3sDX/s640/blogger-image--729599602.jpg"></a> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVKefbU0mqnBrmvoAbJKIsVt3-IO0nayx0sJKZ1MNj1li3W7S59ES_9BA_Pp-DNOH6CEaaMleO-fDLjg4-1UKEhCIYXRRz9m4EW7xA44HlwI90nFBkK5aGSmEvQLIv11Oj-JKxSdVP9qO/s640/blogger-image--1198562338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVKefbU0mqnBrmvoAbJKIsVt3-IO0nayx0sJKZ1MNj1li3W7S59ES_9BA_Pp-DNOH6CEaaMleO-fDLjg4-1UKEhCIYXRRz9m4EW7xA44HlwI90nFBkK5aGSmEvQLIv11Oj-JKxSdVP9qO/s640/blogger-image--1198562338.jpg"> </a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVKefbU0mqnBrmvoAbJKIsVt3-IO0nayx0sJKZ1MNj1li3W7S59ES_9BA_Pp-DNOH6CEaaMleO-fDLjg4-1UKEhCIYXRRz9m4EW7xA44HlwI90nFBkK5aGSmEvQLIv11Oj-JKxSdVP9qO/s640/blogger-image--1198562338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxJWZicslYBpBbssxAdvlRG8p3Vs6VL7iQkVPJ4NJ6QjuvPLcmNFdPu0Kt7j4YkcR4J43hwbcoLu1X2UD9Xwu91lIwun1uyUQcn5d4Q50yI1Hk0dPfxoKxy4I7kcMD05sLio3vjjkNdfM/s640/blogger-image--59371562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxJWZicslYBpBbssxAdvlRG8p3Vs6VL7iQkVPJ4NJ6QjuvPLcmNFdPu0Kt7j4YkcR4J43hwbcoLu1X2UD9Xwu91lIwun1uyUQcn5d4Q50yI1Hk0dPfxoKxy4I7kcMD05sLio3vjjkNdfM/s640/blogger-image--59371562.jpg"></a></div></div></div></div></div><div><br></div><div>Swim - 0.56</div><div>Bike - 6.22</div><div>Run - 4.14</div><div>Finish Time - 11.42</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHrg5h69XA8-SrIpM5KF9qCiKWJxLoHZ5lCVmbImETEK9Ven0J9o0Fb2w8JOxk3wfNSB4g18n4lrHClM0u_LiuIGH1P03oFH2CjiLrBRiDaBeo7xxtMUncsF7Fkwi1pcqtTgRW-QIdKps5/s640/blogger-image--787341898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHrg5h69XA8-SrIpM5KF9qCiKWJxLoHZ5lCVmbImETEK9Ven0J9o0Fb2w8JOxk3wfNSB4g18n4lrHClM0u_LiuIGH1P03oFH2CjiLrBRiDaBeo7xxtMUncsF7Fkwi1pcqtTgRW-QIdKps5/s640/blogger-image--787341898.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>So another Ironman finish under my belt - 9 in total now - but one of my most disappointing. I had set myself up perfectly for a good race. Not a particularly fast one - the course doesn't really allow for that - but a well executed one. Swim was steady, felt relatively fresh coming off a pretty tough bike course but had a miserable second half of the run. I could blame my training - 7 hours per week average, the lack of long bike rides or the injury that stopped me running for months - or the lack of a real nutrition plan on the run, relying on nothing but coke and water, or the 'enthusiastic' start I made to the run. Whilst all these factors contributed, I think the main reason for the disappointment was losing the mental battle. I lost focus and fight. I retired from Ironman racing numerous times during the run, vowing not to go near another Ironman start line again. And this time I really, really thought I meant it.</div>Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-18925099964111263292014-06-19T13:25:00.000+01:002014-06-19T13:25:21.766+01:00The Outlaw Half Ironman<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why oh why didn't I position myself on the front row? This thought occurred to me 20 metres into the swim after being punched in my eye, kicked in the face and legs pulled under. Actually, I do know why. Fear. Unsure of my fitness and swim pace after 'limited' swim training in 2014 (14 hours since 1</span><sup style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">st</sup><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> January!), worried going too hard would come back to hurt me, I had mistakenly started from the 2nd row of swimmers.</span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lesson #1 from this race: always get to the front row of a mass swim start - whatever swim fitness is like.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water wasn't as warm as it looks!</td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once through the melee I was swimming pretty well. A controlled stroke, steady 4-beat kick, breathing every two strokes. I think getting into the water a few minutes before the start and doing a bit of a warm up helped. Who knew warm ups were useful eh? </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After passing a few of the people who I briefly drafted off, I looked up and couldn't see many people ahead. Two swimmers. That can't be right. I looked up again, with my head up for a bit longer this time. One guy was miles ahead, whilst the other was 10 yards in front. I went after the guy in 2nd, hoping to latch onto his feet and swim in his wake. After 100m I hadn't made much ground, yet my breathing was much more laboured. I decided, again with my worry about race fitness lurking in my head, to let him go and returned back to my previous pace and effort level. By this time, we'd reached the turn buoy and it was time to swim 950m back to the swim exit. I looked behind me for the first time to see how close others were to me. A couple of other swimmers 10m or so behind me then quite a gap to a bunch of others. Go on dude! The return trip to shore was pretty uneventful, aside from swimming through the reeds for much of the journey home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I pulled myself up and onto the boardwalk, getting some blood back into my legs as I ran into transition, all the while struggling to take my wetsuit off. It’s particularly tight around those wrists! I seemed to spend an age in transition (2 minutes and 43 seconds). Finally I was off and onto the bike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Swim time was 27:43 – 3<sup>rd</sup> in my wave, 2<sup>nd</sup> overall in my age group and 22<sup>nd</sup>overall including the relays. Not bad for 14 hours of swim training in 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkN-ZOKLbII1Y325-EcR7jFUqoXDECU47dWhu1ogwej7p8er7liA89jogzlz-I7kTQJ-7xLAEepGzdWH-W7CQNKYvdl-9K1eTsHBbLRcXfLI1rj7Kykzw9k2QuW5c8whvVo8KYUHhnFO5/s1600/IMG_5325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkN-ZOKLbII1Y325-EcR7jFUqoXDECU47dWhu1ogwej7p8er7liA89jogzlz-I7kTQJ-7xLAEepGzdWH-W7CQNKYvdl-9K1eTsHBbLRcXfLI1rj7Kykzw9k2QuW5c8whvVo8KYUHhnFO5/s1600/IMG_5325.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now onto the bike and my first task was to avoid the many geese that lined the initial section around the lake. Successfully negotiated, it was onto the main roads and time to get serious!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I didn't really have a plan though. Earlier in the week I nearly didn't start the race as I just felt rubbish. No energy for the first half of the week then a migraine which knocked me sideways for a day. Fair to say I wasn't in racing mood. A couple of decent sessions at the end of the week and I was feeling more positive. With this backdrop, developing a race plan wasn't in my thinking. Also, I don't really know how to pace these 'shorter' events. 90k on the bike - as opposed to 180k - must mean I can ride a bit harder though right? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The morning of the race, in the hotel bathroom eating my breakfast, I developed a bit of a plan. I had a power number in mind (80% of FTP) but wasn't completely convinced this was right. I also had a heart rate in mind (low 150's) and an average speed 'target' (34kph) which should produce a time of <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2:40</a> for the 90k. So I had a few methods of pacing - not knowing if I could actually hold any of these for any length of time! So the plan was in place, but it’s fair to say that the plan was 'fluid'.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was no wind to hinder progress on this relatively flat course either. It was a beautiful, cloudless summers day. Bike performance is summarised in the graph below. In summary, heart rate was pretty stable and went more or less to plan, averaging 154. My average (normalised) power was probably a bit lower than I wanted (averaging 179), with the last 30k averaging only 169. Average speed turned out to be 33.2kph, again a bit lower than I thought I was capable of, and again a drop off in the last 30k (32.2kph average).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiophzkrv2vKMb1b7fAJIYS5ZNYBbImC7xX0Y_vvlxftY_dYW3bCyaCijNCuWY5ywDS46U22DQOjrg2dgsf-dMQIdOmIcht1d380StYGk1vr-sc0xDxSBhHIfUG2nazdnAbID9Qw0xe9U2A/s1600/Outlaw+Half+-+Bike.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiophzkrv2vKMb1b7fAJIYS5ZNYBbImC7xX0Y_vvlxftY_dYW3bCyaCijNCuWY5ywDS46U22DQOjrg2dgsf-dMQIdOmIcht1d380StYGk1vr-sc0xDxSBhHIfUG2nazdnAbID9Qw0xe9U2A/s1600/Outlaw+Half+-+Bike.png" /></a></div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think the drop off for the last 30k was due to a couple of factors. Firstly, and the main factor, I really didn’t eat and drink enough. Three gels and three bottles of water was my total. Nervousness about previous stomach issues whilst racing led me to take the ‘less is more’ approach to nutrition. I was wrong. By the time I reached the run transition, after 3 hours and 15 minutes of racing, I had only had three gels. No wonder I didn’t have much energy at the start of the run! Secondly, I wasn’t as fit on the bike as I thought I was. Although I raced relatively conservatively and paced within myself, I faded during the last hour. I had only been outside on my race bike during race week – the rest of the training was 60 and 90 minute sessions in the garage on the turbo. There is no replacement for getting out there and riding!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lesson #2: eat more on the bike!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lesson #3: train outside!</span></b></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finished the bike leg with a split of 2.46.06 – which was only the 299<sup>th</sup> fastest of the day, and 74<sup>th</sup> in my age group. Not a marvellous performance!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhDPL1RJ38n_CLbn0TbrGdA1sKOOrPS7VBhUDkB2-rXiR-unv1kMq90etRhWsy5Pjxf4voUPvlU_midPQYai8CHmeCQXp02jbO8TAzqaIaD0kqey9aP_VTHrs1TQe8-eydDZjrqQote9r/s1600/IMG_5334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhDPL1RJ38n_CLbn0TbrGdA1sKOOrPS7VBhUDkB2-rXiR-unv1kMq90etRhWsy5Pjxf4voUPvlU_midPQYai8CHmeCQXp02jbO8TAzqaIaD0kqey9aP_VTHrs1TQe8-eydDZjrqQote9r/s1600/IMG_5334.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The best supporters!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a little over 2 minutes in transition, I was off onto the run. I had no energy. My legs were sore. I had a lot of negative thoughts. After a quick toilet stop, I was off and running. My spirits were lifted when I saw Lynn and the girls for the first time, dressed in their “team dad” t-shirts. They were noisy and smiley. Brilliant!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Given my 2014 run history, only being able to run in the past couple of weeks following a six week lay off due to (another) calf injury, I was a little apprehensive about the run. However, I was fairly confident that there would be no risk of injury if I kept to my steady run pace as any injection of pace seems to be when my calf just gives up!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided to use my Ironman run strategy, taking it ‘easy’ for the first part of the run, with the aim of increasing the pace later on in the race. I also decided that I would walk through the aid stations, as per my Ironman routine, picking up coke and water each time. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwf75WQkQN0p3jZ4fqodQDjeRJiLWlPrTTo9VySkjuaQoewotfM8xILk2Q_1-cNN0IDbsrjf965nXVAdI2QNL6PUBS9VJxsIND81eMe6K7ujynqmevJOfLiAoqPGWKmzgoeOBGWjWtw-9U/s1600/Outlaw+Half+-+Run.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwf75WQkQN0p3jZ4fqodQDjeRJiLWlPrTTo9VySkjuaQoewotfM8xILk2Q_1-cNN0IDbsrjf965nXVAdI2QNL6PUBS9VJxsIND81eMe6K7ujynqmevJOfLiAoqPGWKmzgoeOBGWjWtw-9U/s1600/Outlaw+Half+-+Run.png" height="195" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Negative split running</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On my way to a negative split run!</td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Lesson #4: bad patches in a race don't last long. Drop pace, eat and drink and get back in the game!</b></span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This seemed to work as I was able to pick up the pace after the first 7k, not running particularly fast, but I was moving better. I was also moving through the field a little bit now too, which was the first time in the race since the first 100m of the swim!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I averaged 5.04 minutes per kilometre pace for the run, which included two toilet stops and walking through all of the aid stations. It was a negative split run too, with my 2<sup>nd</sup>10k more than 2 minutes quicker than my first. I felt pretty good at the end too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The half marathon took me 1.47 to complete, which was the 257<sup>th</sup> fastest of the day and 56<sup>th</sup> in my age group. I had been hoping for a 1.40 run split (would have been 130<sup>th</sup> fastest run of the day), but given the running issues in the build up to this race, I was quite pleased with my performance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I ran along the red carpet high fiving as many people as I could. Lynn and the girls had positioned themselves about 50m from the finish line, just behind the rails. I wanted to pick the girls up and run across the finish line with them, but as I hadn’t been to the race briefing I wasn’t sure if I’d be disqualified for this! Instead, a big kiss and a cuddle from them before smiling my way to the finish line had to do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I finished the race in a time of 5.05, 186th overall (from 1108 starters), 43rd out of 218 in my age group (40-44).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tired!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Taking fitness levels and injury history into account, I was pleased with how the race unfolded. The swim was a real surprise, the second half of the run was pleasing and finishing strong was exactly how I wanted to complete the race. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was great to be racing again too - my last race was at Ironman UK in July last year! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I learned some lessons which I can implement in my two big races this year and, if nothing else, it was a super 5 hour training session!</span></div>
Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-43565645202649254042013-12-03T15:49:00.003+00:002013-12-03T20:24:51.467+00:00Training Strategy for 2014<h4>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Training
Strategy for 2014<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is a limited number
of hours in my life for training right now.
I cannot justify to myself the volume of hours that I want to put
in. I need a plan to maximise the training
time that I do have, whilst leaving me relatively fresh to enjoy family
life. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In coming up with a
strategy, I have come up with the areas that are important to me. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -18pt;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif">- I </font></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -18pt;">want to be consistent with my training.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -18pt;">- I want</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -18pt;"> to be injury free.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -18pt;">- I want to see some improvement and not
simply the ability to finish.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -18pt;"><br></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I also had to consider
what areas need the most improvement. I
keep coming back to the fact that I come out of the water near the front but
start the run ‘miles behind’. I would
really like to get to the run and feel like I am still in a race with other
people. With this in mind, my focus is
going to be on improving my cycling. I’ve
decided that the best way to do this would be the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No swimming until March. In coming to this, I looked at it from a
return on investment point of view. It
takes a lot of time to go swimming when you include travel, time which I haven’t
really got at the moment. I figured that
my swimming will not improve an awful lot between now and then. So given the time and effort, I decided I
would be better served putting my energies elsewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My cycling training is
focused on improving power, focusing specifically on FTP gains. The Garmin Vector power pedals are now on the
bike, so I need to focus and use them properly, targeting training around the
areas that will help me race faster. In
doing this, I have set up my training week to fit in a minimum of three rides
per week: one long ride to build endurance, one ride designed to improve FTP and
one designed to raise my speed / VO2 max.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m really fed up of
running related injuries, having had so many over the past two years, so my running
aim is to simply build endurance. This
will involve some slow running, building up slowly from my injury prone start. When running slowly is comfortable and I can
manage a minimum of 3 hours running per week without feeling the effects, I
will consider adding some pace work. For
now, the focus will be to run at or below 150 bpm.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Finally, I have decided to
add a little strength and conditioning work to the programme. I shall be calling on the expertise of a
personal trainer to help me with three things.
Firstly, improve core strength and stability. Secondly, to help with injury
prevention. Thirdly, for strength. This is new for me, so I’m particularly
excited about this.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So to sum up my training strategy
for the next few months, intensity and effort will be focused on both cycling
and strength & conditioning. Run
training will increase from its current low starting point, but keeping any
efforts easy and swim training will just have to wait!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-52305178347542635252013-08-29T16:23:00.000+01:002013-08-29T20:58:40.347+01:00Racing Ironman - The Six Hours Per Week Training Plan!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">OK so I’ve just read that
the winner of my age group in Ironman UK (in a time of 9.59.55) trained for an
average of 14.5 hours per week in 2013. Finishing
in 28<sup>th</sup> place in 11.07, I was intrigued to see how my stats compared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Having had a quick look at
my training log it’s easy to understand the 67 minutes difference!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the 31 weeks from
January 1<sup>st</sup> to August 4<sup>th</sup>, I trained for a total of 208
hours (and 20 minutes!). This works out
to an average of 6 hours and 43 minutes per week. That’s almost 8 hours per week less than the
winner! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2013
Training Totals<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.65pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 360px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: none; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Hours<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: none; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Distance
(K)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Swim<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">41:20:00<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">129<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">83:00:00<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2482<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">84:00:00<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1052<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">208:20:00<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90.0pt;" width="120">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">3663<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I averaged 80 minutes of
swimming, 2 hours and 41 minutes on the bike and 2 hours and 42 minutes of
running. That equates to 129k of
swimming, 2482k on the bike and 1052k of running.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wowzer! I
thought I had done more than that!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2013
Weekly Averages<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.65pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 332px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 77.0pt;" width="103">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: none; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 80.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="107">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Time<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: none; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 91.85pt;" width="122">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Distance
(K)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 77.0pt;" width="103">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Swim<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 80.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="107">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1:20:00<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 91.85pt;" width="122">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">4.2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 77.0pt;" width="103">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 80.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="107">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2:40:39<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 91.85pt;" width="122">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">80.1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 77.0pt;" width="103">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: none; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 80.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="107">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2:42:35<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: none; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 91.85pt;" width="122">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">33.9<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 77.0pt;" width="103">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Total<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 80.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="107">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">6:43:14<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 91.85pt;" width="122">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">118.2<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Looking back through my
training log a bit further, I managed half of the weekly volume that I was
doing in 2011, and 2.5 hours per week less than I did last year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2010
– 2013 Weekly Averages<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.65pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 455px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.4pt;" width="67">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: none; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 72.6pt;" width="97">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Swim<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: none; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 72.65pt;" width="97">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Bike<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: none; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 72.65pt;" width="97">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Run<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: none; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 72.65pt;" width="97">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Total<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 50.4pt;" width="67">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">2013<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 72.6pt;" width="97">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1:20:00<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 72.65pt;" width="97">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2:40:39<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2:42:35<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">6:43:14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">2012<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1:30:03<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">5:17:08<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2:29:20<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">9:16:31<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">2011<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">1:18:06<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">8:43:46<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">2:55:41<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">12:57:33<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">2010<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">4:56:00<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">9:29:29<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2"><span style="line-height: 14px;">The figures have been skewed slightly, in so much as March's total was a little more than 10 hours for the whole month! That said, no month saw more than 40 hours of training, with most months accumulating between 30 & 40 hours.</span></font></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">Don’t get me wrong here,
this is a lot of training for somebody whose life has changed completely.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">I now have three daughters (aged 4, 3 & 1
when they ‘arrived’ in March).</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">Training has not been a
priority, but a luxury.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">That said, I was
able to train consistently throughout most of the year – just keeping the sessions
short and higher paced.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">Lynn made sure I
was able to have some time on most days to add to the stinky kit wash pile.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On this level of training
I was able to do a PB in <b>Bala Middle</b> (despite lots of cramps) and complete two
Ironman races in 2013, <b>The Outlaw</b> in 10.44 (with lots of vomiting on the run) and
<b>Ironman UK</b> four weeks later in 11.07.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Planning for next year has
already started, with two races already entered (Outlaw Half and Ironman
UK).</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Planning a training schedule which
allows for some more longer sessions without compromising on family time is the
next trick.</span></div>
Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-39794520279080310202013-08-20T21:40:00.001+01:002021-08-03T22:34:45.131+01:00Ironman UK<div>This was my second time doing IMUK (first in 2011) and second Ironman in four weeks. I was eager to race but really unsure how I would perform. I was confident about the swim. I was aimimg to draft and conserve energy for the rest of the race. The bike worried me as it is quite a hilly / undulating course and my bike training had consisted of frequent 60-90 minute turbo sessions, training that I reckoned I could get away with for flat bike courses, but perhaps not for this type of course. I was looking forward to the run most of all. My last 12 miles of The Outlaw run had been strong and I'd managed to do a couple of 2hr training runs since then too.</div><div><br /></div><div>Katy & Kim ran in the Ironkids races on Saturday, a great experience for us all. Big time race atmosphere and occasion for the girls, not to mention their very first medal.</div><div><br /></div><div>Up at 3am for a couple of porridge pots and a coffee. I arrived at transition a little too early (4.30am) so just hung around for a bit in the rain taking in the scene.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Swim</b></div><div>Following the wet of the early hours, it was now turning into a lovely morning, with the sun shining and the clouds parting. An uplifting and morale boosting setting to start race day. I positioned<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"> myself towards the front, slightly behind a couple of other swimmers. The gun went. I promptly got bashed. An aggressive race then eh? If that's the way you want it, then lets do it!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">I began quick, controlled, but quick. I soon passed the guys around me and entered some empty water. I slowed a little and swam alone for a while, concentrating on technique, then spotted a bit of white water to my left. Quick decision to make. Draft-free swim without much contact / fighting but using my own energies or aim left, get stuck in, follow others and have an easier swim. Left, go left! I then followed somebody's toes for most of the first lap until I lost concentration, got a bit close and got a hard kick to my nose. Ouch that hurt! After a quick rub of the nose, I overtook that guy and found myself at the front of the group so put my head down and made an effort to catch the guy ahead, about 20m in front. </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-83cJS9zg6Z0uM86nPARBgnTeF4GM7jsblfcrlrRQUI5S6LYDDu3Wb4ectyYbWl3WArS-k6Z6Rpg2hch0HMvVnxjTIEb_E6bnxeASmliZbwNRTFuBePvcHBaU9r1k3nTWRN7qme0Q9P1f/s640/blogger-image-1156175926.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-83cJS9zg6Z0uM86nPARBgnTeF4GM7jsblfcrlrRQUI5S6LYDDu3Wb4ectyYbWl3WArS-k6Z6Rpg2hch0HMvVnxjTIEb_E6bnxeASmliZbwNRTFuBePvcHBaU9r1k3nTWRN7qme0Q9P1f/s640/blogger-image-1156175926.jpg" /></a></div><div><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span></div>Out of the water, ran through some huge crowds, spotted the clock saying 24 minutes then jumped back into the water for the last lap, still trying to catch the guy in front. Caught him. I then settled in and prepared myself for another draft. Losing concentration again wasn't part of the plan though. Whilst everyone else swam in a straight line heading for the first turn buoy, I went wildly off course. This has never happened before so took me by surprise. I was miles away. The guys in the canoes must have wondered what on earth I was doing! I refocused and headed back to the swim course. By this time a few of the swimmers behind had gone past me, including the first female pro. I swam in amongst a group of 8 or so swimmers before I swallowed some water (and tried to vomit for the next 50m) until I stopped and treaded water for a moment. This was turning into a comedy of errors! Once again, regaining composure, I picked up my pace and passed a few of the bunch, swimming alongside (clashing arms and generally bumping into) one of the male professionals for the next 800m!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">After an incident-packed, mistake-laden swim, I exited the swim in 19th position (2nd in age group) in 52.40. </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKH_ayfa2hoLw76cSN07vM0CnaJcAdxfR194m36Q_rWZ2b1xoVE53ThsxMBEFKARElWj2yuwwOSp1UxmnnEX4AVPIsPAQK6OJYVJmBHvz-zqwY5YEu0QgmOVA-u57wRLJSHG8bTGkMyT0r/s640/blogger-image-2029708403.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKH_ayfa2hoLw76cSN07vM0CnaJcAdxfR194m36Q_rWZ2b1xoVE53ThsxMBEFKARElWj2yuwwOSp1UxmnnEX4AVPIsPAQK6OJYVJmBHvz-zqwY5YEu0QgmOVA-u57wRLJSHG8bTGkMyT0r/s640/blogger-image-2029708403.jpg" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><b>Bike</b></div><div>Through transition and out onto the bike, my aim was to do a bike split that I 'should' - controlled, leaving some energy in the tank for the run, rather than a bike split that I 'could' - a bike split I'd be proud of but nothing left in the legs. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vAlWzo6cYvONL-b9-zfP3aMUVmC7QBr4PkgxPREBoPT2kb2fD5BLKqRP8f-3CVM7NqagcPzfAxWwfluo6EUG7umlsY37H4UryJ8VFRpUqb2IVgFcjovWm3Kt4xlEzMjE-LnNBTJ7KXPw/s640/blogger-image-1142877535.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vAlWzo6cYvONL-b9-zfP3aMUVmC7QBr4PkgxPREBoPT2kb2fD5BLKqRP8f-3CVM7NqagcPzfAxWwfluo6EUG7umlsY37H4UryJ8VFRpUqb2IVgFcjovWm3Kt4xlEzMjE-LnNBTJ7KXPw/s640/blogger-image-1142877535.jpg" /></a></div>This began with taking the first section 'steady', holding back and riding easy. Then came Sheephouse Lane, and the first of three times up 'the hill'. This seemed harder than it should have been! I didn't have any real power in my legs. Oh dear! This could be a long bike! Up and over the hill, down the pot holed descent, back up another hill then onto a super-fast, super fun section of the course! Towards the end of this section, clubmate and friend Gregg Jones pulled up alongside, we had a quick chat and then he zoomed off. Then I saw something pretty bizarre. A guy in front of me suddenly stopped, abandoned his bike at the roadside, pulled down his shorts and squatted, reaching for some leaves to 'clean' himself. Dude! Go behind the bushes if you have to go! Back to the bike course and the back end of each loop was undulating, slowing my pace down, and into a headwind (which increased in strength as the morning wore on). This was not going to be a fast bike split.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJg2ixp2oCnAoV9D3VmWkEszZePZ44L9h39YWZbqGijyOdoCIOJQNIL_oCzPMMYM-bCjHTS5-ZU5HGur47TCk-Z7D8Kx_C3x6IEuoXUlpfSqXaiupnTidCVrBmkhLJTcEF8Ri-9F02vQY/s640/blogger-image--1974623597.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJg2ixp2oCnAoV9D3VmWkEszZePZ44L9h39YWZbqGijyOdoCIOJQNIL_oCzPMMYM-bCjHTS5-ZU5HGur47TCk-Z7D8Kx_C3x6IEuoXUlpfSqXaiupnTidCVrBmkhLJTcEF8Ri-9F02vQY/s640/blogger-image--1974623597.jpg" /></a></div>Nutrition on the bike was different than my last few races. Out went the Zipvit caffeine gels, in came the PowerBar gels (strawberry & banana) every 30 minutes. With my recent history of stomach issues and vomiting during races, I opted for the less is more approach, with just gels plus water, rather than adding energy drink too. My something-new-on-race-day was some salt stick electrolyte tablets. All of this seemed to work as I had no stomach issues all day and I was also able to wet my shoes a few times!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8e7yGeavJCEPaTseX7wKDjdwPCYaXwk6xMRY9jvRvNFCyIqc8WXLZacjZEET65BBfzeCut1dAUrTT5Wp263UhmpXrhx7CWP9Ftnrx1HUQxqVd5hwkC5mG02QBcYbpwPl6EsrJs224Lqq9/s640/blogger-image-1429030691.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8e7yGeavJCEPaTseX7wKDjdwPCYaXwk6xMRY9jvRvNFCyIqc8WXLZacjZEET65BBfzeCut1dAUrTT5Wp263UhmpXrhx7CWP9Ftnrx1HUQxqVd5hwkC5mG02QBcYbpwPl6EsrJs224Lqq9/s640/blogger-image-1429030691.jpg" /></a></div>Support out on the bike course was good, with lots of locals out cheering. Spotted a few MerseyTri guys out there including Paddy (he's everywhere isn't he?), Peter Roome & Paul McNally. Had some super cheers from Andy Holgate and the COLT triathlon guys on one of the hills out on the course & Nick Rose, who could spot my pain & tiredness out there.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the last lap of the bike I was resigned to a 6+ hour bike time. I was also pretty tired, despite riding steady all day. Perhaps The Outlaw was still in my legs, perhaps it was the lack of long bike rides in training, perhaps the headwind, perhaps I'd undercooked my nutrition. Whatever it was, I decided not to push it and to ride easy for the remaining loop, telling myself not to worry because I was going to stay strong on the run.</div><div><br /></div><div>I finished the bike in a humbling 6.13.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Run</b></div><div>Into transition and hobbled off the bike. First person I see? Gregg. With my bike split I thought Gregg would have been miles ahead. This made me happier about my own bike performance. Maybe everybody found the bike as tough as I did? We said a quick hello, both grunted something about how tough the bike was and then Gregg ran out of transition whilst I sat down and put fresh socks and my run shoes on. </div><div><br /></div><div>I grabbed a Mars bar and a bottle of coke from my transition bag - another new nutrition strategy - and then tried to get my legs moving again for the run. Easier said than done. They were stiff. I concentrated on keeping my pace slow, at a pace I was confident I could maintain. My race goal was sub-4hrs, as close to 3.45 as possible, and to run strong throughout the whole marathon, avoiding any blow-ups. I nibbled on the Mars bar for the first few k and took a few sips of coke. I started to feel quite good. Well, not too bad anyway. I looked at my HR monitor and noticed the numbers creeping up. I slowed down and my HR dropped into the 140's. That's better. I kept telling myself that I could run all day at this pace / intensity.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNS1Ue7UowmUrtP8arJKSApblOhxIbb1zjh4cTnpV9gvmAWMshplpS6C8aPaa_BPqo5eQt1IgPcQ2loZ6BNx3N8jwRPkQK5KZiulpR38_QLzw7qnoyaetYURys2X0at6wxqwEHscUEbUU/s640/blogger-image--1187919093.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNS1Ue7UowmUrtP8arJKSApblOhxIbb1zjh4cTnpV9gvmAWMshplpS6C8aPaa_BPqo5eQt1IgPcQ2loZ6BNx3N8jwRPkQK5KZiulpR38_QLzw7qnoyaetYURys2X0at6wxqwEHscUEbUU/s640/blogger-image--1187919093.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>I was now 10k into the run and I hadn't spotted Gregg yet. I was pleased with this. I wanted him to have a good run, after his disappointment five weeks ago in Austria, with us racing together for the last 10k (with me edging him out in a sprint finish of course!). The loneliness of the first section of the run was soon forgotten when I reached the lap section of the course. Crowds. Noise. Other athletes. Excitement! Almost immediately I heard my first shouts of "Go Bryan". Thanks Tarja! This was more like it! At the turnaround point at the top of the course I caught up with Gregg. I said something positive like "looking good Gregg", to which he just grumbled "I need the toilet", as he hobbled over to the portaloo. I left him to it. </div><div><br /></div><div>I then made my way back into town where I was hoping to see Lynn & the girls. They didn't disappoint. They were waiting at the bottom of the big hill, arms waving and in full voice. I stopped and gave them all a big kiss. I was in my element, feeling good on the run and seeing the girls really enjoying themselves. My brother Liam, his wife Karen and their son Charlie were there too as was our friend Nicola and her daughter Lillie. That's a serious cheer squad. Add in some club mates such as big Steve, Will, Tarja, Stuart & Paddy (again!) who were out on the course cheering and I had some super support out there.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7FaP8VrH1a73WHRJKiDS9lPNHs_elLC-ViRS2YmmFVYK4FoNkJc769mk3cJfecbJ9XdUe5iqu_radN1Oz_DPcr68rM4DoUwdm5iuh220zWvWzg8POKPiMUTqKH-HOX3lzzmVFSirEI5r/s640/blogger-image-19968067.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7FaP8VrH1a73WHRJKiDS9lPNHs_elLC-ViRS2YmmFVYK4FoNkJc769mk3cJfecbJ9XdUe5iqu_radN1Oz_DPcr68rM4DoUwdm5iuh220zWvWzg8POKPiMUTqKH-HOX3lzzmVFSirEI5r/s640/blogger-image-19968067.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>I managed to maintain a decent run pace, only disrupted by the aid stations where I would pick up a coke and water and walk through them, a couple of toilet stops, a couple of hug and kiss stops with Lynn & the girls and then the big hill coming out of town which I decided to walk up on each lap. At one point, for a 2k stretch, I was running with the female pro who was in 2nd place (1 lap ahead of me), flying along, until I realised I was probably running a bit faster than I should. After about 22k of feeling pretty comfortable I started to feel my energy wane, and the effort required to run at my steady pace was increasing. </div><div><br /></div><div>Everybody reaches this point on the Ironman run. The key, I now realise, is how you react. In most of my races, I've taken the 'easy' way out. I've told myself it's really hard (which it was) and then slowed right down, often walking a lot more than I should (or needed to). Of the 7 Ironman races I'd done before today I'd only run under 4hrs twice. The first time was 3.29 and the second was a 3.59. Other races were between 4.03 and 4.34. My last race, The Outlaw, taught me that I was mentally (and physically) stronger than that, running a fantastic back end of a marathon - a 1.38 for the last 11.5 miles of the race after a vomit induced 2.31 for the first 14.7 miles! </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjof8JH2-AuO0o5NZ5In501YgT30_YXsjEdQgN6R-7jlKsJgVMGDseYbna1zEHyhctOm91zxk-rhZ88DjBJlyMCjpo_pJ8dqOTvFhqkMzaeq5iRBXXcTV6Qo-JA1RE-WuoCL-8-kBAuNGGX/s640/blogger-image-451687413.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjof8JH2-AuO0o5NZ5In501YgT30_YXsjEdQgN6R-7jlKsJgVMGDseYbna1zEHyhctOm91zxk-rhZ88DjBJlyMCjpo_pJ8dqOTvFhqkMzaeq5iRBXXcTV6Qo-JA1RE-WuoCL-8-kBAuNGGX/s640/blogger-image-451687413.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>I had been telling myself and others that I was going to run strong so that was exactly what I was going to do. My reaction to the fatigue and the increased effort it was taking to run at my pace was to keep believing in myself, to dig a bit deeper, to be sensible with nutrition (including an emergency Snickers!), to smile. I decided to enjoy the moment, not be swallowed up by it. I slowed a little going up the hill to the turnaround but then increased the pace coming down into town. The decision to take on the run was liberating. I felt in control. I was passing so many people. I was actually racing. The last few k's in an Ironman, when I'm usually on the floor, and I'm racing! Unbelievably, the last 10k of the run was my quickest of the race! </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pzC8Y-3hfEFqWowoM8vGwOOZLavuFT5h6as9gqhYG5v3dByZzMCjVZQoqkf4BdnCJrgtpjqnszW-on64KTqtZHa7EZbCZmPb4kFTAf7XaDDm_d-ZAuRas0XxS8A3mDkwToD2TLYtXvmJ/s640/blogger-image-1070267441.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pzC8Y-3hfEFqWowoM8vGwOOZLavuFT5h6as9gqhYG5v3dByZzMCjVZQoqkf4BdnCJrgtpjqnszW-on64KTqtZHa7EZbCZmPb4kFTAf7XaDDm_d-ZAuRas0XxS8A3mDkwToD2TLYtXvmJ/s640/blogger-image-1070267441.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>I finished the run in 3.52. I was delighted. I was so focused on running well that I didn't even notice my finish time. I had to ask the guy who finished 5 seconds in front of me what time we did! For the record it was 11 hours and seven minutes.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBwkp-ivk4HN9F_xlBsM0g4JGVs7GUMyH__7rg1xjf3-C5eCMHiK7hvWLa1O2h-Yz-GlALVgdBf0xX162f9EV7-6e3aam6LqMLLTtt6Hc7BGVUDeFMbD6LUDAtBtK86jPmKL_ni6l6Lb0/s640/blogger-image-1624113659.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBwkp-ivk4HN9F_xlBsM0g4JGVs7GUMyH__7rg1xjf3-C5eCMHiK7hvWLa1O2h-Yz-GlALVgdBf0xX162f9EV7-6e3aam6LqMLLTtt6Hc7BGVUDeFMbD6LUDAtBtK86jPmKL_ni6l6Lb0/s640/blogger-image-1624113659.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>From the 1600 athletes, I came in 155th overall (28th in age group).</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Post Race</b></div>This was my second Ironman in 4 weeks, following The Outlaw on 7th July. I still don't know if that was good or bad. The bike was tougher than it should have been, but that might have had nothing to do with my last race. I wouldn't be put off doing two races that close together in the future.<div><br /></div><div>I was really pleased with my run. The time was good for me, but my approach to it, my pacing and my in-race decisions were most satisfying. And it was enjoyable. I realise that to run a 3.30 marathon, you have to run quicker than 5 minutes per k. Most of my running was done at this sort of pace but once you factor in toilet breaks, aid stations, walking up steep hills, hugging and kissing, you really need to be running at 4.45 or less per k.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>Positives from that race included a new race nutrition strategy and finally being aware that the key to a stronger run is to keep pushing, to stay mentally 'strong', not giving in even when it's a whole lot easier to slow down.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite the big life changer of adopting three little girls in March, I managed to race two Ironman events this year. That's a lot of life-balancing to do. Credit - and thanks - goes to Lynn for supporting me to continue my training and enable me to compete in this crazy sport.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's more than likely my last race of the season. I've nothing planned for next year yet but I am sure Ironman will feature strongly in the Riley household in 2014.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-88873585256749592952013-07-10T19:58:00.002+01:002013-07-10T20:48:03.893+01:00The Outlaw 2013This was my first Ironman since turning 40 in January and becoming a father of 3 little girls in March. It's fair to say that training (and life!) has been a little different this year. I've still been training consistently (thanks to Lynn for this, encouraging me to go and train whilst she looked after the girls) but doing shorter sessions, focusing on higher intensity and 'getting the most from each session'. I'd done a couple of warm up races for this, Bala Middle & Southport Olympic, neither of which were particularly impressive, with hamstring cramps forcing me to slow in each of them.<br />
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Steady, steady, steady was my mantra going into this race. Above all, I wanted to be able to execute the race so I could run well. My goal going into the race was to do a similar time to Barcelona (10.19), but with a slower bike (as this course was supposed to be flat and fast - so similar to Barcelona I thought) and a quicker run. Sounded straightforward enough, didn't it?!<br />
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<b>Swim</b><br />
I had no pre-race nerves. None. This is an Ironman so I should be apprehensive right? Bonkers. I sought of daydreamed my way through the early morning. Getting in the water in the wrong pen. Asking others whether the swim was clockwise or anti-clockwise. Not putting myself at the front of the pen (when I eventually got myself into the right pen). Taking my goggles off to wipe them just as the start hooter went. As I say, daydreaming.<br />
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I replaced my goggles super quick, got my legs kicking and arms going. I was off. I found myself in a bit of a crowd taking a few kicks, pulls and knocks. Not a comfortable start. I couldn't actually see very well either. We were swimming directly into the sun ... and my goggles were still fogged up! I swam alongside a couple of relay swimmers (orange caps) at a pretty steady pace, keeping effort levels in check, and before I knew it we had reached the turn buoy. I found myself swimming at exactly the same pace as the two relay swimmers so I decided to turn down the intensity of swimming and just swim easy on their feet. I did this for most of the way back to the swim exit. I've had a few easy Ironman swims (Lake Placid 2010 & Roth 2012 spring to mind) but I think this was the easiest. I was coasting!<br />
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I exited the water in 54.42 - which I was quite happy with.
From 1000+ starters, I was 10th out of the water. 7 of those ahead of me were relay swimmers, meaning just 2 actual triathletes were ahead of me. Super stuff!<br />
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<b>Bike</b>
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I ran through to transition, struggling with my wetsuit as I went. A sit down on the bench whilst I sorted my bike stuff and then I was out. As I exited the tent I was followed by the channel 4 cameraman as I made my long run to my bike. Onto the bike and around the lake, cycling easy whilst I sorted myself out, then out onto the roads. As I did, my new friends the channel 4 camera crew, rode on their motorbike next to me ... so naturally I upped the pace just a little! By this time I had noticed that my heart rate monitor wasn't working. Not a disaster, but not ideal. I had no tools to monitor my effort other than my gut feel. I knew I should have invested in that powermeter!! I decided to take the first hour 'easy', zipping along the flat roads of Nottingham, with very little effort.<br />
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During the bike leg, temperatures were rising - hitting 28c according to my Garmin. I could feel it too, it was roasting out there. I was able to 'go to the toilet' on the bike (3 times during race) so hydration must have been ok. After about 3hrs on the bike I could start to feel twinges of cramp in my left hamstring. I eased off the pedals a bit and that seemed to help, as the twinges didn't develop into anything more than that.<br />
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There was quite a bit of drafting going on and I yelled at a couple of guys in particular who sat on my wheel for ages. Didn't stop them drafting but I felt better for letting them know how I felt! For the last 60k or so there was a group of about 15 athletes 100 metres ahead of me all riding in a bunch! Cheats!<br />
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I was eating and drinking regularly. I had one zipvit caffeine gel very 60 minutes, supplemented by energy drink and water at the aid stations. Not too much to cause any stomach issues (or so I thought!).<br />
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The bike course, although billed as flat, wasn't exactly flat & straight. In my mind, I compared it to Barcelona (straight & dead flat on really smooth roads). These road surfaces were certainly not smooth and there were quite a few 2, 3 & 4% gradients in there to disrupt the rhythm (plus a short 13% hill). Doesn't sound much, but they just stop you getting into a good rhythm. <br />
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I kept my average pace at 33kph for most of the way around - although the pace did start to drop on last 20k or so. My Garmin measured 181.5k for the bike, which I covered in 5hrs 33. A decent marathon and I could be hitting my pre-race goals here!<br />
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<b>Run</b><br />
I gratefully handed my bike off to a volunteer and hobbled off to the transition tent. I came out of transition, smothered with suncream, and started quite quickly - until I realised where I was and I had 42k still to run! Steady, steady, steady.
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Shortly after starting the run I vomited (nicely captured by the channel 4 camera crew). A lot. Not wanting this to be the story of my race (again), I sorted myself out and started running again. "Nice and easy, nice and easy" I repeated to myself. I managed to hold a 'steady pace' for a while, eating my cliff bar shot blocks washed down with water as I went, hoping my stomach had sorted itself out. Through each aid station I would also throw several cups of water over my head to try and cool me down as it was hot, hot, hot.
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Onto the second lap of the lake and I spotted Lynn and the girls. What a welcome sight! Big smiles on their faces and lots of noisy cheers of "Dad. It's Dad! Go on Dad". Nothing in the world more inspirational or motivating. They held out their hands for a high five but there was no way I was going to run straight past them! I stopped for a quick kiss and hug off each of them and then I set off again, slightly more energised than before. Another lap of the lake done and then it was along the canal path on the out and back section. Again I spotted Lynn & the girls, sitting on camping chairs shaded by a great big tree. They still looked like they were enjoying themselves. Once again, a quick kiss and cuddle from each of them before continuing my plod. The encouraging thing was that although energy was sapped due to heat, lack of nutrition and dehydration, I was still running, only walking through the aid stations. However, at 16k, through a grassy section populated by Nottingham sunbathers, I vomited again. Again and again. Argh!! Now I was starting to feel a little sorry for myself. Not wanting to alarm the tanned onlookers for much longer, I started 'running' again. I re-focused quickly, put my energy sweets away, deciding that they weren't doing me any good, and opted for sips of water (and a surprise Jaffa cake at one aid station). The path back to the lake was a long one, made worse by the complete lack of shade. Time was slipping away too. I was going to complete the first half marathon in over two hours, not great when a) you know you run much better than that just jogging to the shops, b) you were aiming for a 3.45 marathon, c) the second half of the marathon is always much slower than the first half and d) you still had the hottest part of the day to come. On the way back I spotted Peter Roome, closely followed by James Muscart, both of whom looked to be running well. They could catch me here. This thought kept me running.
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I made it back to the great big tree where Lynn & the girls were still sitting. I told them about my vomiting, all the while eyeing up Neil Gray's bottle of coke. I don't think I even asked before picking it up and taking a drink, finishing the half bottle in seconds. Lynn then gave me a bar of fudge (textbook race nutrition) with the hope that something might work. Quick cuddle with everybody and down the hill to the lake for another lap. This suddenly became a bit easier! I felt like I had something in the tank again. I finished the lap of the lake and then met up with Lynn & the girls again, who had bought me lots of goodies! From the tuck shop of goodies that had been assembled, I took a bottle of coke and another fudge and off I went for the out and back section. I felt much better and much more positive. I was running steady and passing people, lots of people. I only walked through aid stations and through the shaded area of Nottingham Forest's football ground (using the shade to cool down a bit). I was able to pick my pace up for the last 5k running sub 5.30 min/k for the first time in a while! Last lap of the lake, I took the opportunity to thank all of the marshals and helpers at aid stations. I stopped at the edge of the finish chute to give Lynn & the girls another kiss and cuddle and then I was off to milk the applause from the crowd.
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A marathon of 4.09 won't go down as my best run ever, but I was pleased with myself for not letting my head drop, for remaining positive, for continuing to move forward and never giving in. For those reasons, in that heat, and with very little energy and nutrition inside me, it will go down as a good marathon.<br />
<br />
I finished in 10 hours & 44 minutes - the 46th individual to cross the line (15 teams were also ahead) and 16th in my age group. A solid effort on a super tough day!<br />
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Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-15161183776978308512013-02-18T14:37:00.000+00:002013-02-18T14:37:47.144+00:00Princes Parkrun 5K<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I completed my first ever
parkrun on Saturday (16<sup>th</sup> February).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These parkruns are free, timed 5k runs that take place every Saturday across
lots of locations across the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
of these events take place in Princes Park every week (<a href="http://www.parkrun.org.uk/princes/">http://www.parkrun.org.uk/princes/</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given its 5 or 6 miles from our house, and it’s
been running for almost two years I really should have raced it before now. </span><br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Daniel came down from
Scotland for the weekend and was staying in our house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew his brother Paul ran in these events
and thought it might be a good idea to combine a run with a catch-up with his
brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t anticipate all of the
champagne we drank on Friday or waking up feeling a little rough when I initially
suggested it though!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In my brief warm up prior
to the race I broke into a jog and my heart rate rocketed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then did a couple of sprints and my lungs
were aching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The champagne was running
through my veins!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This could be an
interesting run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A 5k gives you nowhere
to hide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is fast from the start and
never lets up.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Prior to the start, I
noticed that a few guys from the club were running today – which is great
because it’s nice to see them, but on the other hand it puts some added
pressure because you want to beat them!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
also lets you know exactly where your fitness is in relation to everybody else.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not always a good thing!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">From the 160 or so
athletes taking part, I positioned myself on the 3<sup>rd</sup> row, behind one
of our clubmates Lee Steele.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Almost two
years ago, I did a couple of 3k time trials with the club on our Tuesday night
run sessions and we used to run more or less the same times (10.57).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then, Lee has specialised on sprint
distance triathlons whilst I’ve had a year of no speedwork at all due to
injuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t expect to beat Lee
today, but I was interested to see what the difference in performance would be
(quite a lot as it turned out!).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The gun went and we were
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started off pretty quick, in the
top 10 or 12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could feel my heart rate
rise and rise, reaching 186bpm within 1 minute of starting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I continued at my pace, hoping that my heart
rate would come down once it got used to running at this pace!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately it did, it dropped to mid-170’s, although
not for very long!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within a minute, it
peaked at 188 – an unsustainable heart rate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I dropped my pace a little and my heart rate dropped and remained at between
180 and 182 for the rest of the race.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The first kilometre was
covered in 3.41, the second in 3.42.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was quick for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next
kilometre slowed to 4.00, with the fourth dropping to 4.05.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was tired!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With 1k to go, I picked up my effort and managed to run the last
kilometre in 3.56.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Garmin stats:</span></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 529px;">
<thead>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Split</span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Time</span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Best Pace</span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Avg HR</span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Max HR</span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Summary</span></i></b></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">19:25.0</span></i></b></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">2:46</span></i></b></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">178</span></i></b></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">188</span></i></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">1</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">3:41.0</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">2:46</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">170</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">188</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">2</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">3:42.4</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">3:06</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">177</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">183</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">3</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">4:00.4</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">3:18</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">181</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">182</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">4</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">4:05.0</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">2:52</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">179</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">181</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.85pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">5</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">3:56.2</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">3:24</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">182</span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 19.85pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 79.35pt;" width="106">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">183</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I finished 18<sup>th</sup>
out of the 163 people who finished the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In my first race in the veteran category, I was 2<sup>nd</sup> veteran,
beaten by just 15 seconds!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also 5<sup>th</sup>
MerseyTri finisher.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As
for Lee Steele, well he was a lot better than me, finishing in 18.36 and 6
places ahead!</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This was my first running
race in a long, long time and it was good to blow off a few cobwebs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the race I concluded a couple of
things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Firstly, I’m not a 5k racer (not
currently anyway!) and secondly, 5ks are really tough!</span></div>
Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-47936287037406722062013-01-14T14:42:00.000+00:002013-02-14T10:52:58.728+00:00Racing Again!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The <b>Four Villages Half Marathon </b>(<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://bryanriley.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/first-race-of-season.html">http://bryanriley.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/first-race-of-season.html</a></span>), taking
place this weekend, will be the first running race I’ve done with the intention
of actually racing since I ran in the <b>Ted Corbitt 15k</b> race in Central Park, New
York in December 2011 (<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://bryanriley.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/englishman-in-new-york.html">http://bryanriley.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/englishman-in-new-york.html</a></span>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly after that race, when I was in the
best running form of my life, I got injured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That 15k race was run at 4min/k, despite the undulating nature of
Central Park and the fact that I was on the gin & tonics on the flight the
day before! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was flying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Injury struck, and I have not returned to December
2011 running form since.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2012 was a case of
managing that calf injury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only
returned to running ‘properly’ (regularly) in April 2012.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Mallorca half ironman taking place in
May, followed by Challenge Roth in July, my run training focussed on increasing
the volume of my running, and doing all of it at a steady pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no interval training, no sprints,
no hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a fear that the injury
would return if I pushed the running – and then rule me out of my Ironman
events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the end of season I had entered
Challenge Barcelona, another Iron-distance event, which ensured the whole of
the year was about getting to the start line injury free, rather than reproducing
my best running form.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Two weeks after Barcelona,
where I was disappointed with my 3.59 Ironman marathon, I ran the Liverpool
Marathon with the sole intention of running at 5 minute per k pace (3.30) to
prove to myself that I could run a steady marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was trying to say that I can run a 3.30
without any effort, recovery, training and that I should be able to do this
during an Ironman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It went well for 20
miles, then the lack of long runs and possibly the fatigue of Barcelona caught
up with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also where injury
struck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I persevered with a very tight
and painful calf for another 5 miles until with one mile to go, my calf ‘pinged’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I walked the rest of the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finished in 3.36 but this was not the
redemption run I had been seeking.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I picked up my running
again in mid-November, starting slowly and keeping the runs short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then, I have been able to increase the
distance and also dial up the intensity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have managed 28 runs since returning from injury, with my senses on
high alert of any sort of twinge or discomfort during every single one of these
sessions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of these runs have had
the added protection of compression socks for my calves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much of this running has been on the
treadmill, to ensure that I’m running on soft surfaces but primarily in case I
have to stop immediately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pace has
been gradually increased too, with at least one interval session per week for
the past 5 or 6 weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These interval
sessions are usually 1k intervals, with a 2 minute recovery between each
one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am now up to 8x1k intervals at
15kph (4 minute per k pace) on the treadmill.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Apart from the ever
present concern that I will get injured again, I’m a little apprehensive about a
few things in this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Firstly, I don’t
really know how well running on the treadmill translates to running on the
road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Secondly, if treadmill running
does transfer favourably, I’ve not run at a fast (race) pace for more than 1k
at a time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thirdly, given the first two
concerns, I’m really not sure how to pace the race!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose all of that is what makes racing so
much fun!</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">EDIT</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Would you believe it, this race was cancelled! Heavy snow and ice meant that for the first time in it's 32 or 33 year history, the race was called off! Just have to wait a little longer to test out my running legs!!</span></div>
Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-23888333585619384212012-10-13T15:41:00.000+01:002012-10-13T15:41:26.220+01:002012 Training - A Season in Numbers<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2012 brought another two Ironman finishes - bringing the total to six - including a new Personal Best time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I thought it might be quite interesting to look into the training that went into this and play around with the numbers.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The headline numbers:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Swim</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From January to September, I clocked up <b><span style="color: red;">192.1</span><span style="color: red;"> kilometres</span></b> in the water spending <b><span style="color: red;">57 hours and 40 minutes</span></b> over <b><span style="color: red;">74</span></b> sessions. The average session was <b><span style="color: red;">46 minutes</span></b> long, averaging <b><span style="color: red;">2.6k</span></b> for each session.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bike</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I spent <span style="color: red;"><b>203 hours</b></span> on the bike in the first 9 months of the year, clocking up <span style="color: red;"><b>5976k</b></span>. I got on the bike <b><span style="color: red;">116</span></b> times, with an average session lasting <b><span style="color: red;">1 hour 48 minutes</span></b> and completing <b><span style="color: red;">53.5k</span></b> per session.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Run </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On my feet and running for <b><span style="color: red;">96 hours</span></b>, reaching <b><span style="color: red;">1181k</span></b>. The average run session was <b><span style="color: red;">59 minutes</span></b> and <b><span style="color: red;">12.1k</span></b> per session.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Weekly Averages</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">During the year I averaged <b><span style="color: red;">9 hours and 16 minutes</span></b> of swim, bike and run each week. The table below gives a good breakdown of activity. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Obvious things to note:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Running volume was very low to begin with. This was due to a calf injury. Extra bike and swim sessions were scheduled instead.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bike volume dropped in April as my enthusiasm to pick up running again increased!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Volume dropped in July following Roth, including a complete week off everything</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Swimming only resumed properly in September</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Even the longest average week was 11 hours and 34 minutes - almost 1 hour 30 minutes less than my average week in 2011!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">An average week contained <b><span style="color: red;">7.5 sessions</span></b>, though this ranged from 9.5 sessions per week in February to 4.2 sessions in July.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I was interested to understand how this year compared with previous years. I know I spent less time outdoors on the bike this year, partly due to the weather and partly because I really like riding on the Computrainer, so I was interested to see if that had much of an impact on training time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2012 (January - September) has seen an average training week of <b><span style="color: red;">9 hours 16 minutes</span></b>. This really surprised me. You hear stories of how people train 15-18 hours per week to train for Ironman. An average week of 9 hours - really? This is in comparison to <b><span style="color: red;">12 hours and 58 minutes</span></b> in 2011 (Jan-July) - roughly 3.5 hours more than 2012! Even my 2010 season covered <b><span style="color: red;">9 hours 30 minutes</span></b>. In short, I trained less hours than each of the previous two years. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The big difference in training this year compared to last year is the time spent on the bike - almost 3.5 hours (63k) more per week in 2011 than 2012. The average session on the bike was almost 24k less in 2012 than 2011. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2012 also saw less running time per week (25 minutes) and volume per week (6k) - this is due to the injury in the first three months of 2012. However, the average volume of each run session was almost 2k more in 2012.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My training changed pace during 2012 - particularly on the bike. In 2011, the data tells me my training was slower on the bike than 2010 - dropping from 2:10 per kilometre to 2:25 per k. This may have been the additional hill training and long rides in preparation for (and during) the LEJOG adventure. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Training in 2012 picked up and averaged just over 2 minutes per k (2:02) which is almost 30kph. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This will be explained by the breakdown of training. More than 2500k was completed on the TT bike attached to the Computrainer, 2000k outdoors on the TT bike and less than 1500k on the road bike.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Running was the same sort of pace as 2011, whilst swimming was slightly slower this year.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNE7Q01O96zuILhM2H2UiN-06c5ubpaoYAjtUEER-wmgq14qXpDzwdoPIWqrgeNKgj7G9pVHCqe89XclGKoPOLetGa_WYx7etoKE5pAl3bzF6FDDhbwiC8BgM9VYYoU4gHjeJLq-dDVrGv/s1600/Training+Paces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNE7Q01O96zuILhM2H2UiN-06c5ubpaoYAjtUEER-wmgq14qXpDzwdoPIWqrgeNKgj7G9pVHCqe89XclGKoPOLetGa_WYx7etoKE5pAl3bzF6FDDhbwiC8BgM9VYYoU4gHjeJLq-dDVrGv/s400/Training+Paces.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Swimming pace includes any rest intervals during the session</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So there we have it. 10 hours 58 minutes at Challenge Roth and then 10 hours 19 minutes at Challenge Barcelona achieved on an average of 9 hours and 16 minutes per week over 39 weeks. </span>Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-11064430610899379422012-10-06T11:27:00.000+01:002012-10-06T11:28:06.478+01:00Challenge Barcelona 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9AM1XhnUXxp6YnaPx-Gg80_Tr7fqb9I7By1Uy-0hr-_IRqGWWffN4N4-KTzSRTJZK-naVjbfjXn1gulgITOAHsG26gDRxwrUEJf_1xDlFqy8EXnlVy1qcP1uEixmnZU7dCa1jNCPz3-s/s1600/Finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9AM1XhnUXxp6YnaPx-Gg80_Tr7fqb9I7By1Uy-0hr-_IRqGWWffN4N4-KTzSRTJZK-naVjbfjXn1gulgITOAHsG26gDRxwrUEJf_1xDlFqy8EXnlVy1qcP1uEixmnZU7dCa1jNCPz3-s/s400/Finish.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take 20 minutes off time - due to start wave</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Let me start by saying what a super
race Challenge Barcelona is! This could be my favourite Ironman race out of all
six that I have done. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn't just the
PB that made it a favourite, I really enjoyed the course too. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had energy almost all of the way through the
race, feeling super strong in places. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It
is easy to get to from the UK, there are plenty of places to stay to suit any
budget and the weather (eventually) is perfect. The racecourse itself is a fast
one - flat and straight - giving people the opportunity to go for a PB. It is
also ideally placed at the end of the year to make it an ideal second Ironman
in the year. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Build Up</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That said, the race build up for me was
far from ideal. My bike was broken in transit, with the rear dérailleur coming
off the bike. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After being reassured by a
few people on twitter that it was not a major problem and several trips to race
HQ to try and sort it out, I eventually got it fixed in a local bike shop the
day before the race. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was the best
12 euros I have spent!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh yes, the day
before the race and the main (only?) talking point was the weather. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what weather! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was awful. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bouncing rain, howling winds and it was cold. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not quite what I'd signed up for. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bike check in was actually postponed until
race day morning.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Race day arrived after a pretty good
nights sleep. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Up at 5.30am for two
porridge pots, a couple of pieces of toast and a coffee. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was all set. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lynn and I made the 1k walk to transition with
my bike, following the masses through the darkness. Bike racked and ready just as I met up with two
clubmates who were also racing - Gregg Jones and Will Turton. Gregg was doing
his second Ironman (and second of the year) and was starting 5 minutes ahead of
me, and Will was in my start wave and doing his first Ironman. They both seemed
very relaxed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Swim</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The pros were off at 8.30am. I was in
the fourth wave at 8.50am - a much nicer start time than the usual Ironman
starts of 7am! The swim seemed a bit long - a 55 minute swim tells me that.
Other people who were wearing Garmins during the swim measured it at 4.1k. I
don't mind a long swim - I guess that's where I can put time into others.
However, when you're going for a good time, the last thing you need is extra
distance to cover! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was choppy too. We
had none of the weather of the day before (thank goodness), but there was still
a bit of swell in the water. Swimming in the sea is very different to swimming
in the pool or in a lake or canal like Roth. I was not going to be able to swim
with a normal, long, smooth stroke. For this reason, I decided early on that if
there was a draft to be had in the swim, I was going to take it! </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After setting off on the left the
course, I made my way to the pack just after the first turn buoy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It felt pretty easy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked up ahead and saw two guys about 10-15
metres ahead. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went after them,
determined to get onto their feet and have a faster draft than I was currently
getting. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I bridged the gap quite quickly
and sat on their feet for the next 2000m or so! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I passed so many swimmers from the waves
ahead. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First the silver caps, then the
green, then the gold. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really
quite busy out there! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably with
about 1200m to go I felt as if my swim was a little too easy and relaxed, so I
took over the two blue caps in front of me and swam my own swim from there. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I actually felt better going on my own and in
hindsight probably would have had a quicker swim if I'd just swum my own race. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who knows? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was out of the water in 55 minutes -
initially a little disappointing - but an easy swim, which was probably a
little long and 44th fastest of the day (inc the pros and the relays, coming
2nd in my age group and being beaten only by a handful of age groupers).</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Into transition. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather was really miserable the day
before, and the forecast for the race was mixed, so I had decided to wear arm
warmers and gilet for the bike. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took
so long to put these on though! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in
and out of transition in over 5 minutes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Bike</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Onto the bike. I was a bit nervous
about my bike, not having ridden it since it was assembled and then fixed by
the local bike shop. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needn't have
worried though. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was fantastic! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from having stop within the first
kilometre to tighten my ankle timing chip, the bike was trouble free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zoqAy99RCPM_FPEVAoNlJhTe86fBLPiSWt8Vwn3t3sL6yPaamcTDYwhGz5b9w5N2BWzeGxZ4x49V3gN7oKVGP8eCZ4qyUi_bGLa707tA4sRF7zk-xSpCeN7TWvcfDStPMkbAnDCTOwAO/s1600/Bike+course.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zoqAy99RCPM_FPEVAoNlJhTe86fBLPiSWt8Vwn3t3sL6yPaamcTDYwhGz5b9w5N2BWzeGxZ4x49V3gN7oKVGP8eCZ4qyUi_bGLa707tA4sRF7zk-xSpCeN7TWvcfDStPMkbAnDCTOwAO/s400/Bike+course.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super straight and flat bike course</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It was an easy first couple of k's on small
roads with speed bumps, followed by a couple of small hills to get out of town.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that it was aerobars pretty much
all of the way! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was sticking to my
plan of taking it relatively easy for the first hour - to make sure my HR was
under control and to start my nutrition plan. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within no time, Gregg came past me, looking
very fresh and looking like he was enjoying himself. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a little chat, he took off. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was tempted to go with him, but I really
wanted to stick to my easy plan. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
hadn't done any long rides since Roth - except one 4 hour ride 8 weeks earlier.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of my bike training had been turbo
sessions of 1hr30 to 2hrs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no idea
how I would feel after 100k on the bike, never mind 180k, so I wanted to be
quite conservative early on. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I fully
expected to be behind Gregg and Will after the bike so didn't panic here. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After
20 minutes I started my new nutrition strategy - one zipvit caffeine gel every
hour, supplemented with some energy drink from the aid stations and some water.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The roads were super smooth and dead
straight. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only braking I did in the
whole race were at the turnaround points (and one roundabout which I completely
misjudged!).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrzB3mby7N6dIDQz9peruLhgLwIT4Xszjx6siKyLA_nd5OIqY_6fEnP9MZIGOLMFcZefmKCFygE21xLFQGxO9_N8hkjj9HeZgZxW-5bbqvyiilmbN3I8hen-zzVz7IjiDRiaE7phGVGAA/s1600/Bike+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrzB3mby7N6dIDQz9peruLhgLwIT4Xszjx6siKyLA_nd5OIqY_6fEnP9MZIGOLMFcZefmKCFygE21xLFQGxO9_N8hkjj9HeZgZxW-5bbqvyiilmbN3I8hen-zzVz7IjiDRiaE7phGVGAA/s320/Bike+1.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At the first turnaround point, Gregg
was about 1k ahead of me and Will was about 3k behind me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were all pretty close - this was going to
be a good race! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way back into
town I think we started to get a bit of a tailwind. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The riding was quick and it wasn't using much
energy either. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a little bit of
drafting going on as pelotons of riders came past me - but I figured there were
plenty of draft busters out on the course who should stop them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, I was concentrating on my own race and
my own time, not really competing with other people, so I didn't mind them
drafting.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I spotted Lynn and the rest of my
supporters towards the end of lap one. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
were holding up some kind of printed banner or sign saying 'Go Bryan' -
fantastic. In my beaming smile and waving arms I hope I managed to properly
relay the amount of fun I was having. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>75k
done and all was well! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second lap
started into quite a strong headwind. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is starting to get tough. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than
fight it, I dropped my speed a little and tried to stay in control. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My HR climbed to 160 on this section but I was
barely doing 30kph! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked behind and
noticed that there were a string of riders behind me, either drafting or
staying just far enough behind not to be drafting but close enough to stay out
of the wind and get a benefit! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don't
think I've had that before. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually,
people just blast straight past me! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About
20k later, think the wind must have dropped again because my Garmin was telling
me I was back up to 36kph, my HR was dropping and I was flying past people. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa-vIQ6TljkLPgTKIRnCG9GTgJU50JiwO9smOrw0dRw_7b5ARNNKSKMCIPzROz2Mg_FhE9E4Gqc3hBp9ZZyPnR-iwrkeFaZ48WdqrOL9yvbPKOQOgiqj8PjUr0SGMATKOg19o_YHcd6X7/s1600/Bike+Splits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa-vIQ6TljkLPgTKIRnCG9GTgJU50JiwO9smOrw0dRw_7b5ARNNKSKMCIPzROz2Mg_FhE9E4Gqc3hBp9ZZyPnR-iwrkeFaZ48WdqrOL9yvbPKOQOgiqj8PjUr0SGMATKOg19o_YHcd6X7/s400/Bike+Splits.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spot the section with the headwind?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At the next turnaround, the distance between
Gregg and I was similar to the first lap, but I think Will was closing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the headwind on the way out I wanted to
get the benefit of the tailwind on the way back so upped my effort slightly,
starting to move past some of the people who had overtaken me earlier. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I passed Gregg who was still looking good and
in control of his race. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was loving
this. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt strong and fast. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very few people were overtaking me now - it
was me who was moving through the field. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Up and over the climbs on the way back to
Calella and I was still on my aerobars, still in the big ring, storming past
people. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started to get excited and
think that a very fast bike split (sub 5hr30) was a real possibility - which
would surely set me up for a sub-10 hour Ironman, particularly the way I was currently
feeling. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second lap done, spotted my
supporters again (giving me an extra boost!) and just 20ish k's to go. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boy oh boy I was having fun out here! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEeCFESUJOK_okwov7AFQW70P3bWQjaiQPL-3_ZyANcANNnnAM3OMwpdoxjapIp5-Fu2VAVH62L0ffYzes_W_GHij5mcrFfVqPnvIUlK5wE-W1OuDO4fVHALiIalGgoWwAoKPvHh-2Lyt/s1600/Bike+HR+Splits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEeCFESUJOK_okwov7AFQW70P3bWQjaiQPL-3_ZyANcANNnnAM3OMwpdoxjapIp5-Fu2VAVH62L0ffYzes_W_GHij5mcrFfVqPnvIUlK5wE-W1OuDO4fVHALiIalGgoWwAoKPvHh-2Lyt/s400/Bike+HR+Splits.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Coming into town, the last 10k was really,
really busy on the roads. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took over
lots and lots of groups of cyclists on this stretch, probably people finishing
their second laps rather than on the last leg. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also looked over the road at oncoming
cyclists - cyclists that were behind me - who all looked like top triathletes
riding super bikes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was ahead of these
guys?!</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I finished the bike in 5 hours and 17
minutes, an average of 34kph.</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Run</span></b></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFJfxKduzx1yTVWsr0MrQsGITwgwaUqQg02ladH_wBRyG9G9HcZit5wO0QKCQEX7sGhBvWBsOa3IV77NoAiQkDy12VxUWuHQI_zz5rWgf8-MLYgsc9GPxzm50QTAqCTZVhBAmcujyRPJ9/s1600/Run+course.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFJfxKduzx1yTVWsr0MrQsGITwgwaUqQg02ladH_wBRyG9G9HcZit5wO0QKCQEX7sGhBvWBsOa3IV77NoAiQkDy12VxUWuHQI_zz5rWgf8-MLYgsc9GPxzm50QTAqCTZVhBAmcujyRPJ9/s320/Run+course.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flat, four lap run course</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Fast transition (1:06) and onto the
run. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I zoomed out of there then suddenly
realised I had better slow down! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
started at a steady pace of 4:50min/k but kept trying to slow down as I wanted
first 10k to be relatively slow, conserving energy for later. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This didn't quite work!! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was drinking coke and water on the run - except
it wasn't coke it was some cheap cola doubled up as energy drink – and it wasn’t
great! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-FuRkuQhRwhIsBE2jnBh4Aw4UdPoyx8qAGTU21CspnpdkulA1tsoPRBzGk8ZSXS_AwKZMIocXrcHYyARZhyYi_cqCyCLhTwdK3exsKnHycYESepsGV_BAr_bvH7boSTqiiVIjpjE0tf7/s1600/Run+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-FuRkuQhRwhIsBE2jnBh4Aw4UdPoyx8qAGTU21CspnpdkulA1tsoPRBzGk8ZSXS_AwKZMIocXrcHYyARZhyYi_cqCyCLhTwdK3exsKnHycYESepsGV_BAr_bvH7boSTqiiVIjpjE0tf7/s320/Run+2.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Lynn, my mum and dad, my sister-in-law Karen, her mum and my nephew Charlie were watching from Pineda, about halfway along the run course. This was really good as it meant I would see them up to 8 times on the run - this would keep my spirits up throughout the race. The first 10k felt super – bang on
50 minutes. I had a nice rhythm going, walking briefly through aid stations,
then running well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was still on for a
sub-10 hour race. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was really confident
about my run too. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking back, I'm not
sure where this confidence came from, because I hadn't done many long training
runs at all. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had averaged about 34k
per week of running - with no long runs of more than 2 hours - in the last 8 weeks. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not quite textbook.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Gregg & Will both looked good on
the run too - not far behind me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew
if I wanted to finish ahead of them I would have to have a decent run. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, despite still running ok, at about
18k or so I thought I needed to throw up! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stood by the side of road doubled over for a
moment but nothing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Off I went, back
into a decent rhythm. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether I had been
sick or not, I knew all about this from Roth and I wasn't going to let this
ruin my race again. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I steered clear of
the cola energy drink and stuck to water for the next two aid stations. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uG1Xpu2L1xRPvhggrFcldm5lX6yyIR6iT0MUFuGsGzFdlIQqXDGkLY57adWaiwaNbrUyibJYHkWFkNMFB9PdaBAG3asdg_-wSkNeVgH2HDeQ98zz3TzXTFQjckXPm-yHShoQQQesLJPW/s1600/Run+HR+Splits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uG1Xpu2L1xRPvhggrFcldm5lX6yyIR6iT0MUFuGsGzFdlIQqXDGkLY57adWaiwaNbrUyibJYHkWFkNMFB9PdaBAG3asdg_-wSkNeVgH2HDeQ98zz3TzXTFQjckXPm-yHShoQQQesLJPW/s400/Run+HR+Splits.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heart rate dropping as pace drops</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> At about 24k I spotted Lynn and asked her to
get me a Snickers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was desperate! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Off she ran ahead of me, straight into the
shop, straight back out with snickers in hand, handing it to me without me
breaking stride. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fantastic! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It felt so good to at and almost immediately
I felt a bit better. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By this time I knew
I wasn't going to run a sub-3.40 marathon, even if I suddenly felt great again,
which meant I wouldn't do my sub-10hr Ironman. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be honest, this goal only really appeared
during the race, after realising what a fast course this was. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My original aim at the start of the year was
to go 10:10 (plus transitions). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was
still on. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, I still had two other
goals in my mind. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to PB my
overall race (10:29:59) and also I needed
to run under 4hrs for the marathon. This need was driven by my last two Ironman
marathons - Wales and Roth - where both were disappointing.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3s_cW2pT5yKZf-Qy3lRRL0O24x7m5CAcxCJdF0peCsi_4RCF-gJ4zbW13kKktpjP71RBr9gDFbzrL_yn4B7NEkbHea3aJaCFjC9j9z0sF-a5kxAns7b7tCqlzQc7V9fZQ1uEVFiDYgPqB/s1600/Run+Splits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3s_cW2pT5yKZf-Qy3lRRL0O24x7m5CAcxCJdF0peCsi_4RCF-gJ4zbW13kKktpjP71RBr9gDFbzrL_yn4B7NEkbHea3aJaCFjC9j9z0sF-a5kxAns7b7tCqlzQc7V9fZQ1uEVFiDYgPqB/s400/Run+Splits.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All ok until 18-19k, then a couple of bad k's - the pace never recovered!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The third lap of the run was the
hardest as I still had 21k to go. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
last lap, although more fatigued, only has 10.5k to go - mentally much easier. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After about 28k Lynn relayed a massage from
Alvin - who was at home tracking the race - which made me chuckle. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Tell Bryan to slam down a gel and wake up. Sub 10hrs is on!". <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Typical Alvin! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t face a gel, never mind ask my legs
to move any quicker. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The walks at aid
stations were getting longer, with the running in between slowing down too. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKWKuBQHzVp69W2V4zlAhvbQMthn7JLLCtX8iH7QTBY496Hzo0rHdos_EidbEx2vgO37G5_Deiru2FoGkS4pNJmCzy0sH6kJ5F-amAwGHkytL-n9ni62_Kh_tkLllmUf71Y_RjpYzSxHF/s1600/Run+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKWKuBQHzVp69W2V4zlAhvbQMthn7JLLCtX8iH7QTBY496Hzo0rHdos_EidbEx2vgO37G5_Deiru2FoGkS4pNJmCzy0sH6kJ5F-amAwGHkytL-n9ni62_Kh_tkLllmUf71Y_RjpYzSxHF/s400/Run+1.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Onto the last lap and the pace was struggling
to get anywhere near my pre-race ambitions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kilometres without aid stations were being
completed in 5:20 - 5:35 whilst this slowed to anywhere between 6 & 7
minutes when I walked through the aid stations. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm sure some better run training (i.e. longer
training runs) would have helped me avoid this mini meltdown.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Coming into the finish area for the
last time was super. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The crowds on the
gantries were massive and there was a fair bit of noise. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stretched my arms out and took all the
hand-slapping, hi-fives I could. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept
on running right up until the finish. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again
with hindsight, I'm glad I did. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
managed a 3:59:55 marathon (my Garmin measured 42.35k!) and a new overall PB of
10:19:00.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-43451615272470066922012-07-13T21:35:00.000+01:002012-07-14T08:02:16.626+01:00Challenge Roth 2012<div class="MsoNormal">
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<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIEcaCXV-L-z8CZOT-4F60M_k_mEXwcGd08hRS_WupiaCxfhNZFrp0XPznXBZC9kEPcoGazLEhyphenhyphenGOclqEgKEhn0F8tDHb2xgyGjastpG_FI-o7xD0U2n2pMPsQGdJVhRvrJv03rajFyuu/s1600/roth+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIEcaCXV-L-z8CZOT-4F60M_k_mEXwcGd08hRS_WupiaCxfhNZFrp0XPznXBZC9kEPcoGazLEhyphenhyphenGOclqEgKEhn0F8tDHb2xgyGjastpG_FI-o7xD0U2n2pMPsQGdJVhRvrJv03rajFyuu/s1600/roth+logo.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The numbers don’t begin to tell the story of my race,
but here they are anyway!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Swim 0:52:08</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Bike 5:46:26</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Run 4:12:01</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">T1 & T2 8:15
(3:31 & 4:44)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Total 10:58:48</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbeN8XndybclfmHrEktdRP3ByJESS9YXItZULikgJqesnl2gayanySXAIBOI6sz49IcqaiizLKYmomPDbp8x3TFxY81MkVskihW7EenG-Dghw6sOKDvOJIgUHn5qtnF2OVqNHq2RqkXYHk/s1600/Pre+swim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbeN8XndybclfmHrEktdRP3ByJESS9YXItZULikgJqesnl2gayanySXAIBOI6sz49IcqaiizLKYmomPDbp8x3TFxY81MkVskihW7EenG-Dghw6sOKDvOJIgUHn5qtnF2OVqNHq2RqkXYHk/s320/Pre+swim.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4.30am on race day!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">This race had been booked
for almost a year. It was my main focus
for the whole of 2012. I picked it for three
reasons. </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Firstly, it is supposed to be a
very fast course. I was hoping to reduce
my Ironman best time and this course would give me a very good chance of
that. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Secondly, popular opinion suggests
that this is the best Ironman distance event outside of Hawaii. I wanted to experience that. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, some
of my very best friends were also racing it this year.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Race
Start</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The race was not a mass
start, but started in waves of about 300 athletes in each. The professionals and sub-9 hour elite athletes
were starting at 6.30am. Further fast
athletes (yellow caps) started at 6.40am, then the females at 6.45am. A wave started at 7am (blue caps), then my
wave at 7.05am. They continued at 5 minute
intervals until 7.45am.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I watched Alvin start with
the professionals and the very best age groupers. It was an awesome sight. Thousands of spectators along the canal,
giant hot air balloons in an adjacent field, the early morning sun hovering
above the trees and the sense of anticipation in the air. The cannon boomed and the race, and the long
day, had begun.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-_TW67a9aNCvb3yyimazty0yS-UM2Rhdjc2AukkJUY_5iTSD10045CS_wPP7c5NgVhfaltYL_KkIRGnsYgf-jRj3A0nazmKnDJGTd1bKnDNYVqzIXRMnhjKyMr6gDM0ZQ5BbgHkBUeTu/s1600/Group+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-_TW67a9aNCvb3yyimazty0yS-UM2Rhdjc2AukkJUY_5iTSD10045CS_wPP7c5NgVhfaltYL_KkIRGnsYgf-jRj3A0nazmKnDJGTd1bKnDNYVqzIXRMnhjKyMr6gDM0ZQ5BbgHkBUeTu/s320/Group+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MerseyTri - rocking all over the world</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">With the race started, I
had 35 minutes to go until my wave start.
I went back to my bike where I had left my swim stuff and began getting
my wetsuit on. It is not a quick or easy
process! My new Blueseventy Helix
wetsuit is fantastic, and fits beautifully when it is on, but it is quite tight
and tricky to get into. I spotted the
MerseyTri gang – who all had much later starts than me - in another corner of
transition. I made my way over to say
good luck and to get some help with the zip on my wetsuit! In hindsight, this was one of my favourite
moments of the day. Six of us standing
together, laughing and joking, dancing to the music (which by now was Status
Quo ‘Rocking All Over The World’) all the while having great respect for one
another knowing (and fearing) what lay ahead of us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I said my goodbyes and wished
everybody good luck before making the lonely march to the swim start area. Before I got into the water, I looked around
at the crowds on the other side of the canal and immediately I spotted Lynn and
the other MerseyTri supporters, the #triwags.
I waved my arms hoping that they might see me. It took a while but they did! I was so excited to see them all prior to the
start, I actually started jumping up and down!
Steady Bryan it’s a long day ahead!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Swim</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynhybbzA37BvGZuy-c7dDiA7NX5SPj7dULdA2DQzIXcdj-mEiMz1CMxjbQ9BDn4XOrbxXl3LEYQhMZKREtGaI3XUwerdV93ARU6gu7DchMUrIyGT41rt0NDVgCmmBbc7dOFw6ZLoEIfIu/s1600/swim+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynhybbzA37BvGZuy-c7dDiA7NX5SPj7dULdA2DQzIXcdj-mEiMz1CMxjbQ9BDn4XOrbxXl3LEYQhMZKREtGaI3XUwerdV93ARU6gu7DchMUrIyGT41rt0NDVgCmmBbc7dOFw6ZLoEIfIu/s320/swim+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spot the excited one?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I positioned myself on the
second row of the swim – as I couldn’t get near to the front. Then the start rope lifted and the cannon
boomed. We were off! I swam water polo style for the first 10-15 metres
so I could gauge the pace of people around me and spot gaps. When I had decided on my line, I put my head
down and started to put some effort in!
I managed to squeeze through the two guys who had started ahead of me
and found myself at the front. I could
see a couple of other swimmers had gone off fast about 10 metres to my left,
and they were a couple of metres ahead of me.
I had already decided I was going to swim steady – rather than go off
fast – so I concentrated on technique and kept myself controlled, preferring
the freedom of the open water to the thrashing of feet in front of my face. About 300m later, I noticed that the other
guys who were swimming at my pace were now behind me and nowhere to be
seen. Looks like no drafting for me in this
swim - shame! However, I was leading my
wave and I was feeling fantastic!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipe6DmC59arS-hFCiQfFpuKW4OAhOZVmX-aBa9IUZSOW-Lt62IB_eRQzCtWNk3tMsxHW3dw1xT6v88GvhuqzQEPMv_6hasc8GXuytJ_w9q6G36-UptadBMyryFQ_eBCIurCSik8vr4lxF/s1600/Swim+bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipe6DmC59arS-hFCiQfFpuKW4OAhOZVmX-aBa9IUZSOW-Lt62IB_eRQzCtWNk3tMsxHW3dw1xT6v88GvhuqzQEPMv_6hasc8GXuytJ_w9q6G36-UptadBMyryFQ_eBCIurCSik8vr4lxF/s320/Swim+bridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inspirational messages everywhere!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I was starting to catch
swimmers from the wave ahead, the blue caps.
At first this was one and two swimmers but before long it was four and
six at a time! As a result, I had to
spend a little time navigating, often having to change course slightly to go
around swimmers rather than over the top of them! Then came the purple caps of some of the
women. I even caught some yellow caps
who had started 25 minutes ahead of me! The
water was getting busy, and pretty choppy too, reminding me of swimming at my
local pool whilst the aqua aerobics class is going on next to me!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The great thing about this
swim course is that it’s very straightforward.
1500m along the canal to the bridge, swim around the buoy and then 2000m
back under the bridge at the far end of the canal and beyond the start line to
the turn-around buoy and then 300m back into the finish. Thousands of spectators lined the swim
course, along the banks of the canal and on the bridges at both ends of the
route, generating an atmosphere I haven’t experienced since my teenage swimming
years. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DmcQH2uh2eGBkKc2ewrKVvLOX5_VX-08eYgUhHizWR1FWZhDQIOgCYzgfG45TpKZQ3ntN3koqEcJnseY7qmUTW0mWzNFpzg1j3tESI-wacGQNgijRmTol1O-PbElNJvvgJjPUHxzBKoZ/s1600/swim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DmcQH2uh2eGBkKc2ewrKVvLOX5_VX-08eYgUhHizWR1FWZhDQIOgCYzgfG45TpKZQ3ntN3koqEcJnseY7qmUTW0mWzNFpzg1j3tESI-wacGQNgijRmTol1O-PbElNJvvgJjPUHxzBKoZ/s320/swim.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crowds at the swim exit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the highlights of
the swim was passing Lynn and the other MerseyTri WAGS, who were standing on
the bank of the canal. They spotted me
instantly and we exchanged excited smiles and waves before I pressed on and
continued my overtaking.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Exiting the water I was
really pleased with how the swim had gone.
It was controlled. Technique was
good. Effort was steady. I was almost as strong at the end as the
beginning. There was no clock at the
swim exit though, so I didn’t really know if the clock matched my perceptions. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">It turns out I had
completed a controlled, draft-free, tricky overtaking swim in 52 minutes and eight seconds. Outstanding start to the
day!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Transition</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Into transition, picking
up my bike bag en route to the tent, then a quick change (aided by a very
helpful volunteer) and I was out to pick up my bike. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></b>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Bike</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">My plan on the bike was to
take it very steady for the first hour or so, to make sure my HR stayed low and
allowing me to start my nutrition. The
first section was a slight downhill so I used very little energy here, yet I
was whizzing along. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-3NPi6b4dIT6uCalv_LRdqVdy7_1b1j3UxoYdudYG64IelZ-tZraruVdTTWhfzSLd4wm9xFKT9HdP9nT0_jjmvjxmvbXzI3lgPcF_FdgKqxKVZYPRz7ORdTQcpJDGAAXOOGgc5Kmlgym/s1600/Bike+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-3NPi6b4dIT6uCalv_LRdqVdy7_1b1j3UxoYdudYG64IelZ-tZraruVdTTWhfzSLd4wm9xFKT9HdP9nT0_jjmvjxmvbXzI3lgPcF_FdgKqxKVZYPRz7ORdTQcpJDGAAXOOGgc5Kmlgym/s320/Bike+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having fun on the bike!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The roads were every bit
as smooth as people had said they would be.
It was a joy to ride on them.
That is until I met the headwind!
A headwind? That wasn’t on the
weather forecast or something I’d even considered! I know it is the same for everybody, but I
wasn’t racing anybody else, I was racing to get myself a quick time – and headwinds
don’t help that!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I started my nutrition 25
minutes into the bike – with a gulp of Powerbar energy gel (strawberry &
banana!) from the ‘gel bottle’ on my bike (14 gels topped up with a little
water). My watch was set to beep every
25 minutes so I would take a slug of gel at each alarm. I supplemented this with energy drinks. I had taken two bottles of my own on the bike
(Powerbar). Once these were finished I
switched to the bottles that they handed out at aid stations – making sure I
had one energy drink and one bottle of water on the bike at all times.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s safe to say I was
well hydrated on the bike. I had a pee
three times during the ride, not stopping once!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">My riding for the first
70k was controlled. My HR was below 150,
and my speed was averaging about 31kph.
I thought it would have been quicker, but I was being controlled by HR,
and the headwind hadn’t helped my speed!
The main hill on the course wasn’t as long or as steep as I’d thought it
would be so that was encouraging for the second loop!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Goosebumps</span></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZs2JS25GqDdeF4KIqp2Vi_AbodCJZczRjm4s1iRvtnF2wUAEU933YkKTJOH0vIi3D-HYnhyphenhyphen5bUkpOGZVydr1i8g8XzA9GSsusNKCQ3YiIk4lACBu2M2q2auv0LulQIbgAX3SP38vRRmrD/s1600/solar+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZs2JS25GqDdeF4KIqp2Vi_AbodCJZczRjm4s1iRvtnF2wUAEU933YkKTJOH0vIi3D-HYnhyphenhyphen5bUkpOGZVydr1i8g8XzA9GSsusNKCQ3YiIk4lACBu2M2q2auv0LulQIbgAX3SP38vRRmrD/s320/solar+1.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smiling compulsory</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Nobody does a race report
on Roth without mentioning the Solarerberg hill.
It was every bit as awesome as you see on You Tube or read about in
reports or books. Thousands of people
lining the route, giving the athletes a narrow, snaking path up to the top of
the hill, with the spectators moving out of the way of the riders at the last
moment to reveal a narrow stretch of tarmac.
The energy from the supporters on this hill was super-charged. I rode the hill in a completely inappropriate
gear (!), concentrating on the crowds rather than my body! It was emotional too. Thousands of people chanting and cheering and
giving their energy for every individual athlete. Awesome!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Shortly after Solarerberg,
my pace started to increase. I thought
this was due to taking it steady at the beginning but it could have been due to
the tailwind we were now receiving the benefit of! For the next 15k I averaged in excess of
35kph and was comfortable. A slower 10k
followed, due to the hills, then a super fast ride towards the main hill again,
with this 15k stretch averaging 38kph. Once
up the climb, the headwind was back! It
was hard work so rather than go into the red, I dropped my pace. I was also thinking about the run. My HR dropped and I realised I could have
gone harder, but figured that I’d be better served by conserving energy now and
preparing myself for the marathon.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwK1vZtC3-ICfIIxlXZ0G89z4gO4IrJKdBwFJtJMfzv-ea-SdwSsoYxZk7AHfXtCgn3D2dvPS3P2W_t7u1e-z-MePNZFTL0SVra58chHqQBCCvLKRAaXuySvewc9OK76zIiAzqNH4mXtg/s1600/bike+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwK1vZtC3-ICfIIxlXZ0G89z4gO4IrJKdBwFJtJMfzv-ea-SdwSsoYxZk7AHfXtCgn3D2dvPS3P2W_t7u1e-z-MePNZFTL0SVra58chHqQBCCvLKRAaXuySvewc9OK76zIiAzqNH4mXtg/s320/bike+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Into the headwind</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The second time up
Solarerberg wasn’t quite the same experience as the first time as the crowds were
a little thinner this time, but the size of the crowd and their energy was
still impressive. I took the hill a
little steadier than the last time around, enjoying each cheering spectator.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I continued riding at a steady
pace all the way to the finish. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Looking at the Garmin
after the race, I had quite a good, controlled cycle. Once out onto the main lap (after 5k), I
covered the next 85k in 2hrs 42 minutes.
The second lap of 85k was covered in 2hrs 47 minutes – with much of this
into a more aggressive headwind. The
final 5k was a steady ride into the finish.
Overall ride time was 5hrs 46 minutes, with an average HR of 145.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Transition</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Into Transition 2 and I gave
the bike to a volunteer and walked through into the transition tent where the
volunteers were great. One of them
emptied my bag and got my stuff out for me whilst another stuck suncream on my
back and shoulders. Visor on, and Ipod
in pocket ‘just in case’ it got really tough.
Continuing my theme of remaining calm and steady, I went to the toilet
in transition, walked to the run exit and then finally began running. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Run</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I began by holding myself
back at the start of the run despite the downhill section. Legs were feeling good! 5 minute per k was my goal pace so that’s
what I started with. At about 4k I
turned and started the long section of the run along the canal path. This was a long, narrow section of path where
we could see oncoming runners. I
maintained my steady pace, with my HR nice and controlled at approx 150. At 5k I saw Alvin running towards me (he was
at 20k) and he looked super strong! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I was running between aid
stations, then walking through them to make sure I ate and drank my nutrition. My plan had been to take a gel and water at
every third station, with ISO at the stations in between. I was going to leave the coke until at least
the half way point. This was a new plan
as every other Ironman I’ve had very few gels, with the main source of fuel
being coke at every aid station. I hoped
it would work! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The first 10k was covered
in 50 minutes – bang on target and feeling good. I came off the canal path at about 11k to run
through a small town. I reached the
turnaround (12.5k) and was still feeling good.
At 14.5k, as I neared the point where the road rejoined the canal path,
I suddenly felt dreadful. It came from
nowhere. I stopped at the side of the
road and vomited. Then again. And again.
Where was this stuff coming from?!
It felt like litres. A crowd of
spectators came over to me to check I was ok.
From feeling good and cruising on the run, I now felt awful, all in a
matter of seconds! I was stopped, bent
over at the side of the road for ages.
Checking the Garmin, it seems I covered the next 400 metres in a little
over 10 minutes!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDjmMRyT3oVvoDbGBEl8p7toWIAT8E7g5uLONjmHkJrHOnKYNAoVQ0WV-plGRelexIRK9c9oKXxj2Jy-OJxUhHEy00FwrWMoij3WyftrVtxRP_kBkJGrwgvi4bS3HwOt9Y1XeOb59_igX/s1600/Walking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDjmMRyT3oVvoDbGBEl8p7toWIAT8E7g5uLONjmHkJrHOnKYNAoVQ0WV-plGRelexIRK9c9oKXxj2Jy-OJxUhHEy00FwrWMoij3WyftrVtxRP_kBkJGrwgvi4bS3HwOt9Y1XeOb59_igX/s320/Walking.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeling sorry for myself</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I walked for a little bit
to clear my head and to make sure I was physically ok. I then ran until the next aid station and probably
panicked a little - thinking I had just vomited all of my nutrition - so grabbed
some food. Watermelon, apple, two pieces
of energy bar, 2 cokes and a cup of water!
I walked until I’d eaten all of this and then started running
again. To be on the safe side, I ran at
5:20 pace (instead of the 4.55-5.00 I had been running previously). During this stretch I spotted Steve Ormesher
who seemed to be having a great race, and then about 10 minutes behind Steve
came Dani Trinca, who was running really, really well. I was feeling pretty rotten but put on a
brave face for them!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">At about 19k I vomited again. Oh no!
My race was unravelling fast.
There wasn’t as much sick this time, but that’s because I felt like I
had nothing left and couldn’t be sick anymore!
I started running again, because what alternative did I have? Quitting?
Actually, that did cross my mind more than once. Only for all the support I have received both
on the course and at home, I may have considered stopping right there - it was
that grim! Anyway, I started running again
at 5.30 pace. I only thought about the
next aid station, nothing more. Just get
to the next aid station, and I can have a little walk. All I was taking at the aid stations were two
sponges to squeeze over my head and a cup of water. No sugar.
No other fuel. I was worried
about my energy levels towards the end of the race with this strategy, but what
could I do? I covered the second 10k of
the run in 61 minutes. I feared that the
next 10k split wouldn’t get quicker than this, and then the fourth 10k – well that
wasn’t worth thinking about right now!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">This steady running continued
until 26k. At this point, the wheels
were slowly coming off! Werner, Alvin’s
homestay host, was on the run course on this section cheering every athlete along. He saw me, and looked delighted! He asked me how I was feeling. I couldn’t lie! He really wanted to help me and offered me
one of Alvin’s gels that he had been carrying, but I politely declined! It was a great lift to get so much support
from somebody I had only met two days ago.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2HeImIDk1_5J8eqsU1GZVTxgHzkoAUfz_CldoPqT1OWLkrvdmBPhP6Zxv-My7xJ_d60xtZL6HuhXnQ4lFqPPeXnZEon5BjzsPzkKzP28K8vO5lh765WctOgH1ePePnkzwolrWlX_r-beF/s1600/run+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2HeImIDk1_5J8eqsU1GZVTxgHzkoAUfz_CldoPqT1OWLkrvdmBPhP6Zxv-My7xJ_d60xtZL6HuhXnQ4lFqPPeXnZEon5BjzsPzkKzP28K8vO5lh765WctOgH1ePePnkzwolrWlX_r-beF/s320/run+8.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slow and steady</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I walked a lot through the
woods near Eckersmullen. When I got onto
the road (out of the forest) I started running again and to my joy I spotted
Lynn and the other #triwags. They gave
me some super cheers. Lynn ran alongside
me for a few seconds whilst I explained what was happening (she could tell I
wasn’t right before I uttered a word!).
I then continued and made the turn-around point and headed back towards
Lynn. Little did I know that during this
time, Lynn had explained my ‘problem’ to Helen (Doctor) and Ash (Pharmacist)
and they had managed to find some ‘stomach pills’ for me. Reluctantly I took them, hoping that they
would settle me down. I decided to walk
for a bit to see if this would help too.
However, less than a kilometre later, I vomited again! This time, coincidentally, my sick spot was right
next to an ambulance. After a brief consultation
with the medic, where I was given the ok (and some paper towels to clean myself
up!), I continued my walk to the finish!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I walked for the next 3k,
feeling very sorry for myself. I waved
at Daniel who was running the other way and looking pretty good. This time, there was no brave face from me
and I think he could see that I was in a bit of trouble. The third 10k split was 65 minutes!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8NYppHPmctamLpl0c7Q3-HPwPQ26q33RJzGg4oX0rul-sStjaTvJInKrRm6HK2Aqh5hw9wJp4XsYdLeJ_7d-thb_lJ0p6h8MRzPauaH5MWJTwjtiRnnoZgAlxdDFjoNAQzXpGBlyaQAh/s1600/run+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8NYppHPmctamLpl0c7Q3-HPwPQ26q33RJzGg4oX0rul-sStjaTvJInKrRm6HK2Aqh5hw9wJp4XsYdLeJ_7d-thb_lJ0p6h8MRzPauaH5MWJTwjtiRnnoZgAlxdDFjoNAQzXpGBlyaQAh/s320/run+6.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nearly there!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I kept looking at my watch
and doing some maths. With about 11k to
go, I had ruled out the possibility of quitting. There were now two options for me. I could take more than two hours walking at
my current pace, or I could dig deep and try running, hopefully covering the
11k in one hour(ish). I decided I needed
to try and run.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I ran very gently – about 6
minute/per k pace. This was better. I was actually covering some ground. I actually felt much better when I was
running – when I was walking I was just feeling sorry for myself. Running I felt like I was part of the
race. Off the canal path and into the
last 4 or 5k stretch to the finish I checked my watch and realised that I had
about 30 minutes or so to come in under 11 hours. I couldn’t quite believe it. After all of the problems I’d had on the run,
I was going to run a sub 11hr Ironman.
The fourth 10k was covered slightly quicker than the third 10k in 64
minutes (with the last 5k being my fastest since the 20k point!).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The last few k’s are a bit
of a blur really. I didn’t enjoy the run
through the town before the finish. I
wanted the race to be over, so to be twisting and turning through the cobbled
streets of Roth was not fun! Before I
knew it, I had reached the ‘triathlon park’ and the finish chute. I can’t explain how relieved I was to reach
this point in the race and be so close to the finish! For the first time ever, I just ran through
this area. No milking the moment, no
hi-fiving the kids. I turned through the
finish chute and spotted Lynn and the #triwags, jumping and shouting. I managed to crack a smile and force some
celebrations!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuv7NhyfScjyaO9NoWVm8iso3P1qLm9H-a7ef_LXRgCTQf6qZx_JcU2GINi0BuH8Rs1zad1G-UXnmoQPWb5VG-28dwiqgO_YzmLwpEEywmGf7K_-QfNeaNposcj7oOAqEjhzwYTpfuSAM2/s1600/run+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuv7NhyfScjyaO9NoWVm8iso3P1qLm9H-a7ef_LXRgCTQf6qZx_JcU2GINi0BuH8Rs1zad1G-UXnmoQPWb5VG-28dwiqgO_YzmLwpEEywmGf7K_-QfNeaNposcj7oOAqEjhzwYTpfuSAM2/s320/run+4.jpg" width="212" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MVCinXgQOKziJdkoOGZR8ro6sTit-OboWwcOoEv3ED0x8W55Lx_gSu2FVXa36dOTv2eFcACP6MuSqyxv2tz7cDxvV2m7zlQORCfZ83VZEu7wENJM4fUZ91yE5Tka-4HGVinCnajQNvON/s1600/run+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MVCinXgQOKziJdkoOGZR8ro6sTit-OboWwcOoEv3ED0x8W55Lx_gSu2FVXa36dOTv2eFcACP6MuSqyxv2tz7cDxvV2m7zlQORCfZ83VZEu7wENJM4fUZ91yE5Tka-4HGVinCnajQNvON/s320/run+2.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwPE_wbxwT504FPCETiFhDHepe1ui5UC7WQyqZcpkEOq4ely5ON3Zr3kfCYVjxWltikA6xVjbjiZCCFMo0h8pb2cqvnCi3Gv9y58vQAIBt8ZlCZY69HGSOdwU8UUWXJVCwoOfaP4d6TgS/s1600/run+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwPE_wbxwT504FPCETiFhDHepe1ui5UC7WQyqZcpkEOq4ely5ON3Zr3kfCYVjxWltikA6xVjbjiZCCFMo0h8pb2cqvnCi3Gv9y58vQAIBt8ZlCZY69HGSOdwU8UUWXJVCwoOfaP4d6TgS/s320/run+3.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MVCinXgQOKziJdkoOGZR8ro6sTit-OboWwcOoEv3ED0x8W55Lx_gSu2FVXa36dOTv2eFcACP6MuSqyxv2tz7cDxvV2m7zlQORCfZ83VZEu7wENJM4fUZ91yE5Tka-4HGVinCnajQNvON/s1600/run+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I reached the finish line 10
hours 58 minutes and 46 seconds after I had started the race for what was my
most satisfying finish ever!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">My run split was 4hrs 12
minutes (of which I was ‘moving’ for 4hrs and 2 minutes) and my average HR was 139! Not quite the run I was hoping for, but that’s
Ironman hey?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Aftermath</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiLqx8Vuehq-V-Awr74_NPCK4Ks4FbZrKM5GJ_WKyS-XjTYpXJETMoI_xpEF2BfAAl3M-V5vBoUxRO9gpv2MhbVjQdtDmuFRT_TndPNNcVIgtokYvQSxFMOFmtu5hcCfQ39-4W9kAxnMj/s1600/hospital.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiLqx8Vuehq-V-Awr74_NPCK4Ks4FbZrKM5GJ_WKyS-XjTYpXJETMoI_xpEF2BfAAl3M-V5vBoUxRO9gpv2MhbVjQdtDmuFRT_TndPNNcVIgtokYvQSxFMOFmtu5hcCfQ39-4W9kAxnMj/s200/hospital.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">There is another story
about me going to the medical tent after the race, having three IV drips,
oxygen and six doctors reviewing the results of my ECG before being transferred
to the local hospital to have further ECG tests, blood tests, more oxygen, numerous
blood pressure checks, consultations with several doctors, pleading not to be
kept in overnight and then being discharged in time to watch the race finale
and the fireworks. However, that as they
say is another story. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Lessons</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Nutrition – energy gels plus water, not
energy drink on the bike. Take gels
every 30 minutes (as in previous races) rather than every 25 minutes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Settle into the run before going for the
gels.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Have more coke on the run.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Start the run a little slower (5.15 min/k) and
build into it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Have a stronger mental attitude in
adversity!</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Take transitions a little more seriously –
up to 4 minutes were ‘wasted’ there.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Other
Performances</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I was delighted to see
super performances from all of the other MerseyTri boys. Alvin led the bunch home, despite a training
plan that would have been inadequate for a 5k run, in a PB (!) of 9 hours and
36 minutes. Words can’t describe how
awesome that is!! Conor had a great race
(overtaking me at 25k on the run) coming in just outside his PB at 10 hours and
30 minutes. Daniel took almost 2 hours
off his PB (Wales 2011), with a fantastic 11.07, smiling all of the way. Dani had a super debut, with 11 hours and 20
minutes, finishing strongly with a 3.39 marathon. Jamie also had a fantastic debut, finishing
his first Ironman in 12 hours and 25 minutes.
Steve smashed his PB to come in one minute behind Jamie in 12 hours and
26 minutes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">And
Finally ...</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">It was an absolute
pleasure and an honour to race with the other MerseyTri athletes in Roth. Going to races like this as part of a club –
particularly with these guys – makes a massive difference.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The race – and the whole
event - was fantastic. I assumed it was
a fast course because it was a short course – but the Garmin measured both bike
and run to be accurate. It is fast due
to the road surfaces and the whole crowd support. I will come back to race it again. In 2013?
Who knows?!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Alvin was a great help
during our trip. As somebody who has
done the race five or six times, his knowledge and experience really guided us ‘newbies’
throughout our stay in Roth. He was also
a great support to me when I went to hospital after the race, jumping in the
ambulance before anybody could tell him otherwise.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">As per usual, I need to
thank Lynn for all of her support in the build up to the race, supporting my
training needs and demands, organising the trip to Roth and then organising me
(and the rest of the gang) during our stay in Roth. Also, I should apologise to her for the
stress I put her through after the race with my trip to the medical tent and to
the hospital! It won’t happen again!!</span></div>Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-54831066776787035912012-05-21T09:42:00.000+01:002012-05-21T11:40:03.744+01:00Ironman Mallorca 70.3<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64yNGuWhSO4zTGmhZeGXS4BpjJIg5xNJ29A_Fb8IVzEKG4YbtBY9YzzR7XFFfnBER2ggfKpyD10qwLteX40-RJKY3uelovIIU9tWTvf6Bkj5aYxgpq_Xmm6Po6aF9Q9gbKwdUQNlmhHiK/s1600/M16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64yNGuWhSO4zTGmhZeGXS4BpjJIg5xNJ29A_Fb8IVzEKG4YbtBY9YzzR7XFFfnBER2ggfKpyD10qwLteX40-RJKY3uelovIIU9tWTvf6Bkj5aYxgpq_Xmm6Po6aF9Q9gbKwdUQNlmhHiK/s200/M16.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">This was to be my first race of the
year as a calf injury had ruled me out of three running races that I had
entered this year. After months of
constant training I was excited to race at last.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">It was also Lynn’s big race! I had taken the unusual and bizarre step of
entering her for the race – without her knowing – back in October, despite her
previous triathlon experience being a sprint distance race! I think she was less than impressed with this
gesture! Much of the race build up,
including training in the weeks leading up to the race, was focussed on Lynn’s
preparation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The race was also a big one for the
club – with between 20 and 30 athletes (that I know about) racing this. A group of us were spending the week in Alcudia,
arriving on the Wednesday before the race and leaving the Wednesday after.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Also, this was to be the first time
my Mum & Dad had been to watch me race a triathlon. A few days before we flew out, they asked if
they could come and watch. Of course they
could – I would be delighted!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I didn’t really have specific goals
entering the race. I have never competed
in an Ironman 70.3 race before (I have done Bala Middle Distance four times but
the distances in this race are slightly different - 2k/80k/20k) so I had
nothing to compare myself against. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Having said that, I had thought I
was capable of going under 5 hours, based on rough splits of 25 minute swim,
2:45 bike and 1:40 run. I suppose my
over-riding goal was to run well after the bike, wishfully hoping for a 1:35
half. However, I didn’t know how my run
injury would hold up, or whether I had done enough run training prior to the
event to hold a strong pace throughout.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Race Day</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">We were up at 5.30am to get ready
for a 6pm breakfast and although the hotel put a breakfast on (which actually
consisted of pasta!) Lynn had supplied everybody in our party with a pot of
M&S porridge. How about that for
preparation! After breakfast we made our
way up to transition and sorted our bikes out. My bike was on the very end of the 500m row,
right next to the mount line! That
should be easy to find in the race! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I was relaxed about the race ahead,
having gone through this build up in many other races so I made sure I helped
Lynn (and a couple of others) with their tyres so they had less to worry about.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmHerrXnnECKKEMCavrhc7SrJX4IeqQXrkXWPwDPNfe7Zy29uox_8zaG7SOvdt6q8ipNoXI8FwMDGr5vmKTjqB-YAsUHCSqqVZHMJbVYOon6oh42r7f6ObKYT7u8AqonddN0pWsWkvmlm/s1600/M12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmHerrXnnECKKEMCavrhc7SrJX4IeqQXrkXWPwDPNfe7Zy29uox_8zaG7SOvdt6q8ipNoXI8FwMDGr5vmKTjqB-YAsUHCSqqVZHMJbVYOon6oh42r7f6ObKYT7u8AqonddN0pWsWkvmlm/s320/M12.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">After sorting out my bike and my
transition area, I met up with Lynn prior to her race start and she looked
relaxed and ready to rock! To be fair,
all of the MerseyTri ladies looked ready to go out there, enjoy the race and do
themselves proud!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">This race was slightly different to
others I’ve done in that it was wave starts.
Pros were off at 8am, Lynn and the other ladies at 8.10, the 18-29’s at
8.20, 30-34’s at 8.30, my age (35-39) at 8.40, 50+ at 8.50am, the 40-49’s at
9am and then the relays at 9.10am.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><b>Relax, Take Your Time! </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I like to have a laid back approach
to the start of races. This time was no
different. I took my time getting my
wetsuit on, chatting to my mum & dad, watching the other waves start before
thinking about moving into position for my race.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I eventually walked into my pen a
few minutes prior to start rather than the 20 minutes that the organisers
encouraged – but this meant I was about 6 rows back from the front. I was a little anxious about this as I wanted
to get a fast start and get onto a pair of fast feet but feared that I might
miss them due to getting to the start line after hundreds of others! I decided not to push my way to front – being
six rows back was a consequence of me taking my time and one I would have to
accept. How hard could it be to swim
past / through these other guys?!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">We had a 30 second warning before
the start ... which is when I put my goggles on my eyes. A quick ‘good luck’ to Jamie who was in my
wave and I was ready to go. The start
hooter went and caught me slightly by surprise but I followed the crowd,
running into the water flicking my feet to the side to enable me to run as far
as possible before diving in. I
deliberately swam the first 10 metres water polo style, keeping my head up to
spot gaps in the field and then head towards them. Luckily, a slight gap opened up between the
two guys in front so I wasted no time in going straight through it, knocking
them slightly on my way through. Then
another gap, this time three guys to my left.
I swam diagnonally, straight over three guys legs! Sorry guys!
I was looking up every two or three strokes to spot the opportunities
and see how the front of the field was developing. Unexpectedly, after about 50m or so, I was in
some pretty open water. I could see 6-8
guys in front of me, off to the right, who seemed to be making some good pace. I changed course slightly and headed straight
for them. Another 50m and I was in third
spot in my wave! I was working pretty
hard but still in control of my swim. I
decided that I would stay behind these guys, focus on finding a nice rhythm and
staying controlled. As I neared the
first yellow buoy (about 900m out?), I moved into second position and started
to think how great it would be if I could get out of the water first. I reminded myself that this wasn’t a swim
race, conserve energy and get out of the swim with plenty of energy for the
rest of the race! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Shortly after we made the turn past
the buoy, we started to encounter swimmers from the earlier waves. Initially, these swimmers were 1’s and 2’s –
and swimming on the left and well out of the way of my path - then after making
the turn past the second buoy and headed for home (800m to go?) they increased
in frequency and were directly between me and the swim exit. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I started losing the feet of the guy
in front as we were weaving between swimmers.
I was also having to sight a lot more, lifting my head every few strokes
to make sure I avoided crashing into other swimmers. At this point, a couple of other green caps
started coming through. I was actually happy
to see them as this meant more potential feet to chase! The volume of swimmers in front continued to
increase as we neared the end and I think I actually swam over one of our
clubmates, Natalie (I apologised after the race!!).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7XatWbFLvDOZN8NkeXlFjhaMoqDU6h8jp5cmYXOId-Vx8zbqz0yIGrRjS-08klfw6qmedJbChBCvDf0b6PkqU_ZNSso9l0SiI77aDqp7P08mMVzeaCpV81REzqx-KOfADMU9vtmcTUt4/s1600/M8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7XatWbFLvDOZN8NkeXlFjhaMoqDU6h8jp5cmYXOId-Vx8zbqz0yIGrRjS-08klfw6qmedJbChBCvDf0b6PkqU_ZNSso9l0SiI77aDqp7P08mMVzeaCpV81REzqx-KOfADMU9vtmcTUt4/s320/M8.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I made it out of the swim in 28
minutes 43 seconds, fifth in my age group.
Reflecting back, this swim must have been a little long. Fifth in my age with a 1:30 per 100m average
does not add up!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Coming out of the water, the crowds
alongside were big and loud! I heard a
lot of shouts for me – but didn’t have time to turn and check who was cheering
– and it was fantastic! I made the run
into transition and sat on a bench next to two clubmates – Connie &
Hannah. Both seemed to be in control of
their race and ready for the next leg. Wetsuit
off, socks on, shoes on, race belt on, grabbed Garmin and switched it on,
grabbed helmet and ran off to get my bike, putting my helmet on as I went. Let me tell you now, running 500m to get my
bike at the end of the 500m transition area in cycling shoes is not easy!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Bike </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Through transition, on my bike and I
was away. The first couple of hundred
metres were spent dodging people who were fastening their cycling shoes whilst
simultaneously weaving across the road. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I passed Lynn on the bike after
about 5k and she was in great spirits!
She looked like she was enjoying herself too. Bonus!
I sped off past her, relieved and excited. I was relieved that she wasn’t too tired
after the swim, was out onto her bike and actually seemed to be enjoying
herself. Excited that she was going to
have a super day! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBh3gsCOo2sJVgQFHNg7Dwwj6GS1Gu7yl4lJM0M-miFX8CCkiqAG3NRN5vQr1vrw-yzyoSNaZojEoDjmXa9a5k1LHFFUwLDq3f6iVJj_dBgmed-E_TZ4zXRbCA-x88aq9E9blbMEeVGUc0/s1600/M6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBh3gsCOo2sJVgQFHNg7Dwwj6GS1Gu7yl4lJM0M-miFX8CCkiqAG3NRN5vQr1vrw-yzyoSNaZojEoDjmXa9a5k1LHFFUwLDq3f6iVJj_dBgmed-E_TZ4zXRbCA-x88aq9E9blbMEeVGUc0/s320/M6.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The wave starts gave me an unusual
perspective on the race. I am usually
out of the water near the front of the race and then am overtaken by the
quicker cyclists throughout the bike leg.
I very rarely overtake. However,
in this race 800+ athletes must have started ahead of me, giving me plenty of
opportunities to practice overtaking! There
was a long train of riders ahead of me stretching into the distance so I moved
out to the left, and began moving past rider after rider. I was pedalling ‘easy’ too, knowing a full
day of racing lay ahead, but was still cruising at 36-38kph with a heart rate
of less than 160bpm. I was very
conscious not to draft in this never ending, snaking peloton of riders.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">In no time at all we had reached the
first aid station at about 15k. I threw
away my water bottle and replaced it, grabbing the fresh bottle at a decent
speed without any problems. Shortly
after the aid station is where the road started to rise, albeit slightly (1-2%)
at this point. The heat on the road was
starting to make itself known. No
breeze, no shade, just full sunshine (26c according to the Garmin afterwards). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The road then kicked up, hitting
between 6-8%. The road surface was
fantastic though, meaning that this climb started off feeling pretty
comfortable. The road was packed full of
triathletes meandering up the hill and I continued passing lots of them as I
went up. My plan was to keep it steady
on the hill, not wanting to ruin my legs for the rest of the race, although at
one point during the climb I debated giving it a little extra effort in the
knowledge that we had a big downhill to come! After about 2k of the climb, I stayed sensible
and stuck the bike into the lowest gear and span my legs. Despite this being a 34x28 gear, I was still
making great progress with very few people keeping up or going past me. My heart rate stayed at about 160bpm
throughout the climb, which meant I was riding well within myself. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXjSLUp8pp-_iFuga2rhjxImqloZ1h-x00B-qGBV5SaEIKCfP8-uR8FLzqPrrPQFZh2dagaSf7mnmlw5cHuJPfs7j3RdZFO9XEftSudyM_Dw2n_PQ-zcoVlNz0VpdTBF63DLum1_dnQFs/s1600/M7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXjSLUp8pp-_iFuga2rhjxImqloZ1h-x00B-qGBV5SaEIKCfP8-uR8FLzqPrrPQFZh2dagaSf7mnmlw5cHuJPfs7j3RdZFO9XEftSudyM_Dw2n_PQ-zcoVlNz0VpdTBF63DLum1_dnQFs/s320/M7.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The climb did go on and on – I think
about 12k in all – and it was a great feeling to hit the top of the climb, knowing
the rest of the race was either flat or downhill. I had heard that the descent was pretty
technical with lots of switchbacks, tight corners and no real chance to let go
of the brakes and build up speed.
However, I wasn’t prepared for exactly how technical it would be. I can’t really descend very well on a
‘normal’ descent so this was in another league!
So many good cyclists flew past me on this part of the course, with one
German guy in particular getting very irate at my unpredictable cornering in
one section!! For the next 9k I hardly
pedalled, with my heart rate dropping to as low as 117. I reckon I must have lost up to 5 minutes on
some of the better cyclists during this section, as no sooner had they
overtaken me than they were gone out of sight.
I was actually relieved to get to the end of the descent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">45k in 1hr35. I was going to have to really pedal if I was
to hit my pre-race goal of 2:45 for the bike.
1 hr10 minutes for the second 45k of a Half Ironman bike leg. Was this possible? Only one way to find out!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I allowed my heart rate to climb a
little during this section, overtaking some of the faster looking riders, in my
quest to get back to transition as fast as possible! During the out and back section of the
course, I spotted my first MerseyTri rider ahead of me ... and he was wearing
yellow shoes. There is only one rider
who wears yellow shoes. Robbie Collins! Well hello sir! Robbie looked cheery (doesn’t he always?) and
seemed to be riding well. He informed me
that of the MerseyTri contingent only Tim was ahead of me. As reliable as Robbie is, I couldn’t quite
believe this as I hadn’t seen Daniel or Gregg – two riders I expected to have
to chase down during the latter part of the race as they are both decent swimmers and strong bike riders. I had my eyes peeled during this section –
looking over the road to see the riders ahead of me coming towards me. I hoped to spot Daniel, Gregg or Tim to gauge
their lead over me but didn’t see any of them.
Doh! They must be further ahead
of me than I thought! </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlGQy3BJwU72_uu0-2ac5SQ5qk4wNKF3Pgx5eLZhKDDtRg_cyW-vGgxDdc6HeD1uiB7EOpFT8QP2vchXRRYNzHqpPH4aB4Cl45C1Zy89s7jOrIOVFrHxH2dE-k0t4wH8JIjkEFok-76FA/s1600/M15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlGQy3BJwU72_uu0-2ac5SQ5qk4wNKF3Pgx5eLZhKDDtRg_cyW-vGgxDdc6HeD1uiB7EOpFT8QP2vchXRRYNzHqpPH4aB4Cl45C1Zy89s7jOrIOVFrHxH2dE-k0t4wH8JIjkEFok-76FA/s320/M15.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Once I’d made the turnaround, I
realised I had been cycling slightly uphill and into the wind. Now, with the wind behind me and a slight
downhill, this was a great bit of road to open up and hit some speed. Let’s go!
Speeds were hitting 45-48kph here and I was making a lot of ground on
people ahead of me. Then we turned off
the road and hit a sharp incline, slowing everything down! Up and over this short climb and it was back
through the gears. Although I maintained
a decent speed for the remainder of the race, staying at about 38kph on the
flat, slowing only on the inclines, I dialled down the intensity preparing
myself for the run.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I didn’t quite make the 2:45 - my
bike split was 2:50:41 (31.7kph) with an average HR of 156. The last 45k were covered in an average of
36kph.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The nearer we got to transition, the
larger the crowds and the noises were amplified. Once again, people were shouting my name but
I couldn’t make out who they were. Thank
you if it was you! Racking my bike in
transition, I took off my shoes and ran / hobbled towards my run bag and the
transition tent. I stopped at the toilet
en route and heard music coming over the tannoy. The song was St Elmo’s Fire - <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Just once in his life a man has his time,
and my time is now and I'm comin' alive”</i>.
Inspired, I ran through transition, splashing a bit of suncream on as I
went and out on the run, motivated to blast through the rest of the race.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Run </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_752sFtY8HRLU1tyG9siVtxHwOrvbkBRRptVQyMBW5Bs_FXjL0vWPU6IDsSECm3ZfzK30rdl8u5_dabE3mrjBOJMD4CUubc8trTyVXKrrm5r5mX0-FjpyTq0CUCtKEh1mRaliKh5I0e6/s1600/M10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_752sFtY8HRLU1tyG9siVtxHwOrvbkBRRptVQyMBW5Bs_FXjL0vWPU6IDsSECm3ZfzK30rdl8u5_dabE3mrjBOJMD4CUubc8trTyVXKrrm5r5mX0-FjpyTq0CUCtKEh1mRaliKh5I0e6/s320/M10.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">It was hot when we hit the run. 32 degrees hot! I had been saying all week that I would
prefer to run in the heat than the cold.
Triathlon was made for hot countries.
Stick by your words and suck it up!
It was tough though and my legs were heavy. I managed to run at about 4:25k pace, then I
would get to an aid station and walk through it to make sure I took on enough
water, coke and energy drink. For the first
10k this averaged about 4:40min/k pace and I was starting to feel good. My HR was peaking at 173, which was
sustainable with the aid station breaks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I had overtaken Tim on the first lap, who was really struggling with
stomach issues, and was about to overtake Gregg who looked like he was running well. I still couldn’t see Daniel though. Although an ambitious plan, given he is a
much better runner than I am, I was hoping I could pick up the pace a little
and try and run him down! I finally
spotted him at about 11k, 20m in front of me!
I was going to catch him, take a moment, and then hopefully go past him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Once again, the support on the run
was great. Lots of people shouting ‘Go
Mersey’ or ‘looking good Bryan’. I
spotted a few club members who were out there supporting. Ray Handley spotted me, Andy Roberts was
there, Eureka cafe owner was shouting, Alvin & his boys were in good voice,
Amy Martin was there, other athletes wives were on the course. Fantastic!
I kept my eyes open to spot my Mum & Dad on the course, but didn’t
see them. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh264kGzctZzpmc852KFwBGowYQIDb-3XQDni4wuxKO4k8v-tvORR72yoLHLOkAJ1IAPnI26Hv6MnKfCNUAeAcOq-XQ_-bqqwr8WP7O175xGucQyWBFioSF44IJc27LPA50J_VZoL5XXYmU/s1600/M11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh264kGzctZzpmc852KFwBGowYQIDb-3XQDni4wuxKO4k8v-tvORR72yoLHLOkAJ1IAPnI26Hv6MnKfCNUAeAcOq-XQ_-bqqwr8WP7O175xGucQyWBFioSF44IJc27LPA50J_VZoL5XXYmU/s320/M11.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The run course was also well
designed to enable athletes to see other athletes either ahead or behind
them. Seeing other athletes gave me a
boost and kept me running (relatively) strong.
Dani Trinca was running well behind me (catching me with each stride!),
Nick Rose was also looking good. If I
wanted to stay ahead of these two on the course, then I would need to stay in
control and move well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I overtook Daniel. Once I’d gone past him I didn’t think I would
see him again. However, after the first
aid station when I walked through, Daniel picked up his nutrition whilst
running through, overtook me and put some distance between us. Doh! I
managed to put a little more distance between us by the next aid station,
meaning he barely overtook me by the time I started running again. However, about 15k into the run and cramp
struck. I had to stop by the side of the
road and stretch and massage my right hamstring area. I had lost about 1 minute and 30 seconds by
the time I started again and Daniel was in the distance. I adjusted my run to keep my stride extra
short - so I could actually keep moving - and was running at about 5min/k
pace. My HR was now down to 162, an
indication of how much easier I was now running. Cramp seemed to stay away and I started
passing people again. Once again, I saw
Daniel in the distance and I was gaining.
</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuRQ8IRAMMAV-_z_Y5mwCiEeFy1f9iLMLbo-IvoH3RCHG2wkRrUWeXJGFkwgBpd5qArMzE680tvZWSmknOk1ZcCGiLoTb4LylzwUPSITv6kp5VJ45CGxOXnRWBzj3WE4-CSvYmKyQci9n/s1600/M5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuRQ8IRAMMAV-_z_Y5mwCiEeFy1f9iLMLbo-IvoH3RCHG2wkRrUWeXJGFkwgBpd5qArMzE680tvZWSmknOk1ZcCGiLoTb4LylzwUPSITv6kp5VJ45CGxOXnRWBzj3WE4-CSvYmKyQci9n/s200/M5.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I moved past the transition area for
the last time and I spotted Amy. Amy
gave me the great news that Lynn was home after the bike and was now out on the
run. This was the best news I had
received all day! She was going to make
it!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I caught Daniel just outside
transition and suggested that, with 1k to go, we run in together. Daniel wished me well and suggested that I
carry on solo. Going up and over the bridge
near transition was hard work, particularly with legs that wanted to cramp at
the slightest excuse. Once on the
downhill section of the bridge, I started to enjoy the finish, high fiving
anybody who would stick their hand out and doing ‘aeroplanes’ down the finish
chute!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I covered the 21.1k run in 1:43:17
(4:53min/k), with an average HR of 167, giving me a final time of 5:12:22</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Lynn</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyKG4g4Zd21rah4N8sZz63W2Z46wAW2ei-fOcw4E0rLw-v6EwxondRN3Hq-k4hc0qD4W7coCJBVWGQyHUffEIjPuGxs_uEV2iHpni2rwdJiNv_qkjdU6OwJfRN_Jh9GOOR2egvDqMFZ24/s1600/M3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyKG4g4Zd21rah4N8sZz63W2Z46wAW2ei-fOcw4E0rLw-v6EwxondRN3Hq-k4hc0qD4W7coCJBVWGQyHUffEIjPuGxs_uEV2iHpni2rwdJiNv_qkjdU6OwJfRN_Jh9GOOR2egvDqMFZ24/s320/M3.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Lynn’s finish was one of the most
amazing things I have seen in a long time.
Firstly, the fact that Lynn finished a Half Ironman is just
awesome. I have to say it again. Lynn finished a Half Ironman! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The support that our clubmates gave
her towards the finish was nothing short of astounding. Crowds were thin, and the noise had petered
out during the afternoon. However, with
300m to go, an almighty roar, a wall of noise, sounded out. All of the guys who had finished the race –
in their green finishers t-shirts – were waiting for her at the 100m to go
point. They all stood up, clapping,
shouting, yelling. Tears were flowing
from some of these athletes-turned-spectators.
The admiration, love and respect they all had for her to put herself
through this race – and finish – was clear for all to see. Amazing, simply amazing.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Post
race reflections</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZ2RshKLV8NnfhNetRZEyOYaNjYvWVfQRqc7v2XjnjqwkaJAn2SDjr1UjQ1HgQEKg5IVTn8GOAqw64Ys5PmCX9oRUtnwEdSDz4JDASPEW-TMcMGrQF8Oxn1rmOqrabPTQ8Jce6vsqRcso/s1600/M9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZ2RshKLV8NnfhNetRZEyOYaNjYvWVfQRqc7v2XjnjqwkaJAn2SDjr1UjQ1HgQEKg5IVTn8GOAqw64Ys5PmCX9oRUtnwEdSDz4JDASPEW-TMcMGrQF8Oxn1rmOqrabPTQ8Jce6vsqRcso/s200/M9.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I was pleased to have a strong race
throughout. The swim was solid (5<sup>th</sup>
out of the water), the bike was controlled but fast by my standards and the run
was generally well executed (other than a touch of cramp). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I was disappointed to cramp on the
run, but I suppose this only cost me 2-3 minutes overall. Better fuelling in the heat to resolve this
in the future?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">This race also reinforced something
that I already knew - I need to learn how to descend properly, particularly on
a TT bike. I must have lost minutes on
that descent – and had a scary time in the process!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">This is a race that I would
definitely like to do again. Not only
was it a well organised, fun race it was also a week spent in the sun with my
triathlon buddies. What could be better
than that?!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">As for Lynn, she’s officially
retired from triathlon!</span></div>Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-39451390897698311732012-04-04T15:36:00.000+01:002012-04-04T15:36:52.913+01:00Weeks 9-12<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Incredibly, another four weeks have passed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pre-season was ages ago, even early base training is a distant memory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unbelievable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re nearly at the end of March and race season seems just around the corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It appears that there is little time left to train effectively for these races.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Of course, that’s not quite true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Mallorca 70.3</b> is almost 7 weeks away – realistically that is plenty of time to put some good training together – and <b>Roth</b> is another eight weeks after that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plenty of time!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qTQxegY8d_7JusXgS_gr3drbO3EDn8qCPmthnho08bFRw81Ajg5oUDP2r27Y7Xu6AI9JzSF1uJqgvBzFTcxKTtNgj4gX5aWvBVMsry0yt_0oDNRfZQUSgpbADhTvLMGlsJr35B8S84OX/s1600/Cheshire+Cat+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qTQxegY8d_7JusXgS_gr3drbO3EDn8qCPmthnho08bFRw81Ajg5oUDP2r27Y7Xu6AI9JzSF1uJqgvBzFTcxKTtNgj4gX5aWvBVMsry0yt_0oDNRfZQUSgpbADhTvLMGlsJr35B8S84OX/s320/Cheshire+Cat+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Slogging my way up 25% Mow Cop - still seated!</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">However, progress with my calf injury has left me feeling a little frustrated and flat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to be logging some longer runs, adding some pace into the mix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, I am making do with 20 or 30 minute very steady treadmill sessions, whilst watching others knock sessions and races out of the park!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know it’s not about other peoples progress, or how fit you are in March, but it does add to the sense of frustration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To add a dash more self-pity into the mix, I’ve also been nursing a tight chest and cough for the past week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last week’s training, whilst still logging 11 hours, was disrupted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>37 minutes of slow swimming and 36 minutes of slow running didn’t quite scratch the itch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>8 hours on the bike was solid enough, but intensity was limited to the Sunday ride, the <b>Cheshire Cat Sportive</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now this week is supposed to be a recovery and test week.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Putting my sensible head back on, by the time <b>Mallorca</b> comes I need to be able to run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t need to have logged lots and lots of miles or have loads of run endurance in the bank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to be injury free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure I can race with good swim fitness, strong bike legs and then get through the run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatN19fpSgn-8SIjZYee6G8Q7_kr8hhTVCXzEL_BhlDJVGoofDJ6MQraDHxMoegUq2ihU0g6LhxZnsqWZOdv9WHT264g3PJh7yMcnjLQt4BmsDYGCuwZ9UNjwubRjwzmh9DHUy3fBXaMWy/s1600/Cheshire+Cat+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatN19fpSgn-8SIjZYee6G8Q7_kr8hhTVCXzEL_BhlDJVGoofDJ6MQraDHxMoegUq2ihU0g6LhxZnsqWZOdv9WHT264g3PJh7yMcnjLQt4BmsDYGCuwZ9UNjwubRjwzmh9DHUy3fBXaMWy/s320/Cheshire+Cat+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After <b>Mallorca</b>, in the eight weeks leading up to Roth, that’s the time I need to be able to log miles and do some good long runs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to be fit for then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Five or six weeks of good run training during this period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know if that will be enough but it’s the realistic truth of the matter!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Anyway, back to weeks 9-12 of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In terms of hours trained, and number of sessions completed, it was another solid four weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generally consistent training has prevailed despite injury and illness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bike training has been the one constant throughout the month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Swimming, up until week 12, was really progressing well.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"><tbody>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"> <td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 38.85pt;" width="52"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">Week</span></b></div></td> <td colspan="2" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.7pt;" width="98"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">Swim</span></b></div></td> <td colspan="2" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.7pt;" width="98"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">Bike</span></b></div></td> <td colspan="2" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.7pt;" width="98"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">Run</span></b></div></td> <td colspan="2" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.7pt;" width="98"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">Other</span></b></div></td> <td colspan="2" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.7pt;" width="98"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">Total</span></b></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 38.85pt;" width="52"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5.0pt;">Time</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5.0pt;">Sessions</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5.0pt;">Time</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5.0pt;">Sessions</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5.0pt;">Time</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5.0pt;">Sessions</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5.0pt;">Time</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5.0pt;">Sessions</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5.0pt;">Time</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5.0pt;">Sessions</span></i></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 38.85pt;" width="52"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">9</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">3:31</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">4</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">5:09</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">3</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">3:06</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">3</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">0:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">0</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">11:46</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">10</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 38.85pt;" width="52"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">10</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">2:24</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">3</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">8:16</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">4</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">1:22</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">1</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">1:15</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">1</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">13:17</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">9</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 38.85pt;" width="52"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">11</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">3:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">3</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">6:42</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">4</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">0:36</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">2</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">1:15</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">1</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">11:33</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">10</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 38.85pt;" width="52"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">12</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">0:38</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">1</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">8:36</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">4</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">0:50</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">2</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">1:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">1</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">11:04</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">8</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 38.85pt;" width="52"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">Total</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">9:33</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">11</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">28:43</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">15</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">5:54</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">8</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">3:30</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">3</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">47:40</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"> <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt;">37</span></b></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">During the month I took part in three cycle sportives:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Winter Sprinter 60k</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> ride in the cold, cold, cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh and it was also very wet!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This ride was supposed to be 100k but because of the weather we opted for the shorter route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The route was undulating and we managed some fast cycling towards the end of the ride.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Jodrell Bank Sportive</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> was an 80k ride around similar roads to the Winter Sprinter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one was ridden at a pretty leisurely pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple of sharp hills towards the end certainly spiked the heart rate.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNmlG_jyW7C_QM72eqRxDHWBRPEe0xYTR5vsQ6PvuE9W94Uuo2gqTeN1ye8ltb1t_VYjYkvkvHxGnus3WOnpgC3sU7_FwZf-f4RjNfPSvUH1iRAR_8TPeiSdLCrRIG9CKZNcGahdMZMlz/s1600/Cheshire+Cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNmlG_jyW7C_QM72eqRxDHWBRPEe0xYTR5vsQ6PvuE9W94Uuo2gqTeN1ye8ltb1t_VYjYkvkvHxGnus3WOnpgC3sU7_FwZf-f4RjNfPSvUH1iRAR_8TPeiSdLCrRIG9CKZNcGahdMZMlz/s400/Cheshire+Cat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">All smiles before the Cheshire Cat!</span></span></td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Cheshire Cat Sportive</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> was 124k, had some serious hills and was ridden at a fast pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Average heart rate of 150 for 4 hours 26 minutes of riding tells a tale. At one point, after the hilly part of the ride - 4 testing climbs on this course - we (Alvin, Daniel, Dani & I) decided to 'chain gang' our way through the course. For the next 40k we averaged 34kph - on already tired legs - overtaking loads of cyclists on the way! Awesome ride!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Of the 15 rides undertaken this month, 10 of them were outdoors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The turbo has been very underused during these four weeks!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Swimming was going well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was hitting some good interval times during the month (sub-1.20’s) feeling comfortable and feeling like I was a swimmer again!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tight chest problem and coughing interrupted progress but continuing with three sessions a week should see swimming continue to develop.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Running is frustrating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I missed yet another race through injury (<b>Liverpool Half Marathon</b> this time). </span>I’m back to running 20 and 30 minutes on the treadmill – all without pain – due to a recurrence of the calf injury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt something on a run – for a few seconds - but nothing that stopped me during the session or even altered my stride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No problem, pain or stiffness when I got home either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was only when I went for another run two days later that the injury struck!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within 300m I had to stop running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rested it for a week, had some physio and I’ve had no pain since.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could be nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could be something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m just being very cautious with it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Let's take each session at a time and see what the next four weeks brings. </span></div>Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-17402785885719441992012-03-12T15:25:00.000+00:002012-03-12T15:25:31.138+00:00Decisions, Decisions!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve been undecided for ages about my race schedule for the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 was a massive year, with races and challenges throughout the year – two Ironman races, Lands End to John O’Groats cycling, a cycling holiday in Ireland, a marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year I have two races in the diary – Ironman Mallorca 70.3 in May and my main race, Challenge Roth, on 8<sup>th</sup> July.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both fantastic races, which I’m really looking forward to, but I wanted to put more into the diary and make it a more ‘exciting’ year.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I considered a lot of races:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Ironman Lanzarote</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> is only a week after Ironman Mallorca 70.3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is probably a bit too close to race properly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still tempting though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The deciding factor on this was my current run ability, or lack of, so that ruled Lanzarote out.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Ironman Regensburg</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> is in June, about 4 weeks before Roth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given that Roth is my A race, I thought this race might be too close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good early season Ironman though – something to think about in future years?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Ironman UK</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> was two weeks after Roth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really enjoyed UK last year and want to do it again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was it really possible to do both events?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably not, so I ruled that one out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had it been a week later I might have been more tempted.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I did <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ironman Wales</b> last year, and whilst being the toughest race I have ever done, it was strangely enjoyable (in hindsight!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year the gap between the two (UK & Wales) was 6 weeks – not short enough between the two to continue to rest after UK, but not long enough to really build up training and fitness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year it would be 10 weeks after Roth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much better and pretty tempting.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I also looked at <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Challenge Henley</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 2011 race had some good reviews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similar timescales between Roth & IM Wales so ideal for building fitness between races.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I then considered doing Olympic distance events after Roth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try out the shorter races and see if I was more suited to them. Maybe finish the season with the <b>Liverpool Marathon</b>?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">And then there were the races abroad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being mid-September, both Wales and Henley were run in less than ideal weather conditions in 2011.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ideally, I’d like to race somewhere a little warmer.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I looked at <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ironman Louisville</b> at the end of August and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ironman Cozumel</b> at the end of November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both with spaces and both very tempting.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I then looked at <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Challenge Barcelona</b> at the end of September. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is 12 weeks after Challenge Roth so should enable me to recover properly from that race, have a little downtime and then pick the training back up for a second Ironman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The course is flat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should be warm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is very close and easy to get to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a race abroad, costs should be quite low.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It pretty much ticked all the boxes for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Once Lynn was on board - didn’t really take much convincing - I entered the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Challenge Barcelona here we come!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">2012 just got very interesting!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8323670883061998518.post-55607329172620205352012-02-29T13:25:00.000+00:002012-02-29T13:27:26.893+00:00Stepping It Up<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Training - Weeks 5-8</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Things are looking up a bit here! Training is actually going really well and is reflected in the numbers below. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">If the previous four weeks was a story of inconsistency, then this four weeks has been a model of consistency. I’ve managed 39 sessions in 28 days with a consistent workload in each of the weeks. No <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">additional</i> injury or illness to complicate matters either.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"><tbody>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"> <td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 38.85pt;" width="52"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Week</span></b></div></td> <td colspan="2" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.7pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Swim</span></b></div></td> <td colspan="2" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.7pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Bike</span></b></div></td> <td colspan="2" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.7pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Run</span></b></div></td> <td colspan="2" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.7pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Other</span></b></div></td> <td colspan="2" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 73.7pt;" width="98"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Total</span></b></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 38.85pt;" width="52"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5pt;">Time</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5pt;">Sessions</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5pt;">Time</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5pt;">Sessions</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5pt;">Time</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5pt;">Sessions</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5pt;">Time</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5pt;">Sessions</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5pt;">Time</span></i></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 5pt;">Sessions</span></i></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 38.85pt;" width="52"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">1</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">2:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">3</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">6:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">6</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">0:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">0</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">0:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">0</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">8:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">9</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 38.85pt;" width="52"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">2</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">2:25</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">3</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">5:25</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">5</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">0:50</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">2</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">1:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">1</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">9:40</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">11</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 38.85pt;" width="52"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">3</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">2:20</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">3</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">5:25</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">4</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">1:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">2</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">0:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">0</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">8:45</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">9</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 38.85pt;" width="52"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">4</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">2:30</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">3</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">9:45</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">3</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">3:05</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">3</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">1:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">1</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">16:20</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">10</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 38.85pt;" width="52"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Total</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">9:15</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">12</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">26:35</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">18</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">4:55</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">7</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">2:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">2</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">42:45</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 36.85pt;" width="49"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">39</span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Although the numbers look a little low – barely managing to average more than 10 hours per week - this doesn’t tell the whole story. It does not reflect the training I’m doing, just points to the training I’m not doing yet (if that makes any sense?) ... my weekly long ride and my long run. Weeks 1-3 had no long bike and none of the weeks included a long run. Even adding a conservative 4 hours into these schedules and training would look more like 12 to 14 hours per week.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">As we move into March, I’m hoping that I can now start to introduce some longer sessions to the week to build some endurance. See <i>The Next Four Weeks</i> below.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Comparing this four week period to the same period last year – 54+ hours last year achieved over 30 sessions. However, the bulk of the cycling volume (and therefore total volume) was achieved with 5 rides in excess of 5 hours (including one of our LEJOG training weekends where we did 15 hours over one weekend!!).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"><tbody>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"> <td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.0pt;" width="88"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></td> <td colspan="3" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 171.7pt;" width="229"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">2011</span></b></div></td> <td colspan="3" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 171.7pt;" width="229"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">2012</span></b></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.0pt;" width="88"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.2pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Time</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Sessions</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">K’s</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.2pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Time</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Sessions</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">K’s</span></b></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.0pt;" width="88"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">Swim</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.2pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">5:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">7</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">15.7</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.2pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">9:15</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">12</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">31.4</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.0pt;" width="88"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">Bike</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.2pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">38:25</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">10</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">906</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.2pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">26:35</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">18</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">770</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.0pt;" width="88"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">Run</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.2pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">11:10</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">13</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">138</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.2pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">4:55</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">7</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">62</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.0pt;" width="88"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">Other</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.2pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">0:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">0</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">-</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.2pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">2:00</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">2</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">-</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.0pt;" width="88"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">Total</span></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.2pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">54:35</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">30</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">1060</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.2pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">42:45</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">39</span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 57.25pt;" width="76"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">863</span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Swim</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">12 sessions totalling 9 hours over the past 4 weeks is fantastic. I’m delighted with that! It’s the most swimming I’ve done in a month since I was 21!! I think I’m reaping the benefits too. Stroke is feeling much better, times are dropping on interval sets and the repetition times I’m using will need to be made harder next month. All sessions have been solo sessions at David Lloyd with only the clock – and my own motivation - to push me.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Bike</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">18 bike sessions in four weeks is also very good – even beating last month’s total of 16. Seventeen of the sessions were on the turbo too – including six in one week! In fact, so far this year I’ve clocked up more than 1000k on the turbo – that’s a lot of sweaty hours in the garage! I’m really hoping that all of this indoor bike work transfers well to outdoor riding. The last ride of week 4 was a solid outdoor ride with MerseyTri and it was a good start to ‘proper cycling’. I was able to hold decent pace on the flat throughout the ride, just struggled a little on the climbs (but didn’t <i>really</i> get dropped!), but still had lots of energy towards the end of the 7+ hour ride!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Run</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Running is back! Three weeks of running during the month - building from 2 runs per week of 30 minutes each for the first two weeks to two runs over 1 hour by week 4. I’m really glad I stayed patient with the injury and didn’t try to rush my recovery. The really pleasing thing is that I can feel the benefit of all of the run work I did at the back end of 2011, and all of the hard cycling work I’ve been doing since. I’ve been able to run faster than my Ironman run goal pace (4.48min/k) whilst keeping my HR really low (for me anyway). Returning to running has felt easy – with no obvious lack of run fitness to date. Let’s hope this carries on!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Physio</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">During the month I had two physio sessions, which included some sports massage. Despite the pain involved in the massage, I can really feel the benefit of this massage in my legs, unravelling all of the knots that I’ve built up during training. I’ve also been doing lots (for me) of stretching on my calves.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The Next Four Weeks</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The next four weeks are busy – with an event every Sunday! We start the month with a 100k Sportive (The Winter Sprinter), then the Jodrell Bank Sportive the following weekend. The Liverpool Half Marathon is on 18<sup>th</sup> March and 25<sup>th</sup> March sees me doing the Cheshire Cat sportive.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m really hoping for another solid block of training, building some good endurance on both the bike and the run. Let the good times roll!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration and inspiration</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> - Evan Esar</span></b></div>Bryan Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800696874834897573noreply@blogger.com0