So much for starting out, the wheels have come off my campaign as I’m preparing for my Management Accountancy exams in two weeks. So my focus has been on revision and study rather than swim, bike & run. Hopefully when the exams are over I will venture out again……

The beauty of not setting any goals means that as I come to write this I didn’t fail to achieve them. This is obviously a very negative approach and not one to be condoned, for as I sit here typing away on my way into London for work, I don’t feel any better about my lack of achievements in the week preceding.

However I knew it was going to be a tough week and indeed it was but successful. The unfortunate thing is this next week looks to be just as busy.

So no runs during the week and no run on Saturday. I hate to say it but I just couldn’t be bothered. I even did some housework to avoid it!

I did ride with Gill and Dan on Sunday in very blustery conditions. In the first ten miles I was feeling awful, no power in my legs and everything was hard work. At Willingale we checked the maps and by chance I span my front wheel, only it didn’t spin. My brakes had seized and I had been pushing against them for thirteen miles.

On the re start the bike felt better, having loosened the front brake, but as the wind continued to blow I knew my legs were shot so when the choice of a homeward run came at 32 miles I went for it and avoided North Hill. I’m glad I did as I was tired on Sunday afternoon rather than shattered, so I was able to fulfil my fatherly and husband duties rather than lie on the sofa all afternoon moaning.

So another week over and not much progress to report. This week I’ve managed to get my commuter bike out of the garage so that will help. I am completely off running at the moment so my plan is to cycle both ways all week and if things work out I will bring my road bike into London to get at least one mid week training ride in probably from Shenfield or Ingatestone.

Have a good week …

So the aim was to fit in two mid week runs to make up for the one I missed on Saturday, well that didn’t happen and anyway I need to be doing two mid week runs anyway.

Result, I failed this week. So after last week’s confession and this week’s failure, my so called training plan seems to be falling apart. Whilst I have no races scheduled for 2011, I must at least lose the weight that I put on over the autumn (fall) and Christmas periods.

The reason I have no races planned yet is that I have just begun the final stages of my accountancy qualifications and I have three exams to sit in May. I am not a natural studier so I have had to adopt a focused approach and make those exams my number one priority. I will still try and keep training but it will not be my priority. After May I will focus on preparing for a late season triathlon but I expect that it will only be a sprint distance race probably in September.

So having done nothing mid week, what did I achieve over the weekend? Well not much. I did get a good three mile run in on Saturday, battling the windy conditions and I was pleased with the consistency of the 3 x 9:08 mins per mile pace that I achieved, for now anyway.

Family commitments meant the normal bike ride was out of the question So not much else to report on this week.

I’m not going to set any goals for week 5 as it will be a very busy week at work as we have to submit our 2011/12 revenue and expenditure budgets so it will probably mean a few early mornings and few late nights…

After a busy weekend Monday arrived and my legs felt ok, not too bad I thought. The plan for at least one mid week run should be achievable. Work was busy and I had to take the laptop home to finish up some work but Tuesday arrived and I duly donned the running kit in preparation for a run home, or at least a run across London. However when the time to go home eventually came I admit I chickened out and caught the train.

On Wednesday morning I did run into work but the 2.5 miles weren’t easy. Why is it than when you are running or cycling well and you feel like you are flying all the traffic or pedestrian lights are red and you have to stop? On Wednesday I was dying for an enforced stop, just get to the lights I kept telling myself but every time I got there the bloody things would turn green and my excuse for a crafty breather would evaporate!

After Wednesday it got busier at work as deadlines pressed and the thoughts or a second mid week run disappeared.

At the weekend the weather turned colder and on Saturday, and here comes the confession, I didn’t go out for my run. I was just too cold indoors let alone taking layers off and going outside. A big wuss, I know

On Sunday I joined Gill and Dan for our Sunday ride. Dan had once again been on the maps and had conjured up a 40 mile loop around Margaretting and Billericay.

It was another freezing cold day with a icy cold wind to make matters worse. I had plugged up the air vents on my cycling shoes but it made no difference, my feet were ice cubes almost from the off.

Dan had come up with a nice route, venturing to places where I hadn’t ridden before with not too many climbs. Ice was a bit of a problem and we all nearly came off on a particularly icy corner in Margaretting but all managed to stay upright.

The worst bit was that Dan had told us that he had put a hill in to the route but he wouldn’t tell us where. It was a brute, not excessively long but very steep, it also came 30 miles in so my legs were already shot. I made it up, just, but I very nearly gave in again. The homeward trip went well but it was nice to get home and get off the bike.

Next week I have to do two mid week runs to make up for my omission on Saturday. We’ll see what happens…

Well the aim was to get a run in midweek and I did manage to get a small run in but it took me until Thursday night to get it done and it was only a small one, but a midweek run it surely was all 2.3 mikes of it

The weekend offered more opportunities so Saturday saw me complete my 3 mile lap of the village a cool 90 seconds quicker than the previous week. At that rate of improvement I could be running the 5000 metres in the 2012 Olympic games.

Sunday saw an early start for my bike ride with Dan and Gill. The other bad news was that they wanted to meet me in Danbury and that meant an early climb up Danbury hill. I took the back way to avoid the traffic but it was a tough start to the ride.

Once I met up with the others we set off into the Essex countryside and I was feeling better than I did the week previous we still had a head wind but we took it in the face on the way out through Terling and out towards White Notley. A big surprise hit us with the climb up to Great Braxted and I was well and truly left behind on the hill.

The final twist came with a choice to climb North Hill or chicken out and cut home via Boreham. I stuck with the group and plumped for ‘the hill’. As soon as we hit the slope Gill powered ahead leaving Dan and I to follow in her wake. At it’s worst my legs were burning and I was struggling to keep the cranks turning. Thoughts of giving up the ghost and taking a disheartening walk were blasted away by Dan’s words of encouragement as we climbed side by side to the top.

Having said goodbye to my training partners I enjoyed the ride back down Danbury hill on the route home. Another 35 miles under my belt and another week completed. More next week…

Ouch….. Why does it hurt so much.

Having kick started my training with a run and bike ride at the weekend I was now paying the price. It was difficult to walk for two days and it still hurt to walk down stairs on Wednesday. My plans for a mid week run disappeared as the days slipped past and before I knew it the weekend was upon me once more.

Saturday arrived and started to slip away, but I pulled it back to get out for a 3 mile run as the sun came down. It was hard work against the wind but I continued to run. A chance meeting with a fellow runner and friend half way round made it much more social for the second half of the run but until we turned out of the wind I struggled to breathe and chat at the same time. As I approached home we said our goodbyes and I chalked off a slow but consistent three miles in thirty minutes.

Sunday morning arrived and I jumped on the bike to meet up with Jill and Dan for a thirty mile circuit. The first half was all against the wind but Dan had been kind to us with the route going counter clockwise giving us three downhill runs rather than three climbs. The return leg was much easier although the evidence on this ride points to the fact that I have lost most of my leg power so whenever we hit a climb or face in to a stiff wind I seem to go backwards.

This was made clear to me when climbing a hill into the wind after about ten miles. I was struggling and Jill and Dan were pulling away from me and I couldn’t respond. I decided I would drop my gears onto the smaller front ring and spin my way up the hill only to find that when I looked down to see why my gears wouldn’t change I was already on the smaller ring!

What a difference a week makes, having felt so awful last week immediately after the bike ride I was pleasantly surprised that my legs didn’t feel too bad this week despite covering a similar mileage. An improvement sign so soon?

My goal for week two is to get a midweek run under my belt. So a battle against apathy and a busy week at work commences……

It has to start with one step, that big step out of your front door and out for a run. And so I conquered that first milestone on Saturday as I headed out for my first run in eight weeks.

It was a simple 2.7 mile loop, nice and steady as I was under no illusions that this was going to be easy. It wasn’t, but I did manage to run the loop without stopping.

Sunday, had foolishly agreed to join Jill and Dan for a bike ride. It was freezing cold, frost on the roads and pavements but at 9am we set off. A 33 mile loop from Maldon out to the Abberton Reservoir and back. The outward leg went well albeit with some slow sections when we hit slush or black ice. I still find it a little worrying when the rear wheel spins underneath me or starts to slide sideways, but we managed to stay upright. As we approached the bleak looking reservoir a cross wind hit us and the danger signs flashed in our thoughts for the return leg to Maldon.

A brief stop at the reservoir to take on a gel and take the obligatory photo and we set off for home, turning, yes you guessed into a head wind. It was brutal, ten miles of what felt like a steady climb due to the wind. Taking turns at the front we battled home but the wind and the hills took their toll. 33 miles in 2 hours 20 mins is not quick but i was a very solid workout.

Arriving home tired with sore muscles I knew that I had over done it, but I have well and truly started back on the road to fitness. A rest day today, fortunately as my quads are killing me (!) before we hit the pavements again for a mid week run.

It’s been a long time coming and this post coincides with my second anniversary as a blogger. Since I completed the Braintree triathlon in June a lot has happened but not much of it was related to triathlon. The 2010 season was always going to be a question of before and after. I’ve always kept my blog related to my development as a triathlete and left out any personal or family issues, but in July my wife and I welcomed our fourth child into the world. So the before and after was pre and post Jenna.

With four children fatherhood wasn’t going to bring many surprises and Jenna has been a joy but there is quite a gap between Jenna and our other three daughters (yes I live with five women, three of them are teenagers)!

I did manage to keep up my exercise during July to September in preparation for the Autumn Leaves 100mile bike ride and the Dunmow triathlon, however my bike chain broke 15 metres into the bike ride and my daughter broke her collarbone the night before the triathlon so I managed to DNF/DNS both events. October and November were study periods as I am studying for my professional accountancy qualifications and in truth I was playing catch up on my revision so my fitness regime took a back seat and I only managed about 6 miles of running and two 30 mile bike rides in that two month period.

December saw snow in Eastern England and freezing temperatures, alongside the stress of a reorganisation and threat of redundancy at work I duly retreated to the sofa and the chocolate. I’m glad to say that I got through the business restructure but flu over Christmas finished the year on a low point, but having returned to work this week I am beginning to look forward and make some plans for 2011. So it’s early January I am completely unfit and I have no planned events to look forward to. This is going to hurt but I’ve got to start hitting the pool, the roads and the pavements. In the past I’ve set myself unrealistic training plans and never managed to stick to them. It’s time to talk to my triathlon coaches at Born 2 Tri for inspiration, advice and a sensible approach to getting back to fitness and triathlons. Watch this space!

In the week leading up to the race I had done nothing. A busy week at work and the need to bring my laptop home meant that I was unable to run home. On Saturday before the race after preparing my bike, which included a rear brake overhaul, I joined my club mates at the race site to set up the finish shute, transition area and registration tent. I even managed a drive around the bike route to familiarise myself with what was to come.

On race day I set off bright and early and got set up for the day, I was so quick setting it up I was sure that I had missed something, but it all seemed to be there and I did my usual walk through the transitions, swim in, bike out, bike in, run out to make sure I knew where I was going. The racks were numbered so there was no judgement on where to rack my bike. As it was I was in the first row just before the bike out, pretty much perfect.

The swim went well I got into a pretty good rythym and started to count up the lengths. It’s a nice pool and as we were two to a lane going up and down on the same side there were no panics, no hastles and the red marker was held in front of me before I knew it.

The run to T1 managed to get the blood pumping in my legs and a quick grab of the number belt, helmet on, glasses on and I was ready to grab the bike for a quick exit. Last year it absolutely pelted down with rain and whilst it was a grey morning it was much better.

The bike went well and I pushed hard knowing that I had several team mates starting right behind me. I wanted to try and keep most of them there during the bike leg although I knew a few that would overtake me before the end. The first few miles up through Earles Colne are mostly up hill but I tried to keep my cadence up to maintain some speed whilst going up hill. The roads leading into Pebmarsh had recently been resurfaced but fortunately the club had managed to get the council to sweep some of the loose chippings off, but there was one hairy moment when I came down hill into a dip and right turn when i noticed quite a bit of loose stones on the road. I held my breath as I tried to steer clear of the danger and I was glad that my front wheel stayed firmly planted on the road.

I was passed by two people of the bike one riding a Cervelo P2 and the other a Cervelo P3, I could hear the carbon wheels coming as they left me for a standstill, but I did manage to overtake a few of my club mates who had gone off a little earlier so overall I was pleased with my effort as I came into T2. On reflection I was pleased that I had managed to keep focused during the bike leg, it certainly helped my time.

T2 also went well, i had not put any socks out to change into for the run which was part by design and part by necessity as I hadn’t put any out! But that made for a quick transition and I was out on the run. It was at this stage that I saw another couple of club mates ahead and so I tried to push through the dead legs to catch them. This effort was worthwhile as I did pass them but as the run continued the harder it got. I reaslised that my focus on the bike had robbed me of energy for the bike, or was it the lack of running for the previous month! I ploughed on but was caught by my faster club mates who came passed towards the end of the first lap, but I dug in, encouraged by the marshalls to finish my second race of the year almost four minutes quicker than last year, a new Personal record.

The event was surperbly organised and went by without a hitch. My thanks to the organisers and marshalls for all of their hard work. I even stuck around to help dismantle everything after the race.

Despite the month of May playing host to my first race of the season it wasn’t the most productive in training terms. My lethargy in April carried through May and my total training hours were the lowest they have been since I started training for Triathlon eighteen months ago, well not quite, but not far from it.

Total Training

Bike

Run

I did manage to complete a longer ride than normal cycling up to meet the club ride and coming back again after the main ride. This was OK but I did the last run back both against the wind and with the rain driving into me, I was not a happy bunny when I finally got home. I’ve added my Garmin summary and you can see how much slower I was on that last tem miles when compared to the first. Never mind, that’s training for you!