October 2013
Stumbling through October
Well, what a frustrating month this is turning out to be. I competed in the Helvellyn Triathlon on the 1st September and finished in a time that I was really pleased with,. I'd said that I wanted to complete the course in 5hrs 30mins and I all but managed that. I did a PB in the swim of around 27mins for the 1 mile course and then it was a case of recovering, getting out of the wetsuit and onto the bike and setting in for a tough ride. I'd ridden the course a few weeks previously and I knew how tough sections of it were going to be. I felt like I did ok though, I was climbing well going up to Docray overtaking quite a few competitors, then onto the tri bars for the drag down towards Thirlmere. I was deliberatley holding my pace back a bit because I knew what was coming, The Struggle! When I'd ridden it a few weeks earlier I wasn't able to get all the way up it, without getting off the bike, such was the incline of some of the climbs, over 20% in some parts. So it was just sheer bloody mindedness and determination that I got up it without having to get off and push. The descent in to Patterdale wasn't as fast as I like, it wasn't slow either, but I like to fly on descents. However, this is a really technical descent, the roads are still open to traffic and there were quite a few over cautious cyclists, so I just took my time. The run wasn't too bad to start with, up the side of the beck and past the campsite before getting to the foot of the fells. From then on it was a walk all the way up towards Hole In The Wall, and then able to run across towards Red Tarn and a nice bit of bouldering up Swirrell Edge. This was also very stop start due to people not being familiar with bouldering and scrambling. The descent was horrendous, I was suffering from severe cramp in my quads which reduced me to a walk, unfortunately. I managed to start running again when the path levelled out a bit and pushed hard for the last couple of miles back to Glenridding. My legs were really sore for a week or so afterwards. Not to mention an old knee problem seemed to have resurfaced as well as a niggling foot injury. So I decided to have a few weeks off and do absolutely nothing on the training front.
When we moved in to October, I decided it may be time that I should start getting back in to the training, slowly.
I'd promised Ruth that I would limit my training, so that I wasn't out all the time. So I just started off doing little bits of training here and there. The foot was still niggling, but seemed to be improving, so I just did a few short bike rides and tried to get back in the water again. I know people say that swim fitness is one of the quickest to diminish, but I was amazed at how much swim fitness and form I'd lost, in such a short amount of time. I felt like I was hardly moving in the pool and I was just flailing about. Some would question whether this was any different from any of my other sessions :-)
After a few sessions though, I started to get the feel for the water again and very slowly got back in to it. The foot seemed ok too, so I started to do a few 5k runs, just to test it out. It felt fine, WOOHOO. So I'd decided to start back at the Tri Club Monday night session, at the running track. We'd also persuaded Hannah to give it a go, which she seemed keen on.
So, last night I went to the track. This week it was 5 x 5 minute efforts on the track. After the warmup, I felt fine and my legs felt ok, there weren't any problems from the foot either. We got about half way through the second of the efforts and I felt a little niggle in my calf. Thinking it was just a bit of tightening, I decided to slow down a bit, but carry on running, in the hope that it would ease off. 10 minutes later, POP!! I felt it really go properly. Stopping running immediately, I limped to the finish line and just spent the rest of the session stretching it and smiling to myself at how much Hannah seemed to be enjoying training with the other kids. I suppose at least that's one positive.
I'm not going to be running for a week or so now, so I'll have to make sure I keep swimming instead. I'll probably get on the bike once or twice as well.
Lets hope that November is a bit more productive.
Well, what a frustrating month this is turning out to be. I competed in the Helvellyn Triathlon on the 1st September and finished in a time that I was really pleased with,. I'd said that I wanted to complete the course in 5hrs 30mins and I all but managed that. I did a PB in the swim of around 27mins for the 1 mile course and then it was a case of recovering, getting out of the wetsuit and onto the bike and setting in for a tough ride. I'd ridden the course a few weeks previously and I knew how tough sections of it were going to be. I felt like I did ok though, I was climbing well going up to Docray overtaking quite a few competitors, then onto the tri bars for the drag down towards Thirlmere. I was deliberatley holding my pace back a bit because I knew what was coming, The Struggle! When I'd ridden it a few weeks earlier I wasn't able to get all the way up it, without getting off the bike, such was the incline of some of the climbs, over 20% in some parts. So it was just sheer bloody mindedness and determination that I got up it without having to get off and push. The descent in to Patterdale wasn't as fast as I like, it wasn't slow either, but I like to fly on descents. However, this is a really technical descent, the roads are still open to traffic and there were quite a few over cautious cyclists, so I just took my time. The run wasn't too bad to start with, up the side of the beck and past the campsite before getting to the foot of the fells. From then on it was a walk all the way up towards Hole In The Wall, and then able to run across towards Red Tarn and a nice bit of bouldering up Swirrell Edge. This was also very stop start due to people not being familiar with bouldering and scrambling. The descent was horrendous, I was suffering from severe cramp in my quads which reduced me to a walk, unfortunately. I managed to start running again when the path levelled out a bit and pushed hard for the last couple of miles back to Glenridding. My legs were really sore for a week or so afterwards. Not to mention an old knee problem seemed to have resurfaced as well as a niggling foot injury. So I decided to have a few weeks off and do absolutely nothing on the training front.
When we moved in to October, I decided it may be time that I should start getting back in to the training, slowly.
I'd promised Ruth that I would limit my training, so that I wasn't out all the time. So I just started off doing little bits of training here and there. The foot was still niggling, but seemed to be improving, so I just did a few short bike rides and tried to get back in the water again. I know people say that swim fitness is one of the quickest to diminish, but I was amazed at how much swim fitness and form I'd lost, in such a short amount of time. I felt like I was hardly moving in the pool and I was just flailing about. Some would question whether this was any different from any of my other sessions :-)
After a few sessions though, I started to get the feel for the water again and very slowly got back in to it. The foot seemed ok too, so I started to do a few 5k runs, just to test it out. It felt fine, WOOHOO. So I'd decided to start back at the Tri Club Monday night session, at the running track. We'd also persuaded Hannah to give it a go, which she seemed keen on.
So, last night I went to the track. This week it was 5 x 5 minute efforts on the track. After the warmup, I felt fine and my legs felt ok, there weren't any problems from the foot either. We got about half way through the second of the efforts and I felt a little niggle in my calf. Thinking it was just a bit of tightening, I decided to slow down a bit, but carry on running, in the hope that it would ease off. 10 minutes later, POP!! I felt it really go properly. Stopping running immediately, I limped to the finish line and just spent the rest of the session stretching it and smiling to myself at how much Hannah seemed to be enjoying training with the other kids. I suppose at least that's one positive.
I'm not going to be running for a week or so now, so I'll have to make sure I keep swimming instead. I'll probably get on the bike once or twice as well.
Lets hope that November is a bit more productive.
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