And on the seventh day. God created rain

At the outset of this journey it was my aim to complete the London Triathlon. Well this week was race week and I just want to know where the time went?

My preparation during the week for the event did not go very well.

I went for a run on Tuesday night but felt like I had a really tight calf so I cut short my run as I didn't want to injure myself.

I didn't go swimming on Wednesday either as my trisuit burn from last Thursday still wasn't better and I did not want to aggrevate my neck before the event on Sunday.

But enough of the claptrap.

The real reason you're here is to read about the main event, the big one, the goal for this year and the reason I started this quest.

The Virgin Active London Triathlon

The Saturday was spent spending a small fortune at the London Triathlon Expo. I got up and shaved my legs so that I could get some Kinesiology Tape applied to my various injuries in advance of the Triathlon on Sunday.

My legs pre taping

My legs post taping

The Osteopath supplied by Rocktape did a superb job taping me up and up until I jumped in the water on Sunday my tape stayed in place but more on that in a minute. I wish I had used the H₂O version so it stayed in place in the water.

I am also now the owner of some Newton Gravity trainers and I can't wait to try these out when I recover from my niggles and the exertions of yesterday.

My new trainers

I also found a wonderful invention and purchased these as well. A headphone which doesn't go in your ear but still allows you to listen to music by conductive bone technology. I'll be able to wear these on my bike and still hear the traffic. Amazing.

See I told you I spent a fortune.

On Sunday I woke up and the rain that was forecast didn't appear to have materialised.

Forecast from Thursday

Forecast from Sunday morning

I woke up at 05:22 which had the race times been normal would not have been a problem but given my start wasn't until 14:05, this left me with some time to spare.

I think my pre race nerves were very prevalent as I had two triathlon related nightmares on Saturday night. I won't bore you with randomness of my psyche but one involved me being late and running over some watermelons in my car in my haste to get from London to Nottingham as the race had been moved at the last minute.

Anyway.

At a more reasonable hour I went for breakfast before repacking all my triathlon gear for the event.

My aide memoire of triathlon things

After everything had been packed and I had changed into my trisuit, me and my family walked over to the Excel.

London Excel (on Saturday - what a peaceful day) and boy what a backdrop

Needless to say it had now started to rain much to my dismay. I arrived at about half eleven. Plenty of time before the start.

I racked my bike at 12:40 after I had had some pasta as a pre race meal. Preparing my transition area took a lot less time than it did at Hatfield. Guess I must be getting used to this triathlon lark. I even had time to pop back and see my family and friends before the swim brief and my Dad took the chance to take the obligatory embarrassing photo.

God I look awful in swim hats

The pre swim brief took place at 13:50 and it was quite informative although I sense it was aimed at people who hadn't done any open water swimming beforehand as though swimming in a wetsuit is easy! There was someone stood next to me at the swim briefing who was wearing a windsurfing type wetsuit rather than a swimming wetsuit, I have no idea if he even managed to finish the swim. I also saw some people over the course of the weekend with wetsuits on back to front.

Proof that the seven P's is not just aimed at the workplace

Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance

I was a bit overwhelmed at the amount of people who were in my wave. There were over 350 so it was split in two and unfortunately I was in the first half which was actually over half.

Cue walking outside into torrential rain. Oh great I'd forgotten about that.

We jumped into the water which was probably the coldest I have swum in since I started this journey. We then had to wait for about 5 minutes before we set off. This was good as it allowed my extremities time to get used to the temperature.

I tried to manoeuvre my way to the frontish of the swim pack as it is the discipline which I am best at. The trouble was I didn't get close enough to the front and as soon as the klaxon went off I was caught in a flurry of thrashing arms and legs. To describe it as a washing machine is an understatement, there is nothing that compares to it. The rain hammering down on your head and arms and legs violently moving within inches of your head. To be fair it was a touch scary.

I could not find a way through the people in front of me who held me up. I finally managed to overtake some people after about 400m. I really am too polite for competitive swimming and stopped if I hit anyone. I need to get over this for next year. Down the starting straight I managed to settle into my rhythm and was feeling really good (after the overtaking) until I reached the first turn point where the usual congestion occured. On the back straight, all was going well and I appeared to be on my own for about half the length until someone overtook me and then proceeded to slow down in my path. I think they were struggling. I couldn't overtake them immediately as I was starting to tire so I conserved some energy until I felt I had enough in the tank to overtake the person. I did this before the final turn.

I am sure the weather took a turn for the worse when we were in the water as the final 200m was horrific. The waves had got worse which means the wind must have picked up (oh wonderful the bike ride was going to be fun). I am so glad I breath to my left as luckily the waves hit me in the back of the head with each breath whereas some people who breath to the right would have got a faceful of water with every breath.

I exited the water a little unsteadily in a time of 00:32:31. I seriously think this could have been under 30 minutes without the holdups I suffered and with better weather.

Exiting the water. God it was cold on the feet.

London is very well organised as they have people with bags for you to put your wetsuit in. You enter T1 as soon as you exit the water and then run along some matting taking your wetsuit off. Then you climb some stairs into Excel before running round the transition area to enter you bike lane. My feet felt like blocks of ice and the matting felt like needles underfoot. While I was walking on the matting as my feet weren't functioning enough to jog, a cyclist coming in told me how cold it was outside.

I finally got to my bike and had to make a snap decision. I hadn't left my long sleeved cycling top out but given the advice I had just received decided to retrieve it from my transition bag. I then struggled with getting my top and socks on. After putting my bike shoes on I made my way to transition exit. The floor underfoot  was very slippery which when combined with road shoes and cleats created a tricky 100m. I even skated along some of the way as I got bored of taking baby steps. Anway I finally got on my bike and transition took a staggering 00:10:24.

The bike ride was a little on the bizarre front when combined with the rain of biblical proportions. Thank you to the random cyclist for the advice on the top. I'm sure this was a race saver.

The course was a lot hillier than I envisaged as it took in the Limehouse Link Tunnel.  The wind was horrific and the driving rain was soul destroying. I managed to overtake some people but equally got overtaken. My first lap seemed a lot quicker than my second.

At one point after exiting the Limehouse Link Tunnel (on the first lap) I nearly got blown off my bike as there was a horrendous crosswind. The driving rain meant that I was drenched throughout the entirety of my bike ride. And I mean drenched, I am sure every ounce of spare space in my shoes was filled with water. I am so glad I decided on the top and the glasses as my vision was unaffected.

Doesn't it look grim

The course was littered with biking detritus from the normal (gel wrappers) to the weird (a pedal clip) as well as several bike bottle and pumps. I was so glad of the glasses as you had to concentrate all the time. I passed lots of people who had suffered punctures and felt so bad for them but so relieved that it wasn't me.

The headwind at times was mental I felt like I was going backwards but I kept on pedalling. During the ride I managed to set a new PB for highest and lowest speeds when on the road.

Due to the weather you had to dismount on entering transition to negotiate a chicane but then you were allowed to remount your bike to complete the final climb. All a little bizzare but safety comes first. And I was glad to get back on my bike as it was preferable to running on a tarmac road in wet cold socks.

My time for the 35ish km bike ride was 01:25:02, I can live with that given the horrific conditions.

More lovely weather

Having learnt from my epoxy flooring skating bike exit. I ensured my shoes were off when I got off the bike so I had some purchase on the flooring. Transition was a disaster zone, what with my stuff strewn everywhere after searching for my top and other peoples disregard for your space. After clearing some space for my bike I proceeded to apply my achilles strap.

I had hoped to not need this but as my Rocktape came off at the start of the swim, I decided not to chance it. My Greeper Laces were once again immense and I had my shoes tied in seconds. And I mean securely tied not like you get with elastic lock laces. After putting my trainers and cap on I set off at a gentle jog.

And I mean a gentle jog as my legs didn't feel like mine.

Anyway the reason I cut my run short earlier in the week, according to the osteopath who fitted my kinesiology tape was that I have shin splints in my right leg.

So in summary I had got this far but had to run 10km to complete my quest with:-

• Achilles tendinitis in my left ankle
• Shin splints (tibial stress syndrome) on my right calf
• Peroneal tendinitis in my right heel

and the minor challenge of

• running in the worst weather I have ever run in with more people than I have ever run with

My T2 split was 00:04:46

The first 5km (2 laps) of my run were really painful and the run course had a kick in the balls at the end of every lap in the shape of a hill. My shins were killing. I very nearly dropped out but the support from the crowd kept me going. At points during these two laps, my eyes started to water (I still don't know if this was because fo the wind or the pain)

Seeing my swim coach at the end of lap one spurred me on. Seeing my family and friends at the end of lap two gave me a kick up the arse. Due to the weather the course had the added complication of a 6 inch deep puddle across the course which meant I (and everyone else) had to traverse this 10 foot wide puddle 8 times.

Some people minced their way through it on tip toes as if there feet wouldn't get wet but I thought balls to it and steamed through it and learnt that getting my feet drenched twice a lap was quite refreshing.

Almost look happy in this one

At about 2.5 laps I noticed someone walking, I decided I would try and help him get moving again as he looked to be struggling. I noticed his race number was a lot lower than mine and using my incredible powers of deduction worked out he had been going a lot longer than me.

It transpired he started at 12:00, a full 125 minutes before me. His name was Dean and he was on his last lap. With a bit of coaxing and encouragement I managed to get Dean running again. I controlled the pace for him and he didn't stop running once in that last half a lap. Before the finishing straight he stopped to shake my hand and thank me. Do you know something it is amazing being nice sometimes as you get thanked.

But do you know something I have to thank Dean as much as he thanked me as controlling the pace for him made that half a lap fly by. It also meant that my pace was very consistent unlike the rest of my race where I couldn't find my rhythm. On seeing my family at the end of this lap, (I very nearly started crying). So this was it me against 2.5km in my quest to complete the London Triathlon.

How far had I come on this journey from a smoker.

I was 1.5 miles away from my goal. And this pride and the support and cheers of my family and friends (as well as the CRUK and other support crews who braved the elements) kept me going. The rain teemed down on me for the first half of my last lap.

My first two foot off the floor photo.

This was endurance at its most raw. Me against me and only I could fail, I knew I wouldn't when I had come this far. I trudged through the last 2.5km at some points singing "Singing in the Rain" (well it seemed fitting) and with each passing step I knew I was a step closer to my goal. A goal which at the start of this quest seemed like a pipe dream. A goal which I have sweated for, injured myself even bled for.

I mounted that ramp into the Excel for the final time and promised myself I would not walk again until I had crossed that bloody finish line. I crossed the line with a final cheer of support from my family and felt such an overwhelming sense of satisfaction that I had completed my quest. My run time was 01:20:16 and my friends were amazed at how consistent my lap times were. 20 minutes per lap almost to the second. My total time for the triathlon was 03:32:57. I missed my target time by 2 minutes and 57 seconds but given the torrential rain I think I did very well.

On the finishing ramp. Looking a bit tired.

Proof that I completed the London Triathlon

My wife came to greet me and her hugging me was like a pneumatic drill cracking a dam. The floodgates opened and I started to sob, I left everything I had out on that 47 (ish) km and my unintelligible sobs were proof of that. Fast forward three minutes and I could reflect on what I have achieved.

Me with my medal after completing my triathlon

I gave up smoking and set myself a goal which I knew would be a huge challenge given I had done no formative exercise since 2007. The goal was to complete an Olympic distance triathlon. The only person I was competing against was me. And do you know something I bloody smashed it. I beat my goal, I was my personal best. I set a new PB for an Olympic distance triathlon and I can't wait to do it again.

I have unfinished business with this course due to the horrific monsoon like weather conditions and I'll be back.

My medal. I worked so hard for this and am so proud of my achievement

On Saturday the Virgin Active team ran a competition on Facebook to win a hoodie. It was a caption competition about a photo. I entered and won and should have a new hoodie from the event winging its way to me. The only problem is I had already purchased one. So I chose a different colour.

My winning caption

I wouldn't change any element of the last 9 or so months. I am now a non smoker and a triathlete and I know I have surprised my friends and family. My Sister and Dad are proud of me and I have raised some much needed money for charity.

I am my wifes hero. I can't ask for anything else.

My finishing certificate

I hope you have enjoyed reading my musings. This is not the end of my journey but I will be taking a couple of weeks off to relax before I start training for my journey towards Outlaw.

Remember it's not too late to sponsor me. You can do this by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/smoker2triathlete

If my blog has inspired you to give up smoking then please sponsor me the price of a packet of cigarettes. It's not as if you're going to miss the £8.00.

If you have found my blog humorous, emotional, inspiring, enjoyable or are just a regular reader, please sponsor me. It's all for a good cause.

Thanks for reading and see you soon,

Michael (An Olympic distance triathlete)

Another week of achievements (Oh and T- one week)

Well this week has been another of achievements which is a good thing with a week to go until the London Triathlon. It proves I'm still improving.

This getting fitter lark is actually really good fun.

My achievments this week have been in all three disciplines

Run

On Tuesday after work I decided to go for my usual 5k run around Regents Park. I decided to take notice of the advice of Karen from last week and run at an RPE level of 6 from the scale below.

RPE 6	Easy, conversational pace, slower than marathon pace. Working on base endurance
RPE 7	Steady pace, typically marathon or half marathon pace, able to talk but not hold a full conversation
RPE 8	Controlled discomfort, can talk a little but not full sentences. Typically your 10km race pace, or marginally slower (Often referred to as tempo or threshold, helps improve lactate threshold)
RPE 9	Hard, unable to talk other than getting a couple of words out. Typically a 5km race pace.
RPE 9.5	Very hard, definitely no talking at all, only for intervals shorter than 800m or a few minutes.

I did this to help build my base endurance. I set off at a pace that felt comfortable and completed my 5km run (note I intentionally put run instead of rulk) around Regents Park and paid no heed to lamp posts and fellt really realxed and good.

For the first time in my adult life I completed a 5km run. I was overcome with joy and don't mind admitting I nearly cried with the elation I felt. There was such an overpowering feeling of joy. I really must have found my running mojo.

I could have done with finding this form about a month ago so that I could gradually build up to the 10km I have to run in London. Instead I am aiming to run 7km this week and then 10km in London.

My pace wasn't great but I really don't care, I ran 5km. Me the overweight, ex smoker, sedentary human completed 5km. And next Sunday I'll give it my all to ensure I run the 10km as this was my primary aim at the start of this journey.

I was going to run on Wednesday but my calves were feeling tight so I had a nights rest.

Swim

On Thursday I went to the RG Active swim at Hampton Pool. I swam in my normal group but tried to remember everything I learnt from the week before. An hour later and we had all swum 70 lengths of the 36m long pool, which equates to 2.52km which was another achievement.

But best of all because I didn't cane myself and swam steadily (but still in the times that were set) I felt like I could have carried on swimming. This bodes well for my next challenge. More on that later.

Bike

On Saturday I got up and decided to finally test our my new 40km loop in Northern Doncaster.

I felt really relaxed and proceeded to enjoy the ride. The sun was shining and I had a really good time. I enjoyed my new loop. It wasn't quite 40km so I had to find some extra distance around the estate.

I completed my 40.1km in a time of 01:34:15, which was a 9.5% increase in average speed over my previous best effort out on the road at this distance. This amazed me and it proves my fitness is increasing.

So all in all a good week was had training wise and I still can't wait until London next Sunday.

My next challenge

I have hinted about my next challenge in the past but now it is official. I will be completing the Outlaw Triathlon in Nottingham on Sunday July 7th 2013. I've already entered so barring injury there is no backing out.

The Outlaw is an iron distance triathlon to be completed within 17 hours.

For those that don't know an iron distance triathlon is

• 2.4 mile (3.8km) swim to be completed within 2 hours and twenty minutes
• 112 mile (180km) bike ride to completed by 10 hours and thirty minutes
• 26.2 mile (42.2km) run to be completed within 17 hours.

This is a massive step up in distance and will be a real challenge but I have 42 weeks of training before race day and as usual my aim is to complete rather than compete.

I will be completing the Outlaw for HHHO so my charitable fundraising will not stop after I have completed the London Triathlon. I will also change my Twitter name after London.

I have also designed (with the help of Quest Sportswear) a custom trisuit for the event. I should have some custom calfguards for the event thanks to Compressport UK. So as you can see I have been busy planning as well as training.

A draft of my custom trisuit design

But back to the task at hand. In 7 days I will be completing the olympic distance London Triathlon in aid of Cancer Research. If you are attending the event, please make an effort to cheer me on as I'm sure this will help spur me on towards the finish line.

I am competitor 8763

I have also fitted my bike with some new wheels for the event as well as given it a thorough clean iin advance of the great travel down South.

My bike complete with new wheels in all its sparkly clean glory

My patriotic bike. Go red, white and blue

That's all for me. My next blog post will detail my efforts in London. I will try and remember every detail to share with you all.

Remember I am doing this all for charity so please could you all dig deep and sponsor me. You money could help find the cure for cancer.

If you have been inspired by my efforts or enjoyed reading my blog, please sponsor me via my Justgiving page (www.justgiving.com/smoker2triathlete) or by texting NSMK50 £2 to 70070. Afterall that is less than the cost of a pint.

Thanks for reading,

Michael

Where has the time gone?

I'm sitting here in my hotel room and wondering where the time has gone. It still doesn't seem like more than two blinks ago that I decided I was going to give up smoking and the following brainwave of completing a triathlon for charity.

Here I am with 13 days to go until the culmination of my quest to complete an Olympic distance triathlon in aid of Cancer Research UK.

I've spent a long time training for this and this is only a stepping stone in my bigger quest but more on that in the near future.

To date the time I have spent training consists of

Swim - 13.13 miles in 11 hours and 5 minutes burning 11220 kcal, the equivalent of 845 lengths of a 25m pool.

Bike - 330 miles in 19 hours and 49 minutes burning 22094 kcal, the equivalent of a tad more than a return journey from Doncaster to London.

Run - 108 miles in 22 hours and 46 minutes burning 18288kcal, the equivalent of just over four marathons.

Thats a total of 451 miles in 53 hours and 35 minutes or 2.23 days training at an average speed of 8.42mph.

This is staggering when you consider the last time I did any formative exercise was the London to Brighton bike ride in 2008 and considering all the injuries that I have had.

I'll freely admit to being a little nervous in the run up to the triathlon but this is surely only normal given there are 575 other people in my wave at the start. Thats 575 to swim with which is a lot of people. To date the most I have swum with is probably the 30 that were at the Hatfield triathlon in July. A bit of a difference. I hope there are mini waves within the wave.

Recap over with.

What have I been up to?

Erm probably not as much as I should have been doing if I'm being honest but I have still been logging the miles.

On Tuesday I had to go home for something and got back at 20:45 and thought balls to it and decided to go for a run. I left home at 9pm and it was pitch black. Well as pitch black as you can get living in a city. I rulked around my neighbourhood and completed the 6.18km in 44 minutes. I felt really good during the run which is amazing considering I had a commuters tea of McDonalds. Needs must and all that.

My thoughts on running in the dark are that it is very peaceful, eerie but peaceful. I'll have to get used to it as the nights are drawing in and I have lots of training to do over the winter months in preparation for my second season as a triathlete.

On Thursday I had a double session booked. My weekly swim and a running session with Karen Weir.

Being taught to run

I'd decided to book an hour with Karen (who is one of the RG Active coaches) as I have been struggling to meet with my PT up North as I've been exceptionally busy.

The hour with Karen was enlightening and I feel that I learnt a lot.

I won't bore you with specifics but in a nutshell.

• There is nothing wrong with my forefoot striking run, Karen even commented how nice it looked.
• How much you lean controls your speed.
• Arms act like the pistons in an engine and the faster they move the faster your legs move.
• I have to keep my upper body stiff and move my arms instead of twisting my body.
• NEVER EVER contemplate switching to heel striking (as I forefoot strike) as it is less efficient and my body runs the way it is meant to.
• Ditch my stability trainers after London and invest in a pair of neutral trainers but not some by Newton as I already forefoot strike.

The hour flew by and before I knew it it was time to head to the pool for a swim.

I felt like Austin Powers after the hour was up as I think I have finally found my running mojo. I have a new training plan which should make things more interesting over the coming weeks and months.

Now I just need to find my transition mojo. London is calling for me to put that demon to bed.

In total I ran just over 4km in the hour.

Swimming and learning something new

I thought I knew how to swim, well I do and I happen to think it is my strongest discipline but given my swimming upbringing this is hardly rocket science.

However I learnt something that blew my mind on Thursday thanks to another of the RG Active coaches.

Slower = Faster

What the heck, this does not make sense.

Stick with me. I decided to swim in the easier of the two sessions, that are run on a Thursday given I had just finished my hour long run and it was a decision that paid dividends.

I was happily swimming the laps prescribed by the coach and completing them well within the times set.

2 lengths (72m) in 1 minute and 13 when the allotted time was 2 minutes 20 and a similar pace for 4 lengths and was feeling pleased with myself when the coach asked me to swim 4 lengths relaxed.

I did as asked and completed the 144m in 2 minutes and 50 seconds.

He then asked me to swim like I normally would. 144m completed in 2 minutes and 35 seconds.

The coach then asked me how I felt about the two differing techniques.

In a word I was bollocksed after the second four lengths when I gave it my all and all for a measly 15 seconds (or 10 seconds / 100m). Hardly worth it in my eyes when I felt so good after the first 4. Slow and steady definitely wins the race when it comes to swimming. I'll be saving this for the triathlons in the future so that I can perform well on the bike and run. Conservation of energy and all that.

The session was topped off with relay races and I got really bad cramp. I don't think running then swimming agrees with me.

So all in all a productive Thursday and definitely a lot learnt. Proof that every day is indeed a school day.

After driving home on Friday and breaking my self imposed alcohol ban with a few cheekies in the pub. Well England were playing after all. I decided to go for a run and test out my new technique on a continuous run on Saturday.

Cue my first sub 35 minute time for 5km in a few weeks. I felt nice and relaxed during the run and tried to remember everything Karen had taught me. I still need to work on my distance endurance but even this was better. Gone are the days of 4/2 lampposts. Now I walk when I feel like it. The 4/2 worked for me but now it's time to listen to my body.

Plan for this week is to do the exercises prescribed by Karen daily and mix the running up with some shorter and faster sessions.I should've run tonight but had to work late. Never mind there is always tomorrow.

I can't wait until Thursday to use my new swim paddles and try out my new goggles and I can't wait until Saturday to put in a solid 40 km + ride on the bike.

Then just some simple runs next week and a swim or two before D-Day.

BRING IT ON

Remember you can still sponsor me via my Justgiving page or by texting NSMK50 £X to 70070.

Thanks for reading,

Michael

PS sorry for the long blog but I had a lot to share.

I got 21 days to go

Well I promised you all something special for this blog post and unfortunately I have failed to deliver.

I was planning on rewriting 21 seconds by So Solid Crew to 21 Days and making it triathlon specific.

Unfortunately the lyrics are far too complex for me to be able to rewrite. I did have a go at the chorus (see below) but it made no sense so I abandoned the project.

"I got 21 days to goI got 21 days to goCause if you support me let me knowIt’ll be a good showI got 21 days before I do the showDid you see me on the swim, oh noDid you see me on the bike, oh noSo if you support me let me knowCos my run is so slowI got 21 days before I do the show Did you see me on the swim, oh noDid you see me on the bike, oh noSo if you support me let me knowCos my run is so slowI got 21 days before I do the show21 days, t - t - t21 days, t - t - t21 days, t - t - t21 days, t - t - t"

A minor set back but what will be will be.

Onwards and upwards.

After this slight set back I decided to recommence operation design a trisuit for my endeavours next year. As you may or may not be aware I have decided to raise money for HHHO next year as it is a charity which has raised money for CRUK but has now decided to go it alone.

After much deliberation and discussions with the HHHO chairperson (his mum), we decided on the design below as a starting point.

My first trisuit design

This design was then sent to Quest Sportswear to

1. see if it was possible to produce
2. get a rough quote
3. get any commentary back

What I received in return was beyond mine and Harry's mums wildest dreams.

They pimped my design and made it so much better and even offered 3 new designs. I was amazed by this level of customer service. 

The middle design got the #Harrysealofapproval

After a little deliberation Harry's mum has approved the middle design for further development and this is my favourite as well, which is a bonus.

Operation Outlaw is back on as well as due to my dealings with HHHO I feel reinvigorated so I am aiming to compete at the Outlaw Triathlon on Sunday 7th July. No who am I kidding I will compLete the Outlaw Triathlon on Sunday 7th July 2013.

I need to knuckle on with my training over the winter now as I have a new challenge to look forward to.

On the subject of training. What have I been up to this week?

Erm not a lot! It's been another hectic week. 

Monday- brick session as covered in last blog

Tuesday - drove down to London and was far too tired to train

Wednesday - Needed to go swimming but went for a run instead

Thursday - Erm got drunk at a colleagues birthday celebrations

Friday - Drove home and got in at 9pm

Saturday - Erm got drunk at my wife's birthday alcoholic tea party

Sunday - Went driving to plan a 40km looped route from home and with 4km to go, the council were resurfacing the road so instead I decided on a 40km turbo session.

The run I did on Wednesday was difficult for some reason, I really wasn't feeling motivated after a long day at work. But I did it. I completed 5.9km in 45 minutes, which is not a blistering pace (even by my standards) but I completed it, which is the main thing. My legs were still achey from my attempt at high cadence running from Monday so maybe this had something to do with my slow pace. I decided to mix up my route and not follow the lamppost technique and saw a lot more of Regents Park.

This was my last workout of August and unfortunately this meant I failed to complete my #12xIronman challenge for a second month. I didn't even complete one discipline, which I am disappointed with.

Note to self, make sure your GPS watch is charged before you attempt a run so that it logs on the Garmin website otherwise you can't import it and have to rely on Endomondo to be able to log your run.

I am hoping for a new outlook on running after this Thursday as I have booked a training session with Karen Weir who is a running coach who has worked with the likes of Jenni Falconer. Hopefully she can reinforce some of the things my PT at home taught me. The training session is before my swim at Hampton Pool with RG Active. I'm a little apprehensive about doing this reverse brick but needs must.

On Sunday after I had got over my hangover and disappointment of not being able to complete my new 40km looped route due to a lot of resurfacing, I decided to get on the Turbo trainer. As it was a lovely day I decided to take my turbo outside and because I find the turbo boring I decided to take my ipad and watch some "An Idiot Abroad" to break up the monotony of pedalling but going nowhere. I then combined all three and realised my new tribars make a handy iPad holder. Instant bliss. 

May have to take this to Dragons Den. #Ingenious

I could watch videos while pedalling and going nowhere but whilst getting a tan and I had the wind to cool me down as well. This resulted in me setting a new PB on the turbo for 40km. I completed the 40km in a Brownlee like time of 00:55:04. In comparison my first ever 40km on the turbo took me 01:19:36. This equates to a improvement of 31% in just over 4 months. Now that is impressive.

I also got my joining pack for London this week so there is officially no backing out now.

Competitor 8763. Bring it on.

Remember you can still sponsor me via Justgiving or by texting NSMK50 £X to 70070. 

Thanks for reading,

Michael