The first wobble

Until now, I’ve been really looking forward to Ironman, happy to be stuck into the training, excited to see the results of all this hard work. Until this week. If I were a golfer, this week I’d have had the yips. Were I a boxer, I’d have been thoroughly beaten at the weigh-in. Had snooker been my choice of sports, I’d have bottled it on the break. If I were a footballer, I’d have ‘done a Waddle’. In a nutshell, I’m having a nightmare.

Wobble!

I feel rotten. I’m struggling to remember what I’m doing this for. I feel like giving up before I begin. Basically, I’ve out-psyched myself. Triathletes, notoriously, are control freaks – finding the time to train for three sports, you have to be. Ironman triathletes are just freaks. We fine-tune, we look for constant improvement, we seek any small advantage (whether that’s to win an event or just to get through it).

Wibble Wobble!

Basically, I stopped trusting in the programme. To a degree, I guess this is inevitable – when training to put yourself through a massive challenge it’d be strange if you didn’t get some doubts here and there, right? Also, for the past two weeks there’ve been no morning swim training sessions as our coach has been away on holiday. This has involved quite a bit of shuffling sessions to fit everything in – this might sound easy but it’s not. Long run and long ride days, for example, can’t be back to back. Long rides can only be done at the weekends.  I need at least a day’s recovery between high intensity days… This disruption to my programme, it seems, has thrown me into a spin.

Also, this might just be a good old-fashioned case of nerves. I’m a half-decent triathlete – dump me in most races up to Olympic distance and I’ll finish in the top 25% of the field. But I’m certainly not pushing for the podium. For that reason, I rarely get too nervous before a race; I may feel a twinge as I enter the water ready for the start, but that’s all. So getting very, very nervous when still 10 weeks out is strange for me. Of course, it’s perfectly normal, healthy even – if I weren’t nervous, I could become complacent, and that would be worse.

Weeble Wobble!

Finally, as a control freak triathlete, I keep reading all the IM advice I can get my hands on and it’s steadily making me go mad. There are 1001 things to do, it seems, between now and IM. And I don’t mean training. I need to buy new tyres, try the kit I’ll wear race day, get my bike serviced, order all my nutrition gels online, check out the course, practise my nutrition and hydration routine, pick up new/old/spare goggles…the list is endless.

Womble!

So, I need to clear my head and trust my programme. We’ve a long weekend here in the UAE this weekend, which means I’ll be doing lots of riding. The next week is my first ‘recovery week’ (one week in four, you cut back on volume, frequency and intensity to allow your body to catch up, replenish, heal and soak up all the benefits from the past few weeks); then, I’m sure, I’ll be ready to dive right back in.

As for all the things that need doing, well, as I told you before, I’m a listaholic and I now have a new list to add to the, er, list. For the next couple of weeks, whenever I read a piece of advice or a tip that I like, I’m going to note it down and put it on my calendar. That way, I’ll know exactly what to do and when, and won’t lose sleep worrying that I may forget a vital piece of the puzzle (honestly – this is happening!).

All of this just makes me feel even more admiration for those who’ve done an Ironman, or even race them year in year out. The race itself – that 12-15 hours I spend swimming, riding and running – will only be a small percent of ‘becoming an Ironman’, I think. Whether it’s a good training session, practising a tyre change, buying a set of arm warmers in case the weather’s bad on the day, getting your bike serviced or trying out a new breakfast that gives you energy and your body responds well to…it’s all in the preparation.

There’s probably some sort of deep lesson for life in that – but I’m way too tired and in a bad mood to find it right now!

Epic failures

Well, another week is over and last week was, in mileage terms alone, my biggest ever, as I topped 300kms for the first time. The rundown was 6.5km swim (down a little on previous week as there’s no morning training for two weeks); 260km on the bike; 35.8km running. Of course, overall mileage is a bit misleading as the increase is due to me really stepping up the cycling.

In fact, it’s been an odd week – in some ways it’s been killer and, in others, I don’t feel like it’s been that heavy at all. However, there have been a couple of valuable experiences and lessons that helped to shape not only this week but all future IM training. Firstly, I read this blog by fantastic age group triathlete Sarah Lovelock – it’s a great preview of the IM Wales course and there’s one very clear message – it’s going to be hilly. That is backed up by the organisers in this interview:

Midweek, I popped into Dubai’s uber bike shop, Wolfi’s, to pick up a small component I needed. The guy who served me, Gustavo, is an amazing triathlete who has qualified for both Maui (World Xterra Champs) and Kona (IM World Champs) in the past. The key to performing well at an IM, he said, was the bike.

Bright and early Friday morning, riding to meet up with the Roadsters group, I met an Aussie called Scott on the road. He was also riding to meet up with the Roadsters and was also a keen triathlete, with a string of great IM finishes under his belt. The key to finishing in decent shape, he said, was the bike. Lance Armstrong’s autobiography is called It’s Not About The Bike. Clearly Lance doesn’t race Ironman (yet…there are lots of rumours!)

Armstrong: wrong!

The swim holds few worries for me – I know I can come out near the front of the field with a sub 1 hour swim, even taking it easier. All I have to do is keep training two or three times a week and, when back in the UK, get some practice swimming in my wetsuit (water is way too hot here). I ran just over 3:30 for the Dubai Marathon in January which is way faster than I’ll run the IM marathon in. So, I know that, as long as I get through my training and arrive at the start of the run in good shape, running a 4-5 hour marathon is well within my capability. Therefore, once again, it’s all about the bike. I need to get through the 180k bike course in decent time but with as much as possible left in my legs for the marathon. And it’s a hell of a hilly bike course.

My response has been to tweak my training programme. Where there was once room to spend a little extra time here and there on my swim and run, that’s now bike time. I’ve factored in a couple of interval sessions on the exercise bike at the gym (using high resistance to mimic hill climbs). And then, on Saturday, I did something a little stupid.

Straight ahead: Jebel Hafeet

A very early rise saw me cycle from Al Ain (an oasis city, the third biggest in the UAE after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, located 90 mins inland from Dubai). I rode the 15kms out to Jebel Hafeet, the UAE’s second tallest mountain with a snaking, winding, steep road to the top that has been named ‘the world’s greatest driving road’ on several occasions. It’s where supercar brands come to test the handling of their latest vehicles and, importantly, the average incline for the 12k to the top is a bruising 8%.

Great for driving - horrible for cycling!

I started well, I felt strong, I was Armstrong, Contador, Indurain…at first I spun and then, as the climb continued up and up, I stood up out of my seat and mashed away, sweat pouring down me. I took a little rest and the carried on all the way, right the way, high up to…well, about the two-third point. 8k through the 12k to the top, my legs just stopped. I could have maybe pushed a little harder, but it may have done more damage than good and with a full week of training to follow, you have to know when to stop.

View from (near) the top

It was a failure but a useful one. Had I not done 140k on the bike the day earlier, it may have been different. If temperatures hadn’t been up in the mid 30s even at that time in the morning, I may have got further. But most of all I learnt that I needed to dedicate more time to hill training, and that my bike needed an extra large gear on the cassette to make sure I can spin through all those hills in Ironman Wales without destroying my legs for the run. The cassette is a cheap and easy change that'll make the world of difference, the hill climbing will be paid for in hours of sweat, tears and aching legs before Ironman Wales…but these are lessons I’m glad I’ve learned now rather than two weeks out!

And I’ll be back to tackle Jebel Hafeet before I leave for the UK and IM at the end of August!

Train hard but train smart

My first week of the IM programme is over and it was pretty tough tho not impossible. During the week, I clocked up a total of 8.6km in the pool, 213km on the bike and ran 34km. They’re pretty big distances but the encouraging thing is that, as I ramp up for Ironman Wales in September, those distances don’t increase hugely – in fact, the swimming will stay around the same, while my weekly run and ride totals will increase by around 30% max.

So, I was feeling pretty confident about it all until the weekend, but the weekend was tough and a 4hr15min ride, the end of which was done in 40°C, along with the consistently early mornings (5.30 is my weekly lie-in), wiped me out and left me exhausted by the end of it. If I’m honest, I’m still recovering a couple of days later.

I’ve learned a couple of things. Firstly, I need to move my easy recovery day to Sunday to help me cope with the weekends and feel strong for the week ahead. Secondly, I need to get rid of all the superfluous stuff and concentrate on the necessary.

With this in mind, yesterday I went for a consultation with Dr Charles Jones of the California Chiropractic and Sports Medicine Centre here in Dubai. I’ve been suffering pain and discomfort in my back for a few years now and it is starting to make the end of long bike rides almost unbearably sore. Dr Charles is a bit of a genius when it comes to sports injuries, having put many of a famous sportsman’s rame back together, so I felt like I was in safe hands.

After just a few minutes of stretches and exercises, Dr Charles spotted some serious imbalances. A few tests later, and I was handed a set of print outs that showed just how offset my posture is – as I slump left and forward. The ECGs demonstrated the extra force that this was placing on my body. It was scary stuff but helped to explain a lot of problems I’ve been having, as well as the discomfort on the bike. After a spot of ‘manipulation’ (clicking my back into place), we headed into the gym, where Dr Charles demonstrated a series of exercises that I need to incorporate into my routine. Two are daily, two I do every other day.

The problem with that, of course, is where exactly do I place them in my routine? A full time job and 16+ hours of IM training per week don’t leave much free time. For that reason, I’ve decided to drop the weight training, until IM at least. I’ve always really enjoyed lifting weights but I have to ask myself how beneficial hitting the gym will be for IM. A weekly yoga class, as well as a few Pilates core holds and sticking strictly to these exercises (most of which I can do at home) will be sufficient, I think, to keep me strong.

I’m looking forward to this new phase in my development and sticking to Dr Charles’ exercise plan for a few weeks to see if I can feel the benefits. When you’re facing six hours or more on the bike, straight into a marathon, anything you can do to get more comfortable will be welcome! And with several of the exercises aimed at opening out my glutes and lower legs, I may even get a little faster!

Lists and lists and lists and lists

I’m five days (or, if you prefer, eight workouts or seven hours) into the first week of this final 13 week Ironman programme and so far so good. My legs are a little sore but nothing that I can’t cope with. That said, I still have the weekend to go – and the weekend is when the big sessions get logged!

You’d think that training to swim 3.8km, ride 180km and run a full marathon (all back-to-back) would be most demanding physically; however, I’ve found that the biggest challenge has been organising myself.

During the week, I get to have a lie-in (5.30am) before heading to the pool, hitting the pavement or heading for the gym. So, the night before, I need my kit and a light breakfast prepared. I come home, shower and head for work, carrying my second breakfast (when you’re burning 10,000+ calories a week through aerobic exercise, you pretty much get to eat constantly!), my lunch and an afternoon snack. I often also need to have swim, bike, spin or gym kit with me, as I’ll be going straight from work. Remembering all the kit, food, creams, shoes, water bottles, drinks, energy gels…it’s almost more exhausting than all the training!

Now, I’m not exactly one of life’s most naturally organised people; but I’m having to learn to me. Having a memory leakier than a Lidl colander, this means lots of lists. Then more lists. Then a list of all the lists I need. Like my Ironman programme, these are making my life far easier – I just pack what it says on one list, eat and drink what it says on another, and do what it says on another…I surrender myself to the programme.

Tonight, for example, I have an easy session at swimming club. After that, I need to have dinner and prep my bike. Tomorrow, I’ll be up at 4.30am and drive to the gym (for reasons I’ll explain later). From the gym, I’ll ride 15kms to Safa Park where I’ll meet the Dubai Roadsters riders and do a 105km ride with them, before riding the 15kms back to the gym. I need to do what is known as a brick session (running as soon as you get off the bike to get used to that very strange, heavy/jelly-legged sensation) but, given that temperatures will be in the mid-40s by then, doing the run outside at 10-11am is impossible, so I’ll throw the bike into the car and then run into the gym to do 20 mins running on the treadmill (brick runs are usually short and slow – you want to get used to the sensation while not putting yourself at risk of injury).

Bearing in mind that I’ll need bike and run kit, drink and nutrition to keep energy and hydration levels high, and a few other bits and pieces, can you guess how many things I have to remember for tomorrow?

You’re thinking ‘bike, helmet, waterbottle, energy gel, running shoes…’, right. Well, here’s my latest list for weekend rides/bricks. Is it any wonder I’ve let the list rule my life!?

Night before:

• ·         Download podcasts – put podcasts and music on MP3 player
• ·         Check bottle cages and bento boxes on bike
• ·         Pump tyres

Ready to put on in morning:

• Sleeveless bike top
• Bike shorts
• Compression socks
• Flip-flops
• Garmin watch
• Pouch bag
• MP3 player

In the morning:

• Porridge, honey and banana
• OJ, water, iced coffee
• Tums
• Salt pill
• Chamois cream
• Sunblock

For bike:

• Helmet
• Shoes
• Gloves
• Sweatband
• Money
• Inhaler
• Muscle rub
• Bupren
• Tums

For run:

• Towel
• Shorts
• Trainers
• Banana
• Water bottle

For pool (dive in to cool down afterwards):

• Chocolate milk (high levels of protein and carbs ideal for post-workout recovery)
• Ginger cake slice and apple (important to get lots of carbs into body in hour after workout to fuel recovery)
• Swim shorts

Food and drink:

• 4 x small boxes of jelly beans
• 4 x ginger cake slices
• 1 x flask EFS gel
• 2 x 750ml hi5 mix
• 1 x 750ml water
• 3 x hi5 tabs to add to water
  

Day 1...the journey begins

Today, Sunday 12 June 2011, is the day that my 13-week Ironman Wales training programme has begun and it started with a one hour morning swim with Dubai Masters in which I covered just over 3,000 metres.

But I have something of a confession to make: I’m not new to triathlon; I’m not new to endurance races. Although this blog will record my run-in to IM Wales, my journey really began a few years ago with an urge to lose weight and get back into shape.

That urge slowly gathered momentum to the point where a friend and I took part in our first triathlon – a sprint in the tiny city of Al Ain deep in the UAE. We didn’t really know what to expect and had to race on mountain bikes with knobbly tyres – my friend came last, I came about tenth from last. I was hooked.

From then on, triathlon has come to play a significantly bigger role in my life. There’s a phrase that always sounded a little trite to me – ‘triathlon is not what I do, it’s what I am’ – but now it makes perfect sense. I’m happier, healthier and more confident than I’ve ever been. I love getting up early to go for a long ride; the burn from a weights session makes me feel alive; even running – for the longest time my exercise nemesis – now comes far easier to me.

So, that brings us up to speed. So, what’s the reason for this 13 week programme then? Well, in triathlon, you generally train with the intention of peaking at specific events, rather than just ‘training’. Plus, with a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and a full marathon run, it’s almost impossible (in terms of hours required and strain on the body) to permanently remain in ‘Ironman shape’ so the idea is that you stay in good shape (hopefully that’s where I’m at now) and then add volume ready to peak for the big race itself.

The theory is simple; but with almost 20 hours a week of training required, the practice is anything but. Keep visiting this blog and I’ll let you know how I get on.