Race Review - Knockburn Sprint Triathlon

Full results are here.

I left it late to enter as I didn't really want to race. I don't like the course and I don't like the entry fee. Knockburn is a fabulous training venue, great swim location, but the bike and run courses are poor. However, the opportunity to score some Club Championship points while my main rival was away at the European Sprint Champs in Dusseldorf was enough to drag me to the start line. 

I managed to get my new disc wheel inflated on the Friday night and took it for a test ride round the block. On the morning of the race it was fairly breezy, but I decided that the areas that might see cross-winds were all well sheltered so I decided to run with the new wheel. I got to the venue quite late but managed to get my kit set up in time for the closed transition. 

My swim was not too bad. There was a lot of the expected kicking, punching and shoving at the start but I managed to get into a bit of space by the first buoy. I had a bit of tightness in my back from there and I decided to slow my stroke rate and shift to a longer stroke length. I took a tight line round the back of the island. Slightly too tight as I dragged a couple of left hands through the rocks in the shallows. 

Coming out of the back of the island I set a straight line for the next large buoy while the bulk of the field followed the curve of the bank and swam further. I was happy enough to be in some clear water and comfortable with my local knowledge that I was taking the fastest line. That didn't last long though as someone else had decided I was on the best line and that he wanted to be on it as well. Not just near my line, right on it, in exactly the space I was occupying. The first few arm bumps were a bit annoying but by about 6 and him actually trying a purposeful grab and pull on my back and ducking me I was getting more than a bit annoyed. I missed a stroke trying to rebalance after my ducking and then intentionally moved away from him, even though it was upsetting my line. 

I was still going with my longer, slower strokes down the back straight, and all the way to the 180 turn at the bottom end of the loch. As I took the turn I realised my back and shoulder weren't giving me as much pain so I shifted back to a higher rate for the final section of the swim. Everyone was pretty strung out by this point but there were still a few people taking a very wide line along the loch side. The water exit was manned with two marshalls helping people to exit the water which negated all the practice exits that I have been doing. 

I was out in 12:37 according to garmin, and across the official timing mats in 12:47. Not my best swim time but well within the definition of a decent swim time. 22nd place coming out of the water.  

I was unzipped and half out of my suit as I entered transition. I got my earplugs and goggles off and tucked tidily into my swim caps so I could drop them next to my bike. I rolled my wetsuit to knee height as I reached my bike and grabbed my helmet. As I did the helmet strap I managed to step out of the last of my wetsuit and roll it nicely into a pile in one move. Feeling very pro I grabbed my bike and made a good exit from transition. From a field of 121 starters in the Sprint race I had the 4th fastest T1 time. 

I flipped my visor on my helmet as I crossed the mat and hopped onto the bike on the move. I had my feet both in to my bike shoes before reaching the gate but both strapped loosely. That was enough to get me pedalling but I had transitioned so well that I hadn't recovered my breathing. I particularly dislike the first section of the bike as it is a fast downhill with blind sweeping corners. With the new disc and loose shoes it was no better. I lost about 4 places just on that descent to the main loop, all to road bikes. I could argue they have better handling and braking so could afford to be braver but ultimately my TT bike in the hands of a better descender should still be faster on that section than any road bike.

On to the main loop and I did get a chance to adjust my shoe straps and settle in to my TT position and actually do some cycling. This resulted in a game of leapfrog with a few of the guys who had passed me on the descent. On any fast sections where power, position and consistency mattered I would pass them. On any section where handling for corners, and bursts of power for climbs or out of turns mattered they would pass me. Considering there were a few of us in such close proximity it was amazingly well behaved with regards to drafting with nice sized overtaking gaps being left as we all shuffled our order repeatedly. 

We were also starting to pick up slower riders from the super-sprint race, and occasionally being passed by fast cyclists who were either from the heat behind us, or more likely weaker swimmers from our heat. 

About two-thirds of the way round the bike course there are a couple of undulations and then a really short but steep climb. I passed another TT bike on the steepest part of the climb but then as I shifted out of the saddle I managed to somehow tense my wrist in a way that unclipped my fitbit and it fell on to the road. I was going slow enough on the climb and it took a lucky bounce off the handlebars and forward so that I was able to hop off the bike and grab it without having to double back. Only then did I realise that the hill was too steep to remount the bike and I had to do a bit of a Chris Froome and run with my bike for about 15-20m to get off the steep section. That little escapade probably cost me maybe 20 seconds. I could argue more in terms of lost speed but at that point on the climb I was hardly moving anyway. 

I got back up to pace relatively easily but the next section of the bike is so fast and sweeping that everyone had disappeared into the distance. As always, there were too many fast drivers on this section taking oncoming corners in the middle of the road. I decided to stick with safe lines despite the occasional glimpse of riders ahead of me taking much faster and more aggressive lines on the corners. 

I was still making good progress at this point and passed a couple of riders on the approach in to the descent that warrants a warning at briefing and two marshals to slow everyone. I took that a bit too carefully as I am still not used to the better braking characteristics of the disc. That and the next right hander allowed a couple of the road bikers to sneak past me again. I expected them to then disappear up the final climb but I was able to keep pace with them all the way and came in to the loch site just behind them.

I managed to unstrap and stand on my bike shoes as I was coming in to the loch site. The cyclist in front of me was less slick and one of his shoes unclipped and ended up on the path, right in the middle of the track. I managed a neat little swerve around it just as I was swinging my leg over the bike. Could have been messy and got a bit lucky there. 

39th fastest bike time. 34:33. Not great, and even if I strip out the fitbit stop it wasn't noticeably faster than 2013 or 2014. 

Through transition and I racked my bike and dropped my helmet on to my wetsuit. I was in to my running shoes cleanly and out of transition. This time a 25 second transition had me 5th out of the 121. Transitions are going very well. 

Out on to the run and I felt quite good. I passed a couple of people in the first few hundred meters and up the first hill. From there I just ran out of gas though. I had given both those places back by the end of the first lap. On the second lap one of my team mates came past me. I tried to follow him but there was nothing left. He went on to beat me by 39 seconds, more than I can reasonably blame on the fitbit incident.  

Coming in to the finish I was almost caught by another athlete but managed to eke out a bit of a sprint just to defend my position. 

1 hour 9mins 23 for 24th place overall and 11th Vet. 

Not my best race, not my worst. Disappointing result but against quite a fairly strong field. 

Training Plan - Week 26 - June 26 to July 2

Evening League TT series is back this week with a local 9.5 miles at Fintray. That will give me a proper chance to test the disc wheel on a course I have an existing and comparable TT time for. 

The rest of the week is standard commutes to work.

With the weekend free (I have decided not to go to Ripon to try and qualify for Rotterdam) for an optional swim or bike.


Target totals - Swim 2.0 miles. Bike 56.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 

1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga. 

Training Review - Week 25 - June 19 to 25

Monday I went with my new version of weekly commuting plan and ran in to the office to start the week. the idea behind that is to get all my sessions in to the week while giving me a decent chance at TT Tuesday's. Only there isn't a TT this week so it didn't really help with anything. 

In the evening I went to swimming and actually managed quite a good session. My swimming at least has recovered from Bratislava even if my legs have not. 

Tuesday I took a straight ride to the office, and a detour past Edinburgh bicycles on the way home to pick up a new chain for my road bike and a tyre for my disc wheel when it hopefully arrives later this week. 

In the evening I then did a chain change on my road bike, but at £32(wtf!) each I had to do the budget version and put the new chain on to my TT bike and use the TT chain as a second-hand upgrade for the road bike. Far from ideal but the best I can manage at the minute. I also entered Knockburn Sprint Triathlon at the weekend. I am still not convinced that it is a good idea but I am in now anyway. 

Wednesday I ran to work in the morning. I am still not clear of my calf injury or my hamstring problems. I went to the pool in the evening and cruised through a 20-minute steady swim.
 
Thursday my new carbon disc wheel arrived. I fitted a cassette and tyre, but then realised the tube had a short valve which was too short to reach through the rim. Then, after a bit of searching, I tried a long valve, which was also too long. Feeling a bit like Goldilocks I checked the 13 other tubes (2 each on three bikes, 1 on my turbo wheel, 2 in saddlebags, 2 in old wheel,  and 2 spares) and it seems that I only have short or long stem valves. 

Friday I phoned around town and several of the local bike shops had tyres with valves to fit, but not one of them had an adapter to fit so that I could pump it up. I managed to get it filled using a gas canister and the adapter I have for that. This means I have no idea how much pressure is actually in it. Hopefully someone on Saturday morning will have the correct adapter so that I can check it. I took it out for a quick tour round the block just to test the gearing and brakes as well. 

Saturday was Knockburn Sprint Triathlon which will get a post to itself. Unless I DNF and then I will just have a strop about it since I didn't really want to race it anyway. Post race I collapsed on the sofa with a migraine.

Sunday I thought I had recovered enough from racing and headache to take an easy pedal on the bike in the morning. I routed it via some Pokestops and to Granny's for lunch to ensure that I took it easy as a recovery ride. Then I spent the afternoon back on the sofa as my headache returned full strength. 

Through 1,000 miles on the bike makes up for my poor race on Saturday. I am starting to miss the ancillary sessions more than I get them. that needs to change as it is clearly causing some of my niggling problems with my back.


Target totals -  Swim 2.0 miles. Bike 56.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 
1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga. 

Monday - Commute run to office 6.9 miles in 66 mins.
Swim with TPT 2,100m in 55 mins. 

Tuesday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 29 mins.
Commute ride from office 8.4 miles in 58 mins.
Brick run 1.3 miles in 14 mins.
Stretching and rollering. 

Wednesday - Commute run to office 6.9 miles in 68 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 1,150m in 20 mins.

Thursday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 29 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.6 miles in 41 mins.
Brick run 2.1 miles in 27 mins.

Friday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 31 mins.
Test ride disc wheel 2.6 miles in 10 mins. 

Saturday - Knockburn Sprint triathlon. 1:09:23.
Swim 750m in 12:36.
Ride 11.0 miles in 34:21.
Run 3.0 miles in 21:02.

Sunday - Ride 8.2 miles in 57 mins. 

Actuals - Swim 2.5 miles (4,000 m). Bike 59.1 miles. Run 20.2 miles. 
0 short core, 0 short light weights and 2 stretching / rollering session. 0 mins of yoga.

Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 75.6 (71.0) [81.7], 
B 1,000.8 (820.0) [984.0], 
R 492.1 (431.0) [487.0].

Training Plan - Week 25 - June 19 to 25

Knockburn Sprint triathlon is on Saturday. I haven't actually entered yet as I am not actually convinced that I want to race it. I don't like the bike course or the number of bad drivers that are often on it during the race. I really don't like the run course of multiple cross-country loops. 

However, I have decided not to go to Ripon next week to try and qualify for the Worlds in Rotterdam, so this is my only chance to race properly before deciding whether to do the Scottish Champs at Monikie. I will have to make a decision by the closing date on Tuesday. At the end of the day it may come down to the fact that £39 for a sprint race just annoys me too much.

My new disc wheel should hopefully arrive this week, but there is no TT to test it at.

 
Target totals - Swim 2.0 miles. Bike 56.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 

1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga. 

Training Review - Week 24 - June 12 to 18

Monday I woke up with terrible back pain. I had no alternative than to run to work though. It was a shocking jog taking longer than it has in any other fair conditions. In the evening I went to swimming which was almost worse. I bailed on the session before the warm-up was finished and just switched it to a steady swim. 

Tuesday was a 10-mile time trial. the weather was not conducive to fast times so when I arrived an hour early I decided to turn it into an easy brick session with short runs before and after. The TT itself was okay. I can blame the wet roads for my slower time. I was definitely twitchy round the two turns. I also had a bit of a problem at 8 miles. I hit a pot-hole, which jarred my funny bone on my left arm, I had to come out of my tuck to try and get rid of that feeling in my arm and as I did that I started cramping in my both calves. That lasted through most of mile 9, with alternate sides cramping as the other eased. The final mile the cramp faded and I was able to push on again. I ended up a minute down on last month's PB ride, but I am happy enough with that given the conditions. 

Wednesday I took a pair of easy cycle commutes then added a short run off the return ride to turn it into a brick. In the evening I went to the pool and did 10 x 100m on 2min reps. I am a bit off the pace from March but this was my first proper swim session since my holiday and it was definitely an improvement over the last few weeks. 

Thursday I did another pair of cycle commutes and then when I arrived home I went for a short jog with Dexter.

Friday's jog to work was a terrible slow jog.  

Saturday I started with an easy jog just to complete a running heroes.com challenge. In the afternoon we planned a walk at Bennachie with Dexter. To fit in with that I decided to ride out. That got me an extra 18 miles and took me over my plan for this week. 

Sunday I went out to Knockburn for a swim and added a short run afterwards just to complete my weekly challenge. At least a mile run every day this week. 
I have had a much larger week than I had planned for. Brought my running back up past the stretch target level. 


Target totals -  Swim 2.0 miles. Bike 56.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 
1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga. 

Monday - Commute jog to office 7.1 miles in 68 mins. 
Swim with TPT 2,000m in 48 mins.

Tuesday - Warm up jog 1.0 miles in 9 mins.
Ride to start 1.3 miles in 6 mins.
DTCC 10-mile TT at Drumoak 10.0 in 27:20.
Ride cool down 3.9 miles 19 mins.
Cool down jog 1.1 miles in 8 mins.

Wednesday - Commute ride to work 7.1 miles in 29 mins. 
Commute ride from work 7.0 miles in 35 mins. 
Short brick run 1.1 miles in 9 mins. 
Swim at bucksburn 1,400m in 31 mins. 

Thursday - Commute ride to work 7.1 miles in 28 mins. 
Commute ride from work 7.0 miles in 36 mins. 
Short brick run with Dexter 1.2 miles in 14 mins. 

Friday - Commute run to office 7.1 miles in 70 mins.

Saturday - Jog 1.8 miles in 18 mins. 
Ride to Bennachie 17.9 miles in 1hr 18 mins.
Walk at Bennachie.

Sunday - Swim at Knockburn 1,500m in 25 mins. 
Jog at Knockburn 1.2 miles in 10 mins. 
Stretching session.


Actuals - Swim 3.0 miles (4,900 m). Bike 61.3 miles. Run 21.4 miles. 
0 short core, 0 short light weights and 1 stretching / rollering session. 0 mins of yoga.

Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 73.1 (69.0) [79.4], 
B 941.7 (764.0) [916.8], 
R 471.9 (417.0) [471.2].

Training Plan - Week 24 - June 12 to 18

Tuesday night is my second shot this year at a 10-mile TT on the 'fast' course at Drumoak. I am not quite ready for it but this will be my best chance to try and get my target of 26 minutes for a 10-mile TT.

Dexter is coming for a long weekend from Thursday and we are going for a walk at Bennachie on Saturday. I will hopefully get out with him some evenings and on Sunday to Kirkhill as well. 

That all means extra running and probably short on biking this week. 


Target totals - Swim 2.0 miles. Bike 56.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 

1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga. 

Training Review - Week 23 - June 5 to 11

Monday I took the train to work with the plan to ride home in the evening on the winter bike that I left at work on Friday. That all looked to be going well until I reached Westburn Park and found that while the pedals spun, and the chain rolled and the sprockets turned, for some reason the rear wheel didn't feel that it needed to be part of the general attitude of 'moving'. 

A quick inspection at the roadside led to it being diagnosed as a rear ratchet issue which was going to require a complete rear wheel service rather than anything I could fix at the roadside. Somewhat more frustratingly, this would be the day that the Mrs had decided to go to the pub so couldn't come to rescue me. So I had to walk a mile in my cycling shoes to leave the bike at my granny's house and to get a taxi home from there. 

In the evening I went to swimming but had terrible problems with cramp. My warm-up was patchy and the main session I had to keep stopping to try and stretch. Nothing I tried made any difference and I eventually had to give up. 

Tuesday I took my summer bike to work and back through some horrible rain. Fortunately the TT I was meant to be marshalling at was cancelled so I avoided a 20-mile detour and 2 hours or so of standing in the rain. A week after my holiday I have still not managed to settle in to my normal routine. My sleeping pattern is still affected and I can't seem to get back in to my training plan properly.

Wednesday morning promised to be a wet but hugely wind-assisted jog to work. The predicted storm seemed to blow itself out through the night and it was actually dry and just lightly breezy instead. My calf strain has still not healed completely and that resulted in a slight imbalance on my run and a whole set of new problems as my hamstring, hip flexors, and back all tightened up to try and protect my calf. It wasn't actually painful at jogging pace though. 

In the evening I went to bucksburn with a plan to swim 4x400m. Towards the end of my first rep a breast-stroker decided to move in to the fast lane and hold us all up. I managed to work around her for most of my second rep but then emboldened by her behaviour another paddler moved up after my second rep and that meant there was no way to get more than 2 lengths at a time without running in to an obstacle. I gave up my plan and just did a bit of a warm-down to get me to 1,000m.

Thursday I cycled to the office in beautiful sunshine, and 4 degree temperatures. Then in the afternoon had to ride home in a horrendous rain storm. Once I thawed out and had some dinner I did some stretching and rollering in the evening. The problem with my calf is still there but the roller was enough to clear out the hamstring and hip tightness. I am at least managing to get back into a bit more of a settled training regime again. 

Friday I took another leisurely jog to work. The calf problem is definitely easing but still too slowly. 

Saturday morning I took a jog to the pool, it was very slow and once I was there I had no intent for a swim session so I just paddled up and down for half an hour. The jog back was even worse. I stopped a couple of times to walk and try to ease of some of the stiffness that is back on my right side. I then spent the afternoon curled up on the sofa with a massive headache. 

Sunday I still had a headache in the morning. I managed a bit of yoga before lunch and then  went for a bit of a walk before crashing out on the sofa to watch the Leeds triathlon in the afternoon. Reminded me once again that draft-legal triathlon racing is terrible. I did also get a chance to do some assessment of my winter bike rear wheel to see if it was salvageable after Monday's drive issues. 

In the evening I did a short weights session and a core session just to tick off some numbers.

I have still not settled back in to training properly after my holiday. Most of the planned sessions were at least partly there this week but I don't think there was a single good session amongst them. There are a few weeks from now until race season really starts in earnest. Hopefully I can settle back in this week and then have a couple of good weeks training before I have to start reshuffling each week around races. 

Through 70 swim miles. In my best previous year that was an end-of-August number. 


Target totals -  Swim 2.0 miles. Bike 56.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 
1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga. 

Monday - Commute ride (or part thereof) 1.7 miles in 11 mins.
Swim with TPT (or part thereof) 850m in 40 mins.

Tuesday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 33 mins.
Commute ride to office 7.0 miles in 38 mins. 

Wednesday - Commute run 6.9 miles in 62 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 1,000m in 21 mins.

Thursday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 29 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.0 miles in 34 mins.
Stretching and rollering session.

Friday - Commute run 6.9 miles in 62 mins.

Saturday - Jog to pool 2.5 miles in 24 mins.
Swim 1,500m in 30 mins. 
Jog from pool 2.5 miles in 35 mins. 

Sunday - Yoga session 17 mins.
Light weights session.
Core session.

Actuals - Swim 2.1 miles (3,350 m). Bike 29.9 miles. Run 18.8 miles. 
1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 stretching / rollering session. 17 mins of yoga.

Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 70.0 (67.0) [77.1], 
B 880.4 (708.0) [849.6], 
R 450.5 (403.0) [455.4].

Monthly Review - May

And on to May:

I should be at 64 swim miles, 620 bike miles and 380 run miles. Or if I am pushing on towards the stretch targets 73.6, 744 and 429.4.

I should also have logged at least 21 each of weights, core and stretching sessions and 10 hours of yoga. 

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Swimming was actually a poor month. This is partly as I tapered towards Bratislava, and did a few shorter faster sessions, and a couple of suit testing sessions. I am still so far ahead of any previous year that it is no longer worth comparing. Post-Bratislava my target drops from 3 to 2 miles per week, but I actually don't intend tout the amount I am swimming, so it is almost guaranteed that I will catch back up to my stretch target by the end of July. I am still ahead of my target at 67 miles, and within a sensible range of my stretch target.



Here is the graphical version, the green line is actuals red and dotted red are target and stretch target. 
The bike continues to be way above plan as well. I was meant to be doing less on the bike until June as I focus on Bratislava, but am still more than 13 percent over even my stretch target. I finished May at 844 miles, more than 220 miles ahead of my target and 100 miles ahead of my stretch target. I also manage a 10-mile TT PB in May, completely by accident. I am going to let the wind take some credit for that performance as it didn't actually feel flat-out and it was on a wind-assisted course.

The bike graph shows I am still well above even my stretch target and while I am behind a few previous years that is what I expected as I didn't really intend to spend a lot of time on the bike until after May. 

The sharp change of angle on the target lines going into June shows my new cycling plan taking hold.





Running I continue to post much bigger numbers than I need but I also managed to add some speed sessions. Less than 60 miles in the month means I lost significant ground on my stretch target and even did less than my basic target. I managed to get some slightly faster sessions in during the month, but not enough, which showed as I failed to get up to a decent run pace at Bratislava. 

After a couple of lazy shorter weeks I am still sitting just above the stretch target line. Post-Bratislava the target numbers are slightly smaller but still at 14 miles a week from now until the ned of the year. 

The graph shows how much I am running. The steep blue line is from marathon year and can (as always) be ignored. So I am above target, above stretch target and way above any previous year (bar one). I really couldn't hope for anything more at this stage. 

I should have changed my plan to do more fast sessions earlier in the year. 





22 weights session in the year and only 2 in May means I ma now falling slightly behind. My binge of core work takes me to 27 core sessions and puts me nearly a month ahead. 

I am at just over 16 hours of yoga. Still high for year-to-date thanks to the binge in January, but way down for May with only 82 minutes total in the month. This is probably contributory not only to my general aches and pains but also to the calf strain I have picked up and the cramping problems I am having.

Work is probably also contributing to those pains as I try to fit in sessions around office hours and spend 40+ hours a week stressing about a job I hate.

Monthly Review - April (because I forgot)

So April first:

I should be at 50 swim miles, 500 bike miles and 311 run miles. Or if I am pushing on towards the stretch targets 57.5, 600 and 351.4.

I should also have logged at least 17 each of weights, core and stretching sessions and 8 hours of yoga. 

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Swimming was great month. I not only kept up to my target, but exceeded my stretch target and included some good individual sessions. I was 2 miles behind my stretch target at the end of March but closed that to just a mile by the end of April. I am so far ahead of any previous year that it is no longer worth comparing. 





 Here is the graphical version, the green line is actuals red and dotted red are target and stretch target. 
The bike continues to be way above plan as well. I was meant to be doing less on the bike until June as I focus on Bratislava, but am still more than 11 percent over even my stretch target. I finished April at 669 miles. That isn't particularly big compared to recent years but is much more than I planned and sets me up well for TT and triathlon season.














The bike graph shows I am still well above even my stretch target and while I am behind a few previous years that is what I expected as I don't really intend to spend a lot of time on the bike until after May. 









Running I continue to post much bigger numbers than I need but I also managed to add some speed sessions. 80 miles in the month means I slightly lost ground on my stretch target but still comfortably exceeded my basic target. I also managed to get some slightly faster sessions in during the month. 

The graph shows how much I am running. The steep blue line is from marathon year and can (as always) be ignored. So I am above target, above stretch target and way above any previous year (bar one). I really couldn't hope for anything more at this stage. 









20 weights and 20 core sessions puts me back on schedule. 

I am at just over 15 hours of yoga. Still high for year-to-date thanks to the binge in January, but way down for April with only 92 minutes total in the month. 

Training Plan - Week 23 - June 5 to 11

This should be an almost normal week, under my new target numbers for the rest of the year. Much more on the bike and less swimming and running is the plan from now until the end of the year. 

Tuesday night I have opted to take my turn to marshal the Evening League for the 18-mile TT. I plan to ride there from work and then home afterwards. That will put an awful lot of bike miles in to one day but was the only practical solution.

At some point this week I need to look at my race plans for the rest of the season, and potentially look at next year's plan as well. 


Target totals - Swim 2.0 miles. Bike 56.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 

1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga. 

Training Review - Week 22 - May 29 to June 4

Monday was a rest day, and the last full day of our holidays. 

Tuesday was return travel day from Vienna. Complete with a 5am (CET) start and a long delay at Heathrow while they tried to find pilots. We were back in time that I could have made it to the DTCC Evening League for the 25-mile TT, but I was shattered and decided to just spend the evening unpacking and chilling out before heading back to work on Wednesday. 

I should have been exhausted and slept like a baby but instead I struggled to get to sleep and then had an immensely vivid dream which woke me and prevented me from getting back to sleep till after 3am.

Wednesday morning I was a step beyond exhausted having had somewhere in the region of 4 hours sleep for a second night in a row. I rode to work and back. I had new bike shoes to try out. They are just a little bit tight but hopefully a few rides in them will ease them off slightly. In the evening I went to bucksburn for a swim but the lane was blocked by a couple of breast strokers. I did 500m worth of swimming before giving up and heading home. 

I felt crap all day. Not sleeping anywhere near enough the last couple of nights, dealing with jet lag and a time zone change, and my current hatred of my job all conspired to aggravate my depression. That was not improved on Wednesday evening by the news that my dad has had to stop his latest chemotherapy treatment. 

Thursday I decided to run to the office but at about the 10k mark the tight calf that has bothered me for months decided it had had enough and graduated to a mild strain. That left me to walk the last mile to the office. 

Friday I took my winter commuting bike to the office because I knew I was going straight to the cinema afterwards and might have to leave it locked up for the weekend. 

Saturday my calf strain was still annoying me so I decided to play safe and have another rest day. 

Sunday I planned a long swim at Knockburn. I wasn't really in the mood but I did drag myself out there, only to find that I had forgotten both of the swim caps that I had looked out the day before. I decided it would be warm enough to swim without them and headed in to the water. I spent the first lap trying not to throw-up as the cold really affected me. I then forced myself around a second lap, but by the end of lap 2 I had enough of the stinging cold pain on my skull and called it a day. 


Having missed every single target this week and picking up a little niggle this could be my worst week of the year, but coming out of Bratislava an easier week and a bit of recovery time is probably a sensible plan. This is the first time all year I have fallen behind my stretch run target, which is a little bit disappointing.


Target totals -  Swim 3.0 miles. Bike 32.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 
1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga. 

Monday - Rest day.

Tuesday - Travel day.

Wednesday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 28 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.0 miles in 33 mins. 
Swim at bucksburn 500m in 12 mins.

Thursday - Run to office 7.1 miles in 72 mins.

Friday - Ride to office 7.1 miles in 33 mins.

Saturday - Rest day.

Sunday - Knockburn 2 laps in 30 mins.


Actuals - Swim 1.3 miles (2,100 m). Bike 21.2 miles. Run 7.1 miles. 
0 short core, 0 short light weights and 0 stretching / rollering session. 0 mins of yoga.

Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 67.9 (66.0) [75.9], 
B 850.5 (652.0) [782.4], 
R 431.7 (389.0) [439.6].

Race Review - ETU Aquathlon Bratislava

A couple of clarifications to start with. I posted in my race preview I wanted to get in the top-10 based on the field of 12 that were meant to be entered. It seems the hosts hadn't thought to include their own athletes on the entry list and an additional 8 Slovaks toe-ed the start line. So a field of 20 starters, including 10 Brits. Without any history on the Slovaks I just pro-rated my target to top-16.66.

Then at the briefing the course was also changed to include a running start rather than an in-water start and from 1-lap to a 2-lap swim, meaning clambering out of the water on a shallow-angled gravel surface. That didn't seem like a major issue, but watching the first heat it was clear that the water exit was actually quite tough. It was also clear that many athletes don't practice running starts.

Full results are here.

The start was a bit of a performance. With 70 starters across three age-groups being individually introduced, then each nation getting an introduction along with a little bit of jokey music about their country and a wee blast of the Slovak national anthem. (A couple of the Spaniards seemed genuinely miffed about the few bars of Viva Espana that they were subjected to).

Being the second race to go, we did have a slight advantage, in the we knew the starter would slur on-your-marks straight in to the starting hooter so as soon as he asked if everyone was ready, we all moved to the line. By the time he said 'marks' most of us had covered the step across the mat and were onto the beach and anyone who didn't have a foot in the water by the hooter was asleep.

I got an excellent start. It turns out I was sandwiched between the eventual silver medallist and a swimmer who was on just faster than the pace I wanted. The three of us all took our dive on the same stride. We were pretty central on the course and as it was a fairly straight line out to the first buoy the start was just one straight line of swimmers. As the edge swimmers started to converge and a pack started to form I had a quick look and found I was still in the midst of the lead pack nearly 150m in.

I knew I was on almost full-gas (Garmin says 1:20/100m which is inside 100m PB pace) just to stay there though so I backed off slightly. That turned out to be a mistake as I got squeezed from the side and a big arm/leg/body ducked me half-way through an in-breath and I got a big breath of water. It took me four or five strokes to try and cough that up and get a breath, but I managed to keep most of my momentum and was still somewhere near the back of the lead pack going in to the first buoy.

The turn was the usual melee of thrashing body parts but I got round it without any disasters. The buoy had sorted out the pack though and it was now strung out. It was a short leg to the second buoy where I was out on my own before turning back towards the beach. I was now out on my own as the strung out line of swimmers started to break up. I was also conscious that I had been working at what felt like my 400m pace for over 350m and was likely to crash into a wall soon so I had no choice but to come back to a more sensible pace.

At this point my new best pal arrived on my left. A guy in a wetsuit with a garish yellow stripe down the side pulled up alongside me, at about the pace I now felt comfortable with, and I just slipped in beside him to draft along. We worked together (ok he worked and I stayed about half-level with him) until we reached the beach.

Out of the water at the end of the first lap in about 8:31, that included a large handful of seconds lost exiting the water as it was difficult to get footing on the stone gravel surface in order to stand up and run out of the water.

My new best draft-buddy and I then worked our way up to a small group on the way back out to the first buoy. It seemed we were making progress in catching that group, and we settled in at the back of the group to save energy and take a bit of a free ride from the draft of the group. I stayed tucked in here, nicely coasting along for the rest of the distance out to the first buoy, took a wide line to avoid crashing into my draft-buddy, added a couple of quicker strokes to get back on to the pack, and settled again to the second buoy.

It was only as I took another wide line around this final buoy that I realised that I had lost a couple of meters, and that I could then close that gap within a handful of strokes. I was actually cruising too slowly behind this pack. I moved to the left-hand side of the group so I could keep them in sight and added a gear. I didn't just fly past them, but within 10 strokes I was past them and out at the lead of the group. I was working a bit harder but I was managing to put clear water between me and the group. In hindsight I should never have stayed with them. When we caught them at the start of lap 2 I should have put the effort in to go around them and push on. Having sat on the back of the group I had saved some energy but sacrificed at least 30 seconds as I came out of the water with a second lap of 9:00 and a disappointing 17:31 swim time.

I had hoped for something close to 16 minutes so I was a bit upset with myself, but I figured the energy saving of drafting was probably worth most of the time I might have lost there, and some of the rest was just down to it being an open water swim.

I made a better exit from the water this time, although I did forget to press the lap button on my garmin. I had a great transition, the results show I made time on almost everyone in my age-group. I regularly post here after races that it astounds me how little time people spend practicing their transitions. It seems that holds all the way up to International age-group level. The number of people adding socks, or having to sit down to remove wetsuits was unbelievable.

I was out on to the run very smoothly and settled into a comfortable pace. With 5 laps to run it was very difficult to judge which lap everyone else was on so it was simply a matter of running at your own race and hoping that the people you were passing were on the same lap and anyone passing you was on a different lap.

I was running at a pace that meant I passed a few people, and anyone who passed me was going so much faster that they seemed to be a completely different class. I just assumed they were the leaders lapping me from the younger age-groups. That gave me a feeling that I was probably working about right. In hindsight I was not. I was lapping the ~1,000m laps in 4:09, 4:07, 4:02, 4:03 and at this point anyone a lap ahead was going in to the finish and anyone left on the course was on my lap.

I noticed at this point that I was actually a lot fresher than when I got out of the water and it finally occurred to me that I had been enjoying the experience too much and hadn't actually been running very fast. I had a handful of people in front of me and on the last lap I put in a more reasonable 3:46 lap and passed several of them. 

Garmin says my heart rate coming out of the swim was at 173bpm but that my average during the run was 122bpm and I finished at 87bpm. While I was definitely not going flat out I am pretty sure the run numbers are down to an issue with the HR monitor rather than a realistic figure.

I finished the race in 14th overall in my age group, catching 15 and 16 on the last lap, and 7th GBR.

I am not actually particularly pleased with my performance. I should have swum at least a minute faster, and probably run a minute faster as well. Small comfort is that even with those estimates the best I could have done was 13th. 12th and above were nearly 3 minutes ahead and even on my best day I don't have that. Not this year at least. But I did really enjoy the experience and I will be attempting to qualify again for next year. 

And in the meantime I have the rest of a triathlon season to get on with.