Wow another post this quickly?! Its a long one!

So I find myself actually wanting to start writing again. Towards the middle of last year I lost enthusiasm as I had been keeping a training blog for the best part of three years, since I started triathlon, and writing came at the bottom of a long list of things to do. However I think it is important partly for me so I can brain dump without having to bore the family completely with tri stuff - they put up with enough of it already, but also for you, the reader. Why do I think this? Well, if you are reading this you are either a friend (I do have some!) who is interested in finding out what I spend my time doing, or you are a triathlete who is probably struggling with some of the same challenges I encounter - in which case I might either help or be of no use whatsoever - it is your view!!

So why am I rambling on about this? Up until now this blog has always been about training for an event, either Wimbleball in 09, IM Switzerland in '10 or three 70.3s in '11. This year, 2012, will be a little different - why I hear you ask? Well, I have no big goal. For the first time since I started this triathlon lark I am not going for a BIG race this year, I am just looking for consolidation and a relatively easy year. There are sevel reasons behind this, the main one is in the photo below:

Evie or Evelyn Charlotte Iona Sainsbury (to give her her full name) is our yougest of three, born last year in November. Since then she has not slept much - I think Lizze and I have managed a maximum of 4.5 hours in any one stretch since! Even when I go away on work I still wake up as I cannot hear her on the monitor!!

When Anja and Julia were born I was still very much involved with the Reserve Forces and missed a lot of time with them at this age, and with my new role I am away a lot (between now and my birtheday in March I am going to Paris (lots), Amsterdam, Barcelona, Montreal, Toronto, Israel, Chicago and maybe a few other places) so I am keen to spend time with the family - enjoying our new member. Therefore something has to give and this year it is triathlon.

In addition, I am seeing a orthopaedic surgeon on Monday for the results of an MRI on my knee to try and work out why it is painful (I reckon Posterior Cruciate Ligament damage) and at the beginning of Feb I am finally having my (worsening) squint sorted out (only 30 years after first diagnosis!). So lots of things going on!!

So where does training/racing fit in.....hmmmm...tricky!

At the moment I am doing a winter program - which is mostly long tempo or short interval work on the turbo, long(ish) hard swims and lots of running (aerobic tempo work). This seems to be improving my running/maintaining my bike and the swimming has fallen back as I struggle to get to the pool in the morning with trying to get the kids to school!

The solution I have found is 5.30-6am get up and train for the bike/run, however this us unfed and not ideal, but it works...I am still working on the swimming but on days where there is no time challenge in getting the kids to school (no tutoring or choir) I can sometimes get away...

Where this is failing though is on the fatigue (and waistline) front - having a little one is draining and trying to get longer run/bike in is hard. Also Christmas was fun but bad for the waist and I am back up above 92kg :-( something to work on over the next few months...

This was highlighted when I tried to do a field testing week this week....OMG....utterly failed at it! On Monday I managed to do the swim test:

300 w/u EZ
100 build 75-95%
1500m TT
400m TT
50m TT
all with 2mins rest between and a 50 EZ
100m CD

The 1500m TT I managed in 23:15 - although I had to stop for about 15s to check that one of the other swimmers was okay - she swam into my tumble turn...muppet....the 400m in 6:10 and the 50 in 38s. All respectable but not my best efforts!

On Tuesday I tried to do the Bike test on the turbo:
10m EZ spin @65%RPE
3x1min 110RPM spin up +1min rest in between
5min @65%RPE
5min TT ALL OUT (max effort)
10min @65%RPE
20min TT (hold a high pace)

It was all going well - good pacing, the 5min effort was mostly >300W - happy with that, right up until the computer that runs my Tacx I-magic froze - 10mins into the 20min TT....I was so hacked off....

On Wednesday I was out in Paris so I had a fab 30min steady run from the Arc d'Triomph, Eiffel Tower and Champs Elyssee (one benefit of travel - I do get to run in some nice places!) Unfortunately my Garmin refused to pick up the GPS satellites until part way through the run - the green line - the red line doewn Avenue Kleber to the Trocadero was the route I took...

I thought I would rerun the bike test on Thursday - completely failed on that one....my max W were down in the 260s and I died completely 10mins into the 20min TT..... the feedback from my fab coach Mike Redshaw (@Mike_Redshaw) from The TriLife was take a rest day today, Friday, and come back to it fresh next week - sounds like a plan...of course the only challenge is next week I am in Paris for one day, Barcelona for two and Amsterdam for one...oh well time to start juggling balls or spinning plates again I guess!!

That is it for now...rambled on too long...fingers crossed for Monday and the surgeon...

Later
I

a busy week....

Okay so the last week has been hard. Work has taken me out every day somewhere else in the country:

Monday - Royal Tunbridge Wells
Tuesday – Maidenhead/Exeter
Wednesday – Exeter/Truro
Thursday – Truro/Exeter
Friday – Home :-)

This has meant squeezing in training....

Monday - an hour overgearing on the bike followed by a 40min pacing tempo run
Tuesday - a late night run in Exeter after I had driven down - 30mins at 147(ish)bpm
Wednesday - a core strength set (mainly squats/lunges and single leg squats) with a bit of rest

Yesterday was meant to be a hills interval set on the turbo to build some top end power for Wimbleball:

Warm Up:

15mins EASY spin - build cadence to 95RPM for the last 5minutes.
Include 8 x 30s ILT, straight through
Every 2nd minute focus on smoothing the pedal stroke - no dead spots.
Main Set:
5 x 4min @ 300w (115% FTP) - 75-80RPM
4mins v.veasy in b/t.
CD:
5mins easy (lower HR <100)

Promptly followed by a 28min fartlek run:
4 @70%
2 @80%
1 @85%
x 4
CD: 5min stretch
Which turned out to be a disaster - after driving back Cornwall (left at 8am - did a 1hr presentation in Exeter and then got back at 6pm) I tried to do the set - 1-3 went well then I failed the last one and only managed half the run...not good....


So I had to drag myself out of bed today - really tired...and the session in front of me was:

Swim - Speed Endurance 100s
WU:
400 easy f/c
Drills:
2 x 50 Fins (Kick only)
2 x 25 kick board
2 x 50 Best stroke count
2 x 25 kick board
2 x 50 Paddles
2 x 50 Fins (Full stroke)
Main Set:
2 x (10 x 100m) - (90% AT, medium discomfort)
Coold Down:
100 Easy - put stroke back together, finish with good form.

Started well - nice to be in the pool but felt a bit off going into the 100s. First set ranged from 1:20 to 1:24 and the second 1:22-1:25 so consistency was good but just slow - this combined with my disasterous set last night make me wonder if I either have a low grade bug or am just tired! (very long week at work and quite stressfull....)

At least I managed to get a slot at Marshman on the first week of may - eek only a little over a month to my first 70.3 of the year :-O

Oh well - 3hr ride and a negative split run tomorrow then a dinner party in the evening - four courses moving house between them - should be fun!