Fatman to Ironman

Post Ironman

2014-03-11T10:51:00.001-07:00

Hi

Been long time since my last post. Been a lot of changes in my life as well.

I went to India for 9 weeks with Aviva to train new employees. I started smoking again whilst out there & started putting on weight again. I've been made redundant from Aviva.

That was post Ironman to end 2013.

In January 2014 i started my own business, i bought a mobile coffee franchise, Really Awesome Coffee.

www.reallyawesomecoffee.co.uk/franchise-partners/andyb

www.facebook.com/ReallyAwesomeCoffeeNorwich

Also pleased to announce i am no longer a smoker again & i have got back on the bike. Although i wont be able to do a triathlon this year I hope to do some in 2015. Possibly Ironman South Africa.

I also want to do an Ultra marathon, this will probably be 'The Wall'

Although i have no big events planned for 2014 I have entered the Norwich half marathon just as an incentive to keep me off the fags.

Good luck to everyone reading this & embarking on their own journey's. Word of advice, have another event planned not long after your biggy!

Once training commences properly for next years big events i'll be sure to blog regularly again :-)

All the best

Andy

"Andrew, You Are An Ironman"

2013-08-08T14:00:00.001-07:00

"Andrew, You Are An Ironman"

The words I had been waiting for & dreaming of hearing since last year, since before I could even swim front crawl. Sunday 4th August 2013 this dream came true as I ran down that red carpet, high fiving the fantastic Ironman supporters of Bolton, to cross the finish line in under 15 hours.

For anyone who has not followed my Journey it began back in June 2011.
http://clearseaz-timetogetfit.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/let-us-begin-quit-fags.html

This is how the weekend panned out

Friday

We headed off for Bolton at 8am Friday morning & arrived at the Glebe Street Travelodge just after 12pm. Check in time wasn't until 3pm, but after my wife telling me not to be a tight ass, I paid the extra £10 for an early check in. Was handy as we were able to put the bike in the room rather than leave it on the back of the car to potentially get nicked

Headed off into town to register Arleya for the Saturdays IronKids race. We were only a 10 minute walk from the city centre so strolled in via the Ironman finish.

Fred Dibnah in the city centre.Remembered watching him climb the chimney stacks when i was a boy

Arleya registered we grabbed some lunch then headed back to the hotel to meet up with Tim, so we could drive over to the Reebok Stadium for our Ironman registration.

Registration with Tim

Tagged for the weekend

Quite a bit of stuff at the Expo but we didn't hang about too much. I didn't want to buy any Ironman merchandise until i had actually completed the event. We were given a pretty cool Ironman Rucksack containing all out transition bags, timing chip ticket, race number etc etc. More stomach churning moments as race day drew even nearer.

We then popped downstairs for the race briefing. Lots of razzmatazz & a good talking too about not dropping litter on the course or drafting on the bike course.

After the briefing we headed back to the hotel to prep our gear ready to take to the different transitions on Saturday.

My kit for race day

Arleya's kit for IronKids

Arleya's 'M Dot' toe nail

All done for the evening, we popped over the road to Burger King had some supper & hit the sack. Early start Saturday as Arleya was racing at 8 am.

Saturday

Headed into the city centre early to watch Arleya race & meet up with Andy Holgate. The man who is responsible for so many people pursuing an Ironman dream. If you haven't read Andy's books have a look, very inspirational - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cant-Swim-Ride-Run-Triathlon/dp/1848187432/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375820965&sr=1-3&keywords=andy+holgate

Me, Andy & Tim @ IronKids

Run Irongirl

Later in the day Arleya came back to the hotel with pirate earings & wants to do an Ironman when she's older. The latest Holgs Ironman recruit.

Race done we all hit the costa coffee & waited for Tims youngest to run, whilst quizzing Holgs on all things Ironman. Once Dan had finished his run we headed back to the hotel for breakfast. Oot & Arleya then went shopping, leaving me to get a couple of hours sleep. Which I actually managed to do.

At 1:30pm I headed off with Tim to drop our stuff off at the transitions. First stop was Pennington Flash for T1. We racked out bikes & covered with bike covers we had been given the night before. I also left my tri bag with the next days non gel nutrition on the bike. We then hung our bags up in the transition tent and checked out the entry & exit points so we were clear where we would be going the following morning.

Shit, wheres my bike?

The Flash

Swim Entry & Exit

T1 done we headed off to drive the bike route. I'll cover the bike course in more detail in a bit, the main bit i wanted to see was the infamous Sheephouse lane. It's reputation for being a tough climb was certainly warranted. Rest of the course looked undulating as they like to say, but nothing too scary.

Dropped our last bag off at T2 & headed back to the hotel again.

At 5:30pm Oot, Arleya & myself headed back to the Reebok Stadium for IronPrayer which was really good. We listened too some motivating testimonies from a lady called Pat & a guy called Nemo, who first signed up for an Ironman 2 years ago without even knowing how to swim. The Bolton Wanderers chaplain also gave a motivating talk & showed some inspirational video's of other British athletes.

We then grabbed a few pizzas from the hut and went back to the hotel to eat and do my race prep.
.

Race number tattoo added

Age Group not F for Fat group category tattoo

10pm, bedtime. Alarm set for 2:30am

Sunday. Race Day

Had as good a sleep as i could have had under the circumstances. Woke up at midnight for a bit but then nodded off again till the alarm went off. Had a shower then went downstairs for breakfast. Great customer service from Travelodge in Bolton who were up and cooking breakfast at 3am for all the athletes doing Ironman.

Unlike the Slateman I decided to avoid the fry up this time due to the length of the race & not wanting to risk needing a Thomas Tit halfway through the day. I went with toast, cereal, yogurt & banana. Plus a couple of cups of coffee.

Scoffed that by 3:30am & headed back to the room for final business.

Time to go, not feeling overly motivated

3:50am, I drove Tim & I to the Reebok stadium so we could get the shuttle bus down to the start. Two minutes out of the hotel we hit a road block due to some incident. This diverted us through Bolton city centre where hundreds of clubbers were still partying on. While they would be nursing hangovers later, myself & Tim would be making our way through the days 140+ mile journey.

I forget what time we arrived at Pennington flash, I think it was around 4:30am, giving us 90 minutes to check the bikes, slip into the wetsuits & drop our final bag off, which held our gear to wear after the race. At this point I met up with Mark & Dave from Trianglia.

I ate another gel & banana & headed down to the lake. We started getting in the water around 5:50am as there were a lot of swimmers to get up to the start. Was a deep water start so remembering Simon from Paradise Tri's advice i got up as close to the start as i dared & prepared for the churning water start.

I got a decent start, although for the first 5 minutes most of your strokes involved hitting someone or someone hitting you. Soon relaxed and got into it with only occasional faster swimmers, with zero sighting ability zigzagging in front of me which did get a bit frustrating. Water was nice and warm, a little choppy but in general a good swim.

The swim course was two laps so you came out ran back round to the start again and hopped in for another lap. Took a quick glance at my watch to see 41 minutes after the first lap which was a fantastic 1900m time for me. Hoped i could keep it up the pace for the second lap.

Finished the swim in 1 hour 42 minutes. Great support at Pennington Flash, you could hear the cheering a good 100m away from the swim exit. I ran up to the transition tent where it was fairly clear for me, thanks to my slower than the majority swim. Every cloud........

I had decided to go for complete changes so had to nip into the modesty tent to strip out my wetsuit and budgie smugglers. Got all my cycle gear on and had another banana & gel. You had to put all your cycle gear on in the tent including shoes, if like me you don't do the jump on your bike thing.
Time spent in T1 was just over 9 minutes.

Bike ride was a 14 mile point to point ride followed by 3 laps of roughly 30 miles which began at Adlington. This was where some of the biggest support took place with cheering locals & a lot of COLT triathlon club. Had a great boost here every time i rode past, Holgs was also here again supporting and shouting abuse/encouragement. Just what you need to get up the slight incline.
Riding through the crowds up the hill did give you a Tour de France mountain stage feeling which was amazing. People in crazy outfits, Afros etc etc. I even saw one guy in a camel Bernie Clifton type outfit.

I was taking on one gel every 30 minutes then snacking on the nutrigrain biscuits and flap jacks i had in my bag. There were two drink stations on the bike laps where you would sling your empty water bottle & grab another one or isotonic drink. They also had gels, power bars & bananas if you needed food. Portaloos were also available here. I managed to do the whole 112 miles without a toilet break. Had three on the run though.

The bike was undulating with one really hard climb. Sheephouse lane, grrr. It was a couple of miles climb with what i can best describe as two Gas Hill type steep sections (this is a steep hill in Norwich). You began the climb just before the turn off for T2 which was a bit demoralising.

Again there was some great support at the start of the climb. The first steep bit wasn't so bad, although slow going. You then had a bit of reprieve with a long gentle incline. The second steep bit was rock hard & half way up it i felt like i wouldn't be able to keep going & would have to push. However, I heard someone shout 'come on help for heroes, soldier on' which made me feel bad about thinking about getting off and pushing & gave me the boost to continue peddling.

Sheephouse climb I think

At the top of the hill you were rewarded with fantastic views & a bunch of guys in bikinis & Afros partying and cheering you on. The hill decent was long fast sweeping bends where i was able to hit over 40 mph, best not to think your on 1 inch wide rubber & only wearing lycra at this speed. It was a real rush though & well worth the hard climb.

Rest of the lap was OK, with a couple of little hills, you were then into a head wind for a good 10 miles from the bottom of the big decent. I did spend some of the remaining lap wondering how on earth I'd get back up Sheephouse lane again, i did however manage to do it all three times without walking which i was really pleased about. Once over the third time I started feeling really confident about finishing the Ironman. Even started thinking i could finish in under 15 hours.

Had one hairy moment where i got chicked coming up to a bend, however, the young lady had gone into the bend way too hot & her back wheel slipped out. She came to a standstill & toppled over onto the road in front of me. Luckily i managed to to just get round her by skipping over someones driveway.

4 miles to go & i bonked, I couldn't believe it, thought i was going to fall off my bike, i had gone so dizzy. Crammed all the remaining food out of my tri bag into me. Five minutes later i started to feel human again & pushed on to T2. Bike took just over 7 hours 15 minutes. the course was pretty tough but great. Majority of the roads were closed. The ones where cars were allowed we had fantastic traffic control & total right of way for the cyclists. It was brilliantly organised & controlled by the Ironman volunteers

I dismounted at T2 and one of the volunteers took my bike for me. I ran into the sports hall, grabbed my bag & did another complete change. Had another gel but left the banana, was feeling sick from all the sweet stuff I'd had all day.

I walked the first half mile & took time to drink a load more water & enjoy a nice cup of coke (cola) from the first feed station. I then ran about 1.5 miles to the next feed station, had some more drink and popped into a portaloo for my first wee since being in the lake at silly o'clock that morning.

The first 8 miles was a point to point run down to Bolton, then 3 x 6 mile circuits. Which looped round the centre of Bolton, 100m from the finish, just to tease you. I managed to run pretty much all the point to point, walking the feed stations and inclines. Worked really well for me & i felt really good still.

The noise of the spectators dramatically increased as i joined the lap runners. I still had loads of time to finish and now knew i would be completing my first Ironman. Sub 15 hours was also still looking good & would exceed any expectations i had had.

There were two feed stations on the lap part of the run manned by local army cadets. They did a fantastic job & had mini Cheddars, the first non sweet snack of the day. I cant describe how great those little mini Cheddars tasted, they were one of the highlights of the day up to this point. Thinking of getting my next handful was a definite motivator to jog on. Writing this now i feel like popping to tescos and getting some more.

Continued my strategy of jogging the flat and declines & walking the slopes. Even my walking pace was just under 4mph which was OK. Holgs was now at the bottom of a steep hill going into the city centre shouting abuse and support. I also saw my wife & daughter for the first time since leaving that morning which was quite emotional, but they were on the wrong side of the road to grab quick hug.

The heavens had now opened and the rain was heaving down. The rain was washing sweat into my eyes & they were stinging to the extent i was struggling to see where i was going. As my feet got wetter I became more conscious of the blisters forming and the tugging on my already knackered toe nails.

Spotted the family lap & grabbed a quick hug & kiss

Each time you did a lap you were given a different coloured arm band. Collect the three & the final lap you ran down that famous red Ironman finish carpet. As i came round to the start of finish i slowed down a bit too let the runners in front of me completely clear the finish. I wanted it all to myself.

I passed the girl who monitored the finish & followed the red carpet round. The noise of cheering and shouting was amazing. I came into the finish straight & couldn't really see anything. I pointed at Paul & then at my name to signal i wanted him to call me an Ironman.

It was a wonderful feeling running from side to side high fiving the crowd, raising my arms and punching the air.

Arleya filmed my finish which i've uploaded to You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w_AupqURWM

From FATMAN, I had finally crossed the finish line to become IRONMAN.

Finish time - 14 hours 46 minute 40 seconds

My Ironman UK finish video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w_AupqURWM

I was then given my medal & headed into a tent where i was given a finisher T Shirt and fed Dominos Pizza. I sat down to eat it not knowing if i would get up again. Troffing my food I remembered my family would be waiting at our pre-arranged place, probably stressing that i hadnt re-appeared yet, so i headed off to get my finish bag & space blanket.

Oot & Arleya were waiting for me as i came out. Quick hugs and well dones then a medal photo was required. I got changed & Oot went off to get me a coffee, I'd been fancying one for hours.

Proud to have got my medal

With my Iron Buddy Tim, Both buzzing at the finish

We stayed at the finish line to cheer on our fellow athletes until the last guy came in. Then walked back to the hotel to sleep. The planned piss up i always thought i would do was not even considered, I was knackered.

I'd been fancying a coffee most of the day.

Done in

Since i started my fitness regime in June 2011

I have Swam, Cycled & Ran 9604 miles
Trained for 890 hours
Burned 639,017 calories
Raised £686 for Help for Heroes
Raised £741 for The Royal Anglian Benevolent Fund

As i had earned my Ironman branding I went in to book my M Dot tattoo on Tuesday and as luck would have it they had a space to do it same day. Should be nicely healed in time for my trip to India next month.

Along the way to Ironman I have heard a few moans about the cost of an Ironman branded event. I was a bit shocked at the price myself initially. However, once you do one you can see where the money has been spent & i for one would not hesitate to pay the price again. I thought it was great value for money.

What next. I wont be booking anything up for 2014. As i am being made redundant in the not too distant future, my focus will be on building my business next year. (may write a blog about that journey) Once that is up and running i have no doubts I will be signing up for another Ironman event. Watch this space.

It's been a great journey. Not only in becoming an Ironman but also from the great new friendships formed with fellow triathletes along the way. Thanks for all the support & advice from those who have shared this journey with me, you know who you are!

Andy

Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund

http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1

The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter

http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/

The allotment Journey Blog

http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/

Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey

https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/287319678021088/

Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forum

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP

The Big Weekend

2013-08-01T10:04:00.002-07:00

So here it is, Ironman UK weekend is finally upon me.

Not much training has taken place since my last update just over a week ago. Here it is anyway:

Monday 22nd July - 8 mile bike ride & a 5 mile run

Sunday 28th July - 30 mile bike ride.

Monday 29th July - 3 mile run

Wednesday 31st July - 850 m open water swim

Also got my bike serviced by someone who knows what they are doing, just in case.

My gear is now packed & myself and the family will be heading up to Bolton tomorrow morning about 8am. To reduce the stress of getting everything done my plan for how the weekend will go is as follows:

Friday - Arrive Bolton 1pm & register Arleya at Bolton shopping centre for the Saturday Ironkids race

Check into the hotel at 3pm, they are bike friendly so my bike can stay in the room on the Friday

For to Reebok stadium around 4pm to register & attend the race briefing.

Pack the transition bags ready to drop off in the morning.

Saturday - Arleya is racing at 8.30am so we will head into the town centre to watch that.

2pm - drive down to the start at Pennington Flash with Tim to put our bikes & blue transition bag at T1

Once we have set up we will drive the bike course to see that to expect 7 also drop off our red transition bag at T2 in Rivingdon & Blackrod high school.

6.30pm back to Reebok for Ironprayer, i need all the help i can get & more snouting round the expo.

Sunday - Up around 3.30am. So i can get some food into me & drive up to the Reebok stadium for the shuttle bus down to the start line. The rest of Sundays plan is a bit grey but will involve a long swim bike and run.

Monday - Drive to Rivingdon to pick up my bike etc, then over to the expo again to grab some finisher souvenirs (hopefully) Drive back to Norwich, collapse on the sofa and sleep.

Despite everything i am feeling confident in doing this, although too much thinking knots up my stomach & makes it all feel a bit daunting.

For those who wish to track my progress here's the link

http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/coverage/athlete-tracker.aspx?race=uk&y=2013#axzz2ajkP39bT

My race number is 1227

There should also be some live video of the finish here as well, if your still awake late on a Sunday evening.

This is all in aid of The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund so donations would be appreciated.
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1

That's it then.

Watch this space, Twitter & FB for what happens next.

cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund

http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1

The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter

http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/

The allotment Journey Blog

http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/

Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey

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Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forum

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP

Tour de France. The Ashes & The Brownlee Brothers

2013-07-21T11:24:00.001-07:00

Ironman Training week 28. Gulp, that means two weeks to go.

Great weekend of sport. Watching the last stage of Le Tour de France as I'm writing this & for the second year running a Brit is going to be crowned champion. Well done to Chris Froome, a fantastic performance over the past few weeks. Who will Sky pick as their main man going forwards now?? More likely, who will say goodbye to Sky first, Wiggins or Froome?

Great 2nd test for England in The Ashes, managed to keep away from spoilers today so looking forward to seeing the highlights later. Unless disaster struck I'm sure it's gone 2-0 to England.

Finally, get those Brownlee brothers & their performance at the ITU Triathlon in Hamburg this weekend. Fantastic race yesterday finishing with the brothers having a sprint battle to the finish. Jonny pipping his brother at the line.

The Slateman i took part in a few months ago was shown on C4 today. Didn't spot myself which was a shame. Still, brought back memories of a fantastic event. You can get a flavour of what it was like here http://www.channel4.com/programmes/4triathlon/4od

Whats happened in my world this week? Won another facebook prize courtesy of Power Horse. Not sure exactly what I've won yet.

Bought some new tyres to go on my bike ready for Ironman UK.
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/vredestein-vredestein-tyres-road-tri-track-folding-vredestein-fortezza-tricomp-folding-tyre/vredtyrf250

First time I've not had Continentals but these have been highly recommended by a variety of people so expecting good things.

Training
Not a bad week, taking it a bit easy now. Injury free so don't want to risk any disasters

Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calorie burn for April = 28,453
Calorie burn for May = 23,131
Calorie burn for June = 24,992
Calorie burn for July = 30,561

Training Time - 11 hours 24 minutes (i think)
Monday

Bike 17 minutes

Tuesday

Bike 50 minutes.

Really pleased with this one, kept my average to just under 17 mph. Would take that in two weeks time

Run 29 minutes.

Ran a pain free 5 k again. Will be looking to increase my runs a bit more now. If i can manage an hour without issues before IM I'll be satisfied with that, considering.

Wednesday

Bike 52 minutes

Open Water Swim - 42 minutes

Nice evening down the lake, just did a couple of easy 800m loops. got a slight twinge in my left shoulder so going to miss a weeks swimming just to be safe.

Saturday

Walk - 4 hours 48 minutes

Go Go Gorilla Trail - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/332553859

Walked all over Norwich with Arleya to spot all the 53 Gorillas. Was quite a trek but considering I'll probably be walking at least that in two weeks time it was handy to do it. Plus it was good fun seeing all the apes.

Obviously my favourite

Rest of the Gorilla pics are on my facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/#!/andy.baxter.90/media_set?set=a.10151733591614695.1073741831.826854694&type=3

Sunday

Bike 3 hours 26 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/333507269

Just under 56 miles at a 16.2 mph average. Again, pleased with that & would be well ahead of schedule if i manage the same pace at Ironman. Average would have been a bit higher had the Garmin not directed me on to Hemsby beach.

That's it, time to concentrate on the TV & Le Tour de France. Cav for another win on the Champs-Elysees. Got to be on the cards.

Next week will be the final blog post prior t the goal, Ironman UK. I will post up link to the tracker & live video link for the finish line for those that are interested. Or those who are still actually awake by the time i finish.

cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund

http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1

The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter

http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/

The allotment Journey Blog

http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/

Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey

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Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forum

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Ironman UK 2013 looming

2013-07-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

Ironman UK Training Week 27. Only 3 weeks to go.

Not a great deal of excitement this week, although i feel happier than I have done in a long while as
things seem to be clicking into place nicely. Arleya finding a four leaf clover at the beginning of the week may have helped. Not to mention the turn in weather giving us a bit of a UK heatwave. A bit of sunshine always brightens a the mood.

Found out this week I may be going to India with work for 8 - 10 weeks which is great considering my love of travel. Although this will delay the launch of my planned business venture, there was never any guarantee i would get my redundancy date in time for an October launch anyway. I think Its a blessing in disguise as i will work more months, the longer i work the more redundancy money, shares, bonus & pension contributions i accumulate.

So now looking at a February launch date, redundancy date permitting. Be good to just know what this is as not knowing certainly hinders planning your future. Ive even got my first potential booking for a wedding lined up.

Training (back on topic) has gone a lot better this week with no pain from existing injuries & no new ones to report. I've even started running again, although only a little bit.

Training

Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calorie burn for April = 28,453
Calorie burn for May = 23,131
Calorie burn for June = 24,992
Calorie burn for July = 12,905

Training Time - 10 hours 24 minutes. Not great considering this week would have originally been
21 hours of training. Still, getting into double figures for the first time in ages is a plus.

Monday

Run - 18 minutes. Ran 2 miles with no issues

Cycle - 21 minutes

Tuesday

Bike 1 hour 51 minutes. Cycled just over 28 miles - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/323251111

Wednesday

Open water Swim - 1 hour 38 minutes.

Swam 4 x 800m & 1 x 400m loop at the lake this evening.
No longer concerned about the Ironman swim as based on numerous swims now, plodding along at my
comfortable pace i know i can get around a 1 hr 45 min swim. May even be quicker as i will no
doubt be able to draft other swimmers quite easily

Bike - 52 minutes

Saturday

Open Water swim - 52 minutes to do 1.24 miles

Bike - 21 minutes

Run - 29 minutes.

Ran the Norwich Triathlon course. Left it till evening but it was still really hot. Total run distance
was 3.22 miles, furthest Ive ran in a while, again, no issues. Happy days

Sunday

Bike - 6 hours 12 minutes. http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/327364341

Rode most of the Norwich 100 route I did in 2012, but in reverse. Rode it all non stop, longest ever
I've spent in the saddle without a break. Always been stops on the sportives Ive done so really
pleased I'm going to be to cycle the whole Ironman without stopping.

Kept up a great pace for me too with a 16.2 mph average, that's including having to get across Norwich
& getting held up on the coast road numerous times between Cromer & Sheringham. Think Ive nailed
the nutrition, one gel every 10 miles seems to do the trick.

All in all chuffed with progress after the injuries. If all goes well i could be done with the swim and
bike in under 9 hours which would give me 8 hours to complete the run/walk marathon.
I've also decided to go with a full change in each transition as i don't fancy doing 112 miles in a
trisuit. Comfort over saving a couple of minutes in transition wins.

That's about it, taper time now (as far as cycling is concerned). Will have a bit extra spare time now.

Part of next weekends training will be doing the whole go go gorilla trail with Arleya round Norwich.
http://gogogorillas.co.uk/ I need to get a bit of walk training in.

I have decided to take an event break during 2014. As i will be trying to get the new business up
& running my full focus will have to be on this. I will however continue to Swim, Bike, Run as
and when i can

That's me done for the week, time to catch up on the weekends sporting events. Highlights from the
Test match & Tour de France

cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund

http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1
The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter

http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/
The allotment Journey Blog

http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/
Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey

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Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forum

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Ironman UK training restarts

2013-07-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

Ironman UK Training week 26.

Four weeks today I will be attempting to complete my first Ironman distance triathlon. Few ups and downs along the way, biggest challenge so far has still been learning to swim front crawl.

Most recent issues as those who have followed this journey will know, has been my calf & ankle tendonites issues that have plagued me & severely hindered training since just before the London Marathon. I didn't do a blog update last week as i had taken a couple of weeks off to try cure the tendonites.

Looks like that has succeeded as i have been able to get back into the bike riding and swimming this week without any issues or pain. Pity it's only 4 weeks to go but hey ho. Plan is still now a just finish as the majority of the marathon is no doubt going to be a walk.

My Triathlon club TriAnglia has had a great couple of weeks with some amazing achievements that have helped motivate me again. Last weekend following fellow club members & their achievements gave the same feeling i had on that super Saturday during the Olympics.

Phillipa Rudd completing her first Ironman event in Austria was one, a whole bunch of successes at the superhero event & the creme de la creme, Will Halls epic adventure with the Endruoman Arch to Arc challenge.

Following Will from the Thursday afternoon through till Saturday afternoon on a live tracker took over most of those days. Including waking up at 3am and checking where he was on the run & staying up till gone midnight (late for me) to follow his swim start.

Will completed the 87 mile run in under 17 hours, way ahead of the World Record time. Following a days rest he took to the English channel at midnight. Unfortunately due to the rubbish temperatures we have had to date the water was a miserable 12.5 degrees.

Will still battled with this temperature & crazy tides for over 13 hours before having to be pulled out 2 miles from France due to breathing difficulties. He had actually swam around 39 miles! So, i wont be moaning about a sore ankle during my mere Ironman event.

Training

Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calorie burn for April = 28,453
Calorie burn for May = 23,131
Calorie burn for June = 24,992
Calorie burn for July = 9188

Training time - 8 hours 54 minutes. Still a long way off what i should have been doing at this stage
but all things considered, I'm happy with this weeks progress.

Tuesday

Bike - 1 hour 7 minutes

Wednesday

Bike - 45 minutes

Open water swim - 1 hour 7 minutes - Furthest open water swim i have done this year. 2400 metres. Was really pleased that i no longer experienced the ankle pain that had ended my last swim at just 800metres. Will be looking to swim the full Ironman distance next week

Thursday

Bike - 1 hour 27 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/319245015

Saturday

Bike - 5 hours 25 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/320411931

Also put in my longest bike ride of the year as well this week. Felt great to do it with no pain although after 70 miles i was feeling pretty shady. Probably due to the heat. I've got one more long ride to do before Ironman so hoping to get my nutrition bang on with that ride

Sunday

Was supposed to do the Norwich 6 bridge river swim today but it got cancelled at the last minute due to reasons unbeknown. So, i headed down to the Norwich Triathlon to put the new found spare time to good use helping with the marshaling.

So, no running again this week, want to be really sure my ankle is better before doing this. I may do a little jog next week just to test the water.

Gas Hill Gasp came round again in Norwich on Friday. Had a great night down there watching some gutsy performances up the mentalist hill.

Ben from Tri harder

Roger & Ben battling it out.

Pete Hargreaves

Pete is the guy who posted a picture of his bike on facebook in 2011, that gave me the idea to buy a bike to get fit, which has then led to this Ironman ambition.

That's about it then. No news on my Aviva redundancy date yet, bit of a pain due to my plans to go self employed with a franchised business in catering. Wanted to launch it in October but looks like i may miss this window. Really excited about having my own business and being my own boss, although quite nervous about. Will have to start a blog about that journey.

Cheers
Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund

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The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter

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The Norwich Junior Triathlon 2013

2013-06-23T03:13:00.000-07:00

Ironman UK training week 24

Due to my worst week of training since I began the 30 week Ironman training plan, there isn't really much to write about this week regarding me.

In fact I won't even list the training days as it only involved cycling to work for the week & doing a 28 minute open water swim.

I had intended doing a 2400m open water swim on Wednesday, but after a couple of hundred metres my ankle was so painful & I struggled to get round one 800m loop let alone three. Off the back of that & the slow progress of my injury improving I've decided to bin any training till my tendonites has fully cleared up. Still 6 weeks till the Ironman event.

Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calorie burn for April = 28,453
Calorie burn for May = 23,131
Calorie burn for June = 23,339

Training time - 2 hrs 4 minutes

Open water swim 28 minutes
Bike 1 hr 37 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/309519287

Best thing that has happened in Baxter triathlon world this week was my daughter completing her first triathlon at the Norwich Junior Tri.

Weather wasn't great for her. Rain had made the ground really soft which would prove difficult for the bike section as half of this was on grass, plus we had strong winds.

Kids had to set up there own stuff in transition, no adult help was allowed for any part of the race.
We were surprised at some of the kids kit, half of them had better bikes than me, let alone Arleyas £30 ebay special.

Set up

The seriousness of some of the parents was also a surprise. One mother discussing with her son what tyre combination to put on his bike was quite funny. Shocked at the way some parents were yelling at their children to go harder etc, it was relentless in a couple of cases & all quite embarrassing. We all want our kids to do well & theres nothing wrong with shouting encouragement, but seriously, some need to have a word with themselves.

Swim waves began at 4 minute intervals, Arleya kicked off at 12.20pm. I've always considered Arleya to be a good swimmer, she has always done well in school events etc. This was a different league though. Her group set off & within a couple of lengths Arleya was already being lapped.

She had a quick T1 even with slipping on some shorts over her swim costume. She even went with no socks, something i haven't done yet.

Bike was 6 x 1km laps. Half of each lap was on tarmac, other half was on grass. Arleya couldn't
change gear so was stuck in the same one for the whole ride.

Coming into T2

Run course was 4 x 600m loops on grass

First lap

Finish in sight

First Triathlon medal

Overall Arleya really enjoyed the event and now wants to get some proper triathlon training so
she can keep improving. Guess that's the end of me using her volunteer vouchers she gets after helping out with Trianglia events.
We'll also look for a more suitable race bike once i get my redundancy money.

Attending this event has also sparked a new business idea that i will be looking into, so I may well be heading down the self employed route once my Aviva job comes to an end.

That's it for this week. I may not do an update next week as I'm unlikely to do any training again.

cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

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Pearl Izumi Tour Series 2013

2013-06-17T11:26:00.001-07:00

Ironman UK training Week 23

Couldn't think of a great deal of positiveness this week & struggled for a post title.
Decided to go with the recent Tour series as this was probably the highlight of the week due to it coming to one of our market towns for the first time. Aylsham in Norfolk. http://www.tourseries.co.uk/home.php

The reality of the my redundancy came with the announcement on Thursday that my department in Norwich, that i had been a part of for the past 12 years, would cease to exist between now & Q1 2014. Sad times, the end of a special & important era in my life. Trying to stay focussed on training whilst wondering what the future has in stall for my family & me is certainly trying. But life goes on as they say.

Training

Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calorie burn for April = 28,453
Calorie burn for May = 23,131
Calorie burn for June = 22,221

Training time - 8 hours 49 minutes

Monday

Bike 25 minutes

Tuesday

Bike 42 minutes

Wednesday

Run 34 minutes.

Longest run i had done since the marathon. Felt a bit awkward but i was pleased

to think i was now able to begin run training again.

Bike 31 minutes

Saturday

Open water Swim - 47 minutes

Swam 1600 metres, was a bit choppy due to windy conditions. Good for training though.

Run - 55 minutes.

This was a club run, 10k at 10am, just after our open water swim. It was on the new 10k route

that will be used in the upcoming Norwich Triathlon.

Obviously i was a bit cautious of this. It would be my longest non stop run since my calf & tendonites

issues after the London Marathon.

Just before we started the heavens opened & we were bombarded with big lumps of hail.

Cover was sought in the flint barn. Five minutes later the sun was shining & it was time to go??

English summers.

Was a bit weird running down wintry looking tracks in the middle of summer. The run went better

than expected & i even managed a PB for my 10k distance. Calf's were a bit stiff & my right ankle had

started hurting again. Felt like the tendonites I'd had in the left ankle.

I had to go pick up a greenhouse from Diss this same afternoon which included dismantling it. This

also turned into a nightmare due to ceased up bolts, a good drenching & my ankle swelling up like

a balloon & giving me a great deal of pain.

Sunday

Bike 4 hours 55 minutes.

Although i was struggling to walk I'm pleased that my cycling is still ok.

Managed a 72 mile ride. Was nice weather, a bit windy at times. I did end up on a 3 mile stretch

of off road cycling round Stanton training area which I'm sure hasn't done my bike a great deal of good.

Although i took the same amount of gels & food with me, stuck to one a nhour I had a turn around the

60 mile mark. Felt really faint & got the sweats big time. Luckily i still had a pack of breakfast biscuits

and a couple of ISO gels which i quickly consumed. Two miles later i was fine. Not sure what happened

but i guess i will need to be eating something every 45 minutes now.

I also binned the tri bars due to the issues i had had with my lower back at The Grafman. Seemed to

do the trick as i had no lower back issues at all on this ride. Tri bars are toast!

Change of plan

My training plan has now dramatically changed. I would pull out fof IMUK or this year if it wasn't

for the fact I'd lose around £700 for the event & the accommodation I've paid for.

Running is totally out of my training for the foreseeable future. Plan for the Ironman now is just finish.

Even this is likely to be a challenge based on my difficulty at even walking today. It will now be a case

of swimming & cycling as hard as i can & walking most of the marathon.

Who knows though, maybe if i give my leg enough recovery time I will be able to run a good portion

of it. Time will tell.

Photos from The Grafman

yeah yeah, pink hat

Photos from Tour Series

Other

Fatman to Ironman Tour de France fantasy cycling league set up for anyone wanting to join. Heres the link & league details

http://www.velogames.com/tour-de-france/2013/index.php

League Name: Fatman to Ironman

League Code: 15203047

Cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

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The Grafman Half Ironman distance Triathlon 2013

2013-06-09T14:29:00.001-07:00

Ironman UK Training Week 22

Hello, not sure if I'll get this all written up tonight as it's now 8pm & I'm a bit worse for wear after today's event. But I'll give it my best shot. I'm not going to proof read it either so it may not make sense.

Got to meet another one of the Runners World Fatman to Ironman thread posters this weekend, Tim Lebbon. Ticking them off slowly.

Tim had a blinding day today at The Grafman with a big sub 6 hour time. Chuffed to bits for him as i know the ups & downs he's faced during his journey so far. Got to be a huge confidence boost for him as we both now enter the final 8 weeks of our Ironman UK training. It's a great result, well done mate.

Confidence boost for Tim, for me on the other hand............... race report to follow

Good news this week in that my calf has finally stopped hurting, i can even negotiate stairs without wincing. Still stayed away from the running this week so as not to risk aggravating it again.

Training

Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calorie burn for April = 28,453
Calorie burn for May = 23,131
Calorie burn for June = 14,329

Training time - 8 hours 4 minutes

Monday

Bike 23 minutes

Tuesday

Bike 43 minutes

Wednesday

Bike 1 hour

Open water swim - 38 minutes - Had a lesson with Simon from paradise tri at the lake. http://paradisetri.co.uk/

There were just under 20 of us in the session & we covered mass starts. If your like me, I've always started my swims from the back of a pack because of my weakness at swimming. So, to help boost confidence here Simon had us doing closely packed starts together under various scenarios. Standing start & a deep water start. The latter being ideal for me as this is the IMUK start. Very handy hint on floating & sculling with your hands at the start will come in useful in Bolton.

Simon also made a good point that when weaker swimmers are starting at the back they may well be adding an additional couple of minutes to their already slower time just crossing the start line. Something i shall also be bearing in mind. Useful lesson, I'll be joining these more regularly.

That was it for training, rest time now, ready for

The Grafman - http://www.nicetri.co.uk/index.php?id=287

Saturday

Drove down to Ellington, about 2 miles from Grafham water where Sundays triathlon was taking place.

B&B was lovely, so was the owner. She knew i was doing the triathlon in the morning & asked what i wanted to do for breakfast. This was normally cooked at 7.30am but i explained i needed to be away by 6am. I said I had some porridge anyway so not to worry about breakfast, she offered to do a pack up or give me a fiver off my bill which i thought was really decent. Took the fiver off making the room £33.
http://www.thorpe-lodge-farm.co.uk/information.html

Tim arrived about 30 mins after me, always a bit awkward when you first meet someone you have only talked to in cyber space. Thankfully he was a really nice bloke and didn't turn out to be some axe wielding nutter. Although he does write some scary stuff.

You could register on Saturday evening or Sunday morning. Bear in mind you will pay £3 to park at Grafham water car park so in hindsight it would have been best to register on the Sunday as you then only have to pay once for the car park.

Picked up our race numbers, bike and helmet sticker, 'Nice Tri' transition towel, race chip, swimming hat, finishers medal. Yep, you got your medal before you even started the race. I didn't like this, i like to be given my medal when I've actually achieved something. The rationale, 'it's a lot less hassle' mmm. No T-shirt either, was starting to wonder about the £95 price tag on this event.

After registration we drove the bike route. We both came away feeling very optimistic about a fast pace on these flat smooth roads. All we needed to happen was the wind die down. Turned out the roads were not that smooth when on a bicycle either.
Went to a local pub in Ellington, had a gourmet steak burger & chips, very nice then went back to the B&B to prep the bags for the following day & get an early night.

Sunday

Alarm set for 5am, woke up at 4.30am. Breakfast consisted of Porridge, Banana, Squares thing, Breakfast biscuits, jelly babies, coffee.

Got down to the car park at about 6.15am, rather than parking us up in the car park all the racers were diverted into a field. After paying their £3. Set my bike up, pumped up the tyres and headed for transition. Absolutely love my transition rucksack. It makes carrying your gear so much easier.

Set all my kit out, moved it all around a dozen times then put it back how i had in the first place & how i always set it up anyway. You were not allowed to leave your bags by the bikes so had to stick it near a fence. I was a bit concerned about it getting nicked as it had my phone & car keys in it, i decided to squash them into my bike bag. Time for a coffee & a wee before getting the wetsuit on.

At all the events i go to there is always a massive queue at the gents. I can guarantee though that there are always urinals free, the queues are for a number 2. I never have a number 2 before a race, always make sure I've taken care of that business before going to the event. Anyways, means i can just walk past all the poop queueing peeps.

After coffee, went & got wetsuit on, then had to go back for another piss, same ol.

Everyone was cleared out of transition at 7.15am for race briefing, we were given 5 minutes to get in the water for a warm up, acclimatisation etc

7.30am, off we went. It was a running beach start which probably accounted for my quicker swim time in this one. I managed to run up to my chest a lot quicker than i would have swam it. Swim was a simple triangular loop of 950 metres x 2. Once back at the beach, you got out, ran round and back in again for your second lap. Really liked this format.

No issues during the swim & all went well. I had one concerning moment when i guy to the front left of me was lying on his back, so i was checking he was OK but at the same time conscious that he may go into a panic and start grabbing out. As it happens he must have just been resting as he turned over again and carried on swimming.

One of the stipulations of doing this event is your wetsuit has to be disinfected before you can leave transition with Milton stuff. This is to kill of some strange shrimp that lives in the water. Harmless to us but they don't want them transporting to other rivers and lakes.

Swim Split 47 minute 56 seconds

T1 went better than my last race, was out of there in 3 minutes 18 seconds. Which included faffing putting a jacket on due to the cold wind.

Bike mount was not impressive. Even with my play it safe, stop, mount, clip, pedal away technique, i still managed to wobble into a traffic cone and over the nice neat bunting.

You leave the Grafham water car park and head towards Ellington, do a little loop there and head back towards Grafham water again. This loop is where the only steep hill is. not very long but it got me out of breath. Apologies to the guy who wanted to have a conversation about the weather with me going up it, i didn't answer you as i was busy trying to breath.

Once past the car park you come to a T junction and the mandatory foot down line. You couldn't miss it. Two marshals were there & they had also drawn a massive box on the road saying foot down. Typical i had a bunch of cars coming anyway so i had to wait for them to go away anyway.

You then head down to Gt Staughton, this was the best bit of road & the only tailwind you seemed to have for the whole 56 miles. Once at Gt Staughton you turned left to start a two lap type thing between St Neots & Upper Dean along the A1428. You needed to visit both turnround points twice. I think each length was around 10 miles. This was a busy road & on numerous occasions i had cars overtaking bikes on the other side coming head on towards me. I think theres an accident waiting to happen here.

Started to get my first niggle after about 20 miles, the small of my back was getting really painful so had to sit up and stretch regular. Will book myself in for a bike fit at some point as this back pain did come back to haunt me big time on the run.

After the second visit to Upper Dean I started to perk up as i knew i would be heading back to Grafham once I reached Gt Staughton again. I was also dying for another wee but thought I'd hold off till the run. (didn't go at all in the end). I hadn't enjoyed the bike due to the windy conditions & the back pain either. Turned into the road to head back & whoosh, full on head wind & a long uphill, not steep but quite grinding. I had actually forgot about that so my happiness was soon smacked out of me.

I started working out my times & thought i could be on for close to a 6 hour race, it would all depend on the run & I knew i could do a 1hr 59min half marathon. This again spurred me on to pedal harder again.

Bike route

Bike Split 3 hours 13 minutes

Arrived back at the dismount line and managed to get off without trashing any of the cones or bunting. Went to rack the bike and as per freaking usual the bike next to me had been racked the wrong way round & over my space. Still, had a good T2 & was out in 1 minute 28 seconds.

Intended to run this nice and steady so i could at least just try run it all. The last middle distance i did i had to walk most of it. First part was an out and back along the dam wall, (it is a dam, i'm not cursing the wall) was a nice little section & killed off 2 miles pretty quick. Passed Tim on the way out as he was coming back from the dam part, gave each other a high five, i knew he was on for a fantastic time. Looked at my watch and saw i was running a sub 9min/mile, clown, I'd done it again & gone off too quick without realising.

From 2 miles there was an out & back around the lake in the opposite direction. An undulating run on trail & road. Sun had also come out now so was starting to get hot. Reminded me of Monster Middle last year, although it was still a lot cooler than that day.

At about 2.5 miles my back really started hurting, I also started getting really bad stitch (i never get stitch), carried on for another half mile then just had to walk it was that painful. I was trying to massage my back as i was walking & managed to massage & burst an ISO gel in my back pocket, great, kick a man when he's down.

Got running again for another mile or so then it just turned into a case of walking the slopes & jogging the flat and downhill bits. I was gutted, bye bye any chance of a sub 6 hours. I then started trying to work out what pace i needed to get a sub 6 hours 30 mins, this was achievable i thought & again, spurred me on a bit more. Past Tim again, another high five, he was flying.

Finally reached the turnround point which meant just over 5 miles to go, less than two park runs.
On top of my back really hurting, my right shoulder had developed a pain & i could no longer swing my arm, i was having to hold it tight to my body as i ran. On top of that, the left ankle (the tendonites one) started swelling up again.

I was now having all sorts of negative thoughts. How on earth am i going to manage to do double these distances at Ironman UK, should i cancel it and do one next year. The 6 hour 30min time was also looking ropey now as well so i was then trying to cheer myself up by thinking that i could still probably come away with a PB. My previous half iron distance had been 6:40:46

Finally trotted in at 6:31:47. Even managed to smile and do a mobot when i crossed the line. Timing chip taken, there was coke, water, orange & melon (nice touch) available. You could also print your splits there and then.

Run route

Run split 2:25:32

I think Nice Tri are missing a bit of a trick here. Whenever you talk about this race it is referred to as 'The Grafman' so i think (although I'm no marketing expert) it would be more successful & would sell out if it was branded as such, i saw no Grafman branding anywhere on the event, other than on a couple of cyclist awareness signs on the routes.

It is all 'nice tri' events. Even the medals and free towel were branded 'nice tri', no reference to The Grafman. Website is also pretty poor. Be worth the organisers having a look at how 'Always Aim High' brand their events. Just a thought.

So, was it worth the price tag? Despite a couple of improvements (in my eyes) that could be made i would say it is. The instructions on every aspect of the event are very clear. There were plenty of food stations. The water looked very clean. There were more than enough marshalls all of which were friendly, supportive & helpful at all times. (One guy with tubs got a puncture and was going to withdrawal. A marshall drove back to race HQ and picked him up a spare wheel so he could finish the race)

The routes were the best signed routes I'd seen at a triathlon. You did also have the option to camp at the event as well.

Would i do it again though, probably not. If your one of the speedy triathletes though and haven't done it, give it a go, you could probably put in a great time on this one.

No pictures from this one unless i find some on line later. Family didn't come with me this time as it would have been a bit boring for them.

Need branding 'The Grafman'

That's it, 10.20pm now, bed time.

Cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund

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Lack lustre week

2013-06-02T11:44:00.001-07:00

Ironman UK Training Week 21

As the title suggests, this has been another poor training week. Again, down to ongoing calf issue & lack of motivation. Still haven't heard about the offshore job I'm waiting on so that's quite a big thing on my mind. Be good to know one way or the other.

Should also know more details about redundancy in a couple of weeks time, another thing whizzing round my head. I have already started circulating my CV round numerous offshore companies & also shortlisting training courses i will be attending after the chop. I certainly wont be sat idle.

On a positive, If i don't get the offshore job I will be able to do Ironman UK. Also, calf injury is pretty much better i think, although it was a bit twingy still on a short walk yesterday. One more week of run rest, then I have my second ever half Ironman event at Grafham water next Sunday with Tim Lebbon. Hoping to smash my PB from last year.

Training

Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calorie burn for April = 28,453
Calorie burn for May = 23,131
Calorie burn for June = 5805

Training time - 9 hrs 5 minutes

Tuesday

Bike - 1 hr 59 minutes

Wednesday

Open water swim - 55 minutes

2 x 800m laps & 1 x 400m lap at Whitlingham Lake. Still a bit chilly at 13 degrees. Think I'm

getting used to it though. Based on this time i think I'll be a bit quicker on my half ironman swim

this year

Saturday

Open water swim - 54 minutes

Same swim as Wednesday although 1 minute quicker. 14 degrees today but to be honest, i can't

really tell the difference between 12.5 -14 degrees anyway.

Sunday

Bike - 5 hours 17 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/292796537

79.53 mile bike ride today at a 15mph average so again good to keep that above my minimum

ironman average.

Headed out early today whilst the sun was shining. Was still a bit chilly in the 12mph head wind.

Went out to North Norfolk where i had Burnham Market as the turnaround point. The Chelsea of

Norfolk I had been told. Home of Amanda Holden & rumours that Johnny Depp also has a home here,

after being spotted numerous times in local stores.

Wasn't a bad ride out despite the wind, it even warmed up enough to take the arm warmers off by the

time I'd got to Burnham Market. Headed back through Burnham Thorpe, (past Lord Nelsons birthplace,

hopefully a good omen) Walsingham & back to Norwich.

The second leg of the ride was a lot better as on quieter roads, I messed up a bit with the outbound

route as i was on the A47 (busy road) for way to long. Will tweak it a bit for the next time. Didn't stop

to take church pictures either as there was so many, i would still be out there at midnight.

Longest ride of the year & no issues, happy with that.

Other

Don't envisage a lot of training next week as i have the Grafman on Sunday, once that is done though i

will be back training with a vengeance (if IMUK is still on)

Sorry not much to write about this week. Should be a bit more interesting after next weeks event.

cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund

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An Unexpected Journey, maybe

2013-05-26T12:52:00.004-07:00

Slow week on the training front. Mostly due to the ongoing calf issue plus a bad case of motivation deficiency.

The latter being brought on by circumstances surrounding my employment I think. I'm currently at redundancy risk so put out some feelers out a while back to see what other employment was about. On my return from The Slateman triathlon in Wales I had an email from my cousin Rob, about a potential job on the ship he is chief officer, in the Persian Gulf. "Could i send him my CV asap as they need someone quick?"

After my initial panic about leaving the comfort zone & my 12 year office job i determined this was a fantastic opportunity (even though i could lose out on a decent redundancy payment). This would get me travelling the world again, warmer climates, back at sea & in a diving environment (although commercial as opposed to recreational this time) & fantastic money.

Discussed it with the family, who despite the initial 6 weeks away concern, after talking it through, the 6 weeks at home would be a bonus & more than make up for the 6 away. So, CV was emailed to Rob, which received a 'he looks good to me mate, he'll piss it'' response from the boss, it was forwarded to the head office & it's now a case of watch this space.

Why is this relevant to my Fatman to Ironman campaign?

If I'm successful in getting the role it would probably mean my Ironman UK entry will be cancelled this year, as my first 6 week trip would more than likely run over the event date. Would be gutted about it but there would always be another Ironman whereas fantastic job opportunities are a lot rarer. As for training on the ship. There is a gymnasium on board & I can do my runs round the helideck.

This has now set my focus on where i want to go now so if anyone knows of other offshore opportunities give me a shout please.

Training

Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calorie burn for April = 28,453
Calorie burn for May = 21,484

Training Hours - 6 hours 58 minutes (not good) It is getting a bit demoralising not having my

training hours at least in double figures by now.

Wednesday

Open water Swim - 45 minutes

13 degrees down the lake tonight but nice and flat. Increased my distance to 1600m tonight.

Bike - 48 minutes

Saturday

Bike 3 hours 58 minutes + Run 11 minutes

Enjoyable ride around North Norfolk. Was a little bit windy on the way out but not overly bad. Funny how the head winds are always stronger than the tailwinds though! Didn't get off the bike for any of the ride which is probably the longest I've sat in the saddle without a break.

Did this as a little brick session. My calf was very painful, hence why i cut it short. Another trip to see the physio is on the cards.

Sunday

Bike - 1 hour

Just a leisurely ride around Norwich

Bike - 16 minutes - Went for a little ride with Arleya, get her used to road riding. Then did her bike/run brick down at our B&Q circuit. She is enjoying the road cycling. Said i would buy her a decent new racer if i get this new job.

Other

'The Grafman' - only 2 weeks till my Half Ironman & the running is a concern, even more so than when i wasn't injured. Thankfully there is an 8 week gap between this middle distance triathlon & the Ironman event. 8 weeks should then give enough time to be mended (famous last words)

Looking forward to meeting up with my Iron wing man, Tim at The Grafman. We are both also popping our cherries at Ironman UK this year. Tim sent me a copy of his new book the other day.

One for all you Star Wars fans

"Dawn of the Jedi, Into the Void" - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Into-Void-Star-Wars-Dawn/dp/0345541936/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369596738&sr=8-1&keywords=into+the+void

Little message in the cover. I'll certainly need the force to get through the day

Few extra pics have surfaced from The Slateman

Pre race

Job done, Richard & me in front of the Norwich City college tents

Deep in thought

Legs receiving their reward

cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

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The Slateman Triathlon 2013

2013-05-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

Ironman Training Week 19

The week is finally here for my first triathlon of 2013. The Slateman in Snowdonia. I have been really looking forward to this. My calf & ankle has also been a lot better this week so i was anticipating a great weekend.

Training

Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calorie burn for April = 28,453
Calorie burn for May = 15,208

Training Hours - 6 hours 12 minutes

Didn't do a great deal of training this week as I had the big weekend coming up

Monday

Bike - 34 minutes

Tuesday

Rest Day

Wednesday

Open Water Swim 35 minutes

Coldest one of the year for me. 12.5 degrees. Did about 1250 metres.

Thursday

Bike - 46 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/280699389

Friday

Bike - 32 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/283407017

Arrived in Llanberis today ready for the weekends triathlon so thought I'd go out for a little bit to make sure the bike was OK after the long drive over. Thought I'd have a ride up to the waterfall I'd heard about (turns out i went up the wrong hill anyway). Had to push the bike through a gate thing. As i got back on to pedal away up the hill i missed the clip on my peddle & toppled over in front of a load of hikers. As long as that was going to be my only mishap for the weekend I'll be happy.

Accommodation we stayed at in was Llanberis Lodges. Really friendly owner 'Bob', (sounded like Paul O'Grady). Room was really clean, breakfast was the best I've ever had in a B&B. Free WiFi was really handy as well.
Perfect location for the event, was only 5 minutes walk away from the start. Breakfast was 8am - 9am but Bob offered to do breakfast at whatever time i wanted to fit in with the triathlon or any training i had planned.
http://www.llanberislodges.co.uk/index.html

Had a wander down to the lake & dipped my toe in. Didnt feel as cold as i thought it would be so looking forward to getting in there on Sunday morning. Always Aim High had also arrived on Friday & had begun setting up transition & Race HQ.

Went for tea at Petes Eates. I stayed here years ago & ate in this place everyday as the food was great. Pete must have done a runner & it's changed hands as it was shite. Expensive for small portions. Served me up liver (made me heave) & bacon instead of the mixed grill i'd ordered. Wife's lasagna had hairs in it. Free wifi didn't work either!

View from the lodges

The Lake Swim

The run route out of the quarry

My transition spot

Saturday

Rest day, wander around & triathlon registration. Also went up to the Snowdon summit on the train.

Did a 5 minute cycle test, again to make sure everything was cool.

Had a walk up to the waterfall. Safer than cycling

Was freezing & view less on the summit

UK's highest Mobot, unless someone has done one on Ben Nevis

Sheep wandering about all over the place in llanberis. Caught these ones on video jumping over a high wall - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKMQFRPj0c4&list=UUPOUys3lPolCaHcOSl1xFOA&index=1

Sunday

The Slateman race report

Woke up at 6am, had arranged for breakfast to be done at 7am. First job was to have coffee, a shower & add race numbers to body and bike. Race numbers to go on your arms were temporary tattoo things as opposed to your perm marker scrawl.

Had a full fry up for breakfast (fuel of champions) Also started drinking a bottle of High 5 energy drink to prep me up. Headed off to transition to set up with Arleya at 8am

Off to the start, was a bit nippy but forecast was for temperatures to reach 16 degrees + today

Checking into transition had two check-points. Competitors had a blue wristband on to get past the first check-point. The next check-point you had to make sure you had your cycle helmet on and strapped up.

Sorting my kit out

Sceneic backdrop to the transition area

Race briefing was at 9am, everyone needed to be out of transition by 9.15am & heading towards the swim start. There were 4 waves to the swim. First at 9.30am then 10 minute intervals. I was in wave 4, based on my slow swimming. Took an energy gel prior to heading to the swim start.

With Richard, a fellow TriAnglian

13.9 degrees my arse!

We had just under 10 minutes in the water prior to the start which was plenty of time to acclimatise. went from a deep water start & for the first time i was confident enough to start in the pack as opposed to out the way at the back.
My new found confidence earned me a kick in the face two minutes after the start as some whale like creature came blundering over me.
Overall though the swim went pretty well. Red marker buoys are definitely easier for sighting than the big yellows we use down the lake here. I must be getting quicker as i even caught a green hat up from the previous wave.

Swim done

Run to T1

Was an easy exit from the water but a fairly long run back to transition. Lots of encouragement from the spectators though & the cow bells that everyone had gave it a nice touch.
1000 metre swim took - 30 minutes 49 seconds

Had a bit of a faff in T1 which took nearly 4 minutes, i did pack my wetsuit into my tri bag though & there was a good 30 second run to get out of transition again. Mind you, i still left T1 before a lot of the faster swimmers.

Cycle stage - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/283406925

Bike started off really well & was up to a 17mph average before i hit the start of the first and longest climb. This began by about the third mile & carried on till just over 5 miles. The climb wasn't exactly steep, it was just a relentless slog. Certainly got the heart pumping & legs burning though. By the time i got to the top my average speed had been reduced to around 13mph.

You were rewarded by spectacular views of the Snowdonian mountains & valley. Plus you had a fantastic fast descent through lots of smooth sweeping bends. Half way down the valley there were flags waving us to slow down. It looked like someone had plowed straight into a stone wall on a bend, emergency services were there sorting that out. Not sure of the exact details or if they were a competitor or not. Hope they were OK anyway.

Rest of the route was up and down but nothing difficult. Views were stunning all the way round. The sun had even come out to make it an even more special experience. By the time i was coming to the finish I had managed to get my average back up to 16.4mph. Also noticed i had smashed my top speed PB on a cycle by touching 40mph on one of the descents.

One disappointment on the ride was the abundance of energy gel wrappers that had been discarded along the route. Doesn't take anymore effort to put the wrappers in your back pocket & bin them after the race.

Cycle course stats

Arriving back at transition

T2 was a bit quicker. 2 minutes 10 seconds. This included having to move the bike that had been racked over my number, wiish some people would take an additional second to rack their bike in the right place?

Run stage

Only 11km's to go & i would have completed The Slateman. What a long 11k this turned out to be. Calf was a bit niggly as i set off, it normally is though & tends to settle down once i get warmed up.

First part of the run was across a field & out onto a tarmac road. You then ran along flat road into the slate quarry, round the edge of a crystal clear lake & along a semi circle bridge. The place looked like you were running round a Lord of The Rings set, it was quite stunning.

Just past the actual quarry you headed up a track, some were walking but i was determined not to walk no matter how slow i ran. First few inclines & switchbacks were fine, but the switchbacks became relentless and steeper to the point i had no choice but to walk. I lost count how many switchbacks there were, the small of my back was killing me every time i tried to run on the flat bits.

If I'm going to be on C4 in July i can guarantee it will be at the point that I'm totally done in trying to get out this quarry, where i spied a cameraman sat on a pile of slates filming

Finally made it to the top of the quarry after around 30 minutes

According to the guy who took this picture it was nearly all down from here. mmmm, wasn't quite the case & some of the steepest sections were still to come. From here you run a further half a mile which includes another hill before you reached the halfway water station.

It was then downhill for quite a way so it was nice to get running a bit better. However, some of the steep descents required some careful foot planting or risk taking a tumble over the rocky pathway

Once out of the greyness of the quarry you started a woodland trail part which again has some cheeky up bits in it & boulder jumping descents. You could however start to hear the announcers down in the valley as people were finishing. The steepest part of the course is up a concrete road about 3km from the finish. You then hit another check point where they take your number (make sure all are out the quarry).

My bad ankle had started to hurt now & was beginning to swell up again. The thought of putting it in the cold lake gave me more motivation to get a move on.

Came in to the finish area, lots of applause & cow bell clanging. As all the race numbers had names on them everyone shouted your name & gave encouragement

Coming in to finish

My finish time & splits

At the finish you received a slate coaster instead of a medal & a protein shake. Also plenty of water & biscuits.

Free (or give a donation) sports massages were available. These were provided by students who had come over from Norwich City College.

The Slateman was a brilliant, well organised event. The setting for it is stunning & i would highly recommend anyone doing it. There were also kids races, bands playing & other family entertainment going on in a tri festival atmosphere.

I will do it again next year & hopefully encourage a few more friends to come along for a fantastic weekend.

So, whats next?

Back on the training properly this week, depending on calf and ankle issue as usual. Only three weeks until my half ironman distance triathlon. The Grafman.

Other

Bought a Co2 bike pump. Will speed up any tyre inflation during a race if needed. Will also mean i can get 100psi into the tyre. Struggle to get half that with my hand pump. http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_951291_langId_-1_categoryId_165661

SKS Airgun

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Physiotherapy

2013-05-12T12:36:00.002-07:00

Ironman Training week 18

Have in the past been a bit sceptical of how worthwhile a trip to a physio would be. I've always been one for just heading to the doctors (as a last resort) if i ever need to get myself fixed, after all, why should we have to pay additional money to be mended when we already contribute to doctors & hospitals to do that.

As my ankle pain still didn't seem to be improving this week & i needed something doing due to the Slateman in two weeks, i decided it was time to bite the bullet & try out a physio. Two work colleagues i know have been waiting forever to see a physio through the NHS so that really wasn't an option.

Luckily for me one of the ladies from TriAnglia, Becky Schofield, has opened a practise 5 minutes from my office, so i dropped her an email & an appointment was made for a couple of days later.

After a thorough examination it turned out my right leg was slightly shorter than my left, as my pelvis wasn't level. This was contributing to the issues Ive had with my right calf muscle. Becky managed to improve this a bit in the session, but also gave me some exercises to help improve it on an ongoing basis. The Schofield lunge I believe it is referred to amongst TriAnglia members.

After that she did some acupuncture on my legs & feet, never had that before. Another, mmm, does that really work. Well, it certainly does. She stuck a couple in my calves & one in the top of my feet. All you feel is a sharp pin prick, which does feel like it goes in quite deep. Once the millisecond of discomfort is over it felt like the whole of my lower legs were relaxing & unwinding.

Final treatment was ultra sound over the inflamed part of my tendon then some tape was added to help calm it down.

Aftercare orders were. No running until the grinding in the tendon had stopped, Although i can do some aqua running. Carry on swimming & cycling but try not to bend the foot & aggravate the tendon more. 3 lunges each morning & evening on both legs. Plus before & after exercise.

Took about an hour i think & probably the best investment I've made in this years triathlon campaign.

Link to Becky's website below.
http://www.physioresolutions.co.uk/

Training

Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calorie burn for April = 28,453
Calorie burn for May = 11,221

Training Hours - 8 hours 24 minutes (bit better)

Monday

Bike - 1 hour 7 mins

This replaced the usual Monday evening swim session due to my tendonites

Tuesday

Bike - 47 minutes

Wednesday

Open Water Swim - 30 minutes

My first open water session for 2013. I was also doing my volunteer bit so had to get
down the lake for 5.30pm. Our swim sessions have a new format now, taking the stress
out of trying to get there for 6pm, cram an hours swim in, get out and gone. Was all a bit
rushed before.

So, started my swim at 7pm, my wetsuit still felt really snug despite my weight loss. Got
that claustrophobic feeling putting it on again, this soon subsided once in the water
though. Had a mission getting it on & off, going to need to lube it up or I'll be faffing
about for ages in T1 at The Slateman. bodyglide ordered.

Temperature was 14 degrees (Slateman lake was 12.5 degrees today). Did a bit of
head dunking etc to try & get used to the cold. Wasn't helping so i headed off doing
breastroke. A few minutes later i was into full front crawl flow.

The swim layout is slightly different now as well with 3 different courses you ca do. A
short 75m loop for beginners to practise & get used to the whole open water experience.
A 400m & 800m loop.

I just swam the 75m & 800m loops. Good thing about wearing the wetsuit is i didn't have
to use my legs, so didn't get any ankle pain. Made me feel a lot better about next weeks
triathlon. Cold saved me having to worry about icing it as well.

Thursday

Bike - 1 hour 7 minutes

Tied this in with my timing role of the works Thursday night run round the lake.

Friday

Rest day

Saturday

Open water Swim - 33 minutes

Lovely morning down the lake. Dropped the wife off at work then got down there for
8.45am. Just did 3 laps of the 400m loop. Taking it a bit easy while i still have the ankle
issue but will increase my distance by 400m each session till I'm up to ironman distance.
Plan to do open water swimming every Wednesday & alternate Saturdays

Our beautiful lake

Arleya Spielberg

Sunday

Run - 11 minutes (1.2 miles)

First run since the London marathon. As the ankle and calves are still not 100% this was
just a 'see if i can actually run' session. Also tried to run with the dog as my wife keeps
bugging me to take Sally with me on runs. I've chosen not too in the past due to the lack
of brain in my dog.

My fears of this not being a great idea were proved correct after I'd tripped over her
half a dozen times in the first couple of minutes.

Bike - 4 hours 9 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/277685507

Longest ride of the year. Just over 60 miles at a 14.5 mph average. Weather was a bit
crap. 15mph head wind for the first half then rain for the second. Had a few route
issues as well due to the Garmin taking me into the Stanford military training area.
Meant i had to mess about finding a new route to get round or risk getting my head
shot off.

Positive today was being able to spend more time on the tri bars, think I've nailed the
positioning there finally. Although I had a bit of lower back & shoulder ache.

Had the best tasting energy gel ever today. A freebie High 5 Banana gel (from last
weeks Waveney volunteering job). Totally non sickly, unlike the other gels i have .
Once I've used up my current supplies this will be the gel of choice going forwards.

Other

My first Triathlon of 2013 is next Sunday. The Slateman in Snowdonia. I'll be travelling
down Friday morning with the family for what will hopefully be a most enjoyable
weekend.

You can track my progress through the Slateman Tracker, link below
http://snowdoniaslateman.com/content/live-race-tracker#b=RYWNPLG4&v=ptrac

Found the cycle route on Strava. first 5 miles looks like it will be hard work. Rewards of
stunning scenery & long downhill stretches will be the rewards hopefully

Slateman bike route stava http://www.strava.com/segments/slateman-bike-1420621

Wiggle bargain if you use High 5 products like me. 50% off Iso Gels
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/high5-isogel-mixed-flavour-25-x-60g/

Think that's it for this week. Next update is likely to not be out until Tuesday due to the
Wales trip.

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

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Spring Waveney Triathlon 2013

2013-05-05T12:14:00.003-07:00

Ironman Training week 17 (disaster week)

So, off the back of the swimathon my left ankle swelled up like a balloon. Following the RICE procedure has helped but it's put me pretty much out of action for another week.

Had hoped it would have been better by now with some rest etc, but following my marshalling session at a triathlon today it has again swollen back up. Pretty gutted as I have The Slateman in 2 weeks & was hoping to start some open water training next week.

Going to have to bite the bullet & go see a physio, an additional cost i could do without at this time.
Through self diagnosis sounds like i have this http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport-injuries/ankle-achilles-shin-pain/tibialis-anterior-tendon-sheath-inflammation

On a positive, had the itinerary come through for The Slateman. Looks like a fun packed weekend is due to be had. Lots on for the families as well. Sky, Eurosports & Channel 4 will be there to film the event. Channel 4 due to broadcast on 21st July. Water temperature is still a bit nippy over there though at a barmy 10 degrees.

Training

Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calorie burn for April = 28,453
Calorie burn for May = 3489

Training hours this week = 3 hours 52 minutes

Not a great deal to report I'm afraid as far as training has gone. Did a painful walk to work and back on the Monday, about 2 miles there. Did spur me into getting my MTB out of the shed and use that to get to work and back the rest of the week. That accounted for 9 miles cycling.

Only bonus for this week is cycling doesn't aggravate my ankle. Means i will get round the Slateman regardless as i can swim the 1000m without using my legs & then just hobble round the run course if needs be.

Thursday

Started a running group at work. Based it on the Trianglia round the lake challenge. This is one lap of Whittlingham Broad, approx 2.2 miles
Had 7 turn up for the first week. More intending coming for the weeks ahead. I will run it throughout the summer then do a end of season race with handicaps based on everyones average times

First of the Thursday night runners

Saturday

Bike 3 hours 52 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/271926730

Really chuffed to have managed this considering. Again, it's made me feel a lot better knowing that despite my injury i can still knock out a 50+ mile ride without any difficulty.

Sunday

Spring Waveney - http://www.tri-anglia.co.uk/events/waveney-triathlon?q=waveney-1-2013

Marshalled at Spring Waveney today. Met a couple of people who i have only known on the Triathlon Internet forums which was nice. Well done Ali & Rachel. Was great as always to meet up with my fellow club mates as well.
Lovely sunny day, Arleya & myself were on the cycle mount /dismount line, as we were at last years spring Waveney.

The boss man, Vince from work took part, so was good to be able to cheer him on. Watched him do a great flying mount onto his bike, only to then make a total spoon of trying to get his feet into the shoes, which was quite funny.
He's still a lot quicker than my stop, get on bike & ride away grandad technique though.Well done Coxy.

Sharp exit for me to get home once all the bikes were back in, hit the Ibuprofen & get ice on my ankle again.

Wheres my shoes?

TriAnglian Joe Skipper shows us the way. Today's winner & a new course record. 44mins 30secs

Cheering on Coxy with Alibear

I AM MAN

As i have only marshalled the last three Waveney events I've decided to add the Autumn Waveney Triathlon to my planned schedule. Will make September a busy period with the Great Barrow Challenge & Club relays also falling in that month.

Other

Took Arleya out on her racer for a bit this evening. She has her first triathlon in June & has hardly used her racer. Local B&Q car park gives us a nice circuit for her to practise safely. One loop of the car park is about 480 metres.
She rode 4 laps then ran 1 lap x 2. We'll try get down there a couple of times a week then start increasing the distance.
Said she prefered cycling to running, just like dad. Guess i'll be having to buy her a decent road bike at some point then.

B&Q race circuit :-)

So, plan for the next week or so. Cycling for all the times i had set aside for running & swimming. Although i may have a little open water swim on Wednesday evening.

Trip to physio to see what can be done to sort my ankle out, will see if something can be done to my calves as well.

Talking to a lady at the Triathlon today who was promoting her husbands new venture in Triathlon winter training. Between January & March 2014 in Rwanda. Sounded really good, although winter training in warmer climates is a luxury out of my price range. Heres a link to the website though if anyone else is interested.
http://www.triathlontrainingrwanda.co.uk/

Cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

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Swimathon 2013 Weekend

2013-04-28T05:52:00.000-07:00

Ironman UK training week 16 completed. 14 training weeks to go. Scary thought considering the aches and pains that seem to be escalating now

Not much training done this week due to recovering from the London Marathon last Sunday. I've never known my calf's & quads to be so stiff.

Monday morning i had to slide down the stairs as i couldn't walk down. I'd booked the day off work as i knew i would be struggling. Thankfully nothing was damaged, unlike the last time i ran this race.

Training

Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calorie burn for April =
Calories burnt for the year =

Did a weigh in on Wednesday evening to see if I'd lost much off the back of the Marathon. My Garmin suggested I'd burnt 4800 calories running. May well be true as I'd had a 2 lb loss since my last weigh in taking me to a new PB of 13 stone 4 lbs

Monday

Nothing. Could hardly walk but did a gentle penguin style walk down to the end of my road & back

Tuesday

Walked to work, took an extra 15 minutes due to penguin walking

Wednesday

Swim 1 hour - 85 lengths in an hour

First 10 lengths wasn't great, felt like i had forgotten how to swim. Toe nail was also annoying as it felt like it was flapping about

Thursday

Bike 12 minutes - Legs were feeling loads better today although calf still hurt a bit. Thought I'd bike to work and back to see how that was.

Friday

Walked a couple of miles

Saturday

Bike - 1 hour 20 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/267010554

Planned a two hour ride today just to ease back in to full time IM training which will be back with a vengeance next week. However, legs felt really tired after 30 minutes so cut it shorter due to the 5k Swimathon i had to do the following day.

Sunday

Swim - Swimathon 2013 - 2 hr 20 min

Second event of the year. 5K swimathon at the UEA in Norwich. Like a crazy fool I'd picked a 9am start, on a Sunday. Went with a light breakfast, couple of slices of toast & a coffee. Took an energy drink with me just in case although i hoped to be able to complete the 200 lengths without stopping.

Got to UEA at 8.30am as an earlier email had asked us to. Non of the staff knew what was going on so a bunch of us Swimathoners were just milling about in the reception area. Eventually one of the Swimathon organisers rocked up about 8.45 & they let us through to get changed.

Not sure how they organised the lanes but there were around 4 people per lane, there were only 4 reserved lanes for us. Various groups there, I think there were 5k, 2.5k & teams doing the various challenges. I'd taken Arleya just in case I'd needed a counter. One of my friends at work had been asked to supply their own counter for her session the day before.

Started off at 9am, i was getting overtaken from the start. Same ol. One girl in my lane was really quick & flew past me every other lap. The other wasnt much quicker and seemed to take most of a length to get past me & then held me up when she turned round, which got a bit annoying after a couple of hours. but hey ho, no biggy. No doubt my plodding along was just as irritating for them.

I didn't finish too long behind them though, as despite their speed they were stopping for breathers & drinks whereas I just kept swimming away at my tortoise pace. Arleya overhead a man sat next to her saying. "That guy is trying to swim it all non stop, I think he's a tri-athlete" Arleya said she sat there with a smile thinking, yep, that's my dad & said she felt proud. ahhhh.

My calf's were fine throughout. Only niggle i had was my left shin/ankle, really got quite painful. Feels the same pain as shin splints but I'm sure it's not that. Hopefully whatever it is it will settle down over the next week. So couple of PB's there for me.

Furthest non stop swim
Furthest front crawl swim
Fastest Ironman distance swim split - 1hr 49mins

Latest bit of tin. I'm a sucker for a medal

Few more London Marathon Pictures

Making use of the extensive Battersea Travelodge lounge facilities. Pre marathon relaxation.

Shanksy & Sir Richard

My second London Marathon medal

Right lads, lets go eat!

Received a thank you letter from the Royal Anglian Regiment for the money raised so far which i thought was a nice touch. So, sharing that for everyone who has helped raise the money so far.

Back into the IM training from tomorrow then, bit concerned about the shin so will have to play it by ear as far as running is concerned.

Next event is The Slateman triathlon in Wales. Only 3 weeks away for that & I've not even been in open water yet this year. News is that Whitlingham Lane water temperature is up to about 13 degrees so we should be looking good for next weekend & the Tri Harder teams event down there. This is the event i bought my wet suit at last year. Come on down & try some open water swimming on Bank Holiday Monday.

Cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

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The Virgin London Marathon 2013

2013-04-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

Here we are then, totally off Ironman plan this week as i prepare for the weekends marathon.

Training
Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calorie burn for April = 19,143
Calories burnt for the year = 131,034

Monday

No training today although had a 2 mile walk to work and back. Calf still a bit painful. Bought some deep heat to rub in and have continued to use the foam roller.

Overshadowing any of this though is the terrible news that has come out of Boston tonight. A cowardly act of terrorism took place this evening with two bombs exploding near the Boston Marathon finish line. 3 people dead & many have been injured at the time of writing this. Why things like this happen is beyond me.

Thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.

Tuesday

No exercise again, sometimes think the calf is improving, then it starts aching again. So, foam roller, deep heat and ibuprofen is order of the day again.

Plan of action is now in place for the weekend. My friend Andy is doing all the driving, which gives me more rest. He will also run me up to Greenwich Park on the Sunday morning. Andy & Danny will then head into the city centre to watch the race.

Wednesday & Thursday

Cut out the hard foam rollering due to bruised calf. Have continued with light massaging and deep heat.

Friday

Finished work at 3.30pm to go buy supplies for the weekend. Also bought my dustbin lid sized pizza. Should be plenty of carbs in that. Packed all my bags ready for tomorrows trip to London

The Virgin London Marathon 2013 weekend

Crap nights sleep. Even worse than the sleep deprivation I've had for the past week. Had a normal breakfast of toast, banana, yogurt & waited for Andy & Danny to turn up at 8am. 8.10 am, no sign of the boys, was about to call them up to see if anyone is OK just as the knock on the door came. They had been driving round various parts of Lakenham as Andy had forgotten where i lived.

Ready to fire up the Sat Nav to find Andy's Sat Nav couldn't find the postcode for the Travelodge at Battersea. Luckily Danny had brought his so a quick rummage in the boot & we had a fresh Sat Nav with a route to follow. Time. 8.30am.

No music on the way down as Andy's radio didn't work outside of Norfolk (same as his Sat Nav) so he had asked us to bring ipod's. Although we had know means of connecting the iphones to the stereo though. (noticed on the way home, Danny pulled out a full thing of CD's from the glove compartment so not sure why ipods were needed.lol)

Arrived on the outskirts of London in pretty quick time. It was difficult to navigate with the sat Nav as Danny had set it up with the crappiest view, an aerial view that made no sense to anyone driving. Suggested changing it to first person perspective, happy days. We were going to head to the hotel first then shoot back over to Excel but seeing the Millennium dome not far away we decided to park near Poplar & catch the DLR from there, this saved us loads of time.

Arrived at Expo around 10.30am I think. Had a bit of a mission with the train ticket machine trying to work out what ticket we needed. The first of a couple of ticket machine issues.

Spent about two hours at the Expo. Our lunch consisted of protein bars and chewy energy sweets that were being offered out in abundance. Only bought some of my usual energy gels as they were £4 cheaper & a bag of energy beans (which turned out to be crap)

Registration took around 10 minutes including getting my chip.

Thoughts were always going to be with Boston

Andy & Danny tempted by Comrades

We were tempted into doing a few of the other marathons that were being promoted at the event.
Jerusalem looked interesting. Although security would be a concern, despite the guy promoting it telling me it was probably one of the safest marathons. Yeah right.

Others we were interested in are 4 days, 4 marathons in Ireland. Danny is thinking of doing Amsterdam this year. Both of us may do Berlin in 2014.

Leaving the Expo

Got to drive over Tower Bridge which was a novelty for us

Got to hotel around 2pm. Went to check in but they wanted a tenner for checking in an hour earlier. Battersea Travelodge is probably the scruffiest, miserably staffed hotel I've ever stayed in. At a mere £30 a night in London, it was OK though. Rooms were clean & good enough. As a resident we were also able to park for the whole weekend for £10 as well.

Decided not to take advantage of the £10 per hour early booking in charge or make use of the extensive lounge area (sarcasm). Headed up to a weatherspoons we'd past earlier to get some more lunch & take away the sickly taste of all the protein bars & energy gel sweets we had troffed in the Expo.

Pleasantly surprised to find the Weatherspoons prices in Battersea were the same as Norwich, so got a meal and drink for around £6 each. Andy was asked for his ID. Turned out this was a joke that the barman uses regularly, he then proceeded to go into detail about how often he used this hilarious joke.

Went back to the Hotel. Ended up having some bizarre conversations about Norwich being in Holland & there not being any sea view rooms in the Battersea Travelodge, with the guys on reception. Wished i hadn't made the joke comment 'can you tell me where the pool is please?'

Danny had also made a bad on the room booking & not booked twin beds, unfortunately there were no other spare rooms so they had to share a double bed. Much to my amusement & a weekend of gay boy banter.

Sorted my kit out for Sunday, pinned my number and black ribbon to my top then had a couple of hours dozing.

Went for tea at Wetherspoons then back to the Hotel for around 9pm. Sleep for me, spooning for Andy & Danny

The Virgin London Marathon Race day

Crap nights sleep, same ol. Woke up every hour from 1 am. Hotel was also quite noisy all night.
Got up at 6 am. Had a pot of porridge & a breakfast bar thing. Was going to have a second porridge pot but couldn't face it. Couple of cups of coffee, shower & i was ready to go.

Andy & Danny drove me towards Greenwich park, roads were clear till about a mile away so i hopped out the car & tubed the following bit. May have paid me to walk the rest of the mile from getting out the car because it felt like I'd walked another 2 miles once disembarking from the Tube.

Green start was great, still queues for toilets but blokes were only waiting for 5 minutes to use the urinals. Was a bit unpleasant wading to your trough through the soggy grass which one can only assume was your fellow runners urine.

Free coffee & tea. Had a chat with a few celebs then chucked my bag on the lorry. Didn't need to bother with a bin bag to keep warm this year as the weather was glorious sunshine.

Green Start & blue skys

Celebrity area

Probably some TOWIE's & Hollyoakers in this one. I wouldnt know who though.

Naga Munchetty from Breakfast TV

Ed Balls running for Whizz kids

Mike Bushell from Breakfast TV. Mike carried a video camera to film himself ll the way round

Susanna Reid from Breakfast TV

Harry Judd from McFly

Sophie Anderton

Andrew Strauss & Sophie Raworth in the background

Went to my starting pen at 9.50am and set my iphone to tweet & update FB via mapmyride app every mile. This turned out to be a disaster & i think only a few updates went out. Two people i was stood next to in the pen were from Norfolk. One lived in Bungay, cant remember what the other said but she had lived on Unthank Road for a while. Small world. A whistle blew & silence descended everywhere as everyone cast their thoughts to the victims of the Boston bombing earlier in the week.

As there were not as many runners going from green start i was going over the start line within 2 minutes . My plan had been to run round in around a 10 min/mile pace as this has been what I'm most comfortable at. However, the pace at the start was sub 9 min/mile. I decided to stay with this for a while to see how it went.

I had forgotten how crowded it was, it was like the first lap of Eaton park run in Norwich, but stayed like that for a good 12 miles.

Felt really good & I was keeping a sub 9min/mile pace for 6 miles & importantly, no calf pain. By 7 miles i was in to sub 10 min mile pace. My plan had now changed as i felt so good, & i was going to try hold this pace now as long as possible. Thoughts of a sub 4 hour run were flushing through my mind.

Mile 9, commeth the niggles. I never suffer from chafing, so i hadn't bothered with greasing up anywhere. So it was a surprise when i started to feel a burning sensation around my right arm pit. Took me another mile to realise what was actually happening. Thankfully there were lots of St Johns ambulance volunteers handing out Vaseline so i was able to grab a lump of that & proceeded to rub it everywhere.

16 miles i was still on a sub 10 min/mile. But i was starting to feel it now. Legs were starting to ache especially around my groin. Calves were remarkably fine. I was now in the hardest part of the Marathon in my opinion. The trek from Tower bridge round Docklands and back. You don't realise how far this is & it does seem to drag on & on.

The temperature had really ramped up by this point & i could feel my neck & head starting to burn. Last thing on any ones mind before the start was to put suncream on. The dextrose tabs I'd been munching on were really good. The sports beans had by now melted into one glob in my shorts though. Didn't really need to carry additional stuff as there were water stops every mile, Lucozade stops every few miles & two gel stations. Running though the gel station was like a night on the dance floor in the Waterfront, Norwich.

17 to 18 miles i was really slowing up. Down to sub 11 min/mile. This however had been my average pace over my my long training runs so i was feeling chuffed that I'd kept my pace up & only had 8 miles to go.

It was around this point i was running next to Sian Williams from the BBC. We saw a lady in front of us whose legs just turned to jelly & she slumped to the floor. Sian went back to help whilst the rest of us tried to find a paramedic to send down there. This was the first of many people i saw flake out from this point onwards.

I was really starting to struggle now & my legs were seizing up. I had a tight pain in the left hand side of my groin. I wanted to stop and walk a bit but one of my goals was to run it all. At 20 miles i was still trotting although my pace was sub 11 min/miles now.

At 23 miles i had to pull up, i could hardly move my left leg forward let alone run. I grabbed a barrier and started trying to stretch my groin and calves out. My legs were so wobbly when i stopped i must have looked like a baby giraffe. Even with that quick stop i still did a 12 min mile.

Only 3 miles to go, i was telling myself it is only a park run now, i do these every week. I could also feel a burning on the side of my foot which would no doubt be a blister. The most uncomfortable thing now though was feeling my toe nail being slowly tugged off with every step i took.

2 miles to go & i was having to run walk. Although this was minimal, the support from the crowd definitely played a big part in getting me running again.

Finally saw the 800 metres to go sign. The only thing on my mind now was to get in before 4 hours 30mins. I had wanted to video the finish so i got my phone and hit what i thought was record, videoing the crowds, myself and crossing the finish line. Turns out it was in camera mode so i just wound up with one photo of my feet.

Big, big thanks to the crowd, the support for 26 miles is unbelievable, such an amazing atmosphere

Finish time 4:29:31

London marathon route - http://app.strava.com/activities/50052734

Got my medal, bag & goody bag then called Danny & Andy who were in the VIP Grandstand. They actually met Richard Branson & family who were sat just behind them.

I had to stand up in the meet & great area so the lads could see me but i was starting to feel very flaky now. They arrived just in time & i was able to sit & sort my feet out. Toe nail was black & i had a blister the size of a slug on the side of my foot. Slipped into my sandals, that felt so good. Thanks to the girl who sorted out my Virgin stuff for that tip.

We headed for the after party which was a short walk (thankfully) to Planet Hollywood. As usual the Virgin staff were so friendly & hospitable. As i walked in to Planet Hollywood my name was announced over a loud speaker congratulating me for finishing. To which everyone i there turned round and applauded me. That was weird being centre of attention in an environment like that for that moment. Was a lovely touch though.

Free drinks were then dished out, Danny made the most of the free beer, good job as Andy & I were on cokes. Plateaus of food were coming round. Lots of food was available, i had a much needed plate of roast salmon & chips. Followed by a big slice of chocolate cake. With that & 3 pints of coke i was feeling alive again. I then went for my massage in the James Bond room which hit the spot.

The Virgin Air Hostesses were lovely girls.

Big thanks to all at Virgin for making our weekend even extra special. Their face to face customer service as ever is second to non.

So, left the party around 5pm & went back to the hotel in Battersea to get the car. Was a couple of miles walk from the tube but i think that helped loosen the legs a bit more.

Arrived home at 9pm, hugged my girls, showered, went to bed.

Will have a few more pictures to post up from the day once Andy & Danny send theirs through.

So, writing this on the morning after, feeling stiff as a board. Be no training until Wednesday when I'll go for a swim. May do a small bike ride on Thursday. The get ready for the 5k Swimathon next Sunday.

cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

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Amstel Gold Race 2013

2013-04-14T05:35:00.003-07:00

Another weekend, another week of training done & another classic cycle race. The Amstel Gold Classic. http://www.cyclingnews.com/amstel-gold-race/preview

Ironman UK training week 14 completed. 16 training weeks to go.

Cutting my training down a lot more than planned as part of my taper for the London Marathon. Did a bit of Internet research on tapering & i think my original plan of trying to continue doing my full Ironman bike and swim training up to a few days before the marathon was probably a bad idea, even without the injuries.

Need to hope this damn calf issue has cleared up properly this week so again no more running. Doubt my fitness would improve drastically over the next week anyway so going to play it safer & hopefully run fresher and injury free. Also done something to my hip at the allotment on Saturday so nothing seems to be going 100% well at the minute training wise.

Putting extra time in on the foam roller & stretching my weary limbs helps a lot. Shame i've had to cut down so much as the weather has turned quite nice this week.

Marathon after party passes and grandstand tickets have arrived. Hopefully get my run finished before Planet Hollywood starts kicking everyone out. Happy days, cant wait to get going now, although starting to feel a bit apprehensive about it.

Really hoping after the marathon i am able to start getting back on plan. I have a fairly easy week after it. Long runs are back down to around the 1 hour mark.

Training

Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calorie burn for April = 14,926
Calories burnt for the year = 126,817

Put 1lb back on so weight up to 13st 6lbs. Putting that down to Easter Holiday eating & also the reduction in training runs etc.

Training hours this week = 4 hours 53 minutes (hangs head in shame)

Monday

Swim 1 hour 1800 metres

350m warm up
4 x 50m kicking drills
2 x 50m wide catch up drills
2 x 100m - 20 sec rest
1 x 400m - 20 sec rest
4 x 100m - 20 sec rest
1 x 50m
100m Breastroke

Seemed to go quite well tonight. Kicking definitely feeling better and also arm stroke getting stronger

Tuesday

Bike 1 hour

Easy bike out to Surlingham and back. http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/256538426

Wednesday

Bike 30 minute - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/257112028

Swim1 hour

Had to do breaststroke all night because i forgot my goggles, still managed 73 lengths. Felt like the most boring swim of my life though.

Thursday

Rest day

Friday

Rest day

Saturday

Run 23 minutes - Park run.

Calf was starting to feel a lot better so thought i'd do a gentle park run. Should have just jogged round with Arleya but wound up running it in my 2nd quickest time ever. Calf was pretty tight for first 5 minutes but was fine after that.

By the evening though my calf was bad again so thinking park run wasn't the greatest idea after all. Going to bin any running till the marathon now just to be safe.

Sunday

Swim 1 hour

83 lengths done. Seems to have helped loosen up my dodgy hip.

That's it for this week, not really a great deal to write about. Next weeks blog should be better as it will have a full write up on the London Marathon weekend of excitement.

If you want to track my run in the event my race number is = 27476

cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz
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Paris - Roubaix 2013

2013-04-07T13:00:00.002-07:00

Bloody calves were killing again when i woke up Monday morning. So, the morning walk downstairs was a slow, tender one. Based on that, running is binned again till the weekend. Only two weeks to the London Marathon so hoping i this sorts itself out.

Great week off though, found it harder to get motivated for training mind. Hasn't helped with the abundance of cycle racing on such as Tour of Flanders, Basque Tour & some other obscure races and sportives

Not to mention my favourite classics race today, the Paris - Roubaix, Hell of the North. This is on my sportive list for next year & will be one of my main events. 53 kilometres on cobble stones, either my bike or I will fall to bits.

Paris - Roubaix was a great race with the favourite Fabian Cancellera winning, after a cheeky trip back to his team car making it look like he was in trouble, only to then catch up the packs and breakaway. Was left with Cancellera, Stybar & Vanmarke heading up the race until Stybar was hit in the face by a spectators camera on the penultimate cobbled section.

Cancellera & Vanmarke arrived at the Roubaix velodrome together, which ended in a finish resembling a track cycling sprint.

Prize for the most spectacular crash goes to Offredo who managed to ride straight into a road sign, do a swan dive over it and face plant into the tarmac. Thankfully he was OK. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1k76zwuRvU

Training

Calories burnt for the year = 122,132
Training hours this week = 13 hours 13 minutes

Monday

Swim 1 hour 51 minutes

Swam the Ironman distance tonight. A, because i wanted to make up for lost swim time last week & B, because i wanted to see how long it would take me now.

Pretty pleased with the result. Managed to do the whole 2.4 miles in front crawl, furthest i have ever swam front crawl. Plus, took 18 minutes off the last time i swam the 2.4 miles. So, happy to know i should have a good 30 minute cushion on the cut off time for this section. 5k swimathon in 3 weeks so also good bit of training for that.

Tuesday

Bike 1 hour 33 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/252393002

Should have been a 45 min bike 30 min run brick session but due to the ongoing calf issue i decided to go for a 75 minute bike ride. For a change it was a gloriously sunny day, although the wind was quite strong. Went early as i had to get back home to take Arleya to the cinema. (Jack the Giant slayer, pretty good film but not enough giant slaying in my opinion)

Totally misjudged the ride and it ended up taking an extra 17 minutes. Went a bit further than intended and because i didn't check the wind situation before leaving i had a head wind for the journey home. Still, nice to finally get to ride in the sunshine.

Wednesday

Swim 56 minutes, went with Arleya. Swam 72 lengths. Had a 50 metre race and i did it in 57 seconds. She wasn't far behind me at 1 minute 7 seconds. Arleya was actually a quicker swimmer than me for ages so another sign I'm getting better.

Walk 55 minutes, thought it would help the calves out rather than cycling.

Thursday

Bike 1 hour 1 minute http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/253575682

Grim all day, snow in the morning, 21 mph winds. Weather forecast said sun in the afternoon so i took a punt and waited just in case they were right. Thankfully they were and i managed to get out for an hour in sunshine.

Still windy and cold, especially on my freshly shaved head. Wasn't half as bad as the majority of my rides this year though.

Friday

Rest day

Saturday

Bike 3 hours 26 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/254461246

Hooked up with my friend Jim for this ride. As usual it took me a good 10 minutes riding round estates trying to find his house, not sure why i always struggle with this one??

Was a bit windy, 12mph but route had been planned heading into it so we could have a nice tail wind to bring us home, or so we thought. Only seemed to have head winds for the whole journey so not sure what happened there. Sun was shining though & by the halfway point I'd realised i had too many layers on. Shaved legs & cycle shorts in the not too distant future by the looks.

Discovered a new nutrition item that i like. A squares bar. A chewy rice crispy type thing. Although one large mouthful pulled my false tooth out & i nearly choked on it.
Beat the gel i had which was quite warm by the time i had to force that down, making it taste worse than these things normally do.

This was a lovely scenic route & i will do it again. Nothing really exciting happened although Jim had a bit of a moment. We had to pull up sharp at a junction where he failed to unclip & ended up lying in the road. Was a nice controlled fall though. I didn't laugh, yeah i did. Makes us 1- 1 on the unclipping fall offs.

Picked off 5 more churches. Could have got another 4 or 5 during this trip but needed to get back home for domestic duties that needed doing. http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/norfolk-church-count-106.html?spref=fb

Sunday

Bike 31 minutes - Nothing special. Quick ride up to UEA and back. Wound up in the middle of an Iceni Velo peleton on the way back round the ring road.

Swim 1 hour

86 lengths done in an hour, had the lane all to myself for the whole session.

Run 2 hours

Went down to Whitlingham country park to do the full two hours. Again, this will be my only run of the week. Calf muscle was pretty tight and annoying for the most part. Still, i guess there cant be anything seriously wrong if I'm still able to run for 2 hours.

Lovely run in the sunshine & was a fairly warm afternoon. Warm enough to get the legs out for a change & also not bother with a jacket. The country park was packed, BBQ's smoking away in abundance. Guess it has been the first decent weekend weather wise in 2013.

Will do a lot more calf stretching and foam rollering as i think this has helped more over the past couple of days.

Old Photos

As i haven't put many pics up recently thought I'd add a few olden goldies. With 2013 events starting again in two weeks time there should be an abundance of new ones coming for the rest of the year.

My new swimming coach, Flipper.

16+ stone Andy.This is me finishing the London Marathon in 2006. As I hadn't been able to run on the road due to a bad knee I had done all my training on a cross trainer. My feet were not ready for a 26 mile pounding on the road. Spent a week off work with my blackened feet in ice. Raised over £1200 for Leukaemia Research though.

The next pics are from my time as a diving instructor in Thailand. Great times & great friends.

Andy, Roz & me

IDC group. We all became Instructors & partied hard to celebrate

Underwater somewhere in Thailand

My work colleagues at Dive Asia.

Wembley Bar, Gibraltar. Late 80's

Skinny Andy in the Army. Think i was 20 in this one. One of the numerous occasions in Lathbury Barracks guard room.

My time a lorry driver. Think this would have been in the late 90's

Aftermath of one of my bike crashes, late 90's. Was gutted, this was one of my best ever bikes. This was at my parents house in Smallburgh. Lovely huge place in the old workhouse grounds, was just too big to maintain when dad got ill.

Climbed Scarfel Pike one Christmas with my brother. Turned into a total white out. We had to bring another group down who had got a bit lost.

Had really started piling the pounds on here. This was in Cuba a few years ago

Mucky Races. Think this was my first event. Was a nightmare. Still drunk from the night before, split my head open on a bridge as well.

Just finished The Great Barrow Challenge in 2012

Ran my first Half Marathon. Norwich 2012

Other

Bit of a warning, I bought a pair of sunglasses from a website which have turned out to be fake (doh). I confirmed this with the official customer care people at Oakley. They are aware of these sites & are in the process of getting them closed down. You will find these type of sites advertised on Facebook. I have also notified FB as well. Whether they will do anything about it, we will see.

http://www.oakleystore-us.com/oakley-sunglasses-half-jackets-light-black-hjlb006-p-3222.html

http://www.oakley-ukstore.net/oakley-sunglasses-half-jackets-light-black-hjlb006-p-389.html

Will just have to keep saving up for a pair of real Oakleys.

Watched this again last night. Certainly gets be buzzing for doing this race. The footage of the 2012 Slateman Triathlon, will be my first tri for this year. Judging by current temperatures its also likely to be my first open water swim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdqai8RJ3UA

Think thats it for this week

cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz
Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1

The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/

The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/

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Happy Easter

2013-03-31T12:35:00.002-07:00

Ironman UK Training Week 12

Week twelve became the first week of training where i have had to deviate from the planned sessions.

Woke up on Monday morning and could barely walk down the stairs, my calves were hurting so much, the right calf had bruised up quite nicely on the inside of the leg as well. Led me to think I'd actually torn the muscle.
Decision was made in that painful trip downstairs that i would be binning the running for a week . As i didn't want to reduce the training hours i planned to do cycling instead.

Following swimming Monday night, Speedo Stan suggested i wore my compression calf things at work as this would help, so, I've worn them full time since Tuesday, only removing for bed and showers.

Seems to have done the trick, thanks Speedo Stan. I'm writing this bit on Good Friday & calves are feeling OK now. Definitely be doing my 3 hour run on Sunday. Bit gutted i couldn't get into the Trowse 10k on Sunday but my fault for faffing about & not booking up in good time.

Had to make even more changes this week as well though. Suddenly came down with man flu at 9.30pm on Tuesday. It was an instant cold, I couldn't believe it. Spent the whole night awake with painful cough and sore throat. Managed to do an hours cycle instead of a run on Wednesday but drew the line at going swimming. Also witched my rest day from Friday to Thursday as still felt ropey.

Signed up for another event this weekend. Regretted not doing it last year so thought I'd best get in early to avoid similar Trowse disappointment. The Norwich Six Bridge River Swim 2013 on July 7th.
http://www.activeoutdoorsport.co.uk/?p=4110

Training

Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calorie burn for March = 47,799
Calories burnt for the year = 111,891

You want to lose weight, train for an Ironman! Big ramp up in calorie burn for March.

Training hours this week = 11 hours 4 minutes (planned 12 hours)

Monday

Swim 1 hour

300m warm up
4 x 50m kicking drill (20 second rest in between sets)
100m wide arm catch up drill

5 x 200m at CSS (30 second rest in between sets)

100m Breaststroke

Tuesday

Bike 1 hour 4 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/249005702

Headed out to Dunston Hall and cut through to Stoke Holy Cross, where i picked up the trianglia sprint route again. OK ride & didnt have any light disasters this time.

Wednesday

Bike 1 hour - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/249402466

Out and back to Rockland st Mary. One of my favourite areas to go cycling but for some reason i don't go too much. Nice and flat which was good due to me feeling shite with the man flu.

Thursday

Rest day, Pizza & feeling sorry for myself

Friday

Bike 1 hour - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/250383968

First day of 10 days off work for me today.Woke up to blue sky's and sunshine, which was how the day was supposed to go. So, spent the morning doing up another cycle ready for selling on Ebay & planned to do my hours ride later.
By the time i was ready to go it had started snowing again ?? So, another cold ride. Ride was OK though & was quite nice riding my bike since I'd sorted out the gears in the morning.

Saturday

Run - 30 minutes

Was struggling to decide whether to run this or not today. My calf was feeling about 80% OK but i didn't want to go do a 5k and muck it up for tomorrows long run. So, ignoring my wise caution I decided to run, although at a slow pace with a "my ribs hurt", "my legs hurt" Arleya.

Bike 3 hours - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/250768394

Guess what, yep, snow again, when will this weather turn? Moving back to Thailand is becoming more & more appealing with all this rubbish cold weather.

Rode 43 miles today, wasn't actually too bad, considering the snow flurries i felt relatively warm. Was less windy than it had been for the past couple of weeks, had a 12mph head wind out to Repps, no biggy.
Ride became even more enjoyable once past Potter Heigham as i had a tailwind pretty much all the way home. Dropped down into Horning through back roads I'd never been down before. Brought back a few memories riding through Horning from my wayward youth & the nights spent in the various pubs & gutters here.

Started snowing as i came into Horning which clouded my visibility a bit, clearing my glasses i nearly missed a left turn & had to pull up sharpish to make it, where i then nearly went into the side of a 4x4 coming down the lane. Evasive action into a field prevented a disaster there.

Had another sign of how my fitness as improved going through Wroxham. Coming out of Wroxham is an uphill drag, although not very steep. I remember when i first rode up this road I struggled to get to the top, on one occasion i even took a left turn down The Avenues to take a break. Didn't even notice it today, kept up the same pace without even breaking a sweat.

Past another 5 churches today taking the count to over 100 now. http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/

Sunday

Another great start to the day. No swimming as pool closed for a Gala, grrrrr. Sure this news wasn't on the UEA website the other day when i checked for closures. Planned 3 hours swimming this week reduced to 1 hour.

Will skip the coached session tomorrow and go for a longer swim at UEA to make up for it. Will swim the Ironman distance to see what my time for that is now. Pretty sure it took me 2 hours 10 minutes last time i did it. Although that was open water.

Bike 30 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/251259700

Got this in early seeing as the swimming was cancelled. Means i can be home to watch The Tour of Flanders before going for my long run this afternoon.

Run 3 hours - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/251434888

Really wasn't looking forward to this one. Although the bruising from the side of my calf had gone and it was no longer painful i could still feel twinges in the back of the muscle. No doubt aggravated by yesterdays pointless park run. Not to mention the thought of a 3 hour run wasn't exactly appealing.

I'd also nodded off on the sofa before i was due to go. Something i haven't done for a long while. Used to happen all the time when i was a fat smoker. Must be due to the clocks going forward & not getting home from the Easter Vigil until nearly 10.30pm the night before.

Anyway, after I stopped trying to think of lame excuses not to go I got out the door and started the run, cool, snow again. Which i don't actually mind whilst running. Did the usual route Ive done as the distances have increased. Down to Whitlingham Broad, round that then over to the UEA Lake. Calf just felt stiff for over 2 hours & the whole run just felt like a struggle.

After 90 minutes i started to get a rubbing on my arch, couldn't tell if i had some grit in my shoe or what so i just tried to juggle it about as i ran. Seemed to work, for about 5 minutes. Came to the conclusion that it was my foot rubbing against the insole. Do i stop & try sort it out? Nah, can sort the blister out when i get home, it would probably have popped by then anyway. Took my mind off my niggly calf.

I'd decided to wear the new shoes, I've only actually ran about 3 hours in them, longest time was an hour. Thought i needed to get them fully broken in asap as the marathon is in three weeks time. Would rather get a few blister issues now rather than during the race.

Apart from painful feet and calves that's about it for that run, no other mishaps or excitement. Plus i want to get this blog done and dusted so i can watch the rest of the Tour Of Flanders. Don't know who won so having to avoid Twitter & FB till I've watched the finish

Other

Race for life - A bunch of the ladies from my workplace will be taking part in the race for life. If you would like to sponsor them here's a link to their fund raising page. http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/aviva-gpp-girls

Next weeks classic cycle race is my favourite. Paris - Roubaix, 'Hell of the North'. The sportive the day before is also the main event i want to do next year. Will again be on Eurosports.

Put the bike on ebay if any ladies or girls are interested in a cheap racer bike.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=271181798596&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

That's about it. Enjoy your Easter Eggs, i got two :-)

Have a nice Easter

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1

The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/

The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/

Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
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Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forumhttp://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP=

Cycling in SNOW ! again

2013-03-24T12:30:00.002-07:00

Ironman UK Training Week 11

Over a third of the way through my training & all good, apart from the niggly calf muscle.
Only 4 weeks till the London Marathon, can't wait for my first event of 2013.

Training time will taper down after next week, in the run up to the marathon which I'm quite relieved about. The calf is a bit of a concern but more massaging & foam rolling, plus less running, should see it vanish, fingers crossed.

Nearly Easter and we are still experiencing snow. Really need the weather to improve as it is not helping with staying motivated. On the plus side, i should be well prepared if i have to experience any bad weather at this years events

Training

Calories burnt for the year = 101,402

Training hours this week = 12 hours 48 Minutes

Monday

Swim 1 hour

300m warm up
4 x 50m kicking drill. 20 second rest intervals
4 x 50m fist/swim drill. 20 second rest intervals
100m @ 90%
400m @ 80%
100m@ 90%
200m relaxed
100m breast stroke

Tuesday

Bike 48 minute/Run 15 minute brick session

Wet ride, further spoilt by my front light packing up 20 minutes away from home. Guess who forgot to charge the battery. Think I'll start carrying a back up light just in case

Luckily I'd decided to ride round the ring road rather than heading out into the sticks. I would have been a bit stuffed with the latter due to lack of streetlights in the country.

Usual out and back to Sainsbury on the run. Calves feel a bit tender today, ran in my new trainers as well which were pretty comfortable. Need to get them broken in before VLM.

Wednesday

Run 1 hour 1 minute

Run down, round the lake and back, usual Wednesday hourly run. Left calf still giving me a bit of hassle, hoping its better in time for the weekend long run.

Swim 1 hour 1 minute

Nothing exciting in this session, just swam up and down 84 times.

Thursday

Bike 1 hour 3 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/247001350

Decided to purchase a new back light before embarking on this ride. Reduce the risk of having an altercation with another punchy car driver.
Did the Trianglia sprint cycle route, no dramas, nothing really exciting to report either. Still awake?

Friday

Rest day

Saturday

Park Run - 29:33 minutes

Not a PB but i ran this with Arleya to pace her for a sub 30 minute time. She was only actually 34 seconds off her all time PB. Normally i cannot talk when running but found i was able to so quite easily at this pace.
A different story to my first park run last year, where i ran at the same but was blowing out my backside & seeing dots in front of my eyes. Little things like that are showing just how much my fitness levels have increased this past 18 months.
Will now pace her every fortnight to help speed her up. Alternate weeks i will go for a PB.

Bike 2 hours 57 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/247610466

Overran on the planned time by 12 minutes today. Due to headwinds & snow slowing me down.
Couldn't believe it, just about to head out & snow arrived! Should i switch to mountain bike or take a punt with the racer? I'd already planned the route, heading out east into the 21mph+ head winds (another appealing thought). Mountain biking round the woods would be a lot nicer.

Decided to man up (after reading Pete Hargreaves FB status about manning up for his ride), after all, I'm training for an Ironman and it isn't supposed to be easy so cracked on. Started off OK, I was extra warm with a multitude of layers on. The snow wasn't settling & the wind didn't seem too bad.

Headed out to Postwick & came up to a church i hadn't snapped before, did think of binning the whole church picture taking thing today as i just wanted to get the ride done. Ended up stopping at everyone i came too & managed to tick another 8 off the list. http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/

Snowed pretty much for the whole ride but it didn't seem that cold, i wasn't getting wet & it still wasn't settling. Once half way i got a mainly tailwinds to bring me home. Couldn't use the tri bars very much due to the gusty weather, i would have ended up in a hedge or under a car so played it safe and just stayed mainly on the drops. Still need to sort out the tri bar position as well as i just cant get comfortable in them.

As i came into Mousehold (i love riding through here) the snow really did come down hard, luckily i was only 5 minutes from home & got in with no dramas. .

Walked through the door and my kind daughter had ran a hot bath & had a cup of tea waiting because she thought i would be cold, nice touch & she has set a precedent on that one.

Sunday

Swim 1 hour

Just 80 lengths today. 20 of which were pull buoy drills. Trying to improve the strength of my stroke & keep the legs together more, so they are not constantly flapping about like Crazy Legs Crane.

Bike 28 minutes

The extra cycle ride has been added in to Sundays now. So, should have been a 30 minute ride but was cut short due to my chain snapping. Not only did it snap but also caused me to smack my knee against something on my bike, arrival, bruised swollen knee, just what i need.
Pushed bike home and shot off to Halfords to get a new chain. They wanted to charge me an extra £8 on top of the £26 for the chain to fit it. Took longer to clean the oil off my hands than fit the chain. I'll be carrying spare chain bits going forward for roadside repairs if required.

Run 2 hours 45 minutes - http://app.strava.com/activities/45694991

New PB then, time and distance. Was a bit of a mission running with my niggly calf and recently injured knee. Not to mention the 17mph + winds. Luckily my route didn't involve too many open spaces with head wind bits though.

Ran down to Whitlingham Lake, roads were nice and quiet on the way down. Makes a change for Norwich. I guess the weather has kept more people indoors than usual. One bonus for crap weather i suppose. Did one lap of the lake then headed back towards Eaton.

Took on a gel at 1hr 10 minutes. Was planning on doing another around 2 hrs 10 but again felt OK with just the one. Legs felt good despite the niggles, in fact, after an hour there was no pain anywhere, happy days.

Ran round the UEA lake, made sure i took a diversion round the spot i went arse over tit though. Most of the mud was pretty frozen today which was handy.

For the second time in a month running through the UEA woods i ended up in the middle of some kind of Lord of the Rings battle re-enactment. Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits and other Tolkien type characters whacking the shit out of each other with plastic weapons. Luckily my invisibility running cloak enabled me to pass through unseen and unscathed.

Windiest part of the run and the main bit i cant stand about this route anyway, running up the hill from the UEA river back up to the sportspark. A real drag and a chore.

Leaving the UEA i only had 45 minutes to go which was back round the ring road to home, quite uneventful. Nice cup of tea and hot bath waiting for me again when i got in.

Other

Arleya has begun her triathlon training, although we haven't been able to get out much on her bike due to the rubbish weather. She has park run on Saturdays & swimming on Fridays. She will be doing an additional run mid week as well. We'll add in a couple of bike sessions when the weather improves.
She does already have a good stamina base, built up from 8 years Karate training.

Signed her up for the Iron kids event at Ironman UK. Just a 2.5k run on the Saturday before my race, should be fun & they get to finish under the official Ironman gantry. Only £2 to enter. http://www.ironmanuk.com/index.php/ironman-uk/event-info/ironkids

cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz
Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1

The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/

The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/

Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
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Weight Loss & PB Week

2013-03-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

Ironman UK Training Week 10

Couple of good results this week. Dropped another 4lbs so now down to my lowest weight in over a decade. 13st 5lbs. Also managed to knock out a swim distance PB. More of that in the training part though.

Had another great result on the London Marathon front as well. Been given 'after party' event passes for Planet Hollywood & Grandstand seats for a couple of my friends at the marathon finish. So i now have a couple of groupies coming down to London with me. Only a month away, really looking forward to it.

Training

Calories burnt for the year = 89,647

Training hours this week = 11 hours 47 minutes

Monday

Swim. club coached session 1 hour

300m warm up, 100m kicking, 100m water polo drill.

Sets at CSS pace with 30 second rest in between

100m x 4
200m x 1
100m x 4
300m x 1
50m kicking drill

Tuesday

Bike 46 minutes/Run 15 minutes Brick session

Tried out a new hill tonight, 130ft. Thunder lane in Norwich. Seemed to go on for quite a while but a surprisingly enjoyable climb. Started snowing during my ride again, couldn't believe it after leaving work and seeing blue sky.

Run was my normal out and back to Sainsbury. Feel ready to up the distance on these Tuesday bricks now but I'll stick to plan to hopefully avoid injuries.

Wednesday

Run 1 hour 2 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/edit/243459718/

After a stressful couple of days work a good run was just what was needed. Felt nice relaxed and comfortable down to the lake and back. Good there has been a fair bit of work done down there to keep the pathways relatively bog free.

Swim 1 hour

250 metres 2 stroke breathing followed by 250m 3 stroke breathing. After that knocked out another 71 lengths concentrating mainly on my arm stroke. PB tonight for furthest I've ever done in an hour. 91 lengths in an hour.

Thursday

Bike 1 hour - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/243977560

Got back on a cycle climbing session this week. Stuck to my Mansfield Lane/Long John Hill loop. Didn't count how many times i went up them but achieved 844ft within the hour.

Friday

Rest day

Saturday

No park run today as car was due in for it's MOT & service. Had planned to do a little run but bike ride ended up being 20 minutes longer than planned, plus had to an additional ride to pick the car up. So, cancelled my 20 minute run for today. Probably do me good as my right calf has been a bit tight this week.

Bike 2 hours 49 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/244606224

Had to drop the car off for it's MOT first thing so took my bike & gear with me. Went straight out for my ride after this. Was a bit drizzly first thing but this soon stopped. Very windy today as well with 22mph + winds on the horizon. Good for us Norfolk cyclists though as the added resistance makes up for lack of hills.

Getting the hang of using the aero bottle now although everytime i take a drink i tend to dribble some over the Garmin. You also have to try and time your drink on smooth road or risk having your head impaled on the straw if you hit a bump.

Having a few issues with the aero bars, just cant get the position right and getting an ache in my left forearm. Had no problems last year. Thinking it may be down to all the extra layers I'm currently wearing, we;ll see when it becomes warm enough (if) for short sleeve attire.

So, ride was much more enjoyable than last week even with the banging head wind out to Attleborough. I stayed pretty dry & a lot warmer.Coming back from Attleborough was pretty quick as we had tail wind all the way, happy days.

Bike 24 minutes

Not really an official training ride, but a few more miles in the saddle to pick my car up & handover £350. Don't you just love owning a car!

Sunday

Run 2 hours 31 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/245035272

No Karate for Arleya today due to the club gradings so meant i could get out first thing & do my run before swim again. Weather was a lot better today, no rain and wind half what it was yesterday. Was a bit hot in my running jacket today so will be probably be binning that layer of running attire in a week or so.

Amalgamated two of my regular routes. From mine round Whit lane lake then back over to the UEA. Was really good, no mishaps although was still very boggy in places.

Had a couple of niggles but minor adjustments to my stride soon saw them vanish. Top of my inside leg was a bit tight today for most of the run. A good stretch should sort that out. Might get on my old stretching machine from the karate days.

Two PB's today. Longest time i have ran non stop for & also the furthest distance I have ever ran non stop.

Swim 1 hour

Intended to have a nice relaxed swim, legs were aching after the run. Not much time for a rest as i needed to get everything done in time to get home and watch the cycling.

Still managed 86 lengths, didn't do anything funky, just up and down. Would have probably been able to do a good 90 again even taking it easy but i did the last 6 really slow breaststroke. Hoping i could stretch the legs out a bit.

Next week sees the addition of another bike session, there is now a 30 minute ride added to the Sunday session. So, full triathlon every Sunday going forwards.

Other bits

Spring classics started today. Milan - San Remo being the first one. http://www.milansanremo.co.uk/
Good coverage on Eurosports again. Weather was atrocious and the race had to be stopped at one point & one of the climbs cancelled. Have a look at some of the pics David Millar tweeted @millarmind

Got a few donations in for this years charity 'The Royal Anglian Benevolent' fund. Up to £85. I will have spent over £1000 on events this year so would be good to get near to that. You can donate through the web page or by text.

Web page link - http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1

Or Text RABF84 £1 to 70070 to sponsor me.

For Trianglia members. Those who ordered Beanies, I now have them ready for collection. Contact me to collect please.

Think that's it.

Till next week, have fun.

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1

The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/

The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/

Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/287319678021088/

Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forum
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP=

Ironman UK Training Week 9

2013-03-10T10:49:00.002-07:00

Tough week this one, probably been the toughest so far. Busy work week, distances and training continue to increase at the same time as the weather severely deteriorated. Wind, snow, icy rain, flooded roads & boggy paths have been the order of the week, particularly so this weekend. Despite this added annoyance, week 9 training has been nailed with no missed sessions or injuries.

Training

Calories burnt for the year = 79,002

Training hours this week = 10 hours 56 minutes

Monday

Coached Swim Session 1 hour

350m warm up. 100m kicking, 100m lateral kicking, 100m catch up drill, 3 x 200m CSS swim.

Swam the CSS sections at 5.16, 5.21 & 5.41. Aiming for 5.40.

Did 50 metres with a pull buoy to try and stop me bending my knees when i kick. Then Matt filmed me for 50m to show me what my legs were doing. They were ridiculous & are obviously having little effect at moving me forwards.

So, i now need to make my pull stronger so I'll need to do more pull buoy sessions to try & help this.

Tuesday

Bike 45 minutes/Run 15 minutes Brick Session

Bit of a tri-bar, aero drink bottle try out tonight. Think i may have chopped the drinks bottle straw a bit short as it was a bit of a stretch trying to get on it. However, i kept sliding forwards on the bars & they seem a bit close together, so some minor adjustments needed there. This will probably raise the bottle to a more accessible height as well.

Out and back run again, nothing exciting, felt a bit quicker than usual.

Wednesday

Run 1 hour

Been interviewing at work this week so meant i had to stay till 5pm tonight. I normally leave at 3.30pm on a Wednesday so i can get my 1 hour run in before the swim

So, up at 6am to do it otherwise i wouldn't have got it in today. Felt horrible, legs ached & were quite stiff. Took about 20 minutes for my legs to warm up and then we were OK. Still, didn't enjoy it. No more early morning runs for me if i can help it.

Swim 1 hour

85 lengths done tonight. Lost track of exactly what i did. Forgot the pull buoy so couldn't do the intended drills, although Wednesday session probably isn't ideal as its fairly busy.

Did some alternate 250m's 2 stroke & 3 strokes between breaths. Did a few 4 strokes. Even did. Couple of 8 strokes before taking a breath. Had travelled half a length doing that.

Did a few lengths of breaststroke for a change as well

Thursday

Bike 1 hour 2 minutes http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/240892220

Did the Trianglia sprint cycle course in reverse. Aero bars and bottle in a lot better position today. Definitely chopped the bloody straw too short though, Muppet. Might look at adapting it to use the tube from my hydration pack.

Ride was OK though. Held a decent average, 15.8mph. Got hooted at by lots of clowns in cars for holding them up by a millisecond. Same ol.

Friday

Rest day

Saturday

Park run 21:59 New PB

Fancied going for another PB as was sure i had a sub 22 after last weeks run. Unfortunately Norwich had experienced a monsoon overnight and so Eaton park was as usual, flooded in numerous places & boggy round the boating lake.

Started nearer the front so i didn't get as held up as usual & took off in a mad sprint (didn't expect that)from the start. Snuck in behind Will & Kate from Trianglia as i knew they run really well, so tried to keep at their pace.
They had started to pull away by the end of the first lap but the fact they were still in my sights meant i must be doing OK. Couldn't pace myself for the first mile from the Garmin as the GPS hadn't started straight away.

Was a bit of a mare, hopping over and running through deep puddles every few seconds, disrupts any kind of relaxed or consistent running pace you try to achieve. Anyway, managed to come in under 22 minutes, just. Fourth park run in a row with a PB. Definitely more time to come off in better conditions. Although i doubt i will see such dramatic drops as previous weeks.

Bike 2 hours 16 minutes http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/241485720

Rained all morning and turned into snow by mid afternoon. Definitely the worst cycle ride I've been on. I was soaked and freezing after 40 minutes. Had to talk myself out of binning the ride numerous times. It's times like these that it pays me to have my strong will or my plain stubbornness.

Headed out to where i used to live, a little village called Smallburgh. Hasn't changed much, still looks as boring as it did years ago. Probably been even less exciting since us Baxters left. Roads were pretty flooded near Smallburgh church. The water was so deep at points my feet were going completely underwater as i peddled through.

To top the days misery off, 40 minutes to go and i was busting for a pee as well. Couldn't be bothered to stop and do it as i couldn't feel my fingers, or anything else for that matter. Just wanted to get home. Did debate just letting it flow in my cycling gear whilst riding, i was drenched anyway, you'll probably be pleased to know i decided not too.

Finally got in, took me a couple of hours to stop shivering. Arleya had to help me get my gear off (good job i hadn't pissed in it) as i was that numb. Still, job done & another training ride completed.

Managed to get a couple of church pics on the first half of the ride. http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/

Sunday

Run 2 hour 16 minutes http://app.strava.com/activities/43844290

Longest and furthest run ever today. Runs are into uncharted territory every week now.

Snowed for the duration. Was cold but i felt a lot warmer & happier than the day before, also a lot more comfortable. Run went really well, minimal niggles which was a result.

After last weeks near pass out i took a couple of gels with me this week. Done one at an hour & that saw me through to the end. Did start to feel like i was ready for another one after 2 hours so next week i will probably do 2. Ties in with my normal nutrition intake of a gel an hour which does me fine.

Changed my planned route a little as i knew the river run round to UEA would be boggy and slippy. Went round Colney Lane then dropped down through Cringleford woods to the UEA lake. Very clever. Clever until i ran into the UEA woods and twatted over into a large mud bath. I was caked in mud & looked like some kind of Bog Monster running around. Certainly had a few strange looks on my way back home.

Apart from buggering over really enjoyed today's run.

Swim 1 hour

76 lengths today, legs were a bit shot from the mornings run, not that i use my legs much anyway. Remembered the pull buoy today. Lanes were pretty quiet. Arrived just as Speedo Stan was finishing off a swim session with his family. Had the lane to myself for a good 40 lengths so did a few drills as advised by Stewart & Matt from the Monday coached sessions.

Session involved:

50m lateral kicking, 50m kicking, 100m pull buoy held lower leg to isolate leg movement & hopefully increase my pull power.

Another Trianglia member, Jonathan was there as well just as i finished. He's a very good swimmer & had also noted my legs are quite wide apart when i swim. Hopefully will get this issue sorted through the drills I'm currently doing.

Other bits

Ordered a new pair of running shoes this week as i really need to get them broken in for the London Marathon. Decided against the Newtons for now as i don't think i have enough time for a full and safe transition to running in them before London. Have also been fancying a pair of Adidas Energy Boost shoes that have just come out. However, could be an expensive mistake if they turn out to be unsuitable for me.

So, i decided to get the same shoes as i had last time, i know they will be fine, Saucony Progrid Guide 5's. Had a search about and found a pair at 47% off. £49.99 from Sportsshoes.com http://www.sportsshoes.com/product/SAU1468/saucony-progrid-guide-5-running-shoes/

Theres also a bonus 10% cash back for us Aviva employees if you go through your Aviva extras portal! I paid £95 last time so happy days.

The Anglian - Norfolk's first iron distance Triathlon. The routes have now been published on the website for those interested in doing this. Must say, the routes look great & will offer participants some breathtaking scenery along the North Norfolk coast & countryside. If i hadn't been doing Ironman UK I would have been definitely doing this one.
http://www.theanglian.co.uk/route/

Lots of running about today. Up at 6am. Took wife to work, dropped Arleya off at the local TA centre for her to go to Waterbeach for the regional cross country championships. Unfortunately she had been suffering with a really bad cough all week which still hadn't gone. She still managed to finish 13th out of 50 though with breathing difficulty, so well done to her.

Now time to relax on the sofa and catch up with all the stuff i have on Sky +. In particular the 6 stages I've recorded of Paris - Nice & Tirreno - Adriatico cycle comps.

Would also like to say thanks for all the support I've been receiving recently, in particular from my club friends & regulars on the various forums i post on. Definitely helps keep you going.

That's all for this week, good luck to everyone else with their training

cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz
Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1

The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/

The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/

Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
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Ironman UK Training Week 8

2013-03-03T12:36:00.000-08:00

Still rocking on, nailed a couple of PB's this week as well. Week 9 starts tomorrow. Nearly a third of the way through.

Training

Calorie burn January = 29,160
Calorie burn February = 34,932
Calories burnt for the year = 64,092

Training hours this week = 10 hours 28 minutes

Monday

Swim 1 hour coached session.

350m warm up, 200m kicks, 100m finger dragging drill. Then did 5 x 200m at my critical swim speed. Based on the previous weeks timed 200m & 400m swims i believe. Anyway, my CSS was 5.40 mins for 200m so i was supposed to try swim the 200's in that time

I did 5 sets at 5.06, 5.18, 5.25, 5.30, 5.33. Which wasn't far out & did feel comfortable.

Finished off with a couple of breaststroke lengths. Enjoyable, seemed to go really quick tonight.

Tuesday

Bike 47 minutes/Run 15 minutes brick

http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/237265610 - Bike.

Went out on the Trianglia sprint tri circuit tonight. Bit drizzly, electric pylons were making some funny old fizzing sounds when i was riding under them. No lighting disasters tonight. Run was an out and back again. Nothing much to report on tonight's training to be honest.

Wednesday

Run 1 hour

Nice easy jog down to Whitlingham round the lake and home.

Swim 1 hour

Breakthrough with the bilateral breathing tonight. Did 10 lengths doing the usual 2 stroke breathing on my right hand side. Then, alternated with bilateral breathing.

Once I'd got a few lengths of bilateral breathing down I started doing alternate lengths with different breathing/ stroke patterns.
25m 2 strokes
25m 3 strokes
25m 4 strokes
25m 5 strokes
Then back to beginning.

Finished off with 20 lengths of bilateral breathing

Thursday

Bike ride 1 hour - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/238073840

Bit of a crazy day, late home from work, had to quickly squeeze this in before taking my wife into the city, finally got to eat some tea at 9pm. So i didn't fancy hitting hills & instead just rode round the Norwich ring road.

Friday

Rest day & curry night

Saturday

Park Run - 22.02 new PB

After last nights curry really didn't fancy doing this. Although i love a phal, i know I'll suffer for it in the morning. Bit like knowing your going to have a crap hangover but still drink too much the night before.

Still, after initial issues I felt OK to nip up to Eaton park. Temperature was a bit warmer than it had been, this was also going to be my first Park run in the Newton trainers i got the other week.

Got a bit held up at the start, but by the time i got to the far end of the park it was fairly clear. Was surprised at my pace, was running at just over 7 minute miles. It was burning the lungs but i felt like i could carry on at the same pace. Second lap same, even had some sub 7 minute times flashing up on the Garmin. Managed to come in at 22.02. 68 seconds off previous PB, again, wish I'd pushed it a tad more and broken the 22 minute. Maybe next time.

Will be slower next week as I'm going to run round with Arleya, see if i can pace her so she can get a PB. Her best time to date is 28 minutes 59 seconds

Bike ride 2 hours 1 minute - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/238614670

Pleasant ride out. Not a great deal to say about it. Only stopped once at Attlebridge to take a picture of the church

Sunday

Swim 1 hour 2 minutes - 88 lengths

Really quiet down the pool today. I guess the initial crowds who appeared in January with their New Years resolutions to exercise may have started to dwindle. Everyone in the swim lanes was actually swimming rather than socialising as well, so a good, stress free session was had.

Did a bit more bilateral practise

10 x 25m 2 stroke breathing
10 x 25m 3 stroke breathing

Just alternated that for 80 lengths then did the last 200 metres 4 strokes

Run 2 hours - http://app.strava.com/activities/42995307

This was going OK until around 75 minutes then bonk, light headed & quite dizzy, sweats. Obviously hadn't eaten enough prior to the run. Thankfully i had decided to start taking a bottle of energy drink with me since the run times had increased, which is what managed to get me home. Was a tough final 45 minutes though.

Still 2 hours non stop running is a PB for me, although the distance isn't. Maybe next week, will take a gel with me next time.

Other

Friday afternoon an article sprung up on the works Intranet looking for people who might be interested in doing the Milan Marathon on April 7th.

Four places for a marathon entry, free flights and accommodation courtesy of Aviva Italy. Well, had to throw my name in the hat for that one. Just had to say you were fit to do the marathon & why you wanted to do it. Please let me do some training in a warm climate Aviva, even if it's only for a weekend. Hopefully find out this week.
http://milanocitymarathon.gazzetta.it/?lang=en

Fitted the new aero drink bottle & aero bars today

View from the cockpit

Almost finished Arleyas bike for her debut triathlon. Had a right issue cutting brake & gear cables. I've bought two different cutters now and they have both been shit & would struggle to cut string let alone a metal cable. May have to just splash out and buy a park tool pair which i know are good. Anyway, this is where we are at:

Complete with my old Boardman saddle & first computer i had

Dads turn

This was only up and down the road a few yards outside our house, for a few pics. Usual cycle rides do always involve wearing cycle helmets!

Finally. I've changed the charity i hope to raise money for this year although the Help for Heroes charity page will remain open.

My charity of choice this year is for The Royal Anglian Benevolent Fund. List of current events I'm signed up for are on the link below.

The Royal Anglian Regiment Benevolent Charity Fund was established to help the serving and former members of the Royal Anglian Regiment and their dependants who are: in need, hardship or distress.

Please donate what you can through my Just Giving page - http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1

That's all for this week

cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

Donate to The Royal Anglian Benevolent fund

http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Baxter1

Time to get fit blog
http://clearseaz-timetogetfit.blogspot.co.uk/

The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/

The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/

Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
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Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forum
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP=

Ironman UK Training Week 7

2013-02-24T12:33:00.002-08:00

Another week done, another week closer to Ironman UK. 23 weeks to go.

Lost another 2lb this week so now back down to 13st 9lbs. This was the lowest I got to in 2012

Should see the 10,000th hit on the blog over the next couple of days. Never thought it would reach that when i first started writing about quitting smoking and buying a bicycle.

Training

Calories burnt for the year = 59,166
Training hours this week = 10 hours 27minutes

Monday

Swim. 1 hour coached swim session

400 metre warm up, 100 metres using some training fins. Did some vertical kicks with the fins on to feel the muscles i should be using when kicking. Then did some one arm drills with fins and holding a float out front with one arm. Whilst doing this, practised lifting the elbow high out the water.

Tried it afterwards without the float, alternating sides after every 10 kicks. Unfortunately the first 25 metres was a disaster where i just sank as soon as i swapped sides. Next 25 metres went a lot better with no water consumption. Finished the session with some bog standard swimming.

Tuesday

Bike 46 minute/Run 16 minute brick session

http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/234708254 - Bike

Run was an out and back to Sainsbury. Actually ran the furthest yet on a 15 minute brick run. Just
over 2 miles.

Had a bit of a hairy bike moment hammering down a hill near Dunston Hall my bloody front light cut out & found myself travelling at over 20mph in total darkness. Luckily i was in the middle of the road other wise things could have got a bit funky. Note to self, make sure i connect light to battery properly!

Wednesday

Run 1 hour 1 minute.

Ran just under 6 miles, down to the lake and back. Something up with my Garmin Forerunner. For some reason it's not logging my starts correctly & chopping off parts of the runs.

Calf's feeling OK today, I've managed to get the knot out of my left muscle which has made running a lot more comfortable.
In a dilemma about trainers now. I worked out Ive done 372 miles in my Saucony's so i they are probably due for replacing. They certainly will by VLM . I don't want to buy a big chunky pair again as I'm trying to move to the more minimalist shoe. However, it's less than 2 months till the marathon & I'm not sure if i can make the transition to running that distance in the minimalist shoe???

Swim 1 hour 1 minute

‎82 lengths tonight so a bit less than last week but i had a go at some bilateral breathing. Normally i just breath on my right side every two strokes. This is what Ive got used to, relaxed strokes and breathing was my biggest front crawl hurdle.

First i did a few 4 strokes between breaths (on the right side) then a 6 stroke, that was quite hard and it took a good half a length to get my breathing back under control again.

Did some alternative 2 stroke/3 strokes for a couple of lengths, felt really awkward on the left side and found I'm lifting my head a long way out the water. Eventually managed to do about 6 lengths of bilateral breathing. Certainly easier once i got a bit more rotation going on.

Found this link tonight which talks about bilateral breathing.

http://www.swimsmooth.com/bilateral.html

Something else to keep practising

Thursday

Bike 1 hour 11 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/235255704

Bit of a chilly one, couple of days off work now so did this first thing. Now got no training for 48 hours which is quite a nice thought. May try do some pre work Thursday bike rides so i get the same extended rest period.
Didn't go with hill training this week as it was day time, thought I'd head out to the country for a bit. Managed to find a church i couldnt find at Rackheath previously.

Friday

Rest Day

Saturday

Didn't do Park run this week as doing my volunteer bit. Quite handy really as it was snowy and cold.
Still, went out and did a little run later as part of my Newton shoes transition

Run 21 minute - Just a little one

Bike 2 hours 4 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/235920080

Took a bit of self motivating to get out the door for this one. Snowing, cold and breezy. First hour was a bit of a mare but after that the sun had decided to come out a bit which was very welcome.
Ticked off another few churches http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/norfolk-church-count-81.html

Wrap up warm

Today made me think of a song from my favourite group of all time, AC/DC. For those of us striving for our first Ironman. Despite crap weather or other issues & knowing it would be easier just to sit at home in the warm laying on the sofa. That attitude won't get me to the finish line on August 4th!

When the cycling gets tough you just gotta 'Ride on'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNdagpIgItw

Apologise for the cheese

Sunday

Run 1 hour 45 minutes - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/236243602

Really loved today's run even though my legs were seriously bitching after 90 minutes. Don't think it helped having a lot of uphill towards the end. Snowed a bit but nothing drastic. Quite handy that there had been a freeze overnight or the muddy bog path along the river at Eaton would have been a nightmare again.
Felt very relaxed on the run, had happy thoughts running through my head about completing the various events this year. Particularly London Marathon & IMUK.

As i posted on my FB earlier. "Ironman training. Somedays I love it, Somedays i hate. Today is a love it day".

Swim 1 hour 2 minute

Went for the 50 metre swim session tonight. Still only managed the same as last week. 40 lengths in the hour. I did do a fair bit of bilateral breathing again though.

Other

Slight setback this week although it hasn't stopped my training, yet. I've suffered in the past with an abscess under my tailbone, although i haven't had any problems for over a year I was supposed to go up the hospital next time it flared up so it could be operated on.

Problem is, the operation results in a 8-10 week recovery period as it is a pain to heal. Not an ideal time for me to have 10 weeks off work nor losing 10 weeks out of my training plan. So, hoping i can get away with antibiotics to clear it up again. Thankfully my cycle seat is a perfect mould that removes any pressure away from the painful area.

Tribars going back on the bike this week. Need to get used to them again. Also ordered an Aero Drink bottle that will fit between them. Should encourage me to drink more & also enables me to do it whilst staying in an aero position. Would have liked to fit a speedfill system but that is a bit pricey for now..

Halfords was the cheapest for bottle and bracket. They currently have a 20% discount on cycle accessory web purchases. Plus i got my Aviva 3% cash back on it.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&productId=561677&catalogId=10151

Cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

My charity page for event listings & making a donationhttp://www.bmycharity.com/clearseaz

The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/

The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/

Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
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Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forumhttp://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP=

Ironman UK Training Week 6

2013-02-17T12:53:00.003-08:00

Week 6 of the 30 week plan. Still remaining pretty much injury free & no planned sessions cancelled yet. Biggest issue i am having is a knot the size of a walnut in my calf muscle. Although regular massaging of it and foam roller use seems to be helping. Any advice on sorting out the calf muscles would be appreciated.

Training

Calories burnt for the year = 49,857
Training hours this week = 9 hours 54 mins

Monday

Coached swim 1 hour

400m warm up followed by 4 x 50m with the kickboard. Then 150m of those finger dragging drills.
Whole bunch of lengths, didnt count them but worked on my arm technique, felt like it was getting better, i was managing to keep up a bit more with the others tonight.

Penultimate set was a 200m time trial which i did in 4 minutes 39 seconds.

East coast Triathlon 250m swim took me 7 minutes 33 seconds.

Although i'm not doing any sprint triathlons this year i may have to revisit some of the ones i did last year in 2014. Just so i can see what progress i have made.

Tuesday

Bike 46 minutes / Run 15 minutes brick session

First step up on the weekly brick, extra 15 minutes on the bike ride. Started to increase my pace as

well. Bike ride Average 15.1 mph & run was a 8.48 min/mile average.

Heres the routes, both out and backs

http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/232035940

http://app.strava.com/activities/40678991

Wednesday

Run 1hour 2 minute

Run felt ok but suffering when i got back. Shins now really painfull & calf muscles aching. Although i use the foam roller daily, going to have to spend more time on the calf muscles to sort myself out. Either that or seriously consider dropping a run.

Swim 1 hour

New PB on the swim. 88 x 25m lengths within the hour.

Thursday

Bike 1 hour 1 minute - Hill training 865ft

http://app.strava.com/activities/40876940

Did 7 climbs of Long John Hill in Norwich. Was glad when it was over, not the most exciting hours ride. Next weeks plan will be a circuit including Mansfield Lane climb and Long John Hill on each lap. Quite handy as these two are on my doorstep so i dont waste time riding over to Thorpe.

Friday

Rest day

Saturday

Run 17 minutes

Didn't do park run today. Acquired a pair of Newton Sir Isaac running shoes that a member of Trianglia couldnt get on with. Newton website suggested a slow transition into using them, hence the short run today. Will build up the time in them over the next few weeks. Meldy the wise woman from the RW forum also suggested doing warm ups using them as well.

Have to say, first impressions were very good. Definitely encourage a mid foot strike. Although i had been trying to adjust to this in my other shoes, it was quite easy to slip back into heel striking, because of the size of the clumping great heels i suppose.

Newton Sir Isaac running shoe
http://www.newtonrunning.com/shop/men-running-shoes/guidance-2010-white-black-sir-isaac-wide

Bike 2 hours 1 minute - http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/233330812

Great ride today, warm and sunny, little wind. Kept a good average speed, although it has been very distorted due to strolling round Wymondham Abbey with the timer still running. Feeling a lot happier about being able to hold a decent time over the 112 mile Ironman ride.

Ticked off another 5 Churches today bringing my total to 78.
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/norfolk-church-count-78.html

Sunday

Run 90 minutes - http://app.strava.com/activities/41214234

Comfortable 9 mile run down to to Whittlingham country park & back. No issues, quite a few runners down there. Very muddy though down the bottom end of the lake as usual, although looks like they are tryng to sort it out with wood/bark chippings.

Swim 1 hour 1 minute

As Arleya has been ill this weekend there was no Karate for her so I didnt have to go to the UEA in the morning, i'll normally do this session whilst she is training. Gave me the opportunity to go this evening and give it a go in the 50 metre pool.

Was good but i was a bit slower, mainly due to people socialising on the side of the pool and getting in the way, despite this session supposedly meant for lane swimming. Some people were stopping mid length, treading water & chatting, quite bizzarre?? There are only 4 lanes available as the clubs use the other 4. I did switch into one of the middle lanes in the end which was a lot better.

Other stuff

Struggling for pictures this week so here are some token visuals for this week.

My new Trianglia beanie. Should stop Jeff (IronYank) mugging me off about myYankees beanie everytime he see's it.

I'm putting together a bulk order for trianglia members at the end of the month so pop onto the club website and place your orders.

The Blueseventy transition bag i won for completing an online triathlon survey arrived this week. Never imagined i would be so impressed with a bag but this thing is fantastic. Compartments for everything you could possibly need in a triathlon, including a waterproof wetsuit compartment. It even has a little hole thing for your headphones to connect through to an MP3 player in your bag.

http://www.blueseventy.co.uk/collections/accessories/products/transition-bag

Now this next picture is very exciting, not. The Newtons Paul at Trianglia sold me for a tenner to try out. Very comfortable & a perfect fit. Probably a better fit than my Saucony's.

Thats all folks

Cheers

Andy

Follow me on Twitter @clearseaz

My charity page for event listings & making a donationhttp://www.bmycharity.com/clearseaz

The Cycling Norfolk Church Spotter
http://thecyclingnorfolkchurchspotter.blogspot.co.uk/

The allotment Journey Blog
http://allotmentjourney.blogspot.co.uk/

Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/287319678021088/

Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forumhttp://wwwrunnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP=