It’s been a while since I last posted and I know in my resolutions post earlier this year, I promised to write about how I plan to structure my training in 2014. Well finally here it is.

As previously outlined, the aim was to come up with something that includes all of the following:

• is flexible enough to cope with the demands of both family life and work, without the need to drop sessions
• includes plenty of opportunities for rest
• covers not just swim, bike and run but also core and flexibility sessions

It’s going to be a long season, so for the first time I am committed to undertaking a large block of base training of at least three months. It was the back end of January before I lost the after effects of my viral infection and was able to start any training and when I did it was a real shock to how much run fitness and speed I had lost. However I was still committed to the base training block, so set about consistently putting in long slow sessions.

The Plan

My plan was to work on weekly blocks and simply aim to do 2 swim, 2 run and 2 bike sessions per week. No real structure to the training, just consistently getting back into the habit of regular training.

The other change was to look to move my long run out of the weekend and to Monday evening. The main reason for this was to free up the Sunday as a rest day and allow time with the family. With Cambridge Half Marathon approaching I knew I was going to need to push my long run out to over 20km, which had a base level of speed would take around 2 hours. This was still achievable in the evening after the kids had gone to bed, reducing the impact on family time.

Swims would be easy lunchtime sessions, probably in the 1000–1500m range. This is the most convenient time to do these and also allows me to double up with another session later in the day. Bike sessions would be predominantly on the turbo, getting outside on my own or with Ely Tri Club when possible. Hard internal sessions on the turbo would be avoided for now, with longer endurance sessions focussing on pedal efficiency being the mainstay for the coming months.

Finally core sessions would be dropped in where possible, ideally twice a week but at a minimum once a week. The aim is to come up with a schedule which is flexible enough to allow me to move sessions around to accommodate family and work requirements,  focuses on slow steady training to build the endurance base and gets me back into the habit of training

So with all that in mind a typical training week would look as follows:

Mon: Long run (PM)
Tue: Swim (lunch) and turbo (PM)
Wed: Core and flexibility session (AM)
Thu: Run (PM)
Fri: Swim (lunch)
Sat: Long ride or turbo session (1.5–2 hours), possible short run off the bike
Sun: REST

In terms of week to week, the plan was to operate in 3 week cycles, with 2 build weeks and an easier third week to allow recovery.

Review and improve

I have been following this pattern now for a month and the biggest thing I have learnt is that a weekly cycle does not allow enough flexibility. If other commitments come up early in the week, sessions can be missed and then the rest of the week is all about playing catch-up and trying, generally unsuccessfully, to hit all the sessions.

My conclusion? Switch to a ten day cycle!

I will add in an additional swim, bike and run session to the ten day block but with the additional days and the ability to double the swim up with another session or the bike up with a run, I should have more flexibility to absorb other commitments into the schedule.

I have Cambridge Half Marathon and Wiggle Sportive coming up over the next few weeks, in fact the Wiggle Sportive was yesterday but more on that later. After these I will take an easier recovery week and will look to begin the ten day cycle. I will also extend the base phase through to the end of April, to reflect the late start in January and also to provide time to build a nice fat base level of fitness.

This is all work in progress and the number one rule is to be flexible and accept that changes may be necessary. Based on the last few weeks I really believe the ten day cycle will work better for me and my lifestyle. However I will not know for sure until I have put it into practice.

Further reading

Would be interested in other peoples thoughts? What sort of cycle do you work on? Does a week work for you or is ten days easier?  Please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments below.

Interestingly after having written this post I listened to the latest Kinetic Revolution Podcast, where they interview Gary Reynolds who has blogged on the subject of using ten day or longer cycles over a week.  Its definitely worth a listen and also checking out the article on the Gary’s blog.

I’m now back at work, so my body has that added stress to deal with, so the plan for week one is to keep it nice and simple. One session each of swim, bike and run. That’s all! Nothing complicated, just nice and easy, going by feel and seeing how my body reacts.

Hopefully this will give me something to build upon over the next week or so, before starting my new training schedule for 2014 but more of that in my next post.

Wish me luck, will keep you posted on how it goes!

Photo credit to Mirka23 on Flickr

Well it’s been a rough start to 2014!

This week I’ve been diagnosed with a severe viral infection. The whole family has had it and its dragged on for a weeks, wiping out Christmas and really knocked the stuffing out of my wife and myself. This has obviously meant no training for over three weeks, which would usually freak me out but for once I’m seeing as a good thing.

Usually, after Christmas, I hit the training hard – some would say too hard! An additional kilogram or few after Christmas combined with New Year zeal, are usually the chief instigators of this. Prolonged sickness has forced me to take a break and will also require me to ease back into my training slowly. Both of which are good things surely!

Yes I will have lost some fitness and speed. Yes it will mean I am unlikely to hit the time I had hoped for in the Cambridge Half Marathon in March (1:40). It is however a long year and a slow start will help me build a good solid base of fitness which I can then carry through the year.

So speed can wait, for now its a focus on base training – so lots of slow steady sessions. Health is improving nicely, so the aim is to ease back into training at some point next week with some light sessions. A little later than planned but worth the rest/wait!

I enter 2014 a sick and broken man (don’t ask) following the chaos that was 2013. I therefore feel the need to put some basic markers in the ground around my training and fitness for 2014.

Why just fitness I hear your cry?

Simple, I have already come up with four resolutions to try and follow in all aspects of everyday life, which are:

1. Keep it simple
2. Have some fun
3. Put family first
4. Trust your gut instinct

Whatever I am doing, every day, if in doubt, I will check these four and only proceed if I come up with ticks against all of them. A little Zen/hippy for me I know but something needs to change and this seems a great place to start

No long race tick list then?

Well yes there will be a race list as always but remember the 4 resolutions above?

Races are something to not only enjoy but also fit in with the rest of family life. I know it works for some but personally speaking I don’t want a race list to beat myself with everyday, only to get to the end of 2014 another broken man, having totally failed to meet my initial overly optimistic goals.

Trust me have tried it too many times before and have definitely got that race T-shirt!

Interestingly back last summer this is exactly how I wanted to approach 2014.

“I am 40 next year and must come up with a [manic] race schedule to celebrate it.”

Yes I am 40 this year [gulp!] and yes I do want to do some great races, that I can look back on with a sense of achievement at the end of the year. However they should enhance the year and not be the structure that the year is built around … well not entirely!

So yes there will be races in my 40th year – some crackers I hope, some are even already booked! Yes I will train for them seriously and document the whole experience here. However I will go with the flow and see how the year pans out, make decisions off the cuff and only add to the events ones that tickle my fancy.

For instance, I would love to add a half ironman to the list and if my swim gets its self back into shape by the summer then maybe but if not, so be it. There is always 2015!

So in the interests of “keeping it simple”, I figured it was worth looking at some higher level fitness/training focused resolutions that I can gingerly pin up here. Nothing major but something that will be both good for me and help me towards larger goals.

So without further ado, here we go …

Sort my swim out – again!

I am the first to admit that in 2013 I undid all of my hard work from 2011 & 12 by hardly swimming at all.

“I’m not doing any triathlons”, I said. “It’s much easier to run and cycle and seeing as your 2013 races are all duathlons, it’s more appropriate anyway!”.

Big mistake!

Aside from the swimming I had to do as part of my L2 coaching assessment and sessions, I have done little personal training in the pool in the last 12 months and what I did do felt terrible.

More importantly I have developed a massive mental block around swimming during 2013, convinced I am a terrible swimmer and take that negativity into every session I do. Is it little wonder I fail or avoid getting into the pool!?

So it’s time to reset the situation and start with the basics again.

The first step is to make it habitual and break the mental block.

So here and now I am committing to getting in the pool or lake an average number of times a week, as part of my training. I am not the terrible swimmer I think I am, so get in the water, swim and the improvements will come/return!

Work sometimes gets in the way but I think twice weekly is achievable as an average, so that is what I will aim to do in 2014.

Commit to consistent training

Fairly straight forward this one. It’s worked for me before and it will work again. Little and often always beats total randomness and also generally avoids injury, illness and overtraining!

By consistently training you will see improvements. Throw in a bit of variation in terms of volume and intensity and you can achieve your goals. Include some flexibility and you can fit it around almost any schedule.

So the aim for 2014 is to come up with a simple (bored of that word already yet?) weekly structure which is adaptable and I can easily fit around family and work life.

It will also hopefully have the additional benefit of setting family expectations as well and letting them know when they can rely on me being there for them. This is a negotiation and not just me telling them by the way, the structure is built with their input.

I will try to follow this week in and week out and see where it gets me.

I won’t go into detail here right now but the plan is to come up with something and try it for the first 12 weeks of the year and then review it. I already feel this one morphing into a whole series of blog posts in its own right!

Sort my diet out

OK so I don’t eat terribly but like most I could eat better. Increasing stomach issues, stress and allergies in recent years also make me think its worth seeking some professional advice to see if nutritional changes could help in these areas also.

So first step is to stop putting off seeing the nutritionist I’ve been recommended and make sure I am putting the right stuff in. Once I’ve heard what they have to say, I’ll take it from there.

The Final List

So after all of that my fitness/training New Years Resolutions for 2014 are:

1. Commit to swim on average twice per week
2. Commit to train consistently on a week by week basis
3. Sort my diet out and see a nutritionist

But at all times do not forget to

1. Keep it simple
2. Have some fun
3. Put family first
4. Trust your gut instinct

Well that’s it. I will obviously keep you updated on progress through this blog but would also be interested in hearing your thoughts and own training resolutions through the comments below.

Bring on 2014!

Giles in Cambridge Duathlon 2013

From a personal perspective 2013 was a massive year.  The day before our 15th wedding anniversary our second son was born, our first son became a schoolboy and just to keep life simple we also decided to have an extension built – with the icing on top of loosing our initial contractor on the day they were due to start work!

On top of all that I was given a Directorship at work to head up a sizeable chunk of the existing business, spent far too much time away from home, undertook a seemingly endless search for new staff and opened a new office for the business in my hometown of Ely.

While I am proud of all that we’ve achieved as a family – in no small part to the immense efforts of my lovely wife, who steered the Good Ship Thurston a straight and true course through rough waters – 2013 was a year of massive stress, lack of sleep and over commitment on my part for sure.

As you can guess there have been loads of highs as well as lows but 2014 really does need to be more streamlined and simplified for all involved, not least my loving family.

So Triathlons?

With the birth of our second child due in early May, I went into 2013 expecting to do no racing beyond April, so no Triathlons at all then! Instead, after a winter TT bike build project, I planned to do a few standard distance duathlons in the Spring, to both test out the new bike and also satisfy my competitive urge.

I pushed my training on through the winter, hoping to carry some of my good form from 2012 with me. With everything else going on I had some ok but not stellar performances but come April I hung up my racing flats for what I thought would be the rest of the year.

A twist of fate did see me back out racing in October at the rescheduled Althorp Duathlon. It was great to be back out but the other pressures of life made it difficult to fit in the training I would previously have done, so didn’t trouble the sharp end of the field and in fact was Mr Average crossing the line exactly half way down the field.

Giles in Althorp Duathlon Autumn 2013

My final race of the season, tomorrow’s New Years 10km as I write this, had to be cancelled due to  illness over the festive break. No doubt the stresses and strains of the year having their final laugh.

What more!?

2013 also saw me become a Level 2 Triathlon coach – I know like I needed something else!!  Truth be told if I had known how 2013 would turn out, then I probably would have said thanks but no thanks when Ely Tri Club asked me if I would be interested.   But not having the ability to see into the future and always one to over commit, I eagerly said “yes please!”.

That said it was great fun, if a little stressful, to be taking exams and assessed practicals again. Kevin, Gaz and myself all passed first time and we also had the pleasure of meeting some great people on the course. Unfortunately due to personal commitments I have not been able to make much use of the qualification for the Club since passing in the summer but hope to once again in 2014.

Finally 2014 also saw me getting involved with Andy and Kevin in Tri Squad, initially on the digital marketing and technology side but later in the year as a coach when able. I’m really excited about this project and the potential we can achieve in 2014.

Right is that everything?

So, as I titled the post, that was 2013! It’s made me knackered just writing this so god only knows how we made it through.

A quiet year training and racing wise, combined with some massive achievements in both our family and work life. Some massive highs and also lows, including times questioning the choices I made, easy with hindsight I know.

A final word of thanks and huge hug goes out to my gorgeous wife Leanne of 15 years, did I already mention it was also our 15th wedding anniversary in 2013?  Without you and your love and support, none of this would be possible. You are my rock, my soul mate, my shining star and without you,  I and The Boys would be totally lost. We love you from the bottom of our hearts!

So onwards to 2014 and my 40th year. It definitely needs to be much simpler and less chaotic than this year but I’ll leave that for my next post.

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/shirokazan/

I’m increasingly wondering whether I should be looking at a Norfolk theme for my race schedule in my 40th year?

Having already booked The Intrepid and considering North Norfolk Triathlon as a option for the summer, while brainlessly browsing Facebook I stumbled upon Pedal Norfolk 2014.

I’ve been keen to include a century ride in my schedule next year but the chance of 250 miles over a weekend looked really intriguing. More interesting is that the events that really seem to tickle my fancy are in Norfolk. Maybe it’s time for this Norfolk Boy born and bred to accept this and embrace the Norfolk theme as part of my 40th year?

I started this blog a few years ago to document my move into triathlon and multisport. Sadly due to work and family commitments, not to mention training and racing, the blog fell quickly to the wayside.

Next year I turn 40 and I want to celebrate the year with a great season of racing and training, ticking off a few bucket list races along the way. What better way to document my year and keep my training honest than to kick start this blog once again, so here goes.

Originally I had planned a mammoth race schedule which I had named 4×4@40, or for those less technical 4 by 4 at 40. The idea was to tackle 12 races over the course of the year, 4 running events, 4 cycling, 4 multi-sport and 4 other random events.

I love running and cycling and was keen to do some run and cycle specific events, I also wanted was to get a nice spread of different types of events and not just focus on triathlon. Unfortunately the plan was soon discarded as my race list became larger and larger and larger, with the cost of entry and also impact on family time becoming a serious concern. A new plan was hatched to tick off a few events I have always wanted to do and have one key marquee event that I build my season towards. But what should that be?

Originally the plan had been to do a half ironman ideally Ironman 70.3 UK. However after a manic 2013, with a new addition to the Thurston Family, a promotion at work and also building work at home, I managed a total of zero triathlons in 2013, focussing instead on early season duathlons. As a result my swim has seriously suffered – yes I can count the number of times I have been in the pool this year on my fingers! – and it was going to need some serious work. A June 70.3 was therefore out of the question, so it was back to the drawing board.

My focus shifted to finding a late summer 70.3 which I could build towards but these were a little thin on the ground and for some reason it didn’t really light my fire, so to speak. Just as I was about to hit the registration button for a September 70.3, Monster Racing launched their new [Intrepid Race for October 2014](http://www.monsterracing.net/intrepid2014.html). A cross country race, starting with a half marathon along the North Norfolk Coast path, before switching to your mountain bike fora quick 148km down the length of Peddars Way and back, capping the day off with another quick half marathon along the coastal path.

I have raced in North Norfolk a few times and love the area, I have also grown up within spitting distance of Peddars Way and have many memories of school sponsored walks and cross country runs along it. The moment I saw this race I knew that was the one to build my 2014 season around. Being late October it still allowed me to hit the triathlons again during the summer but for fun and I could pick and choose the events and distances I wanted to do.

Moments later I had hit the entry button and was committed, planning for the 2014 season was underway!

In the run up to this event a knee injury put my attendance in doubt. Being a huge Formula 1 fan I was desperate to take part and a physio consultation let me know that no further damage would be done, so I was good to go. I took the view that I would approach this as a training run/ride rather than a race. Despite the green light from the physio I was aware that I hadn’t done any significant training since my last race due to the injury and as a result I didn’t want to push things and risk further injury elsewhere. More on the knee in a later post.

The day was bright and clear, not too warm and with little wind, the later of which was pretty important as Silverstone can be pretty exposed, sitting as it is on top of a hill. I had arranged my calendar so I was working at our Oxfordshire office that day, so a 25 minute drive saw me at the Porsche Driving Experience Cntre on the Silverstone circuit an hour before the official start time.

This was my fourth race but I still feel a little disorganised at the start, trying to fit registration, getting changed, loo stop, putting kit into transition, loo stop, warm up, loo stop, race briefing, stretching and a final loo stop in, soon sees an hour flying by.

All went OK until 3 minutes before the start when I realised I had left my water bottle with electrolyte solution in the boot of the car – doh! I had water and was tempted to just go with that but due to the issues I have been having with cramp, this filled me with dread and as a result I decided to go and get the bottle. The car was only a few hundred metres away as the crow flies, however it was inside the circuit so I needed to go over the bridge to get there, for those that know the F1 circuit this is the bridge on Hanger Straight.

To cut a long story short I managed to get the bottle and make it to the start line with 30 seconds to spare. However a quick check of my heart rate monitor showed the combination of the run and resulting stress had pushed my heart rate to 100% max, not a great way to start!

This was the shortest race I had taken part in, a super sprint distance with two lap run of the Porsche track (4km), followed by three laps of the F1 circuit on the bike (18.5km), with a final two laps of the Porsche track on foot. As a result it was perfect for my return from injury and race plan was simply “take it slow and steady and see how my knee goes”.

The panic sprint to the car soon took its toll with minor cramp appearing in my chest half way through the first lap. Not bad enough to stop me running but uncomfortable, annoying and I resolved to sort out my race prep as a matter of priority. Cramp aside by knee felt good and I finished the run in a respectable but not record breaking 15:26 and moved onto the bike.

I’ll be honest that the first lap was a pure sight seeing trip for me. It was great to be cycling the same track that later this year the likes of Hamilton and Vettel will be screaming around at hundreds of miles per hour. It was also nice to experience the new start finish straight and get up close and personal with the new pit and paddock area - its enormous!

After the first lap I realised I was dropping behind those that I had set off on the ride with. I was overtaking people and by now was starting to be overtaken by the leaders who were obviously doing a closer impression of Hamilton that I was! Conscious of cramp I decided not to push and kept up a constant pace, taking on electrolyte and stretching the legs at regular intervals. By the end of the three laps I had managed to pull those I had started with back to within a few hundred metres and I went into the second run fairly positive.

In transition I decided to take the opportunity to stretch both calves to try and ward off cramp, figuring a few seconds wasted here could be gained during the run. However after 500m I felt the familiar twinge in both calves and had to pull over for a minute and have a good long stretch.

From here my main aim was to finish, taking the run a lap at a time. I had fallen quite a way behind those I had finished the bike with and knew I had little chance of catching them. The run circuit was undulating and the first objective was to make it round the first lap, which I did without any further stops to stretch. As I entered the second lap my legs began to feel stronger and I started to think about the possibility of upping the pace.

As on previous races I listened to my body and over the last half a lap was able to increase my pace bit by bit so that I was crossing the finish line almost at a sprint. The annoying thing was that by this point I had made up the vast majority of the ground that I had lost and cross the lined seconds behind those I had been on the bike with, with a final time of exactly 1 hour 10 minutes.

I was very pleased with the time and the fact my knee had held up. I was disappointed to get cramp again and yet again post race analysis was another case of what if the course had been longer, I had pushed harder on the bike or hadn’t got cramp!

This was the first race in a series of four over the coming months, well organised at a great location and a nice distance for an evening stretch of the legs before the drive home. While I won’t be able to do all three, I hope to do at least one more this year if possible and if you are in the area I would definitely recommend it, details on the Votow website.

For those that are interested, my final times below:

• Run 1 (4km): 15:26
• Bike (18.5km) : 36:59
• Run 2 (4km): 15:39
• Total: 1hr 10:00
• Position: 109 out of 142

Interestingly the organisers used a key system here, where the competitor was required to “blip” themselves in and out of transition and once across the line, using a deli counter type of device. This seemed a little more faff than the ankle timers that people usually provide but was obviously a lot more accurate and delivered instant results, with a print out available as you crossed the line. That said crossing the line at a sprint and then trying to push the key into the machine did feel a bit like trying the thread a needle

Finally what did I learn from this race:

1. The five P’s – pi$$ poor preparation leads to poor performance! I really need to sort out my pre-race routine to avoid cock-ups such as leaving my water bottle behind as I did here
2. Cramp strikes yet again. I need to do some further research into this with likely suspects are diet, bike position or lack of mileage on the bike

I have no other races booked at the moment but am hopeful of being able to have another crack at the Houghton Hall Duathlon in June and July if possible.

It was an early Sunday (May 1, 2011) start as this race was over an hour’s drive away and with a 9am start I wanted to be there before 8.  With 175 competitors this was also the largest race I had taken part in so was keen to see how I coped in the more crowded environment on both the bike and the run.  This race also had the no-drafting rule on the cycle which would prove interesting with the number of competitors taking part.

Despite some real issues with trying to use the loo’s, leading to slightly rushed race prep,  I was at the start line with time to spare.  For the first time I was also trying out a Tri suit, which although not the most glamorous of garments would hopefully be less impeding during the run.

As with the previous race I decided to hold a steady pace during the run, with the aim to push more during the cycle.   The hill right at the end of the run route was a challenge and would lead to some issues for me during the second run but more on that later.  I finished the first run in a comfortable 16:32 and eased into the bike phase.

My plan was to take it steady initially in the bike phase, take on fluid and electrolytes before pushing fairly hard in the middle and easing back towards the end.  The two lap course really helped here as you were able to pace yourself based upon the landmarks you were passing and knew where you could easily push on the second lap and what you needed to hold in reserve.

I finished the bike leg in a time of 44:13 which I was pleased to see was the 32 quickest overall, not bad for a guy in trainers

Unfortunately my old friend cramp had returned.  It is difficult to tell what the reason for this was.  Did the fact that the race started at 9am rather than 6pm contribute to my overall level of hydration? Did I push too hard on the bike?  I was also wearing a knee strap as a precaution from a minor knee injury I had picked up a few weeks earlier.  This was digging into my leg, did this contribute as well? Its difficult to tell and further trial and error will be required.

As I entered transition there was no indication of the cramp to come and I was able to again overtake a number of people as I didn’t need to change shoes.  In fact my split time T2 showed as 39 seconds which ranked as the 9th quickest time in the race.

However as I started out on the run I could feel that my legs were heavy and a change in gradient started to bring on the lactic burn of cramp.   I took the first opportunity to stop and stretch before pushing on again.  I was able to make up some places before I needed to stop once again to stretch.  Fortunately it wasn’t as bad as last time and I was able to run and again make up some places after the second stretch.

As with my first race my mind was now on finishing the race and the hill at the end of the run course, which although short was pretty steep both up and down, was playing on my mind.   All I could focus on was keeping a good steady pace so as not to over exert the legs and try and keep something in reserve to get myself up the hill

The hill arrived and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I managed to run, all be it very slowly, to the top.  I cautiously ran back down, conscious that previously a negative change in gradient could also bring on cramp.  However as I approached the bottom I felt strong and decided to push on for a sprint finish.

I drove hard for the line, which sadly was only 300m away and overtook a number of people.  Disappointingly I felt as if I could have kept this pace up for a while and although I was gaining on those in front I was unable to make any more places up before I crossed the line.  Oh how I wish it had been a 5km run!  The final split time for the second run was 18:20, finishing in 75th place.

So mixed results this time.  I was pleased with my overall pace, disappointed with the return all be it in a minor way of the cramp but extremely pleased that I was able to finish quickly.  The Great Notley Duathlon was an extremely well organised event by Born2Tri and I will definitely be registering to do their autumn event later in the year.

You can read the full results and times on the Born2Tri website, with my stats below

Run 1 (4km): 16:32
Bike (22km) :  44:13
Run 2 (4km): 18:20
Total: 1hr 21:01

Onward and upward to the next race, which is another evening event at Silverstone.  Yes I did opt to do this one just so I could say I had cycled around the Grand Prix circuit!

This one was slightly longer in that in addition to the two 5km runs it involved a 27km road ride.  Having a new road bike I was keen to test this out and was also keen to take part in a summer series, where I could test my progress over the same course.

The race day (April 11, 2011) was sunny and hot but the forecast was for changeable conditions around the start of the race at 6pm.  For once the forecasters were right and by the time I arrived at the race venue just after 5pm it was cold, grey and raining.   All the competitors huddled around in warm clothing listening to the race briefing and none of us were looking forward to stripping down for the start of the race.   However the forecast was for improving conditions into the evening and with a brightening sky in the North East we set off.

The 5km run was cross country around the parkland surrounding Houghton Hall. It was a small event with only 46  competitors but the run was extremely enjoyable in stunning scenery and I was pleased to finish the first run 21:39.

From here it was onto the bike.  My overall race strategy was to take the first run at a comfortable pace and then increase my speed throughout the ride before easing back down in preparation for the final run.   I was obviously concerned about cramp after my last race, but with a new hydration strategy I was confident that this wouldn’t be such an issue and was hopeful that I would be able to hit the last run with strong legs and increase the pace through to the finish.

The ride continued from the run, down Norfolk country lanes with little or no traffic.  There were a number of sustained hills, which although not hard were testing on the legs.  As one competitor joked, all those people who think Norfolk is flat should come up here and ride a bike!

My strategy for the bike phase seemed to be worked and I was passing people and with the exception of a couple of front runners who got lost, was not passed myself.  As the final run approached I was nervous about cramp but my legs felt strong and I took time to stand up in the peddles and stretch them out when I could.  I was also taking on plenty of electrolytes and had consumed 800ml before the race started as well.

I entered the final transition feeling strong with a split time of  1hr 06:42.  As I had cycled in my trainers I was able to over take a number of people who were fiddling around changing shoes.  Best of all, on jumping off the bike there was no sign of the cramp that had caught me out on the previous race.

I set off on the final run in the growing gloom.  It was likely that we would be finishing in the dark and running cross country with limited markers was proving difficult in the gathering.  One of the competitors closed quickly behind me and I expected to be passed.  However my race strategy was going well and I was slowly able to turn the screw and increase the pace.

After a while I realised he wasn’t going to pass me as quickly as I had thought and as I passed the half way stage my mindset switched from one of acceptance at being overtaken to desperation not to be.  I know from personal preference that it is easier to pace a race from behind somebody and then overtake them towards the end and I dreaded this happening to me.  It would be such a shame to hold the front of this mini battle until metres from the line. This spurred me on more to increase my pace and as I passed the last marker I was running well up at 90% MHR.

By  now it was totally dark and the organisers had parked two cars either side of the finish line and put their lights on full beam.  Although this helped us to see where we were going it made judging the distance a nightmare and as I dug deep to run up the hill I wasn’t sure whether it was 100m or a mile to the finish (this part of the run route was different to the first so had nothing to gauge it on).

I kept going and was happy to cross the line in 24th place overall, 6th in my age group and with a final run split of 22:36.  However best of all was the fact that I had not only managed to avoid being overtaken but had managed to pull out a full 30 seconds ahead of the next finisher.

So all in all a successful race for me.  My revised approach to hydration appeared to have worked with no sign of cramp and the race strategy I had planned before the race had been executed well with me crossing the line pleased I didn’t have anything left to give.

As in the last race report, for those that are interested my split times were as follows:

Run 1 (5km): 21:39
Bike (27km) :  1hr 06:42
Run 2 (5km): 22:36