The Broadland Half Marathon (A Leathes Prior GP Event).

So, my focus on 'mini targets' continued at the weekend, with the Broadland Half Marathon.
A relatively early start to the day, was met by thick fog, as we drove over to South Walsham. Fortunately, the Sun came up and the fog had all burnt off by the time we arrived.
Registration was orderly and well organised, as was the marshalled parking at the Village Hall.
With my number and chip in hand, I was left with a bit of a dilemma as to what to wear for the race.
Do I throw caution to the wind and run in a vest, or err on the side of caution and wear a base layer under the vest...
I ended up opting for the latter, and donned gloves too, for good measure!
A quick (ish) couple of laps of the football pitch, and I was warmed up.
There was the mandatory, but well humoured Race Brief at 9:15, then it was time for a short walk, to the start line.
In the lead up to the race, and following the Freethorpe Ten, I had wanted to run a 1:30 HM, but, as the race drew near I thought that may be a little too much to expect, so decided to just use the same ten mile race pace, but hold it for the 13.1 miles. Hoping that the slightly lumpier route profile wouldn't affect that plan...
I was a little apprehensive at the start, trying to judge wear about to position myself at race start, so I wasn't being hindered by slower runners, but likewise, I wasn't getting in the way of other faster guys.
I had noticed a few familiar faces at the start and knew that, if I was struggling with pace, I had a few visuals to help keep me straight (As long as they were running well!).
I'd also decided to take a couple of gels with me. Not that I felt I would need them, but more of an experiment to see how my stomach would handle them in race conditions, prior to the marathon!
Without delay there was a 3 - 2 - 1 countdown, and we were off!
I settled down quickly into my rhythm, and felt comfortable at my chosen pace. As the race settled down, the road cleared and it was easy to look around and who I was with.
I was soon upon the first water station, and disappointed to be handed a cup of water!... I had just expected a bottle, as that's the way most races seem to be heading, now.
No big deal, I grabbed a mouthful of fluid from the cup, then dumped it.
Just before the second water stop, I took my first gel onboard (a PowerGel Hydro). Not that I felt the need, but it was part of a strategy to see if I  absorbed it well, or not...
A gulp of water at the 6 mile Water Station.
A few runners had passed me over the first few miles, but non had disappeared out of sight and I had decided to keep them in view and haul them in from mile 11. I felt strong approaching an uphill section in Salhouse and hit it quite hard, which brought me back up on three runners ahead. I kept just back off them, running my pace, but knew I could pass when I wanted.
The second gel and a sip of water was taken at around 9 miles, and this is where I began testing to see how strong I felt.
At about 9.5 miles, there was a group of supporters, including John Burton and John Scott. It was good to hear my name being shouted and, with a 'high 5' from Mr. Burton I felt a new lease of life and hammered up the short hill, from where they had stood, passing 4 runners.
Approaching South Walsham, at about 11 miles, I decided that I did feel good still, and now was the time to push on. I could see a few runners ahead, all struggling to some degree, one was walking up some short rises, so I upped the pace.
Picking them off, one by one, I ran through South Walsham, up the little rise and into the teeth of a stiff breeze! The long, slightly uphill drag to the turn seems to go on forever, and two of the guys I had just passed got me back!
Left turn, off Acle Road and I was running downhill again. Taking my time to compose myself, I kept  in contact with the two guys and also sighted another couple of runners that passed me around the 2nd mile.
Just before the bottom of the hill, I upped the pace and passed the two. Some words of encouragement form one of them, but I knew they would try to hold on to me. Quickly catching the next target, I decided that, with about 400m to go, I should just 'open the taps' and go!
Not daring to look back, I ran hard, all the way through the line.
Finishing in 1:33:33, I can't help but feel disappointed! Even with the sprint finish, I felt ok, immediately after the line. Had I have pushed on, from 9 miles, would I have got the 1:30 time that I initially sought!?...
Great race, with a beautiful scenic route, I'd definitely run that again.
Running through Ranworth:

The finish line:

Next stop Manchester Marathon!...

Hyperoxic/ Normoxic testing...

So, with training still going really well, I was recently presented with an opportunity for more fitness testing.
This time, working with Liam at Easton and Otley Sports College, to help with his dissertation, I was subjected to two Wingate repeat tests.
The first was Normoxic (21% Oxygen), the second, just two days later, was performed whilst breathing 99.5% Oxygen.
To be honest I can't say I could tell any difference between the two outputs, but it still piqued my curiosity enough, to make me volunteer for 5 maximal efforts (Wingate)... Twice!
There was no special treatment surrounding both the tests. I was to eat and train as per normal, whilst fitting these tests in.
Ironically, both tests were followed within a couple of hours by 90 minute runs. The last run (post test) included 6 miles at my A race pace (4:30 mins/ km).
I must say, I've never felt better.

 A good days training...

And... We're off! First race of the season.

Eagerly awaited, Sunday, the 31st January, finally arrived, bringing with it the BAM Nuttall LPGP Freethorpe Ten. My first race of 2016.
I woke to a cold, damp day. Not the best weather, but in truth, pretty good for racing.
I arrived about an hour early, as planned. Giving me time to settle down, have a wee warm up run, then get set for the race.
Not having done a 10 mile race for many years, it was difficult to judge a target time to aim for. Last year I did two Spring time 5m races on Gt Yarmouth seafront (pan flat), so, as I felt I was in a physically better place, I decided to aim faster, and aimed for a 4:30 pace.
At the sound of the horn, I set off. Keen not to get carried away and go off too quick, I monitored my pace closely. I'd set my Garmin 920XT for pace (4:15 to 4:30), and kilometre splits, so I'd soon know if I was pushing too hard.
I soon settled into a good pace, and held it for the distance, having enough at the end for a little kick, just to reel a couple of runners in.
Coming in at 1:10:55, I was happy to have held a 4:24/km pace for the 10 miles, covering both 5m splits faster than I covered the distance in last years races, and a negative split, to boot! Yes, you could say I was happy.

Now looking to the Broadland Half Marathon, and taking into account how I felt during and after the race, I am keen to try to aim at 4:15/km, for the 13.1 miles...
I was fine the next day, and felt good enough to increase the 'usual' pace of the Fartlek session, without feeling to battered.
With around 6 weeks until the HM race, I am now increasing my track 5k pace for my intervals, same with the fartlek session I do mid week, too. Target 1:30:00...

What the F........!!!

Since the last entry my training has been going really well.
I missed a few swims over the Christmas period, due to minimum opening times and most pool sessions being based around the children on school holidays.
Aside from that, my training never missed a beat, and is progressing well.
I went back to Tri Harder, after New Year and bought a pair of Newton Gravity, after enjoying running in the demo pair they supplied (cheers guys).
training has gone so well, in fact, that in a moment of madness yesterday, I only went and entered the Manchester marathon!
FFS, as if training wasn't hard enough, I thought I'd enter a bloody marathon!...
Going by recent training and also the Garmin 920XT race time predictions, I was hoping to run it in around 3:11, so why then, did I go and enter to join the 3 hour Asics Pacer team!...
On a plus note, if I hit that target, I'll be fairly stoked, to put it mildly.
Whats 11 minutes spread over 42k. Oh yeah, 4:16/km pace... Starting to scare myself, now.
Whatever happens, the feet will be looking good ;)

2016... New beginnings...

So, with Christmas over and having moved in to the New Year, it's now time to begin selecting my kit for the upcoming season and also trying out a few subtle changes to the bike.
After some initial hiccups in training (colds and DOMS!) things have really started to pick up.
I'm finally getting used to the Z2 runs, but really look forward to my weekly visit to the local running track, for a good hard speed session.
Likewise with the bike, I enjoy the turbo sessions, but also look forward to getting out once a week, for my longer ride.
For the past two seasons, I wore Mavic Helium Tri shoes, but they have proven to be unreliable, in that I sometime suffer from serious pain along the outside of my feet going into the run, which is no good to me.
So, for this season, I have acquired some Specialized Trivent shoes.
I do most of my training miles in S Works road shoes, which I've found to be a very comfortable and a solid platform to ride on, so, when the Christmas sales kicked off, I made the most of it and ordered shoes, including new S Works road shoes, for training miles ;)
Also flirting with a pair of Shimano Ultegra SPD-SL pedals, again, after spending the past 3 - 4 years riding Speedplay Zeroes. Again, nothing finalised there...
The bike will also be fitted with D2Z  40° aero extension poles, and I may play with saddle fore/ aft positioning.

Further to that, I managed to get my hands on a demo pair of Newton Gravity IV's, courtesy of my local tri shop, Tri Harder.
Last year I raced in Zoot Ultra's, but was unimpressed with their built in elastic lacing...
After a few progressive runs in the Newtons, I have decided that they're right for me, so decision made, I'll be racing in them this year.

I think the only other change I'll be making, is with my trisuit.
Not sure whether to keep with ChampSys of next year, or not.
Main reason for change, would be to get a front zip option, as the current suit is rear fastening, and I think that for the long course, a front zip would be much better. With that in mind, I may opt for a HUUB DS suit, whenever they become available!

Finally... Yes, finally, today, I bought a pair of Aftershokz Bluez 2S 'open ear' headphones. Which operate via Bluetooth technology, with my iPhone 5S.
Quite techy, they are designed to transfer sound through the upper jaw, where it is picked up by the Cocchlia.
This (in theory), allows me to listen to music, whilst still being able to hear what is going on around me. Imperative for safety, when cycling/ running. I can also take phone calls on the go, all at the touch of one multi function button!
All very new to me, I'll have to see how they cope with wind noise, etc, out on the road, and also test them for resistance to sweat, etc.

Lastly, I'd like to take another opportunity to thank my new coach, Jason Battle at Performance Coach.Me, for his ongoing support through the transition period of my new coaching strategy.
Everything is settling down now, and there are certainly improvements felt already.

A big thank you also, goes to my local shop Tri Harder, in East Dereham. Ben and James are ever helpful. Their sales and after sales service is certainly the best in the region. I've also benefitted from their introduction of chats and demo days, by pro Ironman Joe Skipper, HUUB and Newton so far.
The Newton Gravity shoes in the above photo, are a demo pair, supplied by them.

Watch this space...

The next phase...

Well, after failing miserably to formulate anything resembling a productive training plan, I finally decided that it was never going to happen.
Coming to that conclusion meant that I needed to become a coached athlete, again. After considerable thought, I decided to contact Jason Battle, at Performance Coach Me and seek his help.
The reason I went to a new coach, was no fault of my previous coach, but based on the fact that Jason is local to me, and, with the amount of new challenges I have ahead of me, en route to my first Long Course event, it makes sense, to have someone I can interact more with.
So, I am now 18 days into my new training plan, and, after a sticky start (shitty cold), I feel that I am progressing well.
An unexpected surprise dropped in my lap a few days ago, due to a late cancellation, I once again had the opportunity to return to Easton & Otley College, to undergo a VO2 Max test on the treadmill, to give us figures to assist with my running training.
A great pleasure to meet up with Russell Board again, and a few of his students.
Once the information has been received it will be absorbed into the plan and I'll just keep at it.

This is the first season that I have been given strength sessions at the gym. Now, I use dot love the gym and weight training, prior to my cycling started, and I greeted this opportunity with great enthusiasm, so much so, that the following DOMS stopped me training for three painful days!
I am also doing 'voluntary' upper body/ core development, too, as want to maintain a balance of strength throughout my body.

Another recent surprise was my complete disregard for my own safety, when I entered Round 2 at  G8 Events MTB Winter Series!...
This saw me dragging myself out of bed on a drizzly 13th December, last Sunday, for a (thankfully) short drive to Santon Downham, to compete in the 2 hour Grand Veteran category.
A very muddy race. I managed to slip, slide and slither my way around for 4 laps, with just a couple of 'offs', caused by others falling in front of me.
More worryingly, I think it has rekindled my love of MTB riding/ racing, which can only mean more expense ahead!

I have also just about finished entering all my chosen races for next season (with the exception of one!)
I may well add a few more, as yet. But, they'll be 'C' races, used to check fitness, or break monotony.
So far, we have:

BAM Nutall Freethorpe 10 RR - 31/01/2016.
Broadland Half Marathon - 13th March 2016.
Manchester Marathon - 10th April 2016.
East Coast Triathlon - 17/04/2016.
Grafman Middle Distance Tri - 22/05/2016.
Fritton Standard Triathlon (Eastern Champs) - 19/07/2016.
Gosfield Sprint Tri (Eastern Champs) - 3/07/2016.
Outlaw Full - 24/07/2016.
Ely Monster Middle Tri (Eastern Champs) - 21/08/2016.
IM Wales - 18/09/2016.

Hopefully(!), I may be adding a marathon in the first quarter of the year, too, but we'll see how that pans out...
Then there's also the newly rekindled love of MTB, so may be a few more dirty races to come... Perhaps leading to a shot at XTERRA for 2017...

Testing times.

Well, as I  have now decided to train myself (no fault of my previous coach), I thought it may be as good a time as any, to perform some tests and get all my base data recorded.
So last week, I visited Jason Battle (Performancecoaching.Me) and was put through my paces at his place.
I took my Canyon Speedmax CF race bike and we used that for the RAMP Test.
Quite a painful experience, I must say! The ramp up of power was linear and steady, but the 'burn' does suddenly creep up on you, and failure is just a heartbeat away, at that point. At regular intervals, Jason took blood samples (Left hand) for recording of Lactate Levels, and this data was recorded, to calculate my LTHR.
Using my own bike was good, as this is the exact position I'll be racing in, plus, the power figures produced will be from my own Quarq, so no issues with different calibrations of other equipment etc... Another 'bonus', was that my FTP had gone up almost 30W!
We then sat and had a good chat over a cuppa, as I rested and prepared for the run test.
For the running RAMP Test, I used Jason's in-house treadmill.
Same protocol as the previous test was established. Jason would control the speed of the treadmill, increasing the speed and taking further blood samples as per the RAMP Test schedule. This time, using the finger tips of the right hand. A similar scenario played out... Starting with a gentle run, this gradually increases in speed and intensity until, faced with the imminent failure to continue, I grabbed the side rails and jumped, to put my feet on the side supports. Jason slowed the speed and I stepped back on, to complete a warm down.
Whilst with Jason, we discussed how to interpret the data and the various ways to use the data gained from the tests. A very educational and helpful few hours (including the testing), which will undoubtedly lead me in to 2016's season ready for my Long Course races, and also both faster and more powerful, than before.
 A couple of days later, I received my results from the tests and although very happy with what I got, I was somewhat surprised at the running graph.
This was followed up by a phone call, with Jason explaining all the graphs and results to me and debating which types of session would benefit my 'type' of athlete.
During the run, it is clear that almost immediately, I begin to burn sugars! Just starting, yet it would appear my body switches both energy sources on. A few minutes later, it realises that I don't need the sugars, yet, so switches that off and you can see the dip (red line), where I return to aerobic state, before ramping up at the end, as I go back anaerobic.
This was definitely something that I couldn't have picked up on, without testing. Consequently, I now have to restructure my run training, to encourage my body to leave sugar stores alone, until really needed, much later in my run.
So, although I was happy to have done the tests, to get my 'Max limits' set out, it was a real bonus to have picked up on this unusual Lactate behaviour!

Following on from these tests, performed on the 12th November, I was offered an opportunity to attend a local college and do a further RAMP Test, this time recording my VO2 Max. This has always seemed like a 'black art' to me...

I regularly perform VO2 Max intervals, to increase (hopefully) my efficiency, and my Garmin 920XT has a setting that can 'tell' me my VO2 Max, but how is that possible, when it clearly isn't attached to anything near my lungs!?...

So, yes, this was definitely something I wanted to do, too. 

So, on Wednesday, 18th, I went trooping off to Easton & Otley College, to meet Russell Board and a team of his students. 

Again, the protocol was explained and each student took up their respective position at various pieces of equipment. 

This time, after warm up, the power steadily sloped up. One student took blood, for Lactate Levels in my blood, one enquired every minute, as to my RPE, choosing from a preset list, while two others sat ahead of me, watching a laptop screen, and they all voiced encouraging comments as the power wound up and the effort levels increased.

Again, it was a good experience, and I was pleased to hear that my VO2 Max was scored at 47, which for my age, put me at the top end of excellent, on the tables they use. 

The new FTP has already proved quite a challenge on my last turbo session! Very surprised at how much effect it has made, but that could also have been down to the previous days testing, or the onset of the cold that I am now trying to recover from.

Over the next few days, I'll complete my training schedule for the coming season, then post back up here...