What's happened then? Post Ironman I took a bit of time out catching up on family time and household jobs. I spent a lot of time at the back-burner sorting out all the jobs I'd been putting there. I still ticked over though as I wanted to maintain this new level of confidence and of course fitness. Many races came and went, some more memorable than others. I was slowly improving and results were getting better. The more memorable ones…. A 3rd overall and first in my age group at Hull Sprint was nice but still pointed to my running as a major weakness.
I seemed to be blighted with injuries that prevented me from running so the bike and swim, through default, would get more attention. Hatfield Sprint (7th), Cleveland Steelman 2011 (finished 10th); 2012 (finished 9th); Alan Smith Challenge winner 3 yr in succession and Lincsquad Time Trial champ 2011, 2012 I managed to have a small injury free period in 2011 which allowed me to qualify for GB in the Euro Champs at Eilat, Israel. Once again, on the run up to the race in 2012 I got a stress fracture to the ankle! I only managed 3 x 3 mile runs in as many months. Very frustrating! That said, I made the most of my experience and although I didn't set the world alight my swim and bike carried me to 7th place in my age group. Not bad all things considered.
Link to Euro race report............. http://www.lincsquad.co.uk/2012/04/if-carlsberg-did-triathlons/
My hopes of building on this were cruelly quashed a week later in the Grantham sprint when I had to pull out of the race during the run in agony with this damn ankle problem!
Another one to forget was a 500 mile round trip to Salisbury when I got second in my age group in a sprint. Well that was until you added on the 2 minute penalty I'd received for supposed drafting. I was distraught and demanded to see the Marshal for an explanation. I got even more irate when I found out the number of the guy I was meant to be drafting finished about 10 minutes behind me on the bike leg. Never had any sympathy with drafters in the past but that slightly changed my opinion.
Qualifying again for GB at Rother Valley for this year's Euro champs in Turkey and then getting 3rd overall at the Brigg sprint were fonder memories from 2012.
So this leads me up to this year and another crappy winter of long, wet, base miles combined with long, dry but boring turbo miles and several work's gym sessions. Swimming has been almost non existent through the winter as I seemed to have developed some allergic reaction with the chemicals in the pool. A half hour swim leaves me full of cold and a nose that just pours for hours! Very frustrating but I can live with it as I don't see swimming as particularly important anymore. These hours, for me, are better spent running.
Don't know why I'm tempting fate here but this year is the first six monthly spell where I've been free of running injuries. I'll stop there.
The Lincsquad 100 mile Sportive in April was the first chance this year to test my winter training and I was pleased with the results.
Training was further elevated toward the end of April when I and several other Lincsquadders attended a Triathlon camp in Mallorca run by Off that Couch fit and Real Fitness, AKA Clarky and Deano Kirkham. Contrary to popular belief this wasn't a 'Jolly boys outing'! It was a structured week with some quality training. Sea swims every morning, legendary bike rides on an island that's inundated with bike nuts. Peloton after peloton are there for the taking whilst infamous climbs like the 'Sa Colabra' are being abused on Strava by the pros.
These guys know their stuff and I fully recommend signing up for one of the 2014 dates if you want to take your training to the next level. Of course, I know these guys and you may think this is a deliberate plug for their business, it's not! I personally don't want anyone to attend because I can't bear to think that next year my friends/rivals will be getting this condensed week of quality training whilst I'm churning away on my turbo, too scared to ask the missus if I can go again.
No comments:
Post a Comment