First run since the Lakesman half IM

Out with Sharon after work - to hot for Pammie :)

4 miles 50.47 

We chatted the whole way while feeling epic that we'd actually made it out the front door.

Still recovering :)

This time two weeks ago I was in my awesome bedroom at Greta Hall having a quiet melt down about the lakesman half IM. Two weeks later I'm sprawled on my bed, listening to magic, about to go turn out lights as up at 5:15 tomorrow morning.

What a difference two weeks makes :)

Still in recovery eating loads of crap.

Have written out my 'training' calendar through to October but will do till Xmas and the Portsmouth Coastal Marathon. So excited about the second half of this year. A real running feel but also lots of cycling 

Thursday was jet washing and got awful awful sunburn. Met Leanne at Brewhouse for food. Then popped to the track to give car passes out.

Friday - HB then off to Bulieau with Charlotte. Approx 42km in about 2:20 - average km/h was 19km/h.

I'd like my average social ride km/h to get to 25... So plenty to work on!!

Friday eve - Unity brewing co with Muts, Simon and Caroline. Muts and I sunk a bottle of wine. Out till 9!!!!

Then remembered tri club car passes! Eeeeep.

Today at JSC 6:45-3pm

Didn't run. Didn't swim. Didn't go to the gym. Def still recovering.

Running with Shaz tomorrow after work. Let's see how long we last!

Now recovering from bruising

Sigh.

Cycled into another cyclist on Sunday. Bike is fine. I've got some awesome bruising.

Managed about 40mins at Monday's HB and about 45 today...

All good though as still taking it gently from the lakesman 

Recovery week drawing to a close

Fabulous week of taking it gently and eating chocolate.

Last day today... 

This time last week we were strolling home from the restaurant after celebrating Donna's birthday and Lakesman half.

These last few days...

Great summer solstice party at Jo and H's.

Beautiful music at Winchester Cathedral - Verdi's Requiem

IV visit today - awesome roast at Seahorse restaurant.

Back on it Monday - HB 9:30am

Wyvern 10k

Standard triathlon

NF half marathon

Ashtead 10k

Great South Run

Stroud half marathon

Gosport half marathon

Portsmouth Coastal marathon 

I want to be 20% quicker over all three disciplines but mainly it's the running that needs to get quicker 

Fingers crossed my feet play ball :)

Medal & Jet washing

I'm knackered!!

4.75 hours of cleaning / jet washing and I'm pooped. I may have to get the roll on deep heat out again!!

Aaron at work bought me a Swiss roll to celebrate my race! What a sweetheart. I blew out the candles then we relit them for Aaron to blow out as its his bday today. My race report is def doing the rounds xx

I'll do a full IM just not yet... and here's why xx

Just read this awesome article (and see below)
https://www.triswimcoach.com/really-ready-ironman/


I'm def taking the next couple of years to get IM ready :)

Scanning my news feed this past week, I came across this article on TrainingPeaks.  It gave three indicators that you are ready for a full distance Ironman. To summarize:

1. Lifestyle – In essence, asking whether your family, work, and social commitments can support 15-25 hours a week of training, early bedtimes and adjusting to the stress of training.
2. Athletic experience – Is your body primed for the training and the demands of the course that you have selected specifically?
3. Costs – Do you have the money not only for the race fees but the extra food and equipment of taking on a long distance triathlon?

All of these are valid points.  And the author, endurance coach and athlete Maria Simone, is fairly thorough in her analysis of what it takes to take on a full distance tri. I especially liked how she believes that the social environment in which you train has to be conducive for you to succeed. However, she glossed over three key points that I think should weigh more heavily in the mind of the athlete who is contemplating going long.


Firstly, a person’s health. While this ties into the lifestyle component of triathlon, she does not specifically mention it, so I will. Mark Sisson and Brad Kearns, host of The Primal Endurance Podcast, argue that an athlete’s health is one of the most important things that he/she has. To truly succeed, you need to optimize your health first. This is why in our program “The Fit Triathlete,” we emphasize health as the basis of your training pyramid instead of the training itself. (Listen to our round table discussion here for more on Brad and how health plays into triathlon training). In order to take on a triathlon, you need a healthy lifestyle in order to adapt to the stress of training.


Secondly, I would have emphasized the swim and the run. While she does mention that you need some athletic experience especially with longer events, I think athletes who want to race a full distance triathlon need more swim experience before advancing to the 2.4 mile race. A cyclist, for example who has no experience swimming but who can go out and ride a bike for hours on end, is not necessarily ready to take on an Ironman.


Your swimming (both form and endurance) has to be at the point where you are relatively fresh getting out of the water after a solid workout. Otherwise, no matter how fit you are on the bike and run, you are not going to make it through the day by the cut off because you will not have any energy left. Nor is it going to be an enjoyable experience.


Even after 24 weeks of swimming, if your swim program or coach has not addressed your technique weaknesses, you are sabotaging the rest of your day. Yes, you might be able to swim the distance. But can you swim the distance without so much energy loss that you jeopardize your bike and run.
Of course you hear about people who go from couch to Ironman in the course of 24 weeks, and still go under the 17 hour cut off. But are they the exception or the norm? These stories overshadow the countless athletes who are pulled out of the water in the swim ending their day. Of the three disciplines, the biggest concern and weakness for the majority of participants is the swim.  Thus fitness, form, and swim psychology needs to be in place before bumping up to the Ironman distance.
And the run is by far the most demanding on the body. Unlike swimming and biking, the third leg of the triathlon is where people run (pun fully intended) the risk of injury. Add in weak hips, low mobility, tight hamstrings, calves, and  quads, and you have a recipe for injury before you even get to race day. You cannot complete a triathlon if you are not able to run because of injury. Running consistently and injury-free, therefore, needs to be a factor in the IM registration decision.


Lastly, and most importantly, there is no mention in the article as to the “why”. Even if you have the best swim form and health, enough money to buy several bikes, and never get injured, you have to have a strong reason to train for the Ironman.
This “why” has to go beyond the desire to beat your co worker or put the tattoo on your calf or the bumper sticker on your car. It has to be strong enough to get you up at 4:30 am to get to the pool and to lace up your trainers at the end of a full day of work. If that intrinsic drive is not there, you are wasting your money and time. With the proper drive and mindset though, you can overcome all the rest of the needs for Ironman training.


So are you ready for an Ironman? Yes, you may be able to check off all the physical and environmental boxes, but can you check off that “mental drive” box?

No deep heat needed tonight / musings on doing an IM

After three straight nights of rolling on the deep heat I think my legs can make it through the night on their own

I reckon the fitter you are the quicker your recovery. I'm feeling good. Didn't do RR10 this eve as too wet - muddy, slippery and raining. I'm too tired and I just know I would have gone flying!!!

Instead I ate chocolate and caught up on NCIS and burnt my boiled eggs. What a numpty.

I've also come to the very clear realisation that I am nowhere near ready to do a full IM yet. I need at least a couple more years of doing 70.3s, plus long bike rides, another marathon or two and get better at the swim.

Ideally... Swim sub 40; bike sub 3:30, run sub 2:15. So quite a ways off but def doable.

Lakesman Half IM race report

Lakesman Half IM race report... 

Sunday 16th June 2019. Eight hours, twenty five minutes and twenty four seconds.

I bloody loved every minute of it!!!! I went from sick with nerves will I survive the swim / make the bike cutoff to OMG I am just one big bundle of utter joy 🙂 isn't our sport just the best.

I was so nervous about the swim - Derwent Water is just so deep and cold but actually it was fine. Loved the fact that I ended up treading water before the start with tri club / HB buddy Donna which I reckon really helped calm my nerves. Found the swim fine. Veered off course - looked up - no one ahead of me! Luckily I then crashed into a swimmer turning right so I was pushed back on course.

Very choppy but as I'd taken a travel sickness pill when I got up a knew I'd be fine - no need of the rescue boat this time (look back to I think July 2017 to read about that incident)

The wobbly walk to T1 was hysterical - you walked/jogged through a funnel of cheering supporters which was useful as you bounced off them.

T1 was manic but 12 minutes later I was on my bike cycling slowly into the barrier. Oops. Regroup and then I was off.

I've worked so hard on my cycling. Got my 'new to me' bike (and various biking stuff thanks to my awesome friends and family for my 50th birthday in January), been out on a lot more long rides, been smashing it at HURTBOX - I was quietly confident but knew it would be tight. What a lovely ride - amazing views, saw the sea. The Lake District really is beautiful. However, I did start to get a tad nervous as I kept checking my watch, the road signs to Keswick and the fact the miles were ticking down slightly slower than needed. Eeeeek. Plus of course not closed roads so I had to do things like follow the Highway Code and do breaking and stopping - all very stressful when chasing a cutoff!! As I shot down the hill to T2 I knew I had it!!! Lizzie Lou was going to get out onto the run course.

The pic is me 10 seconds into the run. I think you can all see my utter and complete joy 🙂

The run was great fun - lots of chatting, high fives, whooping, thanking marshals, eating crisps, drinking coke, waving at everyone and anyone... My feet though not quite so happy. I'd tightened my laces just before the off road bit on lap one - cold feet off the bike, felt a bit slippy, didn't want to turn an ankle. Then it got hotter and hotter. I should have loosened my laces... Thinking about it now, it's exactly what happened during the Brighton Marathon in 2017 when it felt like I was running on nails - luckily it wasn't that bad on Sunday but it certainly slowed me down a lot.

In the end I was jog / walking hoping Lakesman were flexible with their finish cut off time as I was going to be about ten minutes outside the 8:15 cutoff (they were)

I loved my final lap. Thanked every marshal, applauded the spectators, soaked it all up.

Turning down the hill to the finish.

I'm smiling just thinking about it.

Let's just say my awesome Southampton tri club / Hurtbox buddies knew I was coming way before they actually saw me.

I love a finishing shoot. 

That feeling of utter and complete joy / happiness / I've done it that courses through every fibre of your being... It's magic xx

Home :)

Will do a proper report this week but until then - I'm just so so sooooo happy. I'm a lakesman. The trainin paid off. I met the cutoff that counted - the swim/bike and I had an absolute blast.

This is me 10seconds into the run leg. The absolute joy of making the cutoff :)

Nailed it! Loved it!! I'm a Lakesman :)

From being so nervous to tears of joy at the end. Bloody love my sport!!!

Lakesman Half IM is tomorrow!!!

Alarm set for 4am

I'm so nervous / excited.

Who knows if I'll make the cutoff - however it's the swim / cycle that'll be the most beautiful so if I don't get to run then no worries. Although I reckon as long as I go under an hour for the swim it's game on :)

Best pre race prep? A visit from brother Dave, Kate and the girls. Utterly awesome afternoon.

Must try and get some sleep now 

In Keswick!!!

Two days to go!!!

Gorgeous house, the gangs all here, registered, fluid cutoffs and excited :)

Stuff

Head band for the bike. Both gloves 

Last HB and a run :)

Bike back from bike guy - tri bars great!!

Good session at HB - feeling good about the bike leg...

Then Sue and I went for a run - approx 4K 33mins

Five days and it'll all be over :)

I'm eating my body weight in both highly and not so highly nutritious food. I'm also getting quite nervous. I wonder if the two are related!!

Tobie - Bike Guy has my bike for a checking it's all A-Okay. It always feel real once bike guy has your bike...

HB tomorrow and that's pretty much it. I may bring cossie to work tomorrow for a swim. Didn't bring today... Just wanted a clear day of nothing. Went to bed last night all sore and achey, woke up pretty sore and achey. Kinda usual pre race week really.

Hopefully I'll have a better nights sleep tonight :) 

Last few days - gym and a run after work

This time next week - it'll all be over! How bonkers is that.

Spent about an hour in the gym after work - stretching, bit of strength work, physio exercises for my knee.

Then cycled over to Sharon's for a run.

Approx 4 miles - running through St.James park to the common, around the common then home down Winchester Road. 52.17

Am now showered and ready for food and wine :)

Work, swim, work

Currently my 400m is 11mins and my 200m is 5mins so basically the 1.9k will take me about 55mins if it's nice weather, not to choppy, I don't have a little panic, sighting is okay, I'm not miles behind the pack at the start etc...

Works for me :) 

What a day!!!

Talk about packing it all in.

A really tough HB session today and tried out my new tri bars. They make cycling easier but also tough to remain on the bars for long periods of time... 

Session was brutal. Ducked out of a few sets. Nearly just gave up. The old Lizzie would have but I just kept going. So pleased with myself :)

Then cuppa with Sue and Jenny.

Massage at noon.

Nic's 50th bday pressie. 

Loved it. 

Mettricks Woolston - Vik and Rosie.

Food, wine and catch up. Loved it.

Lidls.

Popcorn.

In bed by 10:30pm

Watersports, new tri bars and lakeside.

4.5 hours of jet washing.

Wiggle box arrived - tri bars fit!

Lakeside for 5 laps - approx 1650m in 43.18 :)

Happy with that.

Then watched the aquathlon - lots of ringing of the cowbell 

Tough mental strength :)

I so wanted to stop before the end of the session today but I didn't. Am now feeling epic. Quietly confident I'll hit the cutoffs. But if I don't. Well I don't...

Lakeside tomorrow eve for last long lake swim. Hopefully five laps before the aquathlon.

Alpine HB session - less than two weeks!!

This time in two weeks I'll be pottering about our hire place in Kesick feeling hopefully awesome :)

One week left of intense training then easing off to not much by 12th June. So basically got about 10 days if that of training.

I'm feeling okay.

Eeeep

Hungover bike ride

So hungover!!! So tired!!!

Tri bars really don't fit.

Jenny and I met Sue at Eling carpark.

Wonderful cycle to Lepe. No locks so did tea and cakes at  Bulieau instead.

52km - 2.5hours

Home by 3ish

So tired.

Had so many plans...

Did laundry, made dinner, did a wiggle order, watched TV

Bike wasn't washed.

 

Saturday 1/6 - Suzanne and Richards wedding :)

Fabulous day

Just got back - toast and marmite :)

Day started at lakeside for a swim with the bride, Jenny, Jenny, Sue and Donna

5 laps

Excellent 

8.23

8.50

8.29

8.47

8.44

Then second breakfast.

Wedding 2pm

Brilliant.