Half ironman nutrition plans and guesstimate race timings.

I think I've got it nailed...

Well I figure mabes a peanut butter and marmite roll and a banana at whatever stupid o'clock we have to get up at - probably 5am.  Then I like the having a gel just b4 the swim plan.

I'll pop a water bottle in my T1 bag to have when changing out of wetsuit then my new snack box on cross bar will be chock full with power bars and solid food (fig rolls, malt loaf, jelly babies) with gels taped to the rest of my cross bar.

2 big 750ml bottles of water and then prob another bottle of water in run gear bag to drink in T2 if needed.

Then will snack my way round the run sampling the delights of most if not all the food stations. Sainsbury's Weymouth are providing additional nutrition such as flapjack, crisps, pretzels, bananas, oranges, coke and water at all the run feed stations. Plus loads of sports nutrition will also be available on the cycle course and run course such as gels, power bars, protein bars and energy drinks.

I'm thinking I should waddle over the finish line anytime from 5pm onwards - although after yesterday's sea swim...

2km pier to pier sea swim at southsea. 2013 in ridiculously choppy weather 64:42.
2014 in gorgeous weather (I have a swimming costume tan line on my back and shoulders) but still quite choppy = 50:48 and the female 45-54 age category winner :)

Absolutely delighted.

Sunday's new estimated times are now as follows...
8:05am start in wave 4, race number 1718.
1.9k swim = 50mins
T1 = 10-15min
On bike by 9:10am

90k cycle = 4-4.5hours
T2 = 5-10mins
Out running by 1:45pm

15k run while stopping at most feed stations to sample their delights = 3-4 hours (depends if knees play ball or give up the ghost and cause me to walk instead of run/jog/stagger)

Estimated time for lizzie lou to cross the finish line?

Any time from 4:45pm at I reckon the very earliest, to crawling over the finish line at 6:30pm.

The photo is this evenings lidls shop - the groceries of champions :)

www.everyclick.com/halfanironman

Great open water swim this eve.

Just a quick update

Was at HOWSC this eve with Katherine and Suzanne.

Three laps of approx 630-650m

14.30.28
12.53.71
12.41.28
01.39.44 - from bouy to quayside

Total distance = approx 1.9km
Total time = 41.44.71

I'm utterly delighted :)

The swim was okay!
Yes I was bored at first but then by the middle of the second lap I  started to feel all glidey and relaxed. And by the end of the third I did seriously wonder about doing a fourth.

I didn't.
But delighted to know I was considering it :)

Am I ready? Well I'm still planning on doing the half ironman and I've still got at least a week of training left (loads of swimming planned) so yes, I'm def getting there.

Maybe the gym tomorrow morning and boxing Tuesday eve.

Cheers :)

www.everyclick.com/halfanironman

No Junk September starts tomorrow

Yep, I'm going back to a no junk month as I'm incapable of judging just what "hardly any" actually is when it comes to chocolate. NJS will also include me not buying crisps but if a packet is open in the pub then I will have some. Sweets are included but not ice cream.

I'm a great believer in abstinence as long as it's your choice. I'm not going to set myself up to fail. I will have sensible sweetie goodness while training and the odd yummy treat but not chocolate as I can't just have "hardly any".

Great 42mile cycle today, fab new 17 mile cycle route discovered while out with Pam and Karen this morning - Romsey then sharp left and you pop out where I was marshalling last year at the LRR 10mile race, Totton by railway, ending up at Redbridge then back into town along Millbrook road. Loved it. Will def be doing that again.

Then Gosport via Lee on Solent - stopped for crappy cup of tea at the penguin cafe - the cafe was lovely but the young man didn't leave the tea bag in long enough. Then off to the Sunday tea club for tea and cakes, and then thank god, bikes went in the van and Pam and I got life back to soton. Yay Karen.

Just finished watching Alistair Brownlee win the grand final with Javier Gomez crowned world champion. Should really go to bed as quite tired, Giants/Brewers on ESPN and happiness is... the American football season starts Thursday with Seahawks at Lambeau field. Kick off 1am.

Oh and the attached picture was consumed earlier. Methinks NJS can't come quickly enough!!!

NB - if all goes well in less than 2 weeks I'll be Lizzie Lou Carter - Half Ironman :)

www.everyclick.com/halfanironman

Oh dear... HAJA has rapidly descended into TCFFA :(

Well... It would seem that my dear friends and family actually do know me better than I know myself...

After a superb start to HAJA - hardly any junk august where it was the odd handful of tortilla chips, maybe a few squares of Cadbury's dairy milk and the odd biscuit, it is with a heavy heart and full belly that I have to admit Haja didn't really work :(

Haja has, I'm sorry to admit, descended into Total Chocolate Feeding Frenzy August - TCFFA.

Sigh.

With two days left in the month I know I'm going to have to move into NJS EWT (no junk September except when training) as I really can't have "hardly any" junk. It's just not something that I'm capable of :)

Basically Operation Fit and Healthy had been 50/50.

Fit = going well, for instance this morning before work I swam 1500m (60 lengths) in 41mins and was in the gym yesterday morning before work. The Healthy part though has taken a nose dive into a very deep ocean and has yet to resurface (eeeek and ooops).

It's now 15 days to the half ironman and although I'm pretty nervous about it, I'm also really excited. Another week or so of training then a good couple of days of rest so I give myself the best chance of a sub 10 hour race. It's going to be tough but it's also going to be brilliant fun. I really love being a triathlete :)

www.everyclick.com/halfanironman

I've attached the old me at Breakout at Pride 93 pic again cos it makes me smile.

Three good things today :)

1. I went to the gym before work.
2. My American football tickets arrived (so very happy).
3. I didn't go get chocolate from the garage.

Today has been fab :)

August update :)

Gosh, nmja-ewt has been kinda okay... This weekend just gone did include a ginourmous slab of chocolate fudge cake, tootis yummy ice cream and a bag of those Cadburys solid chocolate eggs but other than that it's all going A-Okay!

Half ironman training since the iow holiday *just reaches for training log book*

Monday 11/8 - went for a run round ocean village before work then drank shed loads of prosecco with dear friends who I've known over 33 years.

Tuesday 12/8 another run before work, stationary bike and boxing

Wednesday 13/8 stationary bike and tri club at the uni pool

Thursday 14/8 run with Vik before work

Friday 15/8 another run before work

Saturday 16/8 parkrun 30.53 then boxing. Worthing in the afternoon meeting up with college mates - ginourmous chocolate fudge cake was consumed here.

Sunday 17/8 OMG I needed a rest day big time. Utterly exhausted. Barely able to walk. Tootis ice cream and then chocolate eggs consumed in the evening.

Monday 18/8 tri club this evening was fab. Did about 1850m in the session - felt good plus wasn't bored out of my tits with the swimming. I'm not quite at the swimming is an active meditation for me yet but I've def moved on from god I'm bored bored bored soooooo bored with it.

And now I'm watching a bit of telly :)

Oh and I think I may go to the gym tomorrow morning...

http://www.everyclick.com/halfanironman

Haja okay but now thinking nmja ewt...

What a fabulous August it's been so far. IOW with sis, bro in law and the nieces. Lots of sea swimming, running and rose wine.

Haja has been fine, I've been writing it all down so for instance on Sunday 3/8 I went for a run, had some sea swimming at Ryde beach and my haja consisted of packet of crisps at lunch, 4 digestives, 2 mini squares of flapjack, 2 strips of fruit and nut and one strip of dairy milk plus some white wine.

Haja and holiday exercise along with being a tourist = fabulously fun holiday.

However...

It's now 5 weeks to the day for the half ironman. I need to rethink haja especially after this evenings mini choc frenzy (eeek)

So, haja is now no more - holiday with sis finished yesterday. Training today - stationary bike, 3 sessions while watching the 1st packers pre season game = 45mins and 21km (approx)

It then stopped raining so I went out just after 3pm for a 2:54.52hour cycle = 31.91miles.

Haja disaster though - choc craving so of course figured I'm haja-ing so a bit of choc is fine...
It's no use. Who am I kidding? I can't just have "hardly any" chocolate. It's just not in my DNA to have just have one small piece! So after much soul searching I've taken the positive step of retiring haja.

I am now doing "nmja ewt" - no more junk august - except when training. It's def the right thing to do :)

Also seeing as the half ironman is just 5 weeks away I should start getting "operation fundraising for breakout youth" up and running.

So dear blog readers of mine - please check out:

www.everyclick.com/halfanironman

and feel free to fish out your plastic for this amazing cause.

Oh and the pic is today's page in my training log book - as you can all see, nmja ewt couldn't come soon enough :)