Welcome to my blog. This is a personal diary documenting my quest to complete my first Ironman triathlon and maybe to one day qualify for the World Championships in Hawaii.
While I can’t imagine why anyone would be interested in reading this, I thought I would publish it as a public blog both as a way for my friends to keep track of how my training is progressing and also on the offchance that the lessons I learn along the way may prove useful to some of you.
I hope that reading this may inspire some of you to have a go at triathlon and ultimately become an Ironman.
Monaco Marathon - -97 days
Ironman CH - 8 days
Marathon Alpes-Maritimes - 127 days
Preparation for Monaco was not good. Various things (illness, being very busy etc.) meant I hardly trained at all in the weeks leading up to the race.
With the clocks changing it was an early start to get to the race. I had a "preferential" number which meant I got to warm up and start in the "elite" pen so no excuses for being held up at the start. Monaco is a tough (hilly) course with two particularly big hills (one heading out of Monaco at 7km and then the other on the way back at 32 km). I started well and felt very strong. I went through 10km in 41st position in 41:16 - exactly on my target pace of 4:10 min/km despite the first big hill. At this point I was feeling so good I thought a sub 3 hour may even be possible.
As we headed into Italy I passed half way in 53rd position in 1:28:07 still on target pace but starting to feel a bit tired. It was after the turnaround that I first started to feel the stomach cramps and slowed significantly. At about 28 km I was going through a bad patch which coincided with the 3 hour pacer passing me. I tried to stick with him but couldn't and knew the PB was not going to happen. As we approached the last big hill my only motivation was that I was the first from St Raphael Triathlon Club (although that too soon went as a teammate passed me). I went through 30km 74th in 2:08:32.
At 40km I was still on for a reasonable 3:05 but as I entered the last 2km the stomach cramps worsened and I was reduced to a walk. I finished in 104th with a time of 3:13:44 (44th senior male).
Once again stomach cramps were the problem (as they were in London last year). On the positive side, 3:13 for a hot and hilly marathon is a respectable time, especially considering the lack of training, as is a finish in the top 10% of a strong field.
The Cannes Half Marathon was my first really serious race of the year and an opportunity to compare my current standard to where I was this time last year. Last year I had probably my best ever race with a PB by 10 minutes and PBs at every split along the way. This year I've been training significantly less and so I knew it would be very tough to come anywhere near last year's excellent result. My aim was to get as close as possible to my PB time of 1:20 but I had no expectations of beating it.
I set of at a PB pace (3:45 min/km) and my heart rate was straight up around 85% - 90%. In the same race last year my HR remained between 80% - 84%. My legs felt heavy from the start but I pushed on and was surprised to maintain both the pace and the high heart rate for most of the race. From around 15km I started to suffer and slow although I was still maintaining the high heart rate. I held a pace of around 4 min/km for the remainder of the race and finished in 66th position in a reasonable time of 1:23:05.
I'm happy with the result. Over the next few weeks I'll be focusing on the Monaco Marathon - cutting down a little on the long bike sessions to make time for some longer runs.
This was a tough trail race with 255m ascent/descent over the 11km route. We arrived by bike after a 25 mile ride from St Raphael. Unfortunately, due to several punctures on the way we had to push a bit hard to get there on time and arrived already a bit tired. As usual I set off too fast running the first couple of km with the leading group of St Raphael members. I started to loose ground on the big climb but it felt good to be racing again. I finished in a respectable 21st position with a time of 45:51.
I'm now getting into some more serious training as the new season approaches. Swimming with the club is going well and I feel I'm improving every week. On Sunday I went out for a ride with the club. They pushed me hard and I finished up having covered over 100 miles in a bit over 6 hours. On Sunday I'll be riding 40km to a 11km trail race in St Tropez and then 40km back. This 11km race should give me my first indication of how my running standard is doing at this early stage in the year. Check back next week for a report...
A video showing highlights from my first Ironman last year.
A video showing the beautiful surroundings in which I train every day. All of this video was filmed within 2 miles of our house. This is the first part of what will be a complete video showing the full story of my training leading up to Ironman Switzerland later this year.
Training hard with St Raphael
Since the Grasse 10km I have been getting back into more structured training in the lead up to the new season. I have been swimming regularly with St Raphael Triathlon club and their coaching is really helping my swimming. I have also been out running and cycling with them and I'm benefiting from the motivation of training with a club.
Indoors on the bike
I have purchased a "Cycleops Magneto" indoor trainer. This is allowing me to fit in some of my bike sessions indoors which is boring but allows me to train during the dark winter evenings. I also think I get a more intense workout indoors which I think will help my endurance later in the year.
XC in the UK - the Turners Hill Cross Country
Whilst visiting the UK for Christmas I entered a good old muddy English Cross Country race. 4.5 miles though some lovely sticky fields and paths. I set off hard and within the first mile I had settled into third place. The two leaders were well away and I had no chance of catching them. I held third for most of the race and only in the last half mile was I caught. I battled hard but the fast early miles had taken their toll and I lost the sprint finish for third. I finished in a respectable 4th place in a time of 28:24.
After a couple of weeks of very light training I raced the Grasse 10km today. As usual I set off too quick with a 5:30 first mile. I really suffered for the rest of the race and struggled to keep close to 6:10 min/mile pace. With a gentle downhill second half I managed to get back to 6 min pace and finally finished in 129th with a PB time of 37:34. I was pleased to get a PB but a little disappointed to miss my target time of 37 mins.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of the new season's training after a month of "off season". I'll be upping the mileage and getting back to more of a schedule as well as starting to watch my diet and include some weights and core work.
This time last year I surprised myself by breaking my 10 mile PB on a tough and hilly course. This year I decided to enter the race again, and once again I got a PB.
It was an early start to get to the 9am start. It was also a really cold morning after strong winds the day before. I started close to the front and as often happens started off running way too quick. I found myself on the back of the lead group of about 15 runners but soon realised the pace was too fast and so I dropped back after the first km. I felt really strong for the first 10km, running through 5km in 18:36 and 10km in 38:57. After 10km it was really just a case of hanging on for the PB. I was slowing dramatically but just managed to finish inside my PB time from last year. Final time: 1:03:28 in 31st position.
On Monday night I had a trial training session with St Raphael Triathlon club. I met with the coach Dominique Cocusse and had a good session in the spectacular new Olympic pool in St Raphael. It is a large club and includes several professionals including former World Champion, double Olympian and multiple Xtrerra winner Olivier Marceau. A group of 12 from the club are going to race IM Switzerland next year. Having others with the same target to train with will be a great advantage for me. I will be officially joining the club over the next few weeks.
New teammates including Olivier Marceau (left) and coach Dominique
Cocusse (right).
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