Cross training in Wales 2

Well, it rained for 3 1/2 of the 4 days we were in Wales.

That meant not as much cross training as I would have hoped for.

On the one sunny afternoon, we ventured to Rossilly Bay. The beach was beautiful and I did get some surfing in there.

We also did some walking with The Boy on my back, but not enough to call it training.

And to top it off- we ate well. Lots of Welsh lamb and Welsh cakes.

Cross Training in Wales

We're off to Wales- The Breacon Beacons and The Gower- for a few days. I ran home from the office yesterday- about 8 miles- with the idea that I could cross-train a bit in Wales.

So that means surfing on The Gower and carrying The Boy on my back up and down the hills.

In the zone

On Saturday, I swam 1500 meters- the full distance for the Tri in August.

It felt great.

On Sunday, I ran 5 1/2 miles- just short of the full Tri distance.

It also felt great.

I feel like I've gotten through a psychological wall of resistance. On both days, I felt like I'd found that zone where you just go on autopilot- just glide.

Fundraising

If I can get the pieces in the right places, I'm planning on using the London Triathlon to fund raise for Richmond MIND. I'm a trustee there and it's a good opportunity to create awareness of mental health issues and help our mission.

Today, I've applied for a justgiving account on behalf of the charity. This will allow me to do everything over the net and people to contribute from anywhere in the world.

I hope to have my page up and running by the end of the month and spend July getting the message out.

Windsor Triathlon

Christian and I got up at the crack of dawn today, and drove out to Windsor Castle. We got to see my friend Mike come out of the water here after getting in at 6:40...





This is the start of the bike stage.














Showing up this early and seeing all the people really makes me want to have competed.

By the way...

Here's me at the bike to run transition.

Taken clandestinely with my mobile.

Swimming in Circles

I swam for 30 minutes on Saturday at the pool at Ashridge, and I had the whole thing to myself.

So, I got in the pool and didn't touch the walls or bottom for 30 minutes.

Since I figure the swim portion of the triathlon will last about 35 minutes for me, I need to be prepared for that length with no stopping.

So, I swam in a big circle.

Calm & Cool

Calm and cool while doing sub 8 minute miles.

Blenheim Tri- elites

The top 200 finishers:

Ave:
Swim 00:14:20 Trans00:03:47
Bike 00:35:04 Trans00:01:54
Run 00:23:35 01:18:17

Breakdown:
Swim: 9 minutes per 500 meters
Bike: 21 miles per hour
Run: 7:40 per mile

Per X Breakdown

On the swim:
12 minutes per 500 meters

On the bike:
17 miles per hour ave

On the run:
7:45 minutes per mile

Results: Blenheim Tri

2231 Adam Park

Swim00:18:01 Trans00:06:16
Bike00:43:49 Trans00:02:07
Run00:24:54
Total01:35:06
Place:1171 out of 2071

750km/20km/5km

Last run at ease

I ran home from work today (3 miles) at a slow pace, and now have two days to rest up for the Tri. We're staying at a B&B nearby for Saturday night, so we'll inevitably have a nice country stroll on Saturday afternoon.

My resting pulse rate this evening is: 48 beats a minute.

The Place (or Palace)

The organization has done a good job of emailing information to the competitors leading up to the race.

Today, this was included in one of the links:

Blenheim Palace, the gift of a grateful nation to its saviour John, Duke of Marlborough, is also a gift of a venue for triathlon. Loads of space for parking, a competitor village and a gorgeous view or vista at every turn. There's a lake that, basically, just says "swim in me", a transition area that's the Palace's front yard, a closed cycle circuit that offers plenty of interest and yet is not overly physically challenging and a run route that you will actually want to go back and walk around afterwards -- all of this makes the Mazda Blenheim Triathlon a paradise for a novice triathlete.

Wow, I'm looking forward to the event even more.

By the way, from a customer experience point of view, this really increases my pre-race feeling that I've signed up to a great race.

Last Weekend before the Sprints

Next weekend is the Blenheim Triathlon sprint distance.

I swam 1000 meters on Saturday with B and C.

I biked today. the weather was absolutely foul- cold, rainy and windy. Came home to a warm lunch and a glass of red wine.

This week will be easy, short runs. And then we're off to a B&B near the race for Saturday night.

I've already started packing my gear in anticipation.

Number One Fun

Here's the number to look for at The Blenheim Tri next Sunday.


If the weather is good, it will be a beautiful event.

BTW: I swam 1000 meters today.

Bike offically sorted

I picked up the borrowed bike today from my good friend Jack. I've used it in the past and it rides well. It's a Dawes- I think this one.

C and I cleaned it up this afternoon.

The best part is that I've been training on my mountain bike which is plenty heavy, so this feels light as a feather.

A killer weekend

Run home from work on Friday: 4 miles
Swim with Bella and C on Saturday: 800 meters
Brick with Mike Robertson on Sunday: 14 mile bike ride immediately followed by a 7 mile run (all in the rain).

Limp into work on Monday...

A training run to kill me

We went out of London this past weekend to stay with some friends. They live in a little village called Frieth (located here), in the rolling hills of the Chilterns.

Nigel and I ran about 7 miles on Sunday morning. He's is in pretty good shape, and he punished me on these trails and hills. The views were spectacular from the top, but I couldn't fully appreciate them as I gasped for breath.

All in all, it was a good cross-training exercise, but very demanding.

My race number arrives!

On Friday, I got home from work to find a big envelope. Inside was all the information and race number for the Blenheim Tri in June. Just reading it started to get me excited for the event.

And it looks like a beautiful place for a race.

I'll be doing the sprint distance- 750 m. swim, 20 km bike, 5km bike- on Sunday at 11:45, 3 June.

Bricks and more bricks

I've now gotten into the painful swing of doing bricks (combinations of two triathlon elements) on the weekends. Today, a beautiful Bank Holiday Monday, I biked for 2 laps around Richmond Park, and then ran another lap. Each lap is 7 miles.

This means I can do short runs during the week, long exercise on the weekends, and rest every other day.

Next weekend, a bit of swimming.