PSOF Championships 2013 - Challenge Henley

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  • ST - I am going too join my local club again... I won't ride with them though... Like you say way too short, they are also affiliated with the local running club who are pretty decent.... I always seemed too get beaten by them! image I can't go into detail what races and why, or I can get in trouble... Oh and the novelty of fast stuff wears off quickly after about 1 session! Oh and bike looks good, lets see all those numbers rise!
  • Nice one Scuba - those stats look good to me. I reckon you're ahead of the game on the bike/run front.

    Did an hour run/walk today and felt, well, meh. Felt a little flat on Sunday's ride too. I have some mild pain on the top of my right foot which doesn't appear to be going away and my right shoulder is a bit creaky/clicky, something my physio wants to keep on top of from the outset. It appears I am slowly falling apart! image With that in mind I am going to switch to a bike focus this week to see if I can sort these minor niggles with a bit of relative rest. 

  • I've had lurgy for a few days so just done easy swimming and biking.  Slept about 16 hours yesterday though. image Feeling better today, especially after finding a long lost bottle of gin in the garage. 

  • With huge regret I think I've blown out my marathon that I should be doing this weekend. My ankle is still rubbish and I can barely walk - let alone run. It got a little better and then just stopped improving.

    However I'm away at the moment and I can cycle! 75 miles on Monday and a nice 100 mile ride yesterday. 25 miles earlier on and that'll be all today as I'm out with my wife this afternoon. Well pleased with how the 100 miles went though.

  • Gone a bit quiet - how are things going? Sounds like the bike recce was a success. 

    Fraggle - sorry to read about your bike incident on the recce thread. Glad you are okay.

    Blisters - how did Strattford go? I saw Squishy but that was it. I had a terrible time and pulled out at 2 miles and ran along the river at my own pace and distance instead. Just wasn't enjoying it, right at the back on my own with the cyclist and didn't have any go in me at all. It was a bit of a wake-up call to do more running. The point of a race for me is to see the fruits of my training, without training there was no point in the race. 

    Looking forward to the Pirate DIY half iron this weekend though. image

  • Training is going very well for me at the moment! This nice weather helps a lot especially at 5:30 am... Oh and the Henley bike course is pretty flat as opposed to last year.... Go go gadget 5:20 bike leg!

  • Hi Soup - yes we all absconded to the recce thread but we're back now image Sorry to hear about your run. Hopefully you can get back on track with the DIY HIM. I've got 5 weeks until Swashbuckler. Really looking forward to racing again as I haven't raced anything since last September. 

    Physio and a 1 hour fastish ride out on the TT bike for me this evening. Felt good! My foot appears to be healing a bit now (will be a week tomorrow since my last run) going to give it a few more days and maybe try it out at the tail end of the week. 

    Weather's looking good for this week - I wanna see some solid training people! image

  • Soupy, I tried to look out for you. I did find Crash Hamster and we ran for half the race at slightly above our capabilities. Then we drifted apart by a few metres. Down the Greenway I was absolutely dreading him overtaking me because I was dying on my feet. In retrospect I should have done more than one week's training. Pulling out a 3:25 wasn't a disaster (that was reserved for 3:28, a different story). It was great being in Pirate gear, and I lapped it up.

    Carshie never overtook me (big grin).

  • Good stuff Blisters. Racing in Pirate kit is just brill isn't it? I didn't wear it because I knew I couldn't do it justice plodding/walking slowly at the back and glad I didn't cos Pirates don't quit. image

    Which brings me on to my next decision - I'm dropping down to the half. I meant to do that when I entered but a mad moment said "sod it, give it a go". Stratty told me I had to do more running and I enjoy a good road race. Can't do that and get my biking and swimming up to speed and distance as well so I'd rather do a smaller distance and finish. To compicate it further I've re-found a childhood love of tennis and got a training partner which takes up more time.  Time to take stock and re-prioritise.  

    I always said I won't do a full IM till I can do a half without chasing cut -offs. So the half is going to be my A race which  I'm happy about. 

  • Sounds like you've made a good decision Soupy, it's all about getting the balance right *for you*  image    I'm now back into training and enjoying it, so still hoping to do the full distance, hope you're going to hang around and be chief Pirate cheer leader after you're done ? 

     

  • Oh yeah, training. Where's me bike? I don't think I can blag this one.

  • Soup - it's about what you find fun at the end of the day, and if you have more then 1 sport you do at a time it can get a bit strenuous... But I'm glad your doing the half... Please hang about after and shout abuse! 

    Blisters - it's fine I blagging it is what it's all about... Or your not a real triafelete!

  • Nothing will keep me away from abuse duties. I'll be practicing those in Macclesfield on Sunday and again at Outlaw. image

  • Blisters - 3:25 well done, I'd love a sub 3:30, maybe next year.

    Soup - Sounds like you've given it a lot of thought and the marathon made up your mind. I'm sure you will have a great weekend and hopefully you won't be chasing cutoff so 2014 will be you IM year. As Fraggle said it would be great if you could cheer the rest of the pirates on once you've finished.

    Jamie - I'm not sure I agree about the bike course the first 4 mile out of Henley up to Nettlebed were fine the first time but at 75miles I'm sure it will hurt and Howe hill is a lung buster but thankfully short. As per the Recce thread I'm considering my options for a cassette 12-27 maybe even 11-28.

    Badger - Hope your foot is better but don't rush it, if you have to spend a week on the bike and swimming that's better than setting back the healing process.

    Fraggle - Glad your training its getting back on track.

    I'm glad its cut back week this week, I feel like I need it. Did a 1 hour run this morning with 5 mins at Z4 I don't think I got my heart rate anywhere near high enough, is anyone else having that problem? First open-water swim tomorrow evening, not sure if I'm looking forward to it or not

  • I wouldn't worry too much Scubes - just push harder than you would do normally. I had my cut back week last week (down to 8 hours) after 4 consecutive 10+ hour weeks. I definitely needed it. I seem to be getting more and more away from Fink now after following it pretty closely for the first 8-9 weeks. I think I'm going to do my own thing now but keep the total volume about the same (though I don't think there is enough of a drop in the recovery weeks for me so I will drop these further) 

    Good luck with the OWS - not sure my local lake is even open yet. For what it's worth - I prefer OWS and think it's easier and more fun! Let us know how you get on. 

    Tough call there Soup, if you feel like it's a weight lifted then it's probably the right call. Like you say, if you're struggling with the cut-off's at half distance then that is where you should be directing your effort. I wonder where 2014 will take us all eh? image

  • We're supposed to be doing 10 hours a week? Oh.

    Personally I'm adopting a slightly different approach, based on proving to myself that I have the ability to do the distance at each discipline. Swim, tick. Run, tick. Bike-work in progress.

  • My "plan" started out as Fink but I've moved bits about so it fits in with my weeks better. Also I do a fair bit of "casual" (popping up the town / taking / collecting children from school etc) cycling so I'm doing more than 10 hours a week.

    I'm looking forward to doing some OW. Datchet lake is open now but I'm letting it warm up a little more before I get in it!

    However I want to know I can do it all. In a Blisters style, Swim, tick. Bike, tick. Run - needs work (ankle currently refusing to play).

  • err

    looking at pre race accomodation....

    looking expensive....
    I was gonna end up camping down the road - whats the story?

  • OC - try looking in Caversham ? There's a premier inn here that might be cheapo, and about 10 or so miles from the start ?

  • I originally had a Premier Inn in Marlow OC - fairly close by. 

  • You can always stay in Newbury too... Where I live it's about 20 miles from the race and its like a budgie... It's cheeeep! 

     

    Good training crappy day today image 2km swim done in sets of 400 averaged 7:37 per 400 which I'm pretty happy with as I am a truly craptastic swimmer.... After work was a 2 hour 40 mile full on race pace TT on the bike which was fun..

     

    had a stupid trailer test today and failed in the last 5 mins ... Wrong lane of a roundabout I'm bloody gutted as I had only a couple of minors... Oh well grrrrrr image

  • What's a trailer test?

  • OC - Booked a room at Premier Inn but am looking at options for caravan/campervan at Swiss farm which is very close to T2 and finish. Would also be a good base for the family during the day.

    Jamie - Nice pace in the pool, good to see your taking advantage of the good weather on the roads too. When can you re test?

    Did my first Open Water session yesterday evening. It was not a great session, it was in a group of 15 similarly inexperienced OW swimmers. It took me ages to get my face in the water and control my breathing enough to breath out properly. Felt very stressed and so heart rate and breathing raced making it harder. I did finally get a grip and managed to swim vaguely like i can in the pool in the second half of the session. I was so tired by the end, a combination of cold, ever exertion in the first half and tired arms from not being use to the extra resistance of the wet suit. I think it will take a 3-4 more sessions to get use to it, this may be a problem as my first OW tri is 19 May

  • ST - you end up getting used too it mate don't stress! It's a very foreign environment for the body so just take it slow... May 19th is my first tri of the year too image... In regards too test next week....

     

    blisters - as I passed my test post 1997 for car license I have to take a extra test to tow a large trailer.. Bloody stupid in my opinion as I have a class 2 HGV license... Blah I really hate driving tests image

  • Scuba - sounds like your first OW was more successful than mine - and 9 monthe later I'm comfortably doing 3.2km in the lake. But I still 'dislike' the first 200m - I find breathing uncomfortable, and don't like putting my face in the water. i think its a natural self preservation thing, but as jamie says it soo passes!

    And jamie - told you you were just a youngster - us old folks have all the rubbish on out driving licences anyway image

  • Jamie, that explains it. My driving licence is a bit tatty, it only exists on pink paper. I have great delight in offering it up as identification when the person requesting it is expecting a photograph. The points may be expired, but I'm not going to pay that repeat fee (tax) when I don't need to.

    Scuba, Rafiki, it does seem like I am going to find my initiation into OW exposure to be challenging. I have a separate wetsuit hood available, is that considered to be a clever way to avoid hypothermia, or a clear statement that I'm a wuss who needs to man up?

  • Blisters - I think you know the answer to the wetsuit hood question!!

  • Alright chaps hope your day is going well.. Had a nice day working outside in shorts and t shirt also managed a short (6.5 mile am run and a 18 mile 1 hour hilly bike ride) having a slightly lax day as I have a crap ton of training to do this weekend.. This weeks alone I've already done 6 hours+ of cycling and have 7 more planned... Anyway any of you lot fancy a trip down too lake at some point.. Would rather swim with some of you butters then on my jack jones.. The reading lake hotel I'm on about image

  • Nice one Jamie - leading the way as usual. With running off the agenda this week I have done 5 hours cycling so far. Aiming to have a good training weekend and I have tomorrow off work too. Bonus. Only downer is the front shifting on my TT bike has turned to shite and I am having a 'mare trying to fix it! Might have to slum it on the roadie. If she wasn't so beautiful I would've punted her across the garage last night! image 

  • Jamie - depending what the weather does (and how much I drink on Sat night) I was planning to head to the lake on Sunday. BBT you about on Sunday?

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