Charleston, SC - Swimming at the Dollar Store

Today I managed to squeeze in an hour at the local pool that I had found. It actually turned out to be pretty sweet in the fact that it was a 50m pool and cost me all of a $1.....yep a single dollar to swim!

The pool itself was a converted outdoor lido and had a bubble over it to keep the warmth in. It also had very shallow ends as in only 3FT deep ends and so for me the flips were out....I probably could have contorted my body to get a flip-turn in but no doubt would have pulled a muscle somewhere.

Swimming in a 50m pool is kinda cool. I think that this is the first time that I have swam in a 50m pool in about 20 years and certainly enables you to concentrate on swimming as opposed to having to flip every 25 yards. It also makes you think about different distances and calculations to get to the final workout distance. Overall a good workout and I shall be back there tomorrow....another lie-in for Sarah then!

Charleston has been great so far. After arriving in the evening on Monday we had dinner downtown and saw a little bit of Charleston. Tuesday was a trip to Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began, and then to the beach town of Folly Beach. Weather was warm but that gave us t-storms and winds so the beaches weren't really ideal for walking along...fortunately the rain stopped in time for an early evening tempo run :-)

Today the cold front came in, so bundled up against the 50 degree temps and strong winds we ventured to Boone Hall Plantation for a great visit to the last remaining working plantation. We also drove to the nearby beaches of Sullivans Island and the Isle of Palms. For those interested, Boone Hall Plantation was used in the film "The Notebook" (one for the ladies!).....

That's Charleston so far....more training and sightseeing to do!

Charleston, SC: Running Capital of the World?

We are in Charleston, SC for the next few days and after US Airways decided to keep us in Charlotte, NC for most the afternoon we didn't arrive until late in the day. I still managed to get out for a short 40min run, in shorts and t-shirt no less (a nice 60 degree evening) and got my first look around Charleston. Man, I must have passed about 50-60 runners out here this evening....this is a town full of runners! Perhaps it is just that I am used to seeing no-one on the streets of Bowie in freezing weather but the warmer weather in Charleston must get everyone out and about!

I am going to try and locate the pool tomorrow so that I can get a few sessions later in the week....should be another run for Tuesday though, I might even get a tan mark if the warm weather continues!

85 miles of grime......

The ice storm passed in time for the group ride on Saturday and left us with a lovely grey, damp and cold day (very reminiscent of England actually!). After 85 miles on the wet, salt and grit laden roads I think I have a pretty good idea of what bike tires produce the most spray and how to wipe my glasses while riding so I can at least partially see the road....I know the ride will serve me well once the summer comes!



Me after the ride, nice and grimy and not the most appealing picture! We're off to South Carolina tomorrow and some warmer temps :-)

How about a little bit of Southern Comfort.......

Well the recovery week is close to being over and the second build phase of the training period starts tomorrow, hopefully with a 4.5hr ride if the ice storm passes and gives us safe road conditions.

To begin this phase Sarah and I are heading south for a few days to warm-up and take in the charm of Charleston, SC. So from Monday thru Friday we are away on a Banks Mini-Training Camp, well that's what I am calling it, Sarah is calling it a vacation!

The bike isn't travelling with us but the trunks, swim toys and running shoes are. I have already found a public 50m pool (just minutes from the hotel) and hopefully Charleston will have some good running routes. To be honest it really is a vacation but I just hope to be able to run everyday and have at least a few trips to the pool. Running is the key as the day after we get back I have the B&A Half-Marathon and I want to use it as a good indicator of fitness as I work up to the National Marathon on March 29th.

Having never been to Charleston or South Carolina for that matter, we're looking forward to taking in its warm hospitality (and warmer weather!), gracious living, vibrant history, and Southern charm. Hopefully I won't come back with too much southern hospitality stuck to my ribs......

Don't squeeze the Garmin!.......

Coming to the end of February and the first build phase of the season is over. This week is for rest and recovery after a solid seven week base/build phase to start the year.

Recovery weeks are always good....you sleep more, have shorter workouts and are not a slave to the various electronic gadgets attached to the bike/wrist/chest.....

Last night I went for a 75min run and it was great not to have to concentrate on the pace or distance and just run. There were no intervals to thrash out, it was a pure run and I didn't squeeze the Garmin until I got back to the front door. Mission accomplished: a nice easy recovery run for 75mins at 7:05min/mile pace.

It was hard though not to be tempted to look at the pace and distance and it makes you wonder if sometimes we would just be better off running and riding on feel rather than making sure we are at a certain pace or within a certain "training zone". If you feel good and want to go hard then go hard, if you feel down just take it easy and ease into a tempo workout or simply a recovery workout. Over the past year I have seriously contemplated purchasing a power meter for the bike but aside from the price, I always come back to thinking....would I really benefit from it? Many would say that I would and many would say that I wouldn't. Without the knowledge and understanding of a coach I think that the impact of a power meter would probably be lost....now getting a coach, that's a whole different ballgame!

For the time being I'll stick with the heart-rate monitor and squeezing the Garmin...

Welcome to the Jungle......some call it a garage!

You know where you are
You're in the jungle baby
You're gonna die
In the jungle
Welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your
knees, knees
In the jungle
Welcome to the jungle
Feel my, my, my serpentine
In the jungle
Welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your
knees, knees
In the jungle
Welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your
It' gonna bring you down-HA!

For all of you that know the pain of the trainer (as well as the lyrics of Guns 'n' Roses)......Welcome to my Jungle!

Now this sounds like a great run.....

In the December issue of Ultrarunning Magazine there was a race report on the Sister Poker Run, a 34 mile trail run in Sisters, Oregon that took place in October. So why is this worthy of a blog entry I hear you say! Well as per many other runs of this kind around the country, the Sisters Poker Run isn't all about getting to the finish line first. Nope, much to contrary belief the winner of the run doesn't break the tape in the fastest time.

The race format is relatively simple, at every aid station of which there are six you receive a poker card and then as you finish you receive a seventh. After everyone has finished, and the last person who crosses the line still has a chance of winning, you show your poker hand and the runner with the best hand is deemed the winner.....This year the winner had a full house of Queens and Jacks!

What a cool way to organize a race, it makes the run much more of a social event (Ultra's are pretty social anyway!) and not so focused on blazing to the finish line...imagine just being able to graze leisurely at the aid stations :-)

For more details visit Fatboycanrun. Perhaps I will have to try and find a local poker run! Although to be honest I would need to brush up on my poker skills....it has been a long time since high school poker games!

I'm Iain Banks and I approve this schedule.....

The time has come to announce the 2008 race schedule, or rather, the first half of the 2008 schedule (mainly so my parents can plan their vacations over to the US to coincide with any big races!). The second half has a few definite races but is still a little up in the air depending on what happens in the first half! It is definately an Ironman year though.

March 2nd, 2008 - B & A Trail Half Marathon

March 29th, 2008 - Suntrust National Marathon

April 5th, 2008 - Tour of Walkersville (ABRT Race)

April 6th, 2008 - Cherry Pit 10 Miler

As is the usual case in my season it starts off with some running races before the triathlon events begin to kick in. This tends to give me some motivation during the winter months and also makes me put an edge onto my running build. Last year I scheduled my first ultra trail race and this year I have scheduled my first stand alone marathon (The only marathon I have ever run, aside from two ultras, was at IMFL). This marathon is the Suntrust National Marathon, here in Washington DC on March 29th. It isn't a huge race and so should be a nice course to get out and run, rather than be crammed in with 25,000 of your closest friends! In preparation for the marathon I also have scheduled the local B&A Trail Half Marathon on March 2nd.

April 27th, 2008 - Short Course Duathlon Nationals

May 4th, 2008 - Devilman 1/2 Ironman

That brings us into April and the start of the triathlon/duathlon season and right off the bat I have the Short Course Duathlon Nationals down in Richmond, VA. Although this is the nationals it is really a warm-up race to get the season started and to see what I need to work on as the rest of the season gets going. Of course it would be great to get a result but the race itself is the most important thing.

The week after the Duathlon Nationals is the first triathlon of the year, the Devilman 1/2 Ironman race in New Jersey.....no nice hot and sunny races for me, no Florida 70.3m, no St Croix, just plain old Cedarville, NJ. If conditions are like last year I won't be pleased...winds were gusting at 25-30MPH, the temps were high 40's and fortunately for me but not others still out on the course, the rain started just after my finish! This really is a key race as it will give me a huge idea of where I am in terms of fitness and to get an good idea of what I can do to prepare for my "A" race in the next month. The primary element for Devilman is to run strongly and get a PR in the 1/2 Ironman run.

May 18th, 2008 - Columbia Triathlon

My early season is a bit crammed and it is scheduled that way for a reason. I did almost the same schedule in 2007 and it worked really well in getting me in good racing condition after a not so great winter training period. With a good winter of training behind me this year I hope to be able to actually focus on the racing and be able to try a couple of different race plans and strategies.

The Columbia Triathlon (Olympic Distance) in mid-May is my closest triathlon geographically and so has become a staple of my season and comes three weeks prior to Eagleman 70.3M. Being only three weeks from Eagleman, Columbia will be a great test and will give me a race to blow off some steam that builds up during the training phase.

June 8th, 2008 - Eagleman 70.3M

The Eagleman race is my first "A" race of the year, with slots being available for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii and the 70.3M World Championships in Clearwater. The main aim is to get to Hawaii but I know that I would have to pull off the race of my life and perhaps be lucky with some roll-downs....if you don't shoot for the stars! Last year I had a great race, managed to snag a 70.3M Worlds slot and now am coming back looking for more. The entire first half of the season is working towards this race and even if I don't get to Hawaii at least I might have a PR to take home with me.....everything will be left out on the course and I will know that I have given it my best.

So that rounds off the first half of the season. The events at Eagleman will shape the rest of my season but tentatively, if I don't get to Hawaii, the season will include the ChesapeakeMan ultra distance triathlon (An independant Ironman race) on September 27th and the JFK 50 mile trail race on November 22nd. Of course there will be other triathlons, running and cycling races thrown in for good measure.

August 2nd, 2008 - Catoctin 50KM Trail Race
September 7th, 2008 - Diamondman 1/2 Ironman
September 27th, 2008 - ChesapeakeMan Ironman
October 11th, 2008 - Baltimore Marathon
November 22nd, 2008 - JFK 50 Mile Trail Race

Lets look forward to the season ahead!

The Domino Effect.......

No this post isn't about pizzas, although after this past weekends hard workouts I was definitely craving some pizza ;-)

The "domino effect" is something that generally goes unnoticed but is a crucial element of the weekend group ride. Without the "domino effect" everyone would be groveling their way back to cars absolutely destroyed from the ride and in no fit shape to get home. So what is the "domino effect" and how can you impact it?

Well, it all starts from the front of the group and therefore whenever you are up there pushing the pace, don't forget about it.....as I mentioned before it's a crucial element of the group ride! So there you are tapping out the tempo at the front and everyone behind is having a good ole time, chatting, moaning about the weather, showing off their new super light, shiny bike part and generally enjoying the drafting effect of a 50 rider strong group.....oblivious to the domino effect!

This is where the domino effect is essential, the riders within the first few rows have to take a drink or have something to eat and then just watch what happens....gradually a huge proportion of the group will follow suit and either eat or drink something! It truly is something to marvel at and probably tells us some very interesting things about human behavior.

There you have it, the beginnings of the domino effect. The key is for the riders at the front to remember every now and again to drink/eat and therefore they are looking after the well-being of the whole group. Without the leaders doing it everyone would get to the 50 mile point and would have not eaten or drunk anything. The problems then begin in the final hour or so when the hammer goes down and BOOM people realize that they have nothing left [due to the lack of fluids/food...or lack of fitness :-)] and get dropped like Jan Ulrich in March!. That just leaves everyone’s worst enemy, the dreaded "Bonk" lurking just around the corner or at the top of that next hill....

The Domino Effect is a funny thing to watch and if you haven't noticed it, just look out for it at your next group ride. If you are at the front remember to look after everyone else and if you find yourself drinking, think why you did it, was it habit? or the fact that the rider in front took a swig? either way perhaps pay more attention to your nutrition needs in the future!

Prognosticator of all Prognosticators.......

This past Saturday, February 2nd, at Gobbler's Knob on the famous Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil, the Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators, Rose to the call of President Bill Cooper and greeted his handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths. After casting a weather eye toward thousands of his faithful followers, Phil consulted with President Cooper and directed him to the appropriate scroll, which proclaimed: "As I look around me, a bright sky I see, and a shadow beside me. Six more weeks of winter it will be!"

Well, to be honest this past week I thought that good ole Phil had lost his touch after 120 years of forecasting....here I was running in shorts and t-shirt (luckily for the other people on the street!) and it was only the first week in February. It was 70 degrees and a record high, none of the usual cold wintry mix weather that we are accustomed to in the Mid-Atlantic region at this time of year.

I shouldn't have been so quick to raise doubt in Phil's talents, after all he hasn't been wrong since he got the forecasting gig in the 1800's and why would he start now....even global climate change can't fool Phil! The weekend forecast is back down to below freezing with a chance of snow showers. No cycling in shorts and top just yet, so look for the michelin man aboard a Bianchi and that will be me!

January 2008 - Training Summary

Off the back of my last post, when I stated that I was a self-confessed number cruncher I thought that some may be interested to see my monthly training numbers for January.

January is essentially a "Base Building" month and I use it to get me back into the structured training regime after the "Off-Period" through the end of November and December. Most of my sessions throughout January are endurance based with some intensity thrown in occasionally to keep me honest! The structure for the month was a simple four week month with no rest week scheduled. In terms of targets I had some loose ones: Run over 100 miles in the month and get at least 5 hours cycling per week.

So here are the numbers in the book from January 2008:

Total Workouts - 32 including
11 cycle sessions
11 run sessions
8 swim sessions
2 ice skating sessions

Total Time - 44 Hours 47 Mins (11 Hours 12 Mins Weekly Average)

Cycling Time - 22 Hours 31 Mins
Running Time - 12 Hours 10 Mins
Swimming Time - 7 Hours 2 Mins

Total Mileage - 515 Miles

Cycling Mileage - 398 Miles
Running Mileage - 104 Miles
Swimming Mileage - 12.5 Miles

All in all not a bad start to the year and the most consistent January I have in the past four years. It has provided a good basis to gradually start building the total time and mileage. I still need to swim more to strengthen that part of my racing (but then again who doesn't!).

Are we all like this?

I'm not sure if it is just me but I reckon that I have a good idea that I'm not alone in what I do. Every week/month I set my training schedule and plan certain key workouts that are a must-do and also try to include targets in terms of numbers of hours or mileage etc etc. So every workout is generally planned, except for those which are recovery or "go as you feel" workouts. This brings me back to my original line...."Are we all like this?"

Imagine these scenarios:
1) you wake up and have a 50 minute swim planned. You get to the pool and after 48mins you have completed your sets and are ready to get out, mission accomplished! no, no, no, you still have 2 minutes to go to get to that 50min workout, 48mins will not do, IT HAS TO BE 50MINS. You end up turning again and doing a few more laps just to get to that 50mins.

2) your weekly run mileage was scheduled to be 30 miles. It's your last run of the week and you have planned to run for an hour. You also need to do 9 miles to get the weekly total to 30 miles....after an hour you have covered 8.6miles and you are back at the front door! Do you stretch and enter the house? no,no,no you go once around the block to get the 9 miles you needed for that weekly total. IT HAS TO BE 30 MILES

3) you have a 4-hour ride scheduled and your route has got you back to your neighborhood after 3hrs 50mins. You come to an intersection, straight on is home and a 2min ride or you can go left for that extra 10mins....yep you've guessed it, left is the way to go....IT HAS TO BE 4 HOURS.

All of these scenarios have happened to me in the past week and do so on a weekly basis....Sarah will testify that getting the planned workout done as per the schedule generally makes me get back to house at least 5-10 minutes later than I always say.

It must be known that I am a huge number cruncher when it comes to training and have training logs going back for as long as I can remember, but for me the main reason for being obsessive about training numbers isn't just to make it look good in the log. The main reason is pyschological.....if you complete what you started out to do it makes everything that much more worthwhile. Completing a training session as scheduled gives a sense of accomplishment and over time all of those accomplishments will lead to the end goal, which may be a certain race result, qualifying for the Worlds, getting to the Big Island, or just hanging onto the wheel of the guy (or gal) that normally rips your legs off on the local saturday ride. Every single workout can make a difference!

Ironman Florida 2006 Finish Video

Assuming that the video uploads! This is my finish video and a brief general clip of Ironman Florida 2006. 2008 is Ironman year again and I can't wait :-)