Jog On...

Todays session was not easy, it was hard work, and after having yesterday off I was really surprised and a little disappointed, but every run cant be a great one! At the 2 mile marker I hit a wall... It was only a light run today thank fully, even though I did the run relatively quick it hurt from the outset. Well I say hurt, im just being soft im just tired today. I ran the normal 5 mile route but felt longer today for some daft reason. Even though it was a tough 5 miler I still did under 8 minute mile pace. Apart the 5 miles a pretty boring run. Todays session Duration Distance 5 miles Calories 689 Max HR 172BPM Average 157BPM

The weekend is here and that means no work for 3 days as its a bank holiday, and even better im going to Wembley on Monday to watch Swansea City vs Reading, I hope the swan can make it to premiership, it will be amazing if they do. Friday tends to be my rest day, but as I didn't swim Tuesday and im off out to watch the champions league tomorrow with my mates on an all dayer I wont have time to get a swim, cycle or run in as I've got my order to cut the lawn before I leave. The session today was going to be an easy run, well not easy just a free run, I knew the route I was going to run, it was one I haven't run for some time, it will take over an hour to complete and the distance was about 8 miles, so a great workout. The route starts with a long up hill run, then to slight down hill and then another up long up hill so you have to work hard. To make it harder I was running into the wind on the way out, I wish this wind would go away, its meant to be summer! I had to s

After yesterdays cycle session I was feeling great, no stiffness, and pains I felt great so when tonight run was called I was looking forward to it. I've been sat in the office all day and I haven't been out since 8am this morning so I was none the wiser about the strong wind. Well when I got to the club session I noticed that wind... The session today was 9 x (2mins 95% MHR x 2min 75% MHR) this is a excellent session and it was very similar to the post race session on Monday. As I was feeling great I decided to give it everything and try and clock in the biggest distance to date for a session like this. I kept in the training zone through the session and im noticing that im recovering alot quicker and im starting to up my pace in the recovery period in these sessions which is a good sign, my average pace was only 8 minute mile but I managed to get in a best pace of 4 and a half minutes. WOW! Watch out Roger Banister im coming to get you. I finished the session the sam

As swimming was cancelled yesterday as the pool was closed, the pool was drained so im guessing they were giving it a clean as it needed it from last week. This meant tonight I was raring to go, and I had planned to do a long bike session and I couldnt wait to get home, even though I was 45 minutes late! I wanted to do a 2 hour session on the bike, the wind wasn't to strong but enough to make the bike wobble when I was in the open. I didn't care, I was really enjoying the ride, enjoying the views and enjoying the new bike. After racing on the weekend on the bike, which I really enjoyed and was keen to get out and give it an extra hour. This extra hour helped me clock in 30 miles tonight! Although the route was relatively flat with an inclined at the end, it was a great ride. It was definitely a challenge working with the wind but I will definitely keep doing this route and build on it. I managed to get a top speed of 31 MPH which is pretty fast for a bike, but nothing like

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As the title says, was a great session tonight and as I raced yesterday I didn't want a massive set. I was great to get back with the elite boys, I've missed the Monday sessions alot. After a quick discussion about yesterdays cock up of a triathlon we got out down the sea front. The session tonight was short and simple, 1 min 95% and 2 min 80% (Recovery) and we did this for 3 miles and on the last set we switched the times around. I was official timer tonight so I had to call the sets, and give people time of recovery left and time of sprint left. It was hard enough running, so running and shouting was extremely difficult whilst banging out 5 minute mile pace. It was good to get out there as the win had completed dropped and it felt like a spring run, but I was all dressed in black and had underarmour and skins tights on so no wonder I was warm. The guys run every Thursday morning at 7am so I think I might start running with them then also, but the triathlon club run o

I was lucky enough to get an invite to the New Balance Autumn / Winter launch in Mayfair on Tuesday 7th June but I cant make it. They were kind enough to give me a pair of New Balance running shoes 1080 My Review to try out which were brilliant.   So if anyone is in the Mayfair area on Tuesday please let me know and I'll email Fay to tell them you will be coming instead of me and you can have my free gear. Gutted..

My first open water event, the Llanelli Sprint triathlon. After a crap nights sleep as I was scared the alarm wouldn't go off and I'd miss the event. I was awake 30 minutes before the alarm was meant to go off, so im sure tonight is going an early night. I registered yesterday for the event, to save the rush in the morning and take some stress out of the morning. I was given a race t-shirt I decided to get a medium but after trying it on it was to small and I looked like something from a Bruno sketch, but without the hair. Todays race was: Swim - 500 meters Cycle - 17 miles Run - It was suppose to be 5km but everyone ran a different distance and I ran 6km down to marshals not doing there job. After setting transition the extreme wind had blown the rain clouds away so I could leave my bike shoes, running shoes outside the box, talc my socks and I was confident they wouldn't get wet down to the rain. At the race briefing we were told the routes and told to keep a

Another busy day in work, I was really to get out in the sunshine, put my running daps on and get a run under my belt. I had planned to keep the session to a light one because of the race on Sunday. The session tonight was: 3x (1min @R, 1min jog, 1min @R, 2min jog, 4min @R, 2min jog) At these sessions I give it my all 100% but as said above I was only willing to give 60% tonight and it felt kind of funny. I know its for the greater good but it still felt weird. Everything was going really well and taking my time during warm up and completed the cycle of stretches from the coach. Then lap 14 kicked in and I felt a slight pull in my right calve so I completed eased off and and stretched it off, the end of the session finished for me then, well I still carried on but I hardly got my HR into the training zone, I work harder walking to work. I came home and had a quick shower and got a bag of peas on my calve and completed some more stretching on it. I'll be on the massage tabl

I had a terrible nights sleep, I think im worried about my race on Sunday for some reason, I dont know why as I think im ready for it... well as ready as I can be. As today is my swim day, I was thinking about going down to the lake where I will be racing on Sunday to get my final open water swim before the race. Its been raining most of the day and when I asked my wife if she wanted to go swimming tonight I had the response of "yes, but indoors" I obviously wasn't that fussed about going outside otherwise I would have said "no" but I was more than happy to agree so we went to the local pool. As im on light training duties as im racing Sunday I decided to do a quick set of: 500 meters warm up and 3 x 250meters Nothing to tiring but enough to give my muscles a workout. The lane was relatively quiet, same faces as the norm it was nice to get in there considering I haven't been to that pool for 3 weeks. The water was pretty cold so I was keen to do the

First day back in work after a week on holiday, it was torture getting up at 7:30 and putting my shirt and  tie and walking to the office. It was like I hadn't been off... Enought about the office and more about the training I say! After getting my new road bike on the weekend I had arrange for it to be serviced, so I thought why not do a little brick session tonight. Well its a little cycle to the mechanics house (1 mile) so I gave it some welly up the hill so I could feel a burn in the legs, off I hopped at the garage ran my bike up the drive (like I was taught on Saturday) and said give me a call when its done... so I should have a nice new shiny bike by tomorrow evening. This is my new bike FRAME ALUXX aluminium, Fluid Formed, Compact Road Design FORK T700 carbon composite, aluminium steerer SHOCK N/A HANDLEBAR GIANT A3 aluminium

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I was lucky enough to be given a pair of New Balance 1080 from the team at S&X Media to try out and report back to here I am. I have been out running in the shoes for 1 month now and I only can give positives about the shoes. As this is my first pair of New Balance trainers I was surprising shocked, in a good way! When you first open the box and see the trainers you cant help yourself but go "WOW", they are a very sexy looking trainer and a sharp finish even down to the little details, such as the little black finish to the laces. One thing I noticed immediately was that you are able to take out the insoles, this has its benefits as some people like to put in there own insoles inside, Some major training brands like Brooks dont offer this, so this is a great plus. When you put the trainer on, its a great fit and and you feel the stability around the sides of the foot all the way to the back of the heel. The stability and cushioning at the back of the s

After the long drive home from Cornwall and a rest day yesterday I was ready for todays club training session, but it didn't start the best way. I decide to go to the wrong leisure centre to start with so I managed to turn up 25 minutes late, so I missed the first art of the talk. This part I really wanted to hear as im new to triathlons and a talk from the pro's is what i needed as I need as many tips as possible. After the talk about skills, techniques, nutrition, rules and experiences we were split into 4 groups. I didn't know the other lads in my group so I introduced myself and off we went. The first station (station 1) we went to was the turbo trainer and sprints, I hadn't used a turbo before but it was very simple to setup and come the winter I may invest in one. The idea of this station was to sprint on the bike for 45 seconds, dismount, take your helmet off and sprint for 50 yards and get back on the bike. Two of the group has there bike shoe so they had the

Its arrived, my last day of my holiday and the last day of away training. As I ran yesterday, and the sea swell was massive (so I was told) so I couldn't go swimming in the sea so I had to get on the bike. It felt quite sad as this could be my last ride on the bike as I've got a new one lined up in the pipeline, I'll explain later if it comes off. After a pasty and and ice cream, proper training diet and a walk home from Lands End I decided to get on the bike for a quick cycle, an hour session. I had decided that I wasn't going to do the same route as last time as that had to many hills, it was too windy and I only had an hour. 1 hour because a final supper, barbecue was starting at 4pm. The cycle ride was a little windy but the ride was relatively flat, I did work hard but the and clocked in a massive max speed of 32 mph. I got to 5 miles on the watch and it happened to be at the top of a 100 meter climb and decided to cycle home, the top of this peak was the

After yesterdays rest day I was keen to get some miles back in my legs as its been a while since I had got 10 miles in, so I was looking forward to my long run. We spent most of the day in Marazion visiting some posh castle in the sea, even Prince Charles has been there as I saw his photo so it must be posh. (St Michael Mount) But enough about the site seeing and more about todays run. I decided that I needed miles back in the legs and if I wanted to go out on the bike tomorrow I didn't want to kill myself on today session. After deciding some kid of route I had planned to do a zonal run, 160 BPM max for the whole session. I really enjoy these session as it gets distance under my belt and you feel great for all of the run. I tried to do a zonal run last week and failed miserably, but TODAY I completed the objective and completed the whole 9 miles and stayed in the training zone. It was ideal weather for running, not to hot, not to cold and a lovely breeze to keep you

After a lovely Monday morning lie in and no work to attend I got up, had my breakfast and went out for a walk on the coastal path. It was a lovely 3 mile walk, a little bit windy but the views were amazing. We even took a pack lunch so it felt like a proper walk. When I got home we had a chill out on the sofa for an hour or two before I decided to complete a speed session. The interval session I decided upon was the same one I did at the triathlon club training session on Thursday last week. 9 x (2mins 98% max HR, 2 mins recovery 75% max HR) I tried to find a relatively straight route and as close to flat as possible. Since there is hardly anything flat in this area. On the way home from the walk I noticed a "flat-ish" straight on the walk home from Lands End and it was a half mile stretch. This was ideal for the sprint session... so I thought. The slight incline definitely tired me out quicker on the sprint session, it was completely different to the club runs as th

Its 3 days into my holiday and its a great feeling knowing I don't have to go to work tomorrow. Today was spent visiting friends and eating barbecued food and home made deserts. It also included a 20 mile bike ride to Penzance. I woke up about 7:30 this morning as I had planned to go out first thing, but bed was to comfortable so by the time I got up I had missed my window of opportunity. After breakfast we were straight out to visiting. We spend most of the day out and about so when we got home I was pumped and ready to peddle. I did a little bit of research before I went out, a gentle map read to see where I would end up, I didn't investigated the elevation graph much, next time I will be checking, there was some monster hills on this ride, one after another!   Now the elevation graph doesn't look that bad but believe me these were some killers and it wasn't very flat anywhere. The arrow denotes one of the first "BIG" climbs and it also shows the point

Holiday is here, and the training doesn't stop! I had yesterday off from training as I was driving for over 5 hours and the last thing I wanted to do was go running, but I think I could have done one if I was forced into it. After a morning down the beach enjoying the sun and the packed lunch, the pay and display timer on the car ran out so it was time to come home. I had planned to do an open water swim some time this week but the swell in the sea was well over 4 foot so im not to sure.. I do have a body board so I will definitely be giving that a go. For my run today, I had been on Mapometer to plot my run and actually see where I would be going, I was scheduled  a short run, so 6 miles was far enough. The half way point was a massive hill, so on the way out its down hill so on the turn its up so that split was definitely slower than the others. After giving blood in the week I feel im slowly getting back to my training zone, it says it takes 2-4 weeks to get back to no

It rained today, Its been coming for some and summer is no over in Wales.... Well I hope not, but it was nice to get some rain to freshen up the air. I thought it would cool the air for running tonight, but it seemed to be hotter than when the sun was out last week. Todays club run was a interval training session, and it was: 9 x (2 minutes (Hard) 98% Max HR, 2 minutes (Recovery) 75% Max HR) I do like this session as it gives you time to get a rhythm and you can work hard in each interval to stay at the max heart rate. After giving blood on Tuesday and the long run last night I was going to take it easy, I still worked hard but by the end of the session I knew I had more in the tank which I was happy about. As you can see on the last set I worked that little bit harder, and during that session it was the furtherest I went. I'm not running with the club next week as im off on holiday, but I think I'll do this set again next week. Right im off to pack.. Another rest da

Its 3 days since I competed and today was my first run since the event, I had planned to go swimming last night, but I totally forgot that I as giving blood so I didn't manage to get to the pool as I was ready for bed at 8pm so if I went swimming I would have fallen alseep in the pool.     I was scheduled a long run on my training plan, I know I only gave blood yesterday, so today's run would only be 8 miles, I wanted to clock in 10 but 8 will have to do. I also decided the run was going to be zonal run so stick to 160BPM max. Unfortunately this did not happen, from the outset my heart rate got to 161 without even trying hard, I normally can get three quarters around the run before I hit that marker so I knew this run was going to be hard, I got to my 5 mile marker and I had struggled to get here, so I decided I was going to turn for home early, I was concentrating on crossing the road safely at the massive crossroads, I went past the turning so I had to carry on to the furt

Well race day has arrived and now its over, I really really REALLY enjoyed the race. It was an early start I woke up at 05:30, the alarm was set for 06:00 so I didn't go back to sleep and thought about my tactics for the race. It was my first triathlon race and I was pretty nervous to be fair, I've watched the races on TV before but I didn't really know how to race, the people at Cardiff Triathlon helped me (and im sure every racer) greatly, they answered all my questions and encourage me and my wife all the way around the course. The race today was : 400 meter Swim 20km Bike 5km Run I've been training over these distances so I knew distance wouldn't be an issue, but its a race and you never know on race day... so im told. I think I kept my pacing well, I didn't use may Garmin forerunner in the race, 2 reasons really, 1 its not waterproof so I couldn't wear it in the pool, and 2 I forgot to put it on at T1. While we are on the subject of for