As usual - crazy time between updates. Last time out my training was just getting under way, now in a mere blink of an eye my races are under way and I'm within 2 weeks of my first Half Ironman in Lisbon.
Training has been pretty consistent over the last 8 weeks. I've had a few work commitments which have knocked training on the head pretty well, but I've managed to plan around them to minimise the impact.
As with last year I scheduled a training week in the Pyrenees which I came back from a week ago. It seems to fast track my cycle training a bit, and the week this time around was fantastic. It wasn't an organised camp, but a focussed cycling week with a couple of triathlete buds. Although it was a little early in the year to get up the big climbs we had fantastic weather, and I find that benefit of doing 40 minute climbs is pretty great anyway... 400 biking miles in the legs for the week was very pleasing.
Bungay Half Marathon - 10/4/11
We arrived home late on the Saturday night and I'd scheduled my first half marathon for the Sunday - obviously I need to be able to run on tired legs.... The other two guys were struck down with some sort of stomach bug which I miraculously managed to avoid.
I went into the race dubious not because of the preceeding week but just because of the distance and unchartered territory of it. I'd run the distance a few times in training, but generally at 1.30 pace - in an ideal world I'd be looking to get under 1.20, but I knew that wouldn't be at this race.
I finished in 7th place, 1.23.30ish. Pleased as this certainly isn't the fastest course. Distance-wise it felt comfortable, the big preceeding week just meant that there was no kick in my legs - maybe missing the top 5% of what my legs should give me. Faded a little in the last couple of miles, but my pace over the course of it was between 6.09 and 6.28 per mile - not a lot of variance there.
VC Norwich 25 mile TT - 17/4/11
I do this race every year and have pretty consistently knocked a minute off my time every year. Felt really nervous going in this time though. To be honest the results of this Time Trial kind of define which way my season is heading. I've not done any real speed work up to this point so the thought of holding 26mph+ for an hour seemed like a tall order.
Woke up to a perfectly still 'float' day which should bring some pretty good times. Can't say I felt good in any way - really nailed the first 8 miles and suffered through the rest with some real discomfort in the hip flexors and core.
Finishing time 55.20ish. Very pleased to have knocked another 90 seconds off my PB from the same race last year. Again the splits were pretty consistent throughout (the 4th one has a big long uphill drag back form the turnaround point) - broken down into 5 mile splits my times were:
11.11
10.46
10.56
11.34
10.59
Next 2 weeks
It's a little bit scary to think that Lisbon is only 2 weeks away. My training plan has had to be adjusted a bit as I didn't start any sort of consistent training until late-January. Consequently I've not been able to touch any speed work yet. Have just had an easy week after the Pyrenees - the intention this coming week is to dial up the intensity, a crash week. The aim for this is to shock the body into a mini peak which will hopefully arrive on the morning of 30th April...!
