Outlaw Journey week 9 (build week 1)

Base period... done!
Varying degrees of success - have I completed every session? No, but at least I have got in the swing of training for 3 disciplines, whilst working, and keeping a balance with family time.

So the stats...
S&C: 2 x sessions
Swim: 1200m (46mins)
Run: 36.2k (2hrs 58mins)
Bike: 99.7k (3hrs 35mins)

1st week of build period and yet again best laid plans meant the long ride didn't happen, although I did do last weeks long ride at the start of the week so all looks better than it could have done!
1st brick session went well, as did the long run day which I incorporated a park run into the middle of! - Colney ParkRun was decidedly sticky after all of that snow and associated moisture, but still got round in sub-21 and a 7th place so pretty pleased really :-)

Starting to get a bit of a knack for predicting the distance/route that will allow me to achieve the time that the plan dictates - that's either talent or i'm just a little but sad?!

Looking ahead, longer sessions and a busier bike focused week next week, challenge to squeeze it all in. I am still in 2 minds about entering the Fritton XC half or 10k too on 25th - watch this space.

Outlaw Journey Week 8 #BeastFromTheEast

In a word... SNOW!

Norfolk has not seen the like for around 10 years - Probably around 8-10 inches fell over a couple of days, which coupled with temps well below freezing made it  an interesting week to do life let alone anything else!

Last week of the Base Period Started with grand ideas and then suffered a bike mechanical halfway into my intended 3hr plus ride on Monday - Chain snapped, which meant a long walk home from Panxworth (around 2hrs) at least it ensured that cardio-wise it wasn't all a dead loss, but was not happy, thankfully for the first time in years I had my MP3 player with me so indie tracks from the 80's and 90's kept me sane.

Loved running in the snow for 2 days - Trailies did the job well. Erred on the side of caution as soon as it froze though, and so cabin fever set in, but then almost as quickly as the snow came, it thawed and disappeared so went for a very soggy run late on Sunday to keep my averages up.

The numbers:
S&C: 2 x session
Swim: 1000m (37mins)
Run: 32.4k (2hrs 40mins)
Bike: 36.4k (1 hr 32mins)

Inevitably all of the regions park runs were cancelled, so momentum lost on the push for my 50 T-shirt.
1000 mile running challenge for 2018 is going well though and I am still ahead

Build Period and hopefully a bit of all round consistency begins today...

Outlaw Journey Week 7

At the risk of getting boring, here are the stats

Swim 1000m
Bike: 52.8k (2hrs 8mins)
Run: 38.1k (2hrs 59mins)
S & C: 2 x Sessions

Another decent swim session (for me), still didn't quite make the second trip, also long ride scuppered by home DIY! 42nd ParkRun resulted in both a sub-20 & top-20 result.

In other news, I paid a visit to the Triathlon Show at the ExCel centre, accumulated far too much free stuff, took part in a couple of challenges, entered endless free prize draws, yet strangely in terms of kit and bling kept my hands firmly in my pockets!

Nonetheless, it was a great day,and a good chance to catch up with Steve, my partner in crime for the day!

New trainers were also bought, a pair of Salming Distance 3's (not just one shoe) as pictured below!

Base period is completed next week, who knows might get a full week in?

Outlaw Journey week 6

3/4's of the way through the base period of training and so with a time crunch week I had a stab at doing the weeks training in just 4 days!

Swim 1000m
Bike 103.4k (4hrs 9mins)
Run 28.8k (2hrs 21mins)
1 x S&C

Ok so I missed a swim and a strength session but an increased duration/distance swim, solid runs and wet/windswept riding makes up for it doesn't it?

Thus far, training feels good, good mix of sessions and balancing well with life. As the base period nears completion my reflection so far would be that swimming remains the nemesis that needs overcoming and so will be having a word with myself in the next couple of weeks...
Issues are efficient breathing, improving technique and stamina - watch this space.

Kit-wise, I'm pretty much there in terms of what I need. But the challenge of what I want is a whole other story!
Would love a turbo trainer, also I'm on the verge of adding to my burgeoning trainer collection. Off to the Bike & Triathlon show in London this week so amidst the freebies, I may well spend some cash?!

More next week...

Outlaw Journey Week 5

First the numbers then the explanation (excuses?)

The Stats:
Swim: 500m
Bike:56.3k
Run:47.8k
S&C: 2 x sessions

On the up side, I was back in the pool albeit for 20mins, and I completed a Strava Streak of running at least 5k for 5 days (actually I did 6 days straight). In fact I almost ran as far as I cycled!
The 1000 running miles for the year remains bang on target

In other news...
I celebrated my 48th birthday and also ran my 41st ParkRun with another sub-20 time - see pics (rocking the Outlaw Training t-shirt to do so as received as a present for my birthday!)

PS: In the middle of all that the weather was decidedly cooler!

Away for the weekend next week and so may have to be creative about fitting (forcing) in the training - the weekend long ride won't happen but should be able to do 2 "commuting days" plus one of those being a bike/run day to remain somewhere around target?

Outlaw Journey Week 4

Base period halfway through!

Down as a recovery week, but feel I may have leaned into that a bit too readily...

The stats:
Swim: 0m
Bike: 51.8km
Run: 27.7km
S&C: 2 x sessions

Yes I know procrastination got me (well I blame the rugby for dipping out on the weekend long ride - to be fair it was a good game, and England won!)
In other news the winter bike has been repaired and is roadworthy again, although I must admit I did enjoy running out the posh bike last Tuesday!

Happy with my second showing at the Tri-Anglia Winter Handicap series with a solid 41.27 for 10k, following up on November's 40.42. The 3rd one for me will be the end of March.

1000 mile challenge is still on track, and with a Strava Streak of 5k for 5 days next week may well nudge ahead of average come next weekend.

Biggest challenge other than the voices, will be the weather as it looks decidedly cooler over the next week or so...

Outlaw Journey Week 3

Week 3 of training almost half way into this base period.

The stats:
Swim 600m
Bike 84.5k
Run 31.2k
2 X S&C sessions

Reasons to be cheerful:
Increased running volume, including a race.
Slight increase in swim distance.

Challenges:
Derailleur mechanical aborted Sunday's planned long ride after 20k (one of those things but scuppered the best laid plans)
Swim technique/confidence still an issue.

Looking ahead, week 4 is something of a recovery week so slight volume reduction according to the plan, also Tri-Anglia 10k handicap on Saturday.

1000 mile challenge (1000 miles running in 2018) is going well, with 75 miles completed in 28 days thus far.

EACCL XC series race 6

Race 6 was at UEA.

The day dawned with 40mph winds in a balmy 12 degrees, but then degraded to 8 degrees with 20mph winds and rain come race time...Mud Fest personified!

The route was effectively the Colney Park run route twice round for the blokes (once for women). Testing conditions as described made it 9k in 39.20, so not overly quick. Results will be published in 2 weeks but think I was 3rd Tri- Anglian home, and hopefully around top 30?

A post race run back to the office together with a warm up made it 18k for the day 😀

Outlaw Journey Week 2

2 weeks in and habits (good ones!) are building.
"The Plan" suggests 2 sessions each of Strength and Conditioning / Swim, Bike & Run including a rest day. So how did I do?

Inevitably I guess, I only managed one swimming session, but hit all the others, giving me the following stats:
Swim: 500metres
Bike:108.8km
Run: 25.2km

But numbers only give half the story, so whats the narrative behind them?

Swimming was a sub-20 minute splash and dash at UEA.

Bike was good, a wind assisted extended commute, bagging Strava segments along the NDR including a KOM that lasted about 6hrs before a mate blitzed my time!
This week's long ride was grim, 2hrs 40mins in rain and sleet, with temps around freezing, and darkness closing in throughout.

Running was a midweek conversational paced run, followed by a to and from plus ParkRun at the weekend. (see pics below)

It was my 40th ParkRun, and saw me achieve my 3rd best time ever and needless to say the fastest of the year so far.

Looking ahead, this week I will be attempting to complete all 8 sessions, which will include representing Tri-Anglia at the 6th EACCL XC League 10k at UEA on Wednesday.

The long ride will be a challenge as the weekend looks pretty busy so may split the duration across 2 rides if it comes to it?

To the finish line

Great inspiring read, by Chrissie Wellington, multiple Ironman & world champion. 

The book contains a good mix of Q&A, advice, info, personal stories and plenty of banter.
Have read it cover to cover, but sure I will dip back into it again....

Outlaw Journey - Training Week 1

So a Half-Ironman Training Plan. - Sounds pretty innocuous doesn't it?

Dependant upon your psyche, the very notion of a plan will either tick all of your OCD-esque boxes or stir up that inner rebel in you as you can get by without it.

For me, having never done a half-ironman I knew I needed some guidance to follow that would help in my preparation, over and above simply swimming endless lengths, plus riding/running around the proverbial block for 6 months.

Triathlon is absolutely about 3 disciplines (clue is in the name), and so at its most simplest I do have to swim, bike and run to achieve the goal, but importantly I need to be able to do all 3, one after the other and so for me training is an opportunity to address the individual disciplines and also components of those disciplines to the point that I can string the 3 disciplines together come race day and finish (well).

The plan is a plan, not a gun to my head. It's a guide, that will ramp up over the weeks increasing endurance, developing technique and simulating competing conditions - there will be hard sessions and easier sessions, there is even rest timetabled as everyone needs to incorporate recovery for their bodies no matter your perception of your own fitness.
Importantly I am NOT a professional and I have a life which means, I have to cut myself some slack over the next 6 months that in the middle of a crazy schedule or when illness strikes etc I may have to rein in the regime?

The plan is split into 3 sections - Base, Build & Peak/Taper, each of 8 weeks duration.

The Base phase serves to set a structure and foundation for the remainder of the plan & favours 2 sessions each of Swim, Bike, Run as well as Strength/Conditioning.
The focus being predominantly on duration of activity, or intervals and form rather than purely mileage

So how did I do on week 1?:
Swim 0 metres
Bike 135.1km
Run 27.7km

Clearly I didn't get any swimming in, but did complete the remaining 6 sessions as prescribed, including an 'extra' bike & run combo. (And the rest day!)

A certain amount of procrastination (swimming being my least favourite/confident discipline) plus logistics contributed to the lack of swimming.
Both the running and biking were good and very manageable within my schedule, so focusing on the positives week 1 was 75% completed.
Will be having a word with myself for next week regarding the swimming!

Onwards and upwards into week 2...

Let's get this party restarted!

Hi, hello, long time no write etc?!

Having made the decision to participate in the Outlaw Holkham Half, and in the process submit myself to a 24 week training programme (regime), the only decent thing left to do was to blog about it surely?

Logging into this blog I discovered that it was nigh on 3 years since my last posting, so a slightly amended title and tagline (no longer just a man and his bike!) a renewed impetus and an aim to post the highs and lows of the next 6 months as I journey towards my aim of becoming an Outlaw, albeit at the half distance of 70.3 miles - 1.2m swim, 56m bike, 13.1m run but first some background...

I am a cyclist, a bike rider - I ride (road) bikes, that's what I do. But about 2.5 yrs ago I discovered that running was not as terrible as I thought, so much so that after a year of running around the block and procrastinating on my own I decided to do a ParkRun. - I found that I was decidedly reasonable at it.

Logic dictated that as I was 2/3s of the way there, I may as well join a Triathlon club and add a 3rd discipline to my quiver, and so in Oct 2016, I joined Tri-Anglia, caught the triathlon bug & the rest as they say is history.

2 super sprint triathlons at Gt Yarmouth and Stradbroke, plus various 10k handicaps and Run Norwich 10k done, as well as 39 ParkRuns, and some other personal challenges, including a successful Marcothon (running at least 5k every day in December) saw me arrive at the end of 2017.

The Outlaw Half is on 1st July and so I downloaded a training plan and after a week of acclimatising to the new year began week 1 of 24 but that's another posting for another day!

That's progress

Almost 3 months in to the year and some kind of form is emerging.
Weight has finally dipped back below 12stone at 11St 13 (75.75kg) so that's good! Apart from THE RIDE as referred to in my last post, motivation to ride has been aided by the Velobici Spring Cycling Classics challenge and has led to the most km's covered in a week for me this year, just north of 300k, which neatly makes it 2,300k for the year.
Weather is looking wet, windy and wild for the forthcoming week but the clocks go forward so more daylight must mean more riding, mustn't it?!
In other news, loving the classics and other cobbled races so far this year - thought Geraint Thomas was unlucky based on the effort he put in at Milan San Remo, but then got a week deserved win at E3 Harelbeke. Roll on Ghent- Wevelgem on Sunday.

LELOW (Midsummer Madness #2)

It's on!
After a years hiatus 'Midsummer Madness' -  an epic / stupid* (delete as appropriate) bike ride is to occur to coincide with the longest day of the year.
Embarking from Lands End in the West, and finishing in Lowestoft in the East, over 4 days, a group of 4 of us will cycle somewhere around 465 miles raising money for Oak Grove Community Church, in their 80th year as a community based church serving their local environs.
A curry together was all it took to clinch the deal, so myself, Simon, Dan & Joe form the riding team and a driver to carry kit and other essentials is still to be sourced.
A fundraising page will follow, as will more details as logistics sort themselves out.
Hmmm better get in training then!

Another year older...

45!
Its only a number, stuck in no mans land between 40 & 50. But nevertheless for the next year when asked I will have a new answer for How old are you? (Kinda think I will have entered the next bracket for those pesky surveys too!)

Obviously cycling featured in the gifts I recieved to celebrate my birthday - new cycling shoes and a base layer plus I bought some cleats with some spending money and also got some spare still to spend

Anyway, didn't quite make 300 miles for Jan but I feel vindicated in a combination of mitigating factors - cold temps, ice, dark and on occasion stayed in bed!

Weight is down to 12st 5 which is encouraging but still some way to go. To that end I am currently a week in to a 30 day Abs Challenge - what fat I can't lose I will convert to muscle!

Fixie was cleaned and lubricated yesterday, plus some rudimentary adjustments to the back wheel mean that:
a) brakes won't rub
b) chain won't slip
c) bike will be faster
[NB:- c) not necessarily true?!]

Aiming for more miles this month - on the basis I have even cycled home once in daylight this week, Spring must be on its way... Mustn't it?

Sit Rep 1

Upgrades: New pedals across the fleet!
Mileage: 180miles
Weight: 12St 7lbs (3lbs loss)

The only way is up surely?

Must Do Better

Interesting when I look at the last post and realise that it was over a year ago... Oops!
2014 then - it was a busy year: a building project, a wedding, overseeing ongoing changes in my role as Senior Leader of Oak Grove Community Church and a medical procedure that wound my year up a month early.

Consequently I am weighing in at 12st 10lbs and feeling unfit.
Weight loss target - at least the odd 10lbs.
Cycling target - many more kms/miles after a disappointing show last year, specifically a side to side attempt & the Dunwich Dynamo.

More soon...

Will I post more this year - I hope so
Will anyone read what I post - no idea

New Year, New Bike

Happy New Year!

I think my first resolution must be to post more on this blog - did not realise that nothing had been written for quite so long!

It's 2014 and sounds like a great excuse to get a new bike, which Santa duly responded favourably with the same notion, so I am now the proud owner of an On-One Pompino (generally as pictured below, although mine has drop handlebars)

I have wanted a fixie for ages - no extra gears, derailleurs, chainwheels, cables etc to worry about makes for a brilliant winter ride - simple as?

Stating the obvious, being fixed if the pedals move so does the back wheel and vice versa so cornering and starting / stopping needed a bit of an adjustment, but 4 rides in and around 100km covered its working quite well.

I have still retained the other 2 bikes and so am hoping that I can maintain at least one bike all year round to ride! :-)

Traditional to set some goals / targets at this time of year so here goes:

• At least 3 century rides this year
• 10,000miles to be covered 
• At least one "stupid" cycling challenge
• Watch at least one of the TDF stages in the UK 
• Have fun doing it all

More soon....

I won again!

I am a winner!
Not a jersey or classification, nor a world record but nonetheless chuffed to win the latest road.cc Schwag comp

Not just one prize but three!:

• An under saddle bag
• A Multitool
• A pump

All via those lovely people at Cube

Hoorah

The longest day / midsummer madness #TdN

The Tour de Norfolk #TdN


Well we did it!
200 miles, 322km, a fairly decent ride by anyone's measurements?

Ivor Simon and I arrived in Cromer to be greeted by thick fog, nonetheless we set off and were on a pretty fast average pace for the first portion due to a favourable tailwind. The oft forecast rain, finally arrived at Winterton and stayed with us till our first cafe stop at Bungay - soaked through but spirits not quenched.
Earlier a slight detour in the Yarmouth area had gained us some mileage, but lost us time.

Bungay to Brandon was windy, as the former tailwind was now in our faces, but with the thoughts of lunch in our minds we pressed on. Upon our arrival in Brandon, we found Trisha, Ivor's wife had laid on a spread of sandwiches, cake, chocolate, drinks, gels, towels, blankets - the whole 9 yards! The rain long since gone, meant that it was time to shed layers and rearrange our dress!

Refuelled and knowing that the halfway point had been and gone we set off North, for the top left hand corner of Norfolk. The road between Southery and Wereham was being resurfaced so loose and interesting terrain plus heavy machinery were our adversaries for a few km's. Onwards we cycled, missing our preferred route, and ending up taking the main roads to King Lynn and Hunstanton - fairly fast sections interspersed with horrible rises in the road all with traffic thundering by!

Hunstanton, was to be our final pitstop and heralded the beginning of the home straight, a nicely timed mocha / capucchino's did the job and although it seemed a shame to leave what was a beautiful evening in Hnstanton, we knew there was a job to be done.

Needing 40 miles to hit the double century, quick calculations informed us we needed a detour to gain a couple of miles (those earlier gained miles, negated by our more direct route via Kings Lynn). So a right turn inland at Brancaster, and then back left round to Burnham Market we felt should do it. On we plodded towards Cromer - a coast road that rolls most of the way. Josh, my Nephew appeared along the road at Cley and a few other places along the way, shouting encouragement and taking the odd snap. With Cromer in sight we knew that we would be about 1/4 - 1/2 mile short of our target so waving at the welcome committee a ride down to the garage at the end of the promenade and back as in order to make the 200.

Much celebration, hugging and amazingly plans for an annual event followed before loading up cars and going our seperate ways home. Sausage and chips on the way home, made for an "ideal" recovery meal and so the longest day ended.

Shattered? - Yes but elated and proud of our collective achievement