The Day I Became AWESOME

The Longest Day

SWIM.

Picture the scene 1991. its 6am and I’m standing in a field next to a lake, I have been up all night ‘raving’ faithless are playing full blast on the sound system and I’m off my head.

Now jump forward 15 years. Again 6am in a field (well car park), again faithless on the sound system only this time I’m a lot more focused and there is a lot less of me about 4st to be exact, HOW MY LIFE HAS CHANGED.

I was worried about the, No actually I was petrified I was not going to make the cut off. But still in walked in to the water like a condemned man. And as the horn went off I thought oh well just swim and see what happens.

First thing I noticed was how warm the water was. Well it was in my wet suit. (We all do it) once I started and got in to a rhythm not a lot else happened. As I came out of the water I looked at my watch. 1:30hr I could not believe it. That must be wrong.

In to transition and I’m helped to change by a fellow B.R.A.T. also in there are Dave, and Ceri. Out to my bike and away at 1:40hr.

BIKE.

Rain !!!!!!! this was perfect cycling weather. Now what had I been told Do NOT go off too fast! Obey your HR and eat as much as possible. SOD THAT I’m flying this ironman thingy is a piece of …… that’s not how it went at all, I just tucked in and got my legs spinning and thought about getting to the first feed station. Soon enough I was there. Swapped bottles, grabbed 2 bananas and did not stop,

Its funny what you think about when your alone for 7hr on a bike, if I’m spinning at 90 r/p/m then times that by 60 then times that by 7 and I will have turned my legs 37,800 times by the time I get off the bike,

I was actually enjoying the bike until about 70 miles when I realised that for about 10 miles I had been chasing the bike in front, STOP RACING!!! So I got off the bike for a toilet break, that way I bike in front would go on and I could get back to my own rhythm, just as I get back on the bike . Someone passes me, Now I have a bike 100yds in front of me. NOT FOR LONG,   “stop racing”.

Once I reached 80 miles and the turn for home. I feel great. I’m boosted by seeing John and Sue Ward. And as I’m riding up the duel carriage way. Their car pulls up by the side of me and they spend the next 5 minutes lying to me about how good I look, Do they not realise I can in the wing mirror.

The last 12 miles on the bike is nothing but hard work, Mainly because I do not want to get of the bike and I certainly do not want to run a MARATHON.

But like all good things the bike soon comes to an end and I stagger in to T2.

I’m greeted by Paul RobertShaw (BRAT CHAIRMAN) who spend the next 10 minutes changing my clothes, covering me in sun cream and feeding me water and generally making me feel like a proper triathlete. He is only interrupted by Sharon running in to the tent with a tube of glide in her hand shouting “GIVE ME YOUR NIPPLES”. As I run out of T2 I’m greeted by a mixture of BVHers and runner world forumties. Who over the next 4:56 minutes are going to become one of the main reasons I finish.

RUN.

After having my bottle filled up. I’m off. I had a plan you always need a plan!! Run 10minutes walk 2 minutes. This lasts for 3 miles. Then it becomes 8 minutes run 2 minutes walk.  By the second lap its walk/run/jog for as long as I can manage. But most important is make sure I’m running whenever I see someone I know. I maybe  dying inside, but as long as they all think I look good.

Having completed the third lap shouted instructions for BELL and LOLO to be by the gate when I come back, I start the last lap, I am joined by Paul foot ( a fellow BVHer) who asks if I want some company, by now I had developed a new plan run for the count of 50 walk for the count of 50 and it was working was actually passing people. So I one thing  you all thought would never happen did…… I ran the last 6 miles and kept quite while someone else talked. Mind you it did occur to me that I had spent the last 13hr getting from A too B, thing is I had quite liked A and really did not see the attraction of B. 

At the last turn I do not know what happened but I got my second wind and started for home with a new, fresh pair of legs as I turned in to the field  BELL and LOLO were waiting and all three of us crossed the line together.

I had finally completed the journey I set out on 18 months ago. I was feeling tired but very very happy. 13:45:18

Now how could I shave 58 minutes off the next one…….

   

the Day I became AWESOME

SWIM.

Picture the scene 1991. its 6am and I’m standing in a field next to a lake, I have been up all night ‘raving’ faithless are playing full blast on the sound system and I’m off my head.

Now jump forward 15 years. Again 6am in a field (well car park), again faithless on the sound system only this time I’m a lot more focused and there is a lot less of me about 4st to be exact, HOW MY LIFE HAS CHANGED.

I was worried about the, No actually I was petrified I was not going to make the cut off. But still in walked in to the water like a condemned man. And as the horn went off I thought oh well just swim and see what happens.

First thing I noticed was how warm the water was. Well it was in my wet suit. (We all do it) once I started and got in to a rhythm not a lot else happened. As I came out of the water I looked at my watch. 1:30hr I could not believe it. That must be wrong.

In to transition and I’m helped to change by a fellow B.R.A.T. also in there are Dave, and Ceri. Out to my bike and away at 1:40hr.

BIKE.

Rain !!!!!!! this was perfect cycling weather. Now what had I been told Do NOT go off too fast! Obey your HR and eat as much as possible. SOD THAT I’m flying this ironman thingy is a piece of …… that’s not how it went at all, I just tucked in and got my legs spinning and thought about getting to the first feed station. Soon enough I was there. Swapped bottles, grabbed 2 bananas and did not stop,

Its funny what you think about when your alone for 7hr on a bike, if I’m spinning at 90 r/p/m then times that by 60 then times that by 7 and I will have turned my legs 37,800 times by the time I get off the bike,

I was actually enjoying the bike until about 70 miles when I realised that for about 10 miles I had been chasing the bike in front, STOP RACING!!! So I got off the bike for a toilet break, that way I bike in front would go on and I could get back to my own rhythm, just as I get back on the bike . Someone passes me, Now I have a bike 100yds in front of me. NOT FOR LONG,   “stop racing”.

Once I reached 80 miles and the turn for home. I feel great. I’m boosted by seeing John and Sue Ward. And as I’m riding up the duel carriage way. Their car pulls up by the side of me and they spend the next 5 minutes lying to me about how good I look, Do they not realise I can in the wing mirror.

The last 12 miles on the bike is nothing but hard work, Mainly because I do not want to get of the bike and I certainly do not want to run a MARATHON.

But like all good things the bike soon comes to an end and I stagger in to T2.

Testing testing testing

This is a test blog. Using the Blogger app. On my iPad.

Week 8/52

Mon - today was about very little time and squeezing a session in where I could. I had to pass the gym on the way home from Weston, it was about 8pm so I decided to give the HIIT another go. I did a 10min warm up on the treadmill as I was jogging along I spied a setting on the panel that said "Fat Burner" and thought I'd give it a go. I set the timer for 20min and the pace at 6mph and pressed GO! A min passed and all was well then the treadmill started to rise till my head my touching the ceiling. I had to maintain the same pace only now I was stimulating a fell race up the side of Cat Bells. Thankfully after 30 sec the treadmill dropped to somewhere near level and allowed my to recover, but then 30sec later you guessed it we were back off up the fells. This circle continued till my 20min was up and I looked like I had been out running in the famous lake district weather. This was the hardest session I have done since the last hardest session I had done and TBH I'm starting to count down to the next one. 


Tue - decided to rest today and visit Scunthorpe the birthplace and ancestral home of that famous ultra runner @Ogeerunner. I can see why he moved. Well to be fair all I actually saw of the place was an industrial estate and a building site. 


Wed - Beer and lots of it. twitter lets you get drunk with friends in an empty bar


Thu - rest day and just as well TBH 


Fri - wasted day driving to Essex just to sit around and wait for stuff to be ready. 


Sat - this morning was a Team not so gorgeous run at Sutton park with a guest appearance from Sid. And right from the off the air was thick with testosterone and abuse. Sid looked so comfortable clipping along chatting and humouring the three of us as we fire advice at him about 'going long' right from the first time I met Sid I new he would achieve his dream of completing the ironman and after today i am know he will not just achieve it but he will smash it. As for the other 2 members of our happy band of men. Jules is class runner, he trains properly he runs with ease and he has the potential to really blow his GFA apart everyone who runs with him can see this and comments on it, now if only he would start believing it then he would truly become as awesome as we all know he can be and Matt was there as well. 
   We ran the route the fastest I have ever run it. I'm happy with that.


Sun - 68min run along the canal with Sue and the dogs. Not fast but not slow either. I am starting to enjoy that hurt again, the one you get from moving forward just outside your comfort zone. I may even stick to this type of training for another week. 

Week 7/52

Mon - tonight I went swimming, I didn't actually get too swim but at least I went to the pool, I'm working in Thurrock all week so I looked up some local pools on "Splashpath" and came up with the leisure centre at Blackshotts. I checked out the timetable and headed off ready to swim, when I got there it turned out I had been looking at Tuesdays timetable. So I have decided to give the swimming up as a bad job. 


Tue - tonight I swam, not very far and not very fast, but it was enjoyable. I felt like I was moving through syrup for most of it but that will teach me to not swim for months.! 


Wed - work work work few pints  food bed that's about it for wednesday to be honest. But I do have to admit to starting to think about running again.


Thu - so its the Arden 9 then June 24th. I knew it would happen sooner rather than later. I have run this race a few time back in the day and my PB is something like 74min I think that works out at about 8:20 pace. I doubt very much if I could do that now but I I have 18 weeks to prepare myself for it. So I better get sorted. It is going to mean a complete change in my training out go the long slow running for hours on end and in come the tempo runs and hill reps. So now the question is who wants to enter the sweep stake on how long it takes before I change my mind and go for something else as a challenge. I have a fiver on 3 weeks 


Fri - 30mins of HIIT (hi intensity interval training) on the treadmill. I have been hearing a lot of people talk about this type of training and it's benefits so thought I would give it a go. 6min warm up at 5mph then 10x1min at 7.5mph with 1min jog back at 5mph in between each rep. I haven't done any sort of reps for years and genuinely thought I was going to die on about the 3rd rep, but as they past I seem to get into the flow and even cranked the last 2 reps up to 8.5 and 9 mph as I felt quite good. Then 5mins of cool down at 4.8mph to finish. The best thing about this workout was it was only 30 mins long and I felt like I had really worked. You know that tired ache you can only get from hard physical work. As I sat on the settee I realised how much I've missed that feeling 


Sat - today was a day for moving furniture and not training. New beds for the girls meant emptying both bedrooms cleaning then building new beds and rearranging the furniture. So no training but plenty of psychical work 


Sun - very easy 60min run in the snow with Gus. Doing nothing more than moving forward. All in all I've had quite a good week both work wise and training wise. I haven't done any big sessions or loads of miles. But I have decided where I'm heading and how I'm going to get there. And that is a big set forward. 

Week 6/52

Mon - long long day today, up at 4:30am walked Gus over the fields no need for a torch as the snow lit the place up, it was gorgeous, then in the car and up to Penrith the birth place and home of one of the best ultra runners I know, but he is way to modest to allow me to name him on here. Every time I drive up the M6 and I get to junction 39 I see those hills and try to figure out why I don't come to the lakes more often, unfortunately today was a work visit so I could not stop and play, after a good meeting I headed home and pulled up outside the house at 8:30pm, a long but great day. 


Tue - it was fecking freezing this morning so there was No way I was running on the ice so yet again No Training 


Wed - I've been toying with withdrawing from Outlaw for a few weeks now and today I finally decided to do it. I'm loving my new job and there is no way I can fit IM training in around it and the family so "training" is going to take a back seat for a while. 


Thu - Started the day in Thurrock in Essex being inducted on for the site I'm working on next week and then high tailed it over to Weston-Super-Mare to look at another job. According to the doom mongers the end of the world was on its way in the form of a bit of snow so I raced up the M5 so as not to spend the end of everything I know and love in Bristol.

Fri- The snow came but the world didn't end which was just slightly disappointing, so when to work and spent the day in the office. 


Sat - I was meant to be running this morning but last night I rang my running partner and called it off. I spent the day strolling round the local park with Gus whilst hitting a golf ball about, it was great so laid back and relaxed 


Sun - the temp has risen and the snow has gone and every runner in the world is out pounding the streets today. Which has filled me with just a tinge of jealously. Took the golf club and Gus round the park again this morning, it's great to just amble around and not be worried about pace or speed or times. I'm sure I will run again and I'm sure it will be soon but right now I'm enjoying not running and so that is the way it will remain for now. 

Week 5/52

Mon - I might have given up the ridged training plan but I flatly refuse to give up my rest day and Monday is rest day so today my friends I REST, 

07:11     0:48:42 0:26:05 1:21:58    2011
08:11.    0:48:35.     0:22:43    1:19:29    2007

These are a few numbers I would like to remind myself of over the next few months. They speak volumes about the direction of my training over the years. 


Tue - I write this entry lying on my hotel bed post run. It wasn't a long run (31mins) it was a fast run (somewhere around 3miles) but let me tell you it was an absolutely feckin fantastic run. I rather like it when this happens. It would appear not pressure and no training plan is the way forward. 


Wed - early morning meeting in Essex followed by late meeting in Rugby resulted in no running at all today, consistently if I was following a schedule I'm sure it would have said that today was a rest day. 


Thu - sometimes I can be a right lazy fecker, got home from work lay on the settee and never moved, 

Fri - up at normal time and felt fantastic so took Gus for a quick run, it was brilliant freezing cold and dark, not watch no HRM just me and the dog moving forward, for the first time in a while I actually felt like I was running and not jogging. 


Sat - great early morning run with Sue and and the pack over cofton. It was fresh and frozen and made for great running, was only meant to do 20 minutes but stretched it out to 40mins 


Sun - it snowed last night not that you'd know I mean no one has said a word about it and it hasn't been on the telly or anything. Ran with Dave who has moved in up the road, he is training for 'the seven challenge" (go on google it I dare ya). And is doing a lot of his running in army boots and kit, so as to keep everything slow and steady, so going out I the snow this morning he was actually dressed for the occasion. We were going t do 90min but decided on 60min as the snow was making it tough going, we still managed 10min miling over the fields and parks, so to be truthful I'm really chuffed with this run.

About 4 weeks ago my watch reacted with my wrist and a scab formed as a result I haven't been able to wear a watch since. From a running point of view this has been liberating I'm really enjoying just going out and running for running sake. I know I'm weird aren't I ? 

Week 4

I didn't blog last week not for any real reason other than I didn't actually do much training and on Sunday I forgot to post. In all honesty I haven't done anything note worthy this week either, other than starting a new job and realising that for the first time in 10 years my job is more important than training or what ever my next race/challenge is going to be. So here is a rather low key summary of the last week.


Mon - started new job, really didn't feel like I had run yesterday which is either a good thing or a bad thing. Not real sure which and TBH not really that bothered


Tue - worked


Weds - worked


Thur - worked


Fri - worked


Sat - gym treadmill run 25mins -5min WU 1min effort 1min rec effort getting progressively faster. Followed by 500m swim 


Sun - OMFG!!!!! Do not stroll into an advanced spin class thinking just coz you ride your bike a bit that you will ace the class. After just the first track and some "warm up sprints" I was a jelly like heap on the floor, I did finish the class but with my tail firmly between my legs. Can't wait for the next one.   

In short I'm really looking forward to a new challenge only this time that challenge is work related and not about a race or a sport. I started this blog as a diary to note my training and journey to Outlaw in July. As work takes over and training gets put on the back burner I'm thinking this blog will become rather thread bare, so I shall see over the coming week if it is worth carrying on

Mark

Week Two

Monday - still no work and it was lovely out, so I decided to don the cycling gear and take the road bike out for a Pootle. No sooner had I turned out of our road than the rain started, not heavy pouring rain but that constant drizzly wet sort of rain, and it didn't stop till I got home, at one point I was so wet I stopped at a burger van in Earlswood and had a coffee and the kind lady dried my gloves on her tea urn ;-) 
    After get soaked and returning home the bike computer said I had been out foe 119mins and covered 30.miles roughly an average speed of 15mph, if today had been race day that would have been awful but it's not and I know fitness will come and with fitness comes speed so for now it's more of the same - progression and consistency 


Tuesday - Woo Hoo - it happened I actually enjoyed that run 58mins 6.1miles of easy paced fun running, 


Wednesday - today was a rest day. It was also the day I went for an interview for a job that didn't really exist, 


Thursday - very quick 20min run round Rowheath after dropping girls off at school. 


Friday - 60mins on the CX bike along the canal, 30mins very easy ride out then sprint efforts between the bridges on the way back. Best part was watching Gus trying to keep up and then once I had lost contact with him he would just easy up and trot along till he caught me at the next bridge. Great fun and legs were properly trashed after a feeling I rather like. 


Saturday - 120min head torch run with the TNSG boys. I just love this running, pitch back off road the dogs chasing shadows and me trying desperately to keep up and not get lost, then just a you think is cant get better the Sun comes up and you are treated to a frosty landscape that would easily don and Narnia film set. A lot of the time we all get caught up in miles per min pace distance and the like, but these runs are not about that for me, these are what I enjoy most about training, ( meeting men I met on the Internet in dark car parks and playing in the woods).


Sunday - 95min run over the licky hills with Sue, another great run in the frost and sunshine. Today was the final test to see if I was up for the 50k next week and though I know it is gonna hurt I shall still go and run a bit and just see what happens, Sue asked me today why I was running a 50k so soon after injury and when I am supposed to be "being sensible" and training for outlaw, the only real answer I could give was "Because I can" and I'm not ashamed of that, I like the fact that I'm fit enough to even think about running that sort of distance I have worked and trained hard at it over the last 9years, I don't "Race" any more but I do go out and run with friends and have fun. And no one is gonna tell me that wrong. 

Week one on the road too Outlaw

Monday - 1st run outside since early December, every year for the past 8years the first run of the year has always been an out and back along the Worcester canal starting at Tardibigge locks, this year was no exception, only thing is this year I have not run for a while as a result the run was slow and hard work, but from small acorns and all that and I had to start somewhere. Didn't get to swim till 8pm, nearly didn't go but really glad I did. I thought the session was going to be easy but boy how wrong I was. I may have been swimming on and off for the last month but nothing structured so this first session was a kick in the teeth and proof at just how far my fitness has fallen, 
 Session - 200WU - 10x100 off 2:30 - 200CD 
I was completing the 100's in about 1:55 but by the 4th rep I was glad of 35sec rest just to get my breath back, I'm out on the bike tomorrow and the weather looks awful oh well!!!! 


Tuesday - today was a bike day, today was also the wettest, windiest day I have seen in a long long time. After sitting around all morning waiting for the rain to top I finally got out mid afternoon, it was still windy and still raining, I planned to do a quick 60minutes on the CX this turned out to be 40minutes of fighting against head on and side winds as I tried to stay on the bike. And 20minutes of fixing a puncture in said wind and rain. You gotta love the English weather. 


Wednesday - today saw me swim and run, firstly the swim - this went very well 200WU - 50-100-150-200-250 - 5x50 off 75secs - 200CD it's still hard to get going and I get tired very quickly but it will come I know it will, then there was the run - my posh watch has reacted with with my skin and as a result I can't wear a watch so running is interesting to say the least, without my Garmin I have no idea about pace distance or time all I know is I was out the door for about 50mins and I ran up a few hills VERY SLOWLY!!!! as a side note I,m having a few stomach issues and can't stop coughing (I must keep an eye on this) 


Thursday - woke this morning with a "dodgy tummy" and as a result was held captive in the downstairs toilet for nigh on 12hrs. This meant no training as I'm not sure I could have even got to the bottom of the road without the Gingerbread man making an appearance. It not that I mind "going alfresco" I DON'T ( just ask Matt and Jules) it was more the fear of traumatising Mrs Jones and her 3 cats at #67 if I had got caught short and she'd flung open the curtains to gaze upon me stooping and Gus dutifully watching. 


Friday - Eldest is back to her early morning swimming so at 5:45 I had dropped her at at the pool and was standing in a car park with Gus awaiting the arrival of Matt and Oscar, we ran for 55 minutes round Sutton Park. It was fantastic it was the 1st run since starting back where I finished thinking I could do more. On a slightly less positive note I don't seem to be able to shake off this chesty cough and blocked nose, so I didn't swim today and opted for Lemsip Max and "the big bang theory" roll on tomorrow 


Saturday - after much heart rendering and thought I decided to do nothing today, my nose was blocked, I was having coughing fits that made my head almost explode yet wouldn't clear the gunk from my chest and above all else, I'm a lazy fecker and spent most of the day messing about and play with my youngest, I did read a few Blogs from last week all of which reflect on the past year. So I thought I would take a look back at 2012, and I can conclude that both the highlight and lowlight of the year came in May, they are 
1- I completed 10 marathons in 10days 
2 - I was confronted by a big angry growler in an ice bath. 
  I'll let you decided which is the high and low....? 


Sunday - 90minute off road run with Sue and the Dogs over Licky hills. In a nut shell "Back to doing what I love the best" this is what running is to me, took youngest swimming in the afternoon and while she played with her friends I managed to sneak in a hard and fast 500m, I know it's not a lot but it all helps, 

Totals - not sure of mileage and metres as I'm not really counting them. I know my training was 5mins short of 6hours, I'm happy with that as a base week. With a 10% increase I'm need to do about 400mins next week, I also need to juggle a few things round due to a job interview on Wednesday. 

Last Week of The Year

Thursday-Rain rain go away and quite frankly don't come back till its warmed up a bit. I have decided to rest today because TBH I'm knackered, We are off out later with Ema & Jase for a meal and a few beers (first time I have been out this Christmas) to harbourne, I haven't been up there for years. I hope it's not as mental as it used to be...? 

Friday-final i got the christmas spirit And drank it clean down, yesterday and today became a right off due to having way to much vodka and eating the entire content of Jimmy Spice's in Solihull. 

Tonight I'm meeting up with my very first best friend from the age of 5 right through to 14 we were joined at the hip, I haven't seen him for about 25 yrs so tonight we are gonna catch up on old times 

Saturday-
NYE early - met up with Matt and Sid over at tammworth, did about 83 minutes and about 19 miles, it was good to be biking in a group again and good to meet yet another excited ironman wannabe. Sid is gonna blow Outlaw apart you can see it in his eyes he has that look that I had and Matt had when I 1st met him. 
    Matt is not well but he still flew, I was reminded just how good he is on the bike. Even untrained and ill he still makes biking look easy and I just know he could slip up a gear at anytime and leave me in his wake. If I'm to give him any sort of race at Outlaw in July then I'm gonna have to spend a LOT of time on my bike.