Recovery Week?

Firstly apologies to those who have complained that my blog is a week behind... I will tri harder to get it back on course....

After something in the region of 18 hours training the week before last week's recovery period started with 3 days rest. In other words 3 nights of catching up on chores. Looking back I've no idea where the time actually went and the wash box is over flowing yet again.

Up at the crack of dawn once again on Thursday and in the pool by 7:20 am. I'm not quite sure how my swim sessions are calculated, and I don't think I always get the splits right but it's a great way to start the day. After a short session I was at work by my normal time and the end of a 4 day week for Easter.

I'm not sure what was "good" about Good Friday. It was freezing cold and as we huddled over our bikes at 8am at Hilden I just prayed that I didn't get the girls lost, as I've never led 60 miles. From the go my Garmin wouldn't work so we were in from a magical mystery tour. Somewhere near Penshurst it totally switched off (and yet I know the battery was charged) and when I turned it back on it was another 5 miles before I realised I hadn't pressed go.

At Eridge the route showed a cycle path under the A26 which was surprisingly there. Only problem was that after it crossed the main road it turned into an off road path only suitable for knobbly tyres. The road I had actually plotted turned out to be a driveway to a private house with "No Entry" signs posted everywhere meaning that we ended up on the A26 afterall and turned off to Bowles. I was working off of instincts now and knew that we needed to avoid Boars Head, as we cycled past the sign for Boars Head Road... Turning around at the top I'm not sure my "extra hill training" was that popular but we finally found the road to Marks Cross and were back on route. At the cross roads in Wadhurst, where the sign to Lamberhurst said 5 miles we went straight over and up (yet another) hill, at the top I was unsure of which road to take to go straight on. Sadly we picked the wrong one (team choice) and ended up in Frant - where the signs to Lamberhurst now said 6 miles.

We were 30 miles down so it was time for a tea stop in a lovely pub with a roaring log fire. Hatty picks some lovely places to have punctures so we had plenty of time to warm up and down a few bowls of chips whilst poor Hatty ran in and out trying to drink her tea before it went cold. A quick recalculation meant that we could head up to Kipplings Cross, through Matfield and Brenchley and back via Yalding on the flats (which had been part of the original plan). The snow started to get heavier as we left Frant as it slapped us in the face. All in all a very successful ride and we even managed to work some magic and produce some (almost) warm sunshine towards the end to fill our token Weather Girl's demands.

Saturday on the other hand.... was meant to be warmer, brighter and generally nicer. Someone lied. It was even colder. The snow was falling from the off and the winds were bitter. I questioned my sanity in taking my summer bike. For the first time in years it crossed my mind that I didn't have to do this. I turn around and go home if I wanted. Failure of course was not really an option. However when Paula got (the first) flat 4 miles in and the gas froze in the tube as we tried to inflate the replacement it was awfully tempting. One emergency call out (thanks to Christopher) later, we were off again, just running a little behind schedule. When Paula got her second puncture on Pilgrims Way I tried to arrange a call out but with no success. Whilst we fixed it the girls took turns to pee behind the bushes (no naming and shaming....). It was poor Emma's first ever lead and we did a quick recalculation before agreeing on a slight diversion into Snodland for a hot drink. The Shell garage didn't know what hit them. Paula managed to break the coffee machine (why do these things happen on our rides?!) and after we had eaten all the hot sausage rolls, pies, pastries etc and used their facilities (nicer than a bush) we were off again.

By the 30 mile mark we were on uncharted territory, making it feel like an adventure. Despite the weather we were feeling brighter and so long as we kept moving not too cold. We slowly climbed the North Downs and got nearer to our half way point. With 5 miles to go there was another cry from PVS... and yes... another puncture. By the time we got to Emma's for our tea stop everyone was ready for a rest. It felt like so much more than 40 miles! Huge thanks to Emma who having ridden as far as hard as everyone else flitted around the kitchen producing toasted bagels and hot cross buns for us to refuel on. Given it was after 2pm we would run out of daylight before we got the planned 90 miles under our belts, so we agreed to head back in, which would put us about 60 miles. The snow started again as we left Eyensford but as we wound around the M25 the sun (briefly) flirted with us. Climbing Ide Hill on the last stretch made me realise how much easier it was than when I rode up it in January and at the top we celebrated Claire's longest ever distance. The hop skip and a jump back to Hilden around Bough Beech felt easy by then but the weather meant that the light was fading and everyone was glad to get back to their cars. Thank you to Paula, Emma, Sarah, Jane and Claire for a terrific ride.

On Sunday I was paying for it. My summer bike set up had been tweaked the week before and the new set up had put a lot of strain on my legs. The words "listen to your body" went through my head and for once, I listened to it. Mainly because it was hard just walking up and down stairs, so I switched my rest day and had a day chilling with Tim.

Bank Holiday Monday meant that I had to get back on track so after procrasting as long as I possibly could I put my running gear on and Tim pushed me out of the door. Following the same route as the previous Sunday I realised that I was about 2 minutes ahead of myself as I passed the previous half way mark. Monitoring the speed I knew that I was in for a PB, and indeed hit the 9 mile mark for the first time with a time of 1:27. Bring on Paddock Wood Half Marathon! 

KVG Training Camp 2013

Kent Velo Girls runs an excellent "stay at home" training camp each March, in 2011 we were wearing short sleeves and factor 30 suncream. In 2013 we were praying that the snow stayed away long enough to actually get out. After Saturday's debacle with torrential rain it was just a pleasure to be back in the saddle in dry clothes, and new Rapha ones at that :-)

Monday was a pleasant 40 miler which skirted the pilgrims way and came back past the deer in Knole Park. All in all a pretty ride, and would have been even better without getting a puncture at the bottom of Bayley's Hill (every time I get a new jacket it gets filthy changing a flat!). I spent the rest of the afternoon going through routes for the 4 countries in 3 days tours trying to find pretty cycling paths that would save the riders legs, only to dash home, change kit and dash out again for a swim session. Am I really the only person who finds swimming with a pull buoy slows them down?

Not having to be up just after 5am on Tuesday morning was rather splendid, waking up at 6:30 and having a lay in, drinking tea in bed and reading the metro online felt rather a luxurious way to start a training day.

Back in the saddle we set off down to the Ashdown Forest, it's always a hilly ride but I wasn't expecting to be climbing Kidd's Hill, AKA The Wall. It's been on my list for a while so I was rather pleased to finally get another tick the Top 100 Climbs in the Country book. 125m of ascent over about a mile, there's no twists or turns; what you see is what you get. And that looks like a solid wall. All the training seems to be paying off though as my first thought was "yup, I can get up that" which of course I duly did, as did everyone else in the group.

Wednesday saw us all driving over to Surrey for the infamous Box Hill time trial, plus another 30 miles of hills immediately before, including a little ditty through Leatherhead (no road closures/air ambulances this year). I had demons to conquer on the time trial, having been about a minute slower in 2012 than the year before. In fairness I swallowed a fly half way up last year and the year before ended up pushing myself so hard I had an asthma attack at the top (I also had to deal with suicidal squirrels). 

As tempting as it was to roll out the carbon bike that would give me an unfair advantage on the 2011 time. It has to be like for like or it doesn't count. So Doris and I set off to conquer.

From a standing start my gears were clunking and I couldn't quite find where I wanted to sit. The section to the first bend is the worst of the climb and I saw Hatty up ahead, as a target to aim for (sorry Hatty) but she was climbing really well and it took until after the second bend for me to catch her. After that I just got my head down and tried not to watch the clock, with a final time of 9:27, 19 seconds faster than 2011 and a very happy Helen although I was quite shocked to be told "You beat me, bitch" from Bee! That entitled me to a well deserved lunch with Naomi and Katharine (and of course the future world cycling champion, baby Alexander).

Thursday morning swung round early, and we were off again. This time on a 60 mile ride, including a half way stop at Chapel Down Vineyard. The pace was nippy and for the first time in the week it crossed my mind that I couldn't sustain the pace for the whole 60 miles but I was dammed sure I wasn't going to admit it. Fortunately someone else broke the speed with a cry of easy, and everyone sighed with relief. We were extremely spoilt calling at the Vineyard, and Viv had staff outside in the freezing cold pouring us cups of tea, with a beautiful array of brownies, flapjacks and savoury crackers. There were a few groans as we set off for the second half up a steep hill but it was a great way of warming back up again quickly. The rest of the second half was mainly flat and we got our heads down to finish with an average speed of 14.5mph.

On Friday I mistimed the drive to Cyclopark in Gravesend, and as I drove up the downs at Wrotham it started to snow. I was sat in the freezing cold car for ages waiting for everyone else. Friday is race training. I won't lie, it's not my cup of tea, and it's too stop start for freezing conditions. That said we all learnt some new things which made it worth while.

The curry on Friday night with the girls (including the award for the most improved rider) was a great way to wrap up the week  (even if Sarah did moan that my blog was a week behind schedule - Sorry!).

After the intensity of the week it was almost a shock to the system not to get on my bike on Saturday and my legs were still complaining when I went out running on Sunday. It was slow and painful, but my longest ever run, 1:30 to do 8.44 miles (plus a second run later in the day).

Cold, wet but not so miserable

Last week saw the return of Arctic conditions to the south east and as the train came out of the South Downs on Monday night it was shocking to suddenly discover we had arrived in Narnia. Not such a problem for a Monday being a rest day but I was slightly nervous that the weeks schedule would be interrupted.

Fortunately the trains were running on Tuesday morning (therefore no excuse to miss swimming) and as I stood shivering on the platform waiting for the 6am train I decided I need a warmer coat next winter! As darkness fell on Tuesday night the paths were still icy and I got a text to say that Paddock Wood A/C was cancelled. After a panicked email to my coach I was told strictly not to get on the turbo as I had suggested. So I spent my 'night off' cooking food for the next few days.

On Wednesday, despite praying for a blizzard turbo training was not cancelled, which meant only one thing: Threshold testing. For those of you who don't know that is 20 minutes as hard as you can to see a) what your maximum heart rate is and b) what your average is. The data can then be used to calculate what your heart rate zones are. It's not pretty (yes the beads of sweat did drop off of my face) and despite that annoying little voice in the back of my head saying "I don't want to do this" I completed the session, and managed to do it without coughing once. Plus I got a new threshold. Result :-)

However Thursday morning my legs were tired and objected loudly as I got back in the pool and warmed up. After the previous week's 61 minutes to get to 3km I was determined to get it down and kept pushing despite screaming legs. At 60:10 there's still room for improvement.

By Friday night I really didn't feel like getting back on the turbo but after work I duly completed another hours set of drills. The rest of the night was spent cooking for my personal mechanic (whilst drinking his cider) as Tim fitted new brakes and tyres onto Doris, my winter bike to try and prepare it for the onslaught the next day.

I laid in bed on Saturday morning questioning my sanity as I listened to the rain falling on the roof. It sounded torrential and it was. However it was the last week of the 50 mile course so there was no backing out. We were all wet through quickly, although morale was high for the first few miles. We soon reached the stage of hard slog through the puddles, but it was the freezing winds that made the going hard on the flats. Nobody wanted to stop and open their cereal bars so energy levels were falling fast. Just outside Horsmonden we hit the hill with a bang, and one (experienced and competent rider) hit the wall and bonked. We took a warming rest at Paula's and ate home made brownies (thanks to Ruben the master chef) and rang our gloves/socks out, but the second scare of the day came as another girl turned blue and couldn't hold the tea mug. Thank goodness we had a former paramedic on hand, even if he was otherwise occupied making us all tea (cheers T1).

There was talk of abandoning the ride, if we scooted down to Paddock Wood we could hop on the train back to Hilden (For about 5 seconds I seriously debated riding home and going back for the car on Sunday) but I still felt fine, and besides, it could be that cold and wet in Nottingham on 7th July! So there really wasn't any other option but to put the wet clothes back on and get back in the saddle. As we got back down on the flats 2 riders peeled off to the station and the rest of us decided to head straight back in, which would still leave us with 40 miles under our belts. The rain began to lighten, morale rose and in the end the spirit of the blitz stuck in, so we added the miles back on and got our 50 done. The tea back at Hilden was most deserved. Well done to everyone who got out of the bed and trained that morning, it would have been easy to roll over and pretend that the ride was cancelled.

Unfortunately my training schedule had an additional 45 miles pencilled in so I went home, put dry kit on, and hopped onto the turbo trainer. It was a good way of getting warm again, although I only managed 30 minutes (to later be told I needn't have done any!).

It was a massive relief when I got a message saying Sunday was a rest day, with 5 consecutive days cycling looming I needed a day off. Not sure I ever get any rest on a rest day though as I frantically washed and dried my kit for training camp.

Forgive me father for I have sinned... It has been 3 weeks since my last blog

I thought you might be getting sick of a weekly list of I swam, ran, cycled, swam, cycled a lot and topped it off with a couple of runs, so here's what's been happening over the last 3 weeks.

First of all I had a recovery week which was timed nicely with my hospital visit to investigate my coughing, and I couldn't train for 24 hours before, so running the night before was off the cards.

The hospital wasn't exactly my idea of a good day out (made worse by having to get off the tube at South Kensington with a million families on half term days out to the museums). However my lung function test was remarkably good (apparently I should be about 80% - I was 112-120%) at one point I had to sit in a sealed glass box and blow down a tube. The worse was the camera down the back of my nose (yes gross) giving a room full of doctors and nurses (am I a lab rat?!) a delightful view of my larynx whilst I span at 100rpm with increasing resistance on an exercise bike as old as me. The verdict was reflux, and the treatment is prescription strength Gaviscon (yes really) which tastes just lovely, but that's better than most other options.

At 2am the next morning I woke with a raging sore throat, my first thought was that the anesthetic had worn off. Nope. A nice dose of man flu. Saturday morning saw snow and ice so cycling was out of the question, but foolishly I decided I was well enough to go for a blast on Sunday morning with Paula. Initially I felt great, but paid for it later, and ended up in bed all day Monday. Somewhere outside Yalding we passed a puddle which had sprayed all over a bus on the roadside. As the water dripped off it had formed hundreds of little icicles and was pretty amazing.

After a few days of taking it easy I was back in the pool pushing PB's although I to remind myself on the Saturday ride when I felt tired at about 40 miles that I been ill most of the week.

Last week saw everything back on track, and for the first time I hit 3km in the pool (but it 61 minutes, gotta shave that minute off) and the first of my Sunday runs saw me hit the 8 mile marker for the first time ever. It never gets easier going out for a second time on a Sunday but it brings the week to a perfect close.

Bruised knees for Valentines

Perhaps spending the whole of my rest evening cooking multiple meals for the week (and writing up my blog)  last Monday wasn't the most relaxing way to spend my rest day last Monday, but it did make me feel better about the week ahead. Plus I had some yummy soup to look forward to.

Tuesday morning dawned far too early as it always does. However the pool was relatively quiet and the drills were straight forward. 2680m later I was back in the office ready to eat a horse...

I am rapidly discovering the use of mid-morning coffee in the working day after a 5:20am start.

After work I was still starving when I got to Mascalls School after work and the weather bitterly cold. After 12 reps of 2 mins flat (7:30 minute miles!) out followed by 2 minutes recovery I was starting to fantasise about the pancakes awaiting me at home. Thank you to my personal chef for cooking such a delicious post training meal. Chocolate icecream pancakes... the food of ironmen :-)

For some reason I always approach Wednesday with some in trepidation. Its pretty much a given that KVG turbo sessions hurt. Plus they make me cough lots. However, apart from the freezing cold room it was actually a pleasant evening for once. Cadence sessions rock, definitely better than heart rate sessions!

Thursday morning saw a wet miserable sky and as I walked into the sports centre I fell down with a hard bang on both knees. By the time I got into the water 5 minutes later the brusing was already making itself know. In the water I faced sets of 400m in under 7 minutes. The drill session said spend the rest of the 7 minutes resting... what "rest of 7 minutes"???? I know I'm improving but even that is beyond my reach. Surely Bee meant under 8 minutes? I am pleased to say that since I started triathlons I have shaved about 2 minutes off of my 400m time, but that still leaves me at 7:40. A bit of a come down but then again I did 140 lengths (plus the 4 before that when my poolmate wasn't picking up but they don't count) in 63 minutes so it wasn't all bad. Roll on Friday for another rest day.

Saturday was cold but dry and after riding over to Hilden (this time I remembered that it took 45 minutes and left early enough not to need to flog myself) I took the girls out on week 3 of the 50 mile course. We did a fabulous route which I recalled well from when I did the course 2 years ago, at the time I was training for the 3 Peaks Race and had done 17 miles the day before so I was barely able to walk before I got on the bike. Before we were quite back I got a message that the beginners course was short a leader and could anyone help... my afternoon of decorating went out of the window...

On Sunday morning I was tired. Extremely so but after the first coat of paint there was no excuse not to go out for a run. With Tim riding with me I was struggling to keep my normal pace of about 10 minute miles, he was almost able to cycle faster than I can run ;-) 30 minutes in I had to admit that I needed a gel, something I generally avoid, after which I was like Tigger bouncing around Ditton quarry. Thank you to Tim yet again for looking after me.

Another coat of paint later and I was off out again on my own this time. As I was happily plodding around Laybourne Lake I realised that I was averaging about 9 minute miles, so I thought I would see how long I could keep it up for. 3.35 miles apparently. OK so I might have been pushing around Z4.4 (I know because I started to cough) going up hill at the end, but that's a good time/distance for me, especially at the end of a tough week.

Thank Crunchie I'm heading into a recovery week.....

Rest and be Thankful

Firstly thank you to all of you who have said you have read my blog, I am somewhat in shock, I really only started this as something to keep my mind focused, and to prove to the Doncaster contingency that I really am doing this (and why I can't always make it back up north), I didn't actually expect anyone to read it! I have to give my dad a special mention at this point for insult of the week when he asked if I had help writing this.... cheers dad. Glad to know my education wasn't wasted.

Last week was a mixed bag. Monday was somewhat illuminating, when the respiratory specialist advised that he didn't think I had exercise induced asthma, but exercise induced laryngeal obstruction. According to Net Doctor and Mr Google that means my voicebox closes up and restricts my breathing. Apparently it's not uncommon, but it's not well known and it might mean that I can stop taking inhalers after 15 years. I have to go back for more tests but it's given me hope.

The 5:20 alarm kicked the training week off of Tuesday morning and I sort of forgot how early it was as I was texting from the station platform at 6am. Sorry to the Veysey-Smiths.

In true muppet style I did the Thursday morning swim session on Tuesday... whoops (although it worked out quite well in the end) followed by my second session at Paddock Wood Athletic Club. 45 minutes of pyramid training sessions in freezing cold sleet. Oh what joy. However I've started to recognise the odd face, and after living in Kent for nearly 6 years I'm starting to feel part of the community.

I suspect Wednesday night's turbo session was designed to bring on a coughing fit (my Doctor asked for a video) and it was (as always) a tough slog, I pushed hard although my coughing seemed to stop me being able to get above Z4.8 no matter how hard I worked (to the extent that I thought I was going to be sick at the end of the session).

The pool was packed on Thursday morning and having completed the Thursday session earlier in the week I took advantage and maintained a nice steady pace that I thought I could do during the race without tiring myself. 60 minutes later I had covered 1.67 miles and felt fresh as a daisy which gives me hope for completing the swim element of the race (2.4 miles) in an hour and a half.

Tim "assisted" with my core session on Thursday night, which involved sitting on the sofa, counting my reps whilst holding a stop watch and telling me that I wasn't working hard enough when my press up turned into a face first splodge into the living room rug.

To get a second rest day on Friday was a novelty, but come Saturday morning I was bright and breezy when the alarm went off at 6:45. A small group of hardy KVG's started the morning off with a 10 mile loop of Powder Mills, followed by week 2 of the 50 mile course which should have been 30 miles. My garmin wasn't helpful with directions and we ended up doing 33 miles but there were no complaints (for once!) from the girls. Not forgetting the 2 miles back to the car :-)

On Sunday it was hard to get out of a nice warm bed when it was raining out, and I went out later than I should which meant that I couldn't get my second run of the day in before we had to dash off for Sunday lunch. I followed a lady who must have been in her late 70's for the first mile and she set a nice pace, so I was a bit disappointed when she turned off my route. It was a great and steady run, although cold and wet, and I managed 6.5 miles in 62 minutes.

So here we are again... Monday... and it all starts again tomorrow!

Headwinds are Hard Work for Hardware!

So this week I started my formal coaching with Bee. I don't know if I'm excited, relieved or petrified?! Probably all 3 at once.

After spending an hour and a half talking about what I was doing/wanted to get out of all of this on Tuesday the diagnosis was the same as Paula's; too much too early! Yey I get some time back in my week. Or I did until my second rest day was replaced with core work. Dam.

The training week got off to a fantastic start with a 2.5km swim (that's 1.5 miles in old money) in 60 minutes. On race day I will have to do 2.4 miles so that really gave me a boost that I stand a chance of doing the swim in well under my initial target of 2 hours.

On Wednesday I was treated to a day out of the office at a Group conference to listen to executives talk about our company's strategy. You are no doubt yawning at this point, as was I although it started with a rather cute video of a kid on a BMX starting in Edinburgh and riding through Halifax, Leeds, Bristol, and down to London to pay his £10 into the Bank. I admit even I've not thought of tackling that route. Then after lunch, major joy when Chris Hoy walked onto the stage (I was on row 4) for a 30 minute interview. Far more interesting.

Unfortunately being trapped in a dark room with flashing lights all day triggered a migraine and I had to exchange the turbo trainer for my sofa all evening with the lights turned off. If you are going to get to rest surely it's only fair that you are well enough to enjoy it?

So that meant catching up on Thursday night and I completed the most hellish turbo training session yet (when the title is "Very Hard Hill Set" you know you are in trouble), and at one pointed wondered which was closer, the bathroom or the back door if I was actually sick. Friday was a tempo run, and saw a PB for 5km in 26 minutes (2 mins less than my previous PB).

Saturday dawned bright and sunny and for the first time in months I rode over to Hilden to meet the girls. As I turned left in Golden Green I picked up 3 guys and rode to the end of Three Elm Lane with them, determined to hang on to the wheel in front of me (the guy behind was drafting off of me, so I needed all the pull I could get). The headwind was hellish and I had to fight my way over, knowing that the route also went back the same way so I had to ride it twice!

This week was the first week of the Kent Velo Girls 50 mile course which I was helping with by leading a group. It was no more than a standard Saturday ride this week but about 20 miles in (i.e. 30 for me) I realised I was shattered. The headwind was back and I was on the verge of bonking. The girls were fabulous and supplied real food (as opposed to the shot bloks I was carrying) and we all made it back in one piece.

Finally this morning I had to do 2 runs! Yes 2! After a very muddy and slippy 4.56 miles in 56 minutes (with T2 back on his bike off road for the first time since he smashed his knee) I had a lovely cuppa and put my trainers back on. Not sure which was harder the running or the will power to get back out....