Week 1
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Duration: 10h 43m
Bike: 121miles
Swim: 4000 metres
Run: 20miles
Training Peaks (based on swim/bike/run)
TSS: 826
Intensity Factor: 0.86
CTL: 96.9
TSB: -5.0
So I have decided to become a triathlete. I guess my target is The Island Games in 2017, in Gotland, but this depends on several factors including, and most importantly, qualification. I have a lot to do, the swimming is progressing but I'm still a long way off even making the qualification to TeamIOW tri sqaud, let alone being good enough to actually compete at the games. Swimming is the main priority but, realistically, I'm not going to spend huge amounts of time in the pool for two reasons. I hate swimming and I want to improve the running. I have to accept that a minor miracle is going to have to happen when it comes to my swimming technique, but as ever, I wouldn't even contemplate trying if I thought it was not possible.
So this is my first official week completed, the week straight after the Jersey Island Games where I competed in the Mountain Bike Cross Country and MTB Criterium. Both of which were great races, technical and extremely tough with elite standard opposition. Us Islands produce some pretty good talent. I finished 26th in the XC and 18th in the MTB Crit and as a team we claimed 5th and 4th respectively. MTB is over for me now though as a competitive discipline, in truth it has been for almost a decade while I have been concentrating on Cyclocross as my main discipline. I can't leave the dirt alone though so cross will continue, although with a cut down schedule, and Duathlon will become more frequent during the winter months to improve my bike/run transition. Xterra is also on my mind, but not this year.
Four tris down and many duathlons and I've seen improvements each time. Thruxton Mass Attack last October was a real boost when I finished second overall with only the age group national champion beating me (albeit by 8 minutes) with the second run finally feeling as quick as my run 1 effort.
Since that Duathlon the three Wight Tri club events I did brought me improvements each time primarily in the run, and notably the second run where I pretty much matched Run 1 times over 5k. Still yet to brave a standard Duathlon with a 10k first run, so there's another target. Two tris done on the island, awful swims but great early experiences, and two Sprint Tris done on the mainland with better swims and podium age group positions (inc one 3rd overall and an age group win). One of the downsides to all the tris and duathlons mentioned above was a greatly reduced power output on the bike compared to what I can do in 10/25 mile Time Trials at around 30-40watts less! (approx 20% less). This is worrying and slightly baffling. If I could output 10% more I'd be happy. The run is always going to take out some of that and the winter brings a lower peak power so maybe I just need more data to be sure I'm not getting my calculations out of sync. So there's another target, maintain power off the run to bike. Most worrying though is the fact this seems to happen after a 400m swim too. I hold my hands up to massively underestimating the swim effort in a tri.
One more aspect I need to work on is my mindset off the run or swim in and to the transition to the bike. I'm all over the place, dizzy, disorietated and dangerous. One crash that landed me in hospital with possible concussion in a local Duathlon highlighted this and I have now calmed down a little, albeit resulting in slower transitions.
Egotistically, I'm getting it written down so I can read this back. If you are reading this and you are interested then please check back each week and I will try and update this blog on a weekly (maybe daily) basis, Lots of thoughts to come out of this head, too much for now but let it be said...
It starts here!
