Tri Questions - Part 1

1. Why Tri bikes in an Ironman?
Having done 6 sportives this year, all above 70 miles and the longest being 150, not once did I see a rider on a bike with tri-bars and using a pointy helmet. So why do riders in an ironman use a tri bike? I always thought that the prone tri bike position was too harsh for a long ride but obviously not.

2. What do you wear under a wet suit?
I'm not sure about clothes in general for an ironman. Do people get properly changed at each transition? I can't imagine swimming with padded cycling shorts under a wet suit and I can't riding 112 miles without them.

3. Swimming suits
Can you wear a wetsuit in pools? Are there full body swim costumes for men (I'm fairly self conscious at the moment)? Would it be practical to wear for pool swim sessions or a pain in the arse?

This is what I saw and liked the look of Aqua Sphere WT80.

4. Ironman Alternative
I didn't decide to do the ironman UK before the pre registration closed so the 8000 people registered will have "24 hours advance opportunity to enter the 2010 event's 1500 places". So, if I don't get a place, does anyone have any alternatives. I can't do the Outlaw Ironman the week later as I'm going on holiday. July 24, 25, 31 or 1st August would be perfect.

Plans are afoot

After taking the examples from the inspiring John Sutton and Rob Shipman, I am thinking of doing an ironman in 2010. I can't really swim that well but I'm pretty sure I can train myself up to get in under the 2 hrs 20 mins cut-off for the 2.4 mile swim. After that, its just a small matter of the 112 mile cycle and 26.2 mile run. These distances don't scare me like the swim does. I know I have no idea what its like to do one after the other but taking them in isolation, I know I can cycle and run that far.

The UK Ironman is in August which is perfect timing before I go on our family holiday. I have been thinking of doing an ironman for a couple of years but now I have gone back to work, time is more scarce. I know my NQT (newly qualified teacher) year will be extremely tough so if I don't do it in 2010, I might have to wait until 2012.

Currently, I have this planned:

2009
05 December 2009 - Endurance Life Gower Marathon

2010
14 February - St. Valentines 30k *
28 February - Meon Valley Plod
14 March - Surrey Spitfire 20 *
28 March - Bedford Harriers Oakley 20 *
18 April - Brighton Marathon
9 May - Fred Whitton *
6 June - Dragon Ride *
1 August - Ironman UK *
* Not entered yet

I have a 20 miler every other week up until the marathon as I'm very keen to break my PB. I'll need to add a long ride in every week as well with a really long one in on the weekends I'm not running 20 miles.

The swimming will have to be fitted in during the week and I need to add a couple of triathlons to get used to them. I've done duathlons but the whole wet suit thing is a mystery.

Other thoughts

CamelBak
I went to use it on Saturday and filled it up, put it on and water started squirting out of the mouth piece. I found it had a small hole and the pressure of wearing it was facing the water out. I was straight onto Wiggle and they were very good. I explained I needed it for a marathon I'm doing in 12 days so didn't have time to send it in first. They agreed to post a replacement

Tyres
All hail the Continental GP4000s tyre. I don't know how they did it but the 65 miles I rode where on some terrible roads, unseen pot holes due to all the water, loads of leaves, fallen sticks and branches and lots of general crap on the roads. Not once it I slip, skid, wobble or get a puncture. Amazing.

Taper time
In the past, two weeks before a marathon has been a serious taper fortnight. This time, as the marathon is less time pressured, I'm going to try and run hard up until Saturday and then taper for only 7 days. I wanted to see how fresh my legs feel. It may backfire a little but I am curious.

Yearly Targets
As mentioned previously, I am going to miss both my yearly running and riding targets but I have set new smaller ones to get to at least 80% of the cycling and 60% of the running. The cycling is very doable, the running will take a bit of effort but I should make it.

Salvaging a poor day

Today was supposed to be the Turbo X Salomon cross country 10. A wet, muddy run on difficult terrain; the ideal preparation for my cross country marathon. However, on Saturday night I realised the car was double booked.

My kids had a fashion show event (don't ask) in town and Cath needed to take them there and back so I would have to make my own way to Bordon in Hampshire. I looked at the trains but the usual rubbish Sunday morning service was in place with the first train getting into the closest station too late to make the start, even if I took my bike. So the only option was to cycle the 42 miles. An extreme day but worth it if I pulled it off.

Bordon is not too far away from Haslemere where I used to live so I thought I would be able to find it. I printed out maps, set the alarm for 5:40 am, got all my bike and running gear ready, fixed lights on my road bike and went to bed.

The alarm went off and I jumped out of bed and got breakfast ready fast. I knew that the sooner I could set off, the better. As the forecast had said, it was wet and windy but had stopped raining. I rode out in the empty roads towards Wimbledon, Kingston and Cobham. This was all familiar territory but it went wrong as I got to Aldershot. My map was done using A and B road numbers but all I could see were names which were no help. I knew I was going wrong but just tried to head in the right direction.

Time was slipping away and by the time I left Farnham, I was only just going to make it. It was then that I must have taken a wrong turn as I cycled and cycled looking for signs to Bordon but nothing. It was 9:55 when I saw a sign and in said 6 miles. Pointless. The race had begun and I was not going to be running it. I was gutted. It was a race I had been really looking forward too. Normal road races are ten-a-penny but these cross country runs are a lot rarer.

I had 50 miles on the speedo so I decided I would cycle home and make it a century and save something of the day. Trouble was, 5 miles later, the Almighty got angry and decided to flood Surrey. No one told me I was going to have to build an ark and my flimsy rain jacket was doing nothing. I could hardly see and it got quite scary.

I persevered for another 7 miles but decided I couldn't go on. It was beginning to shiver violently and I was worried I would get hypothermia. I got to Godalming and got a train home shivering all the way, having done around 65 miles.

I got home and sulked for a couple of hours. Outside the weather cleared so I go angry, got my running gear on and set out. My legs where tired and I was slow but I forced myself round my 11 mile loop. All was not lost. Nearly two thirds of a half ironman :-)

A week to forget

• My wife is in New York for the week (miss her and cannot get out to run)


• Woke up on Monday very unwell (really busy week at school)


• Off work Monday and Tuesday (looks bad as I'm trying to make an impression)


• My youngest hates her after school club. She was crying again on Monday and Tuesday


• Wednesday - still feeling bad and daughter ill as well. I went home from school


• Got a call from school to go and pick her up


• Thursday and still feel ropey and daughter is still unwell.


• Duaghter also saying she doesn't want to ever go back to after school club.

No more Twitter

I am done with Twitter. I never quite saw the point of it in the first place and didn't use it that much. I didn't like the constant stream of comments that flooded past and that unless you spent ages on it, you couldn't read everyone's thoughts.

I also didn't like the lack of a conversation. It was like hearing the odd word or two through the walls.

I did enjoy keeping track of some interesting people on there but most of them have blogs that I regularly read.

Anyway, on Monday I got a tweet from a friend who directed me to a web site. Usually I'm good about these things but this time I didn't think and opened it. Somehow this hacked my account and sent all my friends the same tweet. I changed my password but it still seems hacked so that is that. No more tweets for me. Account Deleted.

Wiggle adverts

I like the online sports store Wiggle but I find it very unnerving that as soon as I search for something on their site, the next time I log into Hotmail I get an advert down the right hand side for that very same item.

I know stores, search engines and email sites all talk to each other to make sure you buy, buy, buy, but seeing it happen so starkly is a little disturbing.

Last week it was CamelBaks and XC shoes, now its compression tights. I did find it particularly pointless with the first two as I have already bought them from Wiggle. It shows its not that clever.