Unsatisfactory swim!!

Went to the pool today where I hoped to swim 500m in less than 14 minutes. There were a few kids in the pool who kept getting in the way so it didn't really work out for me. So I ditched the timing and just completed the 500 metres. My technique was all over the place anyway so I came away not that satisfied with the swim - but I guess there will be days like that. Roll on the end of the school holidays so I can have the pool back to myself! Although when it comes to the triathlon I will have to be able to deal with a mad scramble of people around me...at the start anyway.

Well, that's the last post of this year. I'll see you bright and early in 2010 as I have a run tomorrow morning.


HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

So glad it's a day off today!

It's wet, rainy/sleet and windy. I am happy to be sitting inside, beside a warm radiator and looking out. Definitely not the type of day I'd volunteer to head out for a run unless I really had to. Swim tomorrow and then a run on Friday.

100m sessions

At the pool today. Not too busy which was good. Most of the kids seem to favour the fun pool thezse days rather than the 'boring' swimming pool - which suits me fine! Had to get new goggles today as I must have left my old pair behind me at my last swim before Christmas.

Today's session was 3 x 100m stints, with 1 minute rest between each set. The target time was to try to complete each set in under 2m30s. I was able to do it ok with times of 2:17, 2:13, 2:22. Definite room for improvement: shaving 5 seconds of each length would take me to below the 2 minute mark per 100m.

Having said that, if I went all out I could probably get under the 2 minutes now but I am trying to set a nice pace that will be sustainable over distances of 1km or more.

With New Year's Day being Friday, it will be another crammed week of training. Another run tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting!

First Post Christmas Run

Out for a good 30 minute run this morning in very beautiful surroundings. White frosty fields, sun just rising in the cloudless blue sky - there was even a lovely fox wandered out in front of me!

Again, the icy conditions took it out of my legs a bit but all in all it was pretty good. I can definitely feel everything getting back into the running groove again.

For the stat geeks:
Average hr = 157
Peak hr = 174
Calories = 567
1 minute recovery = 148 to 124

Snowy underfoot

For the stat geeks:
Average hr = 158
Peak hr = 176
Calories = 574

Swim test

I headed to the pool yesterday to try and complete the goal that I'd set for the end of December: to swim 500 metres freestyle inside 15 minutes. A couple of weeks ago, I wouldn't have been able to do this because the endurance just wasn't there. I came in at 13min 59sec which I was happy with, although my left shoulder was very tired (not enough roll when pulling with the left arm caused this, I think).

So that's the first month of swimming over. Happy enough with progress and now need to focus on getting faster before increasing the distance.

100m split times for the 500m:
1. 2:10
2. 2:39
3. 2:51
4. 3:01
5. 3:17

As you can see, the times slip a bit with each split. What I want to do is to make each split consistently around the 2 minute mark. If I get there, I will be very happy!

This sets up a nice target for the end of January: 500 metres in under 11 minutes.

Reasons for Choosing Habitat For Humanity NI

There are lots of charities out there that need our help and I found it a hard task to choose one particular organisation. The needs of people are so great that I felt guilty when eliminating a particular charity. But in the end, I opted for Habitat.

In their own words, they are "a non-profit, non-denominational Christian movement dedicated to eliminating substandard housing and homelessness worldwide and to making adequate, affordable shelter a matter of conscience and action. Habitat is founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a simple, decent and affordable place to live in dignity and safety."

So why them?


1. They are Christian-based: I am a Christian and although I support charities that don't claim to be based on any faith, I personally felt that I wanted to support one that had the same principles as I live by. That's not to say that in the future, when I do some other sponsored challenge, that I won't choose a non-Christian organisation. But at the moment, that's the decision I made. However, no matter what your views are about Christians I don't think there can be many arguments about the good work that Habitat do throughout the world.


2. I take my home for granted: As I look out my window now, there is snow on the ground and my fingers are still tingling from clearing the snow off our car. Yet I am able to come in and sit in the comfort and warmth of my home, knowing that I have running water and electricity and toilets and all the things that we are used to having. But there are so many people, here in Northern Ireland and across the world who don't have a fraction of the luxury we have. I would like others to know how it feels to have a place to call home.

3. A titanic leap: My sister and I have registered for a sponsored event to jump from 100 feet and go hurtling towards the ground...only to be saved by some sort of air-brake device(!). All the details can be found here. The event is being jointly run by Habitat, so I thought I would just do a bit extra for them.

4. Because others have helped: I know of other people from my church and local area who have helped raise money for Habitat for Humanity and have gone on building missions to far away countries. I know the good work that has been done and if the money that is raised helps just a little bit more, then that's good enough for me.

Icy run

Out for a 25 minute run today in the icy and snowy countryside. Very slippery underfoot - had a few wobbles but thankfully stayed upright! It was tough enough going due to the lack of traction but it felt good to get out into the cool, fresh air.

For the stats geeks:
Average hr = 159
Max hr = 174
Calories = 496

Starting a busy week off with a swim

With all the snow here and the excitement of Christmas at the end of the week, this week is going to fly by and there is a danger that training could be pushed to the sidelines. But managed to get to the pool this afternoon and punched in 400 metres. The first 200m were timed and I have shaved 30 seconds of each 100 metres compared to before I did the technique drills. So that was very encouraging! I just need to get the 100 metre splits more consistent as fatigue sets in. I'm aiming for 2 minutes per 100 metres and just build up the distance.

For some reason today my left shoulder seem to be working too hard, which I think was caused by not rolling enough on the left arm's stroke.

Ok - run tomorrow which could be interesting in the snow!!

Week 3 Complete!

Just been out for a run on a beautiful frozen morning! A bit slippy underfoot but it was great to get out into the green/white countryside and breath in the fresh air.

I did 25 minutes today at an easy enough pace, just over 2.5 miles according to Gmaps Pedometer. All felt ok.

Next week will be a bit hectic trying to fit it all in before Christmas Day!

For the stat geeks:
Average hr = 156
Max hr = 174
Calories = 468
Recovery in 1 minute = 150 bmp down to 123 bmp.

Swimming is definitely improving!

Just back from the pool and I am feeling much better about my swimming. Did 500m today and my shoulders are really good. Not overly tired at all. Yeeeehaaa! So next week I'll ease back into timed sessions to see if I can start getting the time down a little. I don't want to rush it though as there is still a long time to go until the summer.

The only thing about the next couple of weeks is that all the little sprogs (kids) will be off school and the pool will probably be packed out.

Anyway, run in the morning...and then a couple of nice meals out on Saturday and Sunday. Yummmy!

First run of the week

Out for another run today - another 20 minutes at an easy enough trot. Making the most of these lovely days as no doubt very soon I will be out running in the rain/sleet/snow.

Today's run was along a hilly road so it definitely tested the legs and lungs. The next run this week will be 25 minutes so I am now up around the 3 mile mark. The first couple of triathlons are just over 6 mile runs, so soon it'll just be a matter of laying down a good foundation of endurance and speed at the start of the New Year.

For the stat geeks:
Average hr = 152
Peak hr = 176
Total calories = 367
1 minute recovery = 148 bpm down to 125 bpm

There's Nothing Like a Good Catch, Pull and Roll

No ... this post has nothing to do with Tiger Woods. Catch, pull and roll were the three mental triggers that I used today during my swim to try and correct my technique.

Catch: when your arm is extended in front and you tilt your wrist so fingers are downward and you 'catch' the water in order to start your pull.

Pull: the process of bending the elbow and pulling yourself through the water using your hand and forearm, finishing with the hand pushing past the hip.

Roll: As each arm is extended out in front, the shoulders, torso and hips should roll about 45 degrees to that side. This enables easier breathing, but the main point is that it helps engage the back and chest muscles during the pull process and therefore saving the shoulders.

Today I swam about 450 metres and concentrated on the above points. I really felt a difference in that my shoulders were not nearly as tired at the end of it all. A bit more practice and hopefully it will become second nature. I also worked on bilateral breathing today - breathing to the left and to the right. Not as easy as it sounds if you are used to breathing to one side! I did take on a few mouthfuls of water!

All-in-all, today was a good session and I'm looking forward to my next swim. A 20 minute run tomorrow.

(One bad point about today is that I went to a large wholesale suppliers to get a few things and on the way home scoffed quite a lot of chocolate. So that hasn't helped me feel in tip top form! Rather sick in fact!)

This is proving difficult.

Just back from the pool where I had the last training session of week 2. I did a few more technique drills, but if I am totally honest I don't feel I am improving much. There is just something missing. My shoulders are getting a very hard workout and as I said in a previous post, that shouldn't be the case. I could still swim 1000 metres ok - but I want to make it as easy for myself as I possible can. Don't forget, swimming is just the first leg - I don't want to be completely shattered for the cycle and run!


So in a way it is a slightly disappointing end to the second week as I feel my swimming hasn't progressed any. But it's still very early days yet and I look forward to reading this again in a few months and being in a position where I have the swimming mastered.

Run out

Went for a run today - 20 minutes. Nice steady pace, although there was quite a big hill which pulled the legs out of me a bit. But I got the benefit of going down it too so I can't complain.

Swim tomorrow.

For the statistics geeks:
Average hr = 158
Peak hr = 175

So why do I want to complete a triathlon?

For the challenge. To get fit and shed a few pounds. To raise money for a good cause. To see if I can. Because I am able. To do something new. To test myself. To compete. To keep me humble. To prove something. To wear the t-shirt. Did I mention to keep me humble????

Swim - deviation from training program

I headed to the pool today where I tried out a few things to help improve my swimming technique. The last few times I have been swimming, I have come out of the pool and my shoulders have been worked so hard that I can hardly lift my arms! This obviously means that I am using my shoulders a lot more than I should be. After doing some reading (geek alert!), I learned that it should be the back muscles and chest muscles that do the most work, not the shoulders. A bit like a golf swing where the power doesn't come from the arms, but from the back.

So the drills I did today were to help me move from depending on my shoulders to using my back. It worked to a certain extent - I probably swam about 500m in batches of 50's, and my shoulders were definitely not burning as much as before. However, I still don't feel that I have it sorted so will probably continue for a few more sessions.

Maybe a day off training tomorrow and a run on Thursday.

Week 2 training begins

Some stats for the geeks:
Time = 15mins
Avg hr = 149
Peak hr = 169

First race date confirmed

So, after a bit of searching I managed to find some 2010 triathlon dates, including one of the races that I wanted to take part in.

The Crooked Lake Triathlon (Camlough, Co. Armagh) is down for Saturday 5th June 2010. Scary! It consists of 750m swim in the lake, 20k cycle followed by 5k run. Not too bad (in theory!).

Still no date that I can find for the Mourne Triathlon. It consists of 1000m swim in the lake, 32k cycle ending with a 10k run. Slightly more challenging.

What scares me the most are some of the times that people do for each discipline. Not that I have any intention of even thinking about competing with them, but the man who won last year posted a time of 11 minutes for a 1km swim. At the moment I am around the 30 minutes mark and that's just in a pool! Yes, the more I think about it, the swim is the thing that worries me most. I've never done ANY open water swim before.

Anyway, still 7 months left to shave a few minutes of everything. In a funny sort of way, I am starting to get excited.

UPDATE:
There is one event that I would love to do if the others work out ok - it's the Half Ireman on the 22nd August: 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride and 21km (half marathon) run. In fact, I'm going to pen that one in. If I am able to and haven't drowned in one of the others, I am going to give it a go!

Triathlon dates to be confirmed

Week 1 complete!

Just back from the pool. I have decided to go to Lisburn pool this week rather the one in Lurgan which I previously used. Lisburn is much cleaner than Lurgan - and I'm not the only one to think so! Although when it comes time for  the open water swims in lakes, it might be better not thinking what is lying at the bottom!!

Anyway, the target of today's session was to swim 350m in less than 10min30s. I came in at 10min27s so I am happy. Week 1.....tick!

First video blog entry.

Sponsorship up and running

I have decided to try and at least raise some money for a worthwhile cause by doing the triathlon. So from the right hand side of this page you can help me reach my target of £1000 by clicking on the sponsor button. Any amount is greatly appreciated, no matter how small you think it is.

The chosen charity is Habitat for Humanity which helps fight homelessness throughout the world. A good cause.

So thank you in advance.

- Posted from my iPhone

Slow and steady...

Just back from a light 15min jog. Lovely day for it - another box ticked on the schedule.

It'll be great looking back here in a few months and seeing how little I was doing!


Some stats for the geeks:
Max HR: 165, Average: 150.

Hopefully get a wee swim in tomorrow...

Tomorrow...

Another run tomorrow. Looking forward to it. Would like to get out in the morning shortly after 6am and hopefully not wake any of the little ones! Might not happen until tomorrow night though. We'll see.


- Posted from my iPhone

First week so far

I meant to have started by now but I guess six or seven months is still more than enough. Today I swam 300 metres, all freestyle, in 8m46s. My first 100m was 2m23 which was ok, but my next two splits were a lot slower - 3m03 and 3m20.

Yesterday I headed out for a run - my first for about a year. I have lots of time so I plan to start the runs slowly which is why I only headed out for 10 minutes. It went ok. I even strapped on my heart monitor just to see how the old ticker was handling things.

I was a bit surprised at how high my heart rate went. It peaked at about 169 and averaged at around 151. Which considering the pace I was doing (slow!), was surprising.

Let me do a few calculations for heart rates: I am 33, so in theoretically my max heart rate is:
220 - 33 = 187

For a slow pace (65% mhr), my heart rate should be around 122.
So there is some work to be done fitness wise!!

Anyway, my plan for the rest of the week is another swim and another run.