This weekend marks 16 weeks until Challenge Roth my big race goal this year. I am going to attempt to blog my entire journey to the race.
I have been really enjoying Zwift this winter on my Wahoo Kickr. Its one of the best technical innovations in the sport since Strava. It just makes something that used to be a boring slog just fantastic fun. Its been very insightful having power on Zwift, but its of little functional use for me as i don't have a power meter on my bike..... Until now!
Having a power meter in Ironman is as close as it comes to cheating. It gives the greatest benefit in helping to execute a well paced race, which is the major factor in Ironman performance. Thank you again to PRIMO Cycles (http://primocycles.co.uk) the best bike shop in Cambridge and beyond (which other bike shop can you walk in and play Mario Kart whilst being plied with cups of tea and drooling over top end kit)
I have been really enjoying Zwift this winter on my Wahoo Kickr. Its one of the best technical innovations in the sport since Strava. It just makes something that used to be a boring slog just fantastic fun. Its been very insightful having power on Zwift, but its of little functional use for me as i don't have a power meter on my bike..... Until now!
Having a power meter in Ironman is as close as it comes to cheating. It gives the greatest benefit in helping to execute a well paced race, which is the major factor in Ironman performance. Thank you again to PRIMO Cycles (http://primocycles.co.uk) the best bike shop in Cambridge and beyond (which other bike shop can you walk in and play Mario Kart whilst being plied with cups of tea and drooling over top end kit)
In other news I finished my first race of the year at the Cambridge Half. It was possibly one of the hardest Half marathon I've ever run. It will take a while for the memory bangs to erase the pain (see photo below).
After a cracking 23km run with Chris Darling 3 weeks before the event i was struck down with illness. Chris liturally broke me (eliminating his opposition before the event, sneaky move!). He went on to have a cracking race breaking 70min for the first time. In the following 3 weeks I averged about 1hr / week of snotty pedestrian paced jogging. My ambitions of a new PB evaporated and i felt i would just try and hold on for a 73-74.
Sometimes the advantage of knowing you are not fit means you make wiser decisions about pacing. I attached myself to Finn Johnson and Nick Beer and let the big boys go. I started feeling the lack of conditioning after about 10km and really started feeling it after 10miles. Gritting it out and delving deep into the pain reserve i finished in 17th in my expected time range 1:13:46.
Well done to coached athletes Steve Phillips (1:25:25) & Paul Forster (1:29:12) 5min and 10min PB's respectively. Lets make sure the Ironman's go as well.
The photo below illustrates my pain in the race better than i could possibly describe!
After a cracking 23km run with Chris Darling 3 weeks before the event i was struck down with illness. Chris liturally broke me (eliminating his opposition before the event, sneaky move!). He went on to have a cracking race breaking 70min for the first time. In the following 3 weeks I averged about 1hr / week of snotty pedestrian paced jogging. My ambitions of a new PB evaporated and i felt i would just try and hold on for a 73-74.
Sometimes the advantage of knowing you are not fit means you make wiser decisions about pacing. I attached myself to Finn Johnson and Nick Beer and let the big boys go. I started feeling the lack of conditioning after about 10km and really started feeling it after 10miles. Gritting it out and delving deep into the pain reserve i finished in 17th in my expected time range 1:13:46.
Well done to coached athletes Steve Phillips (1:25:25) & Paul Forster (1:29:12) 5min and 10min PB's respectively. Lets make sure the Ironman's go as well.
The photo below illustrates my pain in the race better than i could possibly describe!