Month: August 2018

Dumbarse.

After all my big talk about managing the pain of running with no socks and the getting bad blisters, it turns out recovering from them is vastly worse. They went from scratched-looking to red raw open wounds. It’s been 6 days and they are still raw. I’ve been washing them in salt water, pouring raw salt on them, and dabbing them with rubbing alcohol. The pain is enough to make me sweat. At least the rubbing alcohol only lasts a few minutes, pouring salt on is intense for twice as long.  And they still won’t heal. Stubborn. I was feeling a bit better this morning, I thought with the padding of the plasters and socks I could probably manage a run. I put my trainers on upstairs and made it as far as the bottom of the stairs before I changed my mind. No chance.   I’ve been training on my bike on the turbo instead. I’ve managed 4 out of 5 days. My training plan (1 minute in each gear going up the gears, -starting in 3rd- , 5 minutes in top gear, 2 minutes in each gear going down) works out as two complete repetitions in an hour. Which is handy.  I’ve managed to set up the data logging app on my ‘phone from the turbo, so now I can quantify my workouts. I’ve managed two session with it working. On the first one it said I did 28 miles in the hour. I don’t believe that’s the case.  On the road I usually do about 18 mph maximum. But that’s always pacing myself for a long ride, and there’s the stopping and starting, hills, wind, traffic, etc. I will have to go out for an hour’s sprint. See what I’m really good for. That’s besides the point. The point is, that is the reading I got for an hour’s workout. Using the same settings, doing the same workout, I can see if I’m doing better than X (which happens to be 28 miles in this instance). The other readings were the power I was putting out, on the first run it was 185 watts average and 262 maximum. Apparently decent riders run at 350 watts, I heard on a video the other day. The guy who was testing some kit patronisingly said he was doing it again at 250 watts to give a reading at the level of club riders. I’ve got a long, long, way to go. Once I’d laid down a benchmark figure I had to beat it, obviously. Today’s workout I did 28.9 miles (it clicked over to 30 miles a few seconds over the hour. Damn.) with 194 watts average, 330 watts max. Tomorrow I’ll do 30 miles. I can’t run or swim because of my feet. Showers hurt enough. I don’t expect they’d want me in the baths with open wounds even if I could take the pain.   The other training news is on my aero bike. Obviously I want this: […]

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Bike!

They say that 60% of your tri training should be on the bike as that’s where you are going to be spending the majority of your race. I’ve been putting it off as it’s horrible and boring. I finally bit the bullet, cleaned out the shed and set up the bike on the torture device/ turbo trainer. I did one session after my epic run the other day. It was good training but I was sweating and panting, kept pausing to take drinks and generally make excuses to rest for a second. I had it in a low, mostly manageable gear, apart from the 5 minutes in top gear. I kept trying to shift up, to build muscles and stamina, but quickly dropped down again. On that session I ended up opening the shed door to try and let some cool air in as I was dying. I’ve had time to think about it though, and now I’m keeping the door closed. It should keep the gnats out, which is a bonus, but my main goal is heat conditioning. I’m thinking if I start now, plan in regular training sessions, and work through autumn and winter, as it starts getting warmer I should adapt. In theory. If I’m looking to an end goal of the Barcelona or Hamburg Ironman (even two out of three of my Outlaws have been in blistering heat) I need to heat condition. More for the run, to be honest, but surely that will carry over? Anyway, I did another session today, with the door shut. I’ve got a big fan there, but as part of my new masterplan I’m not using it. And I’ve stumbled across a successful training plan. I remembered at the gym on on their kit you can do stepped training plans, say for 2½ minutes at one level, then up a level, down a level, etc. Instead of just pedalling in a do-able gear and keep stopping I timed myself. I settled on 1 minute per gear up, 5 minutes in top gear, then 2 minutes down the gears. The only difference is mental, but struggling in, say, 5th gear, knowing you’ve got another 6 to go, all harder, is too much at the minute. So, 1 minute up, 5 in top, 2 minutes down. Again it’s just mental, but because I wasn’t just churning away for an hour, I kept going. Instead of thinking “45 minutes to go, I can’t do it”, I was thinking “only 2 minutes, then it gets easier” Once I’d stumbled on the stepped plan (a few minutes in) I didn’t stop. The sweat was running down the back of my legs. Everywhere else as well, but literally running down my legs.That’s not normal for me. Pure gross. By the end of the hour the condensation on the shed windows was running. I’ve just ordered a cheap thermometer, I want to know just how hot it’s getting in there. I’m a mite concerned about rusting my […]

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Winning! Sort of.

I am really getting focused on my training. I’ve cleaned out my shed and set my bike up on the turbo trainer. I did a session yesterday and today. I did this week’s task of 2½ miles at race pace the day before those. So today, before the hour on the bike, I decided to go for a fast test run. I thought that the professional triathletes didn’t use socks, thus saving a minute in transition. Transition is the easiest place to save time, you don’t have to use any muscles to not put a pair of socks on, so I gave it a go. The good news is I battered my times. I did a 10K (seems that’s a popular reference, I still work in imperial) in 45:13 and 10 miles in 1.12:20, knocking 2 minutes 11 seconds off my previous PB from June ‘15. Well pleased with that. I was aiming for a 7.15 m/m pace, didn’t go above 7.21, mostly below 7.15, with a 6.59. To be fair to myself, that wasn’t the course on which I set my previous PB, I think it’s a bit harder. I’ll try again on that course for a like for like comparison. Hopefully shave a bit more off. The downside: The pain was OK for 10 miles, but I think it would have at least slowed me down over a full marathon. I asked on twitter, what I was doing wrong. The tri guy who’s done a 9 hours 50 Ironman, said “Wear socks, the pros all do.” Oh. So I destroyed my feet for nothing. Super. Live and learn. That little faux pas aside, I’m buzzing off today. That was a good run, I maintained a fast pace for the full ten miles, then did an hour on the bike. Which seems to have set itself harder. I have done an hour grinding it out in top gear before on the turbo before now. Today I did a 5 minute section in top gear and I was standing on the pedals having to use my lardarse to move the damn thing. Which is good. Not that I was struggling, but that it offers such resistance. Great training. This could happen, people. I could go sub 3. Maybe, just maybe, sub 10. *excited face* Right, to bed to reset. Later, Buck.

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Oh Yes!

Things are coming together. After all my talk of why I couldn’t fit an aftermarket exhaust silencer (“end can”) on my bike I got talking to someone on Twitter. He said to try a certain brand, so I went and looked. They said you could just straight swap the can, no retune, no remapping the computer for the fuel injection. Huh. Entirely contrary to what I’d read. They were obviously selling new, expensive cans. I looked on eBay and someone was selling one for £39.99. I waited until the last minute and got my bid sniper bot to put in a bid. Got it for the opening price! Get in! I stuck it on yesterday and compared it with a decibel app, not much louder, one or two Dbs. Super. While I was fitting it I had a look at some other stuff. Apparently the exhaust is fitted with a butterfly valve, so it blocks exhaust gases up until 3,000 revs (making it quieter while you are warming the bike up, and, not coincidentally, making sure it meets industry emission standards at test levels) then opens up to make it racier when you are starting to rev. That is a good feature by me. I can warm my bike up without getting lynched, bike goes RAAAAAARRRGGGHHHH! when I open it up. The confusion lies in the fact that the computer that runs the fuel and the butterfly valve is set up to run with the back pressure of a standard exhaust, remove that and things go pear shaped. This is where Power Commanders come in. They are a plug in jobby that, by some techno voodoo, makes the computer do the right fuelling for any specific set up. The trouble is they cost about £300. I looked under my seat to try to locate the servo (motor) to the exhaust (butterfly) valve, and there was a power commander! Woo-hoo! I was told this bike was stock, that was a fib, but if it saves me shelling out £300 I’m OK with it. So, three components: end can, exhaust valve, power commander. I have to say I’m out of my depth. I have no idea how to synch the three. I looked online for a fancy garage that does dyno testing and remapping in the North West, and the best one is in Warrington! You know how I took my VFR800fi in to a fancy garage, they took a week or so to service it, but the back brake still felt funny? So I rang them up and accused the highly skilled mechanic of not doing his job? Then found out Honda have linked the brakes on that model so no matter how hard you stand on the back brake it won’t lock up? So I had to ring back and apologise? Guess what? *sigh* Anyway, I’ve booked it in for next Friday. They said they can stick it on the dyno and check if the fuelling is working for that […]

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Face as Flint.

More ups and downs with my training. I went out for this week’s fast run on Saturday and just had nothing. It was shameful. I don’t know whether it was starting off at race pace, not fuelling properly beforehand, wearing too hot clothing, all of the above or nothing, but I just couldn’t. I ran 1.6 miles and had to stop and get my breath. I turned around and came home. I was devastated. On Sunday I got an early finish so forced myself out. I was going to do the 8 mile run I’d done the week before. Set off at a relaxed pace for a mile, a mile faster, faster, a mile breather then belt it back. 8.37, good start, 7.23, good, faster, noticed I was doing 6.45 pace, sod it, let’s do it! No breather, straight into race pace! I did the first half mile, turned a corner onto a straight and the wind was in my face. I had to dig in and really push, got 6.46, turned around and had to get my breath back at race pace. I had to use every mental trick I have to keep going (it doesn’t hurt any worse, just keep going to the corner, to that lamp post, done a mile and half, that’s three quarters, this is furthest I’ve done at this pace, another quarter mile and I’ll quit, etc) did it in 6.44. Redeemed myself. I had to stop for a few breaths, then continued at a jog for that mile. Got 8.10, OK, it’s back on, upped the pace again 7.32, and an extra .3 of a mile to make it a 10K in 47 minutes. All in all, pleased with that.   The other good news is after noticing my position on the bike on that picture I’ve given it some thought and think I’ve got it. There is a 4 inch bar that connect the headstock to the handlebars. I’ve ordered one on a 45% angle. (£10! Get in! Somewhat cheaper than a £2K+ TT bike.) Flip it upside down, that’s an inch drop for the handlebars. If that’s still not enough to get my back flat I’ve seen some handlebars where the elbow rests are basically resting on the handlebars (mine are an inch above) that would be £60. And they are way cool. They look like a Klingon Bird of Prey. They look like this, when fitted: That’s the brand name ones, but I have just discovered Chinese rip-offs on eBay. Yay the Chinese! Hopefully that will do me for a season, strip my bike down to basics, get a proper aero position, fitted shoes, and I should be good to go. That’s running and cycling on track. And I started my swim lessons! And I went! The regular guy wasn’t there, so some young girl was taking the class. I quickly got bumped up from ‘crap’ lane 1, where I said I should start, to lane 3. She said I […]

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