Ashington sprint triathlon – take 3

When you rouse from a dream which finds you in a vaguely familiar North East town, getting more and more frustrated because you’re lost and can’t find the start of a triathlon, it’s time to get up, even if there are 30 minutes more before the alarm is due to go off.

Yes, the nerves were pretty palpable today. First tri of the season and time to see what my training could achieve. Hard to believe it’s my third time at this race.

After worrying that I’d be freezing on the bike leg a couple of weeks ago, Northumberland put on its finest triathlon welcoming weather with bright blue skies, a little sunshine and a slight, drying breeze. I arrived in plenty of time to register and get racked up in transition, then did a little warm up run and running drills to calm my nerves before I made my way poolside for the swim.

I took some deep, slow breaths as I was waiting to be called forward to start, and I got chance to do a couple of sinking out breaths in the water before the whistle. I was first off in my lane with two guys behind me. I fully expected to be passed. I didn’t get a great start and on the first length, the first guy swam alongside and got ahead.

My focus was to have a controlled swim. Not to struggle with the panicky breathing I’ve had in the past, just keep it steady and enjoy it. Swimming in the churning waters and through the bubbles didn’t distress me too much and I kept the breathing smooth. I felt a tickle on my foot about 8 lengths in and let the second guy past.

I was just happy to be swimming my own race. I felt good and strong, and made an effort to pick up the pace a little for the last few lengths, spotting the guy ahead of me was running out of steam. I managed to catch onto his feet but didn’t tickle his toes as I thought it unfair to do that on the last length. Instead we raced side by side to the end and I just pipped him out of the pool.

That gave me the incentive to really run into transition to keep him behind me. I think some of my barefoot running drills paid off!

Nice, smooth transition, no mishaps and a sensible mount onto the bike. I kept the gears low and easy through the turns onto the main road and was passed by quite a few on the way out. I pretty much expect that now, as I know cycling is my weakest discipline. Once out onto the main road, I picked up the gears and tried to keep my legs turning over at a decent rate, feeling my heart rate settle after the adrenaline of the swim and transition.

Up to the roundabout and left onto the country roads to pick up some free downhill speed before a left hand turn into the village and the short, steep climb of Bothal Bank. Dropped into the lowest gear and climbed steadily, getting out of the saddle at the turn for the last section and breathing very heavily at the top. But once over the crest, there’s a good long run back round onto the main drag again.

For the second lap, I picked up the effort, taking advantage of the fast rolling start. With this being a multi-lap course, some of the speedier athletes started to come through and I was admiring their sleek carbon machines, but most of the time I was out on my own, just trying to keep focused and actually having a lot of fun.

The second time up Bothal Bank I spotted a rider being overtaken and looking like he was working hard. I controlled my ascent much better this time, just keeping the power on, moving slowly and recovering more quickly at the top to go past the slower rider further along the road.

My bike was running beautifully, the sun was shining and I felt great as I came into the last half lap. Just up to the roundabout and back and I’d be done. A bit of a catch up moment with two speedy riders and then back through to transition, where I managed a moving dismount and was swiftly onto the run.

A shout from parkrunner Tove as I set off kept me moving as I got a quick shot of cramp through first my left calf, then my right. I decided to ignore it and run it off, taking short strides and trying to settle into my new running style. I was soon bouncing along, and as my legs loosened off, I kept thinking of lifting my hips and bounding forwards.

There’s great encouragement from the marshalls on the corners, who give you a shout out by name every time you pass on the three lap course. The first lap I overtook a couple of people, but it’s hard to know if that’s for places or not.

With the sun growing strong, it was a relief to get some shade around the playing field towards the end of the lap and enjoy an encouraging cheer each time round. I felt I’d held back a bit and really tried to push on in the last lap, but in truth there wasn’t much more pace in my legs. Not even when I told myself to run it for katypie because I knew she’d love to be out running and smiling in the sunshine. I did manage a bit of a pick up and a Scribbler sprint finish over the line.

What a great day for a race! Once us back of the packers finished, we soaked up the sunshine, sitting on the grass and cheering on the racing snakes. I caught up with Tove who had been supporting her husband on his first tri and a couple of my PT’s other clients who’d both had great races.

My initial feeling was that I wanted to go and do it again. Three years ago, when I did this race for the first time, I was elated and, to borrow a word from my fine Scottish friends, gubbed. I thought it was the hardest thing I’d ever done. Today, I just had a great time and remembered all the reasons why I enjoy this challenge so much.

There are things to work on, sure. I held back a bit. I don’t really know why. I found a groove and stuck there, then found I didn’t have much more to push with when the end approached. I also need to remember the important patches to body glide as I’ve got a nice bit of chafing under my armpit where there’s a seam on my tri suit.

But I gave it a decent shot, and I know there’s more if I’m brave enough to live with a bit of hurt. It’s early days and I have plenty of time to see what I’m really made of.

I had a great day. I scored a massive course PB and was 5th in my age category. With more tris lined up for the summer, I’m looking forward to more great days to come. Open water training starts on Thursday evening at the QE2 lake.

Stats and stuff
400m swim 08:71
T1 01:24
20k bike 48:08
T2 00:55
5k run 26:28

Total 1: 25:15

Ashington triathlon 2013 results

Ashington triathlon 2013 photos

Ready to go

So, my triathlon season starts on Bank Holiday Monday, which means I’m starting to wind down ahead of the race. And I’m already enjoying the familiar flutters of excitement and anticipation.

I’ll be going back to the scene of my very first triathlon and it will be my third time at this event. That thought sends my senses tingling, remembering the smiles, the exhilaration and massive sense of achievement I had from completing it the first time and immediately thinking I had to do another one.

Training’s been good. Ian put together a great plan for me and I’ve been reaping the benefits of his triathlon coaching. This is the first year I’ve really had a solid triathlon focus with a bit of running, rather than in previous years where I’ve run and then added tri stuff in nearer the time.

My first triathlon where I rode a mountain bike.

As always there are things that could have been better. I haven’t managed to get out on my bike as often as I’d have liked, but I have mopped up more spin and indoor turbo sessions, thanks to Chrissie Wellington’s audio training. There’s nothing like a 4x world champion telling you to imagine you’re racing at Kona to conjure you out of a sweaty gym. So I have spent more time on a bike than in previous years and in the last couple of weekends, getting my road bike out and doing a couple of bike to run sessions (including one on the actual bike route) has perked up my confidence.

I have questioned my sanity as I replaced a couple of spin sessions with pre-breakfast bike rides in the past couple of weeks. But quiet, traffic free roads and knowing I can get out there and survive when it’s freezing cold are quite good training sessions for race day.

My running’s coming good. I’ve done some fast times at parkrun recently and to be honest I know it’s always the part I can manage. Running’s where I started, so it feels like coming home.

My swimming is reliable. I’m swimming consistent times in training and covering much more than the distance I need for a pool based sprint tri. I still have the unknown of how I’ll react to race day nerves and swimming in the churning mass of bodies, but I’ve managed that before and swum well, so it’s just a case of making sure I go through my mental preparation and get myself as ready as I can be.

I swam a 4x400m set at the pool last night, just getting straight in the water without a swim warm up to replicate race conditions. Of course, with no one else in my swim lane I didn’t have the choppy water, but as I started my first set one of the cleaners came round with the machine that looks like a giant hoover. The hum, together with the watery acoustics of the pool made for a really unpleasant kind of white noise and all I could think was that I hoped she would be gone quickly. When she came down the side of the pool where I was swimming, I really wanted to get away from the din and was conscious that my heart and breathing rate had increased a lot. So I used it to simulate the adrenaline rush of the tri swim and battled my way through it. That was the fastest 400m of the four I swam.

In the past I’ve focused on keeping the swim controlled and smooth, often thinking ‘slow down’ to help avoid having to take a time out at the end of each length. But I’ve also managed to pull some quick times out of the swim in competition, when I’ve felt anxious and out of breath. So I should have enough experience to cope with how I feel in the water on race day.

I also did a spot of transition practice with my PT this week. It’s always a balance between keeping moving and managing to stay upright and in one piece, particularly getting on and off the bike. Because I’m a bit of a klutz I usually opt for safety over speed, but even just thinking about getting on the bike and practising putting on all the kit a few times helped me shave a few seconds off.

I can’t do much about the weather, but it is looking like it’s improving. I certainly felt a lot warmer on my bike this morning than I did last week and I know I can battle through some pretty windy conditions. I have the back up option of putting a jacket on before I get on the bike if I really feel like it’s going to be a cold one, but at the moment, I think it’s just Geordie up and get on with it. I’m normally so full of adrenaline I don’t feel the cold anyway.

The sunshine will no doubt taunt me as I take it easy the next couple of days before the race. But I’ll be catching up with my running friends, volunteering at parkrun, and spending time on the farm seeing all the new animals, including a pair of alpacas and two pet lambs I’ve named Bonnie and Clyde.

So that’s it. The training’s done, bar giving the legs a gentle tickover tomorrow. There will no doubt be the usual last minute anxieties, but I’ve coped with them before and know I can again. This isn’t even a target race, but it does feel good to be getting ready to start my multi sport season. Triathlon = 3 x the sport = 3x the fun.

Tony the Fridge and the 24 hour challenge

Remember Tony the Fridge? The guy who ran the Great North Run route 30 times with a fridge on his back? He was back with another crazy challenge, this time running for 24 hours with an even heavier fridge along Newcastle and Gateshead Quayside to raise money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

My best work buddy was leaving and having drinks in town. So I dashed out for a couple of hours in the bar, wishing her well and left just after 9pm, via a superhero costume change into my running gear and headed down to race HQ.

Tony’s run had started much earlier, live on local TV at 18:20. The hullabaloo of  press attention had gone, and it was dark, but he was still supported by his faithful crew and other runners turning up to clock up a few miles.

I arrived just as he was coming in for a pitstop and shortly after set off to run a few laps. He didn’t seem quite his usual self, or not as I’ve known him when I ran with him before. He was still philosophising, still talking about being in the moment, but there was an effort of will to it. Tony never talks in negatives and has the strongest mental will I’ve ever encountered, and that was still there, but there was a subtle down beat note that seemed off key.

I was a bit worried that this was how things were early on in his run. I chatted a little with him and some of the other runners, but I sensed it was a good time for quiet focus.

It was a beautiful night. After gales and storms, it was perfectly still, dark, and peaceful. The backdrop of the Tyne, with the bridges and buildings, is a sight to gladden any heart and this night it put on its kindest face.

There’s a little bit of magic about Tony. Beautiful things happen when he’s around, like the sun coming up as we ran onto the Tyne bridge during his 30 day Great North Run challenge.

That night, the river – the great big heart of this amazing city – provided a scene of wonder. The river was still as glass. As we ran alongside, we stopped and looked over the railings to see a perfect reflection of the Tyne bridge. The world turned upside down, lights shining in the water. The ever moving river stilled in tribute to a man who just has to keep moving for 24 hours.

I ran a couple of very steady miles and then left him to plough on through the night, feeling the dull ache of the run in my hips and legs, not daring to imagine how much Tony would be hurting.

I woke early on Saturday morning and went to parkrun on the Town Moor where I had an unexpectedly fast run and took almost a minute off last week’s time, scoring a new season’s best and getting closer to my best ever pace time.

After parkrun I returned to the Quayside to run another three miles with Tony. The sun was shining, buckets were shaken, horns tooted and Tony was surrounded by runners he knows. He posed for pictures with supporters, passers by and even with a couple who were getting married  at the Baltic. He was very much more himself and after my laps,  I left knowing he was in great shape to complete his 24 hour run.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/tony-the-fridge-completes-another-2949846

Blyth Valley 10k

Funny old race for me this one. I’d entered it to give myself a decent run at a 10k before tri season and because I didn’t think I’d be ready for a decent run last weekend. As it was, I raced my wee legs off last Sunday, so where did that leave me?

I woke up with a nice little flutter of adrenaline. I like a little race day nerves, I think they show it means something. Made myself my usual race breakfast of porridge and banana nice and early, even though I didn’t much feel like eating it, chilled out, and took a very relaxed approach to getting ready.

It was great weather for racing, a little sunshine, not too much of a breeze. As I made my way to the start I almost went right past my speedy pal Adam from Elvet Striders and his dad Dave. Luckily they spotted me and waved me out of my nervous distraction, so we had a nice chat which calmed me down a bit before I went for a quick warm up.

At the start line, it was all club vests. Very few without and those that weren’t were wearing race vests or just looked like club runners. I felt a bit intimidated. Which is plain daft I know as I’ve probably run a few races more than many club runners, but I was.

Anyway, a whistle blow and we’re off. Not too congested at the start although there’s a bunch up along road and pavement and I watch my footing so I’m not pushed into the kerb. I don’t really have a plan for this one, just run hard and don’t look at the watch.

Within minutes I feel hot, my cheeks are burning. Focus on the form, land light, keep the cadence up. I push on. I haven’t run this course before, but I know the ground from longer summer training runs and cycle rides. The first section is on the quayside, then skirt around a park,  past some industrial buildings

A line of metal railings strobe in sunlight and shadow in my peripheral vision, but I know just up ahead, we’ll be running on a boardwalk beside the sea, so I keep my mind focused on that.

But I’m feeling really hot and sweaty now and I haven’t really been running that long. My stomach feels strange, sort of sloshing and churning around, then giving me little stabs every now and then. My brain gives me the line ‘and my stomach is sick’ from the Killers, Mr Brightside, so I use it, singing it in my head to keep my rhythm and distract my focus.

It works for a while, but my mind is racing, jumping from one thing to another, trying to find ways to distract me from the fact that I’m not feeling my best.

Onto the seafront and sand dunes. This really is a lovely spot, but today I barely notice it, battling with my hot head and churning stomach.

Still I try to race, picking off people ahead of me, putting in a little extra effort on the wee bumps over the sand dunes and cruising down the other side. This is not a hilly course, but I try to make the most of every little advantage I have.

Even the sea air has not cooled my face. My legs are still going strong, and I’ve gone back to my old shoes today in the hope of avoiding pins and needles. I can feel that I do hit the ground more heavily with my right foot.

I’m not clock watching, but I know it’s basically an out and back course and just before half way I start feeling like I’m going backwards. The runners I’ve worked hard to pass are now coming back at me and getting away ahead.

I fight it for a while, but in truth, not hard enough. My stomach is still uncomfortable. I feel hot and sick, like a summer Sunday stuck in a car on a long journey unable to open the windows.

I let it go in my head. I know I’m not quite feeling right. I’m not really ill or sick, just uncomfortable and hot and a bit queasy and mentally I give up.

At the turn, just after half way, there’s water. I grab a bottle even though I don’t need it. Anything to signal a change, break the mindset. I wet my lips and throw it away after a couple of sips. A long straight road now along beside the dunes, and there’s air on my face. I breath in great lungfuls and finally my stomach settles.

There’s patches of support from club members along the road here, and I take every shout for every club member as my own. I spot Eric from parkrun on his bike and Jooles who gives me a wave and I begin to pick up.

My hips loosen up and I feel the run stride come easier, more bounding, more open as the breeze cools my forehead. I’ve just had a mid race dip, I tell myself. I can bring it back and I do a little, focusing on my form, starting to pass runners once again. I kick up my heels, keep the turnover fast and lean forward.

There are Tyne Bridge Harriers out in their hundreds. I hear one being supported close behind me. It’s a guy and he draws level with me as I’m about to make a move on another girl. He’s been breathing pretty heavily on my left shoulder for a while and I know he’s worked hard to close the distance.

‘Okay,’ I think, ‘you can pass me if you want, you’ve worked for it, but you’ve got to want it too.’ I swear I don’t pick up or make it difficult, but I don’t make it easy either. He doesn’t go past.

We’re into, I estimate, the last mile and a bit and my brain’s finally set in race mode, but I sense I’ve let my pace drop to settle there. I push on and take at least one of the people who passed me when I was struggling.

At the end of the dunes now, and just the dock industrial area and a quick blast along the quayside to go. A blast of diesel fumes as we run past a lorry, sends my stomach flip flopping again.

A Tyne Bridge Harriers girl draws level just as my watch beeps. “What’s that?” she asks, “is that 5 miles or 6?” I honestly don’t know. It’s the first time I’ve registered a beep from the start. I say “I don’t know, but I think it’s kilometres.” She drops back. I’m still conscious that Tyne Bridge man may be close by and I push on.

As we turn past the park, with the quayside approaching, she draws level again, and I apologise, saying, “I don’t mean to be rude, I’m just not looking at my watch today.” I rarely have this much conversation with anyone when I’m racing, so I know I’m going easy.

She says it’s okay and then gets a shout and a cheer from some supporters on the grass and leaps ahead. But there’s still someone coming up close behind me and I get in my head that it’s Tyne Bridge man. There’s the 6 mile sign. I know I can finish this strong now, but I’m not going to really go until I know I can sustain it. I pick up my knees and push on the pedal another quarter.

He’s coming with me. I can hear him. Good man. He obviously doesn’t know about the Scribbler sprint finish. I wind it up another quarter. And still I can hear him. I do like a challenge. I rarely get one down a finishing straight.

As we walk through the finish funnel, I turn to shake his hand and we compare race notes. 54:01 for me off my watch time (official will be a little more as I was well back from the start). Both just a bit slower than we wanted. But hey, still an okay run.

Like the race itself, I’m a bit of a mix at the finish. Annoyed to be slower than last week, but then what do I expect when I know I did not run as hard? I have a good chat with Adam and Dave which settles my self critical mood a little. And I evangelise the joys of tri to a couple standing near a table with information about the Druridge Bay 10k. It’s a lovely race, but it’s too close to another event I want to do this year.

So, although I was hoping for better, it’s not a bad run and I have more experience to take into my next race. For now though, I’ll just be happy to get a few good weeks of training under my belt and look for the weather to warm up before I take part in my first triathlon of the year.

Stats and stuff:
Blyth Valley 10K 54:01

====
1) – 0.62m – 5:10(8:19/m) – 60cal
2) – 0.62m – 5:18(8:32/m) – 61cal
3) – 0.62m – 5:16(8:29/m) – 67cal
4) – 0.62m – 5:09(8:18/m) – 68cal
5) – 0.62m – 5:38(9:03/m) – 66cal
6) – 0.62m – 5:32(8:55/m) – 68cal
7) – 0.62m – 5:33(8:56/m) – 68cal
8) – 0.62m – 5:27(8:46/m) – 66cal
9) – 0.62m – 5:29(8:49/m) – 67cal
10) – 0.62m – 5:15(8:26/m) – 64cal
11) – 0.04m – 14(6:06/m) – 4cal

Race results

Running down from Tynemouth Priory on the North Tyneside 10k

206, a photo by runnerwanderings on Flickr.

Captured on camera by runnerwanderings on the North Tyneside 10k

Race results

North Tyneside 10k

First race of the season and after snow, ice, hail, wind and baltic blasts the sun shone and the breeze stayed calm, so it was a pretty perfect day for it.

I love this one. It’s my local. It was my first ever race. And I know a lot of other people like it too. It’s a nice route, it’s early in the season, it’s well organised and there’s a decent goody bag.

So, off to the start, and quickly spotted Rob for a quick chat along with a couple of parkrun regulars. I also spot Lesley, Diane and Peter as I’m getting ready to race, but there are many more who I miss. It’s very different from my first time at this race, when I desperately tried to spot Ian who was the only person I knew running it and felt very lost in the crowds of runners who all seemed to know each other or grouped together in club huddles.

But I wanted to give this a good focus, so I cut the chat short, warmed up with some drills, got my head in a good space and found a place at the start. The plan was to just run to feel. Wear the watch but don’t clock it. Run hard, race focus, not a social run, see where I am.

It’s crowded at the start and it takes a few seconds to get over the line. The runners move slowly and I’m sort of boxed in. I’ve snuck myself in close to Malcolm and Nigel from parkrun who I guess will run a similar, but slightly faster pace than me, but I tell myself to run my own race. They get a clearer run around the first junction and are away and I have to forget them, stick to the plan.

It still feels slow and I have to keep my wits about me as runners bunch together and then spaces open up. There’s room on the first downhill and I take advantage, relaxing my shoulders and just going with it, trying not to brake with my feet and having confidence that I can stay upright. Down onto the Fish Quay and I settle into my stride, keep the turnover quick and keep pushing.

There’s a twisty turny jink around bollards and picnic benches at the end of the quay and I have to keep my wits about me as we’re still a bit bunched in, looking for a fast way through. Then it’s onto the lower promenade and the sound of the sea makes me smile.

I’m trying not to overthink this one. Deliberately trying not to notice too much or pay too much attention to the scenery. This is about racing. Keep the focus, I tell myself. Keep the form.

But I know at the end of this stretch there’s the hill and then the other one. The short steep climb up from the promenade to the cliff top and then the road up past the Priory. I allow myself to cruise this, little steps, little steps, keeping the power off and the heart rate low. The idea is to have the strength to push on at the top and not burn out up the hill. It works.

Now I’m up on the tops and just a straight run out to the lighthouse like I’ve done a hundreds of times before and will do many hundred times again. There’s even a slight down slope where I pick up my breath, pass some other runners and push off onto the the straight.

But there’s a niggle. In my right foot I have pins and needles. I’ve had it before in training a couple of times. It seems to come on after about 3 miles and it will not shift. It’s the same today. The good thing is that I know I can ignore it and still run. The bad thing is that it can mess with my head if I let it. Today I choose to disregard it, but really I need to deal with it and stop it happening.

But I’m practically on the home straight here. You can see the lighthouse, the finish point, still impossibly distant, but full of promise. Keep the focus, keep the form.

I start to pick off runners in small groups. Girl in pink with a long plait. Guy in a bright yellow top. I’m not allowing myself to look too far ahead, just the next target and keep moving forward.

The pins and needles send me back onto my heels a little and I keep reminding myself to lean forward and stay on my toes. It’s harder to do, but I can feel the pick up in pace.

This isn’t a day for picking out landmarks or noting mile markers. I’m only vaguely aware of my surroundings, knowing the slight undulations of the ground as well as my own skin. I’ve kept the pace to the High Point, I know we’ve been subtly imperceptibly climbing a little and now it’s almost all flat and downhill, just a wee bump before the end.

Keep the focus, keep the form. Relentless forward motion. There are gaps, when I drift, when a part of my brain says ease back, it’s okay. These are swiftly and unmercifully dispatched.

This hasn’t been easy. Not even from the start. I haven’t had that wonderful magic free flow release of the run. But I’m not tense. I’m not too fretty (maybe a little crispy at the edges). I’m not forcing this, but I am working for this and I will be mad at myself if I let it go.

Keep the focus. Keep the focus. I will not look at my watch. But I do start to calculate how far is left to go. I figure I’m into the last 2 miles, maybe a bit less. My legs are tiring. My form is fading and I have to make more of a conscious effort to keep it in check. Sometimes you just have to go through the hurt.

I’m onto the Links now and I know it’s really not far. In a side portion of my brain, I register that there are people here cheering on runners. I see some kids with a banner. I even hear my name a couple of times, but I cannot afford the effort to look to see or identify the voices calling it.

Man, this hurts now. You know how at the beginning you felt maybe you were just holding back a bit? I don’t think you were. Hard to identify exactly what hurts. The right foot, but that’s been like that since the priory. Calf muscles – yes they’re working hard. Breathing, hmm, starting to go a bit ragged around the edges. I can feel myself draining away, and yet I will not listen to it.

Early on in the race, I passed Heather from Whitley Bay parkrun. She’s a good runner, but as I passed she was chatting to another runner, so maybe she was taking it easy. As we’re edging towards the end of the links, the finish line a last turn away, I hear a spectator call out ‘Go on Heather’. She’s right behind me and as I’m trying to hold onto whatever I have got left she’s gone past me.

I pick up and push on. Stay close. Stay focused. There’s the 6 mile marker. This really is the end game now. Mere metres to go and I cannot pick up. 200m – come on, you used to blast this at school. My legs are still winding it up. And so I leave it all to to the very end, the last gasp 100m. Power on, arms pumping, who needs oxygen anyway?

I think I beat Heather to the line. I know I took a few down and a guy tried to go with me in the last 40m. But I don’t care. I just know I ran my hardest today. I stop my watch and stumble forward only vaguely aware of any place in the line. The numbers 53:10. That’ll do.

I wanted a good run here. In the past couple of weeks I’ve started to feel my training is paying off and I got some of my belief back. It’s been a long winter and my focus has been divided between training and getting my qualification finished. Now that’s all done I can get set for some great events over the spring and summer, starting with my home race which will act as a marker for where I am now.

I’ve been wary of setting myself up for disappointment here. Of naive targets and hopeful dreams of resurrecting my best form to date. It’s early in the season and my focus has not been about running or speed work. I’ve barely run any 10ks and nothing over distance. I can put too much pressure on myself.

Today was about running pure. Putting it out there and seeing what I had. Finding my race focus again. Disciplining myself not to be distracted, even by this most beautiful and personal of courses. I think I did that.

Of course, me being me, I’m still thinking there’s a bit more. Some slight, small improvements that could help me edge off a few more minutes. Luckily I have another 10k next weekend to give them a try.

North Tynesdide 10k
Split Summary
====
1) – 0.62m – 5:12(8:22/m) – 63cal
2) – 0.62m – 5:05(8:11/m) – 62cal
3) – 0.62m – 5:09(8:17/m) – 66cal
4) – 0.62m – 5:49(9:21/m) – 67cal
5) – 0.62m – 5:19(8:34/m) – 67cal
6) – 0.62m – 5:18(8:32/m) – 65cal
7) – 0.62m – 5:30(8:51/m) – 66cal
8) – 0.62m – 5:19(8:33/m) – 66cal
9) – 0.62m – 5:24(8:41/m) – 66cal
10) – 0.61m – 5:06(8:24/m) – 65cal

Swim kit test – Speedo power paddles

Recently the nice people at simplyswim sent me a couple of items of kit to test out. I’ve already reviewed the Pool Mate swim watch, so now it’s the turn of the Speedo Power Paddles.

According to the blurb on the box, these are designed to add speed and power to your stroke on your swim.

Now, I have a lot to work on with my swim – head positioning, breathing, kick, arm entry…it’s a long list, but no-one’s mentioned power before now, so I was curious as to how these would make a difference.

My first task was to put them together. The paddles come in a box with two lengths of rubber tubing that you can thread through the holes in the paddles to make wrist and finger straps.

There are no instructions with the paddles, so I used the picture on the front of the box as a guide and measured up against my own hands. This left me with a lot of tubing left over, so I ended up cutting one piece in half and threading both paddles with this.

Next up was the question of how best to use them. The blurb on the back of the box suggests they’re not the kind of thing you want to use for the whole of a swim session, so I thought I’d incorporate them in my warm up and as part of my technique drills.

I managed to find this video featuring Team GB swim coach Ben Titley and swimmer Liam Tancock  to give me a few ideas  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvqCa_dhbC8
The paddles they use are slightly different, but the principles should be the same.

So, off to the pool, I went to try them out. After a few warm up lengths, I tried the paddles first with the pull buoy and then without.

You can immediately feel how the paddles strengthen your stroke through the water and pull you along. It’s a good feeling until you get your stroke wrong and then the paddles are really unforgiving. If I dropped my elbow and let my hand flatten as it hit the water, the resistance was enough to completely stop my stroke and even force the paddle off my fingertips. It was a good way of making sure I concentrated on improving my hand entry on every stroke.

I found the tubing stretched a bit in the water, so I tightened up the lacing a bit next time I used them. But the first time, I just wanted to get on with my swim and didn’t want to waste time trying to fix them in the pool.

I could certainly see their value for giving you a good upper body workout and improving your strength through your shoulders and arms. When I took the paddles off to do my main swim set, I really felt the difference in speed and pull through the water.

I’ll carry on using them as part of my warm up and technique drills, but I do think they’re best used in moderation. I’ve built up quite a bit of upper body muscle strength and endurance through weight and resistance training on dry land, so didn’t experience any particular soreness around my back and shoulders, but I could see how this might be an issue for some people.

But for regular swimmers who maybe don’t have as much time for weight training, this could be a good way to add a some pool-based resistance work.

The paddles themselves could be improved if they came with a bit more guidance about how they should fit and how you can use them, with some examples of drills. Even just a web link to more information or the training video I found would be helpful to someone like me who is new to using them.

That makes me think they’re more a tool for a serious swimmer, or someone who benefits from regular coached swims. And if you’re looking to add more upper body strength in the water, then they seem like a winner.

I’m always keen to learn hints and tips to improve my swimming, so even if they just help me nail that hand entry into the water, that’s a good thing. Meanwhile, it’s always fun trying out new swim kit and keeping my training interesting.

simplyswim sent me the Speedo power paddles and just asked if I’d write a review of them, so all opinions are my own. They’re opening a triathlon section on their website soon, so I shall be interested to see what products they feature.

Starting to come good

A couple of weeks ago, I was wrestling with some thoughts and expectations ahead of my first race of the season. My training has been noticeably different to previous years, with a firm triathlon focus and I was reflecting that perhaps I ought not to expect too much from my running, as it hasn’t been my sole focus.

But this week has blasted those doubts out of my mind with a brilliant run. I usually train with my PT on Thursday morning, but a change of plans meant there was an option of a Friday session and a chance for us to take on a 10k together.

There had been a shimmer of snow overnight, the ground a frosty white, with a crust of ice over the edges of the Tyne. We ran together along beside the bridges, in casual conversation, watching our footing on the slippery patches. The early morning air was still and bitter cold, but moving in step together, I did not feel it.

Ian’s got me running forefoot and when I started to tire and drop back onto my heels, he got me to think about one of our running drills and suddenly the pace picked up, and I felt light and easy again.

I had not looked at my watch. We ran to feel, but Ian was mindful of the pace I’d told him I’d been doing in training and determined to see me break it.

We turned and ran back towards our start point in the brightening light as the river began to come to life. As the end approached, he asked how I felt, and I answered honestly that the distance was starting to make itself felt in my hips, glutes and calves. “Ease back, then,” he said, “just a little,” and it felt like we just relaxed and I gained my balance again.

Not far to the finish, and we push on, my aching limbs forgotten. I even break into something approaching a sprint as we pick our finishing point, just short of 10K as it turns out, but mere metres. The time on the watch 53:48.

I can barely believe it. I haven’t run a 10K in under an hour this year.

I’d have been delighted with that if I’d raced it. But I didn’t race. I just ran, holding a conversation, dipping in and out of pockets of pace, and never once feeling like quitting, even when the aches hit. Looking at the stats later, we actually got faster every mile apart from the last one, and there was only a 4 second drop off on that one.

So there’s more to come. More to come from the new running style. More to come from the race experience. More to come from my competitive streak. Next Sunday’s race looks a whole lot more exciting. And that’s just the start of my season.

This week has also been swim focused, with three sessions in the pool for me. I almost always see an improvement when I get regular swim sessions in, and this week, I’ve been trying out some drills, paddles and working on my technique.

Today, I had the luxury of the pool to myself as I started and I decided just to get in and swim, no warm up, no drills, just a good endurance swim. I did 4x400m front crawl, with only 10 secs rest between sets, focusing on swimming smoothly, remembering to kick and trying to turn, rather than lift my head to breathe.

Timing each set with my PoolMate, I was very pleased to see I completed each 400m in around 8 mins 30 compared to my recent times of just over 9 minutes. It takes time to see a swim improvement, and there’s still loads to work on, but I’m beginning to see the benefits of the swim coaching and drills.

So, to borrow a phrase from Chrissie Wellington – no limits. Dream big, dream out loud at a high volume. Believe it and achieve it.

Swim kit test – PoolMate watch

I’ve recently been sent some swim kit from simplyswim.com to test and review. First up was the PoolMate – a swimming watch designed to help with training, counting lengths, timing and working out how efficiently you swim.

PoolMate swim watch

The PoolMate looks like a standard digital watch. The one I got was bright blue, but it also comes in black, grey and pink. It’s nice and neat and not too big and bulky to wear on your wrist. In fact, one day I tried it, I forgot to take my regular watch, so ended up wearing it all day at work.

It has four metal buttons that you use to set up the various modes and scroll through the information on the screen. The first thing I had to do was to set it up for the length of the pool, tell it how much I weighed so it could calculate the calories I burned and on which hand I would be wearing it. It was very easy to do and with a few button pushes, I was ready to hit the pool.

This watch is waterproof, but only suitable for use in a pool. It’s won’t track your distance or swim stats in open water. But it does allow you to set different pool lengths from 18m upwards, and you can even measure in yards.

In the pool, the screen was clear and easy to read. I just pressed the start button before I set off and began my swim.

I’ve got pretty used to counting my lengths now. But when I first started swimming, I was often concentrating so much on getting my breathing right, that I’d lose track.  You can set the PoolMate to show either distance or number of lengths as you’re swimming, and as I gave it a glance at the end of a length or two of front crawl it kept perfectly on track.

At the end of my warm up, I pressed the start button again and it went into pause mode before I started my main set. That was really useful as I could also time the rest in between swim sets.  I went on to swim 3x400m front crawl, using the PoolMate to keep a check on the number of lengths and pausing it after each set. Each time you pause, you can see the time taken for the last set on the screen for a few seconds, before it starts counting up your rest time.

The instructions that come with the watch warn you, that you should only press the buttons out of the water. That seems pretty sensible as you’re unlikely to be able to look at the watch as you swim, but you can glance at the end of a length or when you finish a set.

At the end of my last set, I paused the timer and scrolled through the options to see how long I’d been swimming, how many lengths I’d done in total, and also what the real time was. That’s a really useful feature if you’re busy trying to fit in training and want to make sure you can still get to work on time!

The total number of lengths was out by 1, but I put that down to the fact that I’d had to stop part way through one of my warm up drills to adjust the swim paddles I was also testing (more on those soon). Otherwise, the count was perfect.

Having seen my total lengths, I couldn’t resist rounding it off to a round number, knowing that would take my overall swim distance to 1.6K or 1 mile with my cool down. So far, I’d only tested the PoolMate with front crawl and related swim drills, but on my cool down I also tried a few lengths of breast stroke and back stroke. Again, it kept note of the number of lengths perfectly.

Now, it’s well known that us triathletes like our kit, especially gadgets. And since I started running I’ve got used to tracking my training with some sort of app or watch and downloading it to pore over the stats when I got home.

So I felt a bit strange when there was nothing to download and no watch to recharge with the PoolMate. There is upgraded version, the Pool Mate Pro that does allow you to download your swim stats to your PC. But with the basic watch you can still review a lot of information about your session, including time, calories burned, swim efficiency and number of strokes.

Because I’d paused between each of my 400m sets, I was able to see that I’d swum them all at a similar pace. And I was very happy to see that they were all faster than my competition time from last year.

It does take a bit of button pressing to go through the different screens to get all the stats and at one point I managed to get the erase option by mistake. Handily, you have to confirm you want to erase a swim, so I didn’t lose my data. I guess once you’re used to the sequence of screens, it becomes easier to scroll through to get the information you want.

And, as for recharging,  the PoolMate takes a standard watch battery and the manufacturers reckon it should last 12 months, depending on how often you swim. But they do warn you to take it to a professional watch repair or send it back to them to make sure it remains water tight.

So, overall, what did I think of the PoolMate?

I think it’s a great swimming watch at a reasonable price. It’s simple to use and a good way of keeping track of your swim sessions.  I liked that you could also check on the real time when you were in the pool and that it’s small and neat and comfortable enough to wear as a regular watch.

My only criticism is that although it can provide a lot of data, it’s not so easy to view it after your swim. And if you wanted to compare performance over a period of time you’d have to find some way of recording your stats, maybe using a spreadsheet, or upgrade to the more expensive PoolMate Pro.

I reckon the PoolMate would make a great gift for a regular pool swimmer or help encourage someone who is looking to improve their swimming and getting frustrated with counting their lengths or taking times from the pool clock.

I was sent the PoolMate by simplyswim.com, who only asked that I write a blog post about it. The views are entirely my own.

I passed :-)

On Saturday morning I took the last part of my assessment to become a Level 2 gym instructor and I’m very happy to say that I passed.

It’s something I’ve been working on since September, learning through books and online tutorials about anatomy and physiology, then the principles of fitness and planning a programme. I sat a couple of theory exams in November and presented a load of course work at the end of January, so the final element was to take someone into a gym environment and demonstrate a workout and to be assessed on that.

I was incredibly nervous. It felt way out of my comfort zone and I so wanted to do well. For the past couple of weeks people around me have been telling me I’d be fine, I’d breeze it, I’d put the work in, I’d be sure to pass. And that’s really nice to hear, especially from people whose opinions you trust and people who have themselves taken similar fitness qualifications.

But still, I couldn’t be sure. I’m very good at book learning, recalling facts and demonstrating that I understand the principles behind them. But I’m far less comfortable with practical tasks. And with so much of this course being conducted online, with no direct contact with the teachers, I hadn’t had the chance to see what they were expecting.

I knew I knew it, but could I show it? It was a bit like sitting an interview or taking your driving test. There are things you have to demonstrate safely, but also things you have to remember to show you are doing, like observing the client, getting feedback on the level of exercise, making sure they understand.

Luckily my client for the day, Erika was very understanding as we got to the assessment centre very early and sat waiting in the reception area. Nerves were absolutely on edge as I spotted other people going in for assessment and my time came and no one had been over.

But it was fine. They were just a little delayed and I got chance to look around the gym and check out a couple of the machines before the assessment proper.

The gym is just a regular community gym, rather a nice one actually, but we had to work around other people there using the equipment. That meant I didn’t do things in the order I’d planned in my head. But once I got going, I was fine. I got into the swing of demonstrating and instructing, moving around to watch from different positions and pick up on key posture and teaching points.

The time flew and a couple of times the assessor asked us to move onto the next exercise. As we came to the last set of weights, both machines I’d planned to use were busy, so he asked if I could substitute another one. I even managed to cope with that.

And suddenly we were stretching and it was done. A bit of feedback in a side room, a couple of questions for me to answer based on the session and then the good news that I’d passed. The assessor even asked if I’d thought about taking it on to the next level.

The qualification itself would allow me to go and work in a gym and create weight and cardio programmes for clients, show them how to do exercises safely. And now I have the basics, I could top it up with something like a 1 or 2 day course to teach spinning or an exercise class. But ultimately I’d like to go down the personal training route. So that’s something to focus on in future.

For now, it’s been my first step into seeing if I could do it. If I could manage the demands of working full time, studying under my own guidance and still keeping up with my own interests and training. And I have. And I’ve learned a lot along the way.

This is something I wouldn’t even have thought of doing a few years ago, but I have really enjoyed it and it’s tested me. I’ve had loads of support, particularly from Ian who first made me think about doing it, and Simon from the gym at work who gave up his time so I could run through a couple of practice sessions.

Erika was a brilliant test client, putting up with loads of form filling and getting hot and sweaty on a treadmill. She must have been sick of hearing me by the end of the assessment. And my running pal Diane gave me a big confidence boost when we managed to work out together at the gym. Needless to say, Gary has supported me too and seen first hand the frustrations at not getting things right first time, or my nervousness about taking the exams.

So, if you offered to help me out, sent me a good luck message or tweet, a massive thank you.