It's story time with the Trikey Wheelers

 When you last saw us, we had a tale of woe to tell, as we'd chased the national 10 mile team record and got oh so close to the tune of something like 10 seconds overall with a high bar of 1.08.54 set by the lads at Antelope CC way back when. No doubt about it, the record was a very respectable one and we'd need some good fortune if we were going to better it. Oh, and by the way, we thought we'd have a go at bettering the 30 and taking the 100 mile team records along the way (Eds note - that went well didn't it ! )

Attempt 1 - April - Melton Olympic 10 -  A cold and windy day on the A46 between Lowdham & East Stoke - on it's day, so we were told, it could be fast, but you have to hit it right. Today was not one of those days, and the three of us ground close times of 23.47 to 24.02 to be wildly short of the target mark.  We would need to average 22.57 to take the comp record so you can see a three minute fail is a big gap. 

Attempt 2 - June -  Breckland CC 10 - One of our favourite courses, the A11 near Norwich, in fact we commented we should be club members as we'd ridden most of Breckland's championship events than the Lincolnshire ones. This was a better effort with Dave getting the 22.52 required, but both myself and Ian the other side of the line with 23.10 & 23.12. A long drive back for all of us with plenty to reflect upon with some lost seconds here and there.

Attempt 3 - July - The F11/10 course on the Tring bypass. Early morning event, fast course with a gift hill in the middle, very fast and where we had been within 10 seconds last year. We were bang up for this, weather was good, traffic was light, Gaz was with us and were a four man attack team. The organiser knew before we had started that we were odds on to do it, even arranging for a group photo afterward. Four very solid rides and riding back to the HQ we were sure from our man maths that we had sneaked it by two seconds. We had the photo, we signed the record forms and then next day found out that we'd missed it by 4 seconds.  We were very quiet in our group chat for a good few days after that. Would it ever fall and would we be chasing it into our 70's ! 

Attempt 4 - September - Last chance saloon - Back on the A46 course where we had started the year for a last roll of the dice. The weather gods had been nice to us and the wind was light and in the right direction. Early riders coming back told me it was fast but I didn't quite believe it. Boy, was it !!  Although not feeling particularly quick, both myself and Ian put away c.22.30 rides, giving Dave almost a minute leeway. Did he need it ? Nah, the watt monster mullered the club record posting an insanely quick 21.47. After 3 attempts this year already, and a further 5 spread across 2019-2020, we had taken nearly 2 minutes off. It goes to show that you do need some luck in this game , and after some dollops of bad, we finally hit a fast course on a fast day. Good times 🙂

Other attempts - Just to show the other side of record chasing we had other misses during the year - firstly, we tried to improve our 30 record which we already hold, but pre-Dave joining the team. In May we went down to F30 course which had too many roundabouts and a particularly bad ride from me to get anywhere near, then in the second attempt on the Breckland course in August, we pushed it so close, failing by just three seconds overall. Dave had lost his chain and without that we'd have done it. That's that luck I was talking about. 

Talking about luck, we had the idea to ride the Breckland 100 in July. Ian had put away a 4.28 the previous month for the club record and all of us thought we could take it. Nice early morning start, clear roads & nice weather. Four times up and down the A11, 25 mile laps each on a course we knew well !  We could regularly see each other and knew we were each ahead of schedule. At 73 miles I turned the Snetterton turn for the penultimate time and then joined the carriageway to find it closed by the police as a DPD driver (on a clear day, had somehow rear ended a rider).  I was soon joined by Dave and then Ian , and that was that - event abandoned.  That was some effort by the team, but sometimes it goes like that, nothing we could do.

So what's next ?  Next year definitely the 30, some more tandem action , maybe another crack at the 100. 

See you next year 🙂

Last chance saloon - Calfman Duathlon

 After the previous weeks effort at Oulton Park, I had done some man maths, and was reasonably sure that although I hadn't finished in a qualifying place, I was near and about 103-104%, which in a normal year, could see me with a roll down, however, with 2021 event not moving forward and participants deferred, that would make it tricky and I would need to finish top 4 to have a chance. 

The Cowman event has four options , catering for everything from sprint distance to long distance. I was entered into the Calfman qualifier, 10k run around Emberton Country Park, 40k on the bike out on open road, and then another 5k lap of the park to finish. I can say that even they were slightly long, I have the 1st run at 6.37 miles and 2nd at 3.20. The event was easy to find after a night in a travelodge on the M1, and conditions for the day reasonable for the time of year. Racked early, last minute pee, and then off to the start....

Run 1 = 47.42

The run was a mix of terrains which I liked. I wasn't sure which type of shoe to wear so hedged my bets, starting in my usual Brooks but having some light trail shoes available for the second run. After an initial run on tarmac path, there was a grassy off road section and then back on tarmac which felt a bit slippy underfoot. Some more grass and then some field paths with some climbs and then a nice long descent back into the park. Lap one dispatched , and second one put away in a disciplined manner. In good form at the end of the first run and on to the bike. 

Bike 1.05.58 

After 51 secs in transition, I was making my way out of the park, slowly as it's not race friendly. A two footed stop and then out onto the main road - now we're cooking. Not at all like Oulton Park, just plenty of undulating A roads , a couple of stingers, but nothing my single ring 60T set up couldn't handle.  I aimed for 230-240 watts and mostly could keep that. My position was more disciplined this week, only sitting up on the climbs or when I was in traffic at the end of lap one. I counted the people I passed on the second lap, and then set myself the target of not being overtaken by that number on the second run. Back into transition via on my god what was that - hop up onto a path and avoid the man with the Alsatian !! 

Run 23.56

41 seconds this time and back out for one more lap. I opted for the light trail shoes this time and that bode well. Nice and grippy, they were perfect.  I had a good first mile, and then really started to grind on the climb straight after the caravans. Runners started to pass me, and I had that feeling of deja vu, but after a brief flurry there were no more. I stuck with it and was thankful to reach the top of the final climb and really enjoyed that final descent for the last time. Over the line in 2.19.08 which was 4th in 45-49, but would be worth 5th in 50-54. My luck was in as the first two weren't in the pot for qualification so by my reckoning, I should get the third qualifying berth so we will need to wait and see.

Whatever happens, I am really enjoying the Duathlons and will be working hard over winter to have a better year next year. 

European Qualifier Duathlons - Oulton Park Standard

 This was it ! A week apart in October - two chances to qualify at Standard Distance for the European Championships to be held in Bilbao ,Spain in June of next year. 

My best opportunity I felt beforehand was the Oulton Park event, where a shorter run each time and standard bike on super smooth tarmac would suit me better on paper. The Cowman was a complete unknown, with a mix of terrains, and the bike course on open roads would make it a lottery. Time would tell.. 

3rd October - Oulton Park Duathlon

Bugger ! It was also National Champs which meant that it had double prestige and everyone looked so bloomin quick as they were warming up in the car park. It had been cloudy and there had been some rain, so me and Scrappy spent most of the warm up keeping dry. Eventually we had to move and get ourselves sorted - not a bad event to get to, and the logistics worked well on the day.

Run 38.15 (8.6k)

We lined up across the start line on the race circuit and we had the width of the circuit to use as we set off. Very quickly despite a quick first mile I could see the leaders stretching off into the distance.  I set myself a strong pace but was slow up both short climbs on the course as knee pain kicked in. 6.39/7.17/7.00/7.13/7.33 for a 7.07 mile average - and in good nick for the bike after a 1.24 transition.

Bike 1.02.09 

Bike leg stacked up well on the day. With Scrappy no
t too far behind , and Andy Mosley from the Wheelers a lap ahead, this made me honest. Everyone was fast, and it was an effort to concentrate on position as it was also windy. I had a head to head with Andy for multiple laps, and had no problem counting the laps which got to 9 in total. The only difference on each lap was how disciplined I was on the climbs and on some occasions - not very. 

Run (4.3k) 18.43

After a 1.17 transition I was out again on the track and really feeling this single last lap. It seemed to go on forever, and this time I was really slow up the climbs. Losing places I took earlier in the lap. In fact, little did I know, but I lost qualification places in the last mile or so - there was just nothing I could do about it !  Overall, a little slower than the first effort, but on the rivet halfway round that last lap. 71st on the day, and 14th in 45-49, but, in the 50-54 age group, 7th, last qualifying place agonisingly close at 44 seconds - aarrgh! 

London Duathlon Race Report

This past Sunday, we ventured down to that there London to take part in my first standard distance Duathlon which took place entirely within the grounds of Richmond Park. Travelling down the night before, we stayed in a Premier Inn in Richmond which was just a couple of miles from the race HQ, and to ensure a swift get away after the event, booked parking in Sheen Gate Car Park on the north side of the park.  Racking is easy for a Duathlon, being just a dump of race shoes and helmet, and much easier than that of a Triathlon.  Arriving in transition just 30 minutes before start time, that was plenty enough time to rack up, visit for a pee and do some pre race exercises, albeit warm up running was a little limited. 

Run 1 (6.23 miles) 46.14 

The great unknown and very daunting. Yes , I'd run so many 10k's in my life, but how would I fare as a first run. I had to clear my mind of thinking about what was to follow and almost treat it as a standalone run with a brick on the end and that seemed to work. I had fantasies of pacing between 7.00 and 7.15 minute miles pre race, but as the first 3.5k's are a gradual climb, looking at my watch went out of the window and I paced it with a perceived effort of around my lactate threshold, figuring that I did not want to be getting on the bike with lactate filled legs. It paid off, as the first miles went by at 7.25 & 7.58. Once over the top, the third mile was quick at 6.59, and then it was comfortable holding 7.25-7.30ish for the remainder. I did notice just how hot it was getting though, it seemed that today was the start of a short September heatwave. Happy with a 46 minute 10k given the course.

Bike - 26.8 miles - 1:14:00

Obviously my favourite part, I was a bit dubious about the ride from the youtube clips that I'd been stalking prior to the event, my main concern being the pure amount of bodies that might be on the course and in particular through the narrower sections.  At first, all was fine, after a 1.11 T1, I joined the fun and initially tried to hold 240-250 watts which I largely achieved. There is one kicker of a climb which was a total grind in a single ring 60T, but that comes in handy over the top. The lap has four tight right hand turns and a slower false flat climb to negotiate. Laps 1 & 2 were OK, shouting constantly 'on your right' but making progress, but the third lap coming past transition there were just too many riders on the course and the hold ups started to happen, just a few seconds here and there, but it all adds up. By the end of the bike I was happy to be off it, and it was now very warm !  1.14 was a reasonable return on the day.

Run 2 - 3.01 miles - 22.29

Off the bike then, longer T2 due to having further ground to cover than in T1, I put on the racing flats and headed out determined to carry the same pace as the first run but unsure of if I could. First mile is that same gradual climb and then turns off left up another climb, then its better all the way to the finish. My heart rate suggested otherwise, but I was OK and never in trouble - second run going much better than anticipated coming in at 7.52/7.10 & 7.21 - job done 2.25.37 overall and 58th out of 1196.  This old boy will take that as a first outing ! 

So, how's the old running come along ?

After a couple of years of long distance training and lots of long slow runs, this year I have tried to do something different - with forward knowledge of a move toward Duathlon, I engaged a run coachj and have been following plans for the last few months. Progress is slow, but moving forward - these are this Summer's races so far...

20.05.21 Prestwold 10   1.15.36

This was a run done in the build up to the Outlaw Half Triathlon and was a 16 mile effort all in with the race done at Lactate Threshold level. It absolutely bucketed it down, and whilst the warm up was OK, and trhe race itself only mildly wet (but very windy), by the time I had finished I was soaked and beaten but still had to put on the rain jacket and go out and do some more miles whilst everyone else was leaving. Nice fast course, just very exposed.

03.07.21 Holkham Half Marathon 1.55.45

There's a pattern here - this was a run with Scrappy, and we purposely put in over 6 miles before we started as we were using it as a long run before Outlaw. Nice 9.00 minute pace throughout, definite positive split as the last ten miles slightly quicker than the first. Lovely to be back at Holkham again and will go back I'm sure. Threatened rain and thunder storms but nothing of the sort happened.

06.07.21 Watermead 5    36.17

Midweek effort with the guys from work and run at LT again, nicely paced lovely run around Leicester's Watermead Country Park, bookended with a warm up and a cool down. Nice evening's running ! 

29.08.21 Bassingham 5   34.10

The first time this Summer that I could let rip and properly race - this would tell me how the stretching, self massage and interval training that I've been doing has helped. I had a good start with a 6.39 mile, quicker than my forecast 6.50-7.00 pace, and a 6.45 second mile - I concentrated on good form and stride and the third mile was tougher at 6.50 as it turned into the wind and I started to feel like I was about to detonate by the the end of that. Mile 4 crept over the 7 minute mark for the first time at 7.02, and the last mile really hurt - a sprint finish managed to bring it in at 6.55. Am I faster ? Well, my last race here in 2014 was 35.34 and that was a fast year for me. At 48, I think I am, and I think there's certainly gains to be made over the winter. Watch this space.

Summer TTs

 In and around the longer distance triathlons came the welcome distraction of time trialling. Whether it be up and down dual carriageways on the trusty pink trike, or on two wheels trying to get the best of Scrappy or holding on for dear life in a two up with him, I have managed to keep things ticking over. 

There have been many outing, and this is how the summer has gone so far... 

28.08.21 CC Breckland 30  1.09.53

- a go at the 30 trike team record of 3.29.46, so we knew we'd have to put in 1.09.55 each, and for my part, considering it was windier and harder than I thought it could be , I did it - 1.09.53, however, with Scrappy's chain coming off and losing a minute, we were agonisingly close - losing out by just two seconds.

24.08.21 Wheelers Ingham 10  22.16

- what I thought would be the fastest night of the series - wind from the North East, tried very hard, watts PB for the series = 284W, good discipline, only bad point was my aero guard rolling down in the first mile, 2nd place some 14 seconds off Scrappy who took the win.

17.08.21 Wheelers Ingham 10  22.06

- a bit slower than the previous week and averaged 281W. Good form, slower conditions, less rocking and the win on the night.

10.08.21 Wheelers Ingham 10  21.55

- finally, a 21 on a single carriageway course, it's been a long time coming. Feel like there's more there, quite a bit of rocking on the return, but 282W is a decent return (of course this figure is individual to my power source ! ).

07.08.21 Lincoln Whls Charity 10  22.16

- my ride was analysed and discovered it took me 14 seconds to clip in !  Nice ride I thought apart from the clippiong in and I got to about 7.5miles before I started to blow in this one. So close to going under 22, if not for the clipping in issue ! 

03.08.21 Wheelers Ingham 2up TTT  21.53

- did this one with Scrappy and this time I led off which made for a much improved first half. In fact, to the turn it was an almost perfect two up ride, then on the return out of the roundabout I blew - which is unsurprising given we are less than 10 days out from Outlaw.  Winners on the night on scratch, however, once the dark art of club handicaps had been applied we were well down the order ! 

18.07.21 VTTA London F11/10 (t) 23.19

- a trike outing on the F11/10, this one was early morning, light traffic and was probably my most competent outing on a barrow on this course. It returned my slowest time but that would have been down to temperature and lack of traffic to be fair.

07.07.21 CC Breckland 15 (tan)  34.31

- midweek trip down to ride the B course and it was a late change of course due to roadworks. Instead of climbing up to the Snetterton turn, it started the over side and went towards Thetford and back. Nice course, recently resurfaced, never felt truly quick and on top of that we had police briefly close the roundabout to collect debris. We pushed on, and actually picked up a comp record for our trouble.

16.06.21 CC Breckland 10 (t)   23.10

- mid week again on the B course - an absolutely hang on for dear life over the kerr-clunk, devil may care attitude, hoping not to catch a flat, and it was again a decent ride - did we get the record ? did we bugger !!

05.06.21 Bolsover CC 2up TTT   21.23

- a 2 up with Scrappy and he's bat shit crazy straight from the off with no watt limiter !  It was a case of pumping out insane watts at the start just to keep on his wheel, and I did take some turns on the way to the roundabout, but on the way back I had detonated more than a couple of times and 21.23 was the reward for absolutely turning myself inside out. Scraps loves 2ups, I'm not so sure lol.

Outlaw Full 2021 Race report

This is my third year of preparing for Ironman races - In 2019, I did my first since Wales in 2014, by going 10.27 in Barcelona, and then last year I had Lanza & Outlaw lined up with both being cancelled within the last 10 weeks of the prospective race dates. With both deferred to this year I planned on doing both like I did in 2013, however, Lanza had to be deferred again with the movements in dates bringing it too close to Outlaw and it being a faff to get there in any case. Here we were then, back in Nottingham five weeks after the half, looking for a good competent race and a sub 4 marathon which I was convinced I could put together having gone 4.03 in Barcelona, we would see..

Swim 

I went in my mate Scrappy's wave a few minutes before I was due, having had appalling traffic hold ups at the half. We picked the centre platform, and plopped into the water gingerly from there. I enjoyed a biff free swim, not a lot in the way of traffic, and only fleetingly saw legs to catch onto for 10 seconds here or there. I passed the time away counting down the 250 then 500 metre markers and didn't seem to zig-zagging too badly.  No real problems apart from some bad patches of weeds on the way back where it felt like clawing through netting, and worryingly my timing tracker seemed to get tangled with weeds and the line to once of those small buoys which caused me to stop and cramped my calf. Out of the water 1.27 but a long 1.28 legging it into T2. I'd take that, my pace was similar to my practice swims and I'm not a good swimmer !

Bike 

After a barefoot run through T1 carrying my shoes, a quick pee that was one of those early morning endless dad pees, I was out on my favourite section, aiming for 200-210 watts, and feeling good. The southern loop first time round was busy with riders, but not cars, and the riders were receptive to a shout of 'on your right', so good progress was made. About 30 miles in, and it was warmer and I could see I was sweating, it seemed the power target was becoming ominous, so I reduced the effort down to 190-200W and largely stayed there. Drinking PH laced Ribena for the first half, then two bottles of high 5 for the second. On two or three occasions, riders objected to me coming past and decided to do the big spuds and burn their matches - I seem to attract this, and just hold my watts wondering why they do it, and then as the miles got in the 90's I had made my way to some of the faster bikes, caught and passed a pack, and then an obvious 3-up , and they knew exactly what I thought of them as I went past.  Other than the match burners, I had no one overtake, so figured I'd done OK (my head unit shows 30s power and cadence only) . 5.07 off AP 182 NP 190 , now let's put away that sub 4 marathon.

Run 

First 4 miles bang on where I wanted them just about BUT something was wrong, my HR was ridiculous for an easy pace, and it was so warm going out to the embankment first time out. I think I was on schedule until I made padlock bridge and then it fell apart in the tree cover, I knew I wasn't going to hold my target 8.45 min miles and had to adjust my expectations. Either I hadn't drank or eaten enough on the bike, or I was wilting, but my usual robot like pacing deserted me. I needed to slow to miles in the 9 range and then it was just a case of running as easy as possible, recover through the aid stations and don't walk between the stations. Also, I knew that if I avoided averaging 10 min miles, I'd still be under 4.20 for the marathon which would be respectable. Toughed it out, kept strictly to just walking the aid stations and broke down the run into 'stints'. There was a cruel slow quarter of a mile or so which undulated around the water park and included a steep drop and slow climb which was no fun after 19 miles or so. Once back onto the towpath I knew it was just now flat and used the 500 metres markers as mental comfort. Last lap was great, knowing I would finish and in a reasonable time. 11.06.31 - Congratulations you are an Outlaw - nah, I'm now a Duathlete, you can stick that swimming lark for a couple of years, it's all about the run, bike, run from this point onward. #

Post race thoughts 

Clearly never going to get faster in the swim, I don't have any love for it at all. Strengths are bike and usually I can run , so it's Duathlon for the remainder of the year. I fancy Zofingen but after yesterday, is that pie in the sky if I don't feed right off the bike ? Maybe middle distance will suit me better - I'll have a go at the standard distance later this year and decide going into winter. It's been wonderful, but I'll not miss washing out my wetsuit ! 

Outlaw Half Nottingham 2021

 It has been a couple of years since my last succesful start of a triathlon. Back in 2019 I had Outlaw Half Holkham and IM Barcelona. Last year and this year I was supposed to start at IM Lanzarote & Outlaw Full.  Lanzarote being deferred until 2023 due to Covid, a late opportunity arose to do the Outlaw Half at Nottingham 5 weeks before the full - I took that with both hands !!  Training has been going to plan with the odd foot injury, but overall on track for the full. A rapid taper into this race and yesterday the Outlaw Half took place - this is my version of events...

Pre-race 

It was supposed to be heavy rain for the first two hours followed by drizzle for the rest of the day, but actually stayed dry albeit bit windy and cold. Also, for covid, transition had been moved to the side of the lake and was 800 metres long - and it felt longer than that ! At least though, the event was on ! Racking took place the afternoon before, and I chose the trusty disc and tri spoke comination for the bike, and my race belt and water bottles for the run.  No sleep the night before, up at 3.05am, in the car for 4.15 and in transition around 5.40 ! readyt and pumped for a days triathloning.

Swim 

Seeded by estimated swim time with the quickest going first. Being race numbered 1144 I was quite a way down the batting order and had a swim start of around 6.50am. It was a socially distance affair and it worked well - I was able to lower myself into the lake and then swim a strong controlled pace. I think I'd estimated 43 mins and my swim split was 43.22 which included quite a run to the transition along the concrete path. I was happy with that.   Long 6 minute transition due to the length of it.

Bike 

My part of the race. I had estimated 2.26 without stops but hoped to be quicker than that.  I knew things weren't going to go to plan when I reached down at 6 miles to discover that I'd forgotten to attach my nutrition box in transition. Fairly numpty mistake to make. On a hot day, it would have cost me my race, but today I managed to get through on one SIS gel to the feed at 31 miles, then crammed 4 high 5 gels into the last 20 miles, washed down with my PH1500.  Also, traffic hold ups a plenty, and plenty of sitting up due to staying safe and not overtaking other riders where not safe to do so.  2.31.33 and a bit disappointing knowing how well I've been going in TTs. It was what it was though, and with that nutrition error I was fortunate to get through it unscathed. 

Run 

I had been really looking forward to the run, I have worked so hard on it recently, and wanted to see for myself if I could better my 1.47 split at Holkham in 2019 which is my Tri PB. HAppy to say, I ran strong throughout, and ended the day with a 1.42.04 run split. Marvellous and now I'd like to go quicker !  

Overall, my time of 5.09.53 was slower than I had hoped, but there were positives and I feel confident about Outlaw Full - I won't even worry about 6 laps of the lake if it goes that way ! 

How has the season started ?

We are already in the second half of May and you may now see a brief flurry of posts as I've some time off work as SHOULD have been in Lanzarote this week ! 

The time trialling season has started and mine begain with a windy Kings Lynn event back at the start of April. It was only six weeks ago !! Since then, I've had run outs on the trike and an exciting foray into tandem trike racing -  as usual these are my race stories...

03.04.21 King's Lynn 25 -  59.59

Cold, cross wind but honest single carriageway outing. I chose this one as I had the 55 on and avoided DC racing like the plague, fearing spinning out. I also liked the idea of a course as close to a Lincolnshire one and mimicked starting the season with a 25 like years of old with the Middlemarkers. Power was good both ways, front wheel twitched a bit in places, and overall I was happy with my data and performance.

10.04.21 BDCA 25 - 56.46

Don't know what to make of this one. Everything looked good, the overall time was slow though and that probably went for everyone. A stroongish Northerly wind which was unhelpful in either direction and maybe could have done with that larger chainring. Maybe got more out of the brick run afterward.

24.04.21 Melton Olympic 10  - 24.02

First crack at the team comp record and yet again the wind was at play making the out to the turn very slow and then not enough on the way back to make it up. Positives, straight on the barrow and felt much better than last year. 

01.05.21 Leo 30 - 1.14.17

This event is usually run on the E course but there's roadworks on there this year and this has necessitated the events moving to the F courses at Cambridge. Again on the barrow, and chasing an improvement to the team record, there were just too many roundabouts to make that happen. Again, smooth riding and happy with the way my barrow racing has been going this year. 

15.05.21 VTTA Notts & East 25  - 56.27

With Dave an the long barrow. A big unknown, didn't know where to pitch the power and effort and we made a lot of this up as we went along. The front wheel was not fit for purpose and it rubbed all the way around. Also we were undergeared and had to spin out a couple of times. Did well overall, 56.27 is a very good start, now that the position is fixed, we have a 55 chainring to go on, and a tri spoke fromnt wheel to rid us of that rubbing !

 Blimey, just noticed that my last post was on back on 10th November - doesn't time fly when you are in lockdown, you can't ride events, and even getting in the water proving rather difficult ! 

2021 was due to be a year of two Ironmans - Lanzarote & then the Outlaw. The 30 week plan for Lanzarote started in November, and to be fair, good progress was being made up until week 10, when national Covid lockdown put a stop to swimming, and then during week 17 of the plan, the event itself was postponed until 5 July, which was too close to Outlaw and to be honest, did not convince me that it would go ahead, so I diverted my energy towards Outlaw and made the decision to defer Lanzarote until 2023.

So where am I now... 

I had to jump back from week 17 to week 8 and cover that ground again... it worked out well, as we are still waiting for the lake, and then pools to open again in the UK.

This means that as at today we are just starting week 12 of the plan, with the lake opening at the end of week 14, and the pools open again at the start of week 16, so plenty of time.

In training news, cycling has gone to plan over the winter, and a recent CP20 gave some comfort, albeit, we don't know how that will yet translate out onto the road.  Running has been steady and at the required volume and intensity, but I am aware that my stride is shortening and I've taken steps to incorporate drills into my Tuesday runs.... then we get too...

... Swimming !  Since the end of December, I've been using indoor resistance bands at least twice a week to keep my swimming muscles ticking over - will it do the trick - who knows ? - I'll find out in a couple of weeks time when I'm back in the lake ..

... now to buy some chilly swim socks.