My Feet Hurt

Possibly the worst voluntary task you can do, packing up your home. Absolutely soul destroying. 12hrs of packing and now my feet hurt.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Storck Aero 2

Trg today's:

Swim (Threshold) - 14x 100m on 1.35 off 2.30.

Run (Endurance) - 75min ez.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

TIME RXR TT

Another poor trg day today. My wife is very tired from being the main baby carer so she went to bed. This meant no swim or bike today as I wanted, just a short run but at least not a zero trg day and the run is my Achilles Heal (literally or dodgy calf to be precise). So one small step closer to a better IM mara in the Summer I guess.

Trg today: 30min tempo run.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Kestrel 4000 Ltd

Trg today: A real struggle today. I needed a 45min WU to get going at all! HR was really low but legs were screaming. Only 135bpm but it didn't feel like an IM HR effort (which it definitely isn't normally). It must be all this new fangled uninjured running (touch wood) I'm doing causing micro trauma because I feel fit as a fiddle.

Bike - 3x 12min at 105% FTP. RI 3min. Ooouuuch.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Saxo Bank S-Works Transition

Anyone else prefer this to the Shiv?

Trg today:

Prehab: 45min roller/stick/trigger pointing.

Run: 50min ez endurance run.

Swim: 10x 200 on 3.06 off 4mins.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Colnago CX1

Trg today: 3hrs outside on the bike (incl 2x 30min at 150bpm) + 20min ez trans run. I'm not going out again until it's over 10 degrees C - just too cold. I prefer the turbo.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Independent Fabrications Corvid Single Speed Belt Drive

Lack of sleep this week (really tired today) so no double run.

Trg today:
Run - 60min incl 30min tempo.

Weekly Round Up:
Bike 7.5hrs
Swim 5hrs
Run 2.5hrs
Total 15hrs

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Blue Triad

Trg today: Swim & Bike.

Swim (Tempo)
WU 200m
6x 50 Drills
6x 50 Anti-Paddles
5x 200 on 3.10 off 4min
6x 50 Anti-Paddles
5x 200 on 3.10 off 4min
WD 200m

Bike (Tempo)
2x 30min @ 82% FTP & 95-100rpm. RI 3min.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Team Leopard

Trg today:

Bike (Strength) - 5x 10min @ 72% FTP & 35-40rpm. RI 2min.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Quarella

For all you retro steel bike pervs out there, I give you mint condition Quarella.

Trg today:

Swim
7x 100 (threshold). RI 60s.
6x 50 (drills) + 10s.
7x 100 (threshold). RI 60s.
6x 50 (drills) + 10s.
Feeling strong in the pool.

Bike
3x 12min @ 105% FTP. RI 3min. Final rep was very painful!

All is good in the world at the moment. Just received the boxes for our move to Cranwell in 2 weeks from the removals firm. Time management-tastic for the next few weeks. Hope the weather doesn't turn too nasty over the next few weeks as I'm looking forward to some flat miles on the bike given all the rouleur turbo action so far this year. You don't hear that too often in a blog.

Kia Kaha.

Neilly G

Pinarello Dogma

I like Dogmas but this one is taking the piss. Bling-tastic (silver bar tape and white spoked Lightweights etc!). My eyes, my eyes.

Trg today:
Run - Off-road in the mud for 80min ez. Trigger pointed to the max before & after. No ill effects so far. Yippee. Helen the physio is a genius.

Swim (Threshold) - First 5k session of the year. Feeling strong in the swim for the first time this year. Not quite hitting my best times but things are looking good.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Willier Cento Crono

Trg today: 3hr bike + 20min trans run.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Peter Reid

Although not the very best triathlete of all time, he's not that far off it and owner of the fastest IM mara, Peter Reid is my personal favourite. You've got to admire the career change as well. From IM World Champion triathlete to pilot flying people around the wilds of Canada.

Trg today:
Double run day. Run 1 - 70min endurance pace off-road. Run 2 - 35min tempo run.

Weekly volume: 14hrs. Doesn't include prehab, or strength/core.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

The Award for the Best Looking Cyclist Goes to...

No, not Victoria Pendleton but Liz Hatch.











Trg today:

Swim (Fast)
5x 50 Paddles
5x 50 Pull + Anti Paddles
5x 50 Paddles + Band
5x 50 Pull + Anti Paddles
5x 50 Band

Bike
2x 30min @ 80% FTP. RI 3min.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Giant Trinity Advanced SL2

I love this bike, pretty impractical for IM (with no frame cages available, although more aero for it), unless you've got to ride it as a Giant sponsored athlete.

Trg today:
Swim
6x 50 Anti Paddles +10s
5x 200 on 3.10 off 4min
6x 50 Anti Paddles +10s
5x 200 on 3.10 off 4min

Core, calf and shoulder prehab work.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Trek Speed Concept

Money no object this would be my IM rig + DI2.

Trg today: Swim
WU 300m
7x 100 threshold RI 60s
6x 50 single arm drills + 10s
7x 100 threshold RI 60s
6x 50 6 kick rotate drill + 10s
WD 300m

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Parlee

Nice, Parlee anyone?

Trg today:
Bike - 3x 12min @ 95% FTP. RI 5min.
Run - 30min trans run (tempo).

No trouble with the run (excellent). I think the last man flu effects have finally gone as my chest didn't feel constricted at all on the run.

Too tired for my swim this morning. I will swap it in to Thu's off day as it has a lot of tech focus.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

BMC Time Machine TT01

Awesome. Just remove those Easton wheel logos.

Training today:
Swim - 3x {400 on 6.40; 2x 200 on 3.20; 4x 100 on 1.42}
Run - 60min @145bpm (trigger pointed/foam rollered before run and no calf problems so far. Yes!)

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Running Technique

I've done one of the things I said I would never do. Under the guidance of the local physio I have changed my running tech. I now run at a very high cadence (my hip flexors hurt!). I'm very much against changing someone's running gait unless they are a professional with theoretically a lot of time to practice or someone who is chronically/persistently injured. Guess where I fit? I feel like Alberto Salazar. Hopefully there are enough people out there who will remember him.

Training today: 3hr turbo (90min @ 70% FTP & 30min @ 78% FTP) with 30min T run.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Baby Effects

My son (Jensen) came in to the world this morning. So how will this affect my training (sticking obviously to his most important effect on me!)? Lol. I think early starts and early nights will be the key over the coming months to my work/life balance.

Today's trg: Just an hour's run off-road. Sub 150bpm.

Tommorrow: 4hrs indoors again at ridiculously early o' clock. I don't cycle outdoors below 10 degrees on my own if I can help it.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Power Training

Today's trg on the turbo: 5x 10min at 35-40rpm (75% FTP). RI 2min.

Kia Kaha.

Neilly G

The Merits of Training

Rasmussen is definitely not an advert for long cardio and sportarexia!

Good bike test yesterday. Managed a 32W jump in critical power. Not too far off previous bests which is motivating. Bring on the next training year.

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Swimming Mayhem

Since I've become adequate at swimming over the last couple of years it has been fascinating to observe lane dynamics, especially in the fast lane, at municipal pools during 'public' swimming periods. My slowest pace is now much faster than most leisure FC swimmer's sprints and I would in no way categorise myself as a fast swimmer (just sub 60min IM swimmer standard if that helps grade me). This has led to comedy overtaking eg when doing drills and particularly when doing single arm drills. Being a big guy no one really fronts up to me but it is amazing to see the swimming rage of the "How dare someone be able to swim faster than me!" brigade. I usually just laugh it off though. Today's test sets got ruined. I was balked on my fast 50s and only managed a best of 32s this time. I had to call off the 400m TT three times due to some classically bad swimming etiquette (intentional or not) of someone pushing off a second before I reached the wall for my tumble turns, frustratingly always between 150 & 250m. Oh well, back to the pool tomorrow this time at outragiously early o'clock.

Nice ez 60min run (sub 150bpm hr cap), earlier in the day. Very cold again. Brrrr. Stick with the programme, stick with the programme...

Cavegirl, the gratuitously random pic of the most beautiful swimmer in the world, Laure Manaudou, is just for you. A picture paints a 1000 words! :-)

Kia Kaha

Neilly G

Feeling Strong Like Fabian

A good day's training today again. Almost 10hrs on the bike this weekend including today's 4hr turbo(!) at 55% FTP and 15min transition run off it. Hence, I'm feeling strong like Superman Fabian Cancellara. Well maybe not quite that strong!

Test week next week with eg my swim 400m TT tomorrow etc. Probably won't improve much due to lack of pool time this month but must ingraine the testing habit.

Kia kaha

Neilly G

2011 is Here

Turbo Man commented on my supposedly neat Turbo Dungeon. Well, here it is in more of its glory before I pack it all away ready for a house move.

How do you measure your athletic age? One way of doing it is by counting the number of HRMs in your HRM Elephants' Graveyard. My vote for the best HRMs - very basic Polars; worst HRMs - Suunto's with their v. hard to read dials.

Most important present this year - Tanita Scales. The journey to athletic greatness begins with lost pounds and ounces (or a decreasing %BF). Aim: to get down to sub 75kg by April.

I had a crack at my New Years Day Challenge and managed 6hrs ie 6x 30km rather than the 10 reps I was aiming for - got up too late to fit them all in. Two glasses of Champagne last night made me oversleep. Oops.

Happy New Year

Neilly G

Favourite Road Bike - The Top Gear Test

A couple of cycling bloggers out there have commented on their bike version of the Top Gear Alfa Romeo ie you're not a true motor car enthusiast until you've owned an Alfa. I love the Alfa SZ. A completely mad design but beautiful all the same. Futuristic yet retro for 1991. Timeless, mad even, and certainly not to everyone's taste.

The cycling equivalent according to a lot of people seems to be Colnago. A few hits and misses, design wise, over the years but when they hit, they really do hit. My favourite Colnago is their latest super bike, the C59.

The equivalent of the Alfa in cycling terms, to my mind, isn't a Colnago though it's a Viner. The Viner Maxima RS is my 'win the lottery' bike and I think Viner is more Alfa Romeo, whereas Colnago is equivalent to Ferrari in cycling.

My favourite super bike design and the equivalent to the Alfa Romeo SZ for me, is the Wave Emotion, made in Austria by Xentis. It looks like a cross between a Dogma and an Orca although it was designed before them. I love it.

What's your Alfa Romeo Bike?

Kia Kaha

Neilly G