New beginings
I started the year with the sole aim of going ~9.30 at Ironman Austria. Training went really well in the build up, I hit pretty much every session, the numbers were good and confidence was high. I'm confident that I'd have hit my target, but that's easy to say when you didn't even toe the start line. That Ironman itch isn't going to go away that's for sure!
Two days before I was due to travel to Austria my mum passed away. A month after my father-in-law passed away. My mum was unexpected, my father-in-law was completely expected. He'd had a long and tough battle with cancer for 8 years, we knew it could possibly mean we may not travel from the day I booked the race.
To say that has been a tough period for our family is an understatement. I am thankful we have some great friends around us, plus getting the odd session in really helped take my mind off things.
Anyways, this isn't a sympathy blog. My dear old mum would have told me to pull my socks up and get on with it.
So once the dust settled I booked in to Weymouth 70.3. It was about 10 weeks away so plenty of time to build any lost fitness. Weymouth didn't happen. I got injured. That's to say I've actually been carrying a run injury for a couple of years. I'll summaries each of the 3 events below.
In terms of races & times this year has been an unmittigated disaster. However, the lessons I've learned and the engine I've build have a massive effect on what I can do going forward #DCPositive
SWIMMING In October 2015 I decided I was going to hit the swim - hard. I went from 5 or 6 miles per month average to around 23 miles per month swam. I started doing very long swims (4-5km) between 1hr 10 and 1hr 30. I got pretty good, knocking out solo sessions like 4 x 400m in around 6.08 avge pretty comfortably. I continued this up towards summer 2016. I swam a 5.53 400m time trial on very tired arms with Adam at Greenlight. My open water swims were well under hour pace for IM swim between 2.5 & 3.4km. I was feeling great in the water and very confident.
After Ironman got canned I swam probably once / twice per week for about 8 weeks. This isn't completely stopping but my average had dropped a bit from where it was. I thought the base I had built all winter would be sufficient when I eventually raced to carry me through.
The only competitive swim I did in 2016 was the Box End relays. I swam about 10 seconds faster than the previous year when I was in awful shape. Ian beat me by about 30 seconds. No disrespect but I had been swimming much stronger all year (at one stage he hardly led a rep!!).
I'm not going to lie, I felt robbed! OK it may have been a bad day, i don't have enough races to truly reflect where I was in 2016 but I was pissed with that result. I have not swam since!
Taking the positives from that experience, I know that I can put a solid 10 months together and get in great swim shape (it only actually took about 4 to get to the fittest I got in the water).
RUNNING So, I have not been run fit really since mid 2014. Every run this year was a struggle, my calves which pulled 3 times last year, just are not happy. I managed to run London Marathon in 3.02 - god knows how. I'm a runner at heart but this year I couldn't do any sessions that I had been set. When I did try to run fast the pace was awful. Tempo runs drifting into 7/mm, it was obscene. I decided enough was enough after a slow 16 mile run in August and booked to see a really good Physio (Eric at BodyBalance).
When you a see a physio you are always worried it's not just in your head. When he squeezed my left achilles and I nearly hit the roof I think we both knew I had a serious problem. Eric diagnose tendonosis of both achilles. They were in a bad way and I would need probably 12 weeks off running to get them rehabbed back to a position where I can run without pain. So I've been doing exercises to load and strengthen the achilles and calf muscles to be strong enough.
I'm happy to sack the running off because I was genuinely running in serious pain each and every run. Plus the pace was fucking dog shit!
CYCLING I've built my FTP steadily all year. I raced Ely 25 at 199w in February. By May I raced the Norlond 50 in 200w. My 10 power has gone from 203w in April 2015 to 240w in September 2016. My cycling base is much stronger than ever. I feel strong on a bike. I lost a little top end for races due to the inconsistency of the middle of the year but all in all I am in good bike shape.
Race wise, again, it's been a disaster. Races on fast courses cancelled plus shit days on good courses have given me pretty poor times. I have been a real Jonah this year!
I only raced 5 opens this year. 2 x 10 mile in 21.41 & 21.38 (pb is 21.32), 2 x 25 miles in 56.48 & 57.24 (pb is 55.55) and a 50 mile in 1:57.59 which was a 14 second pb. So they were all pretty consistent at least!
Through shit diet this year I've also managed to pile some weight on. So the benefits of more power have been offset by the extra weight I'm lugging about. Nobody to blame but me there!
However, like I say I am cycling stronger than ever and it's ready to build from. I'd really like to be able to push 275w. The winter plan is hard turbos all week, mountain bike for fun at the weekends. I'll also race MTB this winter and off road duathlon once I can run again.
So it's easy to look back and talk about the disaster that's been 2016 both personally and sporting. Of course the sporting thing is just a hobby. Loosing 2 parents / grandparents can never be made up for. We miss them everyday.
Next season I want to have a go at getting a BBAR certificate. That means that combined over 3 distances - 50 miles, 100 miles & 12 hours - my average speed must be over 22mph. Obviously for the 50 and the 100 that's pretty plain sailing barring disaster (or BBARing). The 12 hours is insane. On a TT bike for 12 hours must be agony. Surely that will make Ironman bike a WHOLE lot easier?
I'd actually always planned on doing this. After a sub 9.30 Ironman though.
By focussing on bike for another year, I can build my FTP where it needs to be to be able to ride Ironman at around 200w which gives me a really great chance to be competitive if it's not A1 conditions.
This winter I want to race MTB and off road duathlons too. Just to mix it up. I'm not going to be anywhere near competitive but if I'm doing hard FTP work all week on the turbo then the weekends need to be fun to keep the appetite going.
So the Ironman itch will be shelved until 2018. I'll be in the 45-50 age group then which means Kona qualifying will be more attainable ( hopefully). It's always going to be a pipe dream for anyone who does IM distance. If you're going to dream, dream big !!
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