Swim Serpentine 2018

An awful lot has happened recently so let me bring this page back up to speed. Firstly, it was new bike day at the beginning of September. I traded in the Specialised despite it only needing a new rear wheel as I wanted to cleanse my soul. I also wanted a new bike. I am now the proud owner of a Giant Contend 1 which is shiny and black and shiny. It has been fitted with all of the bags from my old bike and is ready to go next August when I compete for a Ride London medal once more.

Secondly, in a fit of madness, I signed up to Falmouth triathlon which was run by IntoTri. I say a fit of madness because I found out the race existed on the Tuesday, dawdled a bit until entries closed, then emailed to grab an on-the-day entry before the race last Sunday. I had a chance to practice transitioning from bike to run on the Wednesday and finished my training with a short cycle on the Friday. By Sunday I had visualised every piece of kit I would need and put it in place.

I loved the race itself; the distances were perfect for my level of training and, although I was last out of the water by quite a margin, I managed to gain a couple of places on the cycle to stop me coming dead last. I've always had a bit of a ludicrous issue with coming last despite not being a strong swimmer or particularly in to fitness since I only ramp up training when I'm entering an event. I am essentially an unfit blob who occasionally does distance events. My aim was to get through it and I achieved this by pushing until the finish line was in sight - my first and probably last triathlon, done. I have great respect for anyone who does triathlons regularly as the discipline is something else and Falmouth marked the end of a seven series event which I essentially tagged on the end of so big thanks to the organisers for letting me give it a go.

With just one week to prepare for Swim Serpentine I was really feeling the pressure. Again, I didn't want to come last for the swim yet I was aware of how badly I'd trained during the year for the event. I still couldn't get my head in the water when swimming which I have found is an absolute must. Definitely do not partake in swimming if you can't put your face in the water. It sounds daft but that was my situation.

With this in mind I set off for my wave at 11.45pm on Saturday and felt very slow the whole way round. The water was flat as it's in a lake, much flatter than the sea at Gyllingvase beach had been  a week before, yet it was evident very early on that I had wandered into the wrong event. Although I remained bouyant my pace was horrific and I was assigned a marshal on a kayak who was absolutely brilliant and patient for following my sorry hide around the course.

The event is very well organised and around 5,000 swimmers took part that day including 2,200 who did the two mile course. I am not proud to announce that I came dead last, number 2,200, and can only put in a mild claim that I beat anyone who dropped out which seems incredibly mean. That said, there was a swimmer who completed the one mile course in two hours 57 minutes, slightly faster than my three hours and three minute time for the two miles so I didn't feel completely defeated. All of this is utterly ridiculous as my plan was to go out and swim two miles; target achieved.

I now have a London Marathon and Swim Serpentine medal to go with a very unexpected triathlon medal and, with one event to go, a London Classics medal is well in sight. Unfortunately I have to wait until next August to see if my attempt will be successful yet I will endeavour to keep everyone updated either way.

One last word to the organisers and marshals at Swim Serpentine - thanks. The event is superb and I would urge anyone who can swim to give it a go, even if it's the half or one mile events. Just remember to take a bin bag with you to put your wetsuit in afterwards as you'll get funny looks dripping all over the Underground and it'll be pretty obvious where it's all coming from.

Triathlon Trepidation

It's been a great day.

After under achieving at Ride London I've continued to cycle as I don't want to be unfit for Swim Serpentine, however I also treated myself to a new pair of running shoes to build up a few miles as I intend to go back to running after the swim.

All year I've been asked when my triathlon is because I was a runner taking up cycling and swimming so it was a natural assumption. I'm still not 100% sure I could ever do a triathlon, however I looked up the components of a sprint distance event and decided to try them all in one day to see if it is mildly achievable - a lazy triathlon, if you will.

To do this I had to run 5km (3.1 miles), cycle 25km (12 miles) and swim 750 metres (0.47 miles). Granted they were in reverse order but I was invited to a BBQ 12 miles away that was right by the sea and realised I could try them all out in one go. I started running at 6.45am and had a bit of a gap until I jumped on the bike after which I had to don my wetsuit and threw myself into the sea at around midday. I genuinely enjoyed every aspect of this experiment and confidently believe I could do a sprint tri if not an olympic event which involves double the distances.

I don't have the willpower to practice the transitions so will put it on the back burner for now yet I was pleased to munch away at the grilled goods knowing that I had really earned them.

[N.B. I have done more than this during the week, I just haven't recorded it..!]

70/100

Everything was in place for last Sunday and every obstacle that kept me up was overcome. I got my bike to the start at the right time, had everything prepared as planned and yet...

After starting I was feeling pretty annoyed that it was raining. It's been hot all Summer, it's hot afterwards, why not then? This melted away as the rain soaked in as it wasn't too cold and, by mile 20, I was more than happy to ride in the rain. I was obsessed with punctures and took five inner tubes with me, finding people were out repairing theirs by mile 15. Some people had as many as seven over the course of the ride; I'd had none over 1,000 miles of training and, as it turned out, none on the ride itself. I believe this was because I've been running my tyres at 70 PSI, well below the recommended pressure but enough to keep the rubber inflated. 

I also managed to eat every fifteen miles - it was a Cadburys Brunch Bar every time yet it seemed to push me along just nicely. Every time my energy dropped I had some already waiting to burst out. Gels? Not for me. Oats and chocolate every time.

This meant I didn't have to stop at all over the ride and made it past Leith Hill and Box Hill, two adversaries I'd worried about yet I cycled up them both by dropping down my gears and just rotating away. At the top of Box Hill, on mile 70, just before the big downhill drop to the finish, my pedalling became too easy. My freehub had broken and I had no drive to the back wheel to which the mechanic told me I couldn't go on and there was no way for them to fix it. I was desperate, looking around for a spare bike regardless of condition just so I could finish the race. It wasn't to be and, two hours later at The Tree pub, I was picked up and dropped to the nearest station.

My bike had let me down after nine months on the road together. It took about an hour for me to accept that I'd dropped out and then I thought sod it...let's just go again next year. I got in touch with JDRF and they've offered me a charity place for 2019 which means I just need to keep up my training and push it up again next May. Ironically I have a 30 mile charity ride for JDRF this Saturday, the missing miles from my great Ride London adventure. Oh, and I still have to swim two miles in the Serpentine next month.

All Downhill

Here's where I am...

Last Monday I went for a long swim, long enough for my wife to scour the beach as she'd lost me in the water and for a kayaker to make sure I was alright after my shoe almost came off and I had to shake it back on, giving the impression I was drowning. After an hour and 20 minutes swimming against the tide I achieved a mile which I'm ultra happy with. Following a sixty mile ride, and another fifty last Friday, I finally feel like I'm ready to do this.

I'm into the tapering section of training and, as with running, have gone for the suggested 75%, 50%, 25% in the last three weeks of riding. It's hard to know whether to shorten each ride by that amount or drop a ride that adds up to it so this week for the 75% taper I've dropped the 30 mile Sunday ride. Next week I'll be doing 40 miles on the Friday with just the static bike and the short rides in between while the week before the ride sees a 30 miler at the weekend, tops. This is all to reduce fatigue as there's no chance of gaining much fitness in the last three weeks before an event; that all needs to come well before.

Next stop, Ride London on July 29th. I have a sponsorship site available if you do have a little to spare.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/LyvitLondonClassics

A Nice Surprise

Well, how lovely. I nipped out on the bike this afternoon for a scheduled 50 mile ride and ended up tagging an extra ten on the end. I started feeling the fatigue and the ol' 'bike seat' feeling towards the end which gave me a taste of what's to come, however I'm not sure how much suffering is healthy in the run up to the ride.

Next weekend I'm away on the Friday so will record a total of zero miles. It's not great timing but I've been consistent up to now and after that weekend I'll be tapering so I'm not concerned by any means. It does mean I may have done my last big ride though. I've got everything I should need already attached to the bike, although there may well be something that I've forgotten and just have to go without. There's nothing like that "I forgot my shoes!" dilemma just before a big run.

I am still swimming but will try to put in a big swim before the ride just to boost my confidence. Injuries are always a worry but swimming is fairly low impact so must be good for me. It must be. Surely.

Almost Up To Speed

Last week I decided to tinker with my training a little and added a quick, 3.5 mile route into my week to be done as often as possible. I've managed two weeks of two sessions which doesn't sound like much, however the plan is to go hell for leather and blast it out, giving my muscles a good overload and keeping me cycling as close to every day as possible.

With two sessions under my belt this week I nipped out for a planned 50 mile ride on Friday which went better than ever. I have been looking at fuelling and am using cereal bars as they're longer lasting than gels and I rarely need a quick boost that gels provide. Also they're disgusting; if I'm eating I want it to taste good. I found that half a bar every ten miles has added to my pace but I was still low on energy so I may try a bar every ten miles to see what that does. I won't take on nine bars for the 100 miler - that's insane - but regular fuelling is working so I will start out with one every ten miles and drop off, maybe planning not to take any on in the last forty. I'm thinking onto the page here. Where was I?

So I got back from the 50 and put my feet up, finding on Saturday that I was in good shape for a bit of sea training. I couldn't go swimming as I went last Thursday and the top of my wetsuit rubbed a layer of skin off the bottom of my neck so I went bodyboarding on a completely flat sea instead. The Thursday swim was great, I think I made a quarter of a mile or so going against the tide and have more confidence in the water but I've ordered a rash vest to stop me chopping my head off in the Serpentine after it's gradually worn away the rest of my neck. Saturday over, I decided on 30 for Sunday rather than my usual 20 because I was feeling good about riding.

I've just made it back from a 35 mile ride since I was still feeling good after my initial 30 and wanted to make this week the first that I've ever ridden 100 miles - granted I indoor-biked on Wednesday but, since it's an hour, the minimum I've put in is around 12 miles and with the two 3.5s, a 50 and a 35 I have exceeded three digits. 

This post isn't just a pat on the back for a job well done (I have so much further to go) - it's a reminder that training isn't just about putting in the miles and building muscles but to find the pitfalls of long distances and adjusting gear to fit the conditions. I've never had a problem with my wetsuit rubbing before yet I look like I've tried to fall sleep on a giant angle grinder. Likewise I may have to angle my handlebars towards me despite having done hundreds of miles this year since I'm only just noticing they're a bit droopy. Blagging a distance is fine but achieving a distance is better for you. Lesson ends.

The Bad Thing

All was going so well until Thursday at 2am. I'd planned a swim for the evening as I've been introduced to Magic Seaweed (the website, not the psychotropic plant) and conditions were looking perfect for the first time in a while. Unfortunately I turned inside out and spilled all of my secrets to Mr. Toilet upstairs, leaving me frail enough to watch nothing but Attenborough and having to cancel all training until things returned to normal.

Yesterday I planned to go on my long ride having written off Friday as well but was not up to scratch and, instead, went today. I was feeling good after the first 25 miles having dropped off a proof copy of a book and so I carried on, putting in some extra miles until I hit the magic 50 mark for the second time in my training. I was sore, slow and needed diet lemonade but I'd made it, giving me the confidence to look at how my training has gone so far.

My pace has always been a complaint of mine and the way I increased my running pace was to put in an extra couple of very short, very quick runs every week. This is what I'm going to do for my last month of hard training before tapering, using the final two 30 minute windows in my week to push speed and hopefully get to an acceptable level. I'm within the four hour timeframe for a 50 miler if I discount stops and checking my map all too often yet I'd like to give myself half a chance should something unkind arise. 

As for the swimming...more time in the sea, methinks. Running involves putting on a pair of shoes and going, cycling needs as little wind as possible yet swimming needs the right tide, the right swell and the right wind - all at the same time. It's going to be the hardest part of my training to get right for sure.

Quickie

Very briefly - since my 50 mile ride I've dropped back to 30 and 40 milers regularly and I've been increasing my speed. Although 13mph is still a low average it's going in the right direction.

I've also been sea swimming a couple of times and am managing not to drown. I've mapped out a two mile route from Long Rock to Marazion with a view to increasing my swimming mileage over the Summer.

With both RideLondon and Swim Serpentine places booked and paid for I feel like I'm in the zone...

Interruptions and milestones

It's been a busy and therefore disruptive couple of weeks. I was asked if I wanted a small part in Evita at the Hall for Cornwall and couldn't turn it down even though it meant a full week of commitment and I knew I wouldn't get much training in, if any. Sure enough I missed every session yet, worse than that, some bad news during an MOT on our car meant I spent the week beforehand cutting and shaping panels to save literally hundreds of pounds to keep the beast on the road.

Two weeks later and I've had to pick it up again, starting as ever with the indoor bike but vowing to get on my RideLondon machine at least twice this weekend. I had plenty of notice of the theatrics and so decided I would dedicate my time to the ride afterwards...which is now. I've recently discussed RideLondon with a finisher from last year and he confidently told me that 50 miles on Cornish roads would see me through 100 in London and, given the buzz of the crowd and the adrenaline, I can well believe that.

With that in mind I cheekily thought about a 50 mile ride today having done 20 on Friday, realising that it's too early in my training to really attempt it. I've struggled with 30 milers recently, putting it down to a lack of energy from food and so I packed some Soreen malt loaf, another suggestion from a fellow rider, and some sweets to keep me going and it really did make all the difference this time.

I'd been worrying myself about the route all week as I chose the busiest road out of the county excluding the A30 just so I could get the distance without too many steep climbs and it was definitely stressing me out. I changed my route the night before and mapped out a beautiful trip from Helston to Hayle through Camborne and Redruth and back. I was expecting it to take me around four hours with the distance eating away at my normal 12mph average but I made it almost to Helston with an hour to spare. What to do but go out again...I turned off by Poldark mine and stuck another ten miles on the bike, popping out at Rame for a gentle ride home.

I'm feeling a whole lot better having done it but am wary of how early it is and how easily I can get bored so will scale back the long ride to around 30 miles next week which should also allow me to recover from the extra mileage.

Final Finalised Training Plan Finally

I've joined a gym for the first time in my life. It feels odd as it's not a midlife crisis and really it's just so I can use the pool but as a runner I've always been a bit of a 'the world is my gym' kinda guy. Now the gym is my gym.

I'll admit my main reason for joining was because they gave me a price I couldn't refuse (free) but to be able to pool swim on Tuesdays and sea swim at weekends...when it warms up, at least...is a real blessing.

My first swim was dreadful and felt like a waste of time. I couldn't put my face in the water and got tired after 15 short laps. I was told this is normal though and that buoyed me up (no pun intended) to go back today. I set myself a goal of 20 laps however possible and, as ever, they were slow laps.

On finishing I was offered a sauna or steam room by a young man who turned out to be an instructor, both of which I politely declined. He also told me it was perfectly normal and would get easier so now that I have a schedule I'm on board for swimming (again, no pun intended).

Sunday rides have been non-existent of late for theatrical reasons but after the show this Sunday my training plan is:

Tuesday swim, increasing lap numbers

Wednesday indoor bike, keeping to an hour of low resistance 

Friday short ride, maximum of twenty miles

Sunday long ride, increasing distance if possible

...with as many sea swims as I can. Arms and legs don't fail me now.

That Time I Nearly Died

I was fairly consistent over January apart from one weekend - what happened was the weather report suggested no wind on a Saturday so I swapped my ride from Friday to Saturday and the wind did the same so I hit the indoor bike instead. Keen not to make the same mistake I ventured into the wind last Friday, almost froze on the bike and scraped myself back home. This week I was treated to a calm, semi-warm ride and was counting my blessings before I came across some other people making the most of the good weather.

The first was on a busy roundabout at Penzance. I was crossing during a lull and encountered a guy who approached the junction at full speed and slammed his brakes on just in time to miss my front wheel. He should have been checking for cars anyway so had no excuse for pulling out like he did and almost had a human milkshake to explain to the children in his car.

Lo and behold, on my 28th mile, I came to an easily sighted junction that joined the road I was travelling on. One car crossed my road in front of me and one pulled out of the junction as both realised they had plenty of time to do so. Another car at the junction hesitated big time and went to pull out as I was almost in front of her, again slamming on her brakes just in time. 

What really struck me about both of these incidents is that I went to put my hand up to both which would have looked like an apology, however neither saw this because they both looked away as quickly as possible in embarrassment. I know this all sounds a bit preachy but I will admit, as a driver, cyclists can be annoying. They're slow, can be unpredictable and take time to pass on the road. That said, both of these drivers had to wait less than five seconds before I was out of the way and they could carry on. Five seconds! Is my life really worth less than that? Actually, don't answer that. It doesn't take much to allow cyclists a bit of courtesy, especially since they're possibly building up mileage and therefore knackered.

The good news is that I didn't die; this isn't some American Beauty style post with a big twist. Also, training is still going well.

Into It

What a difference the weather makes.

I made it out Friday and decided to try out a new route, following the road to Hayle for ten miles before opting for the back roads towards Camborne and returning home. I mapped it out to be a 20 mile ride which should have taken under two hours, getting me home just in time for it to get dark. Unfortunately I took a wrong turn, made it back on to my intended route and then came across a closed road, meaning I had to divert a mile or so out of the way. A mile or so turned into a few miles or so and I finally made it back 50 minutes late, well after the sun had descended and the roads were pitch black having covered just over 31 miles.

Today I decided to take it easy on myself and went for a route that I knew well, towards Redruth on the back roads and returning along the same route. While on the course I noticed a massive descent into the village of Stithians (I know, the place with the reservoir...of course there are going to be descents, right?). Having climbed to the top of the hill to go down it I decided to get back on to the road for the return journey so I wasn't doing 20 miles of hill training and this gave me a great idea - I should do this all the time. Thus, I am now planning back routes to neighbouring towns with a nice, fast paced return through the traffic of Cornwall.

Both journeys had little rain and limited wind, although on Friday the wind started to pick up as the ol' sun disappeared. I was on my way home by then though so didn't much care.

I also had a relaxed, almost two mile run on Saturday with my lovely children as we're all working towards a virtual running 10K medal each.

This is my weekends from now on.

Definitive Differences

Wednesday (inside), Friday, Sunday training is going to work really well. However, I've just finished my second outdoor ride of the week and both were considerably different - Friday's 25 miler was very wet with no wind, today's 15 was very windy with no rain. I hated them both. 

I've also noticed some big differences between cycling and running aside from the well documented 'they use different muscles'.

1. Cycling is 100% uphill. There's no such thing as a flat in Cornwall as the whole county has been built on a V or ^ foundation. This means there are downhills but, as Ella Eyre noted, gravity gravity, oooooooh, gravity and even on a bike you can conquer a twenty mile downhill section in four minutes...just in time for the next twenty mile uphill section.

2. Cycles take maintenance. I never once had to check the pressures on my shoes or lubricate my chain, if you know what I mean. Shoe up, bugger off. That's running. Also there's a lot to turn off when returning - I left my lights on after my ride on Friday and, being a very cheap set, they're now good for nothing.

3. Riding takes longer. A 100 mile bike ride is equivalent to a 26 mile run, so a ratio of around 4:1 in London Marathon organiser standards. However, while a six mile run takes me around an hour a 24 mile ride is just over two. I have to put this down to being at the start of my training but I need to get an awful lot faster to make the running/riding ratio stack up. A 15mph average will get me around the course within the eight and a half hour limit so that's my initial aim, though this is still just under an hour and a half for a 24 mile ride.

4. I cannot ride empty. When partaking in a marathon I would have four breakfast biscuits, go to the toilet seventeen times and then run. I'd take on a few gels towards the end but I wouldn't eat much at all until after the race when I would binge on everything in sight. I was knackered after my ride on Friday and put a lot of it down to hunger, meaning I also have to eat before a ride which takes up even more time.

There are plenty of similarities, such as the need for layers in the cold months. I had one pair of socks on in the wet and my feet were numb by the time I got home. Today I put two pairs on because I figured they don't take up much room in the washing machine and hey presto! Warm feet. I'm more than a little looking forward to riding in the Summer, however if I wait until then I will have no stamina so I'm not too concerned with the shorter rides for now.

Incidentally, is this the world's shortest cycle path?

2018

This is it, now. This is the gig. I don't mind admitting I've been a bit slack over December - very slack, in actual fact - however this was a planned inconsistency that was achieved through complex planning and training from previous adventures.

There are many athletes out there who can happily compete in their sports over and over again, a state of mind I have become familiar with when running. I love to plan a distance, nip out and achieve it, get back and know that I've got those miles in the bag. When training for a specific event though I can find very long runs stagnate and I end up resenting my chosen sport for a period of time until the actual event arrives. I found it with the London Marathon, vowing never to do another marathon again as the training needed to do such a distance is so time consuming and gruelling. After a few adjustments to my training plan I then managed to do two marathons within seven months of each other.

The adjustments were things I'd never considered possible during training - relaxing, allowing myself to fail and reducing training to fit in with my life. Rather than doing four 20 mile runs before tapering I did four half marathons and it did the same job as long as I did some faster short runs as well. Applying this logic to my current situation I'll be using the indoor bike to try and increase my speed which should allow me to ride sensibly and get used to being out on the roads, perhaps making 60 or 70 miles my end goal before RideLondon rather than creeping up to 90 miles. It all seems a bit wishy washy at the moment but consistent riding on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays is a concrete plan and the only thing that really matters when training is consistency. I'll also be running on Tuesdays because I can't bring myself to give it up, even for six months.

Today is the first day of this concrete training plan. This is it, now.