As an overview, the following will aim to bring you up to date on my recent training exploits, as well as highlight some of the adjuncts I have also included over the past few weeks in order to maintain an ever increasing training regime; let alone also trying to juggle clinical work, house hunting, family life, wedding plans, and of course that often overlooked requirement…. sleep!

Anyway, since I last graced the pages of this site, I (like so many) have done my best to battle through the snow, ice and generally bleak weather conditions in a vain attempt at maintaining some form of continuity with my base training – and where dictated to by the inclement weather, improvised using treadmill, mountain bike and turbo.

The most fun of which was probably a proposed 1.5 hour MTB ride home from clinic across the countryside one cold and snowy day a couple of weeks – which in the end took over 2.5 hours and a call for a roadside pick up due to low light and dare I say near frostbite (although our spirits were somewhat lifted after bumping into Reiko – Mike Tree’s wife – who thought it a good idea to capture the moment for prosperity). That said, I soon bounced back and found myself a few days later taking charge of a local public golf course for what amounted to 18 holes of deep snow running – with my colleague (Alex) in hot pursuit…. on his x-country ski’s

Other than that, my other training sessions would probably appear a little mundane if posed alongside those already noted – other than to say, they have consisted of the usual swim sessions, running intervals and hill work, the Wednesday night track session at TVA and where able, some road biking / turbo based workouts to counter the variable weather conditions.

More recently though, and following a review with my coach (Mike Tree’s) and my colleague (Alex Drummond) last week, my training regime/program has now stepped up a gear to include some heavy intervals sessions (on swim, bike and run), as well as some longer slower sessions to promote a more sustained and specific training regime to match those hours needed to complete an ironman event – although, some of my fellow co-runners at TVA may have argued otherwise after watching me run (relatively slowly) around the track last Wednesday evening. That was of course, until Mike interjected, and informed them I was under strict instructions not to pursue them or increase my heart rate above my Anaerobic Threshold for this particular session.

What’s Anaerobic Threshold I hear you ask. To put it simply, our Anaerobic Threshold is the point at which our body starts to lose its ability to limit the production of lactic acid build up. Hence, when training above our anaerobic threshold, for any extended period to time, we will tend fatigue much more quickly and our intensity cannot be sustained for any real duration.

So, from a training perspective (no matter what distance and or event), our ability to accurately gauge which training zone we are working in, will provide for a much more specific training session and allow us to gain the maximum benefit from every session we undertake – as opposed to blasting every session with maximum effort, on the pretext of… ‘No pain, no gain!’

Consequently, under the guidance of my colleague Alex Drummond, last week saw me undertake a treadmill VO2 test. Whilst this isn’t typically a pleasurable experience, it has helped to provide me with a more specific heart rate and training zone upon which to base my current training program… albeit at the expense of now having to run behind my peers during my track session

Thereafter, and to help offset the general stiffness and aching muscles caused from both general training and an increasing amount of time spent in the saddle / hunched over the aero bars, I’ve also initiated a weekly soft tissue massage and stretching session with either Alex, or my other colleague (Arran Nicholson) to help keep me from over stressing my body and breaking prior to the big day… which is just over 100 days away

PS – Hope to see you all at the track soon… and or Triathlon Show this coming weekend.
For more information on VO2 + Lactate testing and or information on specific training programs to suit your individual discipline, please contact Drummond Clinic on: 0871 221 9394 or Mike Tree Training on: enquiries@miketrees.com

I have been at my new training regime for about one month now, so like many of you, I am starting to think I should be improving. Today is time for an update of where I am at.

As a pro, I would have sacrificed my socializing, ensured I got to bed early and ate correctly to maximize my recovery, come hell or high water I would never have missed a training session, unless I was ill or injured. So far I have missed about 30% of my sessions due to work, fatigue, lack of motivation or family commitments, so my planned 10 hours a week is averaging around 7 hours.

On the plus side, my diet has been second to none. I had a scare last year with high cholesterol and since then have revisited my eating habits. Now, I am happy cutting out cheese and full fat dairy products, these are replaced by soya.  I have stopped eating junk, no more biscuits and cakes. Once I set my mind to it, I have not been tempted, to eat badly, apart from chocolate. I now allow myself a small amount of it, so long as it is over 70% cocoa…why 70%? Well, recent studies suggest that in small amounts dark chocolate may have certain properties that protect the heart!

I have also stopped drinking alcohol at home, and now only drink with friends in the pub….Drinking alone at home is an bad  habit to pick up easily, an odd glass of wine here and there, a cold beer while watching TV…it all adds up.  By changing my approach to food and drink, I have already dropped from 70kg to 65kg, without actually dieting.

As for the training, I have really struggled with the bike, the snow has meant that apart from my trip to Lanzarote I still have not been out on the road bike in England, I have substituted it all for indoor turbo sessions…which lest face it, (unless you can get a good sound track to ride to or a good Tour de France DVD to motivate you), is mind numbingly boring. One plus, is my indoor trainer has a very good watts meter so I can monitor my power output. This is still lower than it should be, at around 200 watts a session, but as I have lost 5kg of fat already, I know my power to weight ratio has improved.

The track running has been a disaster due to the weather, but I have enjoyed running in the snow, and this has given me some real stamina sessions, offering a great and unexpected base work out.

Swimming has been my favourite training, I am currently working on my timing, which is so important and something I have tended to over look in the past…if I am pushing too hard to think about my stroke,  I slow the pace down. This strategy is paying dividends, yesterday I knocked out my best set in the pool for over 7 years. I did 10 x 200m on 3:30, averaging 2:40 for them all; proving to me that age is not a barrier to fast swimming, it is my technique!

I am writing this at 40,000 feet, somewhere over the North Pole on my way to Japan and Hong Kong. This flying could prove to be my undoing. I will be away for 10 days and have no bike with me. The prospect of a 10m hotel pool does not thrill me. But, consistency is the name of the game, and blanks in the schedule, could be my down fall…

So, one month in, and I can happily say, that my swimming times are ahead of where I thought they would be. Unfortunately the bike is still well below par, but my running is still on target. I think I need a few races to find out just how fit I really am.

In the fifth of our series of Stretches for Triathletes, Carl Holland of the Drummond Clinic looks at the Soleus (calf) Muscle.

Why: Similar to the Gastrocnemius, the Soleus  is a postural muscle situated in the calf area, which in conjunction with the previously mentioned Gastroc and Plantaris muscles blends to become the Achilles Tendon.

However, unlike the Gastrocnemius, the Soleus muscles attachments start below the knee joint and extend to the heel; and therefore this muscle is best stretched with the knee joint flexed / in a slightly bent position.

Start: Stand on your right leg, with your foot facing forwards (heel on the floor).  With you right knee slightly bent, position you left foot and shin behind your right leg (as noted in the photo).

Action: Whilst keeping your body upright, by allowing your hips to shift forwards you should start to notice an increase in tension / stretch occurring through your lower calf region.  (Thereafter, please refer to the ‘key points to remember’ as previously highlighted).

Finish: Slowly bring yourself back to an upright position, releasing your left leg from behind your right foot – and swap side. 

Note: Whilst it is suggested that you keep your front foot pointing forwards (ie:12 o’clock), alternative rear foot positions (eg: 11 and 1 o’clock) can help to facilitate a slightly different emphasis / stretch on your calf.