Okay, so I'm into double figures, it's week 10 and this week is a quieter week to let my slightly ageing body recover a bit. It's also race week with my longest competition to date on Sunday. The Marlow Duathlon is a 7km-25km-7km event and that means around 2:20 -2:30 of pain and effort. I'll take it easy for most of the week and see how things go, I really enjoy the races and it's good to have something to focus on other than those hideously long runs on Sunday.
So as usual I'll need to plan the details for the race, the length means I'll need to consider hydration and food more than in previous events, I've not practised eating on the bike yet so that will need some serious consideration. I'm suffering with a sore mouth from my running on Sunday and I don't want that happening on the bike. Also being a single lap on the open roads I need to check my bike kit is right as well. Not sure what the roads will be like, but getting a puncture 10km from home will be no fun at all if I can't fix it.
Week 10
Monday is the usual rest day and the legs unsurprisingly feel somewhat crappy. My hamstrings were the biggest hurters yesterday, they have been joined by my groin, hips, lower back and knees today. My feet and calves seem to be holding up well, as is the undercarriage which, while tender, is bearing up well. Monday evening is a good chance to give my bike the once over and set up the bike computer. It's a good little bike, but way out of its depth on the track circuits, hopefully the open roads will suit it more.
Tuesday starts off with spin in the morning and although I should really be running today I do feel tired so I listen to my body and head and not my heart and knock the run off the schedule. I do use the chance to do some more core work in the evening so it feels like a good day all the same.
Wednesday is the day I've decided to do the most training on and then wind down to the weekend from there. I want it to be race specific so it's a 1 hour turbo follow by 5 mile run brick session. It will be good to feel those race legs again. 1 hour on the bike at a reasonable pace with 2 minute bursts at a good pace then 42 minutes on the run which didn't actually feel too bad. At least I'll be ready for Sunday when it happens.
Thursday is good for an early morning spin and not a lot else other than working out some logistics for tomorrow and sorting out some sponsorship stuff for my London Marathon escapade in April. Sat Nav sorted and everything seems to be going to plan. The weather looks a bit wet for Sunday, but nothing too extreme.
Friday and I start to pack my kit in earnest, pump up the bike tyres and sort out what I need to take with me Sunday morning. I decide not to go to cricket nets and satisfy myself with a very light 30 min run with my 2 sons. I'm taking it easy with the exercise, even more so than normal and I'm not 100% sure if I haven't over done it. Sunday will be the test of that.
Saturday and more rest, more sorting out of kit, more preparation and getting everything ready for a very early start. I'm hoping to finish in between 2:16:00 and 2:26:00 tomorrow. From my limited experience I've found that you can have a time you think you can do, but there is always some unforeseen course nuance that slows you down. So I'll be realistic about my day and see how I get on. Early to bed because it's a 5:20 start.
Competition day and my god it's early; why do events have to start at such times? Car packed, family on board and the weather is set fair. The venue looks good and the weather was getting better all the time. The run is over a mixture of field, pavement, tow path and farm track. The bike course was a hilly route on mostly country roads and this meant my target time was looking less realistic. The briefing was done and that left time for a stretch and a quick jog around the field bathed in glorious sunshine. The first run went well and signs every kilometre meant I could check my time and it was around my 35 minute target, through a muddy transition and off on the bike. The start of the bike leg was all up hill and by the top of the hill I was pretty tired. Down the back of the hill was much more fun and at one stage I was hurtling along at 55 kmph. There were no signs on the bike leg till one at 20km. That showed I was doing pretty well. I kept my head down and pushed on. The second run started with me behind quite a few people that had passed me on the bike and I started off chasing them down. There were people in view for just about the whole of the run and it felt like I was flying along, every person I passed spurred me on to pass the next and after passing half a dozen in the last couple of hundred yards I'd finish the run in a quicker time than the first one and an overall time of 2:09:04. I was happy with my time and happy with the Harvester take away I consumed that evening.
Training this week
Swimming 0 hours
Cycling 2.5 hours
Running 1.25 hours
Competition 2 hours
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