Trains, Travels

At some point swimming ten kilometres seemed a good idea. Sufficiently good for me to enter yesterday’s Eton 10K Open Water Swim. I hoped fear would be enough motivation to get me back in the pool. I wasn’t afraid; as an unusual birthday celebration I’d swum seven kilometres in the Tri2O Lake two year’s ago, I could manage three more. Boredom was a bigger concern, if anything would motivate me to train it was the thought of finishing earlier. My distinct lack of enthusiasm remained till race day.

I didn’t need an alarm on race morning – a painful calf cramp woke me before my watch went off. An inauspicious start, I’d memories of Ironman UK where I cramped in the swim, at least I wouldn’t have to bike after this. Cramps are rare and not a good sign; it might be an electrolyte issue, but more often it’s a strong indicator of heavy fatigue. Since returning from Lanza I’d not been one hundred percent. I hadn’t raced, but my body was trashed – perceived exertion was high while heart rate was low, I was retaining water and felt lethargic.

No excuses, I wasn’t backing down. I found some High5 Zero electrolyte tablets in my box of sports nutrition and downed them hoping they would alleviate further problems. Otherwise a regular breakfast, plenty of coffee and a final check of the race bag. I prepared my pre-race nutrition as recommended by Gordo Byrn – 600 calories in fluid form – three sachets of High5 2:1 Energy drink concentrated in a bottle. I was winging it: no race plan and I’d only considered fuelling the previous evening. I’d not even tried the High5 drink before. I put thoughts about stomach issues to the back of my mind, doesn’t fructose disagree with some people?

For once it didn’t matter that the weather was miserable, I’d be wet anyway and when I left the water the race was done. Sheltering under bushes I pulled on my race wetsuit and liberally applied vaseline to the neckline, three hours of chaffing was a painful prospect. With twenty minutes I put Gordo’s advice into practice – I downed the energy drink. It was hard going, I felt bloated and understood why it stopping him going out hard. In theory I’d consumed the fluids and fuel to swim 10K without a stop.

Despite contrary advice to Ironman athletes I was unwilling to place myself too far forward on the start line. This was a long training session and surely only strong swimmers would enter a 10K. When the horn went I hit upon a familiar problem: lots of slower athletes ahead. I’d anticipated a civilised swimmer’s start, but there was all the rough of a typical triathlon. Passing people more frequently than expected, but certain I wasn’t pushing the pace; everything was focussed on a comfortable stroke I could maintain for the next few hours.

My lack of racing showed, I was uncomfortable surrounded by others and with the constant contact that entailed. Part nerves, part frustration, I wanted clear water. The first lap never offered it, with swimmers around me I made frustrating progress. Using an old pair of goggles wasn’t helping; comfortable, but worn, my visibility was limited to a few meters. I’d only a vague idea where I was in the lake and who was nearby. Zig-zagging between swimmers I rarely held a straight line throughout the first five kilometres.

Cramp hit my right calf about a kilometre down the opening straight. I was calm, relaxing the leg and letting it slowly release. It passed as quickly as it arrived. The second came in my left calf no more than five hundred metres on. For two laps a pattern of alternating calf cramps plagued me. Each time: stay calm, relax the leg and let it pass. I cautiously scrunched my toes and flexed my legs hoping it would delay further onset. By the last lap they’d vanished, I suspected my legs were too tired to cramp anymore.

Two loops of crowds, meanderings and cramps; I entered the final lap feeling strong and with the clear water I wanted. Race nutrition was working – I’d not had to stop and still had more in me. I found the buoy line, a rope ran along the bottom that eliminated sighting issues, I picked up the pace. Technique and timing clicked; it felt good – I was working well. This far into the race I couldn’t say whether it translated to speed or holding on to what I had. Relative to the field I was moving, I passed swimmers picking a few up on my feet as I went.

Everything went into the closing four hundred metres. Once again my goggles let me down as I arced wide into the finish line. I wasn’t fast out of the water – nervous of cramping when I stood, I paused before steadily jogging to the timing mat. Job done.

For all my doubts I thoroughly enjoyed the race. I regret not prioritising it more, but lessons have been learnt. I can pace better, put more in early on and stay focussed; I can wear better goggles and actually see where I’m going; I can practice my drafting and relax more in contact with other. Next time – there will be a next time – I can actually race and perhaps improve on my time of 3:00:31.

The hunt is on for more long open water swims (that allow wetsuits). Swimming long is fun.

• Tweet
• 7 Comments

Finish training, download the data and study the workout. Look for signs of improvements; checking averages, patterns and intervals. All immediate post-workout activity for the data obsessed triathlete. I consider myself a member of those ranks – I’ve tracked every training metric I can, right down to recording weight fluctuations and hours of sleep. There are many relevant metrics and I know I’m not alone in religiously recording them.

The ability to monitor performance and identify patterns has been invaluable for my progress as an athlete. I’ve learnt what the numbers mean for me; what the levels of fitness (CTL), fatigue (ATL) and form (TSB) in a Performance Management Chart (PMC) tell me about how well I’ll train or race. What weight works on race day and what weight works in training. I know when I’m ready to train harder and when I’ve gone too far. I recognise how these feel, but the data backs me up and warns me in advance.

Building numbers is a strong motivator. Each workout contributes to performance – developing fitness or setting new power benchmarks. Every session is a step towards faster racing. Numbers become targets. Can I push out a few more watts? How quickly can I reach race weight? Raising race power and improving race pace are aims of training, but it’s easy to become obsessed with those numbers; chasing targets every session.

Working hard is good, but it’s a matter of timing. Within a training block there is a mix of intensities, you can’t continuously push your limits. Hard sessions are hard and easy sessions are easy. I appreciate the motivation to do more, more must be better. But if raising the effort of one session negatively impacts another we’re not necessarily making the gains we think. Push for higher numbers when the session calls for it, conserve you energy otherwise.

Focussing on a single piece of data blinds us to the other factors that influence performance. Balance is better. I know what CTL I need to reach in the PMC to be training and performing well, but I’m also learning what level is too far. Beyond a certain CTL I struggle, performance starts to stagnate and training becomes erratic. Besides issues of scheduling and free time, the training load required is unsustainable.

I’m at that point now – Lanzarote pushed CTL beyond a sustainable level. Already fit and in an environment with few distractions building higher CTL was easy. I’d planned more, but even there lacked the capacity to ramp that hard. At home with training plan deadlines and other projects to work on it’s untenable; I cannot deliver the recovery to manage the load. My PMC tells me I’m fit and CTL remains high, but my performance struggles and progress falters. A clear sign I need to control my work load.

I’ve learnt to appreciate the PMC in terms of how I respond to its numbers. Higher isn’t always better, performances matter not the values in a chart. At higher CTLs I can work harder each session, it enables the training that pushes performance. Until maintaining CTL dominates over effective training, then it’s gone too far. I can anticipate performance from fitness and form, but it’s not a perfect mathematical relationship. My Two Day Rule is a guideline rather than an equation.

A number of athletes I’ve worked with had concerns about the growth of their CTL. Chasing higher numbers in preference to higher performance; unwilling to slow progress in a fitness metric to allow better training and racing. We want a high CTL as a platform to improve, we grow it to keep training well and making progress. Finding a point we can sustain is the objective. It may not be the highest number we can achieve, but if it allows us to improve as an athlete it’s perfect.

For those who don’t plot charts and track every metric of their sessions improving performance isn’t a matter of simply training more and harder, it’s about managing training. It comes back to the important of sustainability and consistency as a basis for progress. Chasing hours or mileage doesn’t lead to better results, it’s how you use that time or distance. Sufficient training load and level of fitness is required to progress, but the balance of work and recovery matters.

Whatever hours of training or charts of fitness suggest always ask, am I working towards my goals? That’s what counts. A CTL of 130 sounds more impressive than one of 90, just as a 35 hour training week sounds more impressive than a 25 hour one. But if I train better and improve race performance more on lower numbers why aim higher? Train hard as much as you can, but focus on the right numbers for results.

• Tweet
• Comment

I have a history of fading over the course of training camps. My experiences on Epic Camps support this – start strong, but slowly lose my place in the rankings as the week progresses. There was no points game in Lanzarote, just the data from Powertap files and the satisfaction of making it to the top of a climb first. But in a break from tradition my numbers rose and my climbing improved over the fortnight.

It helped that I eased into the camp, the first week was lighter than on previous trips. A single long ride with the others moderate in distance if not effort. Combined with good control of diet around hard training I set myself up to perform. It was more by chance than design as Steven started the trip sick. I’ll learn from this; there is a lot to be gained from building into a camp.

Daily swims remained the routine through the second week. Each day I covered between two and four kilometres in loops around the Ironman course. The results soon showed, I regained some of that elusive ‘feel‘ for the water. It’s hard to be precise, but my catch and timing seemed more effective and I found myself swimming faster. It remains true that my best swim performances form off the back of a lot of regular swimming. A fortnight of consistent training has worked.

I can’t speak so positively about running. The first week went smoothly with a series of short runs building my confidence. My legs held up despite the growing fatigue from cycling until Monday set me back. I ran with Steven and Jo, turning after fifteen minutes as Steven went on, the pace picked up and I found myself at a speed I’d not run at in a while. Foolishly I carried on even as I felt my left calf twinge. I enjoyed running faster than usual, but paid the price when I stopped; my left leg tightened again and whilst not severe I recognised the signs.

My consistency was broken. Afraid of aggravating the issue I held back from running on subsequent days. Running remains so inconsistent that it’s hard to see where I’m going. I have six or seven weeks to reach a point where I feel comfortable I can complete the Outlaw marathon without causing further harm. I need to prioritise this and genuinely deal with the issue. It’s drawn out and it’s time to consider external advice. I may have success with my biking, but until I restore my run form I will not race well. There are no prizes for reaching T2 first.

Cycling was good, very good. It’s the main reason to train on Lanzarote, the quality of work I perform there is rarely achieved elsewhere. Steven and I were evenly matched in bike strength so there was a clear opportunity to push each other. Each of us played to our differing strengths – Steven taking advantage of his aerobars and using the flats and downhills to leave me behind, with me attacking on the hills and powering up climbs. We rode hard, taking turns on the front and setting the pace, there was rarely an easy moment.

Games were played as we tried to take advantage of those strengths. During our second Ironman Plus ride Steven gapped me on the lead in to Haria. By the time I reached Los Valles he’d opened a kilometre and could safely crest the top long before me. I would not make that mistake again and attacked early on the way to Mirador del Rio, ensuring he couldn’t escape me on flatter terrain; if we were together at the final climb, I had him. The tactic worked and I reached the summit first. Every ride we pushed each other in this way.

The highlight of the camp was testing the Ocean Lava 70.3 course. A mix of climbs at the Southern end of the island, including the steep side of Femes. We were under pressure to perform as we’d been hyped to Tri Londoner Tomas who had joined us for the ride. Convinced he’d suffer he sat on our wheel the entire route as we pushed the pace over the series of climbs. The wind had picked up – an early indication of conditions on race day – giving Steven the advantage when he used his aerobars up Timanfaya. I opted to set power PBs as I chased. Suitably motivated this ride proved to be the strongest of the camp.

The weekend brought the Ironman, a rest day as I spent my time spectating and filming the race. Plans I had to train after were lost as those who raced relaxed. It was too tempting, I only managed to swim each morning. I accepted that training wasn’t going to happen and viewed the last three days as recovery from the work before. The camp was less extreme than some of my previous efforts, but hard enough that I needed some downtime. Taking the recovery days then allows me to return to training sooner.

Lanzarote was once again the perfect venue for a camp. I was able to put in some quality work on the bike and am pleased to have made progress with swimming. These are things I need to carry through into my regular routine. I started the year grumbling about the lack of camps on my schedule, but this month I’ve added two to the calendar. June will finish with a trip to Pyrenees Multisports for their Iron CAMP, then August will be the real test as I’ve signed up for Epic Camp France!

Such a successful camp along with watching the Ironman has fired my enthusiasm. I feel the need for another forty days of biking to help me take my cycling further and prepare for some tough mountains. My plans are long term, if I can keep building the way I am then 2012 is going to be a fine year. Time to enter Ironman Lanzarote and set one of my goals.

• Tweet
• Comment