The Challenge

Last year I didn't have the background to complete the challenge,  despite putting up a pain cave when we went away for our fortnight over the Christmas I just wasn't strong enough to do it.   I also felt that I was being a little selfish;  as all year stuart supports me and this is our only proper vacation.   So I've made the decision to not attempt it this year when we go away;  it means a lot of extra stuff to pack;  lol 4 bikes;  turbo;  all my gear plus the awning;  so we'll be travelling a lot lighter this year!

So that decision made I decided to start the challenge on 4th November this year;  I wanted to see whether I was able to do it this year.

I always have to juggle workouts;  my long ride is usually through the week and wildcard / rest days are better for me on a weekend.  

The first week I had to juggle abit and bought a couple of workout from later in the programme;  as I needed shorter ones.   I also for one reason or another didn't manage the first two 3 hours rides and had to go with 2 hours lol meaning in the final week I did these on the Friday and Saturday;  slightly shorter but got them done.

With about two weeks to go; I really thought this was not going to be possible; Stuart came down with shingles;  Iain was poorly and I had an infected cyst that antibiotics sorted and fortunately I didn't react to them; lol the ibuprofen was a different matter!  Fortunately with some more juggling around of workouts I got through it and partly because Iain is loving school so much he only had 1 day at home rather than the 3 days I feel he should have had!   Honest this was all Iain I wanted him to stay at home!

As I progressed through the challenge I could literally feel the fitness flooding through,  I was stronger and able to push speeds I hadn't previously.  

Yes;  I had some tired days but was able to push through them and the next workout I would feel great.   I had a definite bonk on Sunday past doing 43.0 but the previous 2 days I had done 2 high z3 rides of 2 hours+ and think I just hadn't replenished fuel properly over these days.
This week has been tough but I felt strong;  I was tired on Monday's Kona ride and Tuesday I did a double continuous ride to make up for a missed workout;  the wildcard day yesterday made all the difference to today's ride.   Stuart altered my saddle to the nose pointing down very slightly;  oh boy what a difference;  I was maintaining aero on all big gear work with no problems lol its so so much easier when your comfortable.  

My bike needs a service;  had a lot of dropped chain issues today but Stuart going on a strip and build course on Saturday so my bike will have the tender loving care it needs tee hee :)

So what to take away from this; 

don't be frightened to shift workouts around if necessary (not everyone may agree) but this was primary to me succeeding;  I only missed 2 workouts.   

I was able to do them all within the specified zones but sometimes I would do them low-mid that zone;  other times top of zone;  Monday and Tuesday this week was a prime example; I did them in the correct zone but kept it at the bottom of the zone!

Nutrition is so important; today I really zoned in on this and it's made all the difference; I felt great and at the moment lol; I don't feel I've done a really long ride!  I'm usually wrecked after!

So now what;  I'm currently thinking and edging towards the thought of predominantly base building on the bike with maybe a threshold or interval session once a week over the next couple of months.   December I'm thinking will be a run focused month to try and get my running back up to where it should be and January I'm thinking of focusing on my swimming.

Sorry this has been long winded and thanks for reading :-)

Good luck to you all doing the challenge, I'm enjoying reading all your posts and looking forward to cheering you all on :-)

Thank you for all your support :-)

My goals for the next few months!

The last few days I've been thinking about my goals for the coming year;  this is a good time to set them when I'm just returning to base training phase and not a massive training load!  

Now these intermediate goals are for one purpose to allow me to get to the Outlaw in my best shape possible.   This is not just about being in the greatest race shape ever;  I have such confidence in Spinervals that I know I will be;  no matter what is thrown at me over the coming year;  its also about being lean but strong and mentally prepared for the coming season!

I'm going to divide my goals up into chunks;

Weight Goals

Long Term

I'm currently sitting at nearly 146lbs which is just way to high; I'm aiming to lose around 20 lbs by the end of March;  in preparation for my first race on the 6th April!  

Starting from next week (I've already started to look at it this week in preparation) I have 27 weeks,  that's 3/4 lb a week!

Short Term

So to achieve this I need a plan:

Step 1 : my food cupboards have next to no junk in them now; its to easy to succumb.

Step 2 : I'm going to plan out our meals for the work day week on a Saturday to allow me to get any ingredients in!   This is something I've never successfully done!

Step 3 : All food during the week is going to be freshly cooked and thats going to include dressing too.

Step 4 : Weekends will be kept in check but I think a wee treat isn't going to hurt;  will need to monitor this; but to keep Stuart, in particular, on board I think this is necessary.

Step 5 : Now I think this is probably the most important; I'm going to try and lose 4 lbs a month;  these are going to be small goals on the way to the bigger one.

Training Goals

Strength - I'm planning on introducing a regular core workout most days;  and weight training 3x a week at the gym.   Last year throughout the winter I only did this at the most once a week!   This needs to change!

Swim - 3x a week;  fortunately I'm going to be liaising with a coach on this one;  which is brilliant :-) Again last year; I really didn't do enough but family had to drive it;  so my focus was the bike last year.

Bike - I topped just over 500 miles in one month last winter;  I did follow coach's programme to the best of my ability but with no real background I had to adapt it a lot but it worked great for me.   It's super6 for me where it fits and the challenge but modified;  I'm just not risking back to back hard sessions; I seem to be prone to niggles these days;  I think a modified version over 6 weeks is better for me.  Just doing this will see my monthly mileage way higher!

Run - now this is where I can make some serious dent into last year's Outlaw; again I'm being coached by the same person as the swimming;  so I don't need to think so much on this one!  

The start of my journey to the Outlaw 2014

My journey to the Outlaw next year, 27th July 2014 starts on Monday;  nearly 11 months out;  I'm so excited and raring to get going!

I've not been great since this year's Outlaw;  a combination of circumstances

Getting my wee muchen ready for starting school and a last minute decision to change his school,  a decision just a week in, I know without doubt was right, but it caused me a bit of stress while making it.

A couple of niggles,  I wouldn't go as far as to say injuries but this last problem has been very painful,  it seems to be clearing nicely now and I should be able to start the Super6 on Monday;  but I suspect I might have to trade the running for some alternative cardio at least for a few days.  Basically I will do this as long as necessary until my foot is okay.

I have been clearly suffering with a bit of demotivation latterly,  but once I entered the Outlaw I've been rejuvenated and I'm  itching to get back at it :-)

So a general run through of my plan over the next year;  I'm planning out my whole year now,  partly as I'm going into the free version of TP next month so won't be able to move things around as I do presently;  therefore I'm working an outline now,  plus I want to just get on with the training and not have to plan it.  

My running and swimming is going to be guided by the person who helped me with my swimming last year and the exciting thing is I don't have restrictions for how much pool time I can do now that Iain's at school compared to my very restricted swim programme last year!   

It has all worked out nicely for the biking element in 6 week blocks; in between each block I have a recovery week basically they fall superbly in school holidays! 

1st block - Super6

2nd block - December's Challenge but stretched over 6 weeks with some ABBs and long rides added in.  Basically I'm doing 2x interval sessions and 1x long ride a week; plus some ABBs and Technique each week;  I just don't feel confident enough to tackle back to back hard sessions.

This takes me to Christmas and a 2 week aerobic / recovery break, guess it's active recovery.

The new year will see me repeat the 2 Super6 6 weeks blocks allowing me to do the icing on the cake block which I feel will help my pace before going into the event specific training.

This will lead nicely into the 16 Week IM plan.

I'll be including regular strength work and a clean diet throughout to help me get to race weight this time :-)

This is going to be so much fun :-)

Thank you for those that stuck with this rather long blog :)

Outlaw Gallery

The official photos have arrived, I'm so chuffed with them and a race video is being composed.

1st picture - lol trying to get the wetsuit off

2nd - a couple of minutes from transition

3rd - approximately 15 miles

4th - approximately 78 miles

5th - a couple of miles from the finish

6th - woohoo the finish line

7th - awards ceremony thou Stuart took this one

Outlaw Results

http://www.onestepbeyond.org.uk/the-outlaw-triathlon-live-results.php

The Journey's Complete

After 9 months of preparing for the Journey to the Outlaw its finally arrived;  my alarm was set for 4.15am; and for the first time I was up immediately I've never felt more excited about any event before.   I have used a new strategy this last week, I kind of think the nervous feeling is the same as excitement; so using some mental strategy I used this thought pattern;  and  everytime I thought about the journey I was going to undertake on Sunday 7th July, it was one of excitement.  I really feel this kept my nerves under control come race morning;  I had nerves but they were useful nerves rather than wasteful energy ones;  hope that makes sense.  Breakfast was a banana,  roll with jam, gel packet and 500ml of high5, for once I consumed them with no problems;  lol nerve control.

We were camping just a short walk from the venue;  and with only race nutrition and a couple of bits to put in my race bags there was virtually nothing to do, which meant no hassle;  wetsuit on, caffeine gel and some h5 to wash it down.

Arriving at the venue to a beautiful sunset; it was already warm and as we later found out we had temperatures in the 90s!  Wow amazing for the UK!

I got in the water;  decided to go in pen 2; for the first time I did a few minutes swimming warm up,  then back to the pen for the start;  urgh found myself at the front wanted to be at the back;  which I said to another competitor and he just replied don't worry they'll swim around or lol over the top I thought!   Had a bit of cheering, lol the organisers doing competitions between the pens who could be the noisiest;  all good fun!

Then we were off;  it was rough for the first 500m then we kind of settled thou still abit of barging at times and at the turn buoys.   But I managed to stay relaxed, got into my rhythm and didn't let the odd kick, thump bother me;  for the first time in open water I felt relaxed and this resulted in a very strong swim for me. I didn't have any disorientation out of the water either.

Into T1 lol not very quick; lol I kind of differed about too much!  I had a caffeine+ gel and 4oz of water which I had in my swim-bike bag then headed out to the bikes,  a quick detour to the loo then to my bike; out of transition and away for a lap of the lake before out onto the roads for two loops; southern loop first,  northern loop then back to the southern loop before heading back to transition.   Due to the weather I decided to use my heart rate and perceived effort as my guide but really wanted to make sure I didn't overcook the bike.  Heading out towards the first loop I really resisted the temptation to blast it;  as others blasted past me; it was amazing how many I caught later!   I had an aero bottle and a 750ml bottle on my frame; I had strengthened the formula from 3 scoops to 4; as I was worried about the heat.  My watch alarm was set for every 15 mins to drink and on the half hour for a gel and hourly for the gel +.  Heading round the first of two southern loops; I felt great but I was still resisting the urge to open it out;  my HR was generally nicely zone 2 creeping into zone 3 on any climbs; I have the ride data to load later to have a proper look.  Along the road to the northern loop (I think its around 10 miles) I tried to refill my aero bottle on the go;  lol the cap came of my aero one;  so stopped and finished refilling it;  the next feed station I took a bottle of water, lol my hands were getting all sticky from the gels;  used some of it to rinse the stickiness off, and to drink;  rather than H5 all the time; I then headed onto the The northern loop where the one main hill was, it really wasn't that bad but I didn't hammer it; just went into small ring and spun up without any problems;  I'm still very much a novice in respect of hills and gear choice,  plenty of work to be done in this area.  It was back along the road to the southern loop;  and I stopped at the beginning to grab a bottle of H5 and water, and refill my aero before heading off round the loop.  I still felt good though I was finding my quads and my top of my calf's were threatening to cramp; because of this I increased my nutrition and drank every few minutes both H5 and water.  This seemed to sort the issues I was having out.  I stopped at both the 2 remaining feed stations for refills.  Even at 100 miles I felt great;  but the last 12 miles I really cruised in and just maintained my average pace.  I consumed 4x750ml of H5 and 3 bottles of water;  4 gel + and 5 gels, way more than I have in training but conditions were exceptional.   I managed the ride without the need for a pit stop!

T2 was much smoother and I was out onto the run; lol then I knew it was hot!  Us Brits aren't used to temperatures in the 90s lol even for non-strenuous activities;  I knew I had to think smart lol without blowing my own trumpet,  so I quickly decided to adopt a strategy of running between feed stations and walking through the station to ensure I got the nutrition on board and also chucked water over my head at every opportunity to cool me; I had also bought a hat the day before to try and protect me from the heat, I had one pit stop at 1.3 miles and didn't need anymore.   As I walked through the stations I grab H5, water to drink and to throw over my head,  I went mainly for fluids throughout but did have an iso gel, some H5 Gels and caffeine gels;  I put off starting on coke until the 20 mile point.   As the race progressed my HR went into figures I've never seen, ignoring the first 2-3 miles I think my monitor was being silly but later it hit 200; I'm sure this was heat induced as each time I cooled myself it went down quite a bit.   The data will be interesting when I download it.   After each feed station I clicked back into 9-10 min miles pace very comfortably each time.   It was only the last 5 miles that I was wrary of cramping, but it never got beyond a warning.   I maintained the same pace all the way through with about a 30s mile difference but that was due to the different terrain and a from time to time I lost the gps signal or it went a bit haywire.I really have no idea how much I took in on the run but I stuck to gels and the liquid form rather than jaffas or crisps.

It was an awesome feeling running down the red carpet with both Stuart and Iain and hear Simon the commentator say 'Karen Haldane you are an Outlaw' and that I won the Dublin Marathon in 1992; lol I was then interviewed by channel 4 to be shown in August.

I had no idea I was closing down on 1st place,  had I known who knows but I'm very very happy with my 2nd place and 16th overall and more importantly I've learnt so much to take on board for my next Irondistance / Ironman race!!

Thank you to my fantastic family and friends for all their support throughout this endeavour :)

The other major shout out needed is to all my friends on the Spinervals Members Page;  the way you tracked me from afar has really bought a lump to my throat; and just to mention a couple, but you all are close to my heart, thank you Chrissy Bianco Brooks for starting the thread and Kelly Mendoza for acting as commentator,  and to you all for the lovely comments.  I really consider myself very lucky to have the support, advice and encouragement of you all, it means so much :)

Finally,  one more shout out to Spinervals for all the dvds and Coach Troy for is invaluable training programmes that enabled me to become an OUTLAW :)

This is me starting the run; lol Stuart nearly missed me!  And my recovery meal today!

Heading into my final week!

I can't believe that my final week of training is finally on me!  I'm soooo excited :) 

We've arrived at Dayton Manor Theme Park yesterday, and are now just an hour away from the race venue, I think the fact that I can just relax now,  spend time with the family and have fun helps, I feel incredibly calm about the whole challenge ahead of me lol that may change nearer the time :)

Thoughts on the Training

I'm really happy with how's the training gone;  swimming has been difficult but swimming the distance and feeling comfortable with it has dispelled the fears of the distance but that said,  I will be happy when I'm out of the water.   I'm looking forward to the bike,  lol hope weather forecast is right, it's forecast for 60-70 partly cloudy and no wind!  Again,  the run has a few concerns but doing 17 miles and feeling very strong at the end has helped but this is such unknown I have no idea how I will feel as the run progresses. 

My race plan is a case of using a mixture of perceived and heart rate measures especially on the bike;  even if it results in my bike split being slower than I hope for :)

My nutrition plan is all set, I'm planning on setting my watch for every 15 mins to remind me;  especially on the bike and there are so many feed stations on the run that frequency is not a problem.

Now it's final week taper time; and really time to chill and enjoy;  lol Stuart was right heading away this early is perfect :)