Ha Haaaarrrrr...

Since getting back to uni I've been a bit busy trying to sort various bits out, and generally being lazy, so I've been erging every other day. my 10k time is now down to 39.17, and i managed 18.52 for a 5k yesterday, which I'm pretty happy with. And my powerball score is now a giddy 11500 :D

A bug and the bug

So, a slightly late post due to my inability to connect to the Internet in my room, but there we go. Picked up a bug upon my return from Switzerland, but have now satisfied THE bug - back in a boat at last. Last training before the start of trialling has been as follows:

18/9 - 5k @26, 18:54.1 plus weights and core. Gentle cycle ride to test the new bike. 10k @21 38:59.2.
19/9 - Hartlip ride in 48'32. Had a great duel with a Medway club cyclist. Passed him going the other way as I went into Hartlip and then caught him up with about 6 mins to go. He sat in my slipstream into the wind and then passed me on the final stretch. Took 20 lengths out of me, which I reeled in and went straight past him before I turned to go home!
20/9 - 2*30' @18, 5'r. 7511m and 7515m. Weights and core. Upchurch ride in 1h14:57 and then tennis.
21/9 - Upchurch*2, 2h30:22.
22/9 - Went to gym, felt crap, got out of breath doing weights, so went home. Did 500m in 1:38.6, so clearly am not 100%.
24/9 - Ride from Grange road via Toft and Barrington to Grange Road. 1h47:58 - about 15 mins faster than when I did it last term.

2k test is next Friday. I need to get well, and then fast. Quickly.

training

i feel a little bit dwarfed by the post below (i think 98k is enough to get you to oxford :P) but i've done about 35k in the last week, plus 2 or 3 sessions of weights. my 10k time is down to 39.40, which is quite an improvement. i'm planning on doing another tomorrow then a 5k to see whether i can get sub 19 min, which would be nice

Update and 2K score

So I am now trialling, and have some of the last week of pre-trialling stuff for you:

12/09 - 17k 2.00.6 @ rate18, 167hr
13/09 - 17k 2.00.8 @rate 18, 164hr
14/09 - 17k 1.59.7 @rate 18, 164hr
15/09 - 1500m, 1.37.5 @rate 31
16/09 - 15k 1.57.1 @ rate 20, intervals, 10 mins of 15sec on 15sec off
17/09 - 17k 1.59.8 @rate 18, 162hr
18/09 - 15k 2.01.8 @ rate 19, 160hr
19/09 - Day off
20/09 - 2k test, 6.28.3 which is a pb and so I am pleased.

All 7 days

I went out for a run every morning I was away in Switzerland, and did core exercises afterwards. Times ranged from 17:17 for about 4km to 35mins for a much longer run. Also, a lot of hiking around helped keep me fit. I will find out tomorrow in my 5k test how much I have lost over the week.

As for the powerball, I got to about the same as Paul when I had a go.

I will do one final update before I return to Cambridge, and then I will see you all soon.

Just cycling

Hello,

Just been cycling and that is it. To work everyday and back more or less 15 miles, average speed so far this week: 18.5mph. I also did a 36 mile bike ride averaging about that speed on Sunday.

I'm concerned though that I'm losing my upper body strength, so I've bought a Powerball. Max so far is about 8000, though my housemate Chris has already topped it at 11151! I'm sure I can beat that with three weeks practice. :-D

All the best, and looking forward to three weeks time.

Mark

Now i'm injured

I appear to have something of a neck injury. I have been erging with it, but this morning it got a little uncomfortable and I gave up. This was very annoying, as giving up usually is, but I did have the chance to tidy the erg room. For the previous week:

05/09 - 17k, 2.01.6 @ rate 18, 166hr
06/09 - 17k, 2.01.8 @ rate 18, 164hr
07/09 - 17k, 2.01.8 @ rate 18, 163hr
08/09 - 17k, 2.00.5 @ rate 18, 164hr
09/09 - 15k, 1.56.3 @ rate 20, 172hr This had 10 mins of 15 sec on and 15 sec off at above race pace in the middle.

Sunday was a rest day, and today my neck was bad. I also did a couple of weights sessions and a 2- outing with Dave Leung.

training

i've kind of forgotten to update this recently and also forgotten what training i've done but essentially i've also now finished work and can afford to go to the gym pretty much everyday (hopefully). i've started doing 10k's at 21 (ish) and got my time down to just outside 2 min splits, other than that i've raised up most of my weights by 5 kilos (apart from the leg press machine which is broken, oh woe is me). i've also done a lot of cycling to friends' houses, etc. in the last 2 or 3 days, most of the rides are under 10 miles but over some absolutely bitching hills which have really worked my legs out. i'm also ever so slightly drunk as i write this due to work leaving drinks, which are an absolute embuggerance as you go out at half 5, finish by 8 but are too pissed to make anything of your friday night out, hence this blog :D

Oh, we're going to Switzerland

Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it? Even so, I'm really looking forward to going - should be a really good experience. So, update for the week before I go away:

4/9 - 2*6k @18 (3'r). 24:26.6 and 24:23.8. Weights and core. Spent about 3 hours in the afternoon playing football and cricket at the park for a friend's 21st.
5/9 2*30' @20 (5'r). 7507m and 7517m. Core exercises. Hartlip ride in 49:01.
6/9 - Tennis for a couple of hours.
7/9 - My second failure. 2k. I think I probably overdid it - my legs were aching quite a bit before I started. Just didn't have the strength to keep up to 30s/m so gave up with 600m to go. Would probably have gone 7:05-7:10, but it really wasn't worth it.
8/9 - 60' Fartlak. 15018m. Without doubt the hardest erg I have ever done. It hurt from about 15 minutes in and I just tried to keep going. I think I need a break. Core exercises after.

I have some running kit with me for up in the Alps and will try to do core exercises once a day whilst I'm away. When I get back, I have 6 days to make a difference before I go back to Cambridge. Will probably do a 5k test and then some more bike work/long erg work.

Another week, more ergs.

Okay, I have actually been doing something other than erging, a couple of weights sessions a week, but mainly erging. Here is this weeks erging:

29/08 - 15k, 2.01.3 @ rate 20, hr 166
30/08 - 15k, 2.01.8 @ rate 20, hr 164.5
31/08 - 17k, 2.02.9 @ rate 18, hr 163
01/09 - 10k, 1.58.7 @ rate 21
02/09 - 2 x 10min with 5 min rests, 1.48.4 @ 22, 1.46.3 @ 24, 1.44.5 @ 27 (I will confess to slight overrating here to ensure that my last 10 min was faster than your 2k split Matt..... ;-)
04/09 - 17k, 2.02.7 @ rate 18, hr 166

Short week

I've finished work now, so will be able to spend more time training. My week since the last update has included the following:

30/8 - Tennis.
31/8 - 2k in 6:58.5 (@32), weights and core. Played golf in the afternoon, some good bits, some bad.
1/9 - 10k @20 in 38:58.2. Went off too fast, got really tired and suffered for about 6k.
2/9 - Tennis and then a 60' Fartlak in the afternoon. Not a bad effort in terms of distance (15,122m), but I felt like I wasn't sitting up straight enough. I need to address this - make sure I am sitting with my back straight at front stops. Perhaps I should just move the screen up a bit higher.
3/9 - Long bike ride. Upchurch x2 in 2h29:23. Thats the equivalent to two lots of the Upchurch ride, but without about 9 minutes of cycling from house to roundabout and back. So I reckon thats about 1h19 or so for each.

I am now officially on the trialling e-mail list. I think Thursday will be my 2k test this week. Pasta Wednesday night and then power on Thursday. Tactics are to avoid going out so fast and sprint the last 250m properly this time (target 6:50-6:55).