# Tri Till You Cry



## Flying_Monkey (18 Feb 2011)

I have agreed to do a charity event called Tri Till You Cry in late June. This involves doing 2 hours of swimming, 2 hours of cycling then 2 hours of running. Then doing it again. And again. And again... for up to, or even over, 36 hours. It is done as a 3-person team, but it not a relay. Every member has to keep going as long as they can and the last member of the last team standing is the 'winner'. It's all for charity though - I am in team for the local Child Development Centre. 

And until last week I didn't even know if I could swim properly! Anyway, I am having lessons and it turns out I can, and I have the makings of a pretty reasonable endurance swimmer (my coach is a woman who swims across Lake Ontario for fun, and in her last challenge did 80km Butterfly - doesn't even bear thinking about). 

My current schedule (not including the usual cycling commute) is as follows:

Monday: 1 hour swimming - endurance (I just keep going as much as I can) (lunchtime); weights and core strengthening (evening). 
Tuesday: day off
Wednesday: 1 hour swimming - technique (lunchtime); weights etc. (evening)
Thursday: 10km run (morning)
Friday 1 hour swimming - endurance (lunchtime)
Saturday: 2 hours cycling (static) - distance (morning); weights etc. (evening)
Sunday: 10km run (morning).

This will change when the weather gets good enough for road cycling (sometime in March) and once I no longer have to teach classes, especially not at 8.30am. I will probably add in an hour's cycling three times a week and make the static cycling a longer road ride then. I will also increase at least one of the swimming sessions to 2 hours (gradually), and also increase the Sunday run to 20km, in increments (not least because I also plan to run a marathon later in the year). 

I'll keep you updated on progress if you are interested, and *I welcome any hints and tips* (please!) from any endurance athletes, especially iron-man triatheletes, adventure racers etc.


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## carolonabike (18 Feb 2011)

Good grief!

Sorry, I don't have any tips apart from make sure you get plenty of rest and plenty to eat. Good luck


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## phil_hg_uk (18 Feb 2011)

I feel tired just reading it


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## steve52 (18 Feb 2011)

eek!!! well done sadley im haveing my nails done?takeing the cat to the vet?washing my hair that day


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## Ravenbait (18 Feb 2011)

Hurm.

Not liking that schedule much, personally. There are no bricks involved, and you'll need to do bricks, because going from swimming to biking and biking to running is a horrible, soul-breaking experience until you get used to it. I also note that other than the 2 hours static cycling, there's not a single session of more than 1 hour. If you do that training schedule week in, week out you'll become excellent at swimming for an hour, running for an hour and cycling for 2 hours but you'll struggle putting it all together, IMO. When I was training for Olympic distance triathlons (1500m swim) I was regularly doing 3 - 3500m in training.

At the bare minimum, you should be looking at putting some sessions in during which you go straight from one discipline to another. Bike to run is the usual one, but I used to do swim to bike as well.

Sam


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## Rhythm Thief (18 Feb 2011)

Flying_Monkey said:


> My current schedule (not including the usual cycling commute) is as follows:
> 
> Monday: 1 hour swimming - endurance (I just keep going as much as I can) (lunchtime); weights and core strengthening (evening).
> Tuesday: day off
> ...



How the bloody sixpence do you find the time? I barely have time to brush my teeth in between sleeping and working.


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## darkstar (18 Feb 2011)

The event sounds awesome, never heard of anything like it. Good on you for committing to it!

I love swimming and have taken part in the odd 10k race, so I'm happy to give some tips regarding endurance techniques etc, though by the sounds of it you have someone infinitely more qualified than me on board already, 2k butterfly sounds like torture to me, let alone 80k






Currently in training for a 50 mile fell race, so I'll be feeling the pain as well, keep us updated and good luck!


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## Flying_Monkey (18 Feb 2011)

Ravenbait said:


> Hurm.
> 
> Not liking that schedule much, personally. There are no bricks involved, and you'll need to do bricks, because going from swimming to biking and biking to running is a horrible, soul-breaking experience until you get used to it. I also note that other than the 2 hours static cycling, there's not a single session of more than 1 hour. If you do that training schedule week in, week out you'll become excellent at swimming for an hour, running for an hour and cycling for 2 hours but you'll struggle putting it all together, IMO. When I was training for Olympic distance triathlons (1500m swim) I was regularly doing 3 - 3500m in training.
> 
> ...



You are entirely right. This is just for this month. I will have to start putting things together and doing longer stuff come March and April. The heavy lifting will also come in once my body has adjusted to the new things I am asking it to in swimming - my coach has advised me to hold off on the weights just for now or I will only injure myself.


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## Yellow Fang (18 Feb 2011)

That sounds extremely tough, particularly the swimming. The swimming leg in an ironman takes only about an hour and a half for a slow swimmer. One set sounds hard enough. Two sets sounds the equivalent of an IM but with much more swimming. Three sets or more sounds just mental. My biggest worry would be getting cramp going back in the water. I suspect one of the main reasons the swim is usually first is to reduce the chances of getting cramp, so make sure you get enough electrolytes. Still, it's pretty hard to drown provided you wear a wetsuit.


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## Flying_Monkey (19 Feb 2011)

Yellow Fang said:


> That sounds extremely tough, particularly the swimming. The swimming leg in an ironman takes only about an hour and a half for a slow swimmer. One set sounds hard enough. Two sets sounds the equivalent of an IM but with much more swimming. Three sets or more sounds just mental. My biggest worry would be getting cramp going back in the water. I suspect one of the main reasons the swim is usually first is to reduce the chances of getting cramp, so make sure you get enough electrolytes. Still, it's pretty hard to drown provided you wear a wetsuit.



My coach is a long distance (and I mean very long distance) swimmer (she has a Wikipedia entry actually - I didn't realise just how well-known she is! Damn, she's even more awesome than I had thought). She says that the swimming should be the easiest part, if you relax and swim efficiently and slowly. This event isn't one where there is a set distance or speed. It's just about keeping going.


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## montage (19 Feb 2011)

Regarding the swimming, shave your armpits reguarly using a gillette 4 blade in order to increase stroke efficiency.


Good luck!!


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## darkstar (19 Feb 2011)

Flying_Monkey said:


> My coach is a long distance (and I mean very long distance) swimmer (she has a Wikipedia entry actually - I didn't realise just how well-known she is! Damn, she's even more awesome than I had thought). She says that the swimming should be the easiest part, if you relax and swim efficiently and slowly. This event isn't one where there is a set distance or speed. It's just about keeping going.


She has some outstanding achievements, in awe reading through them.

Will the swim take place in open water or in a pool, FM?


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## Flying_Monkey (19 Feb 2011)

darkstar said:


> She has some outstanding achievements, in awe reading through them.
> 
> Will the swim take place in open water or in a pool, FM?



Pool, thankfully. It will be warm enough to swim in Lake Ontario by then, but we will not have had enough time to get used to open water swimming, which is whole different thing. I am going to start swimming in the lake as soon as I can though because there are some other tri events around here that do involve open water swimming, and I have this longer-term hankering to do an Ironman or two... 

Meanwhile I did a steady 15km run in hideous icy, windy conditions today. The compensation is that running in the summer will be relatively easy by comparison. 

On the training schedule, I have adjusted it, following Sam's advice above. 

As it is 'reading week', I have no teaching, therefore a more flexible schedule, my training timetable looks like this:


Sunday: 2 hour static cycling followed by 10km run (early morning).

Monday: 1 hour swimming (endurance), followed by 1 hour static cycling (lunchtime).

Tuesday: Nothing except weights and core strengthening (evening)

Wednesday: 1 hour swimming (technique) (lunchtime). 

Thursday: 10km run (speed) (early morning)

Friday: 1 hour swimming (endurance), followed by 1 hour static cycling (lunchtime).

Saturday: 15km run (early morning). Weights and core strengthening (evening)

Bear in mind that I will also be cycling to and from work everyday too, which isn't much but it all adds up. I am going to have to quite flexible about this, and construct schedules week by week, as there are some weeks I have to be elsewhere for work, and realistically the only thing I will be able to do is run early in the morning every day. I have to go to Japan for two weeks in April (it will be the first time our little boy will have seen his Japanese grandparents)... there I won't have a bike, but I should be able to find a pool to train in. Come May I have no classes, except for one week when I am teaching an intensive course, so I will be able to put in a lot more training, hopefully all of it 'combined' in some way. The mornings and evenings will also be a lot lighter. 

However, I am not going to go crazy and compromise the time I spend with my son. That's more important than anything.


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## fimm (21 Feb 2011)

Wow.
I'd second what Ravenbait has said above about bricks, longer distances etc (which I note you've already taken on board).

My boyfriend has done 3 Ironmans and one _double_ iron-distance race. From my experience of crewing for him for the Double, here are some thoughts:

Practice nutrion. Think about what you are going to eat, and try it in training. How does this work for your event? Will all the food be provided, or do you provide a support crew (and therefore your own food)? For the swim, they had bottles of energy drink by the pool and stopped every so often to get a drink. (Having typed that, I guess your swim coach will know all about that sort of thing.) If you are swimming in a wetsuit in a pool, you could get quite hot, and a bottle of iced water poolside to cool you down might be nice. For the bike and run you'll want solid food, not just gels. Cheese sandwiches, cold boiled potatoes with salt, pasta, were some of the food of choice at the Double. 

Also if you can train some of the sleep deprivation that you are going to experience, that appears to be worthwhile. 

I'm sure I'll have more thoughts for you if that's helpful?


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## Ravenbait (21 Feb 2011)

Fimm's right about nutrition. You really need to practise what you intend eating. The middle of an event is not the time to find out that a product doesn't suit you (as I found to my cost in the Loch Lomond Highland Games triathlon   ). Energy drink is all well and good but it does get claggy, especially in hot situations. In a pool swim you will inevitably get water in your mouth and you will want something to counter the effects of chlorine. It's also easy to get dehydrated in the pool because you're surrounded by water and have to make more of a conscious effort to drink, especially as you have to stop to do it.

Oh, and vaseline. Or bodyglide. Buy lots. You'll need it.

Best of luck. I almost wish I were doing it too.

Sam


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## fimm (21 Feb 2011)

OK, here's some links from the triathlon forums.
A very long thread about last year's Double and Triple iron-distance races. 
http://www.tritalk.c...pic.php?t=60476

This is this year's equivalent. 
http://www.tritalk.c...pic.php?t=68870

There's a lot of chat and banter in those, I'm afraid, but if you can be bothered to work your way through them there is good advice about training for and racing these super-long events as well. 

A couple of race reports from last year's triple:
from "Big Ted" 
http://www.tritalk.c...d93210bf95fe816
and "The Reverend Graham" 
http://www.tritalk.c...r=asc=
- just to give you an idea of what you've let yourself in for - "Big Ted" in particular is interesting on the mental side of this sort of racing.
And one from "Putt Putt" on a deca - that's an ironman a day for 10 days...
http://www.tritalk.c...pic.php?t=64199

If I was you I'd consider registring on TriTalk - they're very friendly on there and there are people with a lot of experience.

(Sorry about pasting in the long links - the inteligent link adder disappears off the side of my screen).


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## darkstar (21 Feb 2011)

An important aspect to consider is distance. You have to complete the 3 sports in 2 hour blocks, but does the distance traveled play any part in the final standings, or is it simply who can last the longest? That will influence the training regime.


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## Twenty Inch (21 Feb 2011)

Sam and Fimm have covered bricks and nutrition. I especially endorse Sam's comments on making sure a product suits you before the event. I've learnt the hard way - halfway around a half-Ironman (on Arran - a great day).

Keep a close eye on your early morning heart rate, it's your early warning system for over-training and illness, so if it's up more than 10% on the average, take it easy for a couple of days.

Watch out too for "junk miles". Only cycle to work if it fits into your training and is making you stronger, otherwise you're at risk of just getting tired without actually getting fitter. Too many people put the hours in without getting the benefit out. Talk it over with your coach and make sure the commute works for you. 

I want to talk about the pastoral side a bit. You are going to be more knackered than you have ever been while training for this. Think "small baby" knackered, with the added wrinkle that you know you can't stop having a small baby, but you could stop training for this event. Go to bed earlier than you would normally. No, earlier than that. If possible, plan for a nap during the day - even 15-20 minutes will help. You'll start being short-tempered and prone to errors, so watch it. Loved ones are members of the team too. Lay off junk food (you don't seem the type, actually) and make sure you are getting sufficient good quality calories, including protein just after training.

Oh, and watch out for the emotional come-down after the event.

Sounds great, FM. I hope you have a good time.


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## Twenty Inch (21 Feb 2011)

Fimm, I know the Revered Graham. He's a sweet guy. Must drop him a line.


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## buggi (21 Feb 2011)

i watched a documentary recently about a bloke who died in the 1940's in a dance-athon. He basically danced with his partner for over 36 hours and then just dropped dead on the dancefloor. (and they were given something like a 10 min break every couple of hours i think)

It wasn't even vigorous dancing, just the usual stand with your partner holding each other and shuffling your feet. Something happens in the body (can't for the life of me remember what) which produces some kind of effect and this eventually gave him a heartattack. apparently, doing this sort of endurance stuff can be quite bad for you. 

Just saying


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## Fiona N (21 Feb 2011)

It strikes me that compared to an Ironman, refuelling will be quite difficult as the cycling where it's easiest is relatively a smaller part of the 6 hour block. 
Given that refuelling while swimming is not going to be much of a goer (unless they allowing treading water while draining water bottles) and you're probably fairly limited in what you can do during the run - think of it mainly as maintaining hydration/energy - it does put a bigger than normal burden on the cycling leg which you'll need to use for refuelling after the swim and in anticipation of the run as well as for the cycling itself. Not an easy task and I'd definitely be practicing stuffing my face on the bike especially if you normally need to eat a fair amount to cycle for long periods. 

I used to do a fair amount of endurance (24 hour) orienteering events (continuous - not like mountain marathons where you camp overnight) but there was always some 'down time' when you weren't actually running but searching for checkpoints etc. when you could scoff something before jogging onto the next CP. Even so I never really ate anything like my energy expenditure and there was nothing like having to cope with a 2 hour swim every 6 hours. 

Altogether an interesting challenge - rather you than me though  

Good luck with the preparations.


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## Brahan (21 Feb 2011)

WOW! Your trainer is AWESOME! Good luck with your training mate.


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## fimm (22 Feb 2011)

Twenty Inch said:


> Fimm, I know the Revered Graham. He's a sweet guy. Must drop him a line.



I don't really know him, to be honest - I've only met him the once, when my boyfriend was doing the Double IM and the Rev was doing the Triple.


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## Flying_Monkey (22 Feb 2011)

Thank-you for some solid advice and good links, people... 

I think that the food side of things will be covered but I will make absolutely sure a long time in advance. It's a weird event as far as tri's go, as someone pointed out, as it is not done in distances and there are no cut-offs or distance requirements; it is purely about endurance. And as it is in equal time blocks, it makes the swimming (my weakest starting discipline) relatively more important and the cycling (my strongest) much less so. For my coach, the swimming part will be where she 'rests', for me that will be the cycling part. Right now, my goals are to get through the swimming, run a slow and steady 8-10kmph and similarly cycle 25-30kmph. Those are more than comfortable and I don't need to do more than this.

I have decided that I may do a number of other events this year, including a few 10ks, the local MTB Marathon (7 hours) in mid-July, our local triathalon (the long course is Swim 2000m, Bike 56.2km, Run 15km) at the end of July, the Mine Over Matter off-road triathalon (Swim 1km, Mountain Bike 18km, Trail Run 8.5km) in late August - which looks really good fun - and our local marathon or half-marathon (depending on how I am feeling) in October. 

At the end of the year I will decide whether I will try to take this further or do something entirely different. To be honest, my natural inclinations are more to off-road challenges - something like this: http://www.transrockies.com/trc/about or maybe even this: http://tourdivide.org/ - and adventure racing - things that involve a bit of canoeing and carrying your own tent too.


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## Ravenbait (22 Feb 2011)

25 - 30kph? Seriously? That's the sort of speed the moderately good ladies in my Age Group category are doing during the 20km of the sprint. I aim for that in order to leave myself something for the 5km run at the end (or the 10km, if it's an Olympic -- I only have two speeds on the bike, unless I'm riding with my Mum), running being my weakest discipline. I think that might be overly fast over two hours if you're planning on resting.

May I humbly suggest that speed is irrelevant as it's purely about endurance -- time lasted -- and don't give yourself a speed goal so much as an easy effort goal. I'd be looking at a heart rate target for the bike rather than a speed one.

Sam


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## Flying_Monkey (22 Feb 2011)

Ravenbait said:


> 25 - 30kph? Seriously? That's the sort of speed the moderately good ladies in my Age Group category are doing during the 20km of the sprint. I aim for that in order to leave myself something for the 5km run at the end (or the 10km, if it's an Olympic -- I only have two speeds on the bike, unless I'm riding with my Mum), running being my weakest discipline. I think that might be overly fast over two hours if you're planning on resting.
> 
> May I humbly suggest that speed is irrelevant as it's purely about endurance -- time lasted -- and don't give yourself a speed goal so much as an easy effort goal. I'd be looking at a heart rate target for the bike rather than a speed one.
> 
> Sam



I will not doubt be slowing down my estimates as things go on - those were just off the top of my head right now. My big problem is trying to do things too fast. 

I'm getting the heart-rate stuff sorted out quite soon. I've already started to be monitored in the pool. It turns out I have a ridiculously low resting heart rate (thank-you, years of cycling) and very fast recovery from peak rates. I will be doing a lot more of this. It's not something I have ever bothered with before.


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## darkstar (22 Feb 2011)

If speed is not important in the slightest, if I were doing the event I'd do backstroke for every swim session, Can go for miles without getting tired. Have a slow kick pattern and you're sorted. In fact I'd use the swim to rest, sounds odd but it makes sense. There's no let up on the run, and depending on the course little when cycling.


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## Flying_Monkey (23 Feb 2011)

Did 36 lengths (900) (in a mix of crawl, backstroke and breaststroke) yesterday, followed by 40 minutes of intense static bike intervals. Did some heart rate measurement. Apparently I have a very low resting rate (high forties), and the max I got to on the toughest intervals was 170. I was usually about 163 during these.


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## Ravenbait (23 Feb 2011)

I'm a fast beater with a fast response time and an adaptation curve. In other words, most of the time my HR is insanely fast. I could show you some hair-whitening graphs. On long endurance events, though, after about an hour and a half to two hours my body says "oh, all right then" and drops from an average in the 160s to an average in the 130s and stays there. My RHR, when I'm fit, is around 58.

My max posted is 205, although I haven't had it above 195 in a couple of years.

I use the Suunto memory belt for tracking my HR in the pool. It's not as interesting as you might hope.

Sounds like you'll be just grand, FM, if you can curb your more enthusiastic tendencies!

Sam


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## Flying_Monkey (23 Feb 2011)

Ravenbait said:


> Sounds like you'll be just grand, FM, if you can curb your more enthusiastic tendencies!



Damn, that's my best feature! Seriously though, that's exactly what my coach says. 

I am concentrating on long slow strokes in the pool now, so that I can breathe every 3 strokes as opposed to every 5 as I do now... it's quite interesting because, as we are working on one aspect at a time, I manage to integrate the lesson and start to be comfortable with the new variation I am doing in my next solo session. Then come the next technique session, she starts me thinking about something else and it's like I have to rebuild again. But it works. I am already light-years ahead of where I was two weeks ago.


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## Flying_Monkey (23 Feb 2011)

Rather than keep this thread going for ever, I have started a training blog here: http://tritillicry.wordpress.com/ 

It's partly for me, partly for anyone who is interested - and I really welcome helpful comments etc. - and partly for fundraising as I get nearer the time.


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## jay clock (23 Feb 2011)

I am training for my first Ironman and know a lot of nutters! One of my mates is doing a deca IM (1 per day for 10 days).

1 - Nutrition is key. And being able to not throw it up or sh!t it out as well. Practice what you plan to eat. For distance beyond IM there is a lot of discussion that you should be eating normal food not gels and sports drinks. Here is the Deca IM menu http://www.enduroman.com/Downloads/Athlete_menu_2011.pdf and here are some musings on ultra distance eating (go down to the bottom) http://www.stevehaywood.co.uk/blog/_archives/2010/7/1/4567808.html

2 That training looks like it needs more volume in terms of cycling in my view. Some long slow rides.

3 Pool swim. Actually much harder. A wetsuit OW swim protects your skin from swelling, and gives you bouyancy. And much less dull....

4 Agreed on the bricks. As a minimum go for a 10 minute run after every ride

www.tritalk.co.uk/forums is a great place to go

Keep us posted!


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## darkstar (23 Feb 2011)

jay clock said:


> One of my mates is doing a deca IM (1 per day for 10 days).



Unbelievable, maximum respect for those guys. Good luck in your first IM, I want to complete one before I'm 25, need to commit first.


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## threebikesmcginty (24 Feb 2011)

This hideous endurance malarky just reminded me of this item form the news a couple of weeks ago:

A marathon a day for 365 days. That's some going - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12375646

I cycled a couple of miles to the pool this morning and swam 60-odd lengths and to be honest the thought of repeating that again and again sounds like hell, so well done you and good luck for the event.


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## Flying_Monkey (24 Feb 2011)

jay clock said:


> I am training for my first Ironman and know a lot of nutters! One of my mates is doing a deca IM (1 per day for 10 days).



That sounds completely crazy.



> 1 - Nutrition is key. And being able to not throw it up or sh!t it out as well. Practice what you plan to eat. For distance beyond IM there is a lot of discussion that you should be eating normal food not gels and sports drinks. Here is the Deca IM menu http://www.enduroman...e_menu_2011.pdf and here are some musings on ultra distance eating (go down to the bottom) http://www.stevehayw.../1/4567808.html



Definitely something I'll be thinking about nearer the time



> 2 That training looks like it needs more volume in terms of cycling in my view. Some long slow rides.



I agree. Unfortunately the weather doesn't. Winter here lasts for around another month. And I mean snow and ice everywhere. So long distances on the road are out. I am getting what I can done on the static bike and getting out on my icebike. Unfortunately I can't set up my trainer in the house with a 14-month old around, and doing it in the barn is almost as cold as outside right now. So I am going to have to do the reverse of usual training practice which is work on power and speed and get longer distances in from late March onwards. 



> 3 Pool swim. Actually much harder. A wetsuit OW swim protects your skin from swelling, and gives you bouyancy. And much less dull....



I don't find the swimming dull (yet) - maybe because it's new. I will have to get a wetsuit if I do open water swimming, but my coach doesn't think it's necessary in the pool 



> 4 Agreed on the bricks. As a minimum go for a 10 minute run after every ride



Already read and noted. I am starting to combine almost everything now. And until now I have been cycling to the pool and back from work (which is a couple of km each way). Once teaching ends in April, I will have a little more time, and will probably run this instead.


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## Flying_Monkey (10 Mar 2011)

Well, a bit of an update (more on the blog of course): the other day, I managed to 100 lengths (2.5km) non-stop but controlled, endurance-oriented freestyle, including tumble-turns (which I was taught for the first time last week) in 1 hr 20. So I've gone from never have done any serious swimming to this in less than 4 weeks. Still a long way to go, but I am quite pleased. I am also up to 18km on my longer runs, and doing 10k in under 50 minutes for my faster runs. Cycling is still commuting only right now - and we have another snow storm tonight. 

Unfortunately now I have a terrible cold caught from my son.


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## darkstar (10 Mar 2011)

Great work Re the swimming, I bet a lot of that is down to you coach sorting out your technique.

Are you on a 2-beat kick when swimming freestyle, FM? If endurance is your aim, thats the goal you'll want to achieve, it's difficult to do well though, harder than it looks.


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## Flying_Monkey (10 Mar 2011)

darkstar said:


> Great work Re the swimming, I bet a lot of that is down to you coach sorting out your technique.
> 
> Are you on a 2-beat kick when swimming freestyle, FM? If endurance is your aim, thats the goal you'll want to achieve, it's difficult to do well though, harder than it looks.



The swimming improvement is _all _down to my coach. The kick is the next area for work. So far we've been deliberately ignoring that whilst I got the stroke, breathing and rolling right. Quite probably I am doing everything wrong in the kick!


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## rich87 (11 Mar 2011)

get out on the bike _before _the weather gets good - cycling through january/ february toughens you up for the rest of the year!


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## Flying_Monkey (12 Mar 2011)

rich87 said:


> get out on the bike _before _the weather gets good - cycling through january/ february toughens you up for the rest of the year!



Oh, I am cycling. And there is still a month of bad weather to go here, just somewhat less thick ice and snow from now on. I will definitely get out for a ride+run combination this weekend.


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## Flying_Monkey (31 Mar 2011)

Just an update: I actually won a 10k (running) road race on Sunday, but then discovered I almost certainly have a stress fracture in my foot. This just means I have to do more cycling and swimming because I can't run for 6 weeks or so. The roads are now entirely clear of snow and ice to I can get out on the bike a lot more, and n the pool, I am now up to 120 lengths (3km) non-stop freestyle, and can do 80 lengths (2km) in 45 minutes. 

So things are going pretty well - apart from the foot.


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## Ravenbait (1 Apr 2011)

Not that you're an over-achiever or anything.

Well done, FM. I'm proud of you.

And mildly envious.

Sam (Not that I'm feeling inadequate after almost a year out from injury at all, oh no.)


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## Flying_Monkey (1 Apr 2011)

Ravenbait said:


> Not that you're an over-achiever or anything.
> 
> Well done, FM. I'm proud of you.
> 
> ...



Thank-you! It means a lot coming from you.

The only bad thing is that this is not the first time I have had a stress fracture in my foot - I did it before a couple of years ago, different bone, but all the same I wonder whether I have fragile feet... it is probably down to the sheer amount of running I have been doing over the last few months compared to last year.

Time was 40.49 BTW - which I know would not trouble the front end of 10k later in the season and with more serious runners, but I don't care. I think I can run faster than this (or could if my foot wasn't broken!) - although of course that isn't my goal right now.


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## fimm (1 Apr 2011)

Flying_Monkey said:


> Just an update: I actually won a 10k (running) road race on Sunday, but then discovered I almost certainly have a stress fracture in my foot. This just means I have to do more cycling and swimming because I can't run for 6 weeks or so. The roads are now entirely clear of snow and ice to I can get out on the bike a lot more, and n the pool, I am now up to 120 lengths (3km) non-stop freestyle, and can do 80 lengths (2km) in 45 minutes.
> 
> So things are going pretty well - apart from the foot.



Well done on the 10k, and there's some impressive swimming going on there too, but what a shame about your foot! At least the weather is improving and you can get out on your bike.


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## Flying_Monkey (4 Jun 2011)

Well, the foot's healed completely(I'm running another race this Sunday), the cycling is all going well, and I can swim for two hours non-stop with no problems. 

Just as well, because we are now counting down to the main event! http://www.tritillyoucry.ca


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## Flying_Monkey (6 Jun 2011)

8km in 32.23 - I came 24th out of 512. Pretty good considering this was too short a distance for me.


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