Soaring with the Eagles.

Another crazy week gone by in a flash. The weather has been trying to play havoc with our work and training over the last few days. It has been a mix of sunshine, heavy storms and humidity. I have been drenched more times than I can remember this week either by the rain or by sweat!

As we approach our race in August we are now in race prep phase so a bit more speed in the sessions. I have never really looked forward to long bike rides so today we mixed it up a bit. We left the house at 7.00am and rode for 2 hours before meeting with the Newmarket Eagles (with whom I have been a member since April and not yet ridden with!). The Eagles hold regular Time Trials over various distances and today was a 40km 2 up Time Trial. For whatever reason we were given starting position 19 out of 22 so as well as a long wait to get going we only had quadtastic fast guys and national champions starting behind us.
We had ridden the course in advance and worked out who was taking the lead in the key sections. Basically I sit on the front on the fast flat sections and into the wind and I then hang on for dear life as Genevieve springs up the climbs like a gazelle. I am Ritchie Porte, she is the Froome Dawg.
After a heavy training week and a 2 hour warm up we rode as hard as we could and apart from arguing in the first 15 secs (she was riding next to me shouting Go Faster!! and i was shouting I've only just started!!) and crossing the finish line much sooner than we thought (despite riding the course!) we had a great ride. 1hr 03 mins for 40km averaging 36.6kph. First mixed team and we think about 6 or 7th overall. 
After the race we rode for another 75 mins then went for the hottest hours run I think I have ever done - like running whilst breathing in the air from a hot oven! Did not see any other runners out there maybe for a reason.
Straight into an ice cold bath and think about another swim, bike, run day tomorrow. This finishes off our heaviest training week yet with only 3 more big weeks to go before the race. 

Hanging in there!!

Tomorrow (Sunday) we have some more nerve racking online tracking as more Club members and friends in the Uk take on the Outlaw - an Ironman distance race in Nottingham. Looks like it could be a hot one by Uk standards.Good luck Mr President Mark, John, Brian and Scott.

Last week I mentioned about Gavin and Lorna completing IM Austria.

Gavin's race report is here - a catalogue of potential race wrecking disasters that they managed to come through and finish in style!! http://drgironman.blogspot.ca/2013/07/mission-accomplished.html


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Ironman - Supporting & Training

Hi everyone, hope you have all had a GREAT couple of weeks. We have had a hugely busy time commencing the weekend before last with 4 days of fun up in Quebec supporting at the Ironman Mont Tremblant 70.3.
This was a dual purpose trip and as well as watching some great performances in the race we were on a fact finding mission to check out the area and the race course in advance of our Ironman in the same place in August.
What we now know is that Tremblant is a beautiful venue and a challenging course for an IM. The people are so welcoming and fully embrace these huge events that roll in and take over their town and area.

We had a couple of swims in Lac Tremblant and very nice it was too. Very still and clean, easy to enter and exit and one big loop so no need to get out half way through.
The bike route is pretty tough. Not many flat sections and is basically 2 out and backs which are completed twice. Some long steady climbs and descents and some more challenging climbs and fast descents. A cracking Half Ironman course but I can see how the second loop for the Ironman can really sap your legs for the run.
We ran all of the marathon route over two runs. Again it is 2 laps for the IM and is a mix of hillier road section and flat trail. We ran the trail section when it was humid and still and whilst the running was pretty easy, in the trees it was very still and hot. There will not be many spectators on this trail section and it will require a good bit of mental control to keep it going through here, especially on the second loop.The finish line is the best one I have ever seen - running down the length of the resort which is narrow with hundreds of screaming supporters lining it. I can't wait for that bit!!

We have a number of members of the Scottish Athelite Tri Club taking on Ironman distance events over the next few weeks. This weekend it was the chance of Gavin and Lorna who were taking on their first Ironman at Austria. So nerve racking to watch both in the run up and in the event but they both did so well.

We are now only 7 weeks out from our own event. Any hopes of completing a half Ironman in advance have gone so we will be starting the race having not competed since 2011. Hopefully memories will get us through but training is still going pretty well.
Yesterday was a mega Swim, Bike, Run training day and the day became more hot & humid as it progressed. This is what I looked and felt like at the end of it...

Only 4 big weeks of training remain so just got to keep it going a little bit longer!!