Total distance for May

96.03km on the Nike+, which fiddled me out of about 3/4 of a km. Still not a 100 km month unless I get out tomorrow morning (unlikely)!


Apologies for brevity - posted from my iPhone

Windy Whitehills

A windy but mostly sunny day at Whitehills, going left first. Total 6.8km (Nike + reckoned 6.72, but I'm going with the Garmin), in 38'48" making pave 5'42"/km. Pace felt slower with tired legs after yesterday.

Enjoyed using the Garmin though, which worked well.

Total distance for May: 94.03 according to the Nike+ with a missing 0.68 (if I remember right).

So I need to run just over 5 tomorrow and Tuesday to get over 100km for May. Triathlon club training tomorrow night (and gym session) should make that possible.

Knee feels good too.

Knockburn initiation

Went to Knockburn for a swim and cycle exploration:

The loch was very cold, and it took around 10 minutes before I could breathe reasonably normally in front crawl. By the second lap, things were ok, but navigation is a challenge. I tend to pull to the left (stronger right arm).

I estimate 1300m swimming in 35'50" (of which the first 10 minutes covered maybe 300m). So the 30 minute target may be a stretch, and I felt really light-headed when I got out.

Following that, it was onto the bike for a lap of the bike course. According to the Garmin,18.11km in 44'06" giving an average pace of 24.6km/hr - well under the target of 28 I've got in mind for the race. The bike course was ok - the first leg of the triangle is roughly flat, but into a strong wind, the second is more level than you expect, although it's nice when the phone box appears, and the third leg is mostly downhill and fun.

Out of and into Knockburn from the bike course is mostly levelish.

Just to finish off, 1.7km, at an average speed of 5'35" per km just to shake the legs out.

New toy

Finally the Garmin has arrived. Calibrating my 5.62km around the Rickety Bridge loop (in just under 30 minutes at a pace of 5'14" which wasn't bad for a stretching out run after a tough gym session yesterday).

Made it 20km this week.

Nice tempo run

Only time for a quick one in the gym. 5.0 km in 24'50 = 4'58"/km. Started at 11.5km/hr, increasing by 0.1km/hr per minute, plateauing at 12.2 km/hr.

Felt good, although heart rate started at 150ish, and ended in high 160s. Distance so far this week: 15km

Aggregate distance at 40% of the way through the year - 488.81 plus about 1.4 missing from Nike + (if I remember correctly). Easily on track for 1,000 km in year - even with a month or two off!

Olympic distance sorted - in 32 hours

Did a 10km at the gym, onthe treadmill, and 10.7, then 11 and last km at 12 km/hr. Total time 55'31"

Diddled out of 680m by the Nike+ though. Felt great, despite yesterday's 40km on the bike and 1500m swim.

Stretch, run and swim

A bit of stretching, and then 2.27km at 5'25"per km, making the total for the week 21.1km. Phew, made it.

and then 1500m swimming, first 500m in 11'09.3", second 1,000m in 20'39.9". Stroke count 18-21, easier than last week at Inverurie

Alford Cycle Sportive

40km (or slightly more), in 1'47"32" - average speed 2'41/km = 22.4 km/hr (although there was a certain languidity, and waiting for Mike Comerford which probably cost a few minutes.

Windy too - I hate having to pedal down hill!

Gym session

1.03 km warmup at a little faster than 6'/km. Then lots of fast leg work, steps, squats, jumps etc

Two runs on a sunny evening

5.01 km at better than 5'/km and I finished uphill of where I started. Average pace 4'51"/km, based on Nike + without GPS signal. Felt really strong up the hill to Pitmunie/Brankinentum.

Then a sprint up and down the hill back home. 2.52km at 4'42"/km. Uphill first 1km was 4'40, downhill around 4'20", but couldn't hold the average 4'30 on the flat.

Back to the gym (3)

For the first time in a month, I was back in the gym with Lyn. The core's held up well (gymball planks anyone), and a new running speedwork treat.

1.85km in 1 minute chunks at 6.5, 13, 6.5, 14, 6.5, 15, 6.5, 16, 6.5, 16.5, 6.5, 17 km/hr. Brutal but nearly made the last one!

Also a 1.02 km warm down, lumping along.

And then in the evening, 1,850m swimming almost all front crawl, with some occasional three-breathing. Now digesting swimming pool water

Rainy Whitehills

7.38km at 5'54"/kkm (including the first 500m walked, and a couple of dog stops).

Felt ok, although need to watch left knee

Bike ride - windy and a bit rainy at times

33.32km on the bike, in 1hr 17'53" - 2'20" per km - a pace of 25.67km/hr - which is quite pleasing as it was windy and didn't feel very fast.

1km "briquette" run to finish - which was horrible (but not pushing hard).

Personal best swim

In a wetsuit in the pool (very hot) - but 1,500m in 29'25", a PB by a minute or more. And two km to wind down, 1.08 at 5'37", 1.0 at 4'10" - fast too!

Morning jog

4.19 km at 5'29"/km down to the rickety bridge and back. A lovely sunny morning, but slightly heavy legs after Sunday (7km), Monday (8 km, with intervals) and Pilates on Tuesday.

Interval training

8.4 km in total, with 2.2 to warm up and 2.2 to warm down, with 4 by 1km intervals in the middle. All of the intervals were better than 5', and three were 4'34:, 4'34" and 4'30 (my current speed target)

Almost forgot - 1800m of swimming afterwards (easy night!)

Turriff aquathlon

The Turriff sprint triathlon was due to happen today, but the lashing rain meant that the bike leg was binned. So it was a 760m swim, and a 6km run (in cold, wet and windy conditions). My first aquathlon!

The swim time (including the transition to run) was 17'08" (of which at least 2 minutes were getting out of the pool, pulling on clammy running gear and getting to the official start of the run. So the swim looks to have been 15 minutes or better.

The run was timed at 29'11" and officially about 6 km from the timing mats (although the Nike+ thought around 5.34km and 31'. So the pace was somewhere around the 6 minute mark, probably. I'm taking the official race distance as gospel! A bit slow, although the last km was a ripper, as I suddenly felt strong and was breathing well.

HRM around 170 throughout the run.

Last run before Turiff tri

4.01km in 21'22" at 5'19"/km, although the splits sounded faster on the Nike +

Swimming wrist check

Looks like the wrist is ok. At least 1km, no pain.

Stroke count wasn't as good as I'd like though.

Sort of interval training

A slow 1.01 km to Pitfichie cross to warm up (5'11"/km). Then a fast 1.01 km back again (4'24"). Then 3.56km down to the Rickety Bridge and back at 5'10"/km.

Freshwater Bay

A very slow run to Tennyson's Monument, and back to the base of the hill with Judith. Total distance 9.18km at a pace of 7'29"/km (!). Quite a lot of stopping.

And then another from Freshwater Bay to Yarmouth along the railway path - 4.69km at a pace of 5'44"/km and a total distance for the day of 13.88km