Tour de France and a long run.

Today was the first day of Le Tour de France and what a first stage it was. It perfectly fit the chaotic history of the island of Corsica with a chaotic last 20mins of racing. 

The day began with a lot more calm, heading out of the hotel in Syracuse to perfect running weather. Cloudy and 70F. Doesn't get much better than that. A lot more prepared for this run. Fuel belt securely attached and fuel on board. This all combined to result in a really good feeling throughout the 9 miles I put on the clock today. My hip and ankle are still a little irritable. Laid off running all week and although I was aware of the two irritants, like a person staring out you in a crowd, I ran on without too much restriction, maintaining my Maffetone inspired heart rate.  Yet again I was rewarded for heading out before most. The roads were quiet and I was fortunate to stumble across a deer venturing out in to the solitude of the early morning neighborhoods. Finished it all off with a warm cup of joe from Starbucks (other coffee establishments are available :)) and an unparalleled finish to the first stage of the Tour. A good morning all in all. 

Now the recovery week awaits which is always welcoming sight. Should give the hip and ankle ample opportunity for recovery. The roller will be my best friend!

Good luck to us all!

My new pint glasses from Hammer. For the beer type of recovery!

First week over

The first week of Iron distance training is over and I am left with a very sore hip.

The majority of the week went well. Managed to get a good swim in and a good, if not hot, bike with my roadie friends. Then came my long run yesterday in Indianapolis. It was very hot and I failed to have the fuel available and was left with only water for my 9mile run. That was a mistake on my part and I was left suffering for the last 30mins of the run.

My hip did not hurt at the time, but post run, I began to really feel it. Being a self professed "follower" of the Maffetone method (made famous by Dr Philip Maffetone) I knew full well that this injury had not occurred during the run. In fact, had probably happened earlier in the week, if not before, and had only surfaced during the long run. Just enough fatigue to let me know it had a problem. 

Now, I am faced with a psychological battle. A battle that many endurance athletes face and fail at. The battle not to run or bike and lay off those two disciplines for at least a few days and see if it recovers. The emphasis this week, at least in the beginning will have to be on recovery and strength. Time for a visit to the gym or the hotel room workout. Lots of rolling and some good yoga, should facilitate some good recovery and, hopefully, allow my hip to right itself. The truly hard part comes when the hip begins to feel better, to suppress the temptation to head straight back out the door.

A positive to take away, is knowing that this has happened early enough that it shouldn't have an impact on Challenge Henley in September and as long as I win the battle not to train, I will be ok.

I'm off to a good roll!

Good luck to us all!

Challenge Henley begins!

 It's been a busy June so far. Completed Kansas Ironman 70.3 (bloody branding. Simply out, half ironman) in early June. Overall, it was a good performance race for me. Had one of my better bike performances, although there remains a lot of room for improvement! The most enjoyable part of the race, began when my tire exploded. Fortunately, I was going uphill at the time, at slow speed, so aside from the 'bang', it was quite a subdued event. It was quite calming in fact. I was quite tight at the time and in one loud bang, all the tension released with the realization that I was no longer racing, simply hoping just to finish.

 Once the outstanding support crew fixed me up with a nice new tire (not just an inner tube fix) I was on my way. It was enjoyable to be cruising along, in somewhat a sadistic way, and actually passing people. Normally, this is a rare occurrence for me. I will swim well and then proceed to bike for the next 3 hours with everyone insisting on passing me. Now the tables were turned, admittedly because I was at the back of the pack with all the new triathletes. However, I was actually beginning to enjoy the event, instead of just thrashing through it. This may be obvious to others who experience this every time they race on a bike, but it was a rare find for my bike leg. A feeling not to be forgotten.

 Once the race took us back to the park from which we began, the crowds became thicker and louder and the rest of the run was a blast. Despite the distinctly slow finishing time, I was really pleased with the experience I gained from the race.

 With a week off, I began Challenge Henley (a full Iron Distance race) training today. Hopped in the hotel pool early this morning, tethered myself to the steps and swam for an hour. A great way to turn the tiny hotel pool in to a reasonable workout. Downside is the tendency for nausea, swimming in e same spot with waves crashing back against you from the wall. The plus results from the same experience, giving you a small look in to the open water element of chop.

 It was a nice feeling to begin the training leading to the next major race. However, there was definitely some suffering experienced in Kansas at the half iron distance and it is difficult to escape the foreboding feeling of the suffer fest that the full distance will bring. "Welcome pain, I've been expecting you!"

 Good luck to us all!