Tuesday, 19 August 2008

Conquering K2



No not that K2. The K2 sports centre in Crawley.

Here is a new post. Not only does it take James' hairy belly button and bulging shorts off the front page after two months but it also brings news of more triathlons for the team.

To round off the season some of the locally based Optician Ironman team members are going to take part in the Crawley late Summer triathlon on September 21st. We will again be flying the flag for Vision Aid Overseas but more importantly having a nice end to a long summer of competition.

Last year after the Monaco Ironman 70.3 I did this event and really enjoyed it. A novel feeling when it comes to traithlons. If you are in the area why not come along.

Monday, 7 July 2008

James' journey



Well the big day came round all to quickly. Having worked round a dodgy hamstring for the 8 weeks before the race I was glad to be able to just get on with it.

The last minute checks done it was lovely to get in the water, far warmer than the air temperature, enough to give a soft misty look to the lake so much so that the 10 foot by 3 foot yellow buoys were hard to pick out at times! Swim over it was on to the main event the bike !

As has been said many times its hilly, just as well we had all visited the route before. I felt fairly comfortable on the climb away from the lake which was disconcerting and on the first downhill I found out why; it was cold, very cold, I really sympathised with those that chose to wear just a singlet. First lap felt OK , second lap the hills had lost any of their novelty value but I kept a good rhythm. Into transition in about 3hr 10 so happy camper. Not ridiculously tired and ready to run.

Had a brief word with Fiona as she wizzed past me in the transition tent then the run…..

Left transition and the hamstring started twitching and by the first big down hill it was obvious that I would have to stop or completely shred the muscle so for a change I took the sensible option and stopped.
The only positive was being able to support the rest of the team out on the course especially Fiona’s finish! Everyone worked increadibly hard over the whole day Lyndon scuppered by a puncture, Emma thwarted be a very harsh time limit, Fiona, Chris and Andy battling through and Rob with what can only be described and awesome result. Very happy and proud to have been part of the Team!!

Tuesday, 1 July 2008

Lyndon's log


The swim went about as well as I could have hoped. This first 5 minutes were horrible and seemed to last for what seemed like hours. With hindsight I guess nothing can prepare you for your first open water mass start on that scale. Once I was through the fog and found a bit more personal space I managed to get into a rhythm and with the adrenalin pumping I suddenly found myself at the first turn. I put my head down and finally emerged after about 37 minutes. My old friend adrenalin got me up the hill to T1 where I promptly fell over trying to remove my wetsuit. Out onto the bike course. The first few miles were spent recovering from the swim. I was starting to feel pretty strong when a puncture to my rear tyre ended my race after about 15 miles.

I was very disappointed but learnt a valuable lesson. Looking back I was really pleased with my swim and it has given me confidence for the next event (I have to do another one now!).


Monday, 30 June 2008

Andy's Day




My race went pretty much as planned. The swim was 'an experience' to say the least; 900 swimmers thrashing off into the fog must have been some sight!
I've never been in such a mass start before and i can see why they call it the ' washing machine'. It was such a s@@t fight where i was that i actually got the hysterical giggles at one point!. I got calf cramps in the last 10mins; that's pretty normal for my Oly OW swims because i'm a leg dragger so i just have to ignore it and it goes away eventually. I followed James out of T1 (dont think he saw me; i certainly didn't see him again until he appeared at the side of the run course!)

I had hoped that the bike was overrated (hill wise), unfortunately i was disappointed, however the fast flat bits more than made up for the grinding hills after wilsons farm. I especially liked the fast descent with the 'no overtaking' section; gained lots of places there (i'm a bit of a crash test dummy on the bike!). Went a bit mad on the gels (never could resist anything free) and actually thought that i was going to see them all again at one point!

The run was a bit more of a slog than i would have liked; The hills were a lot less severe than i'm used to and i hadn't intended to speed walk them but quad cramps meant that i didn't dare push too much, so i just paced it to get under my 7h target. I accidentally left T2 with my cycle top still on, over my tri top but managed to offload it after the first lap.

Friday, 27 June 2008

Emma's story



One of the first things that strikes me at BIG events like this is the preparation and planning. The Saturday Racking and Expo got to me in a way that made me both really excited AND really nervous. And then on race day it's the little things that make the difference - the commentator telling us all to make sure the chip is on our left leg so if the velcro comes loose it won't get caught in your chain - I'd NEVER have thought of that! Then chatting to everyone on the way down to the lake. SWIM: Wonderful. Perfect - could quite happily have done another two laps of that instead of the bike! The water was cool, but only until the layer under my wetsuit warmed it up and the only mild panic I had was when I looked up to realise I was veering off to the right a bit, but the mist had come down so it looked really eerie. Got myself back on course then followed everyone else since I had nothing to 'sight' on. It was great as it meant I kept my head down and swum without having to look up! T1 - saw Fiona but didn't have the lungs to get her attention, but then I was stripped of my wetsuit by a lovely lady who then went through my bag helping me dress! Realised I'd left my gloves in my helmet in the cottage....... still got on the bike and wobbled over the mount line into a patch of stinging nettles. The stings only started annoying me on Monday! BIKE.: UGH!!!! I knew what was in store, and took it easy up the hill, then hit that first short sharp one and thought "what on EARTH am I doing?". But just kept the gears low to start with and did what I could. Everyone went past me, but I tried to switch off to them and ride my own ride. Walked up the big hills (wilsons farm & the 14%-er) with #355 - a lovely girl called Lisa - then heard the cheering at the top of Haddon Hill, where I knew my family were going to be. Saw the banner and got out of the saddle to get to the top, then had a little emotional cry! That was when the hail struck. 2nd lap was tougher but I thought I was doing OK. then just after the 14%-er I realised I'd ruined the left cleat on my shoe on the tarmac - it wouldn't clip in for the rest of the lap which made standing up impossible. Then just after the causeway my chain came off at the bottom of the hill. I charged down to the dismount line, saw the marshals and realised I'd missed it. They told me it was by 5 mins. I was absolutely gutted. Ultimately I still did a LOT more than most other people in my address book would even attempt, so I have to be proud of that! Final thoughts: Its been emotional......! What's next? Well, I'm off to the gym now - London Oly tri in 5 1/2 weeks so started speedwork training & WeightWatchers again! Will let you know how I get on. I'll do the distance again, but not one that hilly, so it hasn't scared me off for good. I'll come and support next year!

Thursday, 26 June 2008

Rob romps home





Our most successful team member was Rob Dunford. He came in third in his age group and in the top 50 finishers overall. He's his story:






Well the swim was pretty normal - no space, everyone climbing over everyone. I just remember initially not being able to see the buoys because of the mist then later being unable to see the buoys because the sun was so bright I couldn't see through the mist in my goggles. It just seemed such a contrast.



Anyway finished the swim then the run to T1. As I ran up the slope I saw Jo and the girls so gave them a wave then immediately stubbed my toe and fell flat on my face. Picked myself up and continued to T1. As I put my socks on (I like a bit of comfort) I noticed my right big toe was bleeding and the nail had lifted so pushed the nail back and onto the bike. My feet were so cold on the bike I had no feeling in them. It was useful knowing the course from the training weekend. As I finished the bike I was feeling good and was looking forward to a good run - normally the strongest leg for me.



The run course was hilly and largely off road - just like running over the Cornish cliff paths. After about the first mile or so my feet began to warm up and feelings returned. I suddenley realised that I did in fact have quite a sore right foot. Initially I wasn't sure if I would be able to continue running and it looked like it could be a long, slow walk to the finish. I managed to adjust my running style to reduce the discomfort. I seemed to manage ok until the final lap when the results of my different running style were beginning to tell. My ankle, knee and the outside of my right foot were beginning to feel the strain so it was good to see the finish line. So I think what I have learned from this is if you stub your toe it's probably best not to cycle 56 miles and run a 1/2 marathon. I think overall it was a good day and I'm sorry I was unable to see everyone at the end although I heard the announcement as the rest of the team finished. I have enjoyed the experiences, the training, meeting the team, seeing how generous some people can be with their donations and feeling that the race was not just for my benefit but to hopefully help a lot of others.





race report, use what ever you need from it. Well the swim was pretty normal - no space, everyone climbing over everyone. I just remember initially not being able to see the buoys because of the mist then later being unable to see the buoys because the sun was so bright I couldn't see through the mist in my goggles. It just seemed such a contrast.Anyway finished the swim then the run to T1. As I ran up the slope I saw Jo and the girls so gave them a wave then immediately stubbed my toe and fell flat on my face. Picked myself up and continued to T1. As I put my socks on (I like a bit of comfort) I noticed my R big toe was bleeding and the nail had lifted so pushed the nail back and onto the bike. My feet were so cold on the bike I had no feeling in them. It was useful knowing the course from the training weekend. As I finished the bike I was feeling good and was looking forward to a good run - normally the strongest leg for me. The run course was hilly and largely off road - just like running over the Cornish cliff paths. After about the first mile or so my feet began to warm up and feelings returned. I suddenley realised that I did in fact have quite a sore right foot. Initially I wasn't sure if I would be able to continue running and it looked like it could be a long, slow walk to the finish. I managed to adjust my running style to reduce the discomfort. I seemed to manage ok until the final lap when the results of my different running style were beginning to tell. My ankle, knee and the outside of my right foot were beginning to feel the strain so it was good to see the finish line. So I think what I have learned from this is if you stub your toe it's probably best not to cycle 56 miles and run a 1/2 marathon. I think overall it was a good day and I'm sorry I was unable to see everyone at the end although I heard the announcement as the rest of the team finished. I have enjoyed the experiences, the training, meeting the team, seeing how generous some people can be with their donations and feeling that the race was not just for my benefit but to hopefully help a lot of others. Thanks once again for your invitation to join the team. Hope you had a good restful week with the kids! Cheers,Rob



To see Rob's toe go to separate post. NB. It's not nice.














Tuesday, 24 June 2008

Fiona's race


I was still tired and jet lagged from Vancouver with sore legs so was a bit worried the day before the race.

On the day itself the swim, after Vancouver, was like getting in the bath! – apart from the initial fight.

Uphill to T1 – not nice

Bike – wish I put a jacket on – absolutely freezing for most of the race goose bumps, couldn’t feel arms /hands or feet. Had a battle through the bike with a group of approx 2 girls. in the last 5-8k early signs of cramping so I had to make a decision to slow down/spin or be scuppered for the run – the other chick got away then!

T2 very quick as I couldn’t wait to get running to warm the feet.

Run -- The 1st half of lap 1 was not nice on the legs at all, the quads and hamstring screaming especially with the first hill. Thought I was never going to make the 13.1m (friends/family etc yelling was truely a reason to contiune). Had a 2nd wind for 2nd lap and the third lap was completely mind over matter with the hills it mean't frog marching. (esp after 52 hills in 56miles on the bike).

The support of friends and families was second to none again and thanks soo much. Well done everyone and look forward the OPTICIAN relay next year…….. Whats it called again Emma?……….have you told chris about it? Count me in x
PS Rob u look like Arny in the 70.3 photo gallery but will u be back?

Monday, 23 June 2008

Me first

With the spectre of a school trip ( on the Monday) I always wanted to finish in good shape. Most of me, little right toe aside, did.

I had a fun race. The swim was very Camelot with mist on the water. Quite busy and chilly but fun nonetheless. Finding the right line in the mist was interesting so I just made sure I had people to the right and left ogf me.

My T1 was tough with numb fingers fumbling with all the catches and straps. I almost walked off with someone else's number and helmet -- he wasn't amused.

The first circuit of the bike was great and much easier than I remembered. Unfortunaltely the rain arrived for lap two and things got a little chilly. I felt strong on the bike and had put on a second jersey so I was still happy and glad of the uphills to warm me up. In retriospect I wished I had pushed harder as I had plenty left in the tank for the run.
I wasn't looking forward to the run but with the crowds cheering us on it wasn't too bad. My major problem was, once again my feet, but they felt good. I kept things easy and enjoyed ( almost) the run. Rob passed me early on and I also spent a lot of time near Fiona and Andrew not realising he was on a different lap. I finished in a respectable 6hr 19.

The real result for me was finishing in such good shape. I can honestly say I didn't have an ache, pain or stiff muscle following the race. The only casualy was one toe.

On Sunday afternoon I drove the family home to Surrey and then on Monday morning headed off to Dorset with 60 11 year olds. As I was the official lifeguard for the week I took the wetsuit ( number still attached) and relived the glory while floating in the Swanage sunshine.

Let's do it again!

All present and correct

Sorry for the delay folks but I've been away. The Optician team took part in the UK 70.3 on the 15th. Unfortunately three didn't finish but all tried their best and a great day was had by all. A full report will follow in Optician but for the web I will upload everyone's day in their own words.







Wednesday, 11 June 2008

The cruel sea

Hey everyone - i'm alive !! - i have to say, although it may sound very dramatic, i really did think i was going to die during the swim section of the w champs!

I'm not sure how much has been filtered back to the uk but the sea was choppy/cold (its thought 10.5deg at times!) and even the canoeists and rescue boats were struggling! Infact rumour has it that whilst someone was being rescued for hypothermia they were actually knocked out by the boating 'bobbing' in the waves!!?? My wave (35-39) was the penultimate wave before the TRI athlon was transformed to a DU athlon...... so the older ladies and all the men competing in olympic distance were changed to a duathlon (3k 40k 10k).........the reaction to this was astounding and many age groupers threw their teddies ...... the winers are not tri winners nor duathlon winner ................the controversy is phenominal and it has already caused a stir and posted on many websites, i believe it will continue for sometime! Anyway, i actually wish it was a duathlon as my swimming isn't the best (infact it very much sorted the men from the boys as it were), i couldn't even see the rescue boats (due to huge waves), i couldn't see the buoys very often and i couldn't even see any one else in my wave around me! i was petrified, even if i turned on my back to raise my hand, noone would have seen. This left me with two choices - 'do or die'! So my race began in t1 (cause i did finally get there although it took so long i'm sure i was bordering hypo 'T'!) relieved to be on land but trying to function was very difficult from loosing balance, not being able to undo the wet suit to fumbling with the helmet strap. I ended up putting on a cyling jacket as people were shouting that some cyclists had been rescued onthe bike due to the temps! The cycle was fantastic - around prospect park 4 times, i had so much frustration and pent up energy to channel - i felt like i was going at 100m/hr, i was brave and took corners strong and fought the repetitive hill with agression. By the time i came to the run i was feeling good and started off far too hard and then i had cramps in both the front and backs of my legs within the first 1-2km! the whole of the 10k was spent in pain, in and out of cramp, i was so relieved to have fininshed the race - it seems i made up aprox 10 places from the swim to the finish and although the results say i was 60th in my age i think some people missed out laps on the run and so i think i was 58th (tbc). Our age group started with 83 i think it dwindled quite quickly though. (disappointed with my time of 2.31 but under the circumstances and against some true top class chicks i feel very pleased, i guess that it does mean 58th in the world! (in my age group!) ..........i have to say chris at least i didn't have a puncture or a blow out! Although saturday night we had blow as described by rob - champagne n wine, i was positively quite sick on sunday!

Monday, 9 June 2008

Tyred and emotional

This is beginning to freak me out.
After the blowout on Thursday I bought new tyres and tubes. I fitted them on Saturday and on Sunday went out for 3 hr hill-fest. No problems.
This morning I decided to cycle to work in the new cycling shorts ( the top is a little brief for commuting).

When I got to work I noticed that my front tyre was soft again. Not so much of a bang as a whimper.

Thursday, 5 June 2008

Bang!

Not very exciting to look at I know but it didn't half make a noise when it went.
Since Fiona has dubded me the puncture king I have to come clean on this one.
I had a blowout this morning. A full force tyre sidewall cracker.
I blame it on the new track pump I bought on Monday. My Lidl £4.99 special gave up the ghost after Florida ( I must have used it at least 6 times) so I decided to buy a decent one.
Whacked the tyres upto 110psi this morning and off I set. About a mile down the road I noticed a bit of lumpiness in the ride, then, bang.
I had to call Mrs Optician Editor and plead for a rescue.
So this lunch time it was yet another trip to the bike shop. Treated myself to a new set of tyres, and, Fiona you'll be glad to hear this, some new tubes. I explained to the bloke in the bike shop that I still mend punctures and he couldn't believe it. In fact he thought at those pressures a patch may even cause a blowout.
So much for frugality.

Wednesday, 4 June 2008

Don't forget your wetsuit

There I was with all my kit, in the rain at the Guildford Lido. Put on my cycling shorts, HR belt and cycle top to get a feel for what swimming with all that lot on would be like with a wetsuit......aahh wetsuit.
That's hanging up at home in the bedroom. What a plonker.
Decided to press on without a wetsuit. After 2km I was freezing. I won't forget it again.

Wednesday, 28 May 2008

WARNING; THIS POST IS NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED!


This came up on mondaynight, think i've been a bit careless about drying my feet after showers+ various other risk factors; swimming in salford quays, training in shoes without socks, walking round the house and garden with no shoes on, etc etc. The nails are from a previous insult (see the Edale Skyline report), the second toenail fell off and the big toenail had to be trimmed back severely when it started separating from the nail bed, as stuff was getting stuck underneath.


i think it's just a fungal infection (athletes foot) so i'm treating it as that, also taking erythromycin until i can get to doctors tomorrow for him to have a look at it. My Dr is very familiar with my self inflicted injuries; he saw me after i got knocked off the bike last year!


I'm pretty sure that it'll be sorted by HIMUK. It's pretty itchy but the key problem is that the swollen toe doesn't fit in shoes very well, so running is difficult. I'm booked in for the first of a series of thursday evening aquathlons at salford tomorrow; i probably shouldn't go, but i'm tempted to do the swim and then see how the run goes.
Posted by; Andy Armstrong

Friday, 23 May 2008

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?


Stumbled across this on the net. I must take this Ironman business more seriously but when I saw a photographer I couldn't resist. This was around the 80Km mark.

Wednesday, 21 May 2008

Feelin' hot, hot, hot


The Ford Ironman Florida 70.3 was certainly an experience. I was expecting tough weather but nothing could prepare me for what we actually got.
The day before the race we set up the bikes, five minutes down the road one of my inner tubes gave out, perished around the valve -- probably the heat. I changed it for one of my ( repaired) ones. The following day I did buy a new tube but didn't get around to changing it over for the race, I just put it in my emergency kit.
The race was very much old school with the bikes and the kit all laid out on a grassy area: Bike hooked onto a rack, kit laid out on a towel underneath. This meant most of the prep was on the race morning. A bit unexpected but pretty laid back. On the morning itself with 2,000 people all trying to get from the car park to the transition area there was little time for hanging around. It was then down to the lake for a rendition of the star spangled banner and the wave start swim.

Despite Florida being in the middle of a drought the morning was overcast and cloudy, still hot, very close and humid though.

I set off at an easy pace pace for the single loop, no-wetsuit swim and ran into my first problem. I had checked the fit of my Aqua Sphere goggles but on race morning, fearful of the hot weather, I had been a bit too liberal with sun cream around my eyes. From the off the goggles were slipping around and letting the water in. This sent me off course and meant I was constantly stopping to re adjust. At one point one of the marshals shouted at me and I looked up to see I was heading off at right angles to the rest of the field. About half way through the cream seemed to wear off and I got into my stride.

I had been apprehensive about a non-stop, not wetsuit swim but I needn't have worried. It was quite enjoyable even if there were alligators in the water.


T1 was painless, if a little too long and I was glad to get on the bike. The quality of bikes on show in Florida was astounding. Carbon disc wheels and extreme tribars were almost universal and many of the riders were wearing full-face aero helmets with the long pointy bit at the back. Once out on the course I could see why.

The roads were pancake flat and smooth as a baby's bum. There were some big gears being ground out and the riders were head down and going for it. I held my own pretty well and took on lots of fuel and water to ward off dehydration.

I took particular delight in overtaking some of the weaker techno-cyclists while riding no-handed peeling a banana or opening a gel, often to the cries of "Whoa, way da go man, old school" -- cheeky sods.

Shortly into the ride though it started to drizzle, as it increased I found it cooling and the going easier. At the first aid station I noticed my next error, I hadn't reset my cycle computer so I couldn't anticipate the aid stations or gauge my pace accurately, the rain had also stopped my Garmin from working so I was cycling 'blind to distance' completely. But next came my lucky break. It started to absolutely pour down with rain and the wind got up.

It was like someone had turned on the afterburners and from that point on I started to overtake bikes at a pretty steady rate. Not having studied the course meant I did ease off far too soon as we approached the Disney property transition and the approach in seemed to last forever.

As we approached T2 the cloud cleared and the sun came out. T2 proved a shock for lots of riders. A couple of inches of rain in your trainers and socks is not good.

From the moment the run started I knew I was in no ordinary race. The heat soared and mixed with the wet ground it was like running in a sauna. The heat immediately sapped my strength. In T2 I was feeling great but within a couple of kilometres I had changed my gameplan from a first lap at 5min/km, 2nd at 6 and third at 5 to just dig in and finish.

At the start of the three-lap run I spotted the Transitions Optical guys behind me and assumed I would quickly be overtaken but that didn't happen. By lap 2 I could see a lot of people were in trouble and I just grabbed the ice and water at the mainy aid points and dug in.

Another unexpected problem was nutrition. I normally have a cast iron constitution but found the Gatorade and powerbars on offer totally undigestible. I did take a couple which just made me feel sick so I decided I would just grab a half banana or two and stick to water.

By the middle of the second lap I seriously wondered if I would be able to finish the race. I was determined not to walk so kept my pace down at 5 minute Ks and kept a hat full of ice. The course was littered with dazzed looking competitors standing in the shade looking at the sky and others jogging at less than walking pace on very wobbly legs.

I noticed that while I thrived on the grass covered sections, where my pace rose slightly, my feet suffered on the roads. On the grass other competitors were the opposite, picking their way through the tufts of grass, ruts and sand and looking out for snakes.

On the roads they speeded up. On one these road sections I passed a ex-serviceman adjusting his artificial leg and I could see his stump was bleeding. A size zero blonde ran by and shouted "Way to go man, you're an inspiration." I remember thinking at the time how cheesy it sounded but in restrospect it did prove an inspiration because it made re-assess the seriousness of a couple of sore toes and a feeling of being too hot. I decided that I would finish, if slower than planned.

I finally crossed the line in 5hr 56mins and 16secs beating the sub-six hour deadline I had set myself and much better than my 6 19 in the Monaco 70.3. I checked my other stats. The swim was a disappointing 42.57 the bike and equally disappointing 2.46.43 but the run a good (for me) 2.15.25. T1 was 7.14 and T2 3.59.

I had wanted to get under 6 hours so achieved my goal despite the conditions. But on finishing the race I felt pretty dejected and, to be honest, a bit of a failure. I can only put it down to the feeling of helplessness in the face of the heat on the second lap and the thought that I couldn't do it and would have to bale. That feeling will stay with me for some time.
The after race pizza, water and sit down were bliss.
As I picked my bike up from the transition area my back inner tube spontaneously burst, presumably the heat again. I threw it away ( it had three ptahces in it) and put in the new one I had bought the day before.

I thought I knew a bit about ironman but I still took a lot for granted. I'm sure we will learn more at the UK Ironman 70.3 next month on Exmoor.
The biggest lesson I learnt was the mental one. Despite achieving my target of beating six hours the pain of the run made me feel like I had to give up and on finishing I felt I had failed. Looking back I realise I did what I wanted to do and in difficult conditions.

When I race at Wimbleball I will learn from my mistakes and, spend less time in transition....honest.

Monday, 12 May 2008

Leaving on a jet plane

I'm off tomorrow with the guys from Transitions to Florida. The first half of the trip is taken up with interviewing the Transitions' top brass and having a look around their faciltities in Florida. The second half is hot weather Ironmanning.
I have extended my stay so I can compete in the Floria Ironman 70.3 next weekend. The location is so warm westuits aren't allowed ( that menas water above 78 degrees). I managed a little bit of warm weather training this weekend, that's sunburn to you and me.
I must admit to being very apprehensive about this event. My game plan is drink lots, not to push too hard and drink lots more.

As ever I am sure I will keep the smile on my face. I may even wear my Monaco ironman 70.3 wristband for a little mental support and to remind myself that I have taken part in this madness before.

Thursday, 8 May 2008

Livin' the dream



I have been stung into action by the note about how quiet everyone has gone. Had a breakthrough ride on Sunday. Four hours of riding covering 80 miles, including some nasty hills, in the glorious early summer sunshine. The picture doesn't do it justice but it was great. The best bit of all was when I did get home I could have got back on the bike and done it all again. I had a good stretch, a protein drink and a bacon sarnie and then went off to the allotment to sort out my strawberry patch and do a bit of strimming. That's the life.

The weekend got even better. I changed my granny block and chain for the standard in preparation for Florida. I still have the compact on the front but this set up should give me a little more to push on the Florida flat. Soaked all the components in parafin, polished them up and gave them a good oiling. My faithful Pearson is now shining like a new pin.

I might even leave the higher gears on for Exmoor and now I have the tools I can even treat myself to a new bottom bracket for the commuter.

Slight bit of saddle rash on Monday but otherwise unscathed, I even managed a 10k jog in between yet more gardening.

Thursday, 1 May 2008

Just look at that


What an awesome sight...and I'm not just talking about Rob's toned torso!!
Just to say a big thank you to all of those who have donated to the Optician Ironman fund and a big reminder to make sure you tell everyone about the project. That £5,000 target is not too far away and offers of support are now coming in daily.

Monday, 28 April 2008

Meet the course


Optician's Ironman team had a great training weekend down on Exmoor introducing themselves to the terrain. They all got the chance to meet up, scope out the course and check out the other team members.
Chris Fiona and Emma, stayed at the delightful Holworthy farmhouse B&B. Our host, Gillian Payne, made us feel right at home and had stacks of information on the course, organisation and everything else to do with the area and competing in the UK Ironman 70.3 event. The farmhouse has an idillic setting above the lake and between the cycling and running life was relaxed and enjoyable.
The trio at the framhouse were joined by Rob from Cornwall. The four reccied the bike course and then went for a short jog. Rob and his family headed back off to their hotel in Bampton and Chris, Emma and Fiona headed for the pub.
Sunday saw James and Lyndon join the group for another scope of the course and a slightly less successful look at the run route. The weather was not kind on Sunday and, after a slight hiccup over meeting up points, the team decided a single lap of the course was sufficient. Still a creditable 35 miles of hills and twists and around 2 hrs 15mins. We will have to improve.
Our quiet Cornishman Rob, an awesome athlete by anyone's standards, completed a second lap on his own.
The plan had always been to have a Brick session (running straight off the bike) and given the conditions and the toughness of the run that too proved a valuable experience. In restrospect a single lap of the two lap bike route was enough.

After a cup of tea, a pasty and a review we all decided it had been a useful meeting with no disasters and we should be pleased. Everyone left with respect for the course and no illusions over what exactly lies in store for the team come June.

Wednesday, 23 April 2008

Optisoft goody bag

I recieved the Optisoft nutrition pack today. I didn't realise there were so many gels, drinks, bars and mixes to choose from. My normal fare is a banana and a handful of raisins.
Many thanks to Optisoft.



Tuesday, 22 April 2008

Inspiration, ‘some’ statistics…………..and a reality check!



Inspiration from Liss running and Farnham Tri clubs, Statistics from my new GARMIN FORERUNNER and a reality check with my new age grouper GBR suit!

With only 6 weeks to go, the reality of the tasks that lie ahead have hit home. Not only for the Optician Ironman 70.3 team but also having been called up for the GBR age grouper Olympic distance world championships in Vancouver which is also in June!

The shorter Olympic distance:- 1500m swim/40km cycle with a 10k run and the longer Ironman 70.3:- 1900meters swim/90km cycle and 21km run.

Both distances, in theory, require completely different training but both oportunities are an irristable challenge! Amongst other things some training advice, motivation and my faithful transition specs continue.......

Farnham Tri Club have some great athletes whom have and are performing numerous full IM distances and even Ultraman contenders (4m swim, 175mbike and 36m run!). Their advice is to build on the base endurance by combining shorter sharper fartlek speed work for all disciplines.

Having taken the advice I joined in the running track session on Monday it went something like this:-

4 x 400 warm up, 400 sprint,400 recovery,400 sprint,400 recovery,800 sprint, 400 recovery,800 sprint,400 recovery,800 sprint,400 recovery,400 sprint,400 recovery,400 sprint, 400 recovery………………….


I was one of many to say ‘I felt sick’ – this is apparently normal! – give me a long plod any day! Unfortunately I missed pressing the start button on the Garmin and hence no stats – Doh!

A ‘new’ inspiration came from Liss running club when we cobbled together a team of 4 at the end of season dinner dance, for the next days orienteering event. Needing to get in some cycle training and build up some stats, i cycled to the event (16.05miles) , ran 5.21miles and cycled home post the event (23.32miles) – Stats courtesy of the Garman Forerunner – managed to press the start button and even toggled between the bike and running modes this time!

The best and the worst bit – Our orienteering team (Ann, Lucy, Bill and I ) won some chocolates for coming 2nd – Yummm. As for the Tri suit – need to loose a few pounds in 6 weeks!
Fiona

Remember to sponsor us and hence help Vision Aid Overseas. www.justgiving.com/opticianironman

Raising the roof and some funds








This is Soo and Fred McShaw celebrating a double win at the Optician Awards on Saturday night. Not only did fifteen winners walk away with a trophy but it was also a great fund raising night for the Ironman Team.


In my welcome I highlighted the team and £1,200 was pledged in support. In addition another £1,800 was raised through the Casino and other pledges so over £3,000 in all.


If you want to add to the total click through to the just giving site.





Friday, 18 April 2008

The Goggle box

Another box of goodies arrived today for distribution to the team. This time it was goggles courtesy of Aqua Sphere. We have Eagles, Seal, Seal XP, Kaiman and the new Vista goggle.
The team have all put in their requests ready for an open water swim this Sunday. Unfortunately the venue has decided it's too cold for open water swimming so have postponed the opening of the lake.
I have the Optician Awards this Saturday night so wouldn't have been able to make the swim anyway. At least it gets me off the hook having to try!
The best part of all is that I will be meeting most of the team next weekend when we meet up to cycle the course on Exmoor. That means I won't have to re-package and post out all of goggle I can take them along. I will deliver the others by hand --if the team can wait that is.






Wednesday, 16 April 2008

Now that's what I call data


I've started to get to grips with the 305. I am astounded by the amount of information it gives you. What I intend to do with it all is another matter. The scariest bit for information for me was the calaories burned. Despite chopping the first 35 minutes off of my workout the reading still said I burned 2,600-odd calories on my Sunday morning ride.
I think I'll have to up my food intake even more.

Monday, 14 April 2008

A full weekend of training

Who says men can't multi-task. Saturday morning started with a spot of digging and planting on the allotment while walking Henry and learning my Optician Awards night speech. After the chores I took out the Garmin for its maiden run on Saturady afternoon. Wow what an incredible gizmo. What will they think of next.

Sunday morning was stunningly beautiful. I was up and out on the road for some hills ( when I've figured out how, I will upload my route for you all. 40 miles, Box Hill leith Hill Whitedown, Ranmore plus a few in between.
On my aching legs from Saturday's digging it was a tough ride.
You can see from the picture I got all arty and emotional about the early morning sun. I was so glad I got up and out. It made me realise how tough the event is going to be.
The moment I made it back home the heavans opened and the rest of the day was a wash out.



What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago we were all sledging down Box Hill and yesterday it was blazing sunshine. I got a tourist to take a picture just to prove it. I'm not sure what. 'Make sure you get my Garmin in' is in Polish is but I didn't manage to get message across and he didn't get my Garmin in the picture. A fair swap.

Monday, 7 April 2008

Thames Towpath Ten; it DID snow! (See Andy A, 31st March).



I was woken up on Sunday morning to my dad's dulcet tones "it's 'orrible out". It didn't matter that it was actually snowing, and snow was settling on the car as fast as we could clear it off, we all headed off to Chiswick for the Fuller's Thames Towpath Ten, so named because it's sponsored by Fullers Brewery, and is a ten mile jaunt along the Thames Towpath. Bear in mind that at the race last year temperatures of 23C were recorded and dehydration got the better of a few runners, so there were a few nervous looking runners huddled over coffees in the pavilion before the race. I think we were all wondering whether the race would actually go ahead. Mum and Dad were marshalling the gate 'start line is to the left, by the white line on the field'. This is the field that had 2 inches of lying snow on it, and more was still coming down!!!!!!! Still, we started - 2 laps of the field (through the snow) then up over Chiswick Bridge. At the first mile marker I realised I couldn't feel my toes but I soon warmed up. Dropping down onto the towpath was when I got my rhythm and did my usual trick of looking ahead to spot who I'd overtake next. Had a chat to a lovely girl from Thames Turbos about triathlons. The river does a big loop around to Richmond, so the route follows the towpath all the way past Kew Gardens. This is a particularly nasty bit of the course as the path is really rough, rocky and puddly, so I kept my head down and ticked off the miles. A particular nuance of this course means running up the stairs onto Twickenham Bridge which is never great, but then I had the strange sensation of snow blowing into my left ear horizontally. It was perversely refreshing to start with! At Old Deer Park in Richmond the route cuts across to head back to Kew Bridge - past an army of snowmen being built - then back to the river for the last 3 miles. The marshalls all looked frozen, at least running kept me warm. The entrance back onto the field to finish had turned into a quagmire and the icy grass made a sprint finish virtually impossible, but I still managed to finish in 1:28:13, which is only 30secs slower than my PB. Not bad considering I cycled 9 miles to work & back on Saturday. So why did I bother to turn up when the weather was this bad? The best memento ever - An engraved Fullers Beer glass. Which I christened with London Pride. The immortal words - 'Whatever you do, take Pride' were not lost on me today.

Emma Saville

A different kind of training














A rather strange weekend of training to report. The forecast of bad weather had meant Myself , Lyndon and Fiona had agreed to make a call on the Saturday night to decide whether the Sunday early morning ride would happen or not. While I was at the local theatre listening to my kids' school production of We Will Rock You ( it was awesome) Lyndon and Fiona agreed that they would meet. If the weather was too bad said, Fiona ' we could go for a run instead'.


Now this was a problem for me. On saturday I started the day with a stint on the allotment and then decided to go for a 'pace' 11km in my new trainers. bad idea. Despite taping my feet I managed to pull a couple of blisters, so there was going to be no more running for me.














I got up at 6.30, had a bite to eat and noticed a few flurries of snow. By 7.00 it was really coming down. By 7.45 I phoned Lyndon to say we couldn't cyle and I couldn't run but I would meet the real Ironmen (Lyndon and Fiona) as I was already up.
By 8.50 I had got to the car, written on the winscreen, and set off.

By 8.55 I had managed about half a mile and decided that it was time to head home. The A246 to Guildford was pretty much impassable. Time to go home, discretion, valour and all that.
A couple of hours later, once a few Chelsea tractors had created a bit of slush, Mrs Optician Editor, my three boys and Henry( dog), headed off for some local snowy slopes. I convinced myself running up and down the hills was as good as a zone 1 bike ride. It was certainly more fun.
I ache all over today but more from impact that fatigue. Now that's what I call a weekend of training.

















Friday, 4 April 2008

I'll see your Northwaves and......



ANDY A

Pimp my ride



I Bought some new cycling shoes this lunchtime. I'm a new convert to cleats, I only got my SPDs a year ago, so thought it time to invest in some proper road shoes for those longer rides. I am also beginning to fret about Florida which is going to be hot, hot hot and my current shoes are very much on the heavy duty side. The upshot was new shoes and new pedals.

Before I went into the bike shop I promised myself that I would think comfort first. Unfortunately comfort in cycling shoes is white and blue.

If the shoes get an outing this weekend I fear they may not stay white for too much longer.

Monday, 31 March 2008

EDALE SKYLINE; IT DIDN'T SNOW!




Well sunday dawned clear and sunny, and stayed that way for most of the day, couldn't be more different than last years!The race set off about 15-20 mins late; unusually for fell events, the race organisers were doggedly enforcing the mandatory kit inspections, causing some of the more hardened (i.e stubbornly awkward) fell runners to chase back to the car park at the last minute!

Increasingly stringent insurance requirements are likely to mean more of the same at these longer fell events; the organisers came in for a fair amount of stick on the forums, they rightly stuck to their guns.

I've never done the Skyline before and it's a cracker. An initial trudge up to the Ringing Roger summit soon gave way to a scenic 6 mile rollercoaster run across to Win Hill. This was followed by a rapid descent into Hope and then the most serious climb of the day; over 1000 ft up to Lose Hill. The rollercoaster resumed for the next 10 miles or so, before another up and down at Grindslow Knoll, then back to Ringing Roger and home.The weather allowed for some glorious scenery and the sunday walkers were out in force; all were very supportive of (if a bit horrified by!) the mud and lycra clad competitors.

Of 287 starters, 258 finished the event (of the retirees, most would have been timed out by the 2:30 cut-off at Mam Nick and sent directly back down to Edale)I finished in 4:13, which put me roughly half way down the field. My estimate of 4 hours failed to allow for minor navigational errors (fell races are traditionally completely unmarked courses, except for the checkpoints) and a two falls in the final descent to the finish. The second fall was within sight of the finish chute; the spectators contributed that special sound that watchers of skateboard videos will be familiar with! Suffice to say, i wore long sleeves to work today and i am definitely at home to Mr Elastoplast!

This is definitely not a novice event (i got 'lightly' lost in clear weather) but would make a good challenge for anyone looking to go long in fell racing. It's superbly well organised and marshalled; a surprise appearance by Bertie Bassett handing out Jelly Babies on the way up Lose Hill was a definite highlight!
Running takes a back seat now as i endeavour to build up bike miles, my longest trip up to now has been 70k. It sound like the 'surrey sunday cycle' went well, but i'd love to know just how long it does take to pump a tyre up with one of those things!

ANDY A

The first group cycle

Last Sunday morning's 8am meeting turned out to be drier and much more pleasant than feared after the deluge of Saturday.
Despite the British weather and British Summer Time both conspiring against us Emma, her man Steve, Lyndon and I all arrived ready for a hard cycling and some wet weather.
While the cycling was hilly and hard the weather smiled on us, lots of cloud but no rain. The previous day's rain had however soaked every inch of the countryside washing most of it into the road and making it a pretty mucky ride nonetheless.
My attempts at keeping my 'best' bike clean were dashed and the poor old Brookes leather saddle also got a bit of a soaking and a thick coating of mud.
From the Bell and Colville Garage on the A246 we headed along the flat lanes through Bookham, past Polsden Lacey into our first climb before descending into Westhumble. We then crossed the A24 past the bikers begining to gether at Ryker's cafe before heading up the Zig Zag to the top of Box Hill.
While Lyndon restocked his larder Emma and Steve completed the climb and assessed the fit of Emma's bike. A higher seat and a few more gears could be the order of the day.
The tour then continued on to the, rather busy A25 and through Dorking to start the climb up to Coldharbour and the summit of Leith Hill.
It was hoped this long and harsh climb would be just the sort of training the team need to get ready for the gradients of Exmoor.It didn't disappoint. It also reminded me that last summer's training was a long time ago.
After enjoying the view from the top we started the descent stopping only to allow me to mend a puncture. This gave me the opportunity to find out how well my mini pump works and to see if I had remembered a tyre lever. All useful stuff for race day. From there we headed back down Leith Hill through Abinger Common across the A25 and back up Whitedown towards Ranmore.
This is another nasty climb which even got the, lithe and muscular, Lyndon out of his saddle to push his standard road gears up the climb. Meanwhile I span my legs to produce a seated, if slightly slower, climb on my compact chain rings and 14-28 cassette combo.
Steve and Emma joined us at the top and we completed the 40 mile jaunt with promises of more meetings and talk of outdoor swim training.

Thursday, 27 March 2008

Our friends in the North

Not to be outdone by us Southerners ( we are currently fretting about a spot of rain on Sunday) Andy let us know what he will be up to.
He will be approx. 300 mile North taking part in the Edale Skyline run. have a look.
http://www.dpfr.org.uk/index.php?p=skyline

Tuesday, 25 March 2008

Easter in the Lakes


The usual sitting on the sofa, eating Easter eggs and watching TV did not come into play this year. Initially I was regretting having booked an endurance-training trip to the Lake District due to the weather reports of snow, wind and rain for the Easter weekend…………..however it turned into Spectacular weather, Spectacular scenery and Spectacular training.

Having arrived Easter Friday we managed a ‘quick’ mountainous 1.5hr run. The wind that evening became gale force, with trees and debris falling all over the roads. This debris did not prevent the Saturday morning scheduled cycle in the most glorious sunshine (although cold!) from Ambleside to Cartmel. There were some cheeky hills and I was particularly regretful that I didn’t have my compact chain set! Upon reaching Cartmel it was tea and cake all round (for approx 20 cyclists) supplied by a modest cafĂ© owner where we managed to wipe out his whole supply of cakes!













Sunday was a shock to us all when the view from the window looked like this .......



There was at least 4 inches of snow and you would think this would hold us back??……. we did a ‘not so quick’ run up the Coniston old man!(mountain)….

If that wasn’t enough, we went for a swim in the local pool (after eating a whole Cadburys Easter Egg!)

Residual slush didn’t stop a 2hr recovery ride on Monday!

Thanks to Marc Laithwaite and his crew of inspiring athletes from base camp 13; a spectacular and memorable Easter don’t you think ?…......


FIONA

Nice relaxing Easter?


It's just what a dog needs. It's Easter, it's cold so what do you do? A nice relaxing morning safe inside, watching the snow fall.

But wait a minute.
Is it a bird?
Is it a plane?
NO, it's that idiot and his Ironman training again.




A couple of stints out in the countryside this weekend despite the cold. A particularly muddy 14kms on Friday and then out again on Sunday in the biting cold and snow.
It was the first time in years that the fronts of my legs got so cold they began to sting.
The great thing about running off road and in the cold weather ( can there be one?) is that it will probably mimic the conditions on Exmoor for the UK Ironman 70.3 in June.
The bad thing is my next event is in Florida on the flat and in the heat.
NB. No dogs were harmed in the making of this post. Henry is half Bavarian Sweathound and loves the cold.

Monday, 17 March 2008

Rain, mud but no blisters


I got my wish this weekend. I'm sure it wasn't as muddy as Andrew's fell course but it was pretty squishy.
I also had a result with my new anti-blister technique --taping my feet with zinc oxide tape.

Armed with my new Blackberry Imanaged to take some pictures of Henry (dog) ahead of me plodding through the mud but they were not that good. So I thought I would resurrect this picture from exactly the same weekend last year.

Same mud, same rain only on bikes.

Thursday, 13 March 2008

MUCKY RUNNERS!

'The Boss' (that's Chris to you!) asked for contributions to the blog so here goes;

Had one of this season's first competitions last saturday, the 'Half Tour of Pendle'

This is a 9mile/2200ft fell race which gets its name from the fact that it is only half the length of the main event, run in december. It was a perfect fell running day (i.e it was raining!). Pendle is a touch gunky underfoot at the best of times; rain and 300+ runners (mostly ahead of me!) following the same course, more or less, made for some interesting descents. Fortunately the finish (Barley village) has a river, so i joined several other runners enjoying a free bath!

I did the full Tour of Pendle last year (1700m/4500ft) for the first time and was hooked on fell running from then on. I'm fortunate that, living in burnley, i can do all my training off road (and i mean off road!). One of the greatest things about fell running is the cost; the Full Tour was £5, including a T-Shirt!

Went out for a 3h training run yesterday, having forgotten about saturday; my legs soon reminded me!

Next event is the Edale Skyline (http://www.dpfr.org.uk/index.php?p=skyline); a bit more expensive at £11! After that it's time to concentrate on getting my bike mileage up a bit more so that i get to the end of 56miles and dont have to be prised off the bike!

Posted by;

Andy Armstrong

Tuesday, 11 March 2008

And the final member of the team is.....

James Eastwood

Our final introduction is for Bristol-based dispensing optician James Eastwood. The 35 year old who works for Dyer and Scott in Bristol started triathlon in 1989 . Eastwood has raced upto Ironman distance and is currently a coach with BADTRI triathlon club in Bristol so will be able to help the team out with any questions.
He hasn’t trained for a while so says taking part in the event will still pose a considerable challenge. More worrying is Eastwoods' reason for wanting to join the team and take part in the UK Ironman 70.3. ‘It’s widely regarded as the hardest 70.3 in the world,’ he reveals. Oh dear.

Friday, 7 March 2008

Optician's Editor joins the fray

Chris Bennett


I have always ridden a bike to work, college or school but was never attracted to competitive sport. Over the years I have dabbled in various sports, played on school teams, but never really got seriously involved. More recently I have windsurfed, canoed, gone walking, played in a dad's football team and gone for the odd Sunday run.
It wasn't until last year when Optician magazine got involved in the Transitions Oakley Ironman project that I took an interest. I eventually shadowed the Oakley Transitions Ironman Team and took part in the Monaco Ironman 70.3.
To do this I followed a tough training regime which culminated in around 15 hours of training a week. In the run up to Monaco I ran the Surrey Slog off road half marathon and after completing Monaco I did a short triathlon in Crawley and ran a half marathon this February.
At 45 years old I still feel like a novice (I have probably ran the half marathon distance a total of six times in my life) but there's an annoying idea out there that just because you have completed something like a Ironman 70.3 you can do as many as you like easily. Not so.
This year I will be competing in the Florida Ironman 70.3 in May and the UK Ironman 70.3 in June with the Optician team. This is a big a challenge this year as Monaco was last year. The prospect is something which both excites and scares me.