9 Weeks to Outlaw / 7 weeks to Ironman UK 70.3

With 9 weeks to go I think it's time for an update of where I'm up to.

Training has been going well. The biggest changes this year are my consistency and the intensity of some of the sessions. Rain or shine I've been out and I'm starting to see the benefits. If I'm truly honest I've been a fair weather cyclist prior to the training programme I'm following. Result was nil improvement.
As I have said before, I used to believe I trained hard. Clearly I didn't and I have now been shown what real training involves, if you want to achieve your potential. For example, a particular session I now 'enjoy' is 10 x 1 mile hard reps on 1 minute/200m jog recoveries.

Here's a selection of some of the sessions I've endured since my last update:

Swim
These are the main sets and do not include warm up and cool down.

4 x 1000m 1+2 - Swim, 3 - Buoy/Bands, 4 - Buoy/Bands/Paddles. All aerobic effort.
10 x 200m hard effort with 30s rest
30 x 100m hard effort with 15s rest with Buoy/Bands
10 x 100m 'best you can' (as fast as you can maintain for whole set), 200m recovery, repeat with buoy/bands/paddles.
15 x 200m hard effort with 15s rest, last 5 with paddles

You get the idea don't you.
I come from a non-swimming background and can find the sessions quite tough. My stiff ankles from years of football and running really don't help my swimming. My swim sessions are usually solo efforts, which has it's pro's and con's. The pool I use is opposite my house and ideal for a dinner time session when very few people are in the water.
My targets of sub 30 mins for 1900m and around the 1 hour mark for 3800m remain.

Bike

3/4/5 hour moderate to hard paced rides over various terrain. Usually including interval TT efforts of varying times.
5 hour hilly rides on TT bike.
Hill reps at Artists Lane, Alderley Edge (for those that know it). Usually staying on aero bars. Times have ranged from 40 to 50 mins of reps.
Turbo sessions including 3 x 25mins @ Threshold with varying cadences, sometimes 60-70, other times 90. 5 minutes recovery between each 25.
Turbo sessions including 10 x 1 min max effort, in a big gear, off 1 minute recovery. 5 minutes recovery and repeat for a further 5 x 1 minute max efforts. Got to admit I hate this session with a passion, cos it's sickly hard!

Oulton Park Duathlon

Some sessions will include a 30 minute run off the bike at a hard pace.
My cycling has improved massively this year and I am still nowhere near my potential.
My targets of 3:00 - 3:15 for Ironman UK 70.3 and Sub 6 hours for Outlaw remain.

Run

Long runs of 2:00 to 2:30 hours at a steady pace.
1 hour runs at moderate pace.
Progressive runs of 20 minute steady pace/20 minute hard pace/ 20 minute best you can pace.
Hill reps on <10% hill. 3 minute hard, jog down and repeat for 45-50 minutes.
10 x 1 mile hard pace (6:00 - 6:15 minute/miles for me) on 1 minute/200m recoveries.

So, there's a selection of some of my key sessions.

I train most days and take recovery weeks when my body needs it, which is usually about every 5 weeks.

Since my last update I have raced at Oulton Park Duathlon, Bideford Harriers Easter relay and a 7.1 mile road race. Why 7.1 miles? I have no idea?
Oulton Park duathlon went well. I knocked 7 mins off my 2011 time, most of that coming from the bike leg. So you can see I'm making good progress with the bike.
Over the Easter weekend I did a recce of the Ironman UK 70.3 route. Is it a tough course? Yes! But not as tough as I imagined. Basically, each loop is 18 miles of TT terrain followed by 3 short steep hills and a gradual climb back to the start of the loop. The same weekend I took part in a local road race, The Bampton to Tiverton 7.1 mile. It's quite a tough undulating course with the headwind not helping much at times. I finished in a time of 44:52 in 19th place. I let Jim Murray take another victory over me, as I didn't want to beat him on his own doorstep. Our next head to head is Wimbleball and then Outlaw. It will be close, so watch this space. I was quite pleased with my effort as it followed a tough weekends training which included the Easter relay (2 mile in 11:14), 60 mile recce of UK route and a 17 mile steady pace run.

So what next:

1) Manchester Marathon on 29th April. My next attempt at sub 3 hours.
2) Somerset Gran Fondo (180km of hills) on 6th May
3) Snowdonia Slateman Triathlon on 20th May
4) Ironman UK 70.3 on 17th June
5) Outlaw on 1st July
6) Dublin Marathon on 29th October
7) Cornish Marathon on 18th November
8) Enigma double marathon on 15th/16th December

Plus, whatever else I decide to enter.

Next update will be an in depth analysis of why I ran 3:00:01 at Manchester Marathon.