Exmoor Coastal Trail Series 2017 - Event Review

"I'm not quite the sadistic person to organise that journey, but you have a very twisted sense of humour!"


I can confirm that the classification by EnduranceLife of the Exmoor Coastal Trail Series run as 'Extreme' is an accurate representation of the terrain that we ran over last weekend! 1,300ft of elevation gain on the 10km route (that was actually 11.4km!) certainly tested the legs in more ways that they have been tested in recent months, but the main concern for the day (the weather - after hearing how good it had been for the last couple of years) was definitely not something to spoil the day, the glorious sunshine certainly showed off the best of the stunning landscape that we ran through…

The first challenge of the day was to navigate our way from where we stayed in Combe Martin, over to Hunters Inn where the start was - narrow country roads with runners crossing at several points made it interesting to get there, and that was before we had to get to the car park, but I'll leave the car park details until the end of the race! Once at the start/registration it was a nice simple case of getting your race number, and t-shirt before making sure everything was sorted and listening to all the dogs at the start having a bit of a chat - most of them had the right idea and wouldn't be joining us on the run, but there were still a couple more apart from our two who were coming on the climb up and down the coastal trails.

One disadvantage of running with the dogs is the fact that you end up having to start at the back of the bunch at the start, and as the first mile included a couple of pinch points where nearly everyone slowed to a walk or complete stop this meant that you couldn't always get into a rhythm of running (or if you had tried you'd have probably taken out half the other people around you with the lead!) and so when the route ramped up on a number of switchbacks we were well and truly in-amongst the largest group of the 10km race. At this point I would like to say that I lightly jogged my way consistently up the footpath without needing to walk, however the punishing 10% average gradient meant that I was also slowed to a walk from around halfway up just like nearly everyone else - save the real fast individuals!

Once you got to the top of the first climb (which must have accounted for at least half the total elevation gain) the views definitely made it worth it - deep blue sea and clear blue sky, and gorse all along the coastal path did make me want to stop to take a quick snap more than once but I was there to run wasn't it?! The next few miles were along the edge of the cliffs (luckily for me concentrating on was going on ahead rather than how far down it was) and the pace always following a similar pattern of getting to a decent jog when on the flat and then having to slow to a walk up any inclines where those at the front of the group did and there being no space to pass.

One problem with the 10km not starting until 11am was that the heat was already starting to take its toll within the first few miles, Leia was running along in any shade she could with her tongue out trying to capture any dew that was still lingering and any puddles or small streams we came across I was stopping to let her dunk her paws and get a bit of a drink, and Ali was having the same with Chewy. I'd like to say thanks to the lady who was running with her dog Sammy who was kind enough to let both our dogs drain her water bowl when she'd stopped running to let her dog drink from - although both the dogs were getting some water on the run they were definitely exceedingly grateful for the bowlful of clean water!

As we ran further along the coast the path widened out, meaning that Ali was able to join back up with me after getting stuck back in the chain of people winding their way up the paths, it also meant that other runners were able to get past us every time we stopped at a bit of water for the dogs! Several muddy puddles later after the dogs had taken on more liquid we turned left to a narrow track through the heather up to the highest point of the course - this wasn't anywhere near as steep as the initial climb but you can be sure that it still sapped a large amount of energy from the legs and there were a number of people who ended up walking this bit. The cruellest thing was that the event photographer was happily stood at the top of the climb (where great photos were being taken) so you then had to put on a jog to ensure that the one of you round the course didn't make it look like you walked the whole way!

After a short, not overly steep but very uneven decent we were at the one drink station for our route, a quick drink of water and the offer of drenching the dog with a watering can (I don't think the stewards expected me to take them up on it!) and we were back off on the last part of the course and it was downhill pretty much all the way. This, however, was probably harder work than the uphill part of the route as the dogs were refreshed and up to pace again which is really very tricky to control down gradients over 10% with tree roots and alike sticking out all over the place!

Any of the places we had made up on the last few bits of climbing were quite quickly taken back by other runners as we were forced to take it a bit easier making sure we had control, and Chewy deciding that she was going to take a toilet break halfway down (therefore meaning that we needed to stop to clear up after her!) One of the guys who I passed up to the final high point on the course had actually asked "when does it get a pain in the arse running with the dogs?" so when he passed us as Ali was clearing up after Chewy I made sure to point out that this was one of those points when it's that pain in the arse!!

The trail continued down through the forest which was very welcome after the continuous sun and heat of the moorland, and we were very quickly back down to the river level where we had started and on the final section that was along one of the lanes we had driven in on. One dodged post can later and we were rounding the final couple of corners to the finish... At this point Ali decided to announce that she still had the energy to sprint for the line, i was pretty dead on my feet, so luckily for me Leia decided to cross over into Ali's path and muck up her sprint to the line and help me finish at the same time! (She can be such a good dog at times!!)

As with all the EnduranceLife events we were quickly through the finish area with post run snack in hand and times printed out - initially we were given exact finishing places to our race numbers, but actually ended up losing a place somewhere between here and when the final results were published (not quite sure how that happens with a mass start all at the same time though?...) Our final times were 1hr 37mins and 20secs for the record, although Strava gives me a moving time of 1:31:50...

My sister and brother in law were there with their daughter to support us, so thanks to them for some of the photos and going with Ali to fetch the ice creams after the race! My initial review of the event was "too bloody hot!" when asked - Ali's was that it was awesome - and I had to agree that it was probably the best scenery to have run through this year (apart from maybe our run up the snowy mountain whilst on honeymoon) and it was a properly challenging route! Such was the heat that my usually perfect features were working all funny (maybe) - this being the obvious reason why the stupid face being pulled in the photo of us with our medals!

Overall I have to say that it was a great event - a challenging route, well organised and superb weather! We're already signed up for three more Coastal Trail Series events this year, and if they are as good as this one it's going to be a treat! Judging by the previous ones that Ali has done I have no doubt they will be - keep your eyes peeled for them and my posts on here!

One thing I have to mention before finishing this post that I briefly mentioned earlier - the car park..... I'm not quite sure who was the sadistic person to organise that journey from the finish line back to the car park, but you have a very twisted sense of humour! It was around quarter of a mile long, up a road that just climbed the whole way from the valley floor to the top ridge where the parking field was, with gradients of up to 25%!!! The wall down there to the start line was bad enough because of the impending dread that not only was the route going to be going up stuff like this, but once you'd completed that you had to come back up this road!

Hope you've enjoyed the review, we'll be back for more, hopefully you'll be back to read about them!

One Life - Liv 4 It, Love It

2017 - The Plans!

Wow, didn't 2016 go quick?!

It really doesn't seem like that long ago that I was sitting down to do my first piece of 2016, and here I am doing the first one of 2017... Whilst a lot went on (and that's probably why it went by so quickly) I'm certain if I looked back onto the things that I wanted to do sporting-wise and to do with this blog I certainly wouldn't have met half the targets I might have set myself!

The idea for 2017 is to set myself a few targets and see how I get on against them - you could call them New Year's resolutions, but that just gives them a feel that they are only for the beginning of the year and so halfway through they'll be forgotten! If I call them 2017 targets then at least I've got something to aim for by the end of the year rather than just the start!

My three areas that I want to build these around are health, events, and my blogging/vlogging. They've all got challenges, but I can see the events and blogging sections being the harder to keep up, so any support from you guys is really appreciated!

Health

This might be one that some people find contentious, I'm lucky in the fact that I still have a pretty high metabolism and can therefore eat quite a lot and still remain roughly the same weight, however as I'm sure mum has said for a number of years "it'll catch up with you at some point!". To that end I'm trying to make sure that I eat more healthily during 2017, meaning less takeaways and booze, and more home cooking and forward planning about meals!

To help with this section a late Christmas present Ali and I bought each other were Fitbits, and so I'm tracking how I'm getting on through the app. I've set a step goal each day of at least 6,000 steps which is below the recommended number when you first open the app but is a more realistic goal given that my job consists of sitting at a desk for a decent amount of the day! So far this year I've actually managed to meet the target each day, so fingers crossed this will continue!

I am also aiming to exercise at least three times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes each time - whether this be running, cycling or going to the gym. Looking at the app for the Fitbit it counts a brisk lunchtime walk as one of these exercises but I'm hoping to get in three "proper" sessions as well each week.

The final (and possibly likely to be the most debated in the household) health target I'm aiming for is to lose the little bit of additional weight I've gained over the past couple of years. As I said at the beginning of this piece, I'm lucky in the fact that I can often eat whatever I want and still maintain a relatively constant weight, however when I compare myself to how I was at peak fitness when I started uni and was playing badminton constantly last year's lack of training and post wedding relaxing has definitely won! I'm hoping to get myself down to around 84kg (I'm somewhere about 86kg at the moment) but at the same time have muscle instead of wedding excess!

Events

I'm really looking forward to doing a few events this year, as it makes the pain of exercise and training for bearable, and gives something to work towards. As it stands I'm only entered into one event for the year - a 5k night run in Bristol at the end of February, but I'm hoping to complete at least five running events and one triathlon by the end of December and maybe even a cycling sportive or two! These might not seem like a lot of events to challenge myself to enter nad complete in a year, but given that last year I only took part in (and completed) one event this is quite a step up!

As for what sorts of running events I'm going to take part in we'll have to wait and see - things like Tough Mudder don't really take my fancy, but the Endurance Life Coast Trail Series looked quite good fun when Ali took part in a number of their events last winter so I might be eying up a few of them towards the back end of the year. The main aim for any of the events is to have a fun and to finish - if I end up getting a good finish time out of it then that's a bonus!!

Blogging

Where would I be in setting targets for 2017 on a blog if I didn't set some targets for that as well?!

One thing that I really want to make sure that I do is doing a monthly 'progress' piece on here to see how I'm getting on against the targets that I've set myself for the year, what this should do is make sure that I'm keeping focused on what I plan to achieve over the course of the year because these posts could be super boring if ever month was "I did nothing"!!

I'd like to upload more content onto the Keep em Spinning YouTube channel through the year - whether it be a monthly vlog to accompany these blog update posts, reviews/videos of events that I've taken part in, or snippets of races that I've been to see. Make sure that you keep your eyes on there for any new content that's uploaded!

All the blog posts and videos will be shared via the Facebook page, so it'd be really great to get a few more 'likes' on there before the end of December! I'm going to set myself a challenging target of 500 likes by the end of the year, and will be running a few competitions to try and help me on my way - so watch out for those…..

If you'd like to take part in posting on here, by sharing your experiences about your sporting time or a specific event that you've taken part in, then either drop a comment at the bottom of the post or send a message on the Facebook page - it would be great to have a few more people to share their stories!

'til next time

One Life - Liv 4 It, Love It

Rob 

Paris Marathon - The write up...

What a weekend!!

Over 72,000 participants in the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris and our two runners finished (a superb achievement!) and technically came pretty much in the top 50%!

From the official results page, nearly 30,000 people didn't even get to the finish line - so very well done to Ali for walking / hobbling the last 3 miles with a bust hip, and very well done to Emma for running the full distance. If you want to see their times then they are available on the P4YTS Facebook page!

It was a glorious day to be out, especially if you were a spectator, but maybe a little on the warm side if you were running 26.2 miles..! Both runners were up bright and early, and with game faces applied were off out the door whilst the support team took a more leisurely journey to the first point to see them (via the bakery of course!).

The planned meeting point was supposed to be the start on the Champs Elysees... However, due to manic Metros and yummy pastry we ended up waving at them, and snapping the first photos with the Eiffel Tower in the far distance, in Place de la Concorde.

The plan was to see the girls at the 10km marker next, just as they ran into the first of the Parisian parks, however as you might be able to tell our plans didn't always go to plan! By the time we emerged from the Metro (after meeting up with Jamie) and fired up the phones to see where they were they were already on their way to kilometre eleven - onto the 19th km then, just as they exited the park....

Since this was only a very short walk to the exit of the park we had plenty of time to kill, and had the chance to get a few snaps of the various costumes being run in, and even managed to see a couple of impersonators (Jamie!) as they jogged along in the crowd. However, since he'd just been off with Craig to find some cold beers to cheer on the runners with we couldn't really be too peeved that he was looking like he was taking part!

Not long after the beers, our two (still very) smiley runners were on their way past, taking the high fives, and ignoring the beer salutes! 

We were then off on the travels again, following the route and wandering past the feed station just after 20km - the scale of one the food for an event of this size is one that you have to see for yourself - it must have been over 100 metres of tables FULL of bananas, bars, water and sugar cubes!

Once back onto the Metro, the support team headed over to around mile 20 (as requested), and just where the local fire team had set up some hoses to spray the runners. The look of joy on some people's faces as they ran through the freezing water really gives away quite how warm and painful the marathon was for them!

Ali's hip started to cause some real problems at around mile 17 so by the time we next saw them both they'd split up to make sure that they were both able to try and finish in their own pace. We ended up putting Craig in the middle of the road on 'Ali watch' to make sure that we saw her (and she saw us) for a bit of motivation and a health check! The smiles were still there (just!), but with only 6 miles left to go the end was in sight...

The next stop for us was just around the corner, and near the top of a cruel false flat that seemed to be the final tipping for a couple of runners, and unfortunately we saw more that one leave the race at that point - the more worrying thing was the number of ambulances that we saw head back down the field when we were waiting for Emma and Ali to come back past!

Still, come past they did - with a cheery wave, and turning down another beer(!) a final lap of the park was all that stood in their way before the finish line.

Once we'd topped up on our picnic, and then topped up on provisions for the post-race binge, the race was on to get to the finish line before either Ali or Emma got there. Safe to say we lost, blame it on blokes shopping, public transport, or Emma running too fast, but she was finished quite a while before we got to the exit of the finish area. Even Ali had crossed the finish line, after hobbling the last three miles with her hip before we finally found where Emma was taking a well-earned rest!

Congratulations to both Emma and Ali for completing the event, you did us all very proud and obviously enjoyed the event massively by the size of the smiles on your faces the whole day!

Over £350 has been raised for The Richard Cann Wildlife Foundation and The Gabrielle Gray Foundation, if you haven't donated yet then follow the links below!

One Life - Live It, Love It

The Richard Cann Wildlife Foundation

The Gabrielle Gray Foundation

Duston Triathlon 2016

After Ali and Emma have successfully got through the Paris marathon, it's now my turn to take part in an event that I've been (supposed to be) training for over the winter - the Duston Sprint Triathlon!

I was hoping that Ali was going to take part in the event as well, along with her brother James, but since she buggered (that's the technical wording!) her hip a couple of weeks before the marathon, and then battled around the roads of Paris it's just going to be me v James in the family battle!!

James is taking part in the event with one of his fellow directors of the Mr Smith Group, Paul Smith, and they are hoping to raise as much money as possible for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Head over to their JustGiving page (via the link below) to help them reach their target!

As with the Paris marathon there will be plenty of other posts, pictures and updates leading up to the event (even if it is only next weekend!) and during the event (Ali's in charge of the camera this time!!)

James and Paul do a Triathlon JustGiving page

One Life - Live It, Love It

Ali and Emma run the Paris Marathon!

I know I've mentioned it in other blog posts, but most of the time Ali is training for one event or another...

At the moment, she's training with her friend Emma to run the Paris marathon - "just for fun" to quote them both, but they'd also like to raise a bit of charity if possible.

The first charity they are running for is the Richard Cann Wildlife Foundation, a charity set up in memory of one of my University flatmates. For more information and to donate to this charity please click on this link, and to see where I've mentioned it before see this blog post.

The second charity is The Gabrielle Gray Foundation, a charity set up in memory of one of Emma's friends who passed away in 2012. To donate to this charity please click on this link.

Thanks!

One Life - Live It, Love It

Monthly update - February 2016

Am there I was thinking that January had to be the worst month for training, but I had to go and prove myself wrong didn't I?!

Whilst I did manage to tick off a number of kilometres by foot and a few hundred metres in the pool I still just failed to hit my running distance, am a long way behind in swimming, and haven't even passed over the start line on the bike!!

It hasn't all been doom and gloom though - whilst I might not have completed the distance running I think I made it up to myself by pushing the pace I've been running instead. Since the triathlon is a sprint and only a 5km run I'm trying to aim for 25 minutes or less for that segment, which is why a few of my run have been getting close to 5 min/km over a distance of more than 5km just to see if I can still last it after a longer "warm up".

My fastest pace wasn't actually reflected by the upload to Strava though, and we all know that this is the law don't we!? I had the big dog with me that time, and she decided that she would spoil the pace by relieving herself multiple times during the 10km which meant I had to stop, clear up and then find a bin to put it all in...! However I was able to prove to myself that I should be able to do 50 mins for 10km on the right day, I'll just have to go out and do it again without a running companion!

The main problem I had this month was motivation, which seems odd considering the post I wrote at the beginning of the year - a full day of work and then a commute are not a good way to prep up for exercise, and whilst others might be able to do it I've had to change tactics a little to get any exercise done. Lunch time and running at work once I've finished are beginning to be the norm to get runs in midweek and then I just have to keep the motivation up at the weekend to keep Ali and the dogs company.

Another thing that we've got this month has been a canicross belt, so that we can run "hands free" with the dogs rather than getting elbows pulled out of joints for the full run distance - for anyone who hasn't run with one of these it does take a bit of getting used to and making sure that it's set up right to pull along by your bum rather than the bottom of your back! Although when on your back and the dog has a sudden surge of pace there are some true comic-style running styles on display!

#onelifeliveitloveit

Pro tour update - January 2016

2016 seems to have gotten off to a great start if you're an Aussie, or if you support an Australian team - with the first UCI World Tour event going to Simon Gerrans on Orica Greenedge - although some people might just call it home advantage! Aussies have even more to celebrate with the top three in the UCI world rankings all being them as well! (see below)

Simon Gerrans in Orca

With the Australian Championships also taking place in January it's being going off with a bang Down Under, and both the men and women's road races being crackers from the footage I've seen... 

The new Australian Road and Time Trial champions are as follows:

Women

Road : Amanda Spratt

ITT : Katrin Garfoot

Men

Road : Jack Bobridge

ITT : Rohan Dennis

Caleb Ewan of Orica particularly impressed again at the beginning of the season, in winning the National Crit Championships and then 2 stages of the Tour Down Under. If you haven't seen this guy sprint then it really is something you must do - he gets so low over the bars when sprinting it's crazy how he manages to still get the power down on the road!

Caleb Ewan Celebrates

UCI road rankings as at the end of January are:

Men

1. S Gerrans (AUS) 775 points
2. R Porte (AUS) 485
3. J McCarthy (AUS) 370

Women

1. N/A (season not started yet)

One Life - Live It, Love It

Monthly update - January 2016

I can safely say that January hasn't started off with the training 'bang' that was my New Year resolution - kicking 2016 off with a great start and setting the rhythm for the rest of the year!

As it turns out, I've managed a grand total of 0km on the bike, 0m of swimming, and am 17km behind the pace already when it comes down to running - which is almost a weeks-worth of distance! I'll blame it on a number of things - the weather, work, and trying to fit food around training... What it actually comes down to is being rather bone-idle (despite the last post on training partners!) especially when they send you out to get the fish and chips whilst they are out for a run!!

Despite the laughably poor looking stats above, where I've only actually managed to meet the distance planned one out of four times, two of the others weeks have been within a couple of km of the target (as I pointed out to Ali as she sniggered at the stats over my shoulder!). This has definitely been an 'easier' month in terms of running, as a lot of it has been done along the canal or through town meaning a lot less elevation gain and quite often a lot less mud!!

However, February is a new month, so I can only hope it's onwards and upwards! The plan is to get out on the bike for the first cycle in 2016 on Saturday, so I can at least get off the block with that target, however swimming might have to hold off another week as it'll be a busy one at work!

If you missed out on what I've challenged myself this year then either click on the link to the right as this is the featured post at the moment, or go via this link - 2016 - What I want to do.

One Life - Live It, Love It

Training partners

Now if you're anything like me then you'll need a load of motivation to go for a run, which is why I very rarely go out for one by myself. Either it'll be running with my partner Ali, our dog Chewy, or other friends who like to run.

The great thing about running with someone is that there is always motivation to keep on going - it's that instinct that you can't let the other person down by quitting halfway through, and you want to help them make sure that they don't quit either especially if they are training for a specific event (as is often the case with Ali).

There's also the competitive nature of training with someone, although that doesn't always go down well when you are running with them... All the apps that are available such as Strava, Nike Plus and Map My Run do allow you to see where you have come in various leaderboards on the route, but it's still not the same as seeing someone going up a climb faster than you or losing the final sprint of the session. I have had a couple of times when I've decided to sprint the final part of the run without warning, which hasn't amused Ali, especially when I have the house key!! Haha.

Last night was a prime example of getting motivation from others. We had a friend over who attends a lot of events with Ali, and they had both had a bit of a rubbish day at work and then we had the check up at the vets for her dogs... All in all, not much motivation to go out for exercise afterwards! They still got me out, and we all managed a pretty good paced run (see the Strava link below).

Evening Run 25/01/2016

With my annual targets it's also the motivation of how much others have run in a year - Ali and Emma are training for a marathon in April, and so have done a lot more than me so far, but it's still having to admit to them and myself that I'm behind on monthly target that's getting me going!!

Oh, and I've also got this sweet little one to motivate me to run a bit more, although I do have the excuse of not running as far for a while with her!!

One Life - Live It, Love It

Riding the seasons - Winter

Winter is the hardest time of the year to motivate yourself to get out on your bike. Cold and dark mornings and evenings make it much more attractive to stay in bed for that extra hour before work or to curl up on the sofa to watch TV or films at weekends.

This is all before the party season that's sure to take a bit of a toll on waistline, liver and general fitness. Ice and muck - both of which make riding surfaces treacherous, are more ready-made excuses for staying in.

What you do in the winter can be crucial - riding regularly will help you consolidate the progress you have made in the warmer months and will give you a head start when the season gets underway again in the spring.

Events

20/02/2016 - Wiggle Super Series No Excuses Sportive
28/02/2016 - Kentish Killer
28/02/2016 - The Rawlinson Bracket
Evans Cycles RideIT Sportives - Various locations and dates (see here)

Clothing

A jacket is the single most important piece of clothing in your winter cycling wardrobe. It should be windproof and waterproof, but still needs to be breathable - the trick is to wear breathable layers underneath too. It's always good to start your ride feeling a little bit cold, as you will soon heat up once you've got going - if you start the ride all warm and cosy then you're almost certain to overheat during the ride.

A pair of gloves comes in close second to a jacket in terms of importance in winter. Your hands are virtually stationary when you ride so can end up getting extremely cold - especially your fingers. Again, the best gloves for the job will be windproof and waterproof.

Bikes

People take particular care protecting their body from the winter weather, and should have the same philosophy for their bikes. Your first job for the winter (so therefore should already be done) should be to book your bike in for a service before the weather gets too bad - with the balmy mild weather we have been having you'll still be ok!

Switching to wider tyres and reducing the pressure by 10-20psi will give you that extra little bit of traction of mucky, wet and icy roads. Extra grime on the roads means you should clean your bike more often and more carefully than in other seasons to ensure that this doesn't affect the performance of the bike. Extra attention should be paid to your chain which should be cleaned at least once a week (assuming you're out at least once a week!!)

After cleaning, give the bike frame a squirt of hydrophobic spray and the chain some water disperser before lubing it up. Finally, don't scrimp on a good set of lights - they could save your life.

One Life - Live It, Love It

Merry Christmas Everyone!

A seasons greeting to everyone!

I hope you all have a wonderful festive period, get to relax and spend time with those you love, and don't worry too much about training and keeping off the indulgent food and drink (that's what the New Year is about!)

If you want to spend the time planning what not to each, and how to kick start your training then check out the quick training guides below!

Hill Training

Endurance Training

Recovery Training

Threshold Training

Interval Training

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

One Life - Live It, Love It

Interval Training

So as we count down the days until Christmas, it's also time to count the number of days left in the current year - and therefore look forward to the new year and planning what events to take part in and how to tackle them.

In this short five-part piece we'll look at the five key training areas to concentrate on to get through any event!

Interval Training

Why?

Interval training involves short and regular bursts at alternate speeds from low to high. It's an important training tool used for building up cardio fitness and maximising your aerobic capacity, also know as your VO2 max.

Everyone's VO2 max is different and it's largely determined by genes and age, and therefore it's not possible to increase it, just to make sure that you are maximising your potential. The other good news is that training at your VO2 max also increases your endurance and strength.

What?

Beginners

Three intervals of 3 minutes at high intensity, with 3 minute recovery periods between. No more than one session a week.

Advanced

Three intervals of 5 minutes at high intensity, with 3 minute recovery periods between. No more than one session a week.




Missed out on the other parts of this New Year training? Check them out from the links below:

Hill Training

Endurance Training
Recovery Training
Threshold Training

One Life - Liv 4 It, Love It

Threshold Training

So as we count down the days until Christmas, it's also time to count the number of days left in the current year - and therefore look forward to the new year and planning what events to take part in and how to tackle them.

In this short five-part piece we'll look at the five key training areas to concentrate on to get through any event!

Threshold Training

Why?

Your lactate threshold is the point at which your muscles start to become overcome by fatigue, therefore stands to reason that increasing the amount of work you can do before your reach it is extremely important.

In sportives this is likely to occur on long steady climbs, and in races having a higher lactate threshold will enable you to stay with breakaways or smash those time trials. Training at 15-25% below your maximum heart rate allows you to increase your threshold, as this will be slightly above your current lactate threshold.

What?

Beginners

30 minutes at a constant intensity of 81-85% of your maximum heart rate once a week.

Advanced

20 minutes at a constant intensity of 85-90% of your maximum heart rate three times a week.



Missed out on the other parts of this New Year training? Check them out from the links below:

Hill Training

Endurance Training
Recovery Training
Interval Training

One Life - Liv 4 It, Love It

Recovery Training

So as we count down the days until Christmas, it's also time to count the number of days left in the current year - and therefore look forward to the new year and planning what events to take part in and how to tackle them.

In this short five-part piece we'll look at the five key training areas to concentrate on to get through any event!

Recovery Training

Why?

Recovery is as important, if not more so in some circumstances, for getting fit as exercise itself - only when you've completed your training session or race can the body repair damaged muscle tissue, refuel muscle glycogen and prepare for the next level of physical exertion.

Recovery rides are a key component of this. They need to be flat and ridden at a comfortable pace - you should be able to have a conversation with your cycling companions without struggling for breath. Just don't forget to keep hydrated though, just because you're not training hard doesn't mean you don't need to take on liquids.

What?

Beginners

60 minutes once a week.

Advanced

120 minutes once a week.



Missed out on the other parts of this New Year training? Check them out from the links below:

Hill Training

Endurance Training

Threshold Training
Interval Training

One Life - Liv 4 It, Love It

Endurance Training

So as we count down the days until Christmas, it's also time to count the number of days left in the current year - and therefore look forward to the new year and planning what events to take part in and how to tackle them.

In this short five-part piece we'll look at the five key training areas to concentrate on to get through any event!

Endurance Training

Why?

Road cycling, for the most part, is an endurance sport so it goes without saying that you need to spend more of your training time at endurance intensity than anything else. Ideally an endurance ride should be between 60 and 120 minutes and undertaken at 35-45% below your maximum heart rate.

This will increase your aerobic capacity and help you burn fat more effectively. We all know that hot summer days are more attractive for long rides, but if you want to improve sportive time during the year the best time to build up your endurance is in the winter months - before the season starts.

What?

Beginners

Two 60 minute rides a week at 55-65% maximum heart rate. Include one intense interval session too.

Advanced

Three rides of 120-plus minutes a week at 55-65% maximum heart rate. Incorporate one intense interval session per week as well.



Missed out on the other parts of this New Year training? Check them out from the links below:

Hill Training
Recovery Training
Threshold Training
Interval Training

One Life - Liv 4 It, Love It

Hill Training

So as we count down the days until Christmas, it's also time to count the number of days left in the current year - and therefore look forward to the new year and planning what events to take part in and how to tackle them.

In this short five-part piece we'll look at the five key training areas to concentrate on to get through any event!

Hill Training

Why?

It's all about power - you need more of it in your legs to fly up those inclines comfortably without leaving all your energy behind. Gym sessions that strengthen your leg and back muscles do help, but you don't want to put on too much bulk as this will end up slowing you down on the bike.

The best way to get stronger on your climbs is to target your training. One key is to avoid the temptation of standing up in the saddle as it uses more than 10% extra energy according to research. To much of that and you'll have nothing left for the remainder of the ride.

Creative Commons: Flickr

What?

Beginners

Choose a hill that takes 2 minutes to climb in a comfortable gear while seated. Climb twice with a 2 minute recovery between.

Advanced

Choose a hill that takes 4 minutes to climb in a comfortable gear while seated. Climb three to five times with a 4 minute recovery between each effort.



Missed out on the other parts of this New Year training? Check them out from the links below:

Endurance Training
Recovery Training
Threshold Training
Interval Training

One Life - Liv 4 It, Love It

Key UCI Mens WorldTour dates

So another year has nearly ended, and the next is quickly approaching - which means that it's time to have a look at the UCI WorldTour calendar for the men for 2016, and the key dates. If you read the other blog posts then you'll have already seen the posts for Tour de France and the Giro, and there will be a post for the Vuelta as soon as the route is announced.

There are 27 races in the men's WorldTour (UWT) next season, stretching from the 19th January to the 1st October and only three months of the whole year (February, November and December) where there isn't a UWT event (though fear not, if you feel that's just too many months without any cycling going on - there are other events on in February so you'll only have the withdrawal symptoms for a couple of months at the end of the year!!!

January

As always the Santos Tour Down Under kicks off the year between the 19th and 24th January, just in time for the post Christmas and New Year blues to be kicking in, and the resolutions wearing off - so additional motivation to get out of the bike or cross training for the winter months, because if the pros can manage to look like that less than a month after stuffing themselves on the 25th December then there should be hope for the rest of us to manage to fit in the new pair of trousers we picked up in the January sales!

March

It's classics season! Paris - Nice, Tirreno - Adriatico, Milan - San Remo to name a few. This is the time of year when the tough men who love the one day races come out and play, usually those who don't have an eye on any of the Grand Tours later in the year but each time there is usually a couple who want to broaden the CVs. Expect the unexpected, assume it will be cold and wet, and hope for some superb racing!

April

The second month of classics, and the month of The Hell of the North (aka Paris - Roubaix). On a good day the cobbles create a dust cloud and crashes, on a bad day the cobbles create a mudbath and crashes. Other choice races in the month are the Amstel Gold, and Liege - Bastogne - Liege.

May

Giro!! 6 - 29th May. Check out more details on the first Grand Tour of the year here.

June

Only a couple of races on the UWT this month, the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour de Suisse. Both of these are the final preparation for the main contenders of the Tour de France, although if previous years are anything to go by expect to see the winner come from the Dauphiné. Speaking from personal experience the Swiss put on a show, and it's really easy to get to all the start/finishes by public transport so if you've never seen an event on the continent then this is a good one to start with.

July

Tour de France.

Need I say more? The Tour of Poland also takes part in July, but unfortunately always plays second fiddle to the French version. The San Sebastian Classic rounds of the month, and is a good place for those who have had a poor Tour, or were never targeting the overall win to get a mid-season win under their belt.

August

Currently the dates for the Vuelta are the 20th August - 11th September, so this could be put into either or both month, but for ease of this we'll stick it in the month it starts... The final Grand Tour of the season, more details to follow when they are announced.

September

Canada month on the UWT, or at least the beginning of the month is - one day eventing in Quebec and Montreal. The month closes off with a return to Europe for the Eneco Tour between the 19th and 25th.

October

The final event to close off the season, Il Lombardia on the 1st of the month, so that technically pretty much makes it over three months until the start of the 2017 UCI WorldTour. Fear not though, we will be here throughout the pre-season, the whole of the season, and will do our best of bridge the gap into the following year and make sure you get your cycling fix!

All the details of the dates for the UWT season can be found here, on the UCI official website. Along with the details of the other categories that'll be on during the year.

Keep your eyes peeled on here for more details on the Women's WorldTour, and further info on many of the races this year - especially the Grand Tours.

Remember, Keep 'em Spinning!

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Tour de France 2016

Pop it in your diary now folks.. 2nd - 24th July 2016 - Its the 103rd edition of the Tour de France, and as always it's likely to be a banger!!

As usual 21 stages make up the route, this time covering 3,519km. A total of 9 flat stages for the sprinters (including the final 'procession' on the Champs-Elysees), 9 mountain top finishes and a welcome return of 2 serious individual time trials (of 37 and 17km in length).

The Grand Departe is from Mont Saint-Michel in north west France, and then the route will visit Switzerland, Andorra and Spain (as well as a bit of France!) before returning the capital for its classic finale.

Time bonuses are back this time as well, with the top three on each stage gaining bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds respectively. This is the first time that this has featured in the Tour for 7 years, and as in other races only counts for 'normal' stages (not mountain-top finishes!).

Check out the official route in 3D below, and over the coming months we will explore the route and where it's visiting in more detail!

Enjoy!