Training/Racing/Testing

Firstly the training!!
Saturday morning came around and I was off to my new found 'friend' the gym for another 2hr session. 10mins warming up on the bike, 10mins warming up on the rower, then onto the miriad of weight machines. 20reps on each machine (x3) worked me out a touch before I had to do these daft core excercises. I can cope with shifting weights around, but all these sit ups/crunches etc etc drive me mad grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Finally I managed a quick 10mins on the treadmill to warm down. It feels odd to spend 2hrs in a gym but not actually come out of there in pieces, but I guess that's not the idea.
Saturday evening I headed out to the shed for a 40min turbo session. Nothing too heavy, but plenty of fast cadence stuff.

Now for the Racing!!
Sunday morning came round and I was off to the Leisure Centre with a car full of race stuff. As it's a race that Shell organises I'd plenty to keep me busy. The forecast had promised 60mph winds, these never appeared, but as we discovered when we headed out to mark out the run course it was still very windy and bloody cold! Once the course was all marked out there was just time to get my race kit sorted before I headed up to the pool to fulfill my duties as 'bums in water man'. As the event is held in a swimming pool we do a rolling start, 1 person every minute as in a cycling Time Trial. My job was to get folks in the water on time and get them started. Once that job was completed it just left 4 members of our club to go at the end, with me being the last one in the water.
5,4,3,2,1,GO!!! I was off and 24lengths/600m later I got out of the water with around 8:15 on the watch. Trainers on, number belt on (I'd wimped out on the fancy dress), where the hell are my glasses???? I ran back to my lane, they weren't there! I ran back to where I'd changed, they weren't there!! Balls to it, I can run without, so I did. 25:11 after I'd started the race it was all over, damn that 2hr gym session hurt now. Just time for a quick shower and change before I had to give the race presentation. Amazingly I'd won, sort of.......... I'd got hammered by a 14year old who swam 600m in under 7mins but because of his age he could only win the youth prize of a tin of chocs. I'd also been beaten (by 9secs) by two clubmates of mine who'd raced as a relay but they didn't count either - I can't help wondering though if they were responsible for my disappearing glasses, in their bid to beat me (hmmmm!!!!). So I was actually 3rd, but I'll claim the win anyway :)

Time for the Testing!!
Monday saw the follow up to my VO2 testing the other week. Mid afternoon saw me in a heat chamber at Exeter University. The test revolved around the taste of various drinks. I was weighed at the start, in the middle and at the end of the test. My HR was recorded and my core temperature was kept measured by a dodgily placed thermometer. All that was required once I was all wired up was for me to pedal for 45mins on a static bike with a constant 211 watts (a figure determined by my previous test) in a tiny cupboard sized room that was kept at 35degC (95F). After 45mins cycling there was a 10min rest, drinks taste and re-weight before hitting the bike again for another 45mins. I'm not sure my tatse buds did the job on the test, but I lost 2.1kg during the test and (apparently) I was the only person not to need the bikes power turning down during the test which at least shows that there's still some base fitness there. Once the test was over it was drink, drink, drink for the next few hours.

Since the test I've been wrecked. Last night I ran for just over 1hr but there was nothing in the legs and I've put tonights planned turbo session on the shelf in favour of a rest day.

Pictures from Sunday
Some video from Sunday (funny at 4mins)