ris' 2015 review

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ris' 2015 review

Postby ris » 03 Jan 2016 00:06

my annual look back at some numbers and what i thought of my year in tri.
previous years:
2014
2013
2012

i'd say 2015 went pretty well. still some stuff i'd like to work on, but a huge amount to look back on with a smile. a definite improvement on 2014 which felt like a rough ride.

it started, and ended, with im wales. it was the thing i had in mind and was all lined as the year's goal and it was where my season definitely ended.

i struggled a lot with injury in 2014 and up to tenby had done a good job of staying injury free. a big addition to my regular training week was an hours stretching, yoga and occasionally some weights in the gym. i think they made, and still make, a difference, although i do tend to do stretches and postures that i like doing and tend not to vary it as much as i could. i certainly noticed that my glutes had a tendency to tighten up if i regularly missed time stretching.

i sorted the argon tt bike out and had a fit at btown. i had hopes of doing some tt's and entered a 100mi event in norfolk that was unfortunately cancelled. i rode it quite a lot, including on some long, hilly rides that it was pretty unsuited to (including IM wales). i like the tt bike but it really is a specific race bike and very unsuited to anything lumpy. this certainly applies to the way i have it geared and like to ride.

my running was ok, although i never really got to a place where i was regularly knocking out speedwork sessions. too much stuff at work disrupting my week. i did a lot though and i don't think i was underprepared for im running. i noticed that i didn't lose anywhere near the weight i did in 2013 and while my running wasn't as efficient as a result my cycling benefited.

swimming was a mixed bag. i've not progressed much in the last 3-4 years, and while i finally went under 6mins for 400m this wasn't backed up with any real progress anywhere else. i still love swimming and the peace i get from it so it's not a big deal. i do wonder if i've achieved all i am going to with my current coach/training set up and have been looking at master's sessions to bring some variety. not sure what to do at the moment.

i did four races and had very good results in all of them, if for different reasons. i set pb's across several distances (sprint and oly), and placed in the top 20% for all events, and in the top 5-6% of three. i won my age group in one. i finished in the top 30 of a race with 700 starters. i raced mostly in torrential rain. i don't think i'm quite as fast a runner as i was in 2013, but my cycling is benefiting from a touch more power. i think i won the bcttt club champs, but yet to see that confirmed!

of what i did i think i was most proud of my cardiff tri result - first oly for a long time a high placing in a big field racing in horrible conditions. tenby was very special for lots of reasons but my performance outside the swim wasn't one of them. i finished, i raised plenty of money, my family was there and these are memories i'm glad i'll have, but in pure race terms, cardiff was terrific.

balancing work with training has been really hard this year, and may be the same in 2016. i was in manchester weekly for a big chunk of last year and missed training (swimming/running mostly) and sleep as a result. there were some terrible sessions in the pool where i was underfed, underhydrated and weary. the next 18months look like regular trips to london that may do the same. when push comes to shove it is the training that gets dropped - it's only a hobby after all!

im wales jiggered my back / glutes again and it's not been right since. i've been seeing physios and being good to it but it could be a long road to recovery. i'm not going long in 2016 but would like to again in 2017. i'm looking to do a few sprints and at least one oly this year and have signed up for one already. i might do a middle, but only if i think i can manage the run training properly. as the baby of the vets / m40 age group i hope to have some fun if i can stay fit.

i know that my 'averages' are slower but that's just a product of a lot of slow base commute and long steady runs. my races show that when i do drop the hammer it is very effective. i'm going to continue with my regular stretching and weights but also been looking to bring in some circuits/strength work to try and protect my glutes and back more. at the moment this is through hiit and body-pump sessions, hopefully a couple of times a month. i'll try and spin / turbo occasionally, if i can be arsed.

numbers

bike
distance 4523mi 3754mi (4980mi) [4900mi] {4998mi}
time 265h 216h (287) [285h] {289h}
mph 17.1mph <17.3> (17.3) [17.3] {17.3}

run
distance 878mi <345> (1012) [659] {678}
time 116h <44> (132) [84:30] {84:28}
ave speed 7.6mph <7.8> (7.7) [7.8] {8}

swim
distance 277km <247> (364) [361] {340}
time 102h <92> (137) [135] {127}

yoga/weights
35h
most disturbing in lycra, 2010, 2012, 2013
club champ 2015
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Re: ris' 2015 review

Postby Jimba » 03 Jan 2016 01:09

Great year Ris, some outstanding results including a club championship win!
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Re: ris' 2015 review

Postby Jack Hughes » 03 Jan 2016 13:06

Very well done!

I suspect you would have to work part time to progress much more. But it will be interesting to see how you get on at the bottom of V40.

Maybe some time trials?

Maybe a visit to Yorkshire with the bike?
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Re: ris' 2015 review

Postby ris » 03 Jan 2016 13:55

TTs are a possibility, it's getting them lined up. I'm considering a middle in the north, provided the dates work.

I'm signed up for bristol oly already and planning a couple of early sprints in may.

You are right - I'd need a lighter work commitment to get more from training and if anything work will be heavier the next few years. That's as much me as the job - I enjoy what I do and trying to make the most of the opportunities I have .
most disturbing in lycra, 2010, 2012, 2013
club champ 2015
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Re: ris' 2015 review

Postby IanM » 03 Jan 2016 14:18

Great year Ris, very well done!

ris wrote:TTs are a possibility, it's getting them lined up. I'm considering a middle in the north, provided the dates work.


I'll be banging the Stone Wheelers 25 drum when the dates are out (any day now) - club members get preferential entry to one of the fastest 25 courses in the country in Mid May, you should give it a go.

ris wrote:You are right - I'd need a lighter work commitment to get more from training and if anything work will be heavier the next few years. .


Why not look at raising the intensity rather than the volume? Aside from the injury risk of course, but less of a risk on the bike than running?
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Re: ris' 2015 review

Postby Jack Hughes » 03 Jan 2016 18:21

IanM wrote:I'll be banging the Stone Wheelers 25 drum when the dates are out (any day now)



http://manchesterctt.org.uk/page32.html

21st May.

Bang Bang Bang!

(Thought you might have had enough of drums by now, though)
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Re: ris' 2015 review

Postby IanM » 03 Jan 2016 18:23

Jack Hughes wrote:
IanM wrote:I'll be banging the Stone Wheelers 25 drum when the dates are out (any day now)



http://manchesterctt.org.uk/page32.html

21st May.

Bang Bang Bang!

(Thought you might have had enough of drums by now, though)

Yeah, remembered I already had that date earlier. Just waiting on Central and Yorkshire now, blooming tardy CTT...
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Re: ris' 2015 review

Postby Jack Hughes » 03 Jan 2016 18:37

Even better, it's the weekend before this.

http://cycleclassics.co.uk/cheshire-cob ... -sportive/
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