Just like that another year of swimming, biking and running has gone by. Yes, I know!! it’s November still and you don’t post a review until the end of the year but I’m not the type of person who follows the rule book. Basically, December is just a month of training, building the base for 2020 so not much to write home about.

As with previous years, I will split the year into months (can’t believe nobody thought of that before) and write a little bit about what went on that month, the highs, the lows and add a lovely photo from the main event that month. Let’s face it, we all just scroll through the text and look at the photos right?

So, coming into 2019 I wanted the main focus to be on triathlon. I was registered for the Mallorca 70.3 plus two full Ironman at Ironman UK & Ironman Wales. I did set myself a target of running PB’s in 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon but the main goal was to go under 5 hours at Ironman 70.3 Mallorca and under 12 hours in one (or both) full Ironman races.

At the end of 2018 I started working with a triathlon coach and we were building the base ready to hit the ground running in January 2019…. Kinda like what I am doing now in December 2019.

January

This month was mostly training, building the bike strength and working on swim drills to improve technique.

I had one running race at TATTON PARK 10K where I ran a PB and first sub 40. It was a windy day and I felt I could do better than the 39:46. I guess that can be a good motivation if you feel you can do better. At the same time, why didn’t I do better in the race if I think I can do better? Some things are out of our control so my thoughts were, if it was less windy then I could give the same or more effort and achieve a better time.

I also ran a Parkrun PB at The Wammy Parkrun with my first sub 19 Parkrun coming home in 2nd place with a 18:25.

A good positive start to the year though.

February

Pretty much the same as January in that most of the month was bike strength and swim technique. I did scale back the training towards the end of the month due to running the Tokyo Marathon in March.

As mentioned in January, I felt I could run a faster 10k, so in February I went back to Tatton Park and smashed that PB with a 37:48  (I didn’t stop the watch straight away in the photo below) and my first ever podium finish with a 3rd place.

Once again, another great confidence boost. The speed work was paying off and I was running these short tune-up races well and learning how to race against others too.

March

This month was massively dictacted by the TOKYO MARATHON 2019 RACE RECAP I went into the race with a short one week taper, this wasn’t a goal race as we were focusing everything towards the Mallorca 70.3 in May. My coach just said to go out and enjoy the run, don’t set a time goal, just see how it feels on the day but don’t take any risks.

The day before and the morning of the race I hadn’t been feeling very well. The weather was cold and raining so I just covered the watch up with the many layers of clothing I was wearing and ran to what felt a steady pace. This ended up in me running the race of my life, taking over 16 minutes off my marathon PB and nearly running sub 3 with a 3:01.09. Clearly, the training is paying off and the combo of bike and running training is working well.

Just after Tokyo, I ran the WILMSLOW RUNNING FESTIVAL 10K RACE RECAP thinking that I could try and challenge my PB from February. I went into the race with a bit of a cold and didn’t beat my PB but despite racing 20 days after the marathon, I ran my second fastest 10k in 38:25.

April

I made the decision to not race the Manchester Marathon this month. This would give me more time to get some good quality training done before next months 70.3 by not having a two-week taper, a marathon and a week or two of recovery. I must admit, I was really tempted to race it and try to run sub 3 after going so close in March but I had to remember the main goal of a sub 5 hour 70.3.

I did race what was only my 3rd proper timed 5k race at the MID-CHESHIRE 5K SPRING 2019 RACE RECAP I wanted to have a go at running a sub 18 5k and felt I was close after the 18:25 in January’s Parkrun. I did run a PB but missed out on that sub 18 running a 18:10, getting closer and another race and another PB. That is 4 PB’s in 5 races this year, plus the Parkrun PB.

 

May

So May was the big one, the month I had put all of my focus on over the last 7 months. My swimming was massively quicker than 2018, my bike felt strong and the previous running races gave me confidence that I was running well.

Everything pointed to a good race day at IRONMAN 70.3 MALLORCA 2019 RACE RECAP sadly that wasn’t to be, no PB this time. In fact, I sustained a grade 2 tear of my right calf muscle on the beach run into the sea, right in the first few meters of that race. I did push on a complete the swim and bike legs but running wasn’t possible. In fact, I shouldn’t have risked it by going on with the bike leg either but race day brain and stupidity had kicked in.

The calf strain meant that I could not run for 8 – 12 weeks and only after that period could I get back to running short and low-intensity runs.

That put me out of the Brooklyn Half Marathon and GFNY World Championship races in New York the following week.

I felt gutted about missing those races but the real truth was, I won’t be able to do any races involving running for the next 3 – 4 months. That meant having to defer Ironman UK and Ironman Wales to 2020, effectively ending my 2019 triathlon season not even 10 meters into the first race. As a result of not being able to race any triathlon until 2020, I decided to end things with my triathlon coach for the time being. The hope was to pick this up again in the future once back running and try to achieve my ambitious goals of GB qualification and one day get to race in Kona.

June

June was a tough month. Not being able to run was a hard thing to adapt to. I was allowed to get back on the bike and in the pool after 4 weeks of complete rest. This gave me some activities to focus on and I was able to start some very easy paced 1 – 2 mile runs towards the end of the month.

I decided to sign up for the Great North Swim 2 Mile race which was in the Lake District and the day after returning from a 1 week family holiday in Menorca.

It is safe to say the 13’c water was sooooo much colder than the Mediterranean sea but I went on to swim a 2 mile PB with a 1:05:35

After that, I thought I may as well sign up for a few Sportives to give me something to look forward to. The first of which was the White Rose Classic in Yorkshire. I went all in and signed up for the 110-mile distance with 11,000ft of climbing and absolutely loved it.

At the end of June, I was signed up to race the Abersoch Olympic Triathlon but despite getting back into running mid-June, I knew I couldn’t run the 10k leg and I was not able to defer or cancel this race so I transferred onto the shorter ABERSOCH SPRINT TRIATHLON 2019 RACE RECAP. My first ever triathlon was the only other time I had raced at the sprint distance so I was keen to see how I fared at this distance now.

To my surprise and despite taking the 5k run very steady I finished in 1:21:36 a 16 minute PB. Definitely more time to take off at the distance once fully fit.

One big thing that changed for me in 2019 began mid-way through June. I started a new routine comprising of daily calf stretching, mostly to help the injury recovery but also as future injury prevention. I also started doing 30 min at home core strength training and 30 min legs, hips, & glutes strength training, alternating between the two each day. Strength training is something I just haven’t stuck to at any point so the hope is, if I can build that routine now whilst I have more time, then it will stick and the running come back will form around it.

July

I decided that I would seek the assistance of a run coach, firstly to guide me through the injury recovery and secondly, help with my training from injury recovery through to the New York City Marathon in November. At this stage, I was not sure whether I would be fit enough to run NYC again but I had until October to decide on whether to defer to 2020. I thought by seeking the help of a coach, they will give me the best possible chance of making the start line in New York. Also, I was 100% certain that without a coach guiding me through the injury recovery, I would do too much too soon and risk further damaging the calf.

I was 99% sure which coach I wanted and after speaking with 3 or 4 coaches, I went with my initial preference and started working with Adam & Charlotte at Purdue Performance.

With the guidance of Purdue Performance, we gradually built up the run mileage throughout July. Starting with two weekly 3 mile runs up to three 4 mile runs. Whilst an 12-mile week was far from my typical mileage, it felt so good to be out running in the sun.

Whilst I wasn’t able to run much, I was clocking up good mileage on the bike and allowed to push more than June.

I signed up for the CHESHIRE 100 SPORTIVE RECAP as preparation for the Ride 100 in August. I had a really fun time racing the 100-mile sportive, riding in the lead pack for a large portion of the first 50 miles before making a break and then taking a wrong turn.

All in all, July was a far better month, my confidence was starting to come back.

August

Things got busy in August. I had never raced during the summer before, I usually ease off a little in August and concentrate on building for Autumn marathons.

This time I was continuing to build the weekly mileage, getting up to long runs of 8 miles, still at a slow pace but with each run, increasing my confidence in not only my calf but also my body.

The month started off with another 100-mile sportive at the RIDE LONDON:SURREY 100 2019 RECAP where I pushed hard from the get-go and achieved something I didn’t even have on my radar in 2019 by cycling under 5 hours for the 100 miles.

Next came my comeback running race at TATTON PARK AUGUST 10K RECAP the same race I had run PB’s at in January and February. No PB this time as expected but I ran a well-controlled constant pace to come over the line in 40:03, more than 2 minutes slower than 6 months ago but looking at the whole picture, this was my 4th fastest 10k, only beaten by the three 10k’s raced at the beginning of this year.

Running that time and coming out of it feeling no pain in the calf gave me a massive confidence boost. I now knew that I could run and push pretty fast so the next challenge is to build the endurance and look to New York City in November.

Three weeks after the 10k I was back at MID-CHESHIRE 5K SUMMER 2019 RACE RECAP where I missed out on a sub 18 by 10 seconds back in April. In my heart, I wanted to push it as hard as possible and try for that sub 18 once again but I knew the missed weeks and injury recovery had knocked my fitness back. I didn’t think I could run that fast but Adam told me to just go for it and see how you do, but don’t take any risks.

So I went for it and gave it everything as you can see from the photo below of me approaching the finish. Unbelievably! I crossed the line in a new PB of 17:48, smashing my sub 18 goal.

September

Just three days after the Mid-Cheshire 5k PB I was racing the CHESHIRE HALF MARATHON 2019 RACE RECAP. My goal this year was to run a sub 85 minute half marathon in Brooklyn back in May but injury meant starting wasn’t even a possibility. I did think about pushing for that goal at the Cheshire Half but deep down I knew it would end badly.

After talking it through with Charlotte, we decided to pace it around 10secs per mile faster than goal marathon pace and use the race as a hard endurance / tempo run.

I held the target pace from start to finish and whilst the last few miles were a struggle I did it and finished in a new PB time of 87:54, almost 2 minutes faster than my previous PB and a massive confidence boost once again.

Running a 5k PB and half marathon PB three days apart gave me the confidence that although I wasn’t able to run much between May – August, the cycling had helped to maintain most of my fitness and as the strength in the calf is growing week by week the running is getting back to similar levels as pre-injury.

I decided that I would sign up and race theOUTLAW X TRIATHLON 2019 RACE RECAP  middle distance triathlon at the end of September, the final race on the 2019 UK triathlon calendar. The same distance as the 70.3 Mallorca in May where I picked up the calf injury.

To be honest, I went into this race really relaxed and calm. I felt very confident that I could beat my time from Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire last June, the only other race over the middle distance. I knew my swimming was a lot faster, I had just cycled my fastest 100 mile sportive and just ran my fastest half marathon, I just need to put it together on the day.

That was what I did. The swim was slightly slower than Mallorca, but I put that down to Mallorca being a sea swim with the extra buoyancy. My bike leg and run leg were faster than Staffordshire. I finished in 5:04:18 a massive 33 minutes faster than Staffs 70.3 and also meeting the GB Age Group qualifying standard as well.

October

On the back of a strong come back and PB’s in September, October was pretty low key. I completed my last long run of 20 miles by the second weekend of the month. Ideally I would have two more long runs before tapering for New York City but I flew out to Myanmar mid Oct for a 315km mountain bike ride around the country.

I had lots of fun riding out there, meeting some amazing people and making friends for life. The country is one of the most beautiful I have visited and with the temps going into the 40’s it was a very hot and humid week. Total opposite to what I will be running New York in.

Upon returning from Myanmar, I had 10 days in the UK before travelling out to New York for the marathon. It was taper time so the distance and intensity were dropping.

I was finding the my heart rate, especially during the easy runs was not as low as normal. I felt ok but the heart rate data suggested otherwise. We put it down to dodgy data coming back from either the watch or HRM. The watch had started to display incorrect elevation and temperature readings which supported this theory.

November

So New York arrived and I had made it to the start line. Something I had seriously doubted 3 months ago. I felt strong and ready to tackle the marathon distance once again. The daily strength training had massively helped to get me here and the help and support from Adam & Charlotte through the injury recovery and subsequent endurance build had got me here feeling ready to go.

We discussed pace goals where we all agreed that my initial post Tokyo goal of running a sub 3 here was just too soon in the recovery. We decided to play it safer and target 3:05, which would be my 2nd fastest marathon by some distance anyway.

The race started well and for 15-miles I was coasting around with the 3:05 pace group. The pace felt comfortable and I felt strong. Then from mile 15 – 22 I was repeatedly ill, losing time and even wondering whether the on course medics would pull me out of the race. I got things together over the last 3-4 miles and put a bit of a surge in at the end to finish in 3:18.37. My 3rd fastest marathon.

I was really disappointed at the finish. I had dropped 13 minutes over a 7 mile period and missed my goal. I came to accept this as just one of those things marathons throw at you, they rarely go to plan and I am happy and proud that I didn’t give up, I kept running despite being sick over and over again and I finished strong.

I am not entirely sure what caused the sickness but looking at the race stats after the race I can see that my heart rate was really high from the start, averaging 28bmp more than the Tokyo marathon 7 months prior. Taking into account different weather, sleep, fitness, health etc its hard to draw any conclusions on that stat but it is a big jump, even more so when you factor in Tokyo was 17 minutes faster than New York too.

I only recently remembered that my heart rate had been high in the weeks before New York after returning from Myanmar. My assumption is, I had a bug of some sort after coming back from Myanmar that meant I wasn’t 100% fit / healthy. I don’t think that caused the sickness on race day but I am pretty confident that was the reason behind the increased heart rate. That heart rate didn’t return to normal levels until the end of November.

After New York we flew down to Florida and spent two weeks at Disney World as a family just unwinding and recovering from the marathon.

Upon returning from Florida I wanted to build on the relative success of my new stretching and strength training routine which began in June. It had kind of faded away since going to Myanmar and then going straight into New York and Florida.

I brought the daily strength training back but added in upper body to the routine, started the calf stretching once again and began a new routine of waking at 5am each morning. It takes 66 days to form a routine, by starting to build that routine now, those early mornings will become the norm and then as training for three Ironman races in 2020 starts to ramp up, I will have that extra hour in the routine to get more early morning sessions done without impact the usual sleep pattern too much.

December

Just a month of training as mentioned. Nothing to write home about here but setting the very important groundwork for a big 2020.