My RSS Feedhttp://homepage.mac.com/stevjoh/My%20Website/index.htmlHot News!enjohn@madfish.org.ukCopyright 2007 John Stevenson2007-07-10T22:13:20+01:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Fri, 10 Aug 2007 22:27:47 +0100Julyjohn@madfish.org.ukStarting out2007-07-10T22:13:20+01:00http://homepage.mac.com/stevjoh/My%20Website/page1/files/856c76cb55948f529e8e795337cac3b5-3.html#unique-entry-id-3http://homepage.mac.com/stevjoh/My%20Website/page1/files/856c76cb55948f529e8e795337cac3b5-3.html#unique-entry-id-3I mean, I can go out and run 10miles cold after a two month layoff, but in the pool, I can swim a staggering 25m of front crawl before falling over knackered. I now feel comfortable with the concept, but I can’t breath and I have no swimming stamina at all, absolutely zero. This is going to take years.

I’m on holiday in Switzerland right now, with access to an outdoor 25m pool. Let’s see if I can’t crack this…..

I’m also thinking timetable. I want to be able to do this race justice, not just scrape in at 17 hours, although that would still be success. Given I have no swim, no race bike and no triathlon experience, this may take me 3 years until I’m ready?

I'm swimming nearly every day in the outdoor pool, but I'm still only really good for 2 lengths. Frustrating and pathetic!

...........
]]>Junejohn@madfish.org.ukStarting out2007-06-10T22:12:14+01:00http://homepage.mac.com/stevjoh/My%20Website/page1/files/fc066458dbe7000a17ee93aba3358923-2.html#unique-entry-id-2http://homepage.mac.com/stevjoh/My%20Website/page1/files/fc066458dbe7000a17ee93aba3358923-2.html#unique-entry-id-2
]]>Mayjohn@madfish.org.ukStarting out2007-05-10T22:11:05+01:00http://homepage.mac.com/stevjoh/My%20Website/page1/files/1368f7f8cd43ff57d1765ba5b3afdae7-1.html#unique-entry-id-1http://homepage.mac.com/stevjoh/My%20Website/page1/files/1368f7f8cd43ff57d1765ba5b3afdae7-1.html#unique-entry-id-1Currently, I swim sporadically with the children and on holidays. Forget 2.4 miles, I would struggle to complete a sprint distance of 750m using breast stroke, so easily my weakest of the three disciplines before I start; lessons required.

Cycling. Things are better here, I own a mountain bike (but no road bike). I have ridden the coast-2-coast (Whitehaven to Sunderland, a very beery 160 mile weekend) back in 1998 and the Welsh coast-2-coast a longer (a slightly less beery 200 miles long weekend in 1999). I’m happy with the idea of going out and cycling 30-40 miles in Sunday morning ride, although I haven’t been out for about two years, after my last cycling weekend (Padstow to Bristol, 180 miles, much more restrained).

Running. Here we go, I’ve just completed the Marathon des Sables, a 160 miles endurance race across the Sahara, although I did walk a fair chunk of this. However, I’m certainly happy with running and now I’m not scared of any distance. Indeed, because of the MdS, I’m not scared of the concept of the ironman at this stage, either.

Fitness. This is my concern. From the MdS, I’m certainly not unfit, far from it. However, whilst I could run and walk all day, it’s not something I can do particularly quickly. Indeed, my speciality is long, slow runs. The ironman is going to require me to be lighter and fitter, much more so than the MdS.]]>Apriljohn@madfish.org.ukStarting out2007-04-10T22:07:45+01:00http://homepage.mac.com/stevjoh/My%20Website/page1/files/93bb0c3f609ed4608e80191dde95a5dd-0.html#unique-entry-id-0http://homepage.mac.com/stevjoh/My%20Website/page1/files/93bb0c3f609ed4608e80191dde95a5dd-0.html#unique-entry-id-0
First up, the reading material. I’ve already got Serious training for endurance athletes, a great book, I also went for the Joe Friel training bible. On the lifestyle front 'Not normal behaviour' (an ironman story from ‘novice’) and also a collection of stories of ironman competitors.

I’ve got a subscription to triathlon magazine 220, so I must be serious now! Websites – plenty for triathlon such as tri247. On the ironman front, all roads lead and start from www.ironman.com.

DVDs, plenty as well, particularly the NBC annual Kona World Series.

Lots to read, this is all very exciting. I’m still not training yet, after all, this is only an ironman, and I’m just educating myself…..]]>