Sunday 30th June - Week 20 - Pushed to the limit

So- things are getting close now for the Long Course Weekend in July when i get to try all the routes, rides and distances but over 3 days!

Still yet to test fully is the actual distance required for the event - in the pool i can do the distance but open water swimming is obviously different. The run - i thought would be ok but this week i did a 20km (half marathon) trial run, aiming for race pace, which i did but boy did i ache!



My time was good but i think new trainers are definitely in order when running these distances at my weight and on the roads.

A big test also left was can i actually ride 100+ miles on my trusty old bike? I have done big rides, and half distance rides etc. but could i deal with sitting for hours and hours on the saddle pounding mile after mile?? To test this i have just today, completed the 105 mile Merlin Sportive - based out of Carmarthen and taking in just under 8,000ft of ascent over some big and brutal hills in the west of the Black Mountain.

I was really pleased with my time - 6hrs : 25mins and an overall position of 57th (out of 189 who finished) but man, what a boring slog of a ride - i was concerned that the Ironman route for the ride section was a looped and lapped affair but now i am glad - at one point i was over an hour without seeing anyone, no riders, no supporters! Soul destroying at mile 70 odd!

The wind was harsh and the terrain hard work but i did it, and i have had a tough week of work too so i am pleased, actually feel like i could run too which is the thing to have in mind - not only do you ride a huge distance, you have to get off and run a marathon!

(riders getting ready at the start of the race)

So, the donations -

2 this week, but have made another huge difference, my total is now £900 with a few cash sponsor forms of over £100 to come in post event - meaning I AM AT TARGET 1! i CAN complete! A huge thank you to all who have supported so far - why stop here?

Excellent work both! Makes a huge difference!

To finish, here are my rather UN flattering pictures from last weeks Mumbles Triathlon! Keep up the support all, keep up the help and donations and its time to start getting even more serious about this so i can actually deliver a good time on the day and not just bimble over the finish line with minutes to spare!

Sunday 23rd June - Week 19 - Beginners Luck?

2 events down - no more 'real' triathlons now until the big one in September. Actually managed to do a full triathlon this Saturday too at the Mumbles Long Sprint Triathlon.

A great event, windy, rainy but full of atmosphere and a huge crowd of hardcore triathletes and newbees (like me!)

After an unexpected good result last week at the Pendine Sprint Duo(Tri)athlon i wasn't holding my hopes for anything great as i really wanted to focus on the swim and the training element rather than the race - but you know how it is - im pretty competitive so i had to give it my best anyways.

The course was good - swim was choppy and crowded - Bike was WINDY and wet with a brutal hill thrown in too - the run was flat and hard going with wet, cold feet and a fairly boring flat bit of tarmac to pound. Results - well - a lot better than expected!

Overall 23rd! (out of 250 finishers!) in a time of 1:38mins - VERY HAPPY WITH THAT

So, not only has it been another good week of results its been another GREAT week of donations. Nearly at my target now of £1000 - so well done and THANKS to all

So - whats left? Lots of training still to do, next weekend is the Merlin Sportive (105miles) over some big hills in West Wales

Should be getting some good pics in from the Pendine and Mumbles Triathlons when they are published too!

Remember - if you want donate or know someone that can please pass on the details of the blog and the sponsor page: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TomPartridge

Sunday 16th June - Week 18 - Happy Fathers Day!

I would like to start this weeks installment with a massive thanks for the last round of recent donors - they are really coming in thick and fast now and below is a summary of those donations and the running total - which is nearly at the target!!!

Ivor Thomas£100.00 (+ £25.00 giftaid) 15.06.13 Good Luck Tom

Anonymous£10.00 (+ £2.50 giftaid) 14.06.13 Good luck, I wish I was younger! From Hennock

Clive Stockdale£10.00 (+ £2.50 giftaid) 12.06.13 Best of luck.

Anonymous£50.00 07.06.13 What will you do for your 40th?

Anonymous£20.00 (+ £5.00 giftaid) 06.06.13

charles middleton£20.00 (+ £5.00 giftaid) 05.06.13 good luck tom, great event and great cause

Katie Lloyd£10.00 (+ £2.50 giftaid) 04.06.13 Hope your commitment to training pays off and you hit your personal goals....maybe by the time you've finished training your thighs will be as big as mine!!! :p Good Luck Thomas!

Running total now: £825!

My target was £1000 so i am nearly there thanks to the great support from you all - but remember - no donation is too small or too big! and please leave your name so i can thank you too!! A few anonymous dontations the last week or so!

It would be great - if possible - to reach £1250 as this is what it costs to buy an adapted bicycle for someone with limited mobility so they too can enjoy the open road, fresh air and exercise that i thrive on training and competing in these events!!

So - what have i been up to? Lot of hard sessions, increasing the output, getting into race pace and learning more tricks of the trade! You can, as always, follow my Strava feed where i post all my training efforts on the bike and out running - even managed to log a few open water swims too.

Highlights have been a good 3km swim (in the pool) but in a good time (just over an hour) which is probably the longest i have ever swam continuously without break - so happy with that - and also a fun traning triathlon in porthcawl making the most of the sunny weather:

(Worked out About 750m swim - 35km ride - 6.5km Run)

Pendine Triathlon - 15th June 2013:

Also this week was the first of my sprint Triathlons in the build up to working on the transitions, ethos and general feel for the sport. The Pendine outdoor sprint was a 750m sea swim, 23km Cycle (2 lap course) and a 5km beach run.
I was all hyped and ready to go to find out that the sea, as expected  was too rough and the swim was dropped for safety reasons meaning what i competed in was a Duoathlon - 3km Run, 23km Ride and 5km Run.

Being honest - i was a little bummed out on the day as the swim was dropped but it was ROUGH! The run was hard as it was on the infamous Pendine sands - a huge FLAT and fairly boring beach! The wind was epic meaning that the out legs on the runs and rides were fast but coming back into the head wind was GRIM!

In the end - good old 'Wendy Ingraham' the £400 ebay bike did me proud and having a bit of extra weight to keep me on the road allowed me to get past quiet a few people on £2K plus bikes! 

Results:

Time: 1:17:57s Overall Position: 16 (out of 120) Category Position: 9th - Well happy with that for an amateur fat man!!

You can see the full race results here

(There should be some race pics to follow next week too)

Outcome for me: didn't really get to practice kit transition as apart from shoes there was no real test or trial as feet weren't wet, head wasn't cold etc.

lets hope next weeks Mumbles Tri goes ok as i am having a run of bad luck with the swims being cut or cancelled at events and this is what i am desperate to practice.......

Keep up the support - keep up the donations and spread the word!

Sunday 2nd June - Week 16 - Up the Volume

Well, as the clock ticks down i figured its time to start upping the volume- longer swims, longer rides, longer runs and trying to put them all together.

Addidiontally i have managed to get my first event under my belt and it would also appear that the dontations have started to increase again - the best news to my ears!

You can, as always, keep up to date with the goings on, day to day, on the facebook group - this is where i post my Strava results, but you can also see the details on my Strava page too:

http://app.strava.com/athletes/1611220

Making the most of the sunny weahter and the change of secenry this weeken i managed to get a good 10km run in and a 70+ km ride over the Moors in Dartmoor - some brutal hills, rolling down hills and great veiws too!


Thursday the 30th June was the great - Bryn Bach Park Aquathon - a 400m (or so) swim followed by a 5km race around the lake. This was my first race combining swimming and running and it was a learning curve to say the least:

1) Pace yourself on the swim, this is clearly not my best event and when they reduced the distance cos of the water temp i thought - i can sprint this - wrong! Cold water = hard to breathe, i should know this!
2) I can run! but if i cock up the transistion i waste time - big time.3) Use these events to practice my long goal - race pace (ironman), transition, what to eat/drink, people ahead of me are probably training for 'sprint' events - which i am not4) I am not that bad - still came 33rd out of about 75-80! 5) I dont like swimming in the lake - yucky reeds and dark depths, plus i need to work on my tehcnicque when surrounded by others kicking you! Remember to stay focussed on your pace and swim in a straight line!


Saying that though - I still came 33rd out of 78 - pretty happy with that, 10mins behind the leader and over 20mins ahead of the back person - but Ironman is not a sprint and this is not what i am training for so all good! for the full results click here

Next event will be the Pendine Sprint Triathlon - so, ill see where i come there - must practice my transitions more i think! http://www.healthylifeactivities.co.uk/pendine-outdoor-sprint-triathlon
If anyone is about in the area on the 15th June? your support will be most appreciated!

Sponsorship Update:

Getting there now!

This week - 3 great donations from:

Alan Irvine (also making my biggest single donation to date!)
Ellis Fearn and
Victoria Jones

No donation is too small and none certainly too big! The difference this money will make to a young persons life is staggering and i am so proud to be giving someone else the chance to be participating even the simplest things i take for granted in life like - Swimming, running, cycling etc.

Aiming for £1000 minimum but £1250 buys a specially modified mobility bike for a kid to have a great time cruising the streets and cycling like any other child does - lets make a difference!


Plus - if any one wants good old sponsor forms to take to work, share with your friends etc. then you can email me: tompartridge@ymail.com for a form!

Finally - if anyone wants to support in other ways then that will be great too - currently spending about £50-100 a month on entering events, entry to training venues and specialist nutrition - not to mention the extra bits of kit i am going through - trainers, wheels, tubes, goggles - any additional funding, sponsorship, training partners, motivation etc. is always welcome! I am more than happy to promote your shop, business, company, idea etc. in return - plus - its all for a good cause!

As always, ill keep you updated and keep checking the facebook page and blog!

Thank you all for your support and donations so far!

Sunday 19th May - Week 14 - Coached to Perfection

As the weeks go by and i get closer and closer to the first of my events in the warm up to the Ironman i am still left with the worry that my swimming will not be good enough!

This week has pushed up the millage in the cycle and run and i was lucky enough to get a place on the coached open water swim session over in Bristol at the Triathlon Training Centre.

The coaching was great to just sort out the specifics for open water and also just correct some of my swim skills, having never ever ever ever been coached swimming before!

So, this week, i cant remember what i have done! its been a lot, big bike rides, swims and runs - plus the all important swim session on Wednesday night.

You can keep updated through the Facebook page or on my Strava page too:
http://app.strava.com/athletes/1611220

To finish off this week though i was able to get in the sea at Porthcawl and get in about a 1km swim in a decent time too! Fun in the Sun!

PLEASE - Keep the sponsorship coming in and the support up - i really need it more than ever now!

Sunday 12th May - Week 13 - Up the Volume

So- week 13 - unlucky for some!?

Good week back in the routine - starting to feel really ready for the sprint and long sprint events but still a little anxious to get some good millage in on the bike and also some bigger open water swims.

Training went to plan this week with some great sessions:

(Monday - as per last post)

Tuesday - Started with a nice power walk to recover from the week before: http://app.strava.com/activities/52814036 Then in the evening i made the most of the sunny weather and got out to do a longer run in the sun: http://app.strava.com/activities/52899835

Wednesday - Early morning (rainy) ride to Spin Class at 6am (to find it had been cancelled!) All was not lost as i used the aerobikes to push some power through and also did some weights too before heading back on the bike from Tonyrefail.
Managed to also squeeze in a swim in the wetsuit in the pool in the afternoon - much to the funny looks off the oldies floating in the water!

Thursday - After dropping off Felix at nursery me and Jo made it to the pool for a 1km sprint. The evening saw me taking on the wind on a great 45km road ride: http://app.strava.com/activities/53311364. Managed to get a few PR's too. Well happy with this as it puts me in a sensible time frame for the cycle element of the longer distance Ironman course. Managing a 1/4 of the distance in just over 1.5hours. If i keep that up ill be on for a good time!

Friday - early start and the long run to work, once again, setting a good pace and completing nearly a half marathon in 1.5 hours. Happy days: http://app.strava.com/activities/53873692

So- sponsorship still coming in slowly and total is nearly at half way. A big thanks to:
Stephanie and Janine for their donation - the only ones of this week.....come on the rest of you!!

Another week ahead of some long lower volume sessions with the hope of getting to Bristol for some open water too. Waiting for my phone to be sorted (end of May) then i can start uploading some pics too!!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - if you havent already - donate! its for a great cause!

Have a great week all and if you pass me in the car peddling away or running like a fool please wave or beep!

Monday 6th May - Week 12 - Just like Arnie, 'i'm back'

This is a special post - for all those believers and supporters who have stuck by me from the off, asked me how its going, pushed me to recover to my full strength and speed - and a big hello to those who have not read one of these yet!

So, with a stunning bank holiday monday coming to an end its time to sit down and reflect on what has been going on for the last week - but also the last 8 weeks!

Shoulder wise - i think i am there, its still sore at times and every now and then i think 'oh, shouldn't have done that' but this is usually a result of me carrying too much shopping or throwing Felix about playing as opposed to swimming too much or running too far. I am aware of it all the time and constantly work to the recommendations of the physio and specialists to help it repair properly  as this is more important to me than completing a race i can do any year.

Full training has resumed for the last month and i have started to log this again over the last 2 weeks, keeping the Facebook page updated with stats and when i get my iphone back ill start taking pics again of where i am at etc.

I have been swimming a lot, trying to get up my speed and strength, plus invested in a swimming wetsuit and found a great place to train: http://www.bristolopenwater.co.uk/
This is a great open water venue which is about 5ft deep all the way around and is proper clear and bright!

So, in keeping with previous posts i will be updating this page every week from now on, keeping you posted with training and event results. I have booked onto the following events in the run up to IRONMAN and if you are in the area, passing by, or fancy a day out to come and wave a flag or cheer me on please do so!

30th May - Bryn Bach Park - Aquathon (Swim 750m and Run)

15th June - Pendine Sprint Triathlon - (Swim 500m, Cycle and Run)

22nd June - Mumbles Triathlon - (Swim 750m, Cycle and Run)

30th June - Merlin Sportive - 110mile Bike Race (in the Black Mountain Area, Brynaman)

12th-14th July - The Long Course - Tenby - This is the IRONMAN over 3 days - lets see if i am made of iron!

All of these events are on my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tomisdoingrionmanwales/

This week has been a fully loaded training week and i have many more like this to go:

Monday - Interval Training and Weights (indoor/Gym)

Tuesday - am Swim session and a great mountain run in the afternoon around Pen Y Fan from the Roman Road:

http://app.strava.com/activities/51532987

Wednesday - (early) am Cycle - Spin Session - Cycle

Thursday - Weights (indoor / Gym)

Friday - Triathlon training - 1km Swim, 20km Bike:

http://app.strava.com/activities/52131300

Saturday - am Negative Split run:

http://app.strava.com/activities/52209345

Sunday - Run / Swim (1.5km) / Run

To finish or start this week this morning was an early morning (killer) core aerobic session with circuits! ouch - i hate those!

So, heres to another week of hitting it hard - back on the bike for some long rides and time to pound the tarmac for a bit longer as the volume starts to increase. Also hoping for a sea swim too!

Please dont forget - i am raising money for charity! (a good one too) and if you think you can take some forms into your office, work, whatever and drum up support please drop me a line. During the last few weeks it has been great to still get a few pounds in the kitty - a big thank you to:

Charles Middleton and

Vikki Wakeford for their support!

Please Please Please keep the support up - its a tough ride, training, working, having a family, making a bigger family and just finding time to relax at some point too - so, every word of help and encouragement really does mean a lot!

Heres to this week -

ps. if anyone wants to come for a run or a ride or a swim please do let me know, its lonely at times without music!