PSOF Championships 2013 - Challenge Henley

ChallengeCheggers wrote (see)

Sounds like I should be nervous.......but I can do hills if needs be - Peter's Hill (is that what it's called?) in Risborough is my favourite round here.

Finking about Fink - I bet that's originial - is good at the moment because whatever I want to do it's still 3 months before I need to do anthing properly. Allowing for a few week's of holidays mid-January is 30 weeks before Henley - but I'm not sure allowing for holidays is really the way it should be done, although that's the way it may have to be done!

Why not? You should perhaps allow 2 weeks latitude for sickness etc, so start 4 weeks early - either the first 4 weeks, or week1 x 4.

Interesting. This was one of my questions - about starting early etc. I have one week with the tri. club in Lanza in March and there's bound to be other stuff (illness etc.) So, if I start a few weeks early to account for it, how would it work? What if I don't 'need' those buffer weeks in the end? Should I repeat one of the base weeks? If so, at which point do you decide you don't need those buffer weeks, thus 'removing' the leeway and head into the more intense periods.

I hope I'm making sense.

What is your base fitness like UB? I started 2 weeks early, and had a week in Dec off ill, and some crappy days throughout. So I had a 12 week base, 10 week build and 10 week peak. Just get some time under your belt at the beginning.

I had a crappy week somewhere in April and missed most of that week. I started the following week with the following week's plan. The plan will sway to an extent to outside pressures (family/job/real life) i,e. stuff that really matters, not IM!

Over the ~30 weeks you will miss sessions, and afterwards you will know whether you needed to miss those, of whether you just needed to HTFU. You can draw upon this for next time. An example for me - off a plane on any given Thur after a full day. I feel tired, but after missing that workout early on, I know that I just had to get out and do it.

The week in Lanza should be easy - all that training and no real life to get in the way!

Base fitness is OK. I completed my first middle distance a few weeks back without too much pain.I have been doing tri's for a season and a smidge. I'll be ticking over during the next few months and I'm looking to sort my ITBS problem with some strength work in the gym, before starting Fink intermediate at the appropriate time.

I'm aware that I will miss some sessions due to life, I was thinking of starting two weeks early much as you did. I'm guessing if you manage to stick to the plan 80-90% of the time - it'll all be alreet?

sh!T.

Formal planned training?

You mean that I'm not allowed to ham it up?

I've just purchased an important training motivation book by someone called Iron Holgs. It's my holiday read. I will need to get my head properly into gear.

Good stuff Cheggers. Sounds like we can compare notes as we go!

The only other thing I'm currently thinking about is the ol' 'tri vs. road bike' debate. It seems there's a fair amount of climbing/descending on the course and I prefer doing both of those on the road bike. I'm also not currently convinced that I could stay aero for 112 miles. Also, my goal for the race is to finish within the cutoff, period, not to eek out 20 or 30 minutes extra from the bike leg...decisions decisions.

The evidence from my ride this morning is that if you have a comfy saddle you'll stay in it for longer. A happy rider is a focused rider. I'm not 100% happy yet. Especially one small part.

Did some of the Henley route today. Forgot how lumpy it could be.

indeed  - and the road surface is pretty awful too!  Did you get wet Cat? it's been lashing down here this morning.

uh oh

Unfinished sentence. He's been swept away.

Or died of boredom at the Rowing museum........

I got back to Reading about 1215 so remained dry

Cheggars - if you waved at a solitary cyclinst in pirate kit, then that was me having been dropped again on a climb. If I was with some others, then it was a rare moment of me keeping up with the fast group.

Road up to Pishill is horrible, but the descent in to Watlington makes it worth it. Until the climb back up to Christmas Common (hill climb race was on today too). Fast blat down to Wallingford then undulating to Goring. Dropped on Goring Hill, then fast back to Caversham. ~700m climb in 70km

Just been reminded that we have another week to benefit from the Pirate cheapo sign up deal which they gave us until the 24th October I think.

I am a bit sorry about Pishill being taken out as the ride down it on a closed road thsi year was awesome

Has the new bike course been announced then Bedders?

Rafi - as above from Frags, not yet but they major on the fact that it is and will continue to be closed roads (and probably flatter)