Tri Harder

Happy Easter everyone. Hope you had a relaxing time and the chocolate eggs don't hang around your hips too long.

My main news this week is that I've not only joined Team MK (the Milton Keynes Triathlon Club) but done my first sessions with them over the easter period.

I've long realised that I need to measure myself up against stronger athletes and force myself out of my comfort zone. Well -I've certainly done that. The MK athletes are enormously strong and fit and, frankly, well out of my league. But that's exactly what I need: bootstraps to cling on to and the inspiration of others to make myself better.

I ran a two hour cross country run through the grounds of Woburn on Easter Saturday and on Easter Monday we completed a fairly monstrous brick session of 4 x 10 mile bikes interspersed with 4 x 2.2 mile runs. The course was their hilly 10 mile bike run which is a relentless up and down, highly demanding loop. The run was equally as hilly. Add in blizzards and arctic conditions and it was a formidable session.

But everyone made me welcome and I already feel a part of the club. I'm looking forward to more sessions and to being a part of Team MK's assault on IronMan Austria when 25 or so are taking part.

Funny week this week as the weather curtailed my long bike ambitions at the weekend. I'm long enough in the training tooth now to realise when I'm risking injury or illness and, where a year ago I would have foolishly rushed into the abyss, now I step back, consider my options and train safe.

That said, a shoulder injury has stopped me swimming at the moment. Following a productive session at swim therapy I had plenty of drills to work on to accentuate my body roll, my water catch and leg kick. Unfortunately, after going at them for one hard session I twisted said shoulder. So not much swimming this week.

So... my week last week was as follows:

Monday: 1 hour bike. Little ring fast cadence recovery ride. 45 mins run, mixture of half marathon and marathon pace.
Tuesday: 2 hour coaching swim session at Swim Therapy. 45 minutes run, concentrating on keeping good form during main session of hard running.
Weds: 1 hour swim, incorporating 2k plus drills. 1 hour 35 mins long run. 11.35 miles at 141 bpm average heart rate.
Thurs: 45 mins swim. Relaxed pyramids with Colin and Dave.
Fri: Rest day
Saturday: 2 hour cross country run with Team MK.
Sunday: 1 hour high cadence turbo bike session.
Monday: 4 hours 10 mile plus 2.2 mile run x 4 brick session.

Total training time (Monday to Monday) 14.81 hours.

Finally, of course you all wanted to know the film quote from a couple of weeks ago...

"I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you" was spoken by Tom Cruise (Maverick) to Val Kilmer (Iceman) in the movie Top Gun.

You knew that though, didn't you.

Here's this weeks:

"I have to go to the bathroom. Is that all right?"

Who said this, in what film and what happened when he returned from the bathroom?

Have a good week.