CREDIT to MOKAPOT PRODUCTIONS I've been on a training camp, I've done my last cross country race, It's warming up and daffodils are flowering. This can only mean one thing... winter is over. This is my favourite time of year as the days get longer giving a welcome boost of extra sunshine and vitamin D, whilst fitness really starts to increase after laying solid foundations in the Dark depths of winter.
This blog will primarily be a review of my February training camp in Cyprus.
On the 10th February I set off to Cyprus for an 'Elite training Expeirience' (ETE) training camp. One of my favourite things about Cyprus is to be able to swim in an outdoor pool with the sun on your back, it makes those hard 2 hour swims just slightly more manageable and in true Perry Agass coaching style, there were many. It is also a nice change to have some training partners to share the pain with, specifically Matt, Daz and Laura. Over my 10 days on camp I definitely progressed with my swimming and I would hope so after staring at that black line on the bottom of the pool for about 15 hours.
The cycling was great too, with some very specific TT sessions on an empty dual carriageway enabling some very fast interval sessions balanced by a couple of mountainous rides. The most memorable of which was an out and back up Mount Olympos accompanied by Matt. We set off from sea level at a pleasant 17 degrees wearing short sleeves with just some arm warmers in our back pockets, a rather naive clothing decision with retrospect. The ride was only 90 miles but mount Olympos peaked at 6500 feet so the going was slow. The ride up was smooth sailing, we hit snow at 4500 feet but as we were working we stayed pretty warm. We cruised through the small ski village at 5500 feet and finally summited after 3.5 hours of riding. we took some pictures, had a flapjack and began the descent. After seconds of freewheeling in -5 degree air with no gloves and just one layer we became very cold forcing us to reevaluate our plan. We had spent too long in the death zone and wouldn't make it down without some gloves, we subsequently bartered with a roadside ski-wear salesman and bagged a pair of cheap gloves. These were just enough to let us operate our brakes so we resumed our quest back down to thicker, warmer air knowing that every 100metre descent meant around 1 degree warmer. After a few miles we stopped again when we saw a sign for hot chocolate. We were craving a hot drink in our hands but instead we were presented with literal 'hot chocolate' A.K.A melted chocolate. It didn't quite hit the spot but the small business owner saw our blue lips and pale faces and feeling sorry for us she fetched us an electric heater which was very welcome. We finally manned up and hopped back on our bikes to finish the ride. A good day in the saddle and definitely worthy of 'Epic' status for a triathlete. I can't wait to do this ride again in April when it will hopefully be slightly warmer!
This blog will primarily be a review of my February training camp in Cyprus.
On the 10th February I set off to Cyprus for an 'Elite training Expeirience' (ETE) training camp. One of my favourite things about Cyprus is to be able to swim in an outdoor pool with the sun on your back, it makes those hard 2 hour swims just slightly more manageable and in true Perry Agass coaching style, there were many. It is also a nice change to have some training partners to share the pain with, specifically Matt, Daz and Laura. Over my 10 days on camp I definitely progressed with my swimming and I would hope so after staring at that black line on the bottom of the pool for about 15 hours.
The cycling was great too, with some very specific TT sessions on an empty dual carriageway enabling some very fast interval sessions balanced by a couple of mountainous rides. The most memorable of which was an out and back up Mount Olympos accompanied by Matt. We set off from sea level at a pleasant 17 degrees wearing short sleeves with just some arm warmers in our back pockets, a rather naive clothing decision with retrospect. The ride was only 90 miles but mount Olympos peaked at 6500 feet so the going was slow. The ride up was smooth sailing, we hit snow at 4500 feet but as we were working we stayed pretty warm. We cruised through the small ski village at 5500 feet and finally summited after 3.5 hours of riding. we took some pictures, had a flapjack and began the descent. After seconds of freewheeling in -5 degree air with no gloves and just one layer we became very cold forcing us to reevaluate our plan. We had spent too long in the death zone and wouldn't make it down without some gloves, we subsequently bartered with a roadside ski-wear salesman and bagged a pair of cheap gloves. These were just enough to let us operate our brakes so we resumed our quest back down to thicker, warmer air knowing that every 100metre descent meant around 1 degree warmer. After a few miles we stopped again when we saw a sign for hot chocolate. We were craving a hot drink in our hands but instead we were presented with literal 'hot chocolate' A.K.A melted chocolate. It didn't quite hit the spot but the small business owner saw our blue lips and pale faces and feeling sorry for us she fetched us an electric heater which was very welcome. We finally manned up and hopped back on our bikes to finish the ride. A good day in the saddle and definitely worthy of 'Epic' status for a triathlete. I can't wait to do this ride again in April when it will hopefully be slightly warmer!
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Whilst in Cyprus alongside the swimming and cycling I also managed to bank some solid run sessions mainly focusing on speed work which is where my weakness lies. Cyprus is a unique country and hence their running track doesn't follow the normal standard of 400m, instead they went for a 425m track. Either that or the bloke in charge of the tape measure royally cocked up.
Overall I had a fantastic time with great people which makes tough training that bit easier. I will be going on another ETE in April and I cannot wait!
Just a week after I returned from camp I had the English National Cross Country Champs. As I have just moved up an age group I am now the youngest of 3 years so I was not expecting a top result but I did want to test my fitness after the camp. In my usual fashion I started the race conservatively and worked through the field as the KMs ticked by. The race was slightly longer than most which suited me as I have a good aerobic system but lack the running speed due to having to train 2 other sports. There were some very muddy stretches (see pictures) but I managed to stay upright and come home in 25th place. I was happy with this and I've another 2 years in this age group so I am excited to see how high up the order I can reach. Top 10? Hopefully, Top 5? Maybe, Podium? who knows.
Overall I had a fantastic time with great people which makes tough training that bit easier. I will be going on another ETE in April and I cannot wait!
Just a week after I returned from camp I had the English National Cross Country Champs. As I have just moved up an age group I am now the youngest of 3 years so I was not expecting a top result but I did want to test my fitness after the camp. In my usual fashion I started the race conservatively and worked through the field as the KMs ticked by. The race was slightly longer than most which suited me as I have a good aerobic system but lack the running speed due to having to train 2 other sports. There were some very muddy stretches (see pictures) but I managed to stay upright and come home in 25th place. I was happy with this and I've another 2 years in this age group so I am excited to see how high up the order I can reach. Top 10? Hopefully, Top 5? Maybe, Podium? who knows.
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