Half Challenge Barcelona-Maresme 2011

Two weeks after my second Long Distance Triathlon and
my thoughts continue to focus on the time  - 2 minutes slower than last year,  yet last year's winner, the excellent Sylvain Sudrie won again with a time that was 12 minutes slower - 3h47 against 3h35 in 2010). SO i should be satisfied - but somehow I'm not ! Bizarre.

The race went something like:
Swim : I had been really anxious all week about this - why? Probably because last year in this race I panicked after 200m and thought I couldn't go on (of course, i did), plus in the Olympic swim in Barcelona, the swim was so uncomfortable due to the sheer number of starters (500).
Anyway, I was on the beach early enough to take a brief warm up swim and to watch the pros and elite starters, before lining up right in the middle of the front line, with the butterflies still fluttering. My strategy - just get out there and head straight to the buoy at  200m. We were off - the sea was perfect and relatively calm. The inevitable washing machine kicked in and my hope that others would span out as we set out was not materialising. I just thought "kick, kick, breathe, kick, concentrate, everyone is feeling the same thing" - i swam onto someone's back, he stopped and turned almost, i veered left and sped past... kicking harder. Soon the first buoy and a right turn - no problems, but this is where i panicked last year - not this time, my breathing, not yet perfect, was fine, and i was soon in my rhythm.... i looked up to get the direction, the marker buoys should be on my left, yes... straight line, kick, breathe... this was it!!  I now knew i'd get through the swim and would soon be back on dry land !!  I wanted to smile, something i do when i swim because i love this feeling, the waves, the flow of the water over the wetsuit, the taste of the salt, the sun above.. but the smile didn't come;  i was concentrating too much on getting around, i think - not giving myself time to enjoy the moment - and this is what i missed generally throughout the race !

Soon we were at the second turn, left this time, and out another 150m, left again - no problems. Looking across to my right and left i now felt the satisfaction of the moment and where i was and what i was doing ! Other swimmers were far off to my right, i checked ahead - i had veered left and was on the wrong side of the buoys - back right.... remembering to concentrate on keeping a straight line. I started to pass the buoys just on my left at about a metre away, swimming freely and surprised to be so alone ! Great. Then the final turn left and the 300m straight to the beach. I could see the blue carpet marking the arrival - it looked really small ! Here the swimmers bunched more and turning was more difficult, but I avoided any knocks... then it was straight back, full ahead ! And who was that shouting me - "Marti! Marti!" Esther - we smiled - this was it! The smile was back !

Onto the bike - quick transition - a strange feeling of relief to have made it...i really was anxious at the start....
Onto the bike - i mounted too soon and was ordereed to descend, walk over the line and start again! Then it was off - water and energy drink - through the town of Calella and onto the  N11 to Mataro. Four loops of about 22,5 kms - the first and third were into quite a head wind coming in off the sea on the left; the second and fourth, coming back were much easier. This is Barcelona - windy city ! Every race i've done here - marathon or triathlon have been windy, and gusty.... never rainy !
I got down on the aerobars and barely changed position. I got into a really good rythmn and felt strong, especially for laps 2 and 4.  Last time out here i remember being fed up at km70 and wanting to just get to the end. But today I was really enjoying actually passing quite a lot of cyclists. It was getting hot though, and most of the water picked up from the aid station was actually going onto my head !
Up the final hill St Pol de Mar, the Calella lighthouse in sight and it's down into the town and back towards transition - a flying finish. 2h46. Quick check of the watch - as the swim (37mins) -  the same time as last year ! All i needed to do was run faster and i'd beat my time!!

The RUN
Easy !! Yeah - easy to say. The first km of the run simply showed me how hot it was getting. Obviously on the bike the wind and breeze keeps you cool, but the run...it was sweltering - the temperature had risen to over 30°c and i was feeling it. I just thought, take it easy for the first 5km to the turn round point in Santa Susanna, then try and pick it up - nice idea, but in reality it was just too hot and my legs were like lead. Breathing was getting difficult. Luckily the water at the aid station was cold, i drank and poured the bottle over my head, down my front and back.... i felt better, but couldn't run any faster. I was passing quite a few who were now running and walking - nursing cramps, and limping. The heat was taking its toll.  I just kept on going though.... my feet were hurting from being soaked from the water i'd poured on myself - blisters maybe? 2km to go. I was starting to get pains in the chest, the effort of breathing was actually painful. I repeated my mantra - "pain is inevitable, suffering is optional"...over and over... i just keep going... and i find myself running along the beach and into the transition park. This is it. The end. 2H02 for the run. I am tired at the end - no feeling of satisfaction and two minutes slower than last year (my run last year was 2h with a sore achilles tendon). BUT in such heat !!
Come on Martin, give yourself a bit of credit...

The only disappointment i really have is that i did not feel GOOD, like i did NOT enjoy the race - even two weeks later. I hope the novelty isn't wearing off ! But NO - the swim was good, the bike i really did enjoy - head down on the bars...and the run was just too hot. Maybe I need a new challenge. The full iron distance should provide this !! Or maybe i just shouldn't be comparing two races ! I was told the bike route was slightly longer this year, which would make me actually faster, and explain the slower times for the elite athletes. I met a younger runner at the airport who said he had the same problem for the run, and only managed 1h52 - the heat being just too intense... so maybe i should be happy ! Check. Yes, I am... and now for PAris in July and runningforpearl :°) - more on this later.

Presenting Rule 5 - je vous présent règle n° 5

The toughest sport by a mile !
I just had my first cycling weekend - meeting up with a group of real cyclists (my younger brother and his friends..). Why do I say real? Well, having been left clinging onto the final rear wheel of the group, and watching it wheel away...and not being able to find the strength to keep up... i think i understood what cycling is all about. This was my first outing in a group, and it nearly killed me !
Once the group had slowed down and heard my feeble excuses, "try as i might, i couldn't keep up....you're just going too fast..", i heard the only valid cycling response : "rule 5".
Thanks Mike, Pete, Adrian, Jon, Phil !!
What is rule 5 ? I'll let you see : RULE 5
Basically this means, stop whinging and complaining and try harder...how? by getting off your arse, getting out and training more !!
So back home after the cobbles, i have applied this rule to myself :
3km swim followed by a one-hour run. The run hurts a bit after about 30 minutes and a big hill climb :
"RULE 5, rule 5...."
65km ride, 45 minute run (the first of the season for me) - and the back is hurting : "RULE 5, rule 5"
85km ride yesterday up the hills, including the Côte Jacques Anquetil (pics below), and in respect i say to myself : "Rule 5.."
 43km ride and a 55 minute run, with the back beginning to hurt : "Rule 5, Rule 5..."
Yes, it works !!  I'm here writing the blog and feeling strong ! Comparing my training to last year, i am 10 times better in terms of quantity and quality, which means i can't wait for the Half Challenge in Barcelona in 5 weeks.

Anyway, back to the Cycling weekend which was in Belgium for the classic Tour de Flanders - what a sight to see the REAL pros pushing hard up the cobbles of Belgium on the Tour de Flandres. I even got the chance to climb the famous Koppenburg - albeit very slowly, and not in a straight line ! It's said that the cobbles weren't laid, but dropped from a helicopter - how true. I've never been so grateful for a carbon frame!

Le cyclisme - le sport le plus dur, de loin!
Je viens de passer mon premier weekend 'cyclisme' - avec un groupe de vrai cyclistes (mon frère et ses copains...). Pourquoi "vrai cyclistes"? Eh bien, le fait que j'ai eu beaucoup de mal à rester collé à la dernière roue, et puis  de la voir s'éloigner devant moi...sans avoir la capacité de la rattraper. Bref, j'ai découvert ce que c'est le cyclisme. C'était la première fois que je cours en groupe (hors triathlon), et j'ai failli mourir ! Une fois que le groupe ralentisse et j'arrive à le rejoindre, avec mes faibles 
excuses, j'entends la réponse suivante : "Règle 5..".
Merci à  Mike, Pete, Adrian, Jon, Phil !!
Qu'est ce que c'est la règle 5 ? Règle 5
En gros ca veut dire,"tais-toi, arrête de te plaindre, et sois plus dur, putain - il suffit de te lever le cul et de sortir et de t'entrainer plus, voilà c'est tout!" 
De retour des pavés belges, j'ai suivi cette règle à la lettre et pendant la semaine j'ai fait :
3km dans l'eau, suivi de 12km à pied, mal au dos àprès 30 mins et une côte, "règle 5, règle 5"; 65km vélo suivi de 45mins à pied, la première de la saison, et c'est dur, "Règle 5, règle 5"; 85km sur les montées, et de retour via la côte Jacques Anquetil, en hommage au grand champion "REGLE 5!!!"; 45km vélo, et 55mins à pied - mieux, mais quand même "Règle 5, règle 5".

la cote Jacques Anquetil! 

Et là j'écris ce blog, et je me sens plus fort - je compare mes entrainements à  ceux d'il y a un an, et ça va 10 fois mieux. 
J'attends Le Half Challenge à Barcelone avec impatience.

En Belgique on a eu l'occasion de voir les vrais pros montent les côtes du Tour de Flandres - quelle épreuve, et quel spectacle ! J'ai même grimpé le fameux Koppenberg, avec difficulté !! On a dit qu'on n'a pas placé les pavés, mais qu'on les a laissé tomber d'un hélicopter!! Merci au cadre carbon!

In December i took some snowy, winter pictures, last week i took some sunny, spring pictures.
Beautiful how the forest changes - and again - this is why i run (even with the asthma the pollen gives me !!).
Au mois de décembre j'ai pris quelques photos dans la neige, la semaine dernière j'ai pris les mêmes endroits sous le soleil. C'est beau de voir ces changements - et encore, une fois, je sais pourquoi je cours (même avec l'asthme causé par le pollen!!!).

Enjoy your training, and remember the golden rule :0))

Spring ! Le Printemps

Sunshine and warm weather is back !!
Le soleil et le beau temps sont de retour !!

I thought i'd follow in the example of bloggers like Charisa and post some pics of my training ride - i had the iphone, and managed to take this one small snap of the Green Forest near where i live... it's a route with a nice and easy 7% climb, and on a beautiful spring afternoon in Normandy - it normally isn't this nice so early on -  it was worth catching.
Je pensais suivre l'exemple d'autres comme Charisa et prendre quelques photos de mon entrainement -  j'avais l'iphone, et ai pu prendre cette prose de la forêt verte, à côté de chez moi.... c'est une route avec des belles petites montées de 7%, et là il faisait tellement beau pour un après midi de mars, que il fallait le faire...
My training is going very well despite the back problems - and a scan has revealed a slight disbalance in my back bone structure, which hasn't helped matters. But, i've managed to complete 8 Fridays on the run, a one-hour swim followed by a one-hour run - and i feel really, really good. Lots of shorter sessions, more regularly have replaced longer, less frequent sessions, and this is crucial and a great way to improve, for me at least !
L'entrainement va très bien, malgré mes problèmes de dos - une IRM a révélé un déséquilibre dans les structures de mon ossature (très compliqué!), ce qui contribue à mes problèmes. Mais - a fait 8 vendredis de suite que j'ai pu faire une heure de natation suivi d'une heure de course à pieds...et ca va vraiment bien.  Je fais beaucoup de petites sorties, souvent, plutôt que des longues séances moins souvent - et je ressens bien les bénéfices !


Have a great tri weekend 
Passer un bon tri weekend 

2011 begins... commence 2011

How has it begun so far ? Achilles tendon pain, severe lower back pain,  flu....and it's not quite March yet!
It's not all bad though - i have kept on training and feel in great form. I've managed to complete several 3Km swims followed by a 1 hour run, (a  personal measure of how i feel - and i feel great). The weather hasn't helped cycling, but turbo training has started to show its benefits.... I did a 50km ride in January and the same early this week - with a good increase in speed and, more noticeably in rpm.. from an average of 65 to 69, over a very hilly route.
Although my back has caused me problems I have used KT Tape, and the pain during running is reduced and I can run comfortably...

The plan for the year is starting to look like this :
Le calendrier commence à ressembler à ceci :


May 29 - Half-Challenge Barcelona-Maresme
July 10 - Paris Triathlon (Olympic distance)
Oct 2 - Challenge Barcelona -Maresme - full Iron distance (my first) - although i haven't registered for this yet - anxiety?

Comment démarre cette année? douleur au tendon d'achille, très mal au dos, la grippe.. et on n'ets même pas au mois de mars encore !!
Tout ne va pas si mal, cependant ! je continue à m'entrainer and je me sens en pleine forme. J'ai réussi à faire plusieurs séances natation-càp (3KM+1hr) - ce qui me donne une bonne idée de mon niveau actuel, et franchement, ca va bien! La météo ne favorise pas les sorties en vélo, mais le séances home-trainer commencent à porter ses fruits - j'ai fait une sortie très vallonée de 50km au mois de janvier, et la même chose cette semaine - je vois des progrès au niveau de vitesse, et surtout de cadence - de 65 à 69 (mésuré avec précision grace à mon Garmin :°) ).
Même si j'ai eu très mal au dos, j'ai utilisé KT Tape  ca m'a vraiment aidé - la douleur est réduite, et j'arrive à courir assez confortablement. C'est assez incroyable ce produit !!


Have a good run, cycle, swim this weekend !!

La Grippe ! Flu !!

Last week i went to work with a cough, and came home with the flu !
So 16 days with a strained rib cartelige, 12 days of coughing and 8 days of flu later, i finally headed out for a 45 minute jog this morning.
It was freezing cold (-3°c), and i had some difficulty breathing, a bit of pain in the rib area, but i was happy to be back in my running shoes at last !! Now begin 4 months training for the Barcelona Half Challenge May 29 !


La semaine dernière je suis allé au travail avec un toux, et je suis revenu avec la grippe !
Donc, 16 jours avec une douleur costale, 12 jours de toux, 8 jours de grippe plus tard, enfin je suis sorti faire un footing léger de 45 minutes ce matin.
Il faisait -3°c, et j'ai eu du mal  à respirer, un peu de douleur aux cotes, mais j'étais heureux de retrouver mes Asics Gel, au début de 4 mois de préparation pour le Barcelona Half Challenge mai 29.

I hate being ill !! Je hais être malade !!

2010 Tri year -what have i learned? Qu'est-ce que j'ai appris cette année de Tri?

1. Nothing is achieved in advance... Barcelona Olympic Oct 17. I thought, having done 2H26 the previous year, I'd have little problem going faster. No, no - why ? The number of swimmers in my start, the sea currents, drinking so much sea water all slowed me down !
         Rien n'est gagné d'avance. À Barcelona cet octobre, je pensais que le fait d'avoir fait la course en 2h26, que j'irai forcement plus vite cette année. Mais je me suis bien trompé ! Je n'avais pas pensé du nombre au départ de la natation - beaucoup plus important , les courants de la mer - plus fort, m'obligeant de boire de l'eau de mer - troublant !! Donc je n'étais pas plus rapide ! 

2. Take noting for granted... every race is different ! I know this - i've run enough marathons and the like to know ! Triathlon is NO different, and the transitions just make it more complicated ! The distance is not the question, it's the approach and mental (as well as physical) preparation which counts.
          Pareil ! chaque course est différente. J'ai couru assez de marathons de le savoir. Les transitions rendent le triathlon encore plus compliqué ! Le distance n'est pas le problème au triathlon, ce qui compte le plus est l'approche mentale, autant que la préparation physique.

3. I need  more all round preparation  - including rest and stretching. I'm doing more stretching, and would like to take up yoga i think - but there are only so many hours in the day !
           J'ai besoin d'une préparation plus complète - y compris le repos et les étirements. Je m'étire plus  maintenant,  et je pense à faire du yoga - mais il n'y a que 24 heures par jour !!

4. I have finally fitted aero bars to the bike (Vision Pro Carbon) ! Riding is surprisingly very comfortable - i had not imagined ! I'm sure this will help go further quicker, and help rest as I ride ! Should have done this earlier !
          J'ai finalement installé un guidon tri au vélo (Vision Pro Carbon) - j'ai essayé cette semaine et c'est vraiment confortable - je n'aurais pas imagine à quel point ! Ca va m'aider aller plus loin plus vite, et m'aider à me reposer sur le vélo. J'aurais du le faire avant !

the aero bars on my winter/home trainer bike. To tri readers - do they look ok in terms of position?
les bars tri sur mon vélo d'hiver/home trainer. À mes lecteurs tri - ils ont l'air d'être bien installé niveau position?

Cold and Flu !! rhume et grippe !! yeeeurgh

I've been off sick this week - cold and flu symptoms PLUS an allergic reaction to cough syrop, causing my face and eyes to swell ! I look like Robert de Niro in Raging Bull just after his fight against Marcel Cerdan ! I must admit that the rest has done me a lot of good - i've had a back strain over the past few months, that seems to have finally disappeared - after 3 days in bed resting, sleeping, eating and doing NOTHING !
I can't wait to get back to my bike and my new Garmin Edge 750 (gracias esther) !

Thinking of nicer weather !!
Vivement les beaux jours !! :

J'ai été malade cette semaine avec des symptomes de grippe et de rhume, et avec une réaction allergique à un sirop pour toux, me donnant un faux air de De Niro dans "Raging Bull", après son match contre Marcel Cerdan! Mais je dois dire que le repos forcé m'a fait beaucoup de bien - j'ai eu mal au dos depuis quelques mois, et après 3 jours au lit, à RIEN faire, ca a l'air d'avoir disparu ! 
J'ai hâte de retrouver mon vélo et mon nouveau jouet - Garmin Edge 750 (gracias esther !!).


Bonne Année à tous et à toutes !
Happy New Year to all !