Slowly getting over the cold. 

Feel good in myself but nose is streaming.

One of the advantages of monitoring HR when you haven't been 100%  is to prevent you pushing it to hard to soon. 

This AM was 60 minutes on the turbo followed a 30 minute run. It was this run that showed the relevance of HR.

Under the same conditions and  due to the Man Flu my pace was SLOWER by 1 1/2 minutes per mile for the same HR

So another week down of consistent training with the volume getting close to its max.

Body is feeling the best its felt in a long time.

Great turn out for the 400m TT with Swim Podium. Last year I hit a 6.15 however with last years unnfortunate events and a few test sessions I would be greatfull of a 6.30

TriSuit printed up to make me feel better than I am.

100m's in and feeling really comfortable, so a good start but then a schoolboy error my goggles steam up and fill with water. Start to miss turns and stroke goes haywire. Finish with a 6.22 so to be honest better than expected for this time of year and only 2 sessions in the water per week.

The next day my body comes down with a cold so looking at the positive my swim wasnt bad all things considering. I have taken the rest of this week off as havnt missed a planned session in 10 weeks, Currently overdosing with vit c.

So only 2 weeks left of base training and should comfortably be able to squeeze in the missed sessions as long as I shake this cold and keep it easy.

All being well tomorrow am starts with a 60 minute bike followed by a 30 minute run all Zone1-2

Early night.

So after a comfortable back off week last week the next three weeks is where the volume really starts to pick up.

A tester session in the pool last week of sets of flat out 200's shows my swim fitness is better than last year however speed is down. That would be expected as training for the last 2 months has been about conditioning not speed. One thing is evident everyone in the water is getting faster exept me. Races dont start until May so Im confident my training is on track. As we get closer to May some more pool time woulnt go a miss tho.

Resting HR is down to 42bpm and training speed on the bike and run is up for the same HR so thats good.

Bodyweight is back up to 14 stone so feeling healthier but will but will look to drop around 9lbs from now until May.

Looking forward to tomorrow's 60 minute aerobic bike followed by a 30 minute aerobic run.

Tonight carb load with a M n S apple crumble. I promise I will start my diet tomorrow.

Monday: 90 min aerobic spin on the turbo @ avg 90rpm

tuesday: AM 40 min aerobic treadmill run and strength training PM swim podium

wednesday: yoga

thurday: 15 min aerobic bike in TT position/ 15 min aerobic run

Friday: AM lower body workout. Squats/walking lunges/calf raises/core PM massage

Saturday: 100m and 50m repeats (1500m covered with warm up)

Sunday : Rest and Cake :-)

Week 7 into my base training and have reached my maximum volume for my swim sets already.

Friday AM: 12 x 100m leaving on 2 minutes @ 57 spm avg 1.35-1.40's... Happy with that.

Saturday AM: Power rack deadlifts followed by romanian deads. Barbell balance step ups and calf raises. Finished off with a core workout.

Today rest but it looks perfect for bike ride and run after all the wet weather. Bring on the Spring

Valentines morning and I'm up for it, so is she. I start nice and easy gently warming up slowly get into my rhythm she's wanting faster but I'm holding back not to peak to soon and finally finish with a fast and furious five Minutes. 

Anyway enough about the turbo session :)

This was followed by a nice easy 15 minutes Aerobic running technique session.

Thank you Mrs Scott Foil. Ready to go again if you're up for it?

A nice lay in this morning looking forward to stretching things out at yoga tonight

A nice steady Run on the treadmill And an upper body workout In the gym in the morning Swim Podium in the evening thank you Steve great session really looking forward to the 400 meter time trial in March

Its been along time since I have posted anything and talking about myself in past times just didnt seem right.

Tracy kicked Cancer's arse and it is now only part of our lives, not all of it.

Permission to train :-) Thankyou sweet.

So yes I have managed to train all be it a focus on core, massage, strength, yoga, massage and more massage.

My body shut down last year with everything and it has taken the last couple months of dedicated rehab work to just be in a position to exercise somewhat steadily.

My priority over the previous month and for the next two is to work on Strength, core and flexibilty. I have been attending a yoga class once a week for the last six weeks and fortnightly massages and the diffence is amazing already.  Combined with two gym/core workouts focusing on strength and stabilitly I feel I am in a position to train again.

So it's week six of twelve now and I'm up to two swim sessions a week at good intensity and a couple of weekly runs and bikes done at a monitored aerobic heart rate level combined with the yoga and gym workouts I feel my consistency and body is heading in the right direction.

Six more weeks like this and hopefully I will be ready to step things up.

I missed racing last year and really am looking forward to this season.

So hear goes :) today was a 1hr 20 minute turbo bike (my bike doesn't like getting wet) @ 90-93spm @ a HR between 100-130 bpm.

So months have passed and times have been crazy and hard, but my hard as nails wife currently has the upperhand.  Not one to be beaten she has taken the lead with a possible finish line in sight.  Strength gathers and our minds turn positive lets beat this F#%^

I personally want to thank everyone and anyone who in the smallest way has helped my family and I through the hardest time.  We thankyou dearly.

We still have a way to go but we are stronger than ever. 

I never thought the cancer would have taken a back seat and almost be forgotten about until 26th July 7.10 am. This was the time when the phone rang and I  was called into hospital to say Tracy had a 50/50 chance of making it.

Tuesday prior she was ambulanced in after the unexplainable stomach pains since starting chemo took on a whole new level and after a night of extreme pain it was confirmed her bowel had perferated. Emergency surgery followed at the same time that her white blood cells where dropping post chemo.

I won't paint a nice picture or say that it will be allright because there isn't one to be painted and it's not.

Unconcious and supported by every tube, drug and antibiotic you could fit into her tiny 5ft nothing body I just looked down at her and cried.

Should I write this for all to see? To be honest I don't give a fuck.

How do you prepare your 7 year old for the fact that her mummy may go to be with her dear friend Kerry who passed away last year to be with the angels in heaven?

You find a way. You get up in the morning, you deal with what the day throw's at you and you go to bed and then pray this brings you one day closer to this all being over.

10 days on and my girl has dug in. She continues to fight and yes emotionally she has been hit hard but our little family still hang's on in there.

PLEASE GOD....  no more now.

To Tracy and Evie I will never give up, I will be here for you always. Lxxx

Looking back at my last post I could never imagine what was to follow. The weekend had come and gone like Usain Bolt in the 100m finals and I was off to work with man flu. I really wasn't up to work and never expected that I was going to have a day off if I liked it or not. As I opened the door to the shop 4 years of our lives had been destroyed by a burst boiler from the flats above. The shop resembled a walk in shower with the ceiling falling down the wooden floor lifting plaster pulling away and all stock, treadmill, computers destroyed.

We were devastated. Yes I had remembered to renew our insurance and they played ball throughout the whole 3 months that we were closed.

The week after put the above into insignificance as a hospital appointment confirmed that my beautiful wife had cancer. There are times in your life when your world stands still for a moment and this was one of them. Trying my utmost not to fall apart for Tracy we couldn't believe what we had just been told. This isn't happening. Our world had stopped and fallen somewhere we never knew existed.

So we are now four chemo sessions on, 2 lumber puncture's, numerous blood tests, injections, violent sickness, infections, medication, trips back and fourth through A&E, stays in hospital and this continues until at the earliest - October. I never knew how awfull cancer is. 

Despite all that she has been through, she is getting stronger. I feel her body is fighting it as she is becoming more resilient.

Our daughter Evie has been incredible. At 7 years old her understanding and support to her Mummy is overwhelming. Like all of us, she has shed many tears but a promise of a trip to Bath to by a "build a bear" makes life seem so much better for a 7 year old.

 I love you girls and we will beat this. 

"cancer you may live with us but you will never stop us"

So all the regular strength/stretching/massage and a little structural adjusment has made a massive difference to both performance and well being.

The back and glutes has never felt better and i feel i now have 2 legs working instead of one.

Calf has shown no signs of cramping or pulling and after a 60 minute bike ride I decided to push a little speed of the bike. 2 x 1 k reps holding 6 min/mile pace.

Another great session at Swim Podium. However I look beter out of the water than in it. Thanks Steve.  :-)

New TT saddle for my bike thanks San Marco.

Easy sesh for the RS Girls last night as some are doing Reading on Sunday. Good luck to all especialy Claira as this will be her 1st.

Good luck to little EM who will be doing her last long run before London 23 miles. Wow!!!

My beautiful wife has had it really bad over the last 2 years and just when things are looking up she is back in hospital for more scans and biopsy's.

However, and I dont know how she does it, still manages to run our lives and is training better than ever. Love you sweetheart. We will get there.

Day off today with all thats going on.

A good gym session on Friday followed by tech work in the water. Threshold run on Saturday and a great key brick session this am. After a 15 minute turbo warm up I went for a 60 minute ride including light spinning, Time on the tri bars and 3 x 5 minute hill climbs holding 90 rpm followed by 20 minute run, 15 minutes @ 6.23 pace and a 5 minute cool down really happy with how things are going. In for mymonthly massage this morning. Well timed after a great session.  Calves back and glutes all good. Just bumped into Mr swim podium. 20 x 100's on 2 minutes. Oh crap!

All is well.

The week of running has done the calves some good.

Start of the week was a 1hr 10 hilly turbo followed by a 15 minute threshold run and 5 minute cool down.

Had a structual asessment with Russel "magic hands" Jenkins.

WHAT !!! I was weighing just under a stone heavier to my left side. My Si joint on the right side was frozen along with the right glute and psoas. Oh and my right hamstring was weak. So basically im F*****.

By the end of the session and some painfull manipulation and stretching I was back to a 3 lbs difference. Iv got a lot of stretching and strengthening to do.

The rest of the week had been mild to moderate. Swim podium on tuesday was full on.

Nothing like starting the session breathing every 5th stroke. Anyone seen my lungs.

Bike all set up for time trial. Just ordered a new steeper seatpost and tt saddle from Andy at "Performance Cycles.

Great to get out on the road on it on WEDNESDAY.

5 miles covered last night with the RS girls. 1 mile warm up 3 x 1 mile at 30 seconds per mile faster than 1/2 marathon race pace with 2 minute active recovery  and finished with a 1 mile cool down.

Easy 40 minute turbo this am and already looking forward to get in the gym and swim tomorrow.