Rookie goes for 3 in a row at Ironman UK Week 8 of 40
So I got myself into a bit of hot water this week and I’ll tell you for why…
Every year, all triathlon and cycling clubs will have an annual bash of some sort
Now it seems to me, that the vast majority of those bashes are ‘black tie events’ and have been since day dot
So this week, I dared to question why most tri clubs adopt the ‘black tie’ policy at their events
Here’s the thing…
I have to wear a shirt and tie for work on a daily basis
I hate having to do that
I want to set fire to it…
Further, as part of my job, I often have to attend ‘black tie’ events and chat shit to people that I can’t fukin stand…
I personally see ‘black tie’ events as the ultimate symbol of the corporate world (and, may I add, the ever increasing ‘fat cat’ element that exists within the public sector – what the fuck is all that about by the way?)
But I digress…
One of the major reasons I emerse myself in triathlon is to free myself from the chains that bind – I can ditch the shirt and tie, don me baseball cap, get me trackies on, get me trainers on and be completely free…..If only for a couple of hours.
I do triathlon to escape the corporate world – not be reminded of it!!!
Of course, as always, my comments were immediately jumped on and taken completely out of context…
“We are raising loads of money for charity Rookie”
“We are celebrating eachothers succuccess Rookie”
“We are encouraging kids into the sport Rookie”
Listen…
I am the first to stand and applaud ‘all of the above’
But why not turn up to the event in your trackies and trainers like the triathletes that you really are?
Even better, why not turn up proudly wearing your club colours?
What’s with all the poncy suits and the ball gowns?
What is this?
Strictly come dancing?
Let me be clear about something here…
The support that all the tri clubs gave me at IMUK in 2017 & 2018 was out of this world and long may that continue…
The last thing I want to do is piss all the local tri clubs off…
So I am really sorry if my ‘daring to question the establishment’ has offended anybody
But those that love me will understand the point that I was trying to make here….
I was seriously on the verge of ‘leaving you all to it’ when one of the leaders from warrington tri club sent me the following tweet…
“For our annual bash Rookie we are all going down to the local park run dressed as Umpa Lumpas then off for a cracking meal and we don’t give a shit what you wear”…
My sort of club that…
Anyhow…
To business
As you know, I’ve been having a go at trying to get my 47 mile IMUK bike loop time down recently.
Throughout 2018, my circuit time has been peppering the 3:20 mark, but the other week I got that down to 2:39. www.strava.com/activities/1916694019
To put that into perspective, a 3:20 effort would currently rank you #250 out of 352 for the 2019 IMUK bike loop on strava.
Not bad….
But a 2:39 circuit ranks you in the top 50….
And that is fukin excellent as far as I am concerned.
And you know the best bit?
I feel as though I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface with this yet…..
On that basis, I have decided to share with you exactly how I was able to get that time down via this blog over the next few weeks….
In my opinion, if you want to improve your loop time, you require a total of ten ‘keys’ in order to do this….
***Please note this is not aimed at ‘Kona wannabes’ …..this is aimed at those that are currently hitting 3:20 loops and want to learn how I took that down to 2:39 so wind yer neck in ‘big dog’….Cheers***
***Please Also note, riding a 2:39 single 50 mile IMUK loop on fresh legs is one thing, yet ‘racing’ a full Ironman is something completely different and I have no desire whatsoever to ‘race’ the full distance, i’m perfectly happy simply collecting the third sacred medal in a row at IMUK, but let’s have it right, a 2:39 loop is still a 2:39 loop***
We are now onto key #7 of 10.
Here it is…
Key #7 You need to find yourself a ‘Gaz’
I was going to leave this one till last but I’ve changed my mind – you can have it now…
I first met ‘Gaz’ when he sent me a message on FB saying that he enjoyed my blog posts and asked if I would show him round the IMUK loop as he will be a ‘first timer’ in 2019..
“No problem mate, I do it all the time”
Very quickly, the student became the teacher….
Even though he isn’t one yet, say the word ‘Ironman’ and ‘gaz’ is the image that comes into most peoples mind…
He is an out an out animal….
He has been racing triathlon for 20 years
And I mean ‘racing’
He is a speedster
He is the type of person that will lead from the front for the whole 112 miles no matter what the conditions and will be perfectly happy for you to sit on his back wheel the entire time
More importantly, he totally understands how to let you sit on his back wheel the entire time
Somehow, he knows how to ride at the perfect pace that will push you to your limits without ever leaving you behind
And that is a very rare skill that is extremely difficult to find
That said, Gaz is the type of person who, when someone overtakes us 40 miles into a tough session, he will immediately go after them
FFS Gaz reign it in
But if you want to get faster my friends,you need to find yourself a ‘Gaz’
Someone that is better than you and is prepared to let you sit on their back wheel the whole way round the circuit
What we are talking about here of course, is the wonderful art of ‘drafting’
Now let me be crystal from the outset…
You try draftin at IMUK and you will get a DQ
And probably a slap
But as a tool to get your loop time down in training, it is worth it’s weight in gold
Did you hear that?
Gold…
I asked Gaz why he allows me to do this…
His legendary response??
“I’m not doing enough long slow rides Rookie”
Where will you find a Gaz?
4 places…
First, a good quality cycling or triathlon coach should be perfectly happy to take you out and lead from the front, so long as you pay em…
Second, go onto Strava for the circuit you wish to improve (the IMUK circuit?) and send a direct message to 10 people that currently sit at least 20 rungs above you on the leaderboard.
Tell them that you regularly ride the same loop, that you are in admiration of their time and ask if they would be prepared to let you sit on their wheel next time they are out.
You will find that most people will be flattered that someone actually gives a shit about them when all they usually get is earache from the wife
Third, get down to all the local cycling, triathlon, and TT clubs in your area and make new friends. tell them that you are looking to learn and get better and you will soon get a feel for the type of people that are there.
Tell em Rookie sent ya….
Fourth
Hey, you know what….
The person you are looking for might just be wearing a black tie at your local tri club’s annual bash (or should that be an umpa lumpa suit)
Here is how my training went this week:
Didn’t fukin do any because I’ve been on the smokes all week and I never train on the days that I light up ….Pathetic eh? (what? it was my birthday and if you cant have a pint or two in birthday week then when can you ffs)
Don’t worry, back on it Monday…(training that is, not the ale – well at least that’s the plan and remember always, a plan is the only thing you ever need in life to get anything you want)
To your amazing journey!
Current Weight 14/5 (pathetic) Height 5/11 (ok)
Don’t miss next week, key #8 as to how Rookie got his IMUK loop time down from 3:20 to 2:39
Like this article? so will your mates – feel free to share it and don’t forget to ‘add’ me on FB where you will find my daily training log for 2018/19 updated daily, as it happens
By the way, have you heard about this book? its nearly 500 pages crammed full of hints and tips detailing exactly how I was able to go from zero fitness to completing an Ironman triathlon and covers super sprint, sprint, olympic 70.3 & full iron distances all from a ‘first timer’ perspective – please take a moment to read the reviews on amazon www.amazon.co.uk/Secrets-Ironmen-Iron-Rookie/dp/1974002322/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540676777&sr=8-1&keywords=iron+rookie
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