A big helping hand...

Things look like taking a turn for the better for the Men of Iron thanks to the involvement of Hayley from B2P Sports in Windsor. As a recognised swim and open water swim coach, Hayley has kindly agreed to drop in and give the currently floundering lads some serious coaching. Her expertise will no doubt prove invaluable.

B2P Sports is a multi-sport concept store and friend of the Men of Iron. Based in Windsor, they sell wetsuits, trisuits, cycle / run / fitness / swim / compression wear, nutrition, trainers, bikes & much more! Check them out at http://www.b2psports.com/

Old dog, new tricks!

As Neil has already said, Hayley was an absolute star yesterday. She conducted herself in a very professional manner and shared her knowledge and experience with us. However, one feels that there is plenty more coaching to come and Hayley seemed like she had plenty to give. There's certainly more work to be done on the swimming front. For the eldest of the Ironman crew (Neil 'the Dolphin' Prior), he took to it like a fish to water! Harrison the 'salty old sea dog' however wasn't so graceful. For someone that considered himself a "paddle steamer" in the water, I have now realised that I've got it all wrong. I felt like one of the wind up toys that my son plays with in the bath, with tiny little strokes with bent arms!!! Looks like Hayley is going to have her work cut out and she hasn't even seen Alex or Phil in the drink yet!!!! Hayley, getting us guys up to the required standard is going to be an endurance event for you! However, with Prior showing a positive response, let's hope that you can teach this old dog some new tricks.

Heavenly Hayley

Why oh why didn't we get a swimming coach before? After a quick appraisal Hayley gave me and H 3 key points to focus on:

1 - bend our arms as we pull our arms back through the water.
2 - elbow above hand the entire stroke and a flat hand entering the water between sholder and eye.
3 - pull right through and engage the triceps.

Hayley is going to email us these tips, but a little more refined, and a programme for us to follow.

What a star!

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Another Challenge?

Don't worry, this is a stepping stone to the big day, not an additional stupid idea. In comparison, we will enjoy this one. Have a look at this link that Heidi S sent me. It looks right up our street. Could get some students from Sport and PS to compete against us also.

http://www.soldierchallenge.co.uk/

Neil, don't forget your speedo's for our first ever swimming lesson. I'll bring the armbands!!

First team run

For the first time so far, all 4 trainee ironmen were present for Friday run club. 8 miles were completed, a mixture of on and off road terrain. Stewart and Phil also opted to double up on the final hill! Good work chaps. Everyone finshed strongly up the BCA drive but the collective view was that alot more work was needed. No change there! It was an absolutely beautiful morning, it's getting lighter earlier which raises moral no end. More of the same next week!

And then there were four....

A big blow to moral came this week with the withdrawal of Jon Childs from the Ironman team. We were all shocked but support Jon with his decision to devote his time to other passions in life: Playing squash, Cookery and Knitting.

As a friend and training partner of the Men of Iron, JC will stay involved, under his new name 'The Iron Lady'!!! You can bet your life he'll be there at the finish line to cheer us on though.

So four remain and despite the tragic and untimely loss of Jon, spirits remain high, especially as new bikes may be just around the corner - thanks to sponsors BCA. Watch this space to see which other local companies are getting behind the Men of Iron.

Let's get it on!!!

Right men of iron. It must be that time where we go public and start to show this world what we are all about. It's time to spread the word to every Tom, Dick and Harry that we know, that we mean business. At the same time, we want their business!! The challenge will be to see who can attract the most people to this blog, raise the most funds for our chosen charity and get the biggest sponsorship deal. Winner gets to choose the drinks on the finish line, loser pays. I'll have a cold Magners on ice please!!!

Looking forward to it team.

Birthday ride

Not even a birthday and a hangover could stop the training this year, which saw me and 3 mates tackling some serious hills, a nasty head wind and sections of the actual Iron Man course.

Our route and the metrics can be seen here.

Obviously there we need to be very mindful of the correct nutritional requirements, and rest for our bodies, when we are engaging in endurance sports activities. A huge roast dinner, a quick snooze on the sofa, then down the pub for the football. I think I got it about right.

Slack week

I've been a bit busy moving house this week and so I've found it difficult to find time to put much training in. A good swim session on Wednesday and a few short interval sessions in the gym has been my lot as far as event training has gone.

I did manage to attend my Taijutsu class last night though, which was a proper workout. I think sensei saw a need to work off the Christmas festivities..... Unfortunately I have injured my foot as a result and I may have to take the weekend off from training. I don't think I've broken my foot but my 5th metatarsal is so painful that I'm struggling to walk.

Let's see how I feel in the morning, I might be able to get on the bike a do a few miles...

Chasing the dawn

7:00am - Pre Run - lets have some fun !

8:15am - Post run - job done!

Friday 7th January

First team run was clocked this morning, somewhere in the region of 8.5 miles. Obvioulsy only a small slice of the marathon distance we'll need to cover but a good loosener, especially at 7:00am in the morning! Mr Hindley was like a spring chicken around the course, others reported some rather heavy legs! Big shout to ironman training partner Si Neale who was out with us this morning as well as being a regular in the pool. Could the team soon total six members...?!

High Five!

Wednesday 5th Jan - 7:00am

First training session with all 5 trainee ironmen in attendance! It was a great buzz to have the team together and training hard in the pool. Jon's cycling shorts were a particular sight to behold! It was a good session all round that ended in some sprint interval work - heart rates were pushing 200 bpm no doubt!

Recovery ride

Juts got back in from what I'd planned as a recovery ride, which ended up being 25 miles of nasty hills with a bit of fresh snow and freezing wind for added comfort. I tried to map it on the iPhone but the battery couldn't last as long as my legs! Here's the link to what I caught of the route: http://www.adidas.com/uk/micoach/#TrackWorkout/Route/modtr

Good start to the New Year

A good 33 miles on the bike today, which was good considering I've hardly been on the proper bike in months. The exercise bike doesn't even come close. All sorts of body parts were freezing over and going numb, which was painful but it had to be done. Managed a swim this evening too. My breathing is more comfortable now that I have a nose clip but I still strugggled. I'll blame that on a healthy Christmas break I think. Once I've shifted a couple of pounds I think it will all come good but I'll still be looking for a coach to bring my technique along a touch.

View the cycle route here: http://runkeeper.com/user/nickzreed/activity/22010455