We've moved...

Dear all,

Just to let you know that H and I have moved our blogs. With Ironman coming to and end very soon we thought we'd go our seperate (blogging) ways...

H can now be found at www.helenturton.co.uk.

Tom is now at www.tomwilliams.squarespace.com.

Thanks for being such a great part of our journey so far, here's to the future ;)

T & H x

Team Williams....

Joint blog this week, we're having a time issue (or lack of it...)

I can sum my epic week of life in the running world up in one sentence...

'This week I have been a non running, cake eating, marathon recovering, almost normal person.'

The nice thing about recovering from a marathon is that for the first week your legs and body ache enough to be incapable of anything other than rest (unless you're Russel Gardham and you PB at parkrun by quite some way!!!) I've actually enjoyed not double day running. I've been able to lie in, eat what I've wanted and had more time than I know what to do with when I've not been running, showering from running, eating after running or sleeping because of running. All very unusual.

However...

A whole week of that has left me feeling, lazy, unhealthy and in need of some fruit! You long term blog readers will know I have no moderation button. I'm training or I'm definitely not training. I'm eating well or I'm eating anything with no nutritional value whatsoever etc. This week has been no different. I've opted out of the training world and into the cake eating world. As of tomorrow training will resume and cake eating will stop...on or off...simples!

Oh and yes... the memory of those painful few miles last Sunday have already been wiped from my memory bank which means that I have decided I will run London, sod it! Just don't expect me to win ;)

So that's enough about me, what's Tom done this week.

16 x 16 appears to have caught him between the devil and the deep blue sea. It's keeping him from going under (mentally) but at the same time it's proving to be very difficult (time wise). Any time spent away from home prevents those hours from being ticked off. Getting stuck in Bournemouth due to this volcanic ash episode has not helped at all. And so today, instead of racing Skipton triathlon he got up and rode from 6am until 3pm. Yup, that's right, 9 Yorkshire hours in the saddle. Tom's incredibly fit at the moment and very strong but hitting that 16 x 16 is a true test and one I'm not sure I could have stuck to. Come Lanzarote he is going to be so strong both physically and mentally, these long days in the saddle will pay him back I'm sure.

As for the swimming... I'm pleased to say that in our #winterswim finale (a 10km relay) Tom did the distance, something we weren't sure would happen. Team Williams which comprised of Tom and ...myself had 5km each to do. If you were a betting man you wouldn't have even looked at us. I haven't swum for over 4mths and Tom...well, you know his swimming story.
Alternating 25 x 200's was how we decided we would break it down. 2hrs and 49mins later and we were the proud owners of sore arms but at least Tom had 5km under his belt. His arms certainly not pain free and no better than normal but he got through it. His epic Iron journey continues...watch this space.

Well done to all of those who were racing today, it was great to come along to Skipton and give you all a shout. Some great races had by you all on what is for many the first tri of the season. Have some cake (if only to stop me eating it!)

It's 9pm which means its bedtime. I'm double running tomorrow...yipeeeee!!!!! And Tom...he'll be on his bike!
Laters.

H & T x

P.s Bradford's parkrun (see above pic) is now up and running and it's a beautiful course so if you're in the area on a Saturday morning go and play :)

Taking a gamble...

So, here you all were reading my preparations for the London Marathon and out of nowhere (and in secret) I travelled to Paris on my own on Friday and today I ran the Paris Marathon! That's me & Russ at the end.

Why?

Well, two weeks ago I tapered for and ran Wilmslow Half Marathon in preparation for London. I was expecting to run really well especially after my result in Silverstone at the end of a super hard week and no taper. Wilmslow didn't quite go to plan (easy mileage week and a taper) and yet I wasn't really sure why...

... until a day later and it all clicked into place. It was the 'wrong time of the month'. And then Tom reminded me London would fall exactly one month later.

So... I had two options... Take a chance and run London OR look for a marathon that fell two weeks earlier.

The thing is I'm unfortunate to have had many of my 'A' races ruined by the joys of my monthly cycle. Increased lethargy, really heavy legs and an inability to push myself have left me feeling disappointed at many of my races.

So knowing my performance at London was almost certainly going to be hampered it was time to look at my options. I could of course run London, feel crap, waste the endless hours and miles of effort for a result I could practically predict before I even start... OR take my chances.

I made a phone call to a very good friend with amazing connections in the business world of sport (8 days before Paris which was full & closed) and before I knew it he had me a place (thanks James) and I had eight days to taper for it (gamble number 2).

I finished my 70 mile week on Sunday, and then had Monday, Wednesday and Friday as rest days, ticking over on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday to keep my legs and mind at ease.

I went off at 3:20 pace feeling great (getting to half way on target). The bad man came at about mile 19, he stole my ability to run, and I was thankful to cross the line in 3:29.

I had to do it and it was a gamble, a gamble I'm really pleased I did. I took a chance, I didn't pb but I'm proud of myself for trying anyway.

My mate Russ who I've been long running with in Leeds (he always training for Paris, me always training for London!!) ran really well getting a huge pb and running 3:18, great work Russ :-) thanks for your company, hope your return journey wasn't a nightmare.

So that's why I ran Paris.

Unfortunately because it was so last minute and Tom was also racing, he couldn't come. One thing I do know is he's an amazing influence on me. Without him and his outlook on life I would never have had the confidence to travel to Paris on my own and run this marathon. So a million heartfelt thank you's go to my ever supportive amazing (and speedy - read his blog) husband xxx

And a huge thanks to Brian (Tom's pa) for sorting my accommodation out (I stayed with his good friends Mike & Robin) who were lovely.

My legs are marathon smashed and it's too soon to decide whether I'll run London (for pure fun, not for time) or not. I'm writing this on the flight on my way home and am more than ready for bed.

Hope you've all had an amazing weekend :)

H x

Made it... maybe...

Once again it's a joint blog, this week written by me (Tom). H is away on a photo shoot and I've been on the go since 5am and it's now half-past bedtime so a quick update is the order of the day...




H has, for the first time ever, managed to time an injury to perfection... there's never a great time to pick up a niggle but if you really have to do it then there is such thing as a good time. With her running going pretty much as well as it ever has, the seeming endless stream of snivels and sneezes nothing more than a distant memory and an awesome race performance in the bank (last week's 1.32 half marathon on a ridiculously windy, ridiculously complicated and seemingly long course) this Thursday's 20 miler saw what can only be described as a Some Mothers Do Ave Em comedy sketch! Still, coming out the other end with nothing more than a slightly strained ankle the prescribed rest days could not have been timed better seeing as she's a) got a really busy work week and b) taking it easy before a hard effort at next Sunday's Wilmslow half marathon. 


As for me... well, running and biking continue to move forward on almost a daily basis. I managed to knock out 18:24 at parkrun yesterday which is only about 7 seconds off my PB (achieved this time in 2008 just before I ran 2.49 in London) and followed that up with an easy three and a half hours on my bike in the afternoon. This morning I was up at 5am for two TT style laps round the infamous Pool Triangle time trial course... my all-time pb for one lap is 29:57 so doing the double in 67:20 at 7am on a windy day in March... and clocked another 5:15 in the saddle this afternoon to keep my 16 x 16 challenge running with 112:30 banked after seven weeks. I wish my financial bank account was a healthy as my two wheeled version ;)


There is of course something missing... swimming? Well, with Lanza eight weeks on Saturday it's seeming unlikely that I'll be able to do much more than cross my fingers and HTFU. Nothing seems to be helping and the latest is that I'm looking at a private MRI scan this week on my neck and upper back to look for evidence of nerve compression. If the race was tomorrow I'd get in there and tough it out, probably without loosing a qualification costing amount of time... but it's not... it could of course get better, but then again the continued lack of pool time certainly won't be helping... cross you fingers for me ;)


The title of this week's post??? Well, having set myself the training load that I though it would require to get to Kona I have to admit the last seven weeks were perhaps the toughest of my life. Combining a full-time job, podcast monster (loving every second but boy does it eat time) and a huge training volume was far from sustainable and ever so nearly finished me off. The University's Easter break, which started yesterday, could not have come a moment too soon and by Thursday I was most certainly cooked. It's seems however that by the absolute skin of my teeth I've made it to this much needed four week block where recovery and rest can once again live side by side with Ironman training and all the other general life type things... with nine week's to go things are looking brighter by the day... well... some things ;)


See you next week,


T & H x

At last...

...I've started to run a little more like I used to...

Blog done :0-)

After 8 weeks of quite a few miles, quite a few lost voices and quite a few sore throats I was beginning to wonder if I was doomed to run Oompa Lumpa style for the rest of my days. For the last four weeks I've had a really good block of consistent training. Yet still my speed has been (for me) consistently slow. It's like my legs have had amnesia for the last two months and have mistaken themselves for legs of a cart horse. I've checked... and they're not THAT hairy! Anyway, I resigned myself to the fact that having jumped out of the Ironman loop I wouldn't have the fitness benefits from riding and swimming long and now I'm working a lot more fitting the miles in is a challenge.

Until... Thursday evening this week when as usual Russ and I were off out for our long run. We've worked up every week going 16 miles, 18, 20 and 22 and so this week it was back to 16 miles but with a little bit of pace added. Off we went wondering how on earth we were going to fool our legs into injecting some pace. Surprised by our first faster few miles and how easy we were finding keeping the pace we chatted enjoying the late evening sunshine. Where does it come from? I mean how does that work? Is it just like a little switch when you're body has soaked up the time on your feet and the speed sessions and then like a microwave do you reckon it just pings to say... "Ting, you're now fitter than you were so I'll allow you to push those cart horse legs a little faster"?!

So a confidence boosting run which is just what my cart horse legs needed and now I need to just maintain that for the next seven weeks and we'll see what happens come London Marathon day. Giddy-up legs :-)

Last Cross Country race of the season today and a great result for our Virgin Active Road Runners coming first in the girls team AND in the boys!! Well done VARR :-)

Work this week is manic (again) all is good and I'm loving it but thank goodness I'm not Ironman training because lord knows I'd struggle to fit the hours in. I'm absolutely loving hearing everyone else in the IM world's progress and now race season is upon us I'm excited to come and support you all and of course Tom. I love it, it's such a wonderful sport with such a wonderful community. So you lot, get out on those bikes (wuhoo to the sunshine!) get in that pool and run those little legs ragged. I'll see you on the road (I'll be the cart horse you pass while you're all on your bikes!)

Happy week.

H x

Pic above is time out I had with my brother on Friday and Saturday, sitting next to an open fire and catching up... wonderful.

Hill 60...

Short and sweet this post shall be because as usual Sunday is far from being a day of rest!!

I've had a really, really busy week at work this week and spent oodles of hours stuck in ridiculous motorway traffic but on the plus side have loved the jobs I've been shooting. Work is going really well and with my Blue seventy adverts of Ali Brownlee hitting the mainstream triathlon magazines this month it's even more rewarding to see the final images in place and also great to get such great feedback from you, the readers, thanks, it's really appreciated.

I wasn't sure how much running I was going to fit in but counting up I've still managed a 70 mile week. Today I ran 22 miles with my mate Russ and thankfully (if not a little selfishly) he too was tired after a hard week and so we took it really easy this morning. Even 22 miles slowly is enough to kill the old legs though so I'm feeling it now, I just want to lie on the sofa and do nothing...

...Unfortunately in the Williams household that opportunity is rare and after scoffing a delicious but rushed lunch of roast veg and rice, Tom and I skipped off to meet our mate Rob who is trying to organise a new parkrun in Bradford. The venue is perfect and we walked around the park to measure what the course may be and to see how viable it was looking. I think it'll be a great addition to the parkrun series, so fingers crossed it comes off.

We were lucky to hold the National Cross Country champs (see above pic) in Roundhay and so we spent Saturday afternoon on the muddy fields shouting encouragement to our Virgin Active Running Club members who threw themselves wholeheartedly around the challenging course... see pic...that hill ain't called Hill 60 for nothing! Well done one and all, we loved spectating :-)

And last but certainly not least, the BIGGEST WELL DONE to Tom who pulled out a 23:42 10 mile TT this morning, much to his amazement. I'm so pleased for him, what a great way to start his season and he can only improve with every pedal stroke. That sure is testament to your determination and hard work Tom, keep on truckin' :-) x

London's not that far away, my goal posts change every day... but then I'm a girl!

H x

P.s for all of those up North, I'll be on BBC Radio Leeds at 9:15am tomorrow (Monday) with Mabeth from the charity Naomi's Fund, talking about the 365 Project :)

Short and sweet...

I'm short on time because today I've run 20miles, done two loads of washing, prepared and cooked the dinner for our Valentine's meal tonight and am just about to skip off to the pool in the hope that I don't drown whilst doing my 1500m #Winterswim. Valentine's Day doesn't really start for us until 6pm tonight!

My running's going... well, it's ticking along nicely, not as well as it could be ticking but it's moving so that's a good thing. Really what I want to write about in this tiny little window of time is Tom. He's been amazing this week. He's really picked himself up and got out there on his bike and ridden and ridden. I take my hat off to him, I really do because if it were the other way around.. I think I would have chucked the towel in! He has guts, determination and a great sense of confidence, I love it, he really inspires me to always keep trying and that's why I haven't become disheartened when I've been thwarted by illness during my marathon training. In fact on Tuesday evening I once again lost my voice and acquired the world's most irritating stomach wrenching tickly cough. Two rest days later and some great words from Tom and I've finished the week with a 20 miler and 67 miles in total for the week.

So Tom, this post's for you. I'll always be 100% behind you, whatever, whenever, and I know you're gonna be in great shape come May and in no-time you'll be flying on the bike :0)

Right the pool is calling, it's time to drag my tired body through the chlorine.

Happy Valentine's, the pic above is today's pic of the day, it's called Best Friends... we all need them.

H. x

New hat...

The title of the above picture is 'New hat'. I took it yesterday in Leeds Hyde Park having just run parkrun. It didn't make picture of the day but I think it probably sums up exactly where I am at the moment...not literally of course, firstly I'd be freezing cold and secondly red never did suit me!!

So why does Queen Vic wearing a traffic cone on her head sum me up I hear you ask?! Probably because I'm so used to being known for one thing for the last few years. And that one thing hasn't really been photography. Of course most around me know I'm a photographer but that hasn't been the thing that has defined me and that's because triathlon and endurance training in general has.

Taking my foot off the training gas and placing it quite firmly on the photography one has up-turned my world. I wasn't sure I'd manage to make that transition to be honest. You know, the one from living life in an athletic bubble, where all you need to worry about is recovering enough for the next session and how training was going to fit around work. Now I almost certainly put work first (because I love it and we can't live off fresh air.) For once I'm training around work. I love that too. Transition made.

I'm getting back to my normal self after those hideous weeks of illness and I did feel much better running that half marathon last weekend but another good week of training this week gave me another gear in today's cross country. A few more good weeks of consistency and some harder work (and a bit more self control in the biscuit department!!) and I'll be in good shape come the London Marathon. These things I know because I've been there. That means that my mind has been freed to allow me to move my photography forward. Bombarding you all with my daily picture has been a fantastic adventure for me to take myself on. I absolutely can't wait to see them all exhibited on Wednesday 3rd February 2010. In fact I sit here typing this out with only one more day left for me to complete my year long project. A whole year!! It doesn't document my life (that wasn't the idea) but it does document moments or things that I've been privy to, liked the look of or just plain took a chance on, and that's when I knew my journey was starting. In training when you learn to relax and go with the flow (something I got close to doing but never quite managed) magic happens. And in my photography, whether you like or hate my images, there have been days where magic has happened and that's been in my hands, I love that feeling. The odd time it happened in triathlon, I loved it too but I never quite believed.

So me and my 'new hat' plan to run the London Marathon with as many quality miles my legs can afford to run. Traumatising over fitting sessions in around work won't happen. 'Training smart' in true Yelling style will happen. And fingers crossed my photography keeps growing from strength to strength. Hope to see you all on Wednesday :0)

H. x

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." Herman Cain


P.s Well done all you VARR runners today, fantastic!

Coming out of hibernation...

I've heard that said a few times today... the title of my blog that is.

It's true, I think today for those that raced in this morning's Brass Monkey it actually woke us all up from our sleepy central heated houses and thrust us into 2010 - a tad later than planned and a little more unprepared than planned - but I feel, finally, we've all broken through!

Since getting ill on January 4th I really haven't been quite right and only this week have I actually felt human and healthy again. I was disappointed that I wasn't looking forward to this mornings race. In October I'd planned to be in great shape for today. I had begun Winter training on such a high and got myself in good nick. Then Christmas came and the routine went out of the window. I was busy at work, we spent a lot of time dashing here and there and the devil that is chocolate had started to seep it's Christmassy deliciousness slowly but surely into our cupboards via Sainsbury's and gifts... fatal!

The snow has gone, the ice has melted, and order is being restored in Meanwood. Phew... I was concerned Santa swapped my training mojo for sacks of chocolate and believe it or not I'm so much happier to have my mojo back. So... the burning question... how did I run? Especially seeing as being ill seemed to have rendered me capable of only running like one of Willy Wonka's Oompa Lumpa's.

Firstly, there was no PB (personal best) and no surprise there. But... I LOVED it today. Yes, it hurt and yes I faded near the end but I had such a great time, mostly down to the fact that for the first time I didn't run in a bubble on my own. There was a little group of us, myself, and mates Paul Sanderson, Rich Pullen and Debbie Stockley. Wow... we worked so well together. I reigned the boys in for the first 8 miles and they were strong come the end and loving it and Debbie, well what a race she had. Debbie, you were AMAZING, your grit, determination and race spirit was brilliant, you worked hard and never gave in, that helped me so much today I can't tell you, a huge WELL DONE on your 10 minute pb!!!!!

I felt comfortable in terms of my engine, we were ticking those 7:06min miles off with the odd 6:58 thrown in there for good measure like little metronomes, but my heart and lungs were writing cheques my legs couldn't cash and come mile 10 I started to fade. I crossed the line in 1:34:31 with a big grin, Paul was 15 seconds ahead of me, Rick was literally just behind me and Debbie came through seconds after that. A line in the sand that I can work on now. I just need to get these little legs of mine out on the road and used to getting a pounding again.

Time with good friends was had this weekend too as Ozzer and the Eekster who came from Oxford, stayed with us over the weekend and also raced well today, nice times kids and so good to get together, loved it!

Congrats to all the VARR runners and thanks to all the supporters who braved the cold sleety rain today, the shouts are all much appreciated.

It's good to be back.

H x

P.s Here's my 365 project invite again for those who didn't catch it first time around.

P.P.S Debra, Andy and Suki, you were missed, hope you had fun in the Lakes.

Life's a whirlwind...

…and we’re whirling around in it. I’m currently typing this as we speedily head North up the M1 in a bid to get back in time to take run club (this is us on the first half of the journey while I was driving). We’ve been in London to see Tom’s pa who is here for a two day meeting and we’ve been lucky to tie that in with a shoot that I was booked to do for Blueseventy with Alistair Brownlee. Work for both of us has been pretty manic, especially with Tom & Martin embarking on their Marathon Talk podcast but they’re loving it and I can’t wait to hear Episode 2 which will be out tomorrow (Wednesday). Thanks for the brilliant feedback from all of you who have downloaded it.

Training wise Tom has had a great week of swim, bike and run, culminating in the PECO league Cross Country on Sunday where our club, Virgin Active Road Runners all did brilliantly on a tough muddy, boggy, squelchy, wet, cold course in Ilkley. Finally the snow has gone and the ice has melted which means that we can hit the streets for our runs and Tom can get outside on his bike. On Thursday Tom, myself and our mates Dave, Paul and Russell ran our long(ish) run on a treadmill because of the icy roads. We’ve done it before and I remember it not being very pleasant then and so this session didn’t disappoint! Tom and the boys had good strong runs, they did really well. I was still recovering from the flu which had left me with lingering nausea and the second I finished I felt as sick as a dog and had to go straight to bed when we got home. What a mental challenge 22.5km on a treadmill in a hot gym is, but we all did it. Thank the lord that the ice has gone because the thought of running 16miles this week on one of those brain challenging machines is enough to tip me right over the edge!!

Brass Monkey Half Marathon is this Sunday and so unfortunately have any thoughts of a pb for me and probably Tom. We had hoped to be going into this race in good condition but with our Christmas escapades up and down the country and then being ill for what feels like forever and the lingering snow we're a few weeks short of pb's I think. The plan is to run it hard anyway and use it as a hard training session, you can't beat a race for pushing yourself.

I'm afraid our blog has been a little neglected of late. Not at all on purpose but mainly due to how busy we've been and how forgetful we're becoming due to how busy we are!! I promise that normal service will resume as soon as we're sorted and organised and actually in Leeds on a weekend!!

18 weeks of hard training for Tom now that the clock is ticking towards May and the Lanzarote Ironman and for me I've got 14 weeks to go before the London Marathon and both of us are looking forward to getting some hard consistent training in. Please, no more snow!!!

Last but not least before I sign off so I can get my weary self to bed, finally my 365 picture project details are sorted and I'd like to invite you all to the event. You'll find all of the details on this invite. So if you're reading this you are cordially invited to come and share the evening and maybe buy a print or two. Hope to see you there :0)

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz it's bedtime.... and Tom is editing Ep 2 of Marathon Talk.... he could be a while... just this little joint blog for both of us again this week.

H & T x

2010 starts tomorrow...

Not the best start to the year for either Mr Williams or Mrs Williams. Tom was the first to be struck by poorlyness and then on return from the Yelling household I came down with flu and am only just recovering now.

Therefore Tom & I have decided that our 2010 starts tomorrow (Monday.) Back into a routine will do us both good, I just have to ease into it gently and Tom needs to make sure he's getting his bike miles in.

We're both super busy at the mo too. Tom's right in the middle of launching the Marathon Talk podcast that he and Martin are producing every week which sounds like it's going to be fab. It's a free weekly podcast that will be available to download on iTunes starting on January 13th and then every Wednesday after that.

And as the days tick by (today is Day 342) I am but 23 days away from the end of my 365 project and the exhibition. The exhibition date has now been confirmed as Wednesday 3rd February 2010. The venue will be Salvo's Restaurant on Otley Road in Headingley. The time is yet to be confirmed. Invites will be going out very, very soon. I hope you'll be there. Drop me a line if you'd like to come.

I think 2010 has much in store for both of us this year, and I do sense change for us both, a lot of change. Changing work commitments for Tom, possibly moving and training for our goals this year should keep the pair of us on our toes. I know any thoughts of pb'ing at the Brass Monkey Half Marathon at the end of January have gone down the pan and instead it will just have to be a hard training run. Tom's struggled to get outside on his bike and with more snow forecast I forsee more turbo time in the garage! As for me, well being ill for this whole week has wiped me out. I can't wait to feel fit again. Christmas put a small dent in our usual routine of training, and then Christmas pudding, chocolate & mince pies etc put a dent in our willpower!

So, tomorrow...2010 starts tomorrow and we'll be up at the crack of dawn like the good old days and we'll be in the pool starting our new year the way we would have liked last week.

Happy New year...

H & T x

P.s The pic above is of a lone man watching the sun set on the first day of 2010... (and is one of my 365.)

Too much talking...

For the second week running we find ourselves apologising for missing our Sunday blog deadline... sorry!

We've been down in Poole with our mates Martin and Liz and have spent pretty much every single minute working on Tom and Martin's exciting new project...

'Marathon Talk' is their new running podcast, with episode one due for Wednesday the 13th of January. It will be free to download with a new episode available every Wednesday covering a wide range of subjects from the world of running through regular features, interviews and discussions.

Please log on to www.marathontalk.com for more information and to find out how you can keep up to date with Marathon Talk.

If you have any thoughts about things you would like us to cover, ideas for the show or feedback re the website or podcast (once it's available) please let us know via info@marathontalk.com.

Normal blog service will resume next week,

T & H

Ooops....

Our title says it all... for the first time in the three years we've been blogging we missed a Sunday deadline!

Christmas has a serious talent for jumbling the days of the week up and before we knew where we were it was Monday!

This time last year Tom and I just got married, honeymooned in Miami, returned home for a fairly unceremonious Christmas and then disappeared off to Lanzarote for one of the hardest training camps of our lives. What a way to start 2009... exhillarated but exhausted!

Twenty-ten is going to be a whole new year and a very different year. If there's one thing we won't be starting the year with it will be fatigue. On Boxing Day Tom and I love to run the Chevin Chase, a 6.9 mile challenging off-road run. Last year having just returned from the States we had our worst ever races on the Chevin. Jet lag and the general malaise from our honeymoon weren't really the best prescription for a good race. This year we went into it in much better condition, following a wonderfully relaxed Christmas with plenty of key run sessions. Regular readers will know we've both struggled a little with our usual commitment to the pool and for Tom on his bike, however running races have been going well and this year's Chase (albeit it an icy snowy challenge) was a huge improvement on last year will both of us placing higher than 12 months ago, and it felt great to race on strong legs even if they were a little too full of quality street.

So, we're putting the finishing touches to 2009 with way too much chocolate, mince pies and the kind of food I might as well just clag to my hips. Unfortunately moderation wasn't one of the gifts from Santa this year, however we have managed to get out and put a fair few running miles in.

At the minute I'm sitting typing this at my mum's house in South Shields with a full tummy and a DVD on the box. Tomorrow we're back to Leeds and counting down the days to January the 1st and the start of an exciting year.

See you in 2010 with some really exciting news,

H (& T) x

Team work...

Another lung busting, leg burning cross country challenge today. Why oh why do they hurt so much?! Is it because it's off road and I don't run off road very much or is it because you know you're not running for yourself but you're running for your team? (see above pic). Leeds and Bradford Tri Club has some very strong athletes and it's great at this time of year to all get together and be running for each other as opposed to against each other. I love it. I love being part of a team, I think that's why I love parkrun so much. It's really not about the time. Of course I have my own personal goals and times I'd like to break but I just love seeing the glee on newcomers faces for doing something they've never done before and knowing they'll be back for more. Being an athlete shouldn't be defined by speed, but by dedication. Not even dedication to a team, but dedication to one's-self. A commitment to move out of a comfort zone and try something new and challenging.

My training's in a bit of a funny place at the minute. I'm not training very consistently due to work commitments and general Christmas busy-ness and that means I'm not in a very good routine to slot training in and then this has a knock on effect because I can't be bothered to do it when I can't do it at my usual time!! I'm actually in good nick at the minute though and that's just enough to keep me hitting the roads for my key sessions so my fitness hasn't gone down the pan thankfully and I'm really pleased with today's run, 7th lady home. Yesterday I had planned to try and nail my 5km time to squeeze under the 20min barrier but the snow and ice put pay to that as I slid around the course in 22mins and 2 seconds. Still, it's out there waiting for me to cough up my lungs in an attempt to pb, I'm just not sure when that will be, I'd have loved to have done it before the end of 2009 but we're marshalling the next one on Boxing day and will be away for the week after so 2010 it shall be.

Tom's mum and step-dad Ray are here for a few days and it's lovely. I knew from the second they arrived that finally the Christmas festivites could commence. The mince pies have been cracked open and the house has been Christmas-ified with a little fat tree and the cosy glow of the Christmas lights, it's great to spend time with them (even though we did drag them to Temple Newsam to stand in minus temperatures this morning while we threw ourselves round the fields!)

Tonight we're off to the cinema to see Where The Wild Things Are so I must go and get ready... ahhhhh throw another log on the fire and pass me a Quality Street will you :)

Happy Christmas one and all.

H x

Daily pix still here and here.

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

As I near the end of the year I can feel the draw of Christmas joy (usually found in boxes of Quality Street!!) Parties are happening and celebrations of a year gone by are nearly upon us. In fact this time last year Tom & I were approaching our wedding day and a whole year of events and mammoth training sessions which I'll never forget! I'll save the look back on 2009 for another post but today I can feel a change in the air. Something about 2010 and it's speedy approach is very appealing. I chose the above pic (taken at our very good friend Jevon's place) because I feel like 2010 is a new dawning for both of us. Tom's so excited about his new projects it's already like Christmas in our house. I love it, and I can't wait for the whole thing to take off.

Life is good... really good. I'm really looking forward to running regularly with our mate Russell and hoping that his speediness will drag me through to my 2010 desires. I think it'll be really good for both of us to do our long marathon training runs together. I'm so used to doing a lot of my training on my own, especially running, that it will be a nice change to have someone to go through the highs and lows of those long, cold Winter training runs with.

Work is going so well that I'm frightened to jinx it. I've got some fantastic shoots lined up and I'm loving dipping back into the world of TV every now and then. The exhibition project couldn't be going better. I'll be ready to spill ALL info about it for those interested at the beginning of January but I do know that the date will be 3rd February 2010 in Leeds at Salvo's restaurant. The rest of the details etc will be posted like I say early January. I've had an awful lot of interest in my little pictures and am very excited to see them all printed and framed.

Christmas in the Williams household will be a cosy relaxed affair and I can't wait to get my teeth into the Chevin Chase on Boxing Day. Last year I ran like a mule (having just returned the day before from our honeymoon in Miami). A no pressure almost guaranteed improvement from last year, I like it! Followed up by a great afternoon (as is tradition) at the Kennedy household et. al.

So, the clock is ticking, it's Saturday night and tomorrow we celebrate being married a whole year. Time to sign off cyber world and sign into celebrations :) :) :)

Happy Winter training peeps, keep up the good work and do a few bike miles for me seeing as I'm no longer friends with my bike. Anyone want a Quintana Roo Lucero race machine???!!!

Daily pix still here and here.

I'm off to spend time with my wunnerful husband :)

H x

Winter legs...

One thing I have noticed is that when things aren't in place and organised my brain goes to mush, my motivation to train disappears and my nutritional strategy goes up the swanny!

Tag team illnesses between myself and Tom have meant I've not been in the swing of training for a few weeks and that tiny dent in our usual orderly routine has thrown me out of kilter. Combined with my ever increasing work load (which is brilliant & I'm loving it), I discovered that if things aren't in place then something has to give. This week it's been the sessions that I don't class as key. Still, I don't like it and come tomorrow morning now that I've spent a week making to-do lists and organising my time better I should be able to to get back into my routine.

Winter is certainly here and I'm showing my legs the Winter way. I'm loving the cross country series that we're doing. It's great to run as part of a team and being able to run in two leagues means I get to run with Virgin Active Road Runners and Leeds & Bradford Triathlon, awesome. I threw myself up hill and down dale yesterday getting caked in mud for 5miles of pain & fun. I'm hoping the benefit of doing the cross country series is going to pay me back in Spring and fingers crossed eventually getting that sub 20min 5km time at parkrun!! I've not had a chance to have an assault on it for about 3 or 4 weeks and plan the 19th as my next chance.

I got out for 16miles today. Just to remind myself that I can still run long and really enjoyed that time on my own, ipod in, 8 undulating miles out and 8 back, negative split - running 1:06 out returning in 1:01, that's a good sign for me, I've not run longer than 13miles since The Vitruvian in September so I'm pleased I could average sub 8min mile today.

SO now that order has been restored. Life is back on track, the house no longer looks like Hansel & Gretel have been throwing crumbs all over it in a bid to escape and come tomorrow I have no excuses for why I NEED that chocolate bar or why I'm too tired to do that training session. My brain is de-cluttered...lovely :)

'Til next week....

H. x

Daily pix still here and here...

Induglence...

We've just returned from a weekend with our very good friends The O'Neill family. In the past our days together have tended to be training fests... days are spent toiling on our bikes, running up random hills for miles and even competing with Jevon's youngest daughter Alice in the pool. This weekend was a little more leisurely...well for me. In fact I'd go as far to say I had a lazy weekend which was great but I'm feeling a little like Tinkerbelle (see above pic) their rabbit, their large cute cuddly rabbit) as in so well looked after, kept warm and cosy while the weather's rubbish outside and a little over indulged!

It's always great to get away for the weekend especially when it's to spend time with lovely people who are on the same wavelength. I had planned to run on Saturday while the boys went out for a long ride but was way too warm and cosy in a house full of life with two teenage girls springing around and the company of Jevon's wife Fiona. How could I resist the luxury of a boy free day! Thankfully the fact that we had all entered the Pednor 10 mile race held today (Sunday) and only just round the corner from them meant I didn't need to feel too guilty...until curry was ordered in and scoffed before we hit the cinema room in their house, and then copious amounts of chocolate were consumed whilst watching 'Burn After Reading', a rather odd Cohen Brothers film. Curry, film, chocolate, what great fuel for race day I thought.

This morning arrived and a little down on our usual 8hrs kip we peeled ourselves out of bed for an early breakfast. Having eaten enough chocolate to keep me going until next Christmas I didn't really need any more food but I threw down a bowl of cereal and off we went into Pednor in the rain to see what our little legs were going to do. Jevon's plan was to take it easy round the course (2 x 5mile loops) and if his calf or back started to give him jip he was going to can it. 2 miles in and I could hear the little bugger (actually big bugger would be more accurate) and there he was, running strong which is remarkable considering their 80mile ride the previous day coupled with his running niggles which have prevented him from getting out on the road. I felt okay, my legs felt strong but I felt a bit sick and so on the hilliest section Jevon was no longer at my side as he ploughed up the steepest section of the run. I managed to keep him in sight and caught up on the first downhill section but with his easy first lap plan still in play he got even stronger on the second and left me for dead as he hit the 5 mile mark. A small field and no one around made it a little difficult to not switch off, and a few times I had to remind myself I was in a race not bimbling round Pednor house hunting! 73mins later on an undulating course and 3rd lady home it was over, time to hit Starbucks and top up that already full sugar level!

A weekend of indulgence with friends and my husband and a race to boot, wonderful. Thanks guys.

This weekend coming I was looking forward to hitting parkrun and seeing how close to the 19/20min mark I could get but I'm going to have to wait ANOTHER week as our cross country race falls on Saturday, so it'll have to wait until the 12th before I can see if I've got a tiny bit faster... I've got people to catch!!!

Time for bed, I've now got a weekend's worth of chocolate to sleep off... I could be some time!

H. x

Daily pix still here and here.

Stop...and Go!!!

After five years of training for Ironman and gradually building our bodies to be strong enough to cope with regular 20+ hour weeks of solid training it's easy to see why you can become blind to the stresses and strains your body still has to go through even though you become mentally and physically immune to the demands you place upon it day after day, week after week.

When I first started training for Austria in 2007, it was a slow build. I was stressing my body little by little and seeing how it could cope with the longer sessions. The same for Tom too. Eventually we hit this year with the ability to train really hard and really long without injury or illness and compete in two Ironman events within 7 weeks of each other. A great testament to how well our bodies had adapted over time to the necessary demands. And also great testament to how we treated our bodies in terms of nutrition and sleep to allow those injury few years to happen.

A comment left on Tom's joint blog last weekend however, has really given me food for thought this week. Our good friend Gabriel commented on Tom's lack of injury... 'You don't seem to get injured like me which helps me back off the workload when I am nearing my limit.'

It's made me think an awful lot about how I felt this year and what I could have done to have improved my perfomances, afterall my training was as consistent as one would hope and I suffered no injuries, neither did Tom. But did the fact that we allowed our bodies to soak up high volume day after day, week after week actually work against us in some way as opposed to for us?? Would a few days of enforced rest due to the odd snivel or tight muscle have allowed a few more extra recovery hours to give us that extra bit of 'zap' that I feel we both lacked this season?? Interesting words me thinks and Gabriel's comment has truly hit a note for me.

On Sunday evening while I was working last weekend I started the hideous process of coming down with gastroenteritis. On Monday I was forced to lie on the sofa in my dressing gown for fear of not being near a loo. On Tuesday I was 'fixed' and trained, did a light swim in the am and then did my harder treadmill session followed by run club on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday I had to fit my longer run in early in the morning due to work commitments etc and so I ran 13miles. I thought I'd had a 24hr bug and was amazed that I had woken up on Tuesday feeling so fine, albeit a little 'empty'! Off I went and trained hard on Thursday too. However, on Friday I had the beginnings of a sore throat and on Saturday morning I decided not to train. By yesterday afternoon I started loosing my voice and now as I type this I'm practically mute. Time for me to think about Gabriel's comment. Is this enforced rest the thing that is going to give me my zap back? Laryngitis is a viral thing I think and god only knows where I've picked it up from but actually I think I'm happy I have. Monday's gastroenteritis was the first time I've been ill this year. Nobody likes being ill (especially not the athletic type) but I do think there are nuggets in Gabriel's observation) and I'm hoping this means my body is not as strong as it was over the beginning of the year and the result of that will mean I come back a little fresher. I see that I should have given my body more time to recover from the stomach bug on Monday before resuming training as usual but that's the typical old Ironman in me. I'd be interested to know what you think? Do you never get injured or ill allowing you to never back it off? Or do you suffer from the odd niggle or snivel but always come back stronger? Answers on a postcard...

Today's post is a joint blog because the true 'writer' in the Williams household is in the middle of writing a feature for Triathlon Plus. Tom's just had his first piece published in this months edition and it's fantastic to see his great skills on the published page! Here's to many more :)

Time to take my silent voice out for a stroll in the woods for some fresh air. I haven't trained for two days which would usually make me grizzly and unbearable to be around. Gabriels' off the cuff remark appears to have worked wonders, but if I don't come back like Usain Bolt there'll be hell to pay ;)

Happy Winter training guys.

H x

Daily pix still here and here.

The year ahead...

With H off doing her 'luvvie' thing this weekend in Northumberland (she's shooting stills on the latest ITV drama) this is going to be somewhat of a joint blog. Tim posted a great question on my last entry so I thought I'd try and answer it here by way of a season plan of both of us...

Lets start with H... regular readers will know that Hels has put Ironman to bed and will be focusing mostly on running. She really wants to work on building her photography business and with that comes a reduction in the time available to train. This season she averaged around 20 hours per week with plenty of 25 hour plus blocks thrown in for good measure but for the 09/10 season we're planning to half that volume to around 10-15 weekly hours. Rather than seeing a corresponding drop in performance levels she'll be looking to hit around 8-10 hours running per week and fitting in swim sessions and the odd bike when time allows. Although her multi-sport performance will likely drop she should be able to knock off a few long-standing run PBs. It's unlikely that H will do any triathlons next year but that will depend largely on how much bike she gets in over the winter, she's been super busy at work recently so may well only get out a couple of times per month. We are aiming to keep a minimal level of cycling in her programme a) as it's a great way to build leg strength and muscular endurance with minimal impact and b) we haven't ruled out the odd duathlon or maybe tri in 2010. There will however be plenty of swimming, simply because she really enjoys it and having gone from a non-swimmer to sub six minutes for 400 it would seem a shame to stop. November and December will be treated very much as training months and although there will be plenty of road and XC races they'll be trained through. Her first 'A' race is going to be the Brass Monkey half-marathon on January the 24th, probably followed by the Silverstone half in March and then the Virgin London Marathon on April the 25th. In between those there will be a load of smaller local races to keep the competitive fires burning and of course there will be regular outings to our very own Leeds parkrun. At the moment we're not looking past London for H... one of the great things about running is that with the exception of a couple of super popular races there's no need to plan your season years in advance. She may look to do an autumn marathon but with plenty to choose from we can leave that till after London.

What about me?

The question that Tim posed was 


"I'm interested to hear your plans for next year involving the Outlaw. Specifically since you'll qualify for Kona at Lanzarote will you train/peak for the outlaw and race it or use it as a training day or a long swim bike?'


Firstly, thanks for the vote of confidence mate :) Despite the title of our blog Kona is no longer the driving force for me that it once was, yes I'd really love to race there, but events of this year have reminded me that it really isn't the holy grail that it's made out to be (for age-groupers at least). Although I would be disappointed if I missed the cut again, my final season of Ironman certainly won't be judged, be me at least, on whether I get to the Hawaii or not. I wouldn't even call it a goal anymore really, my focus for Lanzarote is to get to the start line in the best shape of my life and execute the best race of my life... I'm determined to focus on the process this year rather than the outcome. The Outlaw will receive the same treatment, as will a third (and final) Ironman if it happens. I do definitely intend to give the Outlaw everything in terms of training and racing ;)


I've always wanted to race a UK based Iron distance event but having spectated at IMUK several times I certainly don't have enough faith in the organisers to deliver an event deserving the five months of blood sweat and tears that it takes to get there. To be honest I'd given up hope but then up stepped the guys at One Step Beyond with their new 'Outlaw Triathlon', I just couldn't resist the opportunity to race an event like this in what will hopefully be really great shape (I'm confident that their ability to deliver an event is somewhat better than their ability to choose a decent name for an event!). 


So, with the Outlaw well and truly on the schedule that left me with Ironman Lanzarote on May the 23rd, the Outlaw on August the 8th and possibly Hawaii on October the 9th. That obviously makes three Iron distance races in a season, yet having done 'just' two this year I found myself blown to pieces come September and having to pull out of the Vitruvian for fear of exploding! So just how do I plan to survive 2010?


Having spent a large amount of time reflecting on my performances this year two things have become clear 1) I was very fit and 2) I was very tired. I pretty much PB'd from start to finish all season... half-marathon in January (1.19), Ballbuster in March (2.55), Olympic tri in June (1.59), Pool Triangle TT in June (29 something), 50 mile TT in June (1.58) and Ironman in July (9.28)... so the fitness was clearly there. But, and this is a big BUT, for the majority of those events I felt pretty knackered and certainly someway short of 100%. On thinking a little clearer I think I can trace the majority of that tiredness back to a four week period between December 08 and January 09... H and I got married on December the 13th, which although was without a doubt the best day of my life was also pretty tiring both physically and mentally. We then hopped straight on the plane to Miami and by the time we hopped off at the other end I'd developed as bad a case of sickness and diarrhea that I've ever had. A couple of days later I'd recovered and proceeded to log a good 40+ mile week of running and a few hours of swimming in the heat and humidity of South Beach before flying back on Christmas Eve, doing a long ride on Christmas Day and then the Chevin Chase (7 mile XC race) on boxing day! In the blink of an eye we touched down in Lanzarote on January the first and kicked off 2010 with 26 miles of swimming, 500 miles of cycling and 75 miles of running in the first ten days! To be honest, looking back at that lot it's a wonder I survived to tell the tale! Still, my fitness was clearly improving and a week after landing back from Lanza I broke 80 minutes for the first time over 13.1 miles and it was game on. Unfortunately, that massive month put me in a state of fatigue that 400 hours training over the next 20 weeks was never going to let me recover from.


The biggest lesson I've learnt from all that and something that I am determined to focus on this coming season is to not put myself in that hole in the first place. Full-on Ironman training is not something that allows much space for recovery and come January I'll be giving it absolutely everything for 20 weeks, at the moment I'm feeling really good and will be prioritising sleep, food and rest over training to make sure I stay that way!


So that's the first cause of my fatigued dealt with, what about the second. What really pushed me over the edge was two Ironman events in seven weeks with no time allowed for proper recovery... the week after Lanza I trained for five hours, but the week after that it was 25! By the time I crossed the finish line I'd been going hard for seven months since the aforementioned hole digging process! Now, if you're going to perform to your highest ever level, you have to be prepared to follow that up by being the tiredest you've ever been, and that's fine... unless you've just booked a slot to the world Ironman champs and have to do it all again in a couple of months! To be honest, I think had I made it to the Big Island this year I may well have ended up doing serious long-term damage to myself. Unlike the Vitruvian I wouldn't have pulled out and looking back I actually breathe a sigh of relief that I wasn't given the opportunity to nuke myslef!


I've just outlined a schedule though to three great Iron distance races in the space of a few months so how will I a) be able to perform well in all of them and b) survive to see 2011? (Which I think is the main point of Tim's question... sorry if I'm going on a bit)


Well, despite pre-season concerns over doing two Ironman events in seven weeks I actually felt that racing in Lanzarote was beneficial to my performance in Switzerland. I basically didn't really take any rest between each race, therefore not allowing my body to slip into recovery mode as with only a few weeks to play with there probably wouldn't have been time to wake it up again. The problem, as I've just stated, is that having done that successfully (in terms of race performance) there was nowhere left to go and my season was effectively over... this year I may well have (if I'm lucky) one final Iron destination. Fortunately however there are eleven weeks between Lanzarote and the Outlaw and those extra 28 days should allow time to recover properly from the first race yet still have time to build things up for the second. So the gap should look something like...


Weeks 1-3 - active recovery and a gradually building volume of something like 5, 10 and 15 weekly hours.


Weeks 4-6 - a return to my standard 20 hour basic week and hard work across all three disciplines.


Weeks 7-9 - some 'race pace and above' focus and a couple of big sessions plus the odd race.


Weeks 10-11 - taper time!


In terms of Outlaw performance I'd probably rather they were closer together, but in terms of carrying on the season that extra four weeks should make all the difference.


It will then (if selected) be nine weeks from the Outlaw to Hawaii, of the three events Kona is probably my lowest priority in terms of performance, just being there will be pretty special. I will of course be approaching it as I have every Ironman I've done though and aiming to go out in style ;) I'll probably leave it until after the Outlaw to decide the best schedule for those nine weeks depending on how I'm feeling. At half-way between seven weeks and eleven weeks it could go either way i.e. keep the tempo rolling or back off for a couple of weeks and build again. Although I don't really mind how I feel directly after Kona as it will be 'pipe and slippers time', I've got no interest in sticking myself in a hole that could take years to get out of.


Anyway, hopefully that's answered the question? 


In brief... all three will be very much 'A' races and approached 100%, by not digging a big early season hole I should avoid ever reaching a state of deep fatigue and by allowing a few weeks of PROPER recovery I should be able to peak for events two and three.


How hard can it be? ;)


T

Life/work/training balance...

It's just amazing how much more I can get done now that I'm not putting in 20+ hrs of training. I'm still swimming 18km a week and after tomorrow's run will have done a solid 55miles of running this week, the bike... well I haven't had time to fit one of those in. But I've had a good week at work and still got to bed at 9pm every night this week and had a leg rest day!!

At run club on Tuesday night I was chatting with my friend Alison who is living her Ironman dream right now and loving it. I told her that I actually felt relieved not to be IM training anymore. I'm hoping this is a sign that I'm happy to move onto pastures shorter, faster and newer (if that's a word).

Tom's signed himself up for Lanza and the new UK Ironman distance event The Outlaw and I've signed up for The Brass Monkey Half Marathon and the London Marathon. I'm liking the change...and the fact that I don't have to get out in the cold, wet, Winter rain to HTFU for hours on end. Somehow I feel like it's easier to do the whole work/training thing too. I often used to get booked for work and try and wangle it so it fitted in with my training. Now I know I can always do a run more-or-less anywhere I am and at more-or-less any time of day, but also if I don't get to run, it doesn't matter and so training is no longer a burdon on my work commitment and vice versa... everyone's a winner. Work has just gone from strength to strength now that I'm concentrating on it a lot more and I've got some exciting shoots lined up in the next few weeks.

One think that can slip by without noticing though is the life/life balance. One thing we have to make sure we schedule into our life is quality time. It's just so easy to let training, eating, sleeping, working all become part of every day life. We train together, we eat our meals together, we go to races together but everything doesn't revolve around triathlon or running and so time aside from training is something that we've worked really hard to achieve. Sometimes I think people think we're maybe a bit too focused or serious about our training but actually we aren't. Of course we want to do well and yes we train hard, but we'd both give it up at the drop of a hat if either one of us wasn't happy or if it was detrimental to our lives together. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to share this kind of selfish lifestyle with Tom, not many people have that.

So, tomorrow I'm doing the Guy Fawkes 10, a hilly (very hilly I hear) run race in Ripley, North Yorkshire. I've saved up this week's HTFU for the weather which is due to be awful for it!! Hope my legs serve me well, they've worked hard already this week.

Today we marshalled at Leeds parkrun and then helped with our mates Red Welly Relay Challenge which saw the girls team thrash the boys!! Well done girls :)

And a happy IM training all you hardcore lot out there, braving the elements to turn those bike Winter miles into IM Summer smiles :) I'll be holding the coats...

H x

Daily pix still here and here...