The rallying call of the Bell!

I was busy all morning at meetings in the west so by the time I was heading home the sun was beginning to peep through the clouds and the skies were beginning to brighten up!

I reached home, switched on the PC and got one of those notifications that someone had posted in one of the Facebook groups I follow. I clicked on the link to see that one of the DCC riders had been out in the rain, wind and cold for an 80 miler including most of the hills in the area! It was an awesome achievement given the weather and knowing James he probably did it in shorts and a short sleeved bike shirt! So having read his post I looked out at the now balmy conditions and decided to shift my carcass out there.

I have to confess that it was one of those days, to be honest, where the comfort of the house was much more appealing than heading out but I pulled on the longs and enjoyed 7 miles in the sun. It was brilliant! When I got home I spent an hour on abs and stretching.

Here's hoping that the weather picks up at the weekend.

Tomorrow I'm meeting a pal, David Douglas, to chat about the London to Brighton run race later in the year. We talked about doing this at Christmas time and as I've not done an ultra before I figured it would be a great challenge to work towards post the August Ireman.

When I out and about last week I wandered past a stall selling those shoes that look like feet. I've read Born to Run by Chris McDougall which is all about the barefoot runners of the Tarahumara people of Mexico who are amazing distance runners. They race each other for pride and honour in the villages with champions running amazing distances as the races can last more than one day. It's a great read and I would highly recommend it.

One of the key issues about distance running is being in peak condition for the race and it gives me another reason to shift the extra pounds I'm still carrying. Danielle has been looking at food testing and we both have been fascinated by week 1 - all diet stuff was thrown out and full fat stuff brought back in. There was a list of what we can and can't have stuck to the fridge. The results this week have been good with neither of us hungry and eating a good balanced fresh diet. The hassle of cooking far outweighs the ready meals that we occasionally turn to and Danielle has shifted 5 pounds in 4 days while eating like a horse (post blog note that this description did not go down too well with Danielle!) - so all good so far.

Thought I'd add a picture of the scales which shows 1 st and 2 lbs so far as a bit of motivation - targeting sub 13 and a half (nearer 13 to be honest)

So the weekend lies ahead - got a few races coming up with the Tranent Tri next week, the Scottish Mountain Biking monthly race the week after and the Adventure 5 series following the first weekend in April. I've got a week to get my climbing legs back on!!

Now where did I leave my chocolate pudding........

All in the head.....

I took a rest day today after a hard few days training as the body needs time to recover.

Ironman is not just a physical challenge but a huge mental challenge as well so today I met with a friend in Edinburgh who is working with that side of the race. I believe that if you prepare properly for any event, turn up at the start physically ready but are not in the right frame of mind you're performance will suffer. Sometimes I think I can do anything but in my darker moments my head fills with bad thoughts about my limitations.

So today we looked at the aspects that help drive success and how rated my performance in comparison to a champion. It was fascinating stuff. One of the people I respect most is Chrissie Wellington. When she decides she is going to do something nothing will get in her way and she does it to the best of her ability. She had a big bike crash just before heading out to the world championships in Kona a few years ago but went on to win the race and retired from Ironman undefeated. Incredible!

So obviously I am not in Chrissie Wellington's league but I have yet to make the start line of an Ironman in peak physical condition. So I was looking for the reasons behind this and have made a couple of decisions to help give myself the best opportunity to go for a sub 13 (my ambitious target for the Ireman) finish. These are to look at the sessions that I'm doing and make sure that I'm doing them right, to wear a heart rate monitor to get a better handle on my training thresholds and zones, the third is to give up alcohol until the race and finally improve my diet.

The first two are pretty straightforward but as most people know I do enjoy a glass of red and a beer from time to time. The issue is that they are just empty calories and I believe, rightly or wrongly, that it slows the metabolism making the fat burning body less efficient. I might be entirely wrong but someone told me this once and he knows what he's talking about. So it's time to put the talk into action and make sure that I turn up in County Down in peak condition.

They say that if you write something down then it is more likely you will stick on the path so I thought I would record it here so that people that know me won't be surprised when I'm on the soda and lime on a night out. I'm looking at my diet and Danielle is helping by selecting a menu that is going to take out refined carbohydrates (plus a lot of the other stuff I love) from our diet. So with these small changes I hope to get my body fat percentage right down and finally feel I'm not the fattest lad on the start line.

When I decided to do another Ironman I also decided that if I am going to put myself through the torture I am going to go as fast as I can. These changes will help me towards my goal and if I develop a winning mentality I'm pretty sure I can achieve the sub 13 that is my target. It's going to take the support of friends and in Danielle I have my number one supporter. She is amazing at coming up with positive suggestions that are incredibly helpful and as she knows me inside out, she helps me believe that I can do the things I want to do.

So let the wagons roll, it's time to cut the chunk to get myself ready to stand on the start in County Down in the shape of my life........

A nod to Tri - bike, swim and circuits! Oh and an invite to a race night and Father Jack!

It's been a good and varied days training which despite feeling a little tired now has given me a bit more confidence that I'm doing the right things.

The training for Ironman, as those who have been on the journey know is relentless even from 6 months out. Most days involve a couple of training sessions and personally I aim to get 3 swims, 3 bikes and 3 runs each week including a long bike and long run which builds in time and distance week by week. I'm still working on weight loss which was a bit of a disaster after a gastronomic weekend of fine dining, good British cooking, cooked breakfasts and some lovely red wine. The fantastic cuisine cost me a couple of pounds and the first job this week has been to, as they say on the telly, cut the fat!

I spent an hour and twenty minutes doing circuits yesterday and then today managed an interval session on the spin bike before breakfast, a swim at lunch time and then back into our wee gym for more circuits tonight. My core is getting stronger and the old moobs are slowly getting smaller and wobbly a little less than they did a few weeks ago.

The weather in Fife has turned a tad chilly again and being nervous on the bike I will wait for the end of the cold snap before taking the road bike out of the shed. Meantime I'll continue to work in the gym on my spin bike.

Meeting my brother in law's brother, Max for a run tomorrow afternoon which will be good to get out with someone else who runs at the same speed as me.

We're having a race night and my band, the inimitable Father Jack are playing. It's at the Dalgety Bay Sailing Club on Saturday 11 May with tickets £10/each. It's going to be a fab night with a race night like none you will have been to including live horse racing, water jumps and a huge dice! Father Jack has lined up an awesome mix of classics played in our own style. Usually seems to go down pretty well. So if you fancy a ticket let me know and I'll sort it out. All funds go towards a local Dunfermline Charity called Safe Space - see the side of the blog for details.

If I can do the technology thing I'll upload a track to let you hear us!

Ironman Austria 2007 - The hills are alive......

I got my place at Ironman Austria during Christmas of 2006 thanks to an incredible Ironman, Andy Collier, from London who had decided against racing. Andy went on to complete a deca ironman race which was an incredible achievement.

I had started my bike training in August when I put my name on the reserve list. My big issue was swimming as you will all know by now. I couldn’t swim front crawl, not even a little bit, when I got my race place - the race was on......

Fast forward to Klagenfurt:

We arrived on the day before the race, registered, met a few friends at the athletes briefing and then set about re-building my bike. I went for a short test ride, made a few more adjustments and packed my transition bags. I had never done a race like this before so found the race briefing very helpful. With everything done I set off with Danielle to an Italian restaurant for dinner. We bumped into a couple of pals at the restaurant which was great as we shared our hopes and fears for the race. My personal hope was to finish, my fear was that I would fall apart on the swim. (His turned out to be spookily similar!)

The alarm didn’t need to go off at 4am as I was already awake. The hotel was fantastic and had laid on a proper breakfast starting at 4:15. I shovelled in as many calories as I could, did the usual many toilet visits and filled my bottles. We set off to the start and ignoring the local police managed to get parked 30 yards from transition. I did the usual check of the bike, bags, applied a load of sun cream and pulled on the wetsuit.

I was dreading the swim. The 10 minutes before the race was amazing. A sense of anticipation and excitement was in the air. As the gun fired I stood on the beach and watched 2,221 racers hurl themselves into the chaos of the swim.

Swim (1:47)

Once the mass of swimmers was off and away, I strolled into the water and started at the back by myself. I had decided not to get involved in the bumping and pushing of the mass start and to stay calm, not panic, get into a nice stroke and then focus on beating the cut off. I was fine until about 400m by which time my goggles had fogged up and I bumped into another swimmer. I had managed to catch up with the back of the group. They seemed as incompetent as me. I spent the next 2,600m being guided by people in canoes on either side of the course. I probably swum nearer 4,500m overall because I couldn’t see where I was going! Sighting is an important skill and one I will focus on before my next open water swim.

I ran aground on the beach at the entrance to the canal. The canal was full of weeds and not that pleasant to swim in, but the support on either side was very vocal and it didn’t seem to last that long. There was a steep ramp out of the water that a couple of volunteers pulled you up and it was off to transition. My left leg cramped on the ramp which surprised me but I shook it off quickly. Danielle, my wife, was there to meet me at the swim exit and offer a few words of encouragement.

T1 (11:48)

Off with the wetsuit and on with the bike kit. I was so chuffed that I had got through the swim, I took my time in transition chatting to Symes (the guy I had dinner with pre race) – both slightly surprised we managed the swim. Put in my contact lenses, more sun cream, packed my bag and I was off to find my bike. This turned out to be a rather simple process as the previously full transition area was now deserted.

Bike (6:58)

The cramp on the ramp worried me. I had decided a rather defensive strategy from the start of just wanting to finish but now I was worried that even this goal was at risk. I decided to fuel up on the bike. I had a rather home spun food plan based around my mum’s fruit cake and flapjacks. The artificial bars that are dished out at the aid stations do nothing for me and generally upset my stomach.

By 9am the sun was up and it was getting hot so plenty of water and energy drinks.Quite early I developed a cracking headache and I hadn’t taken any painkillers out – a schoolboy error! The first 20k of the bike was undulating and very pleasant beside the lake we had been swimming in. Then it was off for the first loop and into the hills. There were 2 climbs on the course but it is considered to be one of the faster bike course on the Ironman circuit.

The second climb at Rupertiberg was the biggest climb and I found it a bit of a killer second time around and there were a number of folk walking up the steep sections but with the crowd shouting support and waving flags in your face you had to keep going! The support round the bike course was superb. Every village, even at isolated houses and at the top of every climb people gathered to cheer you on.

The only real excitement of my bike was when the eventual winner went past me nearing the end of his second loop. He was impressive. He must have been doing 45kmh compared to my 27kmh and disappeared into the distance with me 60 miles behind him!

By the time I was on my second lap people were moving into town to cheer the runners and with fewer marshals around I know of a couple of folk who got lost and headed off in the wrong direction! Passed a few pirates (Runners World Triathletes) on the bike and it was great getting the encouragement from some of the folk that I’d met at the pre-race briefing. During my second lap I waved down the medic bike and without stopping asked for pain relief tablets the medic on the back of the bike passed me some paracetamol - I didn’t know if this was allowed but they passed me the drugs and my head cleared.

The bike ride was stunning – the hills were amazing and the sun high in the sky.

T2 (11:20)

Dropped the bike and jogged over to the changing area. On with my shoes, grabbed a hat and some more sun cream and off I went. Not quite sure how I managed to waste 11 minutes in transition!

Run (6:06)

After about 10k of walk and run I began to see more and more people struggling. I put my finishing head on and decide that I want to finish above worrying about a time. So I walked and shuffled the 26.2 miles. A personal worst marathon time by 2 hours but I didn’t care. I knew that if I kept up my shuffling I would beat the 17 hour cut off and finish the race.

The support from racers going in the opposite direction was great and I hooked up with my pal Symes again for most of the second half before he went for his final 7k sprint. We whiled away the time messing up the maths to work out when we would finish! The run goes through the centre of the town and crowds in the bars were entertaining as they became more and more vocal as the beer flowed. It was pretty dark by the time I strolled in towards the end. I had followed this chap who was in a bad way for some time but determined to finish. He was being followed by 2 medics on bikes. He turned out to be over 70 years old and managed to finish the race.

The finish of the Ironman is amazing. The crowds are banked up in terraces, they dance and celebrate every finisher. As I turned the corner, Danielle met me and we jogged towards the finish line together. The announcer screamed down the microphone ‘ here’s John Ma-cle-odd a first time ironman’ and then as the crowd were going mad he added ‘ John Ma-cle-odd, you are an i-ron-man’. It was great. The sense of elation and emotion that was coursing through me was a high I still treasure. I was pretty exhausted but all of a sudden my main concern was getting the medal and tee shirt that proved I had finished!

So I finished in a very slow 15:15. The odd thing is that despite the slow time I still felt a winner. I didn’t ever feel any less than any other athlete taking part even though I was slow and the congratulations that I received from other racers was heartfelt. All of the training was worthwhile for that moment you cross the line.

Post race you have to clear your stuff and bike from transition on the evening of the race which is a nightmare given you are tired and just want to get some food on board. Fortunately because I had broken every rule in the book and dumped the car so close to transition I just pulled the wheels off the bike and threw everything into the car. Danielle didn't fancy driving, she was knackered after a full day watching the race - she assures me it is more exhausting watching than racing! So I drove home and we abandoned all the kit in the car, went into the hotel and grabbed some food and a beer. I couldn't drink the beer and stuck to water!

I struggled into the smallest bath in the world back at the hotel and only realised how badly sunburnt I was. I still have the tan lines from that day!

The Bike Course

Zen like swimming....

When I went to the Total Immersion weekend course Jai, the lead instructor talked about feeling at one with the water. Today I felt at one with the water for the first time ever!

The last few swims have purely focused on one thing each length and with me that is usually trying to keep my head in the right position bobbing in front of me looking at the bottom of the pool. So I did a couple of lengths with no breathing so I could focus on the technique issues that I struggle with after which I stopped, gathered my breath and got down to doing a few lengths.

After a few moments I started to count my strokes and because counting is also an exercise that forms part of the meditation I'm doing I found myself beginning to completely relax. I continued counting slowly to 10 and then going back to zero, breathing rhythmically with my stroke and I was off. I forgot I was swimming, I just relaxed and quietly made my way up and down the pool. There were only a couple of other people in at the time but I didn't notice them, I was gone, off in another world, a better world where I was born to swim and felt released and entirely free. It felt like yoga / meditation in the water and was without doubt one of the most relaxing and enjoyable experiences I have enjoyed in a while. I don't think it was very fast and I have no idea how far I swam but it was a wonderful feeling of peace and oneness with the water that I have never experienced. I think this is the spirit of swimming that Total Immersion is all about but Jai might correct me on this!

If TI has actually released the swimmer in me I will be forever grateful and as Danielle said when we were chatting later the best investment in triathlon to date.

So to catch up the last few days training, I've done more swimming (today was my first zen like swim!), completed my indoor circuit sessions every day and yesterday ran 9 miles in the rain. My garmin was all over the place but I'm sure the distance was correct.

I'm planning a run in the morning and a circuit session later in the day.

Training, as well as being good for the body is good for the mind. I feel much more positive about myself and life generally when I'm training than when I'm not. This positivity seems to generate an enthusiasm for life that I'm sure can be a real pain for poor Danielle and the other people that are close to me. I'm lucky that I have such a supportive partner and she has put up with all of the madness without a word and if I ever need encouragement she is there with exactly the right words to say. I'm a very fortunate man!

In terms of the body I benefit from a low heart rate. Now I had always assumed that this was due to all of the training until I popped in to see Dad earlier in the week. He is 90 as I have mentioned before and for his age very fit. He is sharp as a tack and has the wisdom of Solomon. So in conversation he told me his heart rate has always been low, mid 40's as is my mothers, and therefore my low heart rate is likely to be entirely through birth and not earned through fitness! My mum, always thinks of our best interests, worries that Ironman is a bit OTT for a 49 year old bloke but she remains 100% supportive when I race which is fantastic. Maybe they gave me a genetic leg up to becoming an Ironman through birth - who knows!!!

An Epic Caper in 2010

I've been out training on the bike with Derek again who continues to post fastest times on sections of the road according to his Garmin Edge. These bits of kit are amazing with the ability to record everything from distance, speed, heart rate, height climbed and spit out loads of averages. Combined with Strava you can then compare how fast you are to other cyclist who have completed the same journey - it's not about the bike but about the stats these days!

A lot of our personal bests were set in the period around our failed mission to complete the Cape Epic. The Cape Epic is an amazing bike race with professional and amateur mountain bikers racing over some of the most spectacular and hilly terrain in the Eastern Cape area of South Africa. John Woodrow, a fellow rider from Dunfermline and his partner completed the race in 2011 which is an awesome achievement as it is tough going.

We had gained one of the few places up for grabs exactly one year before the start of the race in early March 2009 giving us 12 months to prepare for what was going to be the challenge of a lifetime for both of us. Derek always has been a great cyclist and a brilliant friend so when he wanted to join me I could not of been happier.

Over the next 12 months we trained like badgers (not sure where I picked that up because I've never seen a badger train!) and we were physically as fit as we had ever been when we set off. The days before the race involved registration in Cape Town, an immense pre-race party where the Scottish contingent ( Derek and I ) got a huge welcome from the assembled teams.

On the morning of the race we were bussed from the hotel into the country for the start of the Cape Epic 2010. A year of training had gone into this point and we were nervous and excited about what lay ahead. 1,200 riders in teams of 2 lined up as the TV helicopters swooped overhead allowing the pilot to display the full array of his skills. There was much hanging around, picture taking and chat with fellow racers. We heard the gun going off and we made our way over the start line - it felt incredible that we had made it, were fit and ready for the challenges that lay ahead.

The first hill was not far away. There was over 2000m of climbing on the 134km first stage and with so many bikes in the chute at the start we were soon frustrated with the stop start nature of the climbing. It was steep and if the person in front decided to stop there was no-where to go so you stopped as well. Things didn't get any easier as we moved into the single track section.

We were moving well when I heard a pop and realised I had punctured. I jumped off the bike, pulled into the scrub at the side of the path and was about to start repairing the wheel when a voice shouted across ' I wouldn't do that there - too many snakes!' You can imagine I had the bike back on it's wheels and over my shoulder quicker than you could say snake bite! I had no choice but to run which with my multi sport background was easy. I managed to keep up with the bikes and after a coupe of kilometres found some space to change the tyre. We did it pretty fast and got back on the trail. We were down in the vineyards and the trails had opened up so it was much easier to get moving.

As we started the next long climb we passed loads of bikes eventually finishing the climb on the smooth tar road that went over the pass. The decent on the other side was exhilarating and we were soon off the smooth tar and back on what we call in Scotland, stalkers tracks. These are rough landrover tracks that allow travel through the wilder hills of Scotland. In South Africa the tracks were full of soft sandy patches that it took some skill to negotiate.

This is when disaster occurred and a rider jumped across the track and caught Derek's back wheel, knocking him headfirst into a wall. When I got to him he was just coming round and completely disorientated. As I was wondering what to do a medic appeared over the hill and suggested he would patch up Derek if I sorted out his mangled bike. The handlebars were at 90 degrees and the damage was mostly superficial with a few scrapes mechanically his bike was ok. Derek on the other hand wasn't in such good shape. The medic walked behind Derek and gave me a signal that it was all over. I was ready to head for the pick up when Derek told me that we were going to carry on and he set off. I hung back and had a word with the medic who told me about the damage to Derek's arm and legs and told me he would keep an eye on us.

We charged off and setting a good pace made our way to the next water point. The trouble started with cramp. Part of the reaction of a big crash is shock and Derek's body was telling him the same message that the medic had shared with me and he shouldn't be riding. We must have looked a right pair as Derek cramped up time and time again, each time me trying to massage the legs and Derek in excruciating pain. He fought on and we completed the last big climb of the day. The relief of reaching a point that was only 25km from the end was evident and we were cheered by the volunteers manning the point as we set off to the finish. The cramps were coming every mile and lasting longer and on top of that Derek's left arm was badly staved and he couldn't brake or control the bike with his left hand.

I realised that even if we did finish today it was going to at the cost of completing the race so at the next bout of cramp I persuaded Derek to call it a day and sadly our race was over. We sat in the pick up truck disconsolate and stunned.

Derek went off to the medical tent and I took the bikes to the cleaning bay. He appeared at our tents looking like he had been 10 rounds with Mike Tyson.

About an hour later we were sitting in the food tent, alone eating what was left of supper when a Belgian racer wandered in and sat down. He confessed to being the rider who had knocked Derek off and apologised for wrecking our race. We had no animosity to the guy, accidents happen and it obviously wasn't intentional although 'beware of Belgians' has become our coded warning if there are any dodgy riders out in the pack!

We decided the next day that there was no purpose in not making the most of the experience so hired a car, found a route and set off to the wine lands!

Every cloud has a sliver lining!

The 2013 race begins this weekend I think and would I go back and do it again - not a chance!

Spring has sprung!

The weather in the last week has been brilliant which has allowed a few trips out on the bike. I took my mudguards off on Wednesday after another 30 miles of continual rubbing drove me mad. I probably didn't fit them properly but every trip out mud gathered between the wheel and the guard. When I finally removed the guards the wee stones that had gathered in the mud surrounding the guard had completed shredded my tyres. So now got 2 new tyres to fit sometime.

This left me with a problem so on Friday I headed out with Derek on the Mountain bikes. It was a pleasant change to be sitting up but you sure notice the difference in resistance between the skinny road bike and the chunky mountain bike tyres. So this week it's been good to start building the bike fitness again with 19 miles on Wednesday, 29 on Thursday, 35 on Friday and 55 on Saturday.

For Saturday's ride I went up to the garage and pulled out the old vintage road bike. It's a Reynolds 531 tubing with shimano chnagers and campag hubs all from the early 70's. I love it! A pal of mine gave it to me a few years ago when he was clearing his garage and I'm now thinking I might get it re-sprayed and refurbished. Shame to let classic engineering rust!

We set off at 9am on Saturday. It was a stunning morning. I had travelled about a mile from the house when an SUV pulled out of the Crossford turn off right in front of me. When he eventually saw me he slammed on his brakes, mine were full on as well, and I squeezed past him with the heat and smell of his engine close to my head. Not a great start to the day. It shook me up especially when you read of another young rider who lost his life in a race yesterday. There seem to be more and more issues on the road with bikers involved in grisly accidents.

The ride up from Dunfermline through to Dunning was just awesome, well apart from the odd icy patch and by the time we reached the top of the climb it felt like a summers day. The decent into Dunning put an end to that as the icy north westerly blast chilled us quicker than a masterchef ice cream! From there we turned and headed to Cafe Kisa in Auchterarder. I consider myself to be quite an expert in the various cafe stops around our various bike routes and can safely say that Cafe Kisa is top of the list.

When we arrived it was pretty packed but a couple of sweaty, smelly bikers can always make a bit of room in the crowd! We got the windows seats and Derek fired up a full breakfast order of bacon and egg roll, a scone and to keep it all healthy some Earl Grey Tea. Not to be outdone I went for the bacon roll, scone and latte option. A belly busting treat!

We climbed back onto the bikes for the trip home rather bloated but the big man was in the mood for the Glen Devon climb. He went off like a shot and I clung on to his back wheel like my life depended on it. He texted later to let me know it was his fastest ever ascent of the climb which didn't surprise me as my legs were toast by the top. I hadn't quite got round to oiling the gears so every gear change on the front cog involved the use of my right heel to return the chain to the smaller of the two front cogs and I couldn't get the back derailleur to change to the smallest back cog so Derek flew off down the hill with me in slightly chilled pursuit.

The ice was still sitting on the top of the river that flows through Glen Devon which surprised me but I suppose the height and lack of direct sunlight prevented the thaw. It was then a blast back to Knockhill and home. It was a brilliant day out with 975m of climbing and a few PB's for Derek.

Entries for the race in August have opened and I'll sort that out sometime soon. The weight loss is still on track despite the bacon rolls and scones and I'm still doing my circuits which I'm loving. I enjoyed a full rest day yesterday which was brilliant but my sinuses have blown up a bit today so may need to take it easy later. We'll see.

Let's hope the summer is not the usual damp squib this year!

The photo is from the top of the Dunning climb looking out towards the Cairngorms. Such beauty so close to home is something I'm continually grateful of.