So another year down and another year with more up’s and down’s in and out of the saddle. I’m currently sat up one of my favourite coffee stops in Marlow reflecting on 2019, having just spent a few days away in Devon relaxing and re-energising for 2020. We are 3 days into the new year and I haven’t been out yet to burn any Christmas calories off, that’ll come once I share my 2019 story.
2019 Goals
On the 20th August 2019 I smashed my goals for the year!
- Break Windsor Tri PB, although the weather was horrendous, course a little harder, like for like with my overall time but managed to smash my swim and bike legs.
- Sub 7 hour 70.3. Well I had history with this distance, never before finishing one. Only went 28 minutes only the time I had set myself, and if I had trained more on longer run’s I could’ve knocked another 10-15 minutes off that too.
- Sub 23 min 5km. Earlier in the year I did a 23:06 5km and it annoyed me that I didn’t push just that little but harder. 22:56 was then set in August and I have since gone on to go under 23 minutes once more.
- Lose body fat. Well I’ve had to go buy new clothes and dropped 2 sizes down in my jeans!! It’s getting expensive now!
- Plan something big…this will need to be continued as I plan a 24 hour cycle ride in 2020.
So how did I do…!?
2019 started off strong, lots of running as I was building up to my longest run ever, 15 miles of hills in Essex with a friend. Well earned dinner at the end of that one, kicking off 2019 this way saw my fitness pick up from the off.
February saw my annual trip to the Alpes and a week skiing. I wanted to improve my core and strength prior to going but never got round to it. Still managed to get through the week with lots of ski time. Rest of the month saw me take a break from running, I think the 15 mile run took its toll.
March and April saw the training plan come to light. Lots of fitness building with HIIT, spinning and running. Also managed a Brutal, and the traditional New Forrest sportive with Angela.
May was the start of brick sessions as Slateman loomed, got dragged into a Tough Mudder on a few days notice. Used that as further training. I really enjoyed the Slateman weekend of 2 triathlons in 2 days, was a good test of fitness.
June and July sale Windsor Tri and a trip to Sweden come and go. Both great events, with the weather being awful in Windsor, probably the wettest ride ever for me! Sweden saw a sub 7 hour 70.3, and my first finish at this distance.
August gave me some downtime, with more rest. This also returned me a 5km PB! Take that! A family visit to Majorca and a few runs and cycle to a lighthouse in the north of the island. I like taking my training gear away with me, its a nice way to see a new place and getting some exercise in. 2 birds 1 stone!
In September I signed up to the London Duathlon on a few weeks notice. Biggest Duathlon in the world. I managed to knock 4 minutes off my 10km PB. Amazed myself, felt great half way through so decided to push on through and see what I could end up with. This impacted the cycle and 5km run but hey ho!
October I had a cycle with worth friends, Palace to Palace. This was a nice way to finish the year on the bike. Camilla hasn’t been out since! I also took on the role of pace maker, getting some friends PB’s of their own across the 5km and then others through their first ever 10km. Running at a different pace to your usual pace is a lot harder than you would think.
I enjoyed November and December, lots of trail running which I really like. A new traditional Boxing Day Dad n Lad run and the Brutal in Longmoor, another race in mine and Angela’s calendar.
Impressed with what I’ve crammed into 2019, here’s a look at the numbers.
Stats
So with 2018 giving me a baseline, all I wanted to do in 2019 was keep going. I knew I would struggle with the the total distance on the bike, as I wasn’t planning on cycling the length of the UK again. Anyway here’s my numbers compared to last year.
So upon reflection of the numbers, I’ve been just as active as 2018 with the near on exact same amount of active days. Little lower on the hours trained but with a massive increase in how much I ran and the calories that went with those miles!
I’m going to have to take this into account when I plan out my 2020 goals.
2020
Although I don’t have any specific goals just yet. I do have some potential events lined up. I might head back to Wales in May and enter The Roc Tri, it’s a sea swim, cycle to Snowdon, up and down run of the mountain, cycle back to the coast and then have a little run up the beach to finish. This year may also see me head back to Blenheim Palace and take on my old sprint time. In June I want to see how far I can cycle in a 24 hour period, that’s the big one this year. Other events would be Man v Coast in Cornwall, maybe a Rat Race and a possible 70.3 late summer. No room for a full distance Ironman just yet!
So I guess I do have goals…
- Blenheim Palace PB
- Cycle 24 hours and cover as many miles as possible
- To be added…
So that’s my year, time for me to hit post and then head out for a cheeky few miles on foot. Hope you enjoyed the read.
I Just Felt Like Cycling 