The PruHealth World Triathlon London 2014

The PruHealth World Triathlon London 2014

A month ago I received a present from my boyfriend. It was an entry for The PruHealth World Triathlon London Olympic distance. I did this race three years ago in a time 3 hours and 1 minutes. This time the distance was 1.5 km swim, 36.5 km bike and 10 km run.

The event was held in stunning Hyde Park on 31st May and 1st June. On the first day the Elite men and women were racing, with the world's best triathletes competing to become World Champion. On the second day were three distances: Olympic, Sprint and Super sprint. This race was open to everyone with all fitness levels. 

My wave started at 7:25 am in the morning. I had to be there at the latest for 6 am as I had to pick up my race number, and prepare my bike in the transition with nutrition and running kit. I was very excited about the race.

Each wave had a different coloured swim cap. Ours was orange. When we got to the the lake called The Serpentine, on the start there were numbered stands. Everyone had to stand on a number. We had a quick briefing and about 1 minute before our start, we had to jump in the water. Then they were counting down the seconds. As soon as we heard horn we started swimming. It was a big mass of splashing triathletes. After a few minutes everyone spread out and it was easier to swim. Our swim course was a triangle shape. As I swam along one guy who was faster then me swam over me but nothing bad happened to us because I was calm. He probably thought I'm a fish. After getting out from lake to the transition I started to take off my wetsuit. There was a long way to the transition area. I spent over 4 minutes to get ready for the bike.

We had to do 5 laps around Hyde park. It started from Serpentine Road, South Carriage Drive, West Carriage Drive, North Carriage Drive and back. There were many sharps corners so you had to be very careful when you turned. The weather was really nice and pleasant. Sun was shining but it wasn't too hot.
 

As soon I've entered the transition area from the bike course, I changed only my running shoes and I went off. We had to run 4 laps. I kept looking at my watch to see how fast I go. I tried to keep up my speed on certain level.
 

I saw my boyfriend and friends during the whole race. They cheered me very well. Thank you! It's such a great feeling to have support like that. It always give you a buzz. When I crossed the finish line I felt awesome as I could see the time I did it in. My time was 2 hours and 41 minutes and I was aiming for 2 hours and 45 minutes. Also I ended up 42nd woman out of 274 in my age group. 

 

My training is definitely paying off. I did a personal best in each distance as well as in Olympic triathlon distance. But there are still some races awaiting for me and one of them is a Half Ironman triathlon in July. So let's get ready! ;0)

Financial Times London Cycle Sportive 11th May 2014

Financial Times London Cycle Sportive 11th May 2014

Last year in June I did a similar cycle sportive with Robert. This time we decided to cycle 100 miles instead of 100 kilometres.

My bike training after my half marathon in Bratislava Slovakia was so so. The weather wasn't ideal as it was more rainy then sunny. At least I was mentally prepared for such a long distance.

We started off in Dulwich Park in London early in the morning. The route was going towards to the North Downs with stunning views over Surrey taking in Box Hill and Biggin Hill, then it carried onto Reigate and Dorking where it continued in a Northerly direction back to the North Downs way at Ranmore Common. The climbs totalled 1098 metres with a max elevation of 275 metres.

                                                   

On the first steep hill a guy got off his bike and he stopped right in front me. I couldn't overtake him because there was mud in the middle of the road. Luckily I was fast enough to unclip my foot from the pedal. That hill was so steep that I had to walk for a bit and jump on my bike later. I was little bit upset about it because I don't like stopping on the hills.

There were several hills but on the last quite long one (Pinch Hill), I was pushing and overtook some people who walked on it. Even Robert decided to have a little break. During the whole race there were many visible signs to show us the route. Lots of marshals were involved too so no one could get lost. It was very well organised.

Around 65 miles we were going down hill very fast around 25 miles per hour when a fox decided to cross the road when Robert was approaching. Robert shouted at her so she immediately stopped and went back to the forest. We could have had an accident as I was right behind Robert.

We had 3 feeding stops. We spent around 10 minutes on each stop. We ate bananas and pretzels. I had a 2 cups of pretzels on each station. I really like them.

The weather was reasonably good. We were lucky that the rain held off as the previous day there had been many heavy showers. The sun was coming through the clouds which was very nice but temperature was around 11 degrees.

It was a nice finish at the Velodrome at Herne Hill in London where professional cyclists train. We did 104 miles within 7hours and 48 minutes. Our average speed was 13.3 miles per hour. We got medals too. Surprisingly I wasn't tired at all and I still had some buzz which is good for my Ironman training. ;0)

Robert says: it was a great day. I hadn't realised that one person could eat so many pretzels - now I know what fuel Karin runs on. The incident with the fox was very scary - the three of us were nearly in a heap in the road. Fortunately the fox had good reactions.

Electric run London 2014

Electric run London 2014

I have done number of running races, but this one was different to all the others, it was electric run.

One of my friends Dawn has sent me an invite to attend Electric 5K run in London in aid of Breast
Cancer care charity, so I have accepted and I am really happy I have done it.

                                                                 
                                                             At the start line

Dawn was a captain of our team called 'The mummies'. Apart from us, my sister, my
boyfriend and a friend Niki was part of the team.

                     Team 'The mummies' (from left Branislav, Karin, Denisa, Dawn and Nikki)


When we turned up at the venue, it was full of lights, mad outfits and great buzz. We queued
up for about an hour to get to the start line, the time has passed
quickly as we were having fun caught up chatting away, taking pictures
and admiring some extraordinary outfits and jumping around to the music.
The whole our team ran together which made it great laugh, we were
looking out for each other and made sure no one was left behind. We
stopped at few picture spots and a drink station. All the cups with
water were glowing.

                                           
                                                     At the drink station

When you looked around there were so many glowing lights
around, running with the team, hearing music all the way, the atmosphere was
amazing. We all finished and still have energy left…We had fun and great
feeling as we did the run for the great cause. We as a team raised a
great amount of £568.50 for Breast Cancer care, so thank you to all who
helped us to achieve our target.

                                                                Finish line

CSOB Bratislava Half Marathon

As part of my Ironman training I decided to enter the CSOB Bratislava marathon in Slovakia. It was unfortunate that I had an ankle injury from the end of January until the end of March. It was difficult to train as my ankle was healing very slowly. My motivation was down as I was so behind my marathon training, but at least I kept training with swimming and cycling. 2 weeks before the race I changed from the full marathon distance to the half marathon distance as they did a few races on the same day - full marathon, half marathon and half marathon relay. 

On the race day I was nervous. I even couldn't finish eating my breakfast. I also didn't know how my ankle was going to be during the run. In the morning I prepared my homemade energy drink (water, pinch of sea salt and raw honey) and organic jelly beans. I carried them with me in my lap belt. My parents as well as my sister came along to support me. It was an emotional moment, especially when I gave them a kiss before my start.

 

 

The weather on the day race was slightly cooler and windier than the day before but still good for running. The route for the half marathon was 1 big loop going through town centre and by the river Danube. 

The race started slowly as many people were running it. 2386 people turned up for the half marathon. After 1km people had spread out so I started run a bit faster. I had my watch on so I could see what my current speed was. Every time when I saw that I was going slow, I picked up and I ran faster. All the way through people were cheering, as well as my family. The good thing is that I noticed. Sometimes it is diffucult to see your relatives in the crowd. My sister at some point ran beside me. This gave me a buzz. In three places along the route were live bands singing and playing. I also can't forget about the food and drink stations. There were 7 on the course so everyone could have what they wanted. I used took water as I had my energy nutrition with me.

During the race I felt strong and I was really enjoying myself. I love running so much. Luckily my ankle was not hurting at all. At about 17 km I started feeling tired and from that point I was counting kilometers. The kilometer between 17th and 18th last for ages. I had my last drops of my energy drink as well as jelly bean to kept me going. I was telling to myself that it's only 4 k to go which should be easy for me. I also started run a bit faster and tried not to slow down. Last 500 meters I started sprinting. I also could hear my parents and my sister shouting at me. It was my last push and then I crossed the finish line. My time was 1hour 41 minutes and 19 seconds. I was very happy with my time considering my injury and not training enough. It's only 1 minute slower then my personal best. I have also ended up 41st out of 495 women.

 

Straight after the race I met my relatives and celebrated my finish of the race. Loads of hugs and kisses were involved. I felt like a superstar. I can truly recommend this event. It was very well organised. So now it'stime for me to continue my Ironman training and I'm really looking forward to it!. ;0)  

Be:Fit London Women's Health & Fitness Festival

One of my friends was talking about this fitness festival and I said that I would go as well with my sister. 

Be:Fit London Women's Health & Fitness Festival is event created by women for women. The show is offering various ways of being strong, fit and healthy. 

The event was held for 3 days from 28th March till 30th March at Old Billingsgate in London. There were many brands and stands advising about nutrition, health and fitness. As a part of this show there were also fitness classes, health checks including your blood pressure and glucose level. Unfortunately this health check was fully booked within one hour. Those who missed some fitness classes or had had enough of liquids and foods could visit seminars that could help women's lifestyles. I was really surprised about organic food and organic cosmetics. Also a very interesting thing was a product called Food Detective which could helps you to find if you had a food allergy. 

Fitness Studio were based downstairs in a building and we could try the latest fitness and yoga classes. All classes were 30 minutes long. I personally tried Tabata, Barry's Bootcamp and Yoga for stress. 

 
Tabata is high-intensity interval training (HIIT). It's another form of cardiovascular exercise. This session may vary from 4-30 minutes. It's a short, intense workout to improve athletic capacity and condition, improved glucose metabolism and fat burning. I really enjoyed this one. I also sweated a lot. You had 3 levels you could choose from so all fitness levels could join this class. Very challenging but worth it! 
 
Bootcamp refers to military recruit training and includes dynamic stretching, running, followed by a wide variety of interval training lifting weights or objects, pulling rubber straps, push-ups and sit-ups with plyometrics. This class was packed. Probably because it's a popular one. I didn't enjoy that much as my legs were hurting from the previous sessions.
 
Yoga for stress was very good exercise after our heavy workout. The Instructor was concentrating on our breathing as well as on some stretches which released our tension in our back's and lower back. It was so relaxing. 
Those who wanted more relaxation could have a massage of head, back, neck or full body.

By the end of the day we were pretty exhausted but pleased that we went. Great show and next year we will be back again! ;0)

My Ironman nutrition

My Ironman Nutrition

As part of my training for Ironman (2.4 miles swim, 112 miles on the bike and a full marathon in a row) as well as nutrition is very important for such a big challenge. Food is our fuel so we should care what we eat. I am going to provide a few essential nutrition hints.


Hint no 1. Calories

We need to think of calories and select the foods that works best for you. It's not so much about how to get rid of them but how to get them in. Your calories (or your energy) comes from carbohydrates, fats and proteins. I burn around 500-700 calories per hour during my training.

Aim for balance of 55-60% for healthy carbohydrates (whole-grain products such as breads, cereals, fresh fruit and vegetables and green leaf salads). Good choice of fat (20-25 %) include olive oil (organic,cold pressed, unfiltered), nuts,(organic and raw) seeds,(organic and raw), avocado and fish,(wild fish NOT farmed fish...unless it says WILD then it will be from a fish farm, even organic fish is from a fish farm), swordfish, shark and tuna have high mercury levels, smaller fish like sardines, mackeral and salmon and trout are safer) coconut oil, full fat butter, raw milk. Protein is purely for muscle-tissue building, repairing and recovery. Choose chicken, turkey, fish, round steak, yogurt and milk. The balance should be around 15-20% per day...

Robin's comment:

This is ok as a general guide but some people will need more protein and fat and less carbs depending on their genetics and personal biology...this is where Metabolic Typing comes in.

I wouldn't call grains and cereals a healthy food, they will give you energy but not much nutrition and 99% of athletes eat far too many of them!!!

It would be good if you advised to eat organic foods where possible.

The QUALITY of food is far more important than the quantity.  

I eat daily 4-6 smaller meals including snacks. My typical day of eating is:

Breakfast: porridge with strawberries and raspberries 

Snack: Nuts

Lunch: Chicken with broccoli and cauliflower

Snack: Carrot juice

Dinner: Salmon with spinach and potatoes

Desert: Blueberries with yogurt 

Hint no 2. Hydration

A good starting point is to drink 2-3 liters of water per day. It doesn't include milk, juice or tea. Also very important is to rehydrate during and after your workouts. The optimal way to keep hydrated is drinking water by sipping it through the day...

Robin's comment: 

A good way is to weigh yourself in kilograms and divide that number by 0.003 and drink that many liters of water per day or find out how many pounds you weigh and drink half that number of ounces of water per day...this is just a guide to aim for...many people will not be able to drink so much water and they shouldn't force themselves to do so...drink as much as you feel comfortable with. 

Weigh yourself before and after exercise. It helps you to know how much sweat you lost and how much you need to replace. For every half kilo you lose, drink 0,5 l of water. Also headaches, cramps and fatigue are signs that you didn't drink enough fluids.

Hint no 3. Training fueling

Athletes should be able to get through workout for 60 to 90 minutes without needing extra nutrition. 

I prefer to use natural foods for my training such a banana, cereal bars or raisins with nuts. As my energy drink I drink water with a pinch of sea salt and raw honey. Instead of water you can use fresh squeezed orange...

Robin's comment:

Just orange juice may be too sweet for most people, better to dilute it with water to suit your own taste. 

Another way of refueling is energy bars, gels and a sports drink containing electrolytes. Choose the one you like. Taste is important. From my own experience some gels may affect your stomach which cause stomach cramps. 

Hint no 4. Recovery

First priority after exercise should be to replace the fluids you lost. After short training water is the best. If you train more than 90 minutes choose drinks high in carbohydrates or natural fruit juice. 

Robin's comment:

I would eat something with protein/fat and carbs in it..Meat and veg is ideal but Pine nuts and a banana would do the job.

Muscles absorb nutrients better immediately after a workout. It's handy if you have an energy bar or fruit or whole-grain bread with almond butter with you. My favourite recovery food is milk and banana.  

Happy eating! ;0)

If you have any question about nutrition visit www.robinallan.com

January races and Ironman training

Dear readers,

Firstly I would like to say Happy New Year 2014! Hope this year is the one! 

Secondary in this year I will write my blog differently. It will be about things and races related to my training as well as thoughts for my main challenge of this year 'Ironman'. It is a long distance triathlon consisting of a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bike and a marathon 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run.

25th ‘New Year's Eve Run across Bratislava's Bridges’ 2013

So on the last day of 2013 I attempted a 10 km run across four impressive Danube bridges. It was held in Slovakia's capital city Bratislava.

The race began at the University of Economics where registration was open from 8:30 am till 9:30 am. There was a raffle with all the runner's numbers. As soon as we registered we put our racing number in the raffle. After the race they picked out 15 numbers who won prizes.

The event started from the University located in the eastern part of Bratislava where is near Harbor Bridge, followed by Old Bridge and New Bridge and ended at the Botanical Garden in the western part of the city where is the Lafranconi Bridge.

So we all started at 10 am. This year there were about 873 runners and the city mayor of Bratislava was there too. The weather conditions weren't that great - cold and damp. Luckily no snow and ice. The route was pretty flat, traffic free with visible signs and of course with volunteers.  

My main motivation was my parents as they always want to support me. My time was 49min and 16 seconds and I was 14th lady out of 165. At the finish line were waiting plenty of cups of tea for us which was very nice and a great warm up. 

I would like to do this race again if I'm around. It was good fun and a great atmosphere. :0)

Brooks HellRunner - Hell down South

In the same week as the 10 km bridge run,  I registered with my friend Brent for this unusual event. Brent had already done this one and he recommended it to me. My boyfriend Brano came to support us and he was also taking pictures of us. 

Hellrunner offers trail running through a military training camp for tanks. It is a tough, wet and muddy 16 km long route including Hills of Hell and the Bog of Doom.

We received our racing number and chip by post. We set off at 10:30 am. There were 3 waves and we were in the first one. The weather from the beginning of this year was very bad. Loads of rain, wind and floods. Luckily it stopped raining when we started. 

The first few miles were flat with a few puddles. I didn't avoid them because in some places you had to go through. I fell over a couple of times but got up quickly. Heading into the hills I twisted my left ankle. I had to leap at some points but the pain was gone in a while. In some places the hill was so steep that we had to walk or crawl. I saw some people on the ground too as they were running beside me. There was one drink station. After a flattish off-road run we got to the Bog of Doom. I had lost Brent somewhere in the hills before this bog so we couldn't help each other. The water was so deep that I had to swim. It was difficult to swim in your clothes and trainers but I did it. It was my hardest swim ever. As soon as I get out I felt so cold. I try to run but I was catching my breath. I was wet and dirty all over. After the shock of the cold water swim which was 15 meters long there was a never-ending up hill where I spotted Brano. I was so happy to see him. He told me that there is a surprise waiting for me. Right on the top we could see a white tent with name 'Heaven'. Majorettes were cheering us and giving us water, jelly beans and if somebody wanted a massage that was available too. I picked a few jelly beans and some water. As soon as we left the tent we could see a lake but we had to get to the other side. The water wasn't too deep so I could walk through it easily. We still had a few miles left. The route was now sand dunes where I twisted my other ankle. It was more painful then the left one but I really wanted to finish the course. So one more push and I crossed the finish line. My time was 1:51 and I ended up 17th lady out of 515. I couldn't believe I had such a great result. My training is definitely paying off. Brent finished only a few minutes behind me.

Overall though I throughly enjoyed it and it was an incredible event! Well done guys!