Articles
Training notes and race build updates from the road to Kona.
Kona Project Ep. 10: Ironman Tallinn - The Breakthrough Race
9:46:01 at Ironman Tallinn - not a Kona qualifier, but the clearest proof yet of what eight months of real structure actually does: a huge bike improvement and a 3:15 marathon off it.
Read the full post
Kona Project Ep. 9: Cotswolds Classic & A Mallorca Heat Camp
A huge bike PB at the Cotswolds Classic with no drama for once, then a seven-day heat and hill camp in Mallorca - six weeks out from Ironman Tallinn.
Read the full post
Kona Project Ep. 8: What Really Happened At 70.3 Bolton
Food poisoning two days before the gun, a mechanical at 70km that nearly ended the race, and a 1:34 half marathon run through nausea - the real story behind the 5:25:40 on the result sheet.
Read the full post
Kona Project Ep. 7: Race Week Prep For 70.3 Bolton
Our first proper taper week - a physio check, a strength session, an open water swim lesson in a Yorkshire river, and some hill strides, all ahead of my first Ironman 70.3 Bolton.
Read the full post
Kona Project Ep. 6: Xterra Triathlon & Blood Test Breakdown
Two months of training catch-up, a first off-road triathlon at Xterra Weston Park, a surprise half marathon PB, and what a DNA gut map and a full blood panel actually turned up.
Read the full post
Kona Project Ep. 5: Training Weekend With The Coach
Three months into the coaching process, Andy came up to Preston for a face-to-face training weekend - a parkrun run by heart rate instead of pace, a swim session with real drafting, and a first go on a mountain bike.
Read the full post
Kona Project Ep. 4: Custom Shoes & A Biomechanics Deep Dive
A trip to Profeet in London for full 3D running gait analysis, a new pair of shoes, and custom-molded insoles - plus an update on how the last six weeks of training have actually gone.
Read the full post
Kona Project Ep. 3: World-Class Physio & VO2 Max Run Test
The last of the winter testing - a run VO2 max test at Leeds Beckett University, then a full physio MOT at the clinic that's worked with the Brownlees and Jessica Ennis.
Read the full post