Articles
Training notes and race build updates from the road to Kona.
The Decision
Testing week gave me the data. The Kona Gap showed me what needs to change. Now it's official - in 13 weeks I'll be on the start line at Ironman Japan South Hokkaido.
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Kona Project Ep. 12: Ironman South Africa
11:04:23 in Nelson Mandela Bay - a crash in Lanzarote three weeks out, a knee and hamstring that never really settled, and a marathon I finished on willpower alone.
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Kona Project Ep. 11: What Life Actually Looks Like
Why things went quiet after Tallinn - two infections back to back, leaving my job, and a full move to the Netherlands - and what the winter training roadmap to Ironman South Africa actually looks like.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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