TOBOGGAN MEUDONNAIS

"I also own a Ferrari"

Last sunday, I met at 8:15am in Place de Clichy with my EPPG mate Hugues. We headed to te south of Paris in direction of Meudon to participate to the Toboggan Meudonnais. We registered for the 75K distance.
 
I did not really asked myself why this cyclosportive was called "toboggan" but it became quite obvious after the first few hills! Having cycled around 70km the previous day, I suffered during the first 40km of our ride...after a pause, an energy gel and Hugues adjusting the position of my saddle, my strengths came back and I really enjoyed the rest of the way.
 
At some point I forgot to start my cardio watch so I am missing a few km but we almost cycled 100km in total. It's my second longest distance on a bike after the Little lumpy ride I did back in the UK in 2011 which was 120 something km. I'm quite happy because today my legs are fine! I'm hoping that the weather will be as nice next weekend so that I can go on my bike again.

 

RUN & BIKE SOLIDAIRE

The triathlon season is coming to an end. It's become too cold to swim in open water. It is now the period of Bike & Runs.
In a bike and run, you compete in pairs. You need to cover a given distance with one person running and the other one cycling. There is no rule to swap the bike. The pair decides how often they want to alternate.

Today, I participated to the Run & Bike solidaire (10K) in Saint Cloud. This event is organised by the Française des Jeux Foundation which raises money to support athletes, disabled people and kids through sports.

We were 8 from EPPG Tri Club to participate (Léo, Charlotte, Yann B, Yann P, Olivia, Emilien and Marion, running with her boyfriend Gilou). I was pairing with Léonore with whom I trained and defined a strategy yesterday. Indeed, we decided that the best for us was to swap the bike every 500m. Why 500m? Because we can run full speed over 500m (more is too much) before taking a rest on the bike for 500m and so on.

Yann P, Flo, Léo, Charlotte, Gilou, Marion, Yann B and Olivia

The weather today was not great but at least it was not raining. After droping our bags and warming up a little, we made our way to the start area with the 400 other teams.
I ran first and Léo had the bike. We stuck to our plan to swipe every 500m. It was not easy to stay together and exchange the bike with so many other paticipants around us as the road was not so wide but we did ok. Then the terrain was quite hilly and sometimes you had to start running full speed right in the middle of a hill which was exhausting...but it was only a 10K so I knew the pain would not last too long. In the end, after giving everything we had in the last kilometer, we finished in 48mins18secs.

In the finish area, we found Yann and Yann as well as Marion and Gilou. We took some pictures with sports celebrities like Lilian Thuram and Marie-Josée Perec.

Léo, Marie-Josée Perec, Charlotte, Olivia, Florelle

We were all very happy because our club mate Emilien and his friend had finished first!
It was my first Bike & Run and I really enjoyed it. It's nice to run with a friend and support each other through the race. My next one is already planned on 23rd November in Palaiseau.

MY 2015 CHALLENGE

DONE!!!!

I have registered to my first long distance triathlon (Format L)! It's called Triathlon des Lacs and it will take place on 07 June 2015 in Lusigny sur Barse near Troyes.

Provided that I manage to stay uninjured until that day, I will have to complete no less than a 3km swim, a 90km bike ride and a 21km run.

This is sooooo exciting!!!....(at least for me ;p)

CROSS TRIATHLON DE JABLINES - ANNET

On the 21st September 2014, I participated to my first tri with the EPPG Tri Club.
It was a "cross" triathlon which means that the bike leg was done on a mountain bike.
The event was taking place in Jablines Annet Leisure Centre which is a 30 mins drive from the East of Paris.
We had to swim 1KM, cycle 22KM and run 8KM.





The swim was a challenge since I'm not used to swim 1KM in a row. The ride was not easy because it had rained the day before and in the morning therefore it was muddy and slippery (and it was only the 3rd time I was riding a mountain bike in about 10 years or more!). 


I have the yellow cap

Concentrated on the bike

Finally the run was also tough because we had to run on various surfaces (grass, concrete, gravel)  and even jump a big trench.

I finish in 2:22:11...not wonderful but quite happy for my first tri in more than a year.


EPPG after the race

10KM Paris Centre

Today I crashed the 10KM Paris Centre race in order to support my EPPG Tri Club mate Charlotte. I managed to borrow a race number and get to the starting line.

The race presented no major difficulty and I think that if I had been running on my own, I would have managed to beat my record and maybe run in 45 minutes. I actually ran quite easily in 00:50:53 according to my Garmin. I think that the training from these past few weeks has been very helpful.

It was a great day and I really enjoyed seeing the mighty Carl Lewis who was giving the go to the race.

Triathlon de Paris 2012

The Garmin Paris Triathlon is taking place this weekend (07 & 08 july). Some of the world's best triathletes will compete this Saturday morning. Then around 4300 participants will try to finish the Olympic distance triathlon (1500m swim, 20km bike, 10km run) as soon as possible on sunday morning.

Unfortunately the weather is quite bad today and it is gonna be even worth tomorrow. It means that it won't be too hot which is great but at the same time the roads may be wet and slippery.

Despite the weater, I think that it is still gonna be a magic event just because it takes place in the heart of Paris. The competition starts and ends right next to the Eiffel tower.

Although I wanted to, I did not register for the race because I am only just recovering from the marathon I ran mid April. I had a problem with my left knee that required attention and more importantly rest (not allowed to run)...

However, I will be going to see the race and support my friend Antoine with whom I have been cycling lately. Good luck Antoine!!

Bois de Vincennes vs Bois de Boulogne

Last weekend was dedicated to cycling: 50K on Saturday and 45K on Sunday. This was the occasion to test 2 of the riding spots of Paris.

On Saturday, I cycled on the track at the heart of the Bois de Vincennes, located in the extreme east of Paris. It’s a sort of 3.2K long triangle with 3 segments of circa 1K each. The place is really nice and is surrounded by trees. The track is quite wide so it does not feel too crowded. There is one hill that stretches over 1K but nothing too furious although it starts hurting the legs after a few laps. The only negative point for me was that there were quite a lot of twigs on the floor. I can imagine that there must be a lot of leaves in automn and it must be quite slippery when it rains. I also read that it is very dark in automn and winter so you can't really ride there during these months.

On Sunday I went to the opposite side of Paris in the west and cycled on the track surrounding the Hippodrome of Longchamp. It’s a 3.6K long lap composed of 2 main axes: one that is a progressive hill and one that is a flat line. Overall, it feels much faster than Vincennes. Apparently, it is where “celebrities” such as Nicolas Sarkozy or Michel Drucker, a famous French TV presenter, go cycling at the weekend...well, I was disappointed because I did not recognise anybody.

These 2 places are nothing like Richmond Park in London but I'm glad I have discovered them because I was missing the weekend rides.

My first marathon - Part 1

On April 15th 2012, I ran my first marathon. This is a personal project that I planned and prepared for months. I have so much to say about it that it will take more than one post...

My number!

The  decision: If you’d asked me a few years ago, I would have sworn that I would never run a marathon…but never say never. In spring 2011, I remember setting a reminder in my outlook calendar to ensure I would not miss the opening day of registration for the Paris marathon. I was probably one of the first person to apply as I was checking the Paris marathon website every 10 minutes from early in the morning until they opened the registration which they did quite late in the afternoon! You’ll wonder why I was in such a hurry…it’s just because it is so difficult to enter the London marathon that I thought it would be the same in Paris. But it was not the case.

The training: When I moved back to Paris last November, I really wondered how I would train for the marathon on my own. A colleague from work, Manuel, who was preparing a half marathon himself told me that he was running with some other guys at lunch time. I decided to invite myself in their little “running club”. It was really hard at the beginning (in fact, it was a nightmare) because these 4 guys (Manu, Pascal, Loic and Julien) were much stronger and fitter than me (2 of them are multi marathon runners). But I did not give up and kept running with them whatever the weather conditions (rain, cold, wind…you name it) and around February, I started seeing the results. Running with the guys has been extremely helpful and they were kind enough to put up with me and provided me with loads of useful tips to improve.

Training in Vincennes with Olivier, Philippe, Marianne and Fanny...
Stephane is taking the pic.

At the weekend, I was training in Parc de Vincennes with a bunch of friends: Marianne, Stephane and Fanny who were motivated enough to wake up early on Saturday mornings for a 10K or a 15K. I convinced Marianne to run the marathon too so we were together in this adventure. I think it was particularly important not to be alone for motivation and conviviality. I now have so many good memories from the training. I loved it just as much as the marathon itself.

The training plan: For my preparation, I followed religiously (I did not miss a session!) a training plan that I found in a book that my colleague Julien gave me called 4 months to run a marathon in 4 hours. It was based on 4 or 5 sessions per week mixing intervals, endurance and resistance training. I was running 45K in a bad week and 60K in a good one.

Pasta party

The nutrition: I do have a sweet tooth but I did an effort to evict sweets, cakes and greasy food from my diet where I introduced pasta, rice and wholegrain bread. During training sessions, I was snacking on chocolate cereal bars and almond paste.

My time goal: it has fluctuated a lot over the months! At the very beginning, I was targeting 4h30. Then in January, I was struggling so much that I revised my expectations and was only hoping to be able to run the whole 42K distance. When I started feeling stronger, hope came back and I was pretty sure that I could do 4h15, especially because to my surprise I had been able to run 30K quite easily during training. In March, I ran the Rueil Half Marathon in 1h46 which was my personal record. My colleague Pascal told me that he was sure that I would do better than 4hours and he bet on 3h50...because I am a pessimistic, I decided that he was overestimating me and in the end I set myself a goal of 4 hours. Pascal was closer to the truth since I ran in 3h53mins32secs. 

Vauban Triathlon 2012

Citadel of Besançon by Vauban

The Vauban triathlon took place in the beautiful city of Besançon this sunday (20th May 2012).
This tri is called Vauban in reference to the citadel of Besançon that was built by the Marquis of Vauban in 1668. 
These fortifications are Besançon's main attraction. It is a fabulous construction dominating the whole town.

Proud to be a volunteer!

I really wanted to participate in the Sprint distance (750m swim / 20km bike / 5km run), but having not yet fully recovered from the Paris marathon, I thought that it was wiser to give my legs some more rest. However I wanted to take part to the event somehow so I enrolled as a volunteer. 
In the past 6 years, I have attended many sports events that did go really well thanks to dozens of volunteers making things go smoothly. Given the fact that I had nothing special planned last weekend, I thought it was the perfect occasion to, in my turn, give some of my time for the others. 

Mom is in the house!

 My mom who did volunteer last year already came with me again this year. From 8am until 2pm, we prepared sandwiches and then sold them. From time to time I was escaping my work station to follow the race and watch the athletes. 
It was quite frustrating to watch and not swim, cycle or run with the participants. I could feel the excitation in my veins but the only thing I could do was to shout encouragements. 
But it was great anyway to be there and I really enjoyed the good mood and the nice talks with the other volunteers. 
That being said, I hope that next year, I will be in shape to do the triathlon. I really want to swim in the river Doubs, especially since last year, the swim was cancelled and replaced by a 2.5km run due to the water not being clean enough.

The winner of the female sprint

Swimmers in the river Doubs

Let’s start a new chapter!

Several months have passed since I last wrote on this blog. This is mainly because I moved back to France and made Paris my new home after 7 years spent in the UK. I started a new job back in November 2011 which took a lot of time and attention hence the long silence...

Moving back to France was a big decision for me as I was really enjoying living in London and I had my training routine pretty much worked out (gym during the week, cycling club & open water training sessions at Heron Lake during weekends…). Paris is a bit of a disappointment as it is not a city as convenient as London for sports. Parcs are either minuscule or far away from the center, no lakes, no Richmond parc for my saturday morning ride and no leafy riverbanks for my Sunday run…

That being said, I still managed to train for and run the Paris Marathon back in April this year (I will write about it in a next post). During one training session I met with the friend of a friend called Olivier who is writing a fantastic blog about running. Reading him really did give me the desire to start writing on my own blog again about my sports experiences.

I am glad because thanks to the triathlon and the running in particular, I have managed to recreate a social network extremely quickly. It has made my return to France much easier than I had expected.

Sad news, good news...

SAD NEWS: last wednesday was the last day Heron Lake was open until the end of April 2012. This means no more open water swimming, only swimming pool sessions :-( 
GOOD NEWS: Closed lake means that I do not need to wake up at 6am on sunday mornings anymore!

SAD NEWS: It is the end of the triathlon season so no more competition until next spring. (I still have my last tri next on the 24th Sep)
GOOD NEWS: I have just joined a cycling club: the London Dynamos, so I am looking forward to training with them a lot this winter and improve my fitness for next year.

OTHER GOOD NEWS: Yesterday I registered for the Paris Marathon which (once completed) will be the longest distance I have ever run. So plenty of motivation to keep up the traning work!!

If you are running the Paris Marathon, do let me know!!

Comfortable on your saddle

When you are starting a new sport, you are never quite sure of the kind of equipment you need apart from the obvious stuff. When I started cycling, I went to a bike shop where I bought a road bike, a pair of shoes, a helmet and some clothes…as I said the obvious stuff. But I soon found out that during long rides I was suffering from friction in the saddle area. Very painful! I remember thinking to myself: I don’t think I’ll want to continue cycling if it’s that painful each time.

My friend Celine invited me to a party at her flat one day (Last year she crossed the UK on her bike in a week therefore she knows quite a lot about cycling). Between 2 glasses of wine, I asked her if she had the same friction problems and if she knew what to do about it. That’s the first time I heard about that product: ‘Chamois cream’. I have to say, the name itself is a bit mysterious. In French, a chamois is a kind of goat that lives in the mountains…therefore for me chamois cream would be a better name for a type of cheese than for a dermatologic cream.

The next day, I went on wiggle.co.uk (best website ever for sports products!) to order my pot of chamois cream. I can’t tell you how much this cream has improved my rides. You apply it on your skin and on the padding in your shorts and off you go. Even when I did a 65 miles ride back in May, I did not have any problems afterwards.

I really wish someone had recommended this cream to me straight away as it is an absolute essential if you are planning to do long rides (and even shorter ones).

So far I have only tried the Chamois Creme from Assos (Swiss brand) so it is the one I recommend. It smells ok and it feels ok on the skin. It does not stick and washes off very easily. 1 pot costs around £12 but it is worth it and it lasts for months so it’s ok.

Last week, I have bought a chamois cream from another brand called Udderly Smooth Chamois Cream. I’ll test it and let you know how it goes.

Other recommendations to help reduce frictions:

• Use quality padded shorts.
• Do get off your bike at red lights to let the blood circulate.
• Lift your backside off the saddle from time to time to let the blood circulate.
• Do select your underwear carefully. Girls, I do not recommend wearing lace for instance.

Want to try something different for breakfast?

Tired of eating the eternal bowl of Special K in the morning? Yeah, I know there are plenty of different flavours but you've tried them all and want a change? Why don't you try to start the day with a smoothie? It has got only advantages: it's quick and easy to make, it is super healthy and it tastes fantastic. And if you put the right ingredients in it, you won't be angry after half an hour....so what do you say? You want to try?
Well I have the perfect receipe for you. I found it in a book that I already mentioned called The New Abs Diet by David Zinczenko...

To prepare the smoothie, you only need a blender and the following ingredients:

ingredients

• 1 banana
• 100 gr of frozen mixed red fruits
• 180 ml of low fat vanilla yoguhrt
• 180 ml of skimmed milk
• 2 teaspoons of peanut butter
• 50 gr of oat in a little bit of milk
• 4 icecubes (I personnally do not add any ice cubes because the frozen fruits keep the mixture cold and I like a thicker texture)

Chuck everything in your blender and mix for 30 secs. Voila! It's ready!

I hope you'll enjoy this smoothie as much as I do!

Red fruit smoothie

The Alps. What else?

Why do all good things have to come to an end eventually??!! Unfortunately for me, summer holidays are already over and I've been back to work this week. I find it hard to sit on a chair for 8 long hours everyday after having spent 10 days walking, running and swimming.
I have spent part of my holiday in the Alps, in the Parc des Ecrins in a tiny place called Puy-Aillaud. I love going there because it is isolated, calm and beautiful. My plan for the holidays was to relax and do nothing! But that never works for me as I get bored after one day. So I changed my plan for doing a small activity everyday. So we did a few nice walks. The first we did was short but the trail was very steep. But what a mindblowing view at the top!


View on the Glacier Blanc

I also found a nice little lake to do some swimming. It is amazing to swim in a lake with snowy mountain tops in the background.



Lake of La Roche de Rame near l'Argentière la Bessée



I did not bring my bike with me as I was travelling by train and did not want the embarrassment but I wish I had!! There were so many cyclists on the road...it was really frustrating not to be with them.

Hopefully I'll be able to go back to the Alps next year and climb up a few hills...which promises to be tough!

 

Dorney Lake Triathlon - 24.07.2011

Busy transition area...didn't know where to rack my bike!

Done! Last Sunday, I completed the Dorney Lake Sprint Distance Triathlon in 1h30mins and a few seconds. It was a great event and I really enjoyed it. The weather was fantastic (we have not been lucky with the weather lately so it was enjoyable to see the sun for once). I was just worried about the wind that represented a problem for the cycling part...it's just so much more difficult to cycle with the wind right in your face! It's like trying to push a wall!

Before the race:

My start time was at 11am so I worked out that I had to wake up 3 to 4 hours earlier to eat my breakfast. So I was up at 7h30. I prepared myself a nice & strong cup of coffee (coffein to wake me up) and ate some energy bars. I usually do not have a sensitive stomach but I can not do physical efforts with a stomach full of food. I do not even eat a proper breakfast, I prefer the energy bars, it is less heavy than bread (in my opinion).
I was watching the news from Norway on TV telling about the horrific events in Oslo. I kind of lost track of time and next thing I know it was already 9am...I had to hurry and finish gathering my stuff because I wanted to be at Dorney Lake at 10am to see my friend Jonathan start with his wave. I was glad I had prepared all my things the day before.
I jumped in my car and drove to the lake that is located near Windsor (the lake is Eton College's rowing centre) only 20mins away from Chiswick.
Of course I missed Jonathan's start...and I realised that I actually had to hurry because I had 40 mins left to collect my race number, dress myself up and rack my bike in the transition area (which turned out to be a difficult task as there was not much space left!).
You really have to be methodical in your preparation and do things in the right order. For instance, don't put your wetsuit on and then realise that you need to pee...that's just bad time management. Basically, I almost recommend writing a list of things to do, this way you don't forget anything and you can relax and concentrate on your race. I actually have a list but I did not look at it and realised in horror that I had forgotten my race belt at home (that is used to attach the race number). Thanks God, one of the goodies provided by the triathlon sponsor was a racebelt. I was lucky on that one.

The race:
I zipped my wetsuit at the last minute as I did not want to cook in it. It was actually quite warm outside. Then the 56 contestants (all girls) had to listen to the instructions before getting in the water. The water was 18 degrees (still a bit cold for me). At that point I was wondering where to position myself strategically...I did not really know so I stayed in the middle. I am not (yet) a strong swimmer so I thought that I should not be at the front...but I did not want to be completely at the back either. When the referee blew his wistle...Oh my God! That was like being in Fight Club. You get kicked big time. Blows are coming from everywhere. People just swim and don't care about any obstacles in front of them. They just go ahead. So you do the same! It is really really stressful but the important thing is to stay calm and relaxed and above all, control your breathing...

Fight Club Start

So I swam the 750m as fast as I could trying to use my arms as much as I could rather than my legs. I got out of the water, not too quickly to avoid falling. My friend Jonathan said he was now using ear plugs because it helps keeping your balance when getting out of the water...something I will need to try next time.

I had a hard time removing my wetsuit and did an awful transition time of 3mins!! (some people take less than 40 seconds!).

I jumped on my bike and pedalled as hard as I could. I am not strong in the swim but I am ok on the bike so I had to give my best because you can't really count on the running alone to gain minutes. It was really windy so as I wrote earlier it was a very tough ride for half of the lap. I completed the 20K in 42 mins.

Then I did a second awful transition of 2 mins where I swapped my cycling shoes for trainers and started the remaining 5K run. I noticed a guy ahead of me who was running at a good pace and I focused on trying to catch him. I never caught him but the strategy worked because I managed to run the 5K in 25 mins which is a very decent time given I had just cycled 20K before at full speed.

 

After the race:

I felt astonishingly well after crossing the finish line. Of course I was out of breath and was dreaming about a huge glass of water but I had the feeling that I could have gone for another 5K. So I thought that maybe I could have pushed myself even harder in the run...But I think that all the hard training I've done lately has paid off. I recover much quicker now as I am used to exercise regularly. And also during the race, I've made sure that I was drinking enough water.

This triathlon gave me motivation for the rest of the season. I felt great and I feel that with a little more work and preparation I can improve my time by 5-10 minutes...so my aim for the triathlon I will be doing in september is to go under 1h25 and be as close as possible to 1h20. It is ambitious but I need to challenge myself!

Reward time

Gunnersbury 10K Fun Run

One of London’s best attributes is its parks. There are ‘heaps’ of parks everywhere in the city and they’re real nice. From Chiswick where I live, I have quick access to at least 4 or 5 parks where I can run. It’s cool because I can use lots of different running routes

so it is never boring. If I want a challenging run, I can go to Richmond Park that boasts a few steep hills. If I want a more casual run, I’ll ask my friend Melanie to meet up in Hyde Park that’s quite flat.

Last Sunday, a local running club (The Ealing Eagles) was organising a 10K fun run in Gunnersbury park that’s located literally 15mins away from my flat so I had no excuse not to go. The race was at 11am so not too early which is great as well!

I like running 10K distances because it is one of my Key Performance Indicators. I always look at my time on a 10K distance to measure my progresses. I ran my first 10K in 2006 in something like 1h10. Back in November, I did 51 mins. And this time, I was expecting to run under 50 mins.

I think I did but I am unsure because I had no watch to check my time (a mistake that I will not make again!) and there was no timer at the start and finish line. So I had to ask someone the time when I started running and again when I finished and from that I have worked out that my time must have been 48 or 49 mins. I am now waiting for the race results to see if I have beaten my PB…but they still have not been published. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

10Ks are a nice little challenge for people beginning to run. It really only takes about 2 or 3 months (if you run about 3 times a weeks) for a total novice to get fit for that distance so it is achievable and not that hard (Try! You’ll see!). For me, it is an excellent way to train for the running part of a Sprint distance triathlon. In the triathlon, I only have to run 5K but I train on a longer distance to build endurance. I am now comfortable on a 10K distance so what I do is try to work on my speed whereas before, my aim was to finish the race.

I have set myself the target of running a 10K in 45 mins before the end of the triathlon season…so still a lot of hard work ahead of me!

Pippa and the Blenheim Triathlon

Did you watch Will and Kate’s royal wedding last April? Even I was admirative in front of Pippa Middleton’s perfect dress and figure. While I was in France a couple of weeks ago, I was reading a French gossip magazine called Public. There was a picture and an article about Pippa – the new fashion icon - completing the Blenheim triathlon. In the photo, she looks absolutely stunning: not a single drop of sweat, perfect hair, £270 designer sunglasses (according to the article), a huge smile and no signs of suffering or tiredness at all. The magazine even said that she won a medal…So I was really impressed and intrigued: How can she finish a triathlon looking so fresh? I certainly do not look as good as her when I cross the finish line of a tri! Since I had time to waste, I did investigate further on this very critical topic and found out that she only ran a 5K (she was doing a relay with 2 of her pals) and did not do the cycling or the swimming. She did not win the race or anything as implied by the magazine…she got a medal because EVERYBODY gets a medal when crossing the finish line so nothing extraordinary here. I know it is quite sad but truth had to be told! No, Pippa Middleton is not a wonder woman. And yes, it is normal not to look like a super model after a triathlon. 

Love your abs

The one big thing I have learnt so far this year is the importance of abs. It’s only 3 small letters but they do make a huge difference. I have been to many gym classes and I have heard many instructors shout “Belly in!” or “Abs tight!” but  they never really explained why it was essential to squeeze the abs so I never really paid attention.

I have to admit that I don’t like working my abs…simply because it hurts and because I find it utterly boring. Same with my bottom. So I took the habit of skipping all kind of abs and other leg and bottom strengthening exercises. Well the result was that last Christmas, I suffered from sciatica. I had this pain in my back that was going down to my left knee and foot. It was bad enough to wake me up at night and I could only sleep in specific positions…in short, it was not nice. I went to the doctor once and the pain did not go away despite the anti-inflammatory tablets. It’s only when I went to see the physiotherapist that I got some answers to my questions. The problem was my WEAK ABDOMINALS. Because I did not have strong abdominals, my back had to do all the hard work of supporting my body while I was cycling and running and that’s what caused the sciatica.

By working your abs, you create extra support and your back will not have to do all the work.Working your abdominals will not only enhance your appearance but it will also help improve your performance by providing extra power when you swim, cycle and run. I am now aware of my abdominals and I make sure that I contract them and use them while I exercise and I have really seen the difference. I have more stability and more power in the legs.

I think that the best way to work your abs and other core muscles in an entertaining way is to go to Pilates or body pump classes as these courses focus on core strengthening. By making your body stronger, you will lessen the chance of getting injuries such as back pain or knee pain. And believe me, your body will look firmer and trimmer in no time which is always nice.

I am currently reading a book called the New Abs diet by David Zinczenko (Paperback, 2010). It is quite interesting as it gives you interesting facts about food and how it is used by your body but it also gives you a 6 week programme to get a flat tummy and work all your core muscles. I won’t follow the diet but I will try the exercises and see if I can turn my stomach into an ironing board in such a small period of time!

Tri Vauban...checked!

Last sunday I was in Besancon (France) for what was supposed to be my first Sprint tri. Unfortunately, due to the draught that's affecting the country at the moment, the authorisation to swim in the river was withdrawn at the last minute for sanitary reasons. The triathlon had to be turned into a duathlon. We did 5K run/20K bike/2.5K run. In all fairness it was probably a good thing for me as I believe that I am a much better runner than a swimmer but I was still very disappointed.

There were 22 girls competing in total and I finished in 18th position. It took me 1h28 mins to do the whole thing (vs 1h08 for the winner). I was quite satisfied with my performance. I don't think I could have done much better with the running. However I think that I have lost minutes during transitions. I have noticed that I did not have a proper technique for running with my bike. Other contestants managed to run while pushing their bike with one hand on the saddle whereas I was running holding the handle bars with my two hands which was not efficient and slowed me down. Then during the second transition, I had to take my breath for a few seconds before starting the final 2.5K. Finally I had decided to cycle with my trainers and I believe that it was a mistake that costed me a few minutes on my bike chrono. Using my clipping shoes would have allowed me to use more of my leg power. But I have learnt the lesson for next time.

That's a monster bag!

I have just finished packing my bike and it looks HUGE!!!

Jeez! How am I going to carry that all the way to Paris and Besançon!?!? I am not really looking forward to travelling tomorrow. It is going to be a mission!