Better Times, Still More To Improve (My Ironman 70.3 Luxembourg Race Report)

I have just completed my second Half Ironman race, the Ironman 70.3 Luxembourg, and I must say that I am happy with the overall result. After my race in Mallorca earlier last month, there were a lot of lessons that I have taken away from there, a couple of tweaks I've made to my training and racing strategy, and the training race in London three weeks ago, and it seems to have worked. There is still plenty left to be desired, but what I'm pleased about is that I can see that I'm on the right path. In this post, I discuss some details of these lessons, as well as an account of my race.

2 minutes under my target. Happy! :)

Recovery, The Heart, Doping, & Health

My main aim in this post is to provide some useful information for everyone, not just for athletes. I talk in a very simple and simplified manner, trying to avoid anything that is too technical, and I try my best to explain certain complex theories in very basic terms, as I believe this is a very important subject for EVERYONE to be aware of.

Yet, as much as there is a lot of information that can be used for everyone, even those who don't do sports or just starting, I believe that some of the information here is also crucial for anyone doing sports, especially those who want to improve and who would consider themselves to be at a more advanced level.

Please note that, since I am trying to simplify the subject, some parts may not be complete, just to avoid complicating things. I am more than happy to discuss the subjects mentioned here in much more detail with anyone who may be interested.

My Triathlon Story In Numbers (& WTS London Race Report)

This post may be of particular interest to those who are just starting out in sport, those who want to improve, or those who are just curious about how certain people develop. It may also be of interest to those people (like myself) who like to look at numbers and data.

After briefly going through some of my past and present result highlights, I talk a bit about my race in the weekend, factors I believe have got me there, and then I end up with a table where you can calculate what race times and/or efforts you should expect.

But, before I get on with this, I have to say a huge THANK YOU to all those who came out and cheered for me, as well as those who have sent their messages of encouragement! Every one of you really made it that bit easier for me and made me go that bit quicker :)

With fellow Egyptian,
the phenomenal Moustafa Fawzy :)

Ironman 70.3 Mallorca Recap (Found My Perfect Distance)

I have just completed my first Half Ironman, and I truly believe that I have found the race that is ideal for me! Since I have started participating in triathlons about 10 years ago, I fell in love with the sport, but, until this weekend, I never knew that I would say that it was perfect for me. Now, I do.

In this post, I recount my long race day in Mallorca, and, as usual, I take away the lessons learned, what went right, what went wrong, and what I need to do to improve. This may be of interest to you if you are planning on taking on such a challenge, as I have treated it as a total newby. Main conclusions at the end.

The 3 Egyptian finishers of the race :)

Energy (& Mood)

As my first main race of the year is approaching very quickly, being only just over 3 weeks away, I am now at a stage where I'm getting some rather tough sessions in, trying to replicate parts of my race in training. A session I did this week, a 90 minute bike ride followed by a 45 minute run, is a session I have done many times before, even before stepping up the distance. It is a session where I know exactly how I should be feeling, yet this time was different! I didn't just do this session well, I smashed it! And I felt good afterwards and my body seems to have recovered rather nicely. This post is mainly about analysing how I got to this level of energy and performance. After explaining about how I got there, I give a small list at the end on how you can do it as well.

Going In A straight Line (Sharm Triathlon Race Report)

My first race in 2014 happened to be a race in my home town of Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The thought of going there excited me beyond words! I have been waiting for this race for exactly one year, since I heard about it in 2013 when it was too late for me to go. Moreover, I haven't been back home for nearly 3 years, so there was the extra excitement of going home and catching up with people.

As my main goal for 2014 is racing the Half Ironman distance, this race's goal, being a sprint, was to see where I was, try a couple of new things, and gauge what I needed to work on for my first main race of the year, coming up in May. So, as beating time was not an issue, I didn't have to worry much about racing, but to focus on what I was doing, what was working, and what wasn't. And, to my satisfaction, some things did go wrong, and some lessons have been learnt! This post details some of the things that went right and wrong.

About to cross the finish line

Silver in 40-44 age group

Convenience Foods, Weight, & Healthy Eating

Lack of time, boredom, demotivation, or other factors all seem to lead to people opting for what has become to be known as "convenience food". A quick take out, a microwave meal, a snack, pasta, sandwiches, chocolate, biscuits, and other quick and easy food options have all appeared in conversations I've had with people I have been working with on managing their weights, whether they wanted to lose weight or gain some!

This post discusses what I believe is a long-term and realistic solution for the nutrition dilemma. Here I try to get my point across that in order to eat healthily and manage the weight, we do not really have to avoid the foods that we have been used to consuming. It is not just what we eat that matters, but also when, how often and how much. I try to simplify things as much as possible, so please be aware that this is not as comprehensive as it could be.

Improvement Is In The Blood

A few posts back, I have written about how I have gone through some blood tests to see what I have been lacking in and how I could improve. This is an update about how this has gone, from what markers I had to work on and how they look now, a couple of months after implementing the changes that were recommended to me by the brilliant Dr Tamsin Lewis (aka SportieDoc) via her specialised practice, CuroSeven.

Turning Weaknesses Into Strengths

After a few posts about nutrition, this one is almost all about training and progression. I thought I'd share with you how things have been going, where I am now, and where I want to be heading from here.

Since I have made the decision to step up to the Half Ironman (70.3) distance, I have been focusing on building up my endurance and strength, especially on the bike and in my running. This "foundation" period has now lasted for 12 weeks, which ended just before mid January. What I'm writing about here is a brief account of how I have trained during this period, and reflect on what I have achieved so far and what still needs to be done until my first main race in May.

Diets, Sugar, Calories, & Natural Sports Nutrition

Food and nutrition have become a kind of an obsession to me in the last few months. Being the control freak that I am, I couldn't accept putting things in my body that I didn't know or, worse, didn't want. Wanting my family to have the best and most suitable nutrition, as well as my training sessions becoming longer and more intense, I spent a lot of time researching and experimenting with everything to do with food and drink. In this post I share with you how I have changed from buying all kinds of powders, gels and drinks to making everything I need for my sports in my own kitchen, and how not all calories are created equal, and not all sugars are created equal either!

I realise that if I start to go technical, I might lose half of you, so I’ll just keep it very simple.

Health, nutrition, blood and sport

In this post, I am focusing particularly on very important aspects I have recently learned and changes I have made (or still trying to make) in order to stay healthy, and not just fit. After all, the most important reasons for me doing what I do are to stay healthy for the sake of my kids, teaching them through leading by example, and helping as many people as I can to get healthy and stay healthy. And, as I approach everything in life through a mixture of science, experience and passion, this one is no different.

Going Long! New Triathlon Targets For 2014!

After completing what I consider a very successful year in terms of my triathlon goals, I have had time to reflect on what passed and what lies ahead. While looking at 2014 races, talking to family and friends, and looking objectively at my own training and what I can and can't achieve, I have now taken the decision to start aiming for longer distances, rather than focusing my efforts on just getting faster in standard distance triathlons. In this post, I talk about some of the reasons behind the decision, as well as the alterations in my plans for 2014 and beyond.

2013 & 2014 - Roundup & Plans

Looking back at my year and taking stock, I am generally happy that I have reached most of what I have set out to achieve during 2013. Countless lessons have been learned, and I am now looking forward to tackling the 2014 challenges I have set myself. This post is a reflection on the year past and a description of what I have in mind for 2014.

First, I cannot proceed with this post without having to say thank you! The support I got throughout 2013 from family and friends cannot be described in any other terms than just sensational! I feel so blessed that I have such a fantastic network of people around me with such amazing positive energy, which has driven me forward leaps and bounds beyond anything I could imagine. So, a HUGE thank you to all of you, family, friends and blog followers! Now, on with the post...

World Triathlon Championships Race Report

It has taken me a long 5 days to look at my race last week in London objectively an to analyse what went right and what went wrong. In this post, I am writing an account of what happened on the day. The main purpose of these posts, in addition to your reading pleasure of course, is to make sure I learn from my experiences for the future, and hopefully help some of you along the way as well. (Photos at end of post)

Egyptians & South Africans (Opening Ceremony)

Final Preparations For London!

The World Triathlon Grand Final is just a couple of weeks away! I have one more full on training week before I cut down on my workouts. I have done a dry run of a triathlon this week, testing equipment, nutrition, race strategy, etc. and seeing how far I am from my goals. The main conclusion was that I was almost on track in terms of times, but I'm not completely satisfied. There is still a lot more work to do. I'm detailing here how I'm getting ready for my big race, as well as my training plans post 15 September.

Certified Coach, A Few Tweaks, & Looking For Sponsors!

I have finally become a Certified Triathlon Coach. After a few months of studying everything anatomy, nutrition and training, I can now coach myself and others, backed by formal scientific knowledge, and not just experience. I should be launching my coaching website very soon on www.hassan-afifi.com.

WTS Madrid Race Report (Coughing Up Blood)

Friday 31st of May, I did my last training session and went on to the course of the World Triathlon Madrid to check out the bike course, register and get some CO2 cartridges. I went back to the hotel feeling amazing and had no doubt in my mind that I was going to beat the 2:20 time I had set myself. Boy was I wrong! It's a long post explaining the details, but I end up with some conclusions and some exciting news.

Trial Race Report (Buckingham Triathlon)

Over the weekend, I participated in a sprint race (Buckingham Triathlon) to use it more as a “live” test of different aspects, including race strategy, equipment, nutrition, etc. All I can say is, I’m glad I did it, since I found that I still needed to fine-tune a few parts of my race, and that I would rather find this out during such a race than in a World championship race. After all, Madrid is only less than 3 weeks away!!!

Training Test & Kids’ Eating

It has been a month since I have started training almost full-time. I have to say that I generally feel that, surprisingly, both my fitness and speed have improved quite a bit more than I thought they would in just this short period. I put it down not only to the increase in the actual training, but also to the major improvement in my recovery routine. I have made quite a few improvements to my nutrition, and I get some decent sleep and down times. An even much bigger achievement is the kids starting to eat their greens every evening! In this post, I’m talking about the changes in nutrition I have made over the past few weeks, as well as the recent time trial I’ve done and changes to my training.

BIG News! Training Full Time(ish)

This is it! After many years in the world of finance, I have decided to make the jump and go back to a more active lifestyle; maybe even a bit more active than my years as a diving instructor! So, from the 20th of March 2013, I shall not be following the financial markets or talking to investors for some time! I shall, instead, be focusing on sport and being around more for Lisa and the kids. Am I happy about this? HELL YES!!!