Not sure 2020 warrants a report from me.
However, when I was at school my English Lit. teacher wrote “Pedro works hard and with enthusiasm…”. Due to her handwriting it did look like I was vigorously masturbating in English lessons.
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Swimming
It’s impossible to give a grade for swimming this year as Symes appears to have dropped the subject. We understand that when the options we given in early March he chose not to continue visiting any body of water.
Cycling - B+
Symes began the year with occasional weekend cycling and commuting to work. Once lockdown kicked in he began using Zwift but unfortunately the timing wasn’t great as he was constantly in detention from 5pm to 7.30pm at Ostrich Marketing. By late summer he was able to pick up on Zwift and outdoor cycling and we’ve been happy with his progress to date as he has taken his FTP from 170W to around the 235W area. We hope this improvement will continue into 2021.
Running - C
A strange year for Symes when it comes to running, he started the year with achilles issues and rather than listen to the teachers’ advice continued to run. His tendency to be influenced by others was in full effect when trying out the TriTalk 1 mile TT and then going on to beat that time a few weeks later.
He started building the mileage up in order to take part in Escape from Meriden but perhaps fortunately for him the event was cancelled. Chances are he may only have made it home during the 24 hours.
Triathlon - F
A very poor return, once again Symes is blaming the big boys who wouldn’t let him play. We will pay close attention to his efforts in 2021 and hope to see a marked improvement.
Nutrition - A
Symes set himself an optimistic challenge at the start of the year of dropping 10kg which we felt was hopeful at best but a change in alcohol intake allied with a lessening of snacks soon produced results and by early summer he had reached his target, we’re happy to say that he has maintained that weight to this point.
As far as liquid nutrition goes he has shown excellent application over the year getting involved with various quantities from pints initially, moving on through 18 pint boxes and eventually as pub supplies dried up, visiting Brewdog’s website for a variety of cans all of which have been dealt with in a professional manner.
DIY - C
While not producing anything close to the quality or quantity of some of the work of his classmates, his teacher is happy that he has done everything that has been asked of him during the year. He is well on the way to completing the latest of his projects which is to create sufficient space in a double garage to park a small car. It should be noted that if Symes had paid attention over the previous five years this situation would never have occurred, needs to apply himself in future.
Geography - F
Symes was set the task of visiting a number of places this year but constantly claims that the bullies won’t let him. He says that he has attempted half a dozen field trips but with nothing to show for them we have to mark him as an F.
Must do better.
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Did anyone vote for you?
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@Jorgan did and he didn’t even go to my school.
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[wouldn’t want to disappoint those who have read my race reports…]
Swimming: C-
On return from an extended Christmas break, it was clear that Steven had spent far to much time enjoying himself than working on his homework as he had promised. He returned from “Down Under” carrying significantly more timber than when he had departed, and splashing around in Bondi Icebergs can hardly be considered anything but a self-endulgent exercise, with no clear objective in mind.
Having said that, the routine and structure of a new term helped arrest the slide, and Steven resumed swim school with the dedication and commitment we have come to expect over the years. Whilst not naturally gifted, we have certainly always labelled Steven a “trier”. Signs were positive after the first 8 weeks of term, however the enforced shutdown had rather disastrous effects as unfortunately were to be expected of an AOS.
Steven made the right noises during the unplanned Spring recess, but needs to remind himself that “buying stuff” isn’t the same as using it productively. Some swim cords were positive signs of commitment to the cause, however on a recent inspection of the these tools, the 1 inch layer of dust would indicate they’ve been looked at more than used.
Steven did throw himself into the Open Water series of classes around the middle of the year, although appeared unable to accept his new Garmin was not actually faulty in the OW setting, repeatedly claiming he “couldn’t possibly be swimming that slowly”. Progression was made to hour long swims, although question marks remain about the benefit this truly provided. On a return to the indoor arena, it was clear that the technique that had been worked on in small steps for so many years had been eroded, and there was a lot more work to do.
As luck would have it, just as steps were being made, another enforced break stalled these efforts, but it at least demonstrated Steven was willing to graft and rediscover past times.
An up and down year, largely caused by external and infrastructure influences, but one in which a level of optimism for the future must be acknowledged, even if the status today is not as we would have hoped. With all meaningful exams postponed, no real harm has been done on his school record.
Cycling: B+
Steven’s weakest discipline had taken strides in the previous school year, coming as an unsurprising result of sinply riding his bike more. This attitude perpetuated throughout the enforced shutdown during the bulk of the year, and Steven even finally ceased being a loner, and actually attended virtual class with some friends. It could certainly be argued Steven overdid things, riding his bike indoors nearly everyday, none of it easy, but gains were made and the motivation of zwift racing alongside the structure of trainerroad, seemed to bear fruit. The output I was able to observe in his log book was eyebrow raising, and indicates there is some future gains to be untapped, if Steven is prepared to commit.
Other teachers have mentioned Steven has a tenancy to spend money on equipment he then doesn’t use, however this was not the case here. A significant investment was made in the form of a new Canyon road bike, which Steven then embraced to set a host of new personal bests once he returned to the great outdoors. He no longer has to be embarrassed about his Box Hill time on strava, which is nice for him.
On an extra curricular basis, Steven also showed up for some added maintenance classes, an area where he has historically been notably absent, and even progressed to changing cranks for the first time. I understand Steven acquired some cable cutters in the middle of the year, but an inspection reveals they’ve not yet been used. Steven needs to challenge himself more if he wants to achieve his full potential [money saving skillet].
Home life stalled his progress in the second half of the year, with viewings of his flat mandating a packing up of all indoor training related equipment. Whilst we as teachers need to respect the wider influences on school performance, Steven does need to be more accountable to himself and not make use of easy excuses. He made some positive strides by acquiring some rollers to more easily and quickly use instead, but then only proceeded to use them three times.
Overall a solid year, with some significant improvements attained. The thread he started on 4w/kg was achieved by many of his classmates however, with Steven not being one of them, so very much still a work in progress.
Running: A-
After the strong finish to the prior year, expectations were high for 2020 despite no formal running goals, although there was a pressing need to resolve the plantar fascitis issues that had developed at the end of 2019 during marathon training.
Dedication was in evidence to rehabilitation and it was encouraging to see a 1:21 half marathon performance in The Big Half off only a couple of weeks of running. However, the interruptions that followed shortly after seemed to derail things somewhat, and focus slipped. This is a recurring flaw which Steven should take care to acknowledge and seek to counter in future years.
It was a shock to everyone, not least Steven himself, that despite no run of longer than 75mins in the final months of the year, he decided to run a solo half marathon and amazingly set an unofficial best, going 1:19:01. This is a hugely promising sign for the future, and indicates Steven has still not yet reached his ultimate ceiling. However Steven needs to rekindle his dedication to a training routine, and stop squeezing in his run sessions as and when he feels like it.
S&C: E
When faced with an acute problem or injury where we outsource his studies to the local physiotherapist, Steven becomes a model student, religiously following set exercises and routines in order to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
What is infuriating about Steven is his inability to be proactive and learn from his mistakes in this class. It’s the same every year, and as his teacher, that causes no end of frustration. I have discussed this with him on many occasions, where he continually acknowledges the benefits that could be obtained and makes all the right noises, yet when I look at his completion record of set homework through the year, the 100% result is on the red side of the Training Peaks spectrum.
If only we could harness his approach to exercises set by external specialists, there would be a real chance for significant improvement / resilience.
Triathlon: B+
All of this year’s scheduled exams were deferred to 2021, although Steven did initially think one event was simply postponed. He has dealt with this upheaval and uncertainty admirably.
He did manage to participate in the first British triathlon to take place in 2020 at the Cotswold Classic, putting gains achieved in cycling class to good effect to ride very well and still be able to run despite a distinct lack of run volume. Amazingly, this led to a sub 4:30 time and a first ever AG win, which has to be commended regardless of the limited field.
Whilst not worthy of their own report, I have been instructed by the teaching assistant who runs the “transition lunchtime club” that Steven really needs to come back for some extra study sessions. I’m informed that attempting his first flying mount in nearly a year and ending up with two fractured toes was not indicative of reaching a level of transition excellence to which Steven can simply “rely upon”.
Weight: C
Given where we started the year, Steven did well to rectify the situation in the early part of the year, and reached target “race weight” by mid year, not least as there were no actual races to act as full motivation. There has however been a worrying upward trend in the latter part of the year, which is especially concerning at a traditional time of calorie excess. This should be monitored closely into the new academic year.
Drinking: D
Steven has made a strong resurgence to class at the end of the year, helped by a Flavourly selection box and a dedicated daily Christmas countdown device.
Unfortunately this has led to Steven thinking he is better than he is, and ultimately resulted in Steven falling asleep in a beer garden with some friends, drunk, only a couple of weeks ago. Steven needs to remember he is not as young as he once was, and acknowledged his limitations. This is a regression from the end of 2019 where he finally got through a wedding reception without passing out, and had claimed he enjoyed himself a lot more and had finally learned his lessons.
After school sports: C+
Steven has managed to get on the golf course on three separate occasions this year, which is impressive in light of external constraints. There are promising signs of him finally accepting the player he now is, rather than once was.
The final round of the year was one of his better performances in many years, and if he could eliminate the 4 holes of double or worse, was otherwise only +5.
DIY: B+
Circumstances have not dictated a significant need to commit to this class during the year, however the infrequent attendance that has been delivered has resulted in some successful outcomes.
The highlight of Steven’s year must surely be his weekend of repainting his windows, where after numerous flat viewings where the windows were clearly identified as a reason for no interest, the very first viewing after the windows were done led to an offer and a (hopefully concluded) sale.
Whisly clearly a positive outcome, it does also beg the question why Steven let his window frames become so decrepit in the first place. He could likely have saved himself a lot of stress had he focused on this area earlier in the academic year.
Tritalk: B-
Steven has continued to participate fully in most areas, but has struggled with the increased volume of traffic to the site in the current year.
Steven needs to learn to accept it’s not realistic to be able to read every single post, and that falling behind on a thread does not then require the reading of 2000 unread posts before delving back into the thread once more. He can, and should, just live with the missed posts and simply read the more recent entries.
He continues to value his virtual classmates, and would like to meet more of them having finally met one or two during 2019. Interestingly, he tells me his views on many non triathlon areas are frequently shaped or influenced by the discussions and debate the class undertake, even if he doesn’t actually fully agree with the views being put forward.
Life - A+
It’s always a pleasure to see a student develop, and in Steven’s case I am excited for his future. The end of the year has seen Steven graduate from this phase of his life with some significant milestones, agreeing the sale of his flat and setting the wheels in motion to purchase a 4-bed semi. And added to that, I was delighted to hear Steven successfully negotiated his engagement on Christmas Eve. This was a proud moment for all who know him (or so his Mum said at parents’ evening).
Although it must be said, it will be interesting to observe the impacts these particular decisions have on the available dedication to his future “studies”.
Happy Christmas all. Can’t echo the point enough about fancying an IRL pint with you all!
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Congratulations
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Lovely end to the year & well done with those windows…
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Popped the question and penned that monster …?!
Your talents extends far beyond swim bike and run.
Congrats.
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Congratulations 
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Ahhh wicked. Congratulations @stenard!
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Congrats Stenard, I planned the Christmas Eve proposal but Mrs S managed to mess that one up so we got engaged on the 23rd instead, still stuck with her 15 years later…
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Amazing @stenard massive congratulations
I’m liking the Christmas Eve proposal. Nice touch
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Adjudicators have upgraded @stenard tritalk mark to A+ based on commitment. Congrats!
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congrats on the engagement.
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Congratulations @stenard, great news!
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Yearly report 2020… Mungo of Mongsville.
Attendance. (A)
Gary will complete over 650 hours of work this year, most being the now life long application ( with gaps) of SBR.
However several crazy one hour max rep sets crept in due to global pressures and his beloved gym being shut for months on end.
This will probably happen again as the World looks ripe to descend into chaos in the first few weeks of the incoming year as people really struggle to stay away from each other.
Gary has played his part beautifully in 2020, as he has few friends, is mostly unsociable and there is only room for him on his turbo.
It should be noted that Gary has virtually zero responsibilities, works part time and has no life.
Behaviour ( D )
Gary is a frequent poster on several virtual sites, this is the only one he has not been suspended from for 3-7 days at a time.
He was looking at Exclusion at one stage but managed to negotiate a suitable settlement ( he no longer looks at trophy hunting sites)
Gary must learn that phrases such as …
“ I’ll punch your head clean off it’s hinges” and “did your mother have any children that lived” are not acceptable in today’s let’s be nice World.
- The threat of direct violence was to a trophy hunter, and the question to mum was a known troll who was just being trollish.
That said Gary needs to improve in this category … he’s working on it.
Swimming ©
Gary’s attitude to swimming is strange.
He swam 5 times for over four hours total one week, and yet gave it a miss for three weeks on the bounce because “ he didn’t fancy it”.
Gary is a slow / average swimmer, unlike everything else he’s not getting any slower, in 18 years time he will be World champion standard.
He has promised to return to proper swim sets in 2021… yeah right !!
Bike ( B )
I have given Gary a high score for his cycling for what he could of achieved rather than actual results.
At this years self supported IMUK, two very strong cyclists commented on his present form, he broke his 100 k hunters hill repeat pb and maintained 30 kph over a very hilly loop easier than the previous years.
His dedication to his turbo studies borders at times on a mild mental illness but obviously keeps him happy, Gary’s worst ride in 30 years came in the years only actual triathlon … we know why and are looking to improve on this next term.
Running ©
Gary ran
20 min 5k
25 min 5k with an av hr of 128
14 kph for 1 hour
21 km in 1:31 ( t mill )
20:09 5 k in a sprint tri.
10 miles in 1:09
32 km in 2:30
And 3:30 Marathon ( IRL )
Gary needs to be happy with his present running form and remember he will be retiring from work completely in a few years time, he is old AF and considering all the abuse his body has been subjected to over the years, he will probably drop down dead quite soon.
That’s probably quite harsh?!
Races ( B )
2 x duathlon
1 x tri
1x marathon
1x Ironman ( dossers effort)
Gary has placed in all of his races from 1 st to 4 th age group wise, but he needs to improve on this next year… he just does.
He is greatful for any races at the moment and will enter ANYTHING next year.
DIY (U)
Gary helped build a huge house that took 6 years to finish.
He has nightmares to this day and probably needs therapy, Gary and DIY are no longer compatible and he’s too busy training.
Gary does however like looking at the DIY pictures on here, some are very impressive, some are the reason he no longer does DIY.
Tech ( D )
Gary is the dinosaur Triranasourus Rex !
He has not got
PM
Zwift
Strava
TSS scores
FTP NUMBER
A Garmin
Goggles with numbers in them
Sat nav on his bike
Sat nav on his run watch ( he has but can’t use it)
He is a technical idiot to the point we’re members of IMJ genuinely questioned if he actually existed at all…?!
His attitude of “ I don’t need it” won’t be changing anytime soon.
Tri Talk (B)
Gary likes tri talk, it’s his favourite site, it has a few clicks … he’s not in any of them.
The really fast click … he’s too old and slow
The tech click… non starter
The talk about anything but tri click… why?!
Unlike every other site Gary likes everyone on Tri talk he likes some more than others but he likes them all the same.
It has encouraged, motivated and made him laugh this year, he really hopes this continues.
Life (?)
Gary Acknowledges that this has been a strange year, we write this end of year report 20 ms ? Away from a group of people dying as they caught an illness not of there making, and we’re too old/ Ill to fight it off
( I’m on a bedwatch in Preston Hospital )
The best we can hope for is life this year, for ourselves and our loved ones young and old, but if there is some SBR I’ll be very greatful.
Stick at it folks.
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Paul L’s Epic 2020 Report
Predicted Grades
Paul sat no examinations in 2020 and our records show his last exam was taken in 2009.
In addition, his coursework has been very inconsistent for a number of years now.
Therefore, in the absence of anything meaningful to compare to, no grades have been awarded.
Swim
Despite the fact this is Paul’s favourite disciple, he has been habitually bunking off.
He has repeated failed in all his previous attempts to return to regular club swimming.
However, I’m pleased to report a marked change in Paul’s approach to water since August.
(Which was actually the first time Paul attended class in 2020.)
Obviously, access to the swimming classroom has been restricted this year due to Covid-19.
Despite this, Paul reached the remarkable (for him recently) swim total of 38km for 2020.
Which, after Tier 3 for London was announced, even included a lesson with the general public.
Unfortunately, his new classmates seemed unfamiliar with the basic concept of a ‘Fast Lane’.
Undeterred, Paul was booked in for 6.15am on a Sunday morning until Tier 4 stopped that.
This is his highest swim score since 2012 and he hopes to push on from this in 2021.
Previous swimming scores by year for comparison:
(Which explains why Paul blows up spectacularly every time he attempts to swim at speed.)
Bike
Rather than study this subject outside, like the bulk of his classmates, Paul studies indoors.
His home study area was submitted as ‘Dentist’ in this year’s ‘The Pain Cave and Shed Awards’.
Unfortunately, this has led to poor learning, while watching movies, rather than improved results.
While his road bike was getting its drivetrain overhauled, Paul briefly studied MTB outside.
Harrow Hill provided the back drop for a progressive set of small climbing tests Paul enjoyed.
Overall, this leaves Paul’s slightly disappointed with his bike score of 2,061km for 2020.
But, he knows, he simply needs to study harder, and longer, to see any real progress in 2021.
Previous biking scores by year for comparison:
(Paul must take comfort from the fact that he scored absolutely ZERO as recently as 2017.)
Run
Running is Paul’s least favourite subject, but he knows the benefits to him of studying it well.
Linked to his poor performances in his ‘Weight Loss’ classes, running has been short and slow.
It was only in the last two weeks of term that Paul spotted an annual statistic he could aim more.
His last-minute swotting / dragging himself around the block, brought up 411km for 2020.
This is his highest run score since 2009!
So, once again, he hopes to push on from here in 2021.
Previous running scores by year for comparison:
(Paul knows he must not waste the solid foundation he has rebuilt over the last two years.)
Weight Training
Paul missed high financial rewards by not selling his unused free weights on Ebay in Lockdown 1.
This was due to the fact he had neglected his studies in this area for so long, he couldn’t find them.
But, inspired by the home gyms of other classmates, Paul searched many dark & dusty places.
He then bought extra dumbbell sets to provide a wider range of low weights to work on his arms.
Alas, this is another area of study where Paul’s spirit is willing, but his flesh is weak (and flabby).
In the parlance of his peers, he has slowly developed some ‘pea shooters’, rather than ‘big guns’.
Stretching
Despite his familiarity with this subject, and the ease of participation, Paul continues to neglect it.
To prevent injury in 2021, he will be including this subject in his New Year’s Resolutions list.
Sports Massage
Paul attended just 3 x 30 minute lessons in this topic during 2020 under full PPE rules.
He fully deserved the punishment he received for his repeated neglect of his stretching studies.
Despite the pain & suffering endured during his massage lessons, Paul promises to return in 2021.
Triathlon
Paul continues to show absolutely no interest in taking any of the exams offered in this subject.
DIY
Paul’s submission for his DIY Practical was planting 3 x trees and 3 x bamboo plants in his garden.
To the casual observer, this task may not appear to be worthy of consideration.
But the sheer scale of earth, rocks and rubble moving required, made it a full body work out.
I’m pleased to say that everything Paul planted is still alive and now waiting for Spring to arrive.
Working / Working From Home
Back in Jan/Feb, Paul spent long hours on trains and spent no time at all on any of his homework.
By late March he was able to WFH and this was effectively the start of his 2020 academic year.
A steady increase in Paul’s efforts started to come undone in Sep. as WFH fatigue really set in.
His home ‘office’ is nothing more than the space behind a wardrobe, under the loft roof slope.
Daily ‘highs’ of 11 hours working, or 7+ hours of Teams calls, is a LOT of sitting down in one place.
Paul’s struggles in many other areas in 2020 can be traced back to this single challenging subject.
It clearly had a detrimental impact on his combined science subjects of Food, Drink & Weight Loss.
Food
Paul may have finally grasped the concept that ‘5-a-day’ does not refer to crisps and chocolate.
He has occasionally planned ahead and slow cooked a large batch of healthy stew for the week.
But, more often than not, he chooses quick and easy / unhealthy options, or simply comfort eats.
Drink
As with its sister subject ‘Food’, Paul is well aware of what he should do much better here.
His ‘little, but often’ habit reduced many of the positive impacts of his progress in other subjects.
Paul completed a dry ‘Lockdown 2’, which shows he can still apply himself to a difficult topic.
For 2021 he needs to find a more harmonious balance between training effort and alcohol.
Weight Loss
Paul ‘fat shamed’ himself after seeing a photo of his Best Man role at a wedding in Oct.18.
He hardly recognised the bloke with no neck definition and shirt buttons under visible strain.
Therefore, Paul took the first of many ‘Weigh In’ tests on 01/01/19 – 14st 8.6lbs / 92.8kg.
His last test in this subject was taken on 01/12/20 – 12st 11.4lb / 81.4kg.
Paul can take pride in his score of Minus 25.2lbs / 11.4kg, a rare Gold Star effort from him.
TriTalk
Paul was sad to see the Old School Building close, after spending many happy years there.
He eventually moved into the New Building, where other classmates were already well settled in.
Sadly, Paul spends most time in the ‘Off Topic’ faculty, rather than the main school buildings.
He briefly gained access to the Secret Blackpool Lounge, but can’t seem to find it now.
Paul is grateful for his classmates’ encouragement when sharing his weight & training homework.
Thankfully, Paul doesn’t not feel intimated by his faster/thinner/stronger classmates.
Instead, he remains motivated to work harder to improve his own performance in 2021.
Paul’s ‘Philosophic Poetry’ Submission
Doing something, no matter how small.
Is always better, than doing nothing at all.
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Just spent far too long skimming through this thread 
Must do something similar at the end of '24.
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4 years later ….!
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