The Daily Commute

Wednesday 31st August 2011

Cycling
16.01 Miles - 01:07:24 (14.2 mph / HR 125bpm Z2 69% of Max HR / Cadence ?rpm)
Cycled in to work this morning and home again this evening.  Distance is combined total.
A very pleasing ride today. Took about 30 mins on the way down to Belfast and 37 mins on the way back up home again.
I am delighted at the overall time, and especially the ride home as this is the fastest that I have made it back up again.  The big hill for the last 1.5 miles even felt comfortable and for once I wasn't even down in the bottom "Granny Gear."

One complaint probably shared by all cyclists is the state of our roads, If you weren't sure if you needed fillings for your teeth- a ride along the Lisburn Road will certainly let you know.  It is a total disgrace.

Zoned out- and not in a good way.

Tuesday 30th August 2011

Swimming

1000M - 00:22:47 in 18M pool at Gym.
Given that I have a Tri at the weekend, I thought I better get a bit more swimming in.  A good session and I am happy enough with the way things went - and it was only marred by me ripping my favourite swimming cap - my HI-Elbow Triathlon Club cap from The Lough Neagh Triathlon.  It's a bit sad to have a favourite swimming cap, but hey ho - each to their own! I will need to be more careful in future.  Maybe I just have a huge head.

Running
6.00 Miles - 00:58:14 (9.42 per mile / HR 161bpm Z3 88% Max)
This was meant to be a run at a nice easy pace and to stay within HR Zone2.  Things did not turn out that way.
Although I felt absolutely fine throughout, my heart rate seemed to be much higher than it should have been for the effort being exhereted.  As you can see, the pace was not exactly electric.  At one point I thought the Garmin was going to blow up as my HR went to 112% of max - but strangely I didn't even feel out of breath. WTF??

Possible reasons:
1: I am much more unfit running than I thought as I have not done much running in the last weeks. 
2. The Garmin is buggered.
3. I am having severe Coronary problems that only manifest when I am running slowly.
4. It was just a bad run.

Stumped if I know what the problem was - but I am plumping for number 4 - and really hope it is not number 3!!

Lap the Lough

Sunday 28th August 2011

Cycling
Lap the Lough 2011
82.00 Miles - 05:16:05 (15.56 mph / HR 139bpm Z2 76% of Max HR / Cadence 81rpm)
Consider the Lough well and truly lapped.  A Really enjoyable day and I am delighted with the time for the ride today.
The event is a single loop of Lough Neagh and it is organised to perfection, with Water stops every 20 miles or so and Lunch in Shanes Castle grounds in Antrim at about 47 miles.

We started out a bit before the official start of the event at 9.30 just to get ahead of the crowds as there were 2000 cyclists riding today.
The run up to Antrim was very good and the 47 miles took about 3hours. The only blemish was seeing an ambulance coming to treat a guy who had obviously come off the bike and there was some blood  on the ground - I hope he is OK.

The next 20 miles from Antrim through Toomebridge were pretty tough as  we seemed to be in to a head wind the whole way and the legs started to feel a bit tired at this stage.
It was a great relief to get round towards Ballyronan and we finally got a bit of a tailwind for the ride home - although that rather disappointingly turned in to a side wind for the last 10 miles.

It was great to get round to the finish line and I am delighted with the time, knocking over 1.5hrs off the time from last year.  It must be the Cube bike - or the 14lbs I have lost since this time last year probably doesn't hurt either.

Chilling out now with the FANTASTIC Stella Artois Cidre!  Lovely Jubbly!
Thanks to my friend Jim Heaney for riding round with me - and I suspect slowing down a wee bit to let me stay with him!! Well done to my B-I-L Nick for completing the event in 06:40:00.

I am feeling pretty confident ahead of the Stena Triathlon on Sunday next week, so let's hope it works out OK.

A (Coors) Light bit of exercise

Friday 26th August 2011

Swimming

750M - 00:19:13 in 25M pool at Lisburn Leisureplex.

Took the kids swimming and I managed to sneak in 30 lenghts as they played.  Happy enough as this was my first proper swim since before the holidays.  Happy enough with the time, as this will be distance for the Stena Line Traithlon next weekend.  I am hoping to be able to knock another minute off this time at the event.

Nice cool down dunking the kids for half an hour too.

Cycling
23.20 Miles - 02:29:34 (9.3 mph / HR ? / Cadence ?rpm)
Keara fancied going out on the bikes as the kids were with Granny and Grandad, so we headed down the Tow path in to Belfast.  Fortunaely we wound up at Cutters Wharf Pub at Stranmillis, and had to have 2 pints of Coors Light to rehydrate before the long ride home!!  We also replenished the salt reserves with a couple of packets of Pringles too!

I really enjoyed this wee ride and was very impressed that Keara covered the distance well too.  No moaning about a sore bum or tired legs, she did really well.

It would be great to be able to do this sort of training all the time for Ironman - but I think that things will need to change once the traiing starts in earnest in October.

Really looking forward to Lap the Lough tomorrow - the weather forecast is pretty decent, and wind should be at our backs on the way home.

The Cube looks a bit weird with the Tri bars off it - but there is no need for them on this ride as it is just a sportive and I will not be wanting to get aero.

I'm feeling so Continental.

Wednesday 24th August

Cycling
41.00 Miles - 02:59:49 (13.7 mph / HR 150bpm Z2 82% Max / Cadence 77rpm / 1573ft climbing- ooh that was hard)

Early morning ride today - I thought I would get up and out early to at least have the most part of the day left when I got back.
I also had another motive - to cycle out to Chain Reaction Cycles at Doagh and spend my birthday money on some new kit which I had fancied.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/

I chose a fairly challenging route (for me anyway) to go up over the mountain (small mountian if you live anywhere outside of Northern Ireland - more of a big hill really) from Lisburn to Dundrod and out to the Airpost and through Templpatrick to Doagh.

I am not sure whether it was me or the slightly tougher gearing on the new Cube bike but the hill up out of Lisburn was a killer and that was from mile 0 to 2.
(for the bike techies, it is a standard crankset and not a compact)
I got through it and the rest of the ride out to Doagh went really well, and I spent some time in the Aero bars to try and get used to it, as this will be my new living position for the next 9 months.

After buying a few things (All nice new Continental gear !!!!) at Chain Reaction it was home via Carnmoney and Belfast.

The legs felt a bit tired at the end, but I do have a horrible hill to climb for the last 2 miles up home.  Overall very pleased with the ride and managing the hills OK - eventually.

Even if I am crap on the bike at least I will look the part in the new gear.

That will do it for longish rides before Lap the Lough this weekend. I am really looking forward to this event.  81 miles of pretty flat roads around lough Neagh - the largest freshwater lake in Europe I am told.

http://www.lapthelough.org/ 

This is costing me a Fortune!! 2 more Triathlon entries.

2 new Tri entries - probably the last 2 events of the season for me.

Stene Line Triathlon - Sprint Triathlon with Indoor swim 750M, Bike 20K, Run 5K.  Returning to my 1st Triathlon venue - really looking forward to it.



The Strangford Triathlon, 888 Challenge - 25th September 2011.  An interesting one!  Swim 888M across the narrows between Strangford and Portaferry - Cycle 80k around the Strangford Lough - Run 8K.

I am looking forward to this one - it will be great to say that I have swum The Narrows.

Easing in Gently.

Monday 15th August 2011

Running
4.00 Miles - 00:38:12 (9.32 per mile / HR 155bpm Z2 85% Max)
Run at a nice easy pace to easeback in to Tri training again - happy enough after being very lazy for quite a while. nice calm day in Donegal and happy to be back on teh feet again.

Lots more to come. I hope.

Been Cruisin' - Very Nice!

Back from the Med Cruise - Very nice indeed! I have been ridiculously lazy and training went completely out the window.  So here is the Summary!

Monday 8th August

Running
3 Miles 00:24:03 (00:08:01 / mile)  Treadmill on the Cruiseship.

That's it!!

Other activities:
Quite a lot going on, so here are a few highlights.

Home for the next week - I suppose it will have to do!!

Just like my House - only more bling.

The first of MANY Beers.



The Climbing wall - rising 200ft above the Sea - and I got to the top

THE FOOD - AMAZING!!!

Don't we all scrub up pretty well?

Managed to find a hot chick onboard!

The Trevi fountain in Rome - Beautiful.

The Colosseum in Rome - I have never been more impressed by a building.

St Peter's Square at the Vatican.

Leaning Tower of Pisa - a lot more leaning than I thought.  Pisa is stunning.  Much better than I had expected.

Ajaccio in Corsica - this was a total surprise at it was amazing - I would go back to Corsica tomorrow.



A Healthy Breakfast to finish to Cruise - very nice.

An unusual Brick Session - FORE!

Wednesday 3rd August 2011

Swimming

1800M - 00:41:32 in 18M pool at Gym
Swim before work - felt prety good and was focussing on technique so things were a bit slower than usual.

Golf

Open week at Dunmurry Golf Club - Quit after 15 holes as things were getting slow and it was getting dark.  31 points after 15 holes so not too bad, but I was never going to be in contention.

I love this sort of Brick session.

Off for a Cruise round the Med tomorrow - Lovin' it!