Coccoon.

Saturday 30th June 2012

Cycling
01:53:00 – 31.91 Miles (16.90 MPH / HR Zone 3 / 86% Max / Cadence 84rpm)

My last longish ride before packing he bag up for heading to Frankfurt in the middle of last week.
I left it in for the final tune up with Lance at The Cyclezone in Lisburn and he did his usual great job in seting it up. Although, he was frustraed as getting the front deraileur set up properly and eventually had to repace the cable - again!

Getting the bike out on the road it was great to see the benefit of the tune up, the gear shiftingwas great and it is in good shape.

I will give it a clean and then strip it down and pack it up for transport.  I hope I can remember how it all goes back together again.

The ride today went very well and despite a reasonably stiff breeze I managed to hold almost 17mph average pace whilst still feeling very comfortable.

Any more rides that I do will be pretty short and at a very easy intensity now - and on the Kuota Bike as the cube will be nicely tucked up in its foam and bubble wrap coccoon.

Honestly I'm fine.

Friday 29th June 2012

Running
00:42:46 - 4.75 Miles (09.00 per mile / HR Zone 4 / 96% Max)

Fairly easy paced run tonight with the dodgy Heart Rate monitor telling me I was going to have a Heart Attack, which clearly I wasn't.

Spinnin' in the rain.

Wednesday 27th June 2012

Cycling
00:28:06 – 7.88 Miles (16.82 MPH / HR Zone 3 / 87% Max / Cadence ??rpm)

I had planned to get a nice wee easy Brick session in this eveningbut the weather had other plans for me.
The bike ride went well enough, it is just that the sky opened up after about 10 minutes and it emptied on me.
I rode in with a combination of sweat and rain making things fairly unpleasant for me.

It is just as well that I decided against going out for my short 15 minute run as what I thought was heavy rain on the bike suddenly turned in to a downpour of biblical proportions.
As  some of you will have seen on the news Belfast and South of the city bore the worst of it with many people being flooded.  My heart goes out to them as the mess this must cause is awful.

In the context of things having to miss a wee brick run is nothing.

Thursday 28th June 2012

Brick SessionCycling
01:19:00 – 23.00 Miles (17.5 MPH / HR Zone 2 / 77% Max / Cadence ??)

The flodding of last night had thankfully subsided this evening although there was a truly ominous black / blue hint off the heavy clouds as I headed out for my ride this evening,  I fully expected to get soaked again.
Thankfully, and rather unusually for me I manged to stay dry on the ride and I must have just nipped through gaps in the showers which I could see in the distance all around me.
I left my Cube Tri bike in to the bike shop for a final service and tune up ahead of going to Germany next week, so I was on the new Kuota bike tonight,  It was lovely to get a run out on it and it definitely did not disappoint.
It is amazing how two bikes that look fairly similar can ride so differently.  The Kuota is copletely different and feels very light and nimble but maybe struggles a wee bit more in the wind- but that is just after a couple of rides and I can tell I am going to enjoy this one a lot.
The ride itself went really well and I was able to hold a deccent average pace and feel comfrotable at the same time.

Running
00:15:01 - 1.72 Miles (08.43 per mile / HR Zone 3 / 87% Max)

Straight off the bike and in to the run.  This was where my weather luck ran out.  The rain that I managed to evade on the bike caught me and I get a bit wet but it didn't matter as I was only out for a wee15 minutes.

I decided to add the run on after the bike as I missed out on it last night.  I'm glad I did and it was nice to do what will be one of my last brick sessions before Frankfurt.

Early morning swim tomorrow  - so black line watching to lookk forward to.

I have had

Oh My! That's a big bag.

Tuesday 26th June 2012

Cycling
00:27:26 – 6.24 Miles (13.70 MPH / HR Zone 2 / 76% Max / Cadence 82rpm)

Now that I am in taper stage I just did 2 of my hill repeats up the big hill this morning.  The best thing about this was that I got a lie in until 6.00AM this morning instead of getting up at 5.30.  Tapering has its' upsides alright.

The session itself went very well and once again I felt comfortable enough going up and my 2nd run up was pretty quick,  I topped out at about 40MPH on the way back down which was pretty nice.

I will probably do this set once more next Monday for the last time.  Will I miss it?  Actually, I might.


Running
00:47:00 - 5.39 Miles (08.42 per mile / HR Zone 4 / 93% Max)

Bonkers Heart Rate monitor AGAIN!!!  God it is annoying.
The run was a pretty sweaty affair tonight as it was pretty humid even though there was hardly any sun and I looked as though I had done a swim by the time I got back home, and that was not even going all that fast tonight.

I have started paying a bit more attention to the long range weather forecast for Frankfurt and at the moment it is saying a Low of 16C and Maximum of 28C with 45% Humidity and a 3MPH wind.  Those are pretty good conditions.  Maybe a wee bit warm for what I am used to but it could have been a lot warmer - so If it stays like that I will be reasonably happy.

I met my friend Donald today and he was good enough to lend me his Bike Bag for going over to Frankfurt.  It is fantastic and hopefully will protect my bike from the rough and tumble of Airport transport and baggage handlers.
I have to say that I will certainly look like at pro, even if I don't race like one.
Maybe they will mistake me for one at the airport with my big fancy bag and give me the VIP Limo to my hotel.  Wishful thinking!!

I got an email from the Ironman organisers today telling me it is only 12 days to go.  I KNOW ALREADY!!  You don't need to tell me!
The good thing is that there may be an opportunity to meet one of my Ironman heroes at the Expo.  Chris "Macca" McCormack will be there doing some promotional work for his sponsors. Macca is a previous Olympic distance World Champion and 2 times Ironman World Champ and an absolute legend of the sport.  I would love to meet him.

TW3 IMFF Week 35

Monday 25th June 2012

Week 35 completed

Hours Trained: 10H 09Mins
Swimming: 6.1K (3.79 Miles)
Cycling: 83 Miles
Running: 21 Miles

This represented my first week of taper and it also saw a bit of step down in overall training volume.  I had planned a couple of hours more in training than I actually did, however I went very much by feel this week and felt that I was better to drop a couple of sessions and focus on the quality ones, which I did.

In many ways this week proved to be a great confidence booster and a vindication of my training to date.  Mainly evidenced through the performances in the 2 races this week; The Lisburn Half Marathon and the Glenarm triathlon.

These were taken on for different reasons but both with broadly the same objective.  With Lisburn, I wanted to use this as my long run for the week and despite my internal wrangling over going for a PB or not, I managed to get one without even trying and was amazed by the pace I found myself running at and especially my strength in the closing miles and ability to kick on the pace.

Glenarm was purely done to help me get my head in to Tri race mode and I was not desperately concerned about the time.  As it turned out, my time was better than last year despite the course being longer and the conditions pretty awful on the bike.

The upshot of all of this is that I am delighted with the outcomes, I feel strong and I feel confident that what I have done in training will help me deliver on the day.

This week ahead is another step down in volume and intensity and sets me up for what promises to feel like a very lazy week after that in the final run in to Frankfurt.

Here is the week ahead.

Mother Nature brings me back down to Earth

Sunday 24th June 2012

Cycling
03:11:24 –  51.35Miles (16.10 MPH / HR Zone 2  / 73% Max / Cadence 82rpm)

This is my last long(ish) ride before Frankfurt.  I will not be back on the bike for this length of time again until I am on it for real on the 8^th of July.

The first 30 miles were an absolute joy. The weather was not too bad, reasonably warm and the wind didn’t feel too bad, and I was delighted to be clipping along at an average of about 18mph for the first 30 miles, even though it was mostly through the rolling Co. Down countryside, which is far from flat.

When I reached Killyleagh, I turned West and back towards Saintfield and Lisburn.  It was almost immediately at this point that I realised that the wind which I thought had been mild or non existent was just hiding round the bend waiting for me.  And bloody hell did it take it’s revenge on me.

The first 2 or 3 miles out of Killyleagh are pretty much up hill, which is not normally all that bad, but with the strong wind it felt really tough.  The only positive thing was that the wind was not cold, but it was certainly strong.

My average speed just melted away and at one point I thought I had a puncture as it was so hard to push up the hill.  No puncture, just the wind having a laugh at my expense.

I slogged on through to Saintfield and hoped that the slight change of direction home would mean that I moved to a side wind and get a little respite.  No such luck.  Pretty much the same picture for the next 10 miles, and by the time I got back to Lisburn I was thoroughly P’d off with the wind and was glad to get finished.

Once I got off the bike and back in to the house and had a chance to review the data from the Garmin, I was actually quite pleased with myself.  The route was just over 50 miles, covered in a bit over 3Hrs and there was almost 600M of elevation gain, which is a bit more than I can expect on each loop of the Frankfurt course.  I still managed to maintain an average of over 16mph throughout, even in the blowy conditions and this gives me a bit of confidence ahead of the main event.

It definitely was a bit of bump back down to earth from Mother Nature though, as I had been feeling so strong and almost invincible with my recent PB in the half marathon and overall felling of strength.  It just took a bit of a strong wind to put me back in my place and realise that the conditions on the day will play somewhat of a role in how I do overall, but I take the positives from this and use it as a learning experience and a chance to affirm that training that has gone before.

Black line boredom

Friday 22ndJune 2012
Swimming

01:16:45- 3000M

A good sesion this morning but I am really looking forward to not having to get up early in the morning and do these swims.  They are a bit boring.
I really do wonder how swimmers put up with the boredom of ploughing up and down the pool loooking at a black line on the bottom.

Glenarm Triathlon

Saturday 23rd June 2012

 

Glenarm Triathlon

600M Swim - 00:10:17

Transition 1 - 00:03:35

24K Bike - 00:49:17
Transition 2 - 00:02:15
5K Run - 00:20:03
Total time - 01:25:21

63rd out of 116 overall.

This was my last tune up event before the main event at Frankfurt in just 2 weeks time.  I really wanted to get this one under the belt and get the head in to Tri mode.

 

I had been keeping a close eye on the weather forecast as recently our weather has been absolutely rubbish with loads of rain and wind. Not that this would put me off the event but it would certainly put a dampener on it.

As it turned out the weather was a mixed up and horrible as it has been for the last week.

 

The Swim

The swim was meant to be 750M but at the start we were told that it was to be cut a bit shorter because the water was so cold at only 12.5C.  Now that it bloody cold. Also instead of the usual route from the beach out and around and back, we were going to start in the marina and swim round to the exit on the beach,

 

We had to walk over to the marina in bare feet over stones and this was bloody painful and I was glad to get to the water. I never thought I would be so glad to get in to 12 degree water.

 

I got in to the water on the slipway and was not disappointed to find it as cold as I thought it would be.  It was absolutely Baltic, but I just stuck in there and swam a bit to try and warm up.  I developed bit of an ice cream headache because it was that cold.

 

Once the start was sounded out we got underway.  I made the mistake of getting stuck in the middle of the pack and got the washing machine treatment for a minute or two, but I managed to get some clear water and actually enjoyed the swim as the water was really calm.

 

I exited the swim on to the beach, nearly falling over on the stones on the beach but managed to get up the steps and in to Transition 1.  My swim time was pretty good and I felt very comfortable and relaxed (apart from the washing machine) and did not have my usual panic attack at any stage.

 

T1

For me this was fairly quick and I wasted a few seconds as I dithered over deciding on whether to put on my arm warmers or not.  I decided to be hard and not wear them and hope that I would not regret it later.

 

The Bike

I remembered this route from last year and it was a flat mile or so and then turns inland and up for about 3 or 4 miles, levels out to the turnaround point and then straight back down the same route with a great downhill.  I remembered it being quite a hard ride up last year.

Not long after the bike started the rain started hammering down and there were little rivers starting to come down the road. Not long in to the climb my bike developed a minor technical fault.  I was unable to change in to the small front chain ring, and this was going to be important going up the hill, so I pulled over to the side of the road and fixed it.  This cost me a bout 2 minutes and a load of places as lots of drenched triathletes rode on past up the hill.

Once I got the gear problem solved I got back on and headed up the road.

I think my hill training must be paying off as I literally rode past a lot of people, probably about 20 people and I was feeling extremely strong and was so comfortable on the ride up.  where people were obviously struggling and going slow, I was just pushing past and going pretty quick.

 

I reached the turnaround point and was looking forward to the return down the road but was also feeling a bit cautious as the rain was now getting even heavier and the little rivers on parts of the road were getting wider and a bit deeper.

just before I got to the start of the biggest part of the downhill I had to stop again as I heard a really loud metallic clunk from the back wheel. It turned out to be nothing and was probably just a stone smacking against the wheel rim.  This cost me another minute or so.

 

Off down the hill, and I honestly had to feather the brakes a bit as I was genuinely getting ab it nervous about the amount of water on the road.  A car overtook me but then just cruised along in front of me and this made me even more nervous as I knew it could stop a hell of a lot faster than me in the wet, so I made the decision to go round it.  This was a bit bizarre having to overtake a car in the pouring rain.

 

I am delighted with the bike this time and took about 5 minutes of last year's time despite the stops and the awful weather.  Then in to T2.

 

T2

I was a little bit slower her than I hoped to be but it wasn't too bad.  Off out on to the run course.

 

The Run

The first thing I noticed going out on to the run was that my legs felt really good and strong.  I also noticed that I seemed to be going reasonably fast.

After about a mile I had passed 3 or 4 people and the 1 mile alert on my watch went off and told me I had covered the first mile in 7.13.  This is ridiculously fast for me but I wasn't complaining.

The rest of the run went better than I could have dreamed - I maintained the pace and averaged 7.16 for the whole run.

I am so pleased with my running at the moment - fast and strong and very unlike me.

 

On the whole this was another great event organised by Derek and Real Triathlon.  I really enjoyed it and achieved the goal of getting my head really in to a good Tri place.

Lisburn Half Marathon 2012

Wednesday 20th June 2012

Swimming
01:04:02 –  2500 Metres

The normal Wednesday morning session.  I felt a bit sluggish for the first 200M or so and then got in to a good rhythm.  What can I say? It was dead on.

Cycling
00:31:53 –  7.85Miles (14.80 MPH / HR Zone  / 72% Max / Cadence ??rpm)

I took the opportunity to test out my new Road bike – which I got on Monday. (Thank you Cycle to work scheme.)
It is a Kuota Kharma and is my first Carbon framed bike and it is a beauty.

I just wanted to get out on it to see how it rides and make a few tweaks to the set up – and this process will continue for a wee while until I am happy with it.

It rides really well and feels very light and nimble – just like me. NOT!
Not really counting this as training as it was not for that purpose.

Running

01:50:56 – 13.18 Miles (08.25 per mile / HR Zone 3 / 87% Max)

Tonight was the Lisburn Half Marathon and as many of you who red the blog will know, I had been having a debate with myself as to whether I should go for a new Personal Best or just take this as a training run.

I decided that it would be best not to risk injury by pressing too hard for a PB (personal best) and so I settled on it being a training run.

The conditions on the night were absolutely perfect and I felt really comfortable and strong and just went out at a pace that felt right but that was within my Heart Rate zone.

I knew things were going well as I started quite near the back of the field and just seemed to keep passing people in the first 4 miles or so which is either a good sign or a warning that I am going too fast and will blow to pieces at some point.

With that thought in mind I was watchful of my Heart rate but also though about how hard the run felt and was I comfortable and breathing easy enough.  Check – on all counts, so I kept on.

Without a doubt the Ironman training has made me stronger rather than faster and it was this strength that seemed to come through.  I barely noticed hills that in previous years have had me struggling and panting like a dog in the summer heat.  I just seemed to cruise up the hills and passed a hell of a lot of people, especially on the hills up Sprucefield and the Waterloo Road section of the course where lots of people seem to go in to meltdown and walk.

I got to the top of Waterloo Road and knew that the next 2 miles or so are downhill and then flat through to about mile 11.  At this stage my friend Jim pulled up alongside me on his bike having ridden over from Greenisland.  It was great to have his company as it was nice to chat to someone and also it meant that it I was talking I was not pushing the pace too hard, which is always tempting down that stretch.  Miraculously Jim did not have any punctures for once.

I know that when I got to mile 11 that I was making really good progress and that a PB was on the cards and it was at this stage that my plan of holding back sort of went out the window.  I was feeling really strong and pushed things along a bit for the last 2 miles, which if anything would be slightly uphill to the finish.

My last 2 miles were cranked out in 8.02 and 7.13 minutes respectively, which is very impressive for me.  I would struggle to run a flat 7 minute mile as a one off never mind at mile 12 in a Half marathon, so I am well chuffed with myself.

I got to the finish chute and was delighted to see the clock and realise that a 2 minute PB had been achieved.  Even more pleasing for me was that I ran the 2^nd half of the course nearly 3 minutes faster than the first half ( a negative split in running parlance) and this was a reflection of good pacing and the strength of my running at the moment.

The only disadvantage of finishing fast was that Keara nearly missed me at the end as I got in ahead of when she was expecting me.  We always joke about things like this as she has had a couple of nightmares in the past, missing me finish a couple of Marathons because of traffic etc and in the last Half Ironman she nearly missed me because I was faster than I thought and it was nearly the same here too.

Erin and Ben did the 3K Fun Run at the event too and did well.  Erin came in at about 22 minutes and Ben flew round in 13 minutes.  I’m glad I wasn’t running with him as that is pretty nippy for an 11 year old.  Maybe he will fancy the 10K next year.

 
On the whole I am delighted with the result but probably even more pleased that it is a vindication of the training so far and that my approach to the race worked well, even if it led to an accidental PB

To push or not to push? That is the question.

Tuesday 19th June 2012

Cycling
00:41:19 – 8.95 Miles (13.00 MPH / HR Zone 3 / 76% Max / Cadence 79rpm)

Just 3 hill repeats today as I am tapering.
No big issues today - in fact it all felt pretty good and on my second run up the hill I put in my fastest ever set up the hill at under 9 minutes.  That was pretty pleasing.

Running 00:45:00 - 5.48 Miles (08.13 per mile / HR Zone 3 / 86% Max)

I have the Lisburn Half Marathon tomorrow night and I am in a bit of a quandary as to what to do. (Do you like the use of that word? it is not often you get to use it.)
I feel pretty strong at the moment but not necessarily very fast, but I do feel like I have the stamina and probably more importantly the mental toughness at the moment to push myself pretty hard and hurt myself (not in that sense though.)

So I am wondering do I have a bit of a push at the race tomorrow night and perhaps get a Personal Best time (sub 1.52) or do I just hold back a bit and do a sub 2 hr run and feel very comfortable throughout.

My heart says have ago for it, but my head says that I would be stupid to risk running at a pace I have not sustained for that distance less than 3 weeks before the Ironman, which I have been training for 8 month towards - and perhaps risk some sort of stupid injury.

To help with the decision making I went out a bit harder on my run tonight as it was only 45 minutes ( did I mention I am tapering???) and I felt like I could get a feel for how it would be to push on.

It was a great run and I have not held 8.13/mile pace for that distance for some time.  It felt good and I think I could have gone on another few miles at that pace and then slow off a bit.

I think my decision has been made by the very (and I mean very) slight niggle in my left knee.  I am not prepared to risk all of the training for a PB which I may not achieve anyway and could be chased at any other time.

I love the lisburn Half Marathon and this is my 8th year in a row running it and I am now doing it because I love it and will take it pretty easy and just enjoy the route.

The Iron Training weekend. A 4K swim, Squirrel running, 100 mile bike and the best Fathers Day present ever.

Friday 15th June 2012
Swimming

01:44:32- 4000M

My longest swim ever today - 4K.  This is longer than the Ironman distance but I wanted to get this under my belt so that I had the confidence to now that I can go longer that I need.  It was all very comfortable but mighty boring - there are only so many things you can think about during 160 lengths of the pool.  Towards the end most of the thoughts are - "just get me out of this bloody pool."

Running 01:00:00 - 6.75  Miles (08.53 per mile / HR Zone 2 / 81% Max)

Running in the horrible weather on Friday.  Not much fun but a really well paced run and the feeling of strength continues.  The Mighty Thor syndrome.


Saturday 16th June 2012
Running
02:56:26 - 18.17   Miles (09.42 per mile / HR Zone 4 / 93% Max)

Ignore the dodgy Heart Rate - bloody thing on the blink again.(The monitor not my heart.)
This was my last scheduled long run before going in to taper.  I tried to push the pace on a little bit from last week's long run but still stay comfortable.  To that end it all went to plan, and I genuinely could have gone on to finish off the Marathon distance and probably keep the same pace.

A pretty amazing thing happened on the way round.  I was running along a country road, and a little Grey Squirrel ran out on to the road in front of me and he kept running about 10 metres ahead of me for at least 150 metres up the road.  It was really cute and pretty funny seeing the little bushy tail bouncing up and down.  It was nice to have a bit of company.

Sunday 17th June 2012

Cycling

06:14:41 – 100.24 Miles (16.10 MPH / HR Zone 2 / 71% Max / Cadence 78)

The big weekend finished off with another long ride. This time I incorporated the Bangor Coastal Challenge in to the ride.  I rode the 20 miles down to Bangor for the start and then hooked up with my regular riding buddy Jim.
We then went round the 60 miles of the Ards Peninsula loop. I would then ride home to round out a 100 mile day.

The weather was reasonably kind to us today.  The promised rain more or less stayed away, but there was a bit of a cross wind  most of the way, but nothing too bad.

Poor Jim was struck with his usual curse of punctures.  This time 2 of them on the way, and this was after he already fixed 2 at home the night before and also before he even left the house this morning.  it is the worst puncture luck I have ever seen.

I really enjoyed the ride today.  It is a good route, a nice bowl of stew at lunchtime with a Mars Bar for dessert and good company.

I am delighted to get another 100 mile under under the belt and I am feeling a lot more confident about the Ironman bike ride than I was a month ago.

When I got home Keara and the kids gave me my Father's Day presents as I left the house early before they were all up.
They had made a video for me and it is honestly one of the best fathers Day presents I have ever had.
Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Acs8DGBDeLM

Hit the snooze button but don't overanalyse.

Wednesday 13th June 2012
Swimming
It didn't happen!!  I was literally completely knackered this morning when the alarm went off for my early swim and I could not get out of bed.
It wasn't a big swim - just a 2500M swim so I am not too worried about missing it as I have a 4000M swim planned for Friday morning.
At this stage I have to trust that the vast majority of the work is done and hope that the extra bit of rest would help me feel better for my Brick session later this evening.

Brick Session
Cycling
00:59:00 – 16.13 Miles (16.40 MPH / HR Zone 2 / 75% Max / Cadence 83)

This evening had a rather ominous looking sky and it was hard to tell what it was going to do - rain, sun or a bit of both.  As it turned out I did not get rained on but I didn't exactly get sunburn either.
I headed through Lisburn and out the Hillhall Road towards Shaws Bridge and then back through Drumbeg and Ballyskeagh.  This made for a fairly rolling route.  Not much in terms of big hills (apart from the usual brute up home) but enough to just keep the legs honest.
I was pleased to keep up an average pace of over 16mph on this challenging little route and especially to power up the hill home - it is really starting to feel a lot easier.
What I wouldn't give to average 16mph during the Ironman?  I would love to.

Running
00:15:00 - 1.87 Miles (08.02 per mile / HR Zone 2 / 82% Max)

Straight off the bike and in to the run.
I have had a little niggle in my left foot (probably the injury paranoia) so I decided to cut the run from 30 mins to 15 mins just in case.
As it turns out, all was well and if anything I was able to crack out a pretty decent pace at just a smidgen over 8 min per mile.

To be honest it surprises me sometimes the pace I do these short brick runs at  compared to what I would go out and do without being on the bike.  I don't know what it is but I suspect it is because the bike has acted as a warm up and got he heart rate going and the legs are used to turning over pretty quick for pedalling.  I won't over-analyse it but just be happy with the outcome.

A big Splash

Tuesday 12th June 2012

Cycling
00:55:20 – 11.70 Miles (12.80 MPH / HR Zone 2 / 75% Max / Cadence 78rpm)

Groundhog day.If it's Tuesday it's Pond Park Road hill repeats.  Yippee!!
This felt absolutely brilliant today.
4 times up and down the road and it was brilliant.  I felt really strong on each repeat and the last one was the fastest by over 20 seconds. Perhaps most pleasing apart from the increased speed over previous sessions was the ability to ride up the last section of the climb each time in a higher gear then I have ever done before - and I was able to do this on each of the repeats.

Running 01:00:00 - 6.68 Miles (08.59 per mile / HR Zone 4 / 94% Max)

A really wet run tonight. It was pouring down but I went out anyway.  You only get wet once.
The strong feeling from earlier carried on with the run and the Heart Rate zone is not reflective of the run - bloody monitor on the blink again!!!

The only damp spot (forgive the pun) of the night was when a lorry went through a huge puddle and completely drenched me with a huge wave.  I was drenched and feared for the survival of my ipod.  Luckily both it and me came through unscathed.
if I had seen it happen to someone else, I probably would have p'd myself laughing - as I am sure the lorry driver did when he saw it happen in his rear view mirror.

I didn't let it dampen my spirits ( do you see what I did there again . . .) and just pressed on.

TW3 IMFF Week 33

Monday 11th May 2012

Week 33 completed

Hours Trained: 17H 18Mins
Swimming: 6.3K (3.92 Miles)
Cycling: 163 Miles
Running: 31 Miles

A big week last week - almost 200 miles in all and the peak was a 21 mile run followed the next day with a 103 mile ride.
Next week is the last really big week and then it starts to taper off for about 3 weeks in the run in to the event.

The whole process of training to this point has been tough going for me but also for the family and especially Keara.  It is especially over the last few weeks as the mileage and time have increased substantially that the support from the family is most needed - and appreciated.
For non-endurance athletes it is hard to imagine losing close to 20 hrs per week of time, over and above your work time from your normal family life.  This is the case for many people training for an Ironman.

But, the good news is that there is not too much longer to go.  Don't get me wrong, I am still enjoying the training but I will be glad to get to the start line now and I can feel the early stages of "injury paranoia" setting in already.  This is where you believe that you are getting niggles or you are frightened of doing anything different in case you induce an injury.
I know it is in my head - and so long as it stays there and not in my Achilles or Back or Knee, it will be fine.

Here is the week ahead.

Cracking the ton.

Sunday 10th June 2012

Cycling

06:29:57 – 103 Miles (15.80 MPH / HR Zone 2 / 72% Max / Cadence 81)

My biggest ever ride today and it was hot on the heels of a 21 mile run yesterday.
The aim this weekend was to really crank up the mileage and get close to the full distances over the weekend.
To that extent - Mission accomplished.

I set out with the aim of covering 105 miles in 7 hrs.  So doing 103 (I got the route slightly wrong in planning and it was couple of miles short) in less than 6.5hrs was really pleasing.  I had hoped to do 15mph but managed to do 15.8 mph.  Doesn't sound like much but it is.

The weather was very kind to me and there was a very light wind and thankfully it was behind me for about the last 20 miles.
It was still challenging enough with over 1000M of climbing.

The ride up over Shane's Hill between Ballymena and Larne was a long grind, but the descent was absolutely amazing.  I had a smile on my face for about 4 miles.

It will be interesting to see how my legs feel tomorrow but hopefully they will be OK and it is a rest day anyway.

Pretty much the same sort of distances planned for next weekend too and then taper time.

Thanks to Jim for the company from miles 60 through to about 90 miles.  It was nice to have you along.

Alien Chest bursting and a dodgy Heart Rate Monitor.

Saturday 9th June 2012

Running
03:31:05 - 21.00  Miles (10.03 per mile / HR Zone 4 / 92% Max)

First things first.  The Heart rate of 92% is not right!  There is no way I was operating at that level of Heart rate - the monitor was behaving properly for about 8 miles and then it started going haywire.  At some points it was showing 133% of maximum Heart Rate while I was doing about 10 min / mile pace.
If it had really been at that pace my Heart would have been exploding out of my in a scene reminiscent of the famous scene from the original Alien movie.

Although on paper the run looks slow, I am very pleased with how it went and I set out to run a very steady pace and hopefully feel comfortable throughout.

That is exactly what I got.
I controlled the pace and effort and nutrition really well throughout and even though it was a bit windy I managed to hold it all together.

I honestly felt like I could have fairly comfortably gone on and done another 5 miles to make up the full Marathon distance and still maintained my 10 min mile pace - and ironically this would have been very close to my Personal Best of 4.21.  I honestly think I could have beaten that without a huge amount of effort in the last 5 miles.

It is great to feel this strong and comfortable.  It will no doubt be a very different story when I have to run this off a 112 mile bike ride.

Not Guilty.

Friday 8th June 2012

Swimming

01:38:49- 3800M

Another full length Iron distance swim this morning.  A bit slower than last week but it felt good the whole way and I am not concerned about being a wee bit slower.

If I could hold this pace on the day I would be reasonably happy.

I was supposed to do a 45 minute run at lunchtime today but I did not bother and I feel no guilt about it at all.

Wrapping myself in cotton wool.

Thursday 7th June 2012

Cycling

01:00:00 – 22.60 Miles (22.60 MPH / HR Zone 1 / 67% Max / Cadence 84)

The weather was rubbish this evening.  A combination of horrible rain and some blustery rain.  I decided that there was a bit of a risk of coming off because of the wet roads and wind, and I thought at this stage being only 30 days away from Ironman Frankfurt that I should be conservative and wrap myself in cotton wool to avoid any risk of injury.

I made a couple of minor adjustments to the bike - raised the saddle height about 1cm because I thought I was a bit low when I was in the aero position and I also dropped the nose of the saddle about 5mm.
These don't sound like big changes but they do make a difference and it felt comfortable and the power from the aero position felt a bit better too.  it will be good to try it on the road.

You're in my lane!

Wednesday 6th June 2012
Swimming

01:03:31- 2500M

The swim this morning was interesting.

The lanes which are set aside for us in the morning are usually pretty empty but this morning I didn’t get my usual lane because some girl took it.

The girl happened to be the 8^th best triathletes on the planet at the moment and just fresh from her 2^nd place finish at the ITU world series in Madrid and honing her training for the Olympics – Aileen Morrison.  I decided not to make a fuss and let her get on with it!!!

It was mighty impressive seeing her put on a bit of speed practising her starts from the blocks.  God she is fast.

As for my swim – it went pretty well and I knocked out the 2500M uneventfully and felt good throughout.

Brick Session

Cycling
01:03:31 – 17.85 Miles (16.90 MPH / HR Zone 2 / 75% Max / Cadence 83)


A very solid ride and decent average pace maintained the whole way through.

Running
00:24:34 - 3.00 Miles (08.10 per mile / HR Zone 2 / 81% Max)
The run off the bike felt quick - I wasn't really pushing it but I felt speedier than I have for a while.  I met my friend Brian on the hill on the way home and a quick 2 minute chat meant I was really refreshed for a hard push up the last 2 hills home.
A very pleasing run tonight.

Diamond sessions

Tuesday 5th June 2012

Running 01:06:54 - 7.19  Miles (09.18 per mile / HR Zone 2 / 84% Max)

The run started off a bit sluggish and tired. Partly due to a couple of niggly injuries ( 1. Sore ankle bone – don’know how I got that one. 2. Sore lower back caused by a Hoovering incident. Don’t ask!) and the residue of a great night celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee concert and quite a few drinks.

Anyway the first mile being uphill certainly got the heart rate up and the blood flowing and probably helped to loosened the muscles and flush the toxins out of the body. It was hard work in the early stages but things soon got better.

I managed to sustain a reasonable pace throughout and wound up doing a little bit more than the planned 1HR – albeit just by a few minutes – but it all counts.

Cycling
01:00:00 – 19.58 Miles (19.58 MPH / HR Zone 1 / 67% Max / Cadence 88rpm)

The weather took a real bad turn for the worse and by the time I picked Keara up from the airport after her trip to the Diamond Jubilee Concert in London, the rain was pretty heavy and my planned route for hill climb sessions was obscured in rain and mist and would have been too dangerous to ride in.  The cars may not have seen me, so I made the decision to go for a Turbo session in the safety and warmth of the garage and catch up on a couple of episodes of 24.

I haven’t been on the Turbo for a while now and it made me realise how much more I really enjoy being outside on the bike rather then the Turbo.  I look back on all of those winter indoor sessions and wonder how I managed to get through them – sometimes 3 in a week!

The session went well and average pace was pretty good at just under 20MPH – which I would never achieve on the road.

All by myself . . . .

Saturday 2nd June  2012
Cycling
04:56:04 – 75.35 Miles (15.30 MPH / HR Zone 2 / 72% Max / Cadence 82)

Happy Birthday Erin.  Keara and Erin were away for the night at a hotel in Belfast having a girly night to celebrate Erin's 14th Birthday.  Ben was away too, so I was all on my own - (all go "Awwwww "now...), and how did I make use of this time to myself?

I had a bit of an early night on Friday and got up at 5AM on Saturday morning to get out on the bike for 6AM and head off down to Eskra. (It's outside Dungannon)
Now, why would I go to Eskra?  Because there was a Half Iron Distance race on there and my friend Donald was doing it - just 2 weeks after completing Ironman Lanzarote - MAD.

It gave me a good excuse to get a good training session on the bike and see the swim part of the Triathlon.  I was then going to ride home and then go out for a run.

It was a lovely morning but quite cold when I started out and my hands were numb for about the first 10 miles.

I made great time down to Eskra and had plenty of time to see the Swim.

The ride back home was straight in to the Easterly wind that had been forecast.  It wasn't very strong but was just enough to be annoying and slow my pace a little bit.

Along the way I played a game of "Count the Road-kill." By the time I had finished my total was 14.  Including the Rabbit that was so mushed across the road that I had to ride through bits of red stuff.  Pretty unpleasant and not good on slick tyres.

By the time I got home I felt pretty good about heading out for the run.

Running
00:49:10 - 5.08 Miles (09.40 per mile / HR Zone 2 / 85% Max)
After the bike ride I had very intention of doing a good 2hrs or so on the run, however, things didn't finish up that way.

I felt a bit tired on the run but nothing too bad but I decided to cut short the planned length and just do 5 miles - the point of this run wasn't really about cranking out miles, it was about getting the legs bashed a bit after a decent length ride.

All in all a good day - even if I was by myself.