Not bad actually.

Wednesday 28th August 2013

Swimming (750M / 00:14:55) 18M Pool at Gym.

I know that yesterday I set myself the goal of cracking 15 mins for the 750M swim in the 18M pool.
Well, today I went and broke it.

That is a good thing but it makes we think I set the bar too low.
it's good to set a goal and achieve it but I think I need to stretch this a bit so the bar is changing to 14M30Secs.

Let's see how I go.

I'm a Predator! Grrrrrr.

Tuesday 27th August 2013

Swim (750M 00:15:40) 18M Pool at Gym

I have decided that between now and the Stena Triathlon on 8^th September I am going to work on my 750M swim speed.

Speed being a relative term in this case.

My goal for the swim part of the event is to get out of the pool in under 16 minutes.  That might not sound all that fast to some of my “fish-like” friends but it is a good steady clip for me.

Although the time I did in the pool today would appear to be well below this goal, it is not really a reflection of how it translates in to the real thing.

For example, swimming in an 18M pool is easier than a 25M pool – more turns = more pushes off the wall -= lower time.  Also, a lane to yourself is not the same as sharing a lane with six other people and getting held up, or more likely in my case having to step aside at the end of a length to let hem pass me.

 
These need to be factored in, so I have set the short term goal of getting the 750M swim done in under 15 mins in the 18M pool, and hopefully that will translate well on race day.

I will keep plugging away at this.

On a separate note, I made the switch to a new set of goggles also.  For a few years now I have been loyal to Aquasphere Cayenne, however I thought I would try something new and went for the fantastically named “Zoggs Predator Flex – Polarised.” (as recommended by Adrian O’Brien from the Macca MX12 Facebook Group)

 

First swim impressions are that they are a nice fit and comfy enough at first try.  I hope they carry on like this as I am keen to get a pair that are comfy over a long distance and don’t leak or fog.

So now I’m a Predator in the pool.  On second thoughts that just sounds wrong on quite a few levels!

Cycling(11.16 Miles / 00:49:55 / 13.40 mph / HRZ 4 / Cadence 67) Elevation Gain 419M

4 X Hill repeats – Pond Park Road

Run to the hills.  Or ride to the hills more accurately.

Not a bad sessions with four efforts on the hill and a decent enough time and I felt OK throughout.

I had the company of my Club mate and recent Ironman Stanley and his 14yr old son James, who is an amazing young athlete.

I thought I was going well until the lanky 14 yr old breezed past me and looked like he was just idling his way up the hill but rapidly disappearing off in to the distance ahead of me.

I shouldn’t be too downhearted by it as he is 27 yrs younger than me and about 70lbs lighter!

I could have done five repeats as I was feeling good but used the excuse of fading light to pack it in after 4 sets. (it is getting dark earlier after all!) It really was just an excuse and I need to really stop being soft and knuckle down to the training programme as planned out.

Tuesday 27th August 2013 Post Holiday Blues and a return to Blogging.

It’s been far too long since I last updated the Blog to reflect the vast amount of activity I have undertaken over the last few weeks.

Oh wait! That’s right the lack of blogging probably reflects the lack of activity to some extent.

 

Since my last entry on 30th July I have done the following:

 

Run – 12 Miles

Open water Swim – 450 Metres

Cycling – PP Road Hills X 5 – 14.33 Miles (529M Elevation)

Run – 12 Miles

Cycling – 15.46 Miles (395M Elevation)

Tri The Lough – Sprint Triathlon – 1H24Mins

Run – 3 Miles

Run – 7.5 Miles

Cycle – 19.45 Miles (485M Elevation)

Run – 16 Miles

Run – 8 Miles

 

It’s not a lot of activity but at least I got a couple of longer runs in to at least notionally keep me on track with my Dublin Marathon training.

 

I still very much want to do Dublin but I am holding off on entry until the last possible minute in order to make sure that I don’t waste the entry fee.

It seems that the usual story of the Summer and having a great time on holiday and time off work is not the most conducive thing for my training.

Now though! Summer holidays etc… are over and it’s time to get a bit more structure back in to the training regime and hopefully increase the miles in the legs for Dublin and as a means to build a decent base ahead of the Ironman training which will start in earnest in November.

 

I was pretty pleased with the Tri the Lough performance that I out in towards the start of August and the time was not bad.  Not my fastest but definitely not my worst and I can safely say that it was my best performance this year.  Decent swim (for me anyway), good bike and a pretty solid run saw me deliver my best time of the year.

I still managed to get lost in transition and lose a lot more time than I should have – despite making the move to being a real Triathlete and racing sock-less!

 

My aim now is to continue to build longer runs and increased mileage over the coming 6 weeks or so and to hopefully shed some more weight and eat healthier and drink less.  I’d like to be going in to Dublin at my best racing weight for along time and hopefully injury free.

 

I think more regular blogging will recommence also – it’s a sort of therapy for me anyway.  I need it now that I’m back to work and the holidays are over.

Tuesday 27th August 2013 Post Holiday Blues and a return to Blogging.

It’s been far too long since I last updated the Blog to reflect the vast amount of activity I have undertaken over the last few weeks.

Oh wait! That’s right the lack of blogging probably reflects the lack of activity to some extent.

 

Since my last entry on 30th July I have done the following:

 

Run – 12 Miles

Open water Swim – 450 Metres

Cycling – PP Road Hills X 5 – 14.33 Miles (529M Elevation)

Run – 12 Miles

Cycling – 15.46 Miles (395M Elevation)

Tri The Lough – Sprint Triathlon – 1H24Mins

Run – 3 Miles

Run – 7.5 Miles

Cycle – 19.45 Miles (485M Elevation)

Run – 16 Miles

Run – 8 Miles

 

It’s not a lot of activity but at least I got a couple of longer runs in to at least notionally keep me on track with my Dublin Marathon training.

 

I still very much want to do Dublin but I am holding off on entry until the last possible minute in order to make sure that I don’t waste the entry fee.

It seems that the usual story of the Summer and having a great time on holiday and time off work is not the most conducive thing for my training.

Now though! Summer holidays etc… are over and it’s time to get a bit more structure back in to the training regime and hopefully increase the miles in the legs for Dublin and as a means to build a decent base ahead of the Ironman training which will start in earnest in November.

 

I was pretty pleased with the Tri the Lough performance that I out in towards the start of August and the time was not bad.  Not my fastest but definitely not my worst and I can safely say that it was my best performance this year.  Decent swim (for me anyway), good bike and a pretty solid run saw me deliver my best time of the year.

I still managed to get lost in transition and lose a lot more time than I should have – despite making the move to being a real Triathlete and racing sock-less!

 

My aim now is to continue to build longer runs and increased mileage over the coming 6 weeks or so and to hopefully shed some more weight and eat healthier and drink less.  I’d like to be going in to Dublin at my best racing weight for along time and hopefully injury free.

 

I think more regular blogging will recommence also – it’s a sort of therapy for me anyway.  I need it now that I’m back to work and the holidays are over.

Just what Forrest Gump said.

Tuesday 30th July 2013

Swimming (1000M / 00:21:31)

A short swim at lunchtime today. I'll be honest it didn't feel all that good for some reason.  I think I did my usual stupid thing of not eating properly before the swim and I felt low on energy.
How many times can I keep doing this and being stupid.
"Stupid is as stupid does!"

Cycling (14.09 Miles / 01:03:17 / 13.40 mph / Cadence 62 / HRZ 4) Elevation 518M

Tonight is the usual Club hill training night, except that no one else turned up.  Now, to be fair, two of the usual guys are doing Ironman UK this weekend and are rightly resting their legs, another is getting his bike serviced and the rest are just Pussies! I'm only joking, but I did plough on ahead myself.
Initially it felt harder doing it by myself with no one ahead of me and no one chasing me but I just knuckled down and managed to crank out some good repeats.
The 5 repeats came in at: 8:36 / 8:46 / 9:19 / 9:47 / 9:45.
I'm happy enough with that and it represents a new best time for me on the 5 set session.

My legs did feel smashed on the last set but I just bit my lip and got on with it.
Interestingly I noticed on some of the descents that I went the same speed if I just tucked in tight and  freewheeled  compared to when I was pedalling on the way down.

I really enjoyed it and am pleased at the small signs of progress.

Good pacing and stitches come out.

Monday 29th July 2013

Running (6.60Miles / 01:00:00 / 00:09:08 per mile / HRZ 2.0)

A decent run which felt very comfortable - I kept it stead y within the Heart Rate Zone for the first four miles, then upped the ante a little bit and pushed the HR up a bit.
I felt very comfortable and am pleased enough with how this has gone.

Cycling (33.80 Miles / 02:01:22 / 16.70 mph / Cadence 69 / HRZ 2.2)

This evening was a bit of a tale of two rides.
I had arranged to head out with my Bro in law for a ride this evening as he is training for an 85 mile charity ride in September and he wants to get some hours in the saddle and build things up a bit.
Before meeting him I headed out on what I knew would be a relatively challenging and hilly route, starting with 100M of climbing in the first 1.3 miles, the same route we use for Hill training with the Club.
Fortunately for me I managed to stay dry as the sky was somewhat menacing but amounted to nothing.
I have to say that I am delighted that I managed to maintain an average pace of just under 17mph for the first 20 miles which for me is pretty steady but even more pleasing given the hilliness of the run.

Once I latched up with Nick we went out and did a 13.8 mile loop which was quite a bit flatter and the pace was a bit more sedate.  Based on the way he rode tonight, he will have absolutely no problem at all come September, it will just be a case of miles in the bank to make it more comfortable on the day.

I really enjoyed the sessions today and hope that I can sustain this sort of base building and avoid any of my dreaded injuries.

Speaking of injuries, Ben fell of his bike in Donegal and wound up with three stitches in his arm.  He got them out today but here is what the cut looked like after the stitches were applied.  Thankfully he doesn't seem to have any lasting effects.  Great scar to show the girls!!
**Those of a nervous disposition should look away now . . . . .**

A Tenner.

Wednesday 24^th July 2013

Running (10.10 Miles / 01:30:00 / 00:08:57)

Time to add a bit more time on the feet and do a bit of a longer run again.  Dublin Marathon is only 13 weeks away so I need to start increasing the mileage a bit on the run.

It was such a muggy warm night and I was sweating like a pig after only about a mile.

My legs were definitely feeling a bit heavy after a solid couple of days training and the last couple of miles in the heat felt like tough going. I’m happy enough with the way it went and hopefully a swim on Thursday will help loosen the limbs a bit.

Boucing back with a big M Dot entry. Zurich 2014, here I come!

Well, it's been about a week now since the disaster at Glenarm, as it shall be forever known now and I can safely say that I have moved on and not looked back.

They say that the best way to bounce back from something is to set a new goal and go for it.
Typically I tend to set the goal a bit high and what better way to set a challenge than to enter another Ironman.

So, yes, I am in for Ironman Zurich 2014.  27th July 2014.  Pretty much exactly one year away.  Now that's a goal.  Hopefully we will be able to combine this trip with a holiday down by Lake Garda after the event.  ( any tips from anyone on where to stay at Lake Garda would be greatly appreciated.)

There has been a lot of interest in the event from mates at Lisburn Triathlon Club and my hope is that we will have at least 6 going.  We'll see!

 

So far this week I have been lucky enough to string a bit of training together.  It has felt a bit tough getting back in to the swing of things because of being a lazy fat git while I was away on holiday.

 

Last night up at our Caravan in Donegal, Ben came off his bike and wound up in A&E at Letterkenny Hospital getting 3 stitches on a really nasty hole in his arm!  He's also got a bit or Road rash that apparently most cyclists would be proud of.  He seems to be fine so hopefully it hasn't put him off his growing interest in cycling.



 

Monday 22nd July 2013

 

Running (6.01 Miles / 00:54:01 / 00:08:59 per mile)

 

A decent wee run although |I felt a bit naked as I'm still without my Garmin which I lost in the race that shall not be mentioned!  Pace felt good and I felt comfortable throughout, but the legs felt a bit stiff - only to be expected I suppose.

 

Cycling (17.10 Miles / 01:02:01 / 16.50 mph)

I headed out for an hour with two of my neighbours.  I was slightly wary as they are both good cyclists and in a lot better shape than me.  The route was lovely and a few new roads for me, which is great as I can get bored of the same old routes. Although I was regretting their choice to head up the last hill which I had struggled on before.
To be honest I felt that Paul and Richard were taking it pretty easy by their standards the whole way but it felt like a steady pace for me, which up to that point had been around 17.5mph.  The hill put paid to my average speed.  While they sped off up the hill which is probably only about half a mile long, I felt myself blowing apart and I just couldn't hold their pace at all.
The good thing is it showed me what I need to do to prepare for the hilly course in Zurich.
I think that this hill will become my friend (sort of.)

Tuesday 23rd July 2013

Swimming (1500M / 00:32:38)

A quick swim at lunchtime in the pool at the Gym.
Somehow I managed to lose my nose clip at the Tri last week (cheaper than a Garmin but annoying none the less) which meant that for the first time in years I was swimming as God meant.  Clipless.

I have to be honest and say that it felt horrible, but rather than being a Pussy and wimping out, I just plugged on and was quite pleased with my time.
Straight afterwards I went right over to the Sports shop and got a new clip.  No more stinging nose!

Cycling (11.30 Miles / 00:48:53 / 13.90 mph / 453M Elevation Gain) Hills - Pond park Road X 4

Club hill session and I was a wee bit nervous about it as my legs felt heavy and my last couple of hills have not been a fun experience.
Thankfully it went well and realistically I could have done another trip up.  It would have hurt but I reckon it could have been done.
Good fun and a new record for descent speed - topping out at 46.1mph.  It felt pretty quick.
The 4 ascents were done in 8.33 / 8.39 / 9.01 / 9.15.  I'm pretty happy with the consistency.  Next challenge is to see if I can maintain speed or actually get faster as the reps go on.

So, in summary a fantastic new challenge ahead and hopefully a chance to get a bit of decent training over the next few weeks.

Glenarm Triathlon. A disaster but tough lessons learnt.

Not my best day.  I think that’s a fair way to cover off the Glenarm Triathlon.

I’ll get in to a bit more detail but suffice to say that as I look back on it twelve hours later I am able to now see some important lessons that I really should have known anyway.

 

I’d been looking forward to the Glenarm Triathlon and the fantastic spell of weather we have been experiencing just made me even more excited about getting back in to action again.

 

Heading up to Glenarm driving along the coast road from Larne, the scene over the Irish See was idyllic.  Flat calm, warm and very inviting.  This was going to be great fun.

 

After registration and getting everything sorted we headed down to the race briefing at the swim start and I was eager to get in to the water as I was starting to get really hot in the wetsuit.

Even though it was boiling hot outside we still needed wetsuits, and in about 5 minutes I was about to find out why.

 

Making my way in to the water I was genuinely quite surprised how cold the water actually was.  I have swum up here before a few times and I know it is cold, however I thought that the spell of warm weather may have heated things up a bit, however this was not the case.  I lost feeling n my feet and hands and my face was frozen.  I really just wanted to get underway and warm up.

 

The first 100 metres of the swim were not pleasant and I didn’t feel all that comfortable but I just worked through it and focussed on keeping out of trouble and swimming as smoothly as possible.  The first turn buoy approached a bit faster than I thought and I was feeling OK.  The second and last turn buoy came around quickly too and I was feeling not too bad at all.  Not fast but comfortable.

The line in to the beach and swim exit was about 300-350M away.  This is where things started to get a bit less pleasant.  I started to feel myself slowing down, struggling with my stroke and taking on a bit of water when I was breathing.  I just seemed to make no progress at all and the exit seemed as far away as ever.  Was the tide going out?  Was I just tired?  I don’t know but it wasn’t much fun.

 

I eventually managed to get to the exit and head up the beach to transition.  As I crossed the timing mat I reached to my Garmin Watch to move it to Transition timing.

NO WATCH!!

Nightmare!  The Garmin was gone.  I thought back quickly and remembered a hard kick to my hand and wrist somewhere in the swim.  This was obviously badly placed and somehow managed to knock off my Garmin.  No point even thinking about looking for it as it could be anywhere on the seabed.  This really pissed me off as they are not cheap and I am reliant on it for all of my training.

 

I tried to refocus, get stripped out of the wetsuit and head out on the bike.

 

As I mounted the bike, I felt a bit wobbly and I almost veered in to a lamp-post, the resulting over-compensation almost saw me fall off the bike and then swerve back in towards to the kerb again.  It was about now that I realised something was just not right with me.

 

I persevered and got out the road a few miles and on the big hill which is a dominant feature of the bike route.  I was feeling pretty peculiar and lacked nay energy at all.

About one mile up the hill I felt a wave of nausea and overwhelming weakness come over me.

I needed to get off the bike ASAP or I was going to fall over.  I rolled up beside a farm gate and let myself drop against it while still clipped in to the bike.

After manoeuvring myself off the bike I leant against the gate feeling like total crap and wondering what to do.

I could barely lift my head and I thought I was going to be sick at any moment.  Could I take a gel that was in my pocket?

I went to get it out and realised that there was no way I could stomach it.

 

The hardest call I have ever had to make in a race was made on the spot there.  I was going to have to pull out.

There was no way I could get back on the bike and carry on climbing up the hill for another three or four miles.  I had no energy and I was seriously worried that even if I got to the top of the hill that I would put myself in danger on the fast descents.

 

I decided to pull out of the race. 

I walked the bike across to the other side of the road to head back to the start and I knew that I couldn’t get on the bike again yet.  I just felt like death.

Leaning against another gate I finally threw up all over the place.  A lot of sea water came out.

 

Feeling moderately better I mounted the bike and rolled back down the hill and the couple of miles after that back to the start.  The Ride of Shame!

 

Seeing everyone else running through T2 and completing the race was gutting but I know I just could not have finished the bike, never mind do the run in the heat afterwards.

Having to face people and tell them that I DNFd (Did not Finish) was not easy and ironically I was wearing my Ironman Finisher T shirt form Frankfurt last year.  That was the salt in the wound.

 

Now that I have reflected on it I have come up with some explanations.  Not excuses but they feel like it a bit. I will take these as learning points for the future.

1. I have come back off two weeks holiday, where I ate and drank a lot.
2. I have done virtually zero training for three weeks.  Literally a 3 mile run over a week ago on holiday was the sum total of my training for three weeks.
3. Before a race I make sure to eat properly.  As I was coming straight from work to the start here, I didn’t do this.
4. Before the swim in a race Ialways take a gel.  This time I didn’t.
5. It was a very warm night.
6. I swallowed a lot of sea water on the swim.
7. I did not prepare properly and respect the distance.  I had an arrogance that this was just a sprint race and that I could handle it fine.  I was wrong.

 

Not the greatest experience ever but I have definitely refound my respect for any distance of Triathlon.  They are tough for a reason and even a Sprint distance race is an achievement in its own right and to not acknowledge this fact was arrogant and stupid.  I will not make that mistake again.

I will get my preparation right in the future and stick to the tried and tested routines.

 

The disappointment remains but I am now looking forward to exorcising the demons of this race and going in to my next one with a sense of optimism and a greater degree of preparation.

 

Onwards and upwards.

 

Just one of those days where it all goes right! 5 Times Baby!! Gotta Love it.

Tuesday 25th June 2013

Running ( 5.00 Miles / 00:44:32 / 00:08:54 / HRZ 2.8)

I was wakened up by the bright sunshine sneaking in through a gap in my hotel curtains.
I had hoped to get an early run in this morning before the days' work started in Dublin but I hadn't planned anything really.
I got up to close the curtain and when I looked out I saw just how absolutely glorious it was this morning and it seemed daft not to take advantage of it.

So after putting on the running gear I headed out the door of the hotel at 6.20AM.  It was one of those fantastic summer mornings where the ambient temperature is nice and there is a stillness in the air.

The area where the hotel was is near to Blackrock at Stillorgan.  I ran down the Mount Merrion Road towards Blackrock Park and then on to Blackrock and did a little loop before heading back to the hotel.

If I had to live in Dublin I think this would be a lovely place to set up home.  HOWEVER  the several €MILLION needed to but a house in this are might be slightly prohibitive.  You would need to own a Bank not work in one to get a house here!!

Once again my HRZ was good for the pace I was doing.  Maybe I was just inspired by the lovely morning and surroundings or maybe it's the weight loss starting to pay off a bit.

Cycling (14.62 Miles / 01:03:09 / 13.90 mph / Cadence 69 / HRZ 2.9) Elevation Gain 521M

This is where I just felt that I was having one of those days where things were going my way.
I enjoy the hill sessions up the Pond Park Road but tonight I just felt like I was going really well and the feeling of  strength was the over-riding sensation.

I set off and was riding a gear that I normally wouldn't be able to pull and this pretty much continued for the whole session.  I did think that I was going to pay for it on later repeats but that just didn't happen.
I managed to maintain a very steady average with the 5 repeats taking (8.30 / 8.38 / 8.51 / 9.03 / 9.03)

I think that only slowing down by 30 seconds over 5 sets is pretty good going.

I honestly think that the weight loss along with being able to get some consistent training is starting to pay off now.
That is the first time on well over a year that I did 5 repeats of the hill.

I'm feeling the strength coming back - Bring it ON!