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.