Bliain Faoi Thrí

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Hopefully the foot injury is not too serious and you can get back to whizzing around properly.

ronanmac

Sure, it may have been helped by the fact that the race was being run at midday on a Friday, therefore whittling down greatly the potential field of opponents, but the SCC 5k last Friday saw my first race victory!

A windy day, a tough course, and a dose of some sort of virus made it a tough run (my lungs felt like they were on fire afterwards, and I had what seemed like the taste of blood in my mouth:eek:), and didn’t make for a particularly fast 5k time. The race was being organised by my former alma mater, Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiaráin, and was opened up to the non-school going public for the first time this year. So, along with about 300 students, there were members of our tri club, parents, students from the local branch of NUIG and a few other stragglers.

I found myself out on my own quickly enough, with no company other than the squad car ahead of me. Surreal. It felt like a tough training run with a Garda escort. At about the 1.5 mile stage, I was really beginning to feel the burn and knew that I had gone out too fast (Garmin didn’t pick up satellites so I had no idea what pace I was running). Any time I looked back, I could see a blue singlet that wasn’t closing the gap, but with about 4k done, a white t-shirt appeared from nowhere and seemed to be closing.

The last thing I wanted was to have to put some more effort in, but with the course record of 20:02 up for grabs as well, I put in a final spurt to finish in 19:30. Second place came in 23 seconds later.

Weird. I never thought I’d win a race, and I guess that this was the only kind of race I ever am likely to win!

On the plus side, neither the hip or the foot injury came into play. On the down side, whatever cold/flu/virus I've had seems to have embedded itself in since the race.

Distance: 5k
Time: 19:30
Pace: 3:54
Weather: Windy but dry

catweazle

Well done!

Had they the Finishing line tape for you and a few high fives for the crowd going down the chute!

ronanmac

catweazle wrote: »

Well done!

Had they the Finishing line tape for you and a few high fives for the crowd going down the chute!

For the record, I have never partaken in finish line high fives, despite what photos from a certain HIM might suggest (that was merely my "arms outstretched, Jesus-like, in glory" pose)...

There was a chute, but, disappointingly, no tape . I've always wondered why the winners of running races run through the tape and ignore it, but victorious triathletes clutch it like it was their first-born...

ronanmac

My wife was running her first marathon on Monday, so I brought the bike with me so I could cheer her on from a few different spots. I would imagine that marathon bank holiday Monday is one of the easiest days of the year to cycle in Dublin, but it really opened my eyes to the luxury of rural biking. Man, we have it easy down here in the sticks. The difference is that among the bogs and the mountains, all you have to think of is your effort. Cycling in Dublin involves a lot more thinking and a lot more awareness. Yuk!

Anyway, spectating the marathon was a great experience. Looking at the first bunch of runners coming through was unsettling. A group of Kenyans with the outward exertion of a training run. Behind them, it occurred to me that a marathon is a lonely place if you’re running substantially sub-3. A few small groups, lots of solo runners with no-one within sight, and then along came the sub-3 balloons and 14,000 runners behind them! Looking at the number of people on either side of the balloon divide, it struck me that sub-3 is almost as psychological as it is physiological.

I saw plenty of boardsies on the day, jackyback and Macanri (I think) being the first I saw, with catweazle shortly behind them. After that, I saw who turned out to be Izoard (nice to meet you, Izoard, if only briefly!), Micilín Muc and, of course, my reason for being there, MarySamsonite!

I thought I’d feel left out of the whole experience but, with feeling so crap lately, the last thing I would want to have done was a marathon. Plus being a spectator was great! Weirdly, the only time I felt like I had missed out was while watching people walk in pain afterwards!

Done: 35.6km

pgibbo

Congrats on your win! Nice one :cool:

Izoard

hey Ronan, good to say hi to you in the flesh - have to say, it was pretty easy to pick you out - almost the same gear on as your finish at Galway:)

El Director

Hey Ronan, congrats on your win! I often visualise winning a race, breaking the tape first, being number one, having a title to defend next year and so on... it has to be a cool moment! You can never control who turns up for a race, all you can do is race who's there and see what plays out.

You've had a great year dude, well done.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Nice one on the win.

pgmcpq

Congrats on the win. And congrats to Mrs Mac on the marathon. Was she happy with the experience ? Welcome to the world of the dual marathoner household ! Hope this means the the foot problem is behind you.

Yes, I've seen the elite guys finish the Philly marathon a few times. You'd swear they had just popped out from behind a bush half a mile earlier. Incredible to see up close. TV does not give any idea how fast these guys are moving.

littlebug

Oh wow a win!
Well done Ronanmac!

Micilin Muc

Your new log for next year should be called Bliain gan Rith

ronanmac

Micilin Muc wrote: »

Your new log for next year should be called Bliain gan Rith

Bliain gan Maitheasa...

ronanmac

This has been my longest training (and boards) hiatus in quite a while, and I thought I may as well bring the log up to date before the end of the year, and before the start of a new log. As well as not training, I’ve put my head in the sand and stayed away from all other logs on boards so as not to get even more depressed!

The training has been knocked on the head, partly by a change of job and the madness of finishing up one job and starting a new one, but mostly by a very stubborn infection that keeps reoccurring. Various approaches to getting rid of it have included ignoring it, nuking it with a double-dose of antibiotics, and a gentler, wholistic approach! None have worked so far, and I’m left with the most frustrating solution of near-total physical and mental rest over Christmas.

So far, I have trained with the infection unknowingly still in my system (leading to fun group cycles where I think I’m going well but get dropped by everyone on every hillock), went back to the pool for the first time since September to do a gentle 1000m (giving up, gasping, at 500m after multiple rest breaks), and I think I may have forgotten how to run altogether!

Anyway, for the sake of the log, I’m adding the training I have done but haven’t logged. As for next year, I’m unclear as yet what to do (other than I’ve signed up again for Galway 70.3). I had planned to travel to the Mallorca 70.3 in May but it turns out that a biggish work thing is on the cards around the same time so no can do.

Run Mileage Done since last update:
23.72

Cycling:
107.21

Swimming:
500m

So much for using the off season to get set up for 2012…

Anyway, a belated Nollaig Shona and a thank you to all who posted and advised here over the year, and apologies for the over-enthusiastic end of year taper!

pgmcpq

Sorry to read about the virus - I know how frustrating it is to be working away wondering how everyone else is getting further away. Hope you shake it soon.

Best of luck for the new year with the training and the new job.

El Director

Sorry to hear Ronán of the less than ideal end to 2011, which let's not forget was absolutely terrific for you. A very impressive first season. You'll bounce back man, and a new start is just around the corner - 2012. So head up buddy and do whatever it takes to get the health on track. Best of luck in the new job and the new year.

catweazle

Nice to get the illness on the off season for a change. Galway 70.3 again - that new job must be shelling out the big bucks to afford that one, hope the holidays are as good. At least you don't have to be peaking till towards the end of the year

Met your sister buying Mrs C shoes in town - she goes to me after chewing her ear off for ten minutes - I think her brother is yer man from boards with the red hair

Although I know Peadar who was with her well from my GAA days

littlebug

... and there I was waiting for a(nother) extended holiday report :pac:
Sorry to hear you've not been well Ronan... hope the new year brings better health. I hope Mrs Mac has avoided this virus and is back running again!

ronanmac

Yesterday seemed as good a day as any to start back training again. The start of a new year in every sense (it was my birthday yesterday!), plus I seem to have finally gotten over the various ailments that have served me well as excuses over the last couple of months.

It was a straightforward, scenic run with no purpose but to get back into some sort of groove again. I’ve lost a ton of fitness but yesterday wasn’t a day to dwell on that. Merely to enjoy going out and taking in the views (here’s a photo from the run yesterday, it was taken at Barr na Corra, the most southerly point of the peninsula on which I live):


I also used the day to note a few data points. My weight is 71.7kg and my resting heart rate has climbed up to 53. I’ve been looking back at 2011 through misery glasses brought on by the past few months of inaction, but when I look at it more objectively, it’s been a good year. A good start to triathlon, and an enjoyable one at that, plus the added bonus of being part of a new club. My run mileage for 2011 was down considerably on 2010 (932km v 1350km), but in mitigation, my swim total was up from 0!

I’m calling my log for 2012 “Bliain Faoi Thrí”. The reasons I had for calling it that have disappeared but I’ll stick with it. I had intended to do 3 half-ironmans in 2012, I’m no longer convinced of the merit of that, so I’m revising it to two. I had also hoped to give a sub-3 marathon a shot, but I currently can barely envisage doing a sub-4 marathon, so I’m knocking that one on the head as well. So with no marathon faoi thrí uair a chloig, or a half-ironman to be done faoi thrí, Bliain Faoi Thrí will be about undertaking the three sports of triathlon in a more equal, committed manner.

I’ve no specific targets worked out as yet, other than that I have signed up for the Galway 70.3. I had hoped to do the Mallorca 70.3, but a big work thing the day before that race rules it out. I don’t know what my second half will be, although this is currently the leader among choices.

I plan to take the swimming more seriously, not to treat it as a time-consuming annoyance, but as something that I am weak at, and that I need to improve.

That’s it. Happy New Year, and I hope it’s a good training and racing year for all.

Done (Yesterday)
Route: Home to Rinn to An Damba, and home
Distance: 8.92km
Time: 49:15
Pace: 5:31
Average/Max HR: 163/181
Weather: Very windy but mostly dry

ronanmac

catweazle wrote: »

Nice to get the illness on the off season for a change. Galway 70.3 again - that new job must be shelling out the big bucks to afford that one, hope the holidays are as good. At least you don't have to be peaking till towards the end of the year

Met your sister buying Mrs C shoes in town - she goes to me after chewing her ear off for ten minutes - I think her brother is yer man from boards with the red hair

Although I know Peadar who was with her well from my GAA days

I heard that alright, small world indeed!

ronanmac

littlebug wrote: »

... and there I was waiting for a(nother) extended holiday report :pac:
Sorry to hear you've not been well Ronan... hope the new year brings better health. I hope Mrs Mac has avoided this virus and is back running again!

Thanks littlebug, started feeling better once the clock struck for 2012 (although that may have been the wine...). Mrs Mac has had a bit of a running break as well, but is all set to go for a new lash at it for 2012.

pgibbo

Happy New Year and belated birthday wishes.

Hopefully that's your share of illness and injury out of the way. Onwards and upwards. :cool:

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Good to have you back R, have you looked at Challenge Barca Half? I would highly recommend it if the dates suit you.

catweazle

I feel that massive training shift I put in over the xmas thinking how I would spank you in Swinford is gone to waste

Not to sure what I am at myself yet

ronanmac

With a marked reluctance, I went back to the pool last night. The little I did was unsurprisingly tough, but that’s to be expected. The purpose of this week is just to get back into the groove of training, and to start properly next week.
Done:
750m

This morning was my first AM session in a long time, and it felt good (once it was done, of course!). The session was a straightforward 25.7km workout using the Realtour DVD, so the hills of Sardinia were a distraction from the gale and rain outside the garage. I’ve done this DVD four times so far, and it’s as good a measure of where I’ve gone, fitness-wise, over the past few months.
October 10:
Average Power*: 160
Duration: 00:52:52
Average Speed: 29.2

November 22
Average Power: 130
Duration: 00:59:14
Average Speed: 26.1

December 19
Average Power: 120
Duration: 01:02:17
Average Speed: 24.8

January 4
Average Power: 109
Duration: 1:05:41
Average Speed: 23.5

A pretty severe decline!

Done Today:
Route: Trainer (La Maddalena DVD)
Distance: 25.7
Time: 1:05:41
Average Speed: 23.5
Cadence: 87
Average/Max HR: 151/171

*Realtour’s interpretation of power, as opposed to a power meter

ronanmac

Selah Early Seller wrote: »

Good to have you back R, have you looked at Challenge Barca Half? I would highly recommend it if the dates suit you.

Barca was my original target, but it falls on the same weekend as this, which my club is organising, and the opportunity to go for a spin with Bernard Hinault in my own backyard is too much to pass up!

catweazle wrote: »

I feel that massive training shift I put in over the xmas thinking how I would spank you in Swinford is gone to waste

Not to sure what I am at myself yet

To think that you would deny yourself the satisfaction of destroying me in Galway, but for that you're a tight b*stard and won't cough up the entry fee for an iconic race that goes past your own front door

backspacer

Good to see you back on the wagon after Xmas, have been away for a few weeks so plenty of training went out the window, only training was learning to eat in large amounts Think i better get back into it asap or they'll be no challenges this year!!

ronanmac

backspacer wrote: »

Good to see you back on the wagon after Xmas, have been away for a few weeks so plenty of training went out the window, only training was learning to eat in large amounts Think i better get back into it asap or they'll be no challenges this year!!

Cheers, hope you got plenty of training done in 4 feet of Polish snow!

ronanmac

Yesterday Lunchtime:
One of the biggest problems I had last year were constant issues with hip flexor, lower back and abdominal injuries, all core-related, and with one or all of them constantly present in minor or painful forms.
I decided that I might as well start doing some core work this year to try and counter this weakness, and while I plan to start doing one hour sessions next week, I started off at lunchtime yesterday with a half hour core-specific session from the Athletes Guide to Yoga DVD. Tough going for a weakling like me!

Done:
Core work, 30 minutes

Lunchtime Today:
I had planned to get up for an early run session this morning, but the noise of the wind at 6am put me back to bed, and blew out of my head any memories of having a treadmill in the garage
So it was a short run at lunchtime, still pretty windy but had eased up a lot.

Distance: 7.74km
Time: 39:19
Pace: 5:04/km
HR (Ave/Max): 171/182
Weather: Windy, cold but dry

backspacer

ronanmac wrote: »

Cheers, hope you got plenty of training done in 4 feet of Polish snow!

Ha not flippin likely, the main thing was trying to walk on on icy snowy footpaths never mind run on them!!

ronanmac

Cadence workout from turbotrainer.co.uk. Man, it's difficult to get back into the early-morning training groove again!

Route: Turbo
Distance:19.6km
Time:42:00
Speed:28kph
HR (Ave/Max): 131/179
Cadence: 88

El Director

Hey Ronán, best of luck for the year ahead....tús maith leath na hoibre!

Any plans to do early season road races or duathlons?

ronanmac

El Director wrote: »

Hey Ronán, best of luck for the year ahead....tús maith leath na hoibre!

Any plans to do early season road races or duathlons?

No road races for a while, I have done Tuam for the past two years but am so far behind this year that there is little point. I'd like to get a few duathlons in, though.
Frustrating return of hip/groin niggle after swim kick session on Saturday, despite the fact that it had disappeared entirely. Will have to get that looked at again asap. Good to be back in a training routine, though!

ronanmac

Friday Lunchtime:
30 minute core work

Saturday
Swimming. Tough but satisfying. Annoying return of hip/groin problem following kick drills though.
Done: 1750m

Yesterday
Gentle run with little purpose

Route: Doire Fhearta, Gleann Mór, Tismeáin loop
Distance: 11km
Time: 55 min ish
Weather: Warm, dry

AM today:
1 hour yoga strength session from Athlete's Guide to Yoga. I am seriously inflexible!

ronanmac

Yesterday PM
Swim session using a the pull buoy a lot, trying to take care of the groin until I find out exactly what's going on...

Done: 1200m

El Director

ronanmac wrote: »

.... 1 hour yoga strength session from Athlete's Guide to Yoga. I am seriously inflexible!

Really hope you sort this latest set back out dude sooner rather than later.

The above book, any good??

ronanmac

I went for a run yesterday. 5.5km. I was shattered afterwards. An improvement, however, on the 4.2km I managed on Tuesday!
I'd never been so primed and looking forward to a season as I had been coming into 2012. I'd set some lofty goals, looking forward to great times and challenges. It hasn't turned out that way, however!
Basically, I've been hit by a series of recurring kidney infections, and other infections arising from that, since the end of November. In hindsight, a series of changes in my life conspired against me, and not realising that, I failed to give my body the opportunity to recover.
I'm now at the stage where I've finally managed to clear up the illnesses, without them constant reoccurring (this was my big worry!), but I don't think I've been this unfit since I've started logging on boards. I've put on a bit of weight, not much though, and have lost an awful lot of cardiovascular and muscular strength, from what I can gather from my limited outings on the bike and run so far.
My biggest problem at the moment is motivation. Going for a run is no longer going for a run, but a short and challenging crawl! I went for a club bike spin last Sunday for the first time since, I think, November. I cycled home from our meet-up spot in Doire an Fhéich at the end of the spin, and was barely advancing past basic forward propulsion for some of that final 3 miles (nine km an hour at one stage on a shallow incline).
What I need is a target but I haven't figured it out yet. I'm signed up to do Galway 70.3 but am strongly considering deferring it. At the moment, I feel like it's hanging over me. I had a 20 week training plan that was to start at the beginning of this month, but at this stage, I know that I won't do better than I did last year, and therein lies the lack of motivation.
Trying to figure out any race target is difficult at the moment, as I can't imagine racing when I can barely finish a 5k training run. Perhaps I just need to focus firstly on getting fit, and then on a target.
Whatever about a race motivation, I certainly have no triathlon motivation. Work changes mean that it's going to be extremely difficult to fit in pool swims, I really don't think I can afford to take the guts of three hours out of my day for a trip to the pool and back.
Maybe a marathon at the end of the year, maybe an adventure race or two? I've no idea yet.
If anyone has any good ideas regarding getting one's fitness (and training mojo!) back, I'd be delighted to hear from you

Rónán

PS I've read no-one elses' logs, I've stayed away from boards totally. In a fantastically selfish outlook on life, I don't think I could read up on everyone elses' advancements, when I was going backwards! (I look forward to tuning in again though!)

pgmcpq

Hey Ronan,

Good to see you back. I had been wondering where you were. I'm in almost the same situation as you - maybe a week or two ahead. No running since November, new work setup eating into time, been away from ART completely as reading everyone's logs was doing my head in.

My first run this year was three weeks ago. It lasted 1.8 miles ! I was totally shattered and had to walk home. Yesterday I did 11 miles, my high for the year - woohoo !

I found it hard not to try to pick up where I left off - and it just doesn't work like that.

As a practical suggestion : I'm looking only at heart rate on the run - forget pace, etc, etc. You'll be tempted to return to the old rythems but you have to fight that.

The mojo is starting to come back. There have been a few times when I have started to feel like my old self again. After missing two marathons and a bunch of target races I was feeling pretty low. But after a few weeks of dragging myself out of bed the mojo is starting to come back. The simply fact of starting to train alone effects the way you feel about things. So even if I don't feel like it I am still trying to get out there.

You know yourself how you respond to targets ans targets. Personally I have no illusions about what I can expect. Not even sure the hip/knee will suvive a return to my old training. So make the target realistic - but forget about PBs for a while. The first aim is to get back to where you
were. Could you do Galway 70.3 with a "give it a shot"/see where I am mindset and build from there ?

The good news is - it does come back - ( even if it is like tempting a frightened kitten out from under the sofa ).

best of luck. I'll be very interested to read you progress.

littlebug

Good to see you back Ronan!

ronanmac

pgmcpq, thanks very much for the reassuring words. Helpful starting out again!

I definitely feel an improvement over the last two runs, like I can eek out an extra kilometre (but not yet without taking a breather at some stage).
Anyway, back to logging...

Sunday:
Bike on the trainer
Distance: 28km
Time: 48 min
Cadence: 88rpm
Ave Speed: 35.7 kmh
Ave/Max HR: 149/170

Monday
Yoga
1 hour

Tuesday
A day in the office in Dublin, head needed clearance when I got home
Run
Route: Dóilín/An Rinn
Distance: 7.3km
Time: 36:01 min
Ave Pace: 4:46 min/km
Ave/Max HR: 167/182

Today
AM
20 min core work

Lunch time
Bike
Route: Work to Ros Muc and back
Distance: 33.18km
Time: 1:13:49 min
Cadence: 85rpm
Ave Speed: 27 kmh
Ave/Max HR: 159/178

catweazle

And heres me deliberately fueling my efforts into the red zone by thinking the man is training so much he hasn't even got time to update his log

Welcome back!

ronanmac

catweazle wrote: »

And heres me deliberately fueling my efforts into the red zone by thinking the man is training so much he hasn't even got time to update his log

Welcome back!

Thanks (belatedly!). I laughed when I read your post, I think you could start tapering now until the end of the year and still destroy me at any given race!

ronanmac

Between a slight return of illness, busy work schedule, some personal stuff and a short trip to Spain to see my new nephew, my return to training hasn't had a consistent, settled pattern. Things have improved over the past two week, though, and although I'm doing no swimming, the running and biking are keeping me ticking over.

Summary from last post up to last Sunday week:
Run: 93.75 kilometres
Bike: 201.25
Swim: 500m

ronanmac

The Dublin half marathon last September was my last race, and having not run 10k without stopping for a break in an awful long time, I felt a bit anxious about this race. The purpose of the race was to get things going in my head again, if nothing else. Be it good or bad, I've never done a race that hasn't gotten me foccused on what need to be done, training-wise.
It was a cracking day in Ballybrit for the inaugural Great Race Galway 10k, and my self and Bren, who had also been away from racing for a good while, lined up together. The plan on my part was to stay comfortably enough that I would be able to complete the race without stopping but to push myself enough to give me a test.
It was a tough course, plenty of drags and two tough climbs. I got through it okay, no earth-shattering time but still faster than I had expected. Good to be back.

Position: 40th of 285 (14%)

Route: Great Race Galway
Time: 42:44
Distance: 10km (+ 1.5km warmup)
Ave Pace: 4:18
Ave/Max HR: 181/190

ronanmac

Training this week was interrupted by work trips to Cork and Kerry, which only reinforces the need for a focussed plan. With 70.3 Galway out the window, I'm toying with DCM, I'll see how things are shaping up over the next few weeks.

Monday:
Lunchtime interval bike session from work. Short but tiring!

Route: Work to Scríb and back
Distance: 25.26km
Time: 53:24
Ave/Max Speed: 28.4 kph/ 49.5kph
Ave/Max HR: 160/177
Ave Cadence: 84

Tuesday:
Another lunchtime session. A run with a few intervals thrown in. Warm day
Route: Work to Tuairín
Time: 34:17
Distance: 7.57km
Ave Pace: 4:32
Ave/Max HR: 167/182

Nothing Wednesday, Thursday or Friday

Saturday:
My first run into double figures, mile-wise, in aaagggeeesss! Tired but happy at the end, my first indication that a comeback of sorts is in someway possible! Belting rain but not cold.

Route: Tismeáin/Gleann Mór/Cladhnach/Doire Fhearta Loop
Time: 1:23:49
Distance: 16.9km
Ave Pace: 4:58
Ave/Max HR: 160/173

Sunday:
A club spin with plenty of bursts and plenty of sitting in! A very civil coffee and scones at Zetland House in Cashel half-way through!
Route: An Cheathrú Rua to Cashel and back
Distance: 74.44km
Time: 2:36:46
Ave/Max Speed: 28.5 kph/ 57.1kph
Ave/Max HR: 150/180
Ave Cadence: 76

pgibbo

Great to see you back racing. Good time too all things considered. I guess when you have, you have it! :cool:

Failte ar ais, aris

pgmcpq

ronanmac wrote: »

The Dublin half marathon last September was my last race, and having not run 10k without stopping for a break in an awful long time, I felt a bit anxious about this race. The purpose of the race was to get things going in my head again, if nothing else. Be it good or bad, I've never done a race that hasn't gotten me foccused on what need to be done, training-wise.
It was a cracking day in Ballybrit for the inaugural Great Race Galway 10k, and my self and Bren, who had also been away from racing for a good while, lined up together. The plan on my part was to stay comfortably enough that I would be able to complete the race without stopping but to push myself enough to give me a test.
It was a tough course, plenty of drags and two tough climbs. I got through it okay, no earth-shattering time but still faster than I had expected. Good to be back.

Position: 40th of 285 (14%)

Route: Great Race Galway
Time: 42:44
Distance: 10km (+ 1.5km warmup)
Ave Pace: 4:18
Ave/Max HR: 181/190

Great to see you return and that's a more than respectable first step back.

Interesting thinking on this ... I've been thinking that maybe I should try a 10k race this summer to at least checkpoint where I am and so set some reaonsable training goals.

ronanmac

pgmcpq wrote: »

Interesting thinking on this ... I've been thinking that maybe I should try a 10k race this summer to at least checkpoint where I am and so set some reaonsable training goals.

Yeah, I reckon I'll do another 10k in a few weeks as a progress measure.
Typically, however, no sooner have I returned to logging on boards, I'm down again with illness, a mild infection this time. My immune system has definitely taken a kicking and I suspect what would normally have been an easy weekend's training took its toll. I'm busily reading about the immune system today, however, and I'll be an expert on the topic soon!
I wouldn't mind, but a new set of wheels have arrived for the tri bike, and I was looking forward to giving them a spin this week!

ronanmac

I transferred my Galway 70.3 entry today to Austria St Polten 70.3 next May (hopefully, I'll have started back training by then ).

It's been another week of no training due to illness. I went to the doc on Saturday (this whole saga has turned me into a hypochondriac, no doubt), and we established that it wasn't the return of the previous problem, more likely a virus and that I just had to let it pass through the system. My immune system is in bits, any decent effort has the end result of some sort of illness .

Anyway, a 16 week marathon programme would have me starting next week, I was going to start tomorrow to give myself a week's emergency leeway. Will give it a shot tomorrow, but am not going to enter DCM until the last minute just in case. I hadn't planned on attempting another marathon until I was reasonably confident of at least attempting a sub-3 effort. There will be no sub-3 effort in October, indeed difficult to see myself PBing at this stage.

In a sense, I wonder if there's a point to it, should I just focus on upping 10k speed and coming back to longer distances at another time, but I sense that the focus of marathon training (immune system allowing) will help me get back into shape.

The worst thing about all of this is that there is still a set of lovely race wheels on my tri bike that haven't even been tried out yet!

ronanmac

After the repeated illnesses, I decided I'd start the Furman marathon programme this week, but without any other activity on the non-running days so as to give the immune system a chance to recover. I had planned to give myself a week's flexability, starting the marathon programme a week early, but after the way the week went, I think I'll do the first week over again, starting tomorrow.

Tuesday
Intervals on Páirc an Chathanaigh

A mile down to the pitch, 3 x 1 mile intervals, and a mile home. I felt like an old man after this run, and like an even older man the following day. So as to judge where I was fitness-wise, I started off with a sub-6 min/mile pace attempt, that quickly fell apart after the first .5 mile so it was a case of keep on keeping on, and with ever-lengthening stopwatch pauses between intervals
Distance: 8.13km
Time: 38:26
Pace: 4:44 min/km (3:56, 4:11, 4:09)
HR(ave/max): 171/191

Thursday
Tempo to Cladhnach and back

Two miles warmup, two cooldown, with a two miles tempo in the middle. Again, a stopwatch pause in the middle to get my heart/lungs/head into a manageable position before turning for home. The second tempo mile felt easier than the second.
Distance: 9.65km
Time: 45:32
Pace: 4:43 min/km (4:12, 4:00)
HR(ave/max): 169/186

Sunday
LSR to Ros an Mhíl and back

Saturday's LSR was postponed to Sunday due to the eldest lad's fourth birthday party. We bought him a bike, and he spent a large chunk of Sunday doing run/bike/run races around the house (more races, so, than this father this weather!). They say you can learn something from everybody, and certainly, not removing your helmet all day speeds up transitions no end!
This was the longest run I've done in quite a while, and although the distance was doable, there was a predictably long fade as the run went on. I'll try it again next weekend!
Distance: 20.92km
Time: 1:45:45
Pace: 5:03 min/km
HR(ave/max): 157/172