Budapest, Hungary Sept 8-12

shotgunmcos

3rd duathlon today and standard as expected was higher. Nice conditions and the course record was hung out to dry by our own Colm Turner with an awsome display of running and biking, but mostly his easy loping running:eek: Anyway personally it was just another so-so day for me. 5 second improvement overall from the last one but I didn't learn anything new. Dropped 30secs on the bike but gained 30secs on the runs so much of a muchness. 25th which is my worst position yet even over my rookie season. The first run average 5:59/mile pace starting at 5:30 and dropping to low 6. Everyone seemed to be running away from me but I just did my own thing. Faded in this section as always but noticed that I seemed to be tight around the shoulders and stride was forced. The bike was ok but I stayed at 53/13 and even 53/14 on the way back (the fast bit) in when usually I'd be hammering at 53/12. Made up about 10 places or so but could have done better. I wanted to save something for the 2nd run. Run off the bike started at 6:57/mile pace and finished at 6:22 pace. I plodded for the first half and was passed about 5 times. I noticed a clubmate gaining on me so I found some gas to take it up marginally. I had nothing on the last hill though and he sprinted up past me but the small thing to gain from this section was that I managed to build into the run and had a 'little', if ineffective fight in me. I was more wrecked today afterwards than either of the other 2 events. Its early days and I was certainly way off peak for this series overall but there were some learnings. First the progression of stats (distances 3.6/14.3/3.6)

Duathlon 1 12th in 53:53 R1 13:40(17) Bike 23:50(7) R2 15:32(32)
Duathlon 2 13th in 52:47 R1 13:19(14) Bike 23:17(3) R2 15:02(23)
Duathlon 3 25th in 52:42 R1 13:15(30) Bike 23:43(17) R2 14:44(28)

So the pattern and what I've learned to carry forward. Overall the series was not great in terms of the results I was expecting. Conditions decent for all 3 and yes they improved but today was the best conditions and so the improvement should have been greater. The rankings in the 3rd one indicates the increased standard of competeition also (qualifier).
So, Run1 generally got a bit better. What have I learned..?

- I tend to go off hard and fade. When I think of every good race, training session or test I've done I always finished stronger than I started and built the intensity through the session. Hence I know I have an initial speed burst to get out fast but I cannot maintain and so it suits me better to ease into it, establish rhythm and build to reel people in. So I have to reign the enthusiasm back in.

The bike was strong enough and when I eased off a bit the run off the bike improved marginally. What does this tell me.

- The bike speed is there but I need to A) get more bike mileage so it doesn't take as much out of me run off the bike more, even if its just a few mins and C) practice building to intended race pace off the bike

What I have noticed about the second run and noticed in both runs today is that I'm running tight. Basically thinking too much about it tecnically and not relaxing. As a result My stride is going to pot and no matter how much I ask of my legs they won't stretch out and take off if they are not relaxed. So, I'm going to focus on running by 'feel' for a while. Establish the most relaxed and natural stride for me and build cadence into that stride.

North Tipp Sprint is the first Tri of the season and as its NS this year which means the standard will be higher. Just 4 weeks to step the running up a notch

shotgunmcos

Struggling to get up this week in the morning, really struggling and its not because Caz is staying over, its because of staying up too late reading! Finished the second book in the Millenium Trilogy last night. Its a real page turner and had me up until 2am the last 2 nights. I might wait until the weekend before I open the last one "The girl who kicked the hornets nest" I'd recommend it so far anyway

Monday: Rest day, since I have no car at the moment though I decided to jog easy the 5km commute to and from work.

Yesterday: 10k easy jogging commute again (not going to be a habit by any means) and Track in the evening. The usual warm up, stretches and strides. Then 8*80sec with 1 min rest. It was chilly and wet but I felt pretty good. I haven't had a watch on this week at all as I am just running how I feel. I could feel the weekend race in my legs so decided on just 8 reps and holding back a bit. I felt good and really enjoyed the session. In fact I was running a bit better than last week in that I still got 420m approx per rep but they were all consistant. No dying on the last bend and no hands on knees in between. I even felt that there was more in the tank to push on the last stretch if I wanted. Why? I was just much more relaxed and running how I feel. No watch and no pressure. Most enjoyable track session so far More of this required!

This Morning: Swim session. First day back with the group in a couple of weeks and haven't swam in a week. Couple that with the late night reading and not enough sleep I was under no illusion that this would be handy.
16*50m warm up with fins, doing catch up, backstroke, kicking etc
400m*3 lead out the first 2 and came in on 6:55 but started to feel the shoulders and legs tiring. Fell back a bit and had to work harder to do the 3rd rep in 7. Only 200m as a 4th rep as fast lane were finished already.
100m*6 off 1:55 coming in between 1:38-1:40
50m*8 max off 1:30 coming in between 40-42 secs.
3,200m total felt tired so tough session.

--amadeus--

Hey there, got your post on teh blog but my laptop has died and is in getting fixed so access is sporadic and I don't have your email address (like everything else its on a HDD that is sitting on a repair bench somewhere :mad:)

I hope all is ok on the TI front & good to see you still ploughing through the training despite whatever setbacks you've had!

shotgunmcos

Yesterday am: went to meet the lads for an early morning run but we all arrived within a few mins of each other thinking we were late and so all set off running a slightly different route and although we finished within a few mins of each other we never crossed paths weird. Despite that I had a nice run 13.8km with no watch, running at L2 or what I felt L2 was. Took in a few miles of the Limerick Marathon course and wished it wasn't on the same day as Joey. 70mins total and then into the gym to roll out the calves and stretch. Calves felt fine. In fact it was probably the over compensation to the front foot in changing my stride and foot strike that lead to the calves reacting so poorly. Coming back to a mid foot strike is definitely more comfortable. Wet spring morning but mild. Very enjoyable run. there is something about running beside water that soothes me.

Yesterday pm: 60mins turbo. This turned into a brutal session. 10mins high cadence and then I had decided to do 4*5mins at 300watts with 5mins off in between. However, I felt good on the first rep and decided to extend it to 8mins, still felt good and kept going ... for 45mins! Then pushed it to 400watts for 90 seconds before getting off the bike and wobbling. Avg watts 293 but what made me push was the avg speed, 42.2kmh. I went through 40k in 56:33!! Even though it was only on a turbo, it was still a full 6 mins better than my last 40k attempt. Hopefully a good sign that I can go sub60 on the road on a good day this summer. A couple of months ago I was in bits trying to hold 300 watts for 20mins so I was very pleased with this session

Swim session afterwards mostly focusing on drills. Catch up, single arm, windmill, kicking, fast , slow, fartlek etc.. tough session but enjoyable. 1,900m total. Tough day of training but 3 quality session in one day is a rarity.

This morning: Swim session.
50m*12 easy warm up
400m steady
(100m*3 off 1:45/2*50 quick)*3
200m swim down.
2,400m I felt tired this morning so I was hanging on to the back of the fast lane more or less suffering. Had to be in work early so cut sessiona little short. I was dusted in any case. I can just about survive the tail of the fast lane if they are doing 100s or maybe 200s but a set of 400s would be a real struggle. The new swimming aim this year is to adapt to this lane so that I can get through a whole set without being dropped.

pgibbo

That's one serious days training. Fair play on that significant breakthrough on the bike.

LMAO though as I recall not so long ago someone telling me:

"I'd do maybe 3 doubles a week except for recovery weeks and they all happen on swim days. Like the lads said above coupled with a key workout. I'd never have 2 key workouts the same day or 2 intense workouts the same day." :cool:

shotgunmcos

Touche

...alas the run was only L2 and it was a swim day The turbo was the intense part and key session. Don't confuse 3 quality workouts with 3 key workouts :P

pgibbo

I think that is where I am struggling - key vs quality. How do you distinguish between the two? Cheers

shotgunmcos

pgibbo wrote: »

I think that is where I am struggling - key vs quality. How do you distinguish between the two? Cheers

Key workouts: These would be the most important workouts of the week. Obviously a race, TT or fitness test. All sessions should have a purpose. The more specific to your goal the session is the higher you might prioritise it. In another way, if you had 9 sessions planned for the week and with work, life constraints knew there was a chance you may only be able to get 4 or 5 done. Which ones would you prioritise? Ideally you want to be sharper for key sessions. Maybe you do a track session of 400s every week but next week you are increasing it by one rep or dropping the rest time. Hence a key session.

Quality: Getting the most out of every session you do. Ideally every session should be quality but we all do our share of junk miles where we just 'get through it'. Quality is about listening to your body. If your body is not up for it and you don't listen and push through feeling crap and getting a niggle.. that would be poor on the quality side. Its not just about have a great session and feeling brilliant. Its also about backing off when your body needs to. Its about how much you get out of the session. The sessions of greatest quality are the ones where you learn something about yourself and apply it to improve your training.

shotgunmcos

It was such a gorgeous day today that I wish I was reporting a nice long brick session. Alas no freedom to do as such and I was lucky to squeexe in a bit of turbo this weekend.

Saturday: 70mins turbo easy at about 215 watts. I had planned 2 hours but my 5yr old son wanted to play chess, priorities! He is improving every week and sprung a nice trap on me to take my bishop and check me

Sunday: 70mins turbo with a bit of work. Average 260 watts. 10mins steady warm up then 5 sets of 2mins 240w, 2mins 260w, 2mins 280w, 2mins 300w and 2mins easy before 10 more mins steady cool down. Good session.

shotgunmcos

Swim session.
900 warm up with fins mix of f/s and b/s. I can keep my arm over my head and kick fine on my back but as soon as I start to stroke my legs sink. Even on hols I tried floating on my back, my legs sink no matter how relaxed I am Also just cannot seem to get the hang of breast stroking. I kill my momentum with every stroke.
Main set was (400/2*200m/4*100m) all off usual RTs and mostly done at 1:42 pace. Middle lane so I lead a good bit of the session.

Concentration wasn't great this morning.

shotgunmcos

Mad weather we are having this week...

Monday pm: 80mins turbo avg 265 watts. Good solid hard work. Old school RnB on MTV which is usually about 100bpm.. perfect and reminded me of my late teens dancing like no one was watching. Actually, come to think of it I still do In great form I was.

Tuesday pm: Had sniffles and sneezes all day at work so decided against the howling wind and driving rain on the track. Rowing warm up and 60mins on the treadmill instead. Pretty easy with a little build thrown in. Been a while since I've seen the gym, way too warm in there.

Wednesday am: Swim session
16*50m warm up easy
(200m/2*100m)*2 off 3:50 and 1:50, in on 3:35 and 1:42 ish
(100m/2*200m)*2 same RTs. First 2 sets were comfortable so drove these 2 on. 200s in on 3:20 and 100s in on 1:39.. that stretched thinggs out.
(100m/2*50m)*2 speed
Felt pretty good despite being half asleep getting in.

Wednesday pm: 16km easy with some 60-80m strides included. Chilly evening but the mad showers abated. After a tired and sluggish start the strides kicked some life into me. Met Caz out on a run too so we ran together for a couple of miles which made it more enjoyable. Overall though legs were tired. Calf almost seized up on the last stride. Looking forward tio the morning off I am.

village runner

Serious Log................Its something I aspire too............Read your log from the start. Serious reading. I thought I was fit with my running.
How did you come about to qualify for Euro/worlds and what time would you be hoping to post in september ???
Bough a bike last year and get out on it irregularly......With the evenings getting brighter i might have a better chance.
By the way i kept up the press ups.............

El Director

Great stuff mcos! especially the pb's in the pool! 16mins....wow.

i am pretty sure that at the moment i have got my stoke pretty good, nice and long and strong and relaxed. The problem is the stroke breaks down in longer swims, even if it is over 500m. any advice? me be thinking that i just have to just stick at it, might put the same question to interested too.

any races soon?

shotgunmcos

village runner wrote: »

How did you come about to qualify for Euro/worlds and what time would you be hoping to post in september ???
Bough a bike last year and get out on it irregularly......With the evenings getting brighter i might have a better chance.
By the way i kept up the press ups.............

Well done on keeping up the press ups. How many can you do now?
QF for Euros and Worlds off the National Series last season. Problem now is though that TI sent me emails but no letter. I didn't respond to the no letters and thus lost my places on the AG team. I'm now sitting in the Selection Pool awaiting news of my place being reinstated. I'm not taking chances though and plan to give Joey a lash to QF again. Your own log is savage also dude, serious running going on although I don't know how you can stomach so much treadmill. Keep on truckin..

El Director wrote: »

i am pretty sure that at the moment i have got my stoke pretty good, nice and long and strong and relaxed. The problem is the stroke breaks down in longer swims, even if it is over 500m. any advice? me be thinking that i just have to just stick at it, might put the same question to interested too.
any races soon?

Getting your stroke sorted is the most important thing. I'm not really one to be giving advise on swimming though as I only learned how to swim in the last 2 years. Mileage helps a lot. For me I only swim as hard as my stroke will allow. As soon as I lose control, I get tired very quickly and out of breath very quickly. Practice doing sets of work (100s and 200s) off repeat times that are your race pace + 10secs. As your fitness improves you will begin to hold that race pace for longer while keeping your stroke smooth. I think you answered the question yourself though... stick with it! It will come. Yeah interested is the man to ask.

North Tipp Sprint is in 2 weeks. I'm looking for a decent performance after the mediocre duathlon results.

shotgunmcos

Thursday: Running 14km. Half of it along the riverbank easy and the other half on the track doing a set of 12 400s. I was looking for every excuse not to do this. Sat in my car and fell asleep for 25mins. I was tired and had a hard day at work too. I was nearly hoping it would rain so I could just wuss out and go home. Got the gear on and got on with it. It was actually a lovely evening and as I proceeded down the bank I cheered up considerably. Again, its the water that soothes me. I was feeling more energetic when I got to the track and after a stretch got stuck in to what turned into very solid work. Consistant reps all within target and strong throughout. I finished the session feeling like I could do a couple of more Very good session.

El Director

Thanks dude. Sorry to hear of the trouble you have had with TI! I actually expected them to not send me my letter so i e mailed them twice about it, thankfully i got it. I am sure beyond any doubt that you will get your place back. Silly in this day and age to have to write a letter back......e mail- isn't that the same thing??

Any way keep it up and good don't worry, it'll work out.

mloc123

hey MCOS, saw your post in the wishlist thread... what happened to the European/World qualification?

Edit: missed your post, nevermind

shotgunmcos

Friday: Easy 30mins on the turbo just spinning the legs out as I could still feel the track from the day before.

Saturday: In work today so making the most of lunchbreak. Swim session,
-2,000m straight steady state.
No watch but it was approx 34 mins which is a big pb for me. I didn't feel like I was swimming great but I definitely had a good rhythm going. Only glanced at the clock once about half way to get an idea of pace. It was around 1:41-42 ish so I just held onto that. A little traffic in the lane to negotiate and I got a full punch in the forehead also from an older heavyset guy :rolleyes: (who later apologised for wandering into the middle, nice man though). At that pace I figured I went through 1,500m in approimately 25:30 ish which is also a big pb and a nice indication that my goal of 25mins is very realistic for this year. Still more in the tank
-4*100m off 1:45 afterwards coming in on 1:30/1:32/1:31/1:30 these were very hard work and I was at max by the last rep.
-100m easy cool down
2,500m total

Had to mention Caz also. She only started swimming recently and is so nervous about it particularly since its 2 weeks away from her first Tri which is a 750m pool swim. Well she set about the task today of trying to swim that distance and hey presto, did it and now feels much better about her first Tri. All good!

El Director

Terrific swimming there mcos, fair play to you for fitting it in! Good quality session.

shotgunmcos

So training update first and its sporadic

Sunday: 2hrs turbo just spinning steady at 100rpm and avg 255 watts. Boring session and I was called for a game of chess again so gladly got off. Unsure whether to let him win or teach him to understand what I'm doing hmmm...

Monday: Missed 2 sessions!! But hey had more important stuff to do.

Tuesday: 5 mile riverbank warm up. Track session with usual warm up, stretches and strides. 5*6mins with 2min recovery. Held 6:00/mile pace for the first 4 and then started easy and built the last one to 6:15 pace. I was working pretty hard on the 4th rep and so backed off a little rather than dying on the 5th. About 12 miles total so calves need some rolling.

Right quick stock of where I am with Goals in mind.

Event Goals
Due to a combination of TI neglegence and neglegence of my own I lost my places for both Athlone and Budapest. It left me in the selection pool for both. Thankfully I have a slot back for Athlone (Europeans) but Budapest is still in the air. Selection Pool is considered in June but there are 2 last attempts to qualify in May. Joey and Valentia. Top 5 in my AG required. I've entered both. Joey is 4 weeks away.

Pace goals.
Swimming: I targeted 1:40 per 100m pace by September (assuming I get there now). All swim TTs have been sub 1:40 pace up to 1,000m and I hit 1,500m in about 25:30 at the weekend (1:42 pace). Conclusion: Target is very achievable and I'm well on my way.

Cycling: I targeted sub 60mins for a straight 40km TT on the bike. I haven't been out on the road much and far too much of my bike mileage is on the turbo. Turbo has improved however. Back in January I struggled to hold 300 watts for 20 mins, more recently I held it for 50 mins and had a little juice for a sprint after. On the road just one 60min on the bars lately at 35-36kmh. It wasn't flat out but working pretty hard on a rolly windy day. Conclusion: I have a lot more work to do but the target is still achievable by September. Some interval work on the road and generally more miles in the saddle required. I also need hill work as I lose too much momentum on hills.

Running: The target is sub 37 mins off the bike for 10km. The tallest order. Running form over the winter and into the duathlons has been poor. Yes I was changing stride and foot strike but it was still poor. I adapted slowly to new form perhaps due to not recovering well enough and not stretching and taking care of my calves enough. Bottom line though is the running during base 1 and 2 was not sufficient. Up until recently I would have considered this target to be out of my reach for this season but 2 hopes have crept in. I've been running more as I feel and doing more consistant track work and I feel better about both. Conclusion: I need to do a 10k soon to benchmark where I am. I also need to incorporate a long run and more regular speedwork and more importantly translate the speed into the run off the bike. Hence very specific brick sessions during the summer. This one needs the most work to be realistic by september. Doubtful.

El Director

You're lookin good MCOS. Glad to hear you've got your place in Athlone back, the worlds will surely happen too. I entered Valentia so hopefully I will get a place too, if not there is always the selection pool.

For next year I must also set my self some pace goals, this would give me a real focus, something concrete to aim for. This being only my second year I think it is more important to concentrate on technique (running/swimming/cycling); endurance and muscle endurance. But I think it's important for me to know where I am going in the long term too and you seem to have a good template there!

Keep it up.

shotgunmcos

Thanks El Director. Its my second year too! At the rate you are progressing I'm sure you will be there or thereabouts in those races. 25-29 amd 30-34 are 2 very competitive AGs though :rolleyes:

Wednesday am: Swim session.
Probably one of the hardest I have done to date. Got into the fast lane and hung on for dear life.
16*50m easy warm up
(200m*2/100m*4)*3 got lapped on the very last set so only did 3*100m on that one. 200s off 3:30 and 100s off 1:45. The pace was ferocious and relentless. I was coming in on 1:35-36 splits for the first 2 sets and then slipped closer to 1:40 but I think damn near most of the session done under 1:40 pace. I was heaving by the end. The most I've suffered in a swim but it felt quite rewarding to hang onto the fast guys for that long. They were swimming 1:30 pace so it wasn't exactly hanging on but I worked my ass off for the whole session since I wasn't exactly benefiting from any draft.
200m easy cool down easing my shoulders back into their sockets!
3,300m bloody hard session.

Wednesday pm: Run 15km easy enough in Z2 with 6*60m strides thrown in. Nice evening but legs really felt the track from last night. Calves and hamstrings pretty tight and calves needed rolling out afterwards. Apart from the strides I never pressed the pace above easy but the sore legs didn't make it feel easy. Uncomfortable kind of run, a case of getting through it niggle free.

Bambaata

Hey MCOS, i notice you talk frequently about your calves being tight/sore. Is this from your new stride (connecting with front half of foot etc)? If so has the tightness/soreness gotten much better since you started this method? I've been trying it lately myself and im in quite a bit of discomfort within 2km! Looks like it'll take a lot of time to adapt to.

shotgunmcos

Bambaata wrote: »

Hey MCOS, i notice you talk frequently about your calves being tight/sore. Is this from your new stride (connecting with front half of foot etc)? If so has the tightness/soreness gotten much better since you started this method? I've been trying it lately myself and im in quite a bit of discomfort within 2km! Looks like it'll take a lot of time to adapt to.

Yes, it coincided with the change in stride pattern and foot fall. At first my calves would just hurt after 20-30 mins. Then I got compression socks and could go for 40-50 mins before they hurt. The problem with getting to the stage of a run wherer they hurt was that they took a long time to recover, particularly if I was doing intervals or anything heavy. A foam roller next helped the recovery after a sore run but I was sure not to run the day after rolling the calves out at first as the roller breaks up the muscle sinue further and thus the calves needed more time to recover, however the recovered better.

It has imporved over the last 2 months. I can now go for 80 mins before the calves start to hurt but I also discovered that in changing from the heel strike I over compensated by landing right on my toes. I've since brought it back to a mid to fore foot strike and its much more comfortable and I recoevr better. Of course on short track reps I am up on the toes again.

Just adapt slowly and look after your calves. Hope this helps.

shotgunmcos

Thursday pm 1: Club TT league. Off work late so it was a rush out to it and very little warm up. I got stuck in from the start though at posted 23:25 average speed 38.5km/h. The conditions were lovely. The time was good enough for 3rd fastest overall on the night behind 2 Elites (well behind) but I should improve on it with a couple of more attempts. It was a bit shy of my target pace but not too far away either so I was pleased enough for a first attempt. I had no watch or hrm on but I know I could be pushing harder. My flat speed is good and I generally reel people in quickly but my ability on hills is just not good and something I have to work on as I'm losing too much momentum. Decent start.

Thursday pm 2: Swim session. Mostly speed endurance.
200m warm up
50m*4 kicking drills
25m*4 single arm drills
200m*3 at 905 with last 25m polo drill
50m*10 with 30sec rest max effort. These were really tough. In on 36-38 secs for them except for one in the middle at 34 secs :eek: and 39 for the last one. It was a caes of GO and GO HARD. Fastest I've ever swam and in a 25m pool a length is shortlived.
200m cool down, tried back stroke again but I'm just plain useless, even more so with breast stroke.
1,900m total.

Friday am: Swim session.
Medium speed lane
100m*10 easy warm up
(200m*2/100m*2/50m*2)*3 all off 3:50/1:50 and 60sec respectively
200m cool down
3,300m total - shoulders tired but foundt RTs comfortable and had a good swim.

Friday pm: Easy 40 mins on the mtb to spin the legs out with Caz.

shotgunmcos

What a beautiful spring day it is out there today.

Saturday: Bike 125km, run 4km
I opted for the fast group who were out for a long one. And long it was. Average speed for it about 30km/h and average hr 133. I felt awful for the first 40mins and thought that I was being dumb coming out with this lot since it was my first spin of the year and these guys were mostly training for upcoming HIMs and IMs in the summer and have the winter mileage behind them. I stuck with it though and felt ok after an hour. 2 climbs done en route which were a shock to my system. On the first ascent my chain came off so I was immediately at the tail of it and a puncture at the start of the second one over the Glen of Aherlow had me at the tail of that too. On both occasions I had to work really hard just to avoid being last up to the top. These are exactly the miles I really have missed every weekend. At 100km most of the group were motoring back into Limerick but after a few turns at the front my calf started to slowly flare and I was dropped. Met a couple after a bit of disillusioned cycling who were fixing a puncture so at least I had company for the last bit home. Longest cycle I've ever done and I was just happy to get home.

Easy 4km run off the bike which loosened the calf a little. Legs were dead and I had no stride but it wasn't a bad run. About 5min kms. 4.5hrs total.

shotgunmcos

The North Tipp Sprint 750m/20km/5.3km is this saturday and the plan is to race it and try to get a top 20 in a competitive field. However racing depends entirely on somone looking after my little budding chess master so the current status with that is not good. Liklihood of racing slim. Treating it as a race week nonetheless. The Plassey 10k is on next week which will benchmark the run progress or lack of and Joey is the week after hence I'm not too bothered if I can't do the race. Its Caz's first tri though so its all about her on the day.

I've decided to ditch the early morning swims for the lunchtime masters swims this week in order to get more sleep. Although the lunchtime sessions are short and sharp, I must admit they are quality over quantity.
As a result of getting 8-9 hours sleep lately, I feel brilliant!!

Monday lunchtime: Masters swim session.
Missed warm up due to traffic.
100m*4 off 1:45 in on 1:35
50m*2 recovery
150m*4 off 2:45 for 2 and 2:30 for 2 in on 2:20
50m*2 recovery
100m*4 off 1:45 in on 1:30-1:32
50m*6 cool down
1,900m total. Good session, lead the lane out after the first 150 and felt good.

Monday pm: LSR 20.5km 1hr40
Average pace 7:50/mile, average hr 152. Beautiful evening and loads of people out jogging/walking. Kept it easy in Z2-3 and just focused on staying relaxed. Calves were a bit stiff after the weekend cycle even after taking Sunday off completely. They got a little worse at 75mins but then this is the longest run I've been out on this stride.

Tuesday pm: Track session
Mtb commute 24km which I really enjoyed
Track was 5*3mins with 2min recovery after a few laps on grass and stretch/strides.
Calves were a bit heavy and sluggish on the warm up so I ventured off the grass and onto the track cautiously. Didn't belt into any rep and focused on running as relaxed as I could but maintaining cadence. About 850m per rep averaging around 5:48/mile pace. I felt great and stayed consistant for the 5 reps. Finished the session with something in the tank. Running is starting to feel better. Only results will tell.

Wednesday lunchtime: Masters swim session
Jumped into the quick lane again towards the end of the warm up, damn traffic. I have to try to get out of the office a tad' sooner if I can. Session consisted of 4 sets of
50m easy
100m*2 off 1:40 in on 1:24-1:25
150m in on about 2:08
I thought I was reading the clock wrong at first but the pace was much quicker than I'm used to. I felt great and even comfortable at times. I still can't get over those times but then I was in a lane with IMers and former Channel swimmers and those guys n Gals don't hang about. It is a 25m pool though which feels faster than the 50m UL one.
200m down
About 2,000m total. Super session!

shotgunmcos

Wednesday pm: Brick session. 50mins on the bike at a steady Z3 but with an all out 10km TT thrown in at Z5+ which was hard. I let out a couple of roars in the last 2km of it to get more out of my legs. People must have thought I was mad. Even with a 10min steady cool down after the TT effort the legs were still suitably tired for a run. 20mins run off the bike with 10mins at Z4 race pace and 10mins easy. It was a simple brick session but felt like a decent race simulation. Calves were tight getting off the bike but strangely enough loosened out on the run. While running through suburbia a girl amongst a group of hoodies thought it would be funny to stick a leg out to trip me up. Fortunately she was about half my weight and I was running down hill so it didn't have the desired effect but it maddened me enough to confront and scare the lot of them... punks!

interested

shotgunmcos wrote: »

While running through suburbia a girl amongst a group of hoodies thought it would be funny to stick a leg out to trip me up. Fortunately she was about half my weight and I was running down hill so it didn't have the desired effect but it maddened me enough to confront and scare the lot of them... punks!

Hmmm ...



Thank God for MCOS to wash the trash off the sidewalk.

Punks ... the lot of em

shotgunmcos

LOL thanks interested, couldn't see that pic in work v funny

Friday lunchtime: Masters swim session.
An elite TI development squad junior and competitive swimmer came down with his Da and lead out our lane. Holy jesus. He was taking it easy and coming in on 75 for his 100s. I was almost flat out trying to chase his feet only for him to lift his chest out of the water, tuck, tunmble and shoot out from the wall and cover half the pool before he takes a stroke!
200m warm up
(150m/2*50m)*2 off 2:45 and 60 secs. In on 2:09 for the 150s leaving a fair wait for the clock to reach the RT.
100m*6 off 1:45 in on 85, 83, 83, 89, 88, 88. I went too hard chasing the junior for the first 3. I was getting no benefit of a draft as he was gone and so these were tough 100s. Happy enough to get them all under 90 though
(50m/150m*2) off same RTs as above but I fell back into the group for this set and it was much more comfortable.
150m extra by mistake because some of us couldn't count (maybe just dizzy from trying not to be lapped by the junior)
200m cool down.
2,350m total in 45mins including rests :eek: and he wasn't even breaking a sweat :eek: Very happy that my stroke held up to the onslaught that this session was...

Friday pm: Run 7-8km ish easy with 4*60m strides fast thrown in. Running with Caz who is doing her first Tri in the morning.

Time to put it all to the test tomorrow and see where I really stand after the winter and with Joey looming.

Abhainn

dude have a good one tomorrow

El Director

Have a great race MCOS, and hope all goes well for herself too! Serious respect for anybody that has trained and decided to do a tri! Always good to put yourself out of ones comfort zone from time to time and challenge one self, it's easy not to and thats what most do.

And remember to smile on the start line....all the hard work done, racing is the fun part!

catweazle

8th on the cycle :eek::eek::eek::eek:

I thought you werent doing any cycling

Well done top 20 secured comfortably

shotgunmcos

Firstly today wasn't so much about me in my eyes but about a certain courageous sweetheart of mine doing something significant. In no way does Caz lack the physical abilities desired. She is a graceful runner, tough as nails and posesses what you would call a 'natural fitness', albeit one aquired from a lifetime of not choosing the easy options. She took up swimming Just before the new year and that alone was a massive leap into the realm of fear for she has a very good reason why this place, an abyss from her comfort zone, was her new mountain. With typical care and attention to detail she has developed a nice stroke but it has been the mental obstacle that ultimately presented the bag of nerves to the side of the pool this morning reluctantly but self motivated by the desire to to live life.

Her mountain. Today she conquered it. Well inside the cut off time Caz emerged to an honest and deserving applause and the bag of nerves responded with a smile and a leap of joy. Now she could enjoy the rest of her first Triathlon! She left T1 smiling, passed a few, left T2 smiling, passed a couple and crossed the line smiling. Her only competition is with herself and her own fears. Today she won that battle convincingly and I'm once again amazed by her courage.

A fitting start to a beautiful sunny spring day.

It was an opportunity for me to see where I stood. I felt fine and warmed up with one of the lads before a few lengths of the pool. Sorting out who was leading and what order etc was not great and the rapport and agreement shakey really. As it turned out my lane was a mess. I went off 3rd and my own clubmate let me through after a 100. The lead guy was motoring and I was working hard to hold onto his feet. The pace was good but I felt a few taps and let 2 through, another sneaked through too. I was suddenly too comfortable. The Lead guy lapped after another 200 and I figured once he got through I'd follow and push on for the last 350. Long story short he didn't push through and instead breastroked for about 9 lengths, albeit strong breastroking. Meanwhile I was stuck in a jam and emerged in 12:39. Consistant with the pace goals of the year but way off what I've been doing recently.

At the entrance to the leisure center Bambaata popped up in front of me. He had a great race overall but damn, the swim was my only real opportunity to make a headway! Ah well. I had a good transition while he faffed about looking for his sunglasses , however upon performing the 'leap of faith' onto the saddle I overshot it and, well got the pointy end of it in the nads which hurt! Ahem, anyway the bike course had changed this year and it proved to be a little tougher and more technical. Some nice drags and headwind everywhere. I was spinning nicely up the hills and holding a guy who usually outclimbs me with ease and with the usual straight line speed I was making up some places. Bambaata passed me after a few km. He was definitely moving and keeping him in range raised my game to reel in a few more. The course was shortened to 19km but a 30:47 return was ok for that. In the last km of the bike and T2 I managed to pass the two leading women, both having stormers but was overtaken again immediately out on the run. One other guy passed me and from there I held my position. The run was disappointing, slower than last year and 5.3km in 22mins is a pace far away from where I want to be. Transitions are fine

Overall 1:07:46 and 18th place officially (one lane did 2 length short which would bump me up to 17th but that doesn't matter). Top 20 was the goal for this one and thats done. The swim will be better than that for Joey I'm sure of it, the bike is going well despite missing the weekend spins, but the running is where I need to focus. The plassey 10km is next week... I'll settle for nothing less than a 30sec pb.

North Tipp sprint 750m/19km/5.3km 18th swim 12:37 (39), Bike 30:47 (8), Run 22:10 (44).

First one done, roll on Joey

El Director

well done dude. great race and placing, you are bang on for your targets. i can't get over that bike time...very very impressive!

delighted to hear that Caz did so well too, takes serious gusts and will power from deep down, something most don't have.

shotgunmcos

... and the small matter of cycling 200km on one day in the middle of June. Considering I have the sum total of one long cycle done this year I need to get my act together and get some miles in before my first sportive, only doing it for fun anyway. Joey Hannon is the immediate priority though..

I had intended a recovery cycle yesterday but ended up throwing a bbq and gorged myself instead!

Monday am: 90mins turbo steady at Z2 - Z3, avg 237 watts. Felt strange to be watching a movie at 6am but the subtitled but excellent 'Hero' got me through the early morning boredom.

Monday lunchtime: Masters swim session
250m warm up
150m*3 off 2:45 in on 2:20 lead these out
(100m/50m)*5 off 1:45/60sec in on 1:35/easy dropped back
150m*3 off 2:45 in on 2:35 fell to the back as legs cramping up and could not kick off the wall at all.
1,900m total, even though I was clearly tired and had no kick I was still moving quicker than in the Tri last weekend :rolleyes:

Monday pm: 5 miles easy Z2 run. Wasn't great now at all, legs like 2 planks of wood, hence shortened the intended route.

shotgunmcos

Tuesday am: 60 mins turbo Z3 average 239 watts. Steady session but felt tired an struggled with motivation. Got through it, just. Chain clicking once ever cycle as it passes over the cassette, sounds like a link is out of place or something... muts drop by the shop before any cycle this weekend.

Tuesday pm: Didn't feel like track or doing much but it was a lovely evening so thought it would be a shame to waste it. Decided on a short brick session. 30mins turbo/55mins run.
Turbo avg 262 watts,
10mins@ 250w
10mins@ 260w
5mins@ 270w
5mins@ 280w

All in one gear so spinning at 110rpm+ by the end.. that got the legs moving and made sure that they felt heavy for the start of the run

Run 12.2km with 35mins fartlek and 20 mins cool down
Avg hr 150, avg pace 7:25/mile
Fartlek reps 1km*4 in 3:49/3:44/3:36/3:44 respectively, 5:00 pace in between. Knees clicking reminding me to take the glucosomine again.

From demotivation to having a good session and feeling good

shotgunmcos

Wednesday am: Swim session
18*50m warm up easy
(100m*3/200m*2)*3 off 1:50/2:50 in on 1:36-38/2:22-24
Found the RTs easy to make and lead the group out for most of the set. It was hard enough work but nowhere near the intensity of the fast lane which will be a once a week venture after Joey. I was sleepy but swimming well - again better than the Tri performance last weekend...
4*50m all out off 1:45 so lots of rest meant giving these welly. Popped into the quick lane and held my own.
3,000m total

Wednesday pm: Snooze!
I had intended a short easy spin on the mtb when I got home from work. However, after lying down on the couch just to forget the office antics... I woke up 2 hours later with the start of a coldsore and sniffles... eurrrgh. I guess the body qwas telling me something. Hence night off for me and a cautios approach to tomorrow.

shotgunmcos

Thursday pm: Cycling 60km including 15km TT.
Nice evening but a little windy. Down on the bars for most of the spin. Easy on the way out with a little tail wind. Met the group, a little banter and lash into it 30seconds apart. For the first half of the TT I was motoring and took good lines through a couple of roundabouts and passed a few. After the third and about 8km there is a hill that you just have to attack. I attacked but it took it out of me. I found it difficult to hit a stride back into a light headwind and was passed by one of the elites who looked very smooth. I mustered a bit of fight but it petered out after a few kms. I averaged just 164 on the hrm and felt I had more to give but the legs would not respond. They were not asleep but I didn't have enough juice to build for a finish. There is a nasty little hill right before the finish and a suitable emptier usually. I had to swap to the small ring to get up it. Crossed the line in about 23:29 I think which is 4 seconds slower than last time. Average speed for the TT 38.3km/h. Not too bad considering, I feel I can still imrove on that. 1hr46 and 33.6km/h average for the spin.

Headwind home which, on legs that had just beed pushed hard... sucked!!

El Director

That is some speed for the TT Mcos especially considering how the legs were feeling. Your biking is just incredible really, and you don't seem to have done to much. Perhaps this is were the biggest improvement will occur. Heading out now for a similar ride to last Saturdays, a bit longer though, it's also colder and I don't really feel like it but here goes anyway.

shotgunmcos

Friday lunchtime: Z3 Run around the quays
5.2 miles in 37mins, avg hr 153, avg pace 7:14/mile. The legs felt the cycling from the previous night and thus it was more effort than usual. From work, throough the park, around the keys and back through the park to work is actually pretty hilly and much more noticeable without fresh legs. I was also parched (forgot to bring water to morning meetings) and really needed a loo. 10 mins stretching and lunch at desk. I was actually glad to get back to work for a change. Running with clenched butt cheeks aint fun

Friday pm: Long Aerobic swim, 4,000m straight steady state.
I just felt like doing a long swim and trying to keep going for longer than an hour which would represent a new milestone for me. 4k in 73:31. Average pace 1:50/100m and boy was I glad to get a hold of my water bottle after it!
Km 1 18:16
Km 2 18:31
Km 3 18:27
Km 4 18:17
I had intended to go easy at about 2min/100 pace but after the 1st km I thought 'oh no, I've gone too hard'. I had visions of struggling through the last km in 25mins or something. I backed off a little but the next km was still under 19. I decided to just go with it. By 3.2km though I was tired. Its a heavy training week and I could feel it. By 3.6km my stroke rate had gone from 36-38 to 44-46 strokes per length. The last few hundred were short and inefficient, however I was pleased overall to finish it. My longest swim to date and considering in Jan 09 my 1km pb was just under 19mins, I can't complain too much about the pace I was holding


Saturday am: Cycling 100km including recce of the Joey Hannon course
I decided to avoid the fast group spin and do my own thing. It was the kind of morning where I didn't know what to wear. I opted for layers and a jacket and by the end of teh spin I was positively melting. Good spin overall as I avoided any drastic hills. I picked up some company on the new Joey route which is a bit tougher than last year and more technical too. Having said that I think its a much nicer course though. The first few km out of UL onto the N7 is quick and then you turn right and head straight out to Cappamore over an undulating, twisty course and into a stiff headwind. There is a drag right after the turnaround point for the sprint distance and there seems to be a little sharp drag immediately preceding every right turn! Its quick on the way back in though with the tail wind. For the majority including me it will be spinning out on the small ring and powering back on the big cog. You do hit that same drag before the sprint turnaround whicg could take the wind out of your sail. About 5km to go also you cross a little brideg that has manholes scattered about it that will bump you off your bars if you are not looking. The last few km of this road back to the N7 is very quick. Overalll the road surface is good and. As usual the last km back through the tech park over the speed ramps is a drag that just sucks the last bit of juice out of your legs before the run. Pleasant cycle overall today. A bit over 3hours.

shotgunmcos

Sunday pm: 60min Run Z2
I decided against the 10k race today. Going deep in race mode on tired legs, quads especially, is most certainly counter productive. It would take days to recover from it and with a priority race next weekend that isn't how I want to start a week. Instead I opted for 13km easy Z2 and felt fine. Given the legs were feeling the effort of just walking up stairs today, I know I made the right decision. It has been my biggest training week to date.

15.5 hours total :eek:
Swimming: 3hrs15
Cycling: 8hrs5
Running: 3hrs35
Core: 50mins
Best session of the week; Hmm tough one as I had a few. The brick was a good session and the long bike yesterday very enjoyable, however I'm most satisfied with the long swim milestone
Worst session of the week: The monday short run where the body and mind gave out to me.

This week is going to consist of mostly easy sessions and about 50% of the volume. Plenty of core and stretching with the overall objective to start Joey as fresh as possible.

showry

savage going on the bike MCOS

shotgunmcos

Monday pm: 90min hilly LSR
19.3km average pace 7:33/mile, average hr 149. Warm evening, sweaty session. Revisited a hilly route I used to do tempo runs on back in 2008 when I last trained for a Marathon. It made me miss the fact that I haven't done one in ages, however there are a couple pencilled in for next year already. The hills are still tough but I am stronger and so they didn't take as much out of me nor did the heart rate spike too much. I felt awful for the first couple of kms and slowly found a rhythm. Focused on arms propelling me up inclines and lengthened the stride downhill. There was a hint of something sore about my left quad, particularly grinding uphill but it abated later in the run. Pretty happy that the calves survived this run. I'm still adapting to the new foot strike but its getting there

runningboy

ANY CHANCE YOU COULD GIVE BACK THE HAIR STRAIGHTNER I "LENT" TO YOU BACK AT CHRISTMAS?

pgibbo

That's one serious weeks training MCOS. Fair play. Best of luck with Joey this weekend.

What marathons are you planning for next year?

Krusty_Clown

Best of luck in the Joey Hannan tri. Will keep an eye out for you (though it seems to be on the same time as the marathon - Hope we don't meet during our respective events!).

shotgunmcos

runningboy wrote: »

ANY CHANCE YOU COULD GIVE BACK THE HAIR STRAIGHTNER I "LENT" TO YOU BACK AT CHRISTMAS?

:rolleyes:

pgibbo wrote: »

That's one serious weeks training MCOS. Fair play. Best of luck with Joey this weekend.

What marathons are you planning for next year?

Thanks Gibbo. As running is my weakest discipline I want to improve it before I attempt to go long. So I reckon Conn Ultra to keep the winter honest and a crack at sub 3 in the Autumn, perhaps Berlin.

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Best of luck in the Joey Hannan tri. Will keep an eye out for you (though it seems to be on the same time as the marathon - Hope we don't meet during our respective events!).

Thanks KC. By the way the after marathon party I gather is on with an ABBA tribute down in Clohessy's. The Tri lot and some runners too I guess will be up in Nancy Blakes which is a good spot and will smell of BBQ food. Bound to be loads of hopping places around Limerick this weekend. If there is a boards gathering I might drop in and say hi...

shotgunmcos

Hmmm a couple of sessions that show ok numbers but the feeling behind them different...

Tuseday pm: Swim session testing race pace
The legs were not up to any punishment so I decided to hit the pool for a short session instead. The plan was to do 3*400s at a test race pace.
4*100m warm up with fins doing various kicking drills
3*400m off 7mins and in on 6:29/6:37/6:40 respectively
1,600m total.

I set my swim pace target for the year at 1:40/100m and though I've been a bit quicker than that in TTs it was in the shorter pool. I had been hitting the pace for early morning sets though in the Arena. I figured I'd go off 7mins and try and hit the pace meaning I had to hit 6:40 per rep. The numbers say I did it but I was absolutely wrecked after it and the reps were getting slower too. I had an upset tummy which may have been a contributor but I barely made the time on the 3rd rep and if asked to go again I would have said no. I didn't even do the planned 100m*4 easy cool down with the pool buoy. It felt like the strength had been drained from me. When I thought about it the kicking drills were not good either, I was fading badly after 35m or so. I don't know what was up with my energy but it wasn't a good session. I think a cautious start on Sunday may be in order and build into it if I feel good. I would be over the moon if I can hit close to 25mins. I'm not sure if its a step too far just yet...

Wednesday pm: Brick 65min bike inc some fartlek and 25min run
The bike sounded like it needs a little TLC. 36km at avg 32.6km/h and 140hr. Session was 8km easy warm up, 20k fartlek (1km on/1km off), 8km easy cool down
Fartlek rep numbers
1. 1:57 avg 30.5kmh straight up a hill and into the wind to begin with :rolleyes:
2. 1:26 avg 41.5kmh avg hr 155
3. 1:35 avg 37.7kmh avg hr 158
4. 1:29 avg 40.1kmh avg hr 160
5. 1:41 avg 35.4kmh avg hr 157
6. 1:18 avg 45.7kmh avg hr 161
7. 1:31 avg 39.4kmh avg hr 163
8. 1:29 avg 40.4kmh avg hr 156
9. 1:31 avg 39.3kmh avg hr 157
10. 1:13 avg 48.9kmh avg hr 148

Run 6km building the first 3 in 4:14, 3:49, 3:35 and then easing down for 3. avg hr 152, hitting 175+ on the build ing bit.

Right so those are the numbers, so what do they mean? The bike course was lumpy and it seemed like I hit almost every rep on an incline of some sort :rolleyes: The only bit of tail wind was on the last rep. Overall it was hard work and the heart rate barely hitting 160 doesn't tell how much the legs burned. It was a strange blustery kind of wind blowing me around the hard shoulder. I didn't think 1km reps on a bike would be hard but they were. I couldn't help feeling I was lacking some power again though.

It was a lazy transition and a couple of mins passed before I hit the road again. I found a good stride straight away and I was pleased with the build in pace. Having said that doing 3km in just over 11 and a half mins had me in Z5 but it was starting to hurt. I found even winding down though I was cruising at 7min/mile pace. Perhaps I just need to HTFU and get into that Z5 place and suffer on Sunday.

The Joey bike course as described in an earlier post is good but will keep you honest. I'm thinking a sub 1:10 split on it on Sunday will be a pretty repectable split and that would be working pretty damn hard for it!

Last year I ran 41:30 or so off the bike, I highly doubt I'll be much better than that and at worst I'll be slower. Under 41 mins and I'm pleased, under 40 is the holy grail for the run on Sunday. I plan to pay a visit to that painful Z5 place and hang on for dear life :eek:

metamorphosis

Best of luck on sunday. Usually im around watching but im helping out with GLR so ill miss it.

Hope it all goes to plan.