Gaelforce West 21/8/10

watergal

g0g wrote: »

Thought I might add my tuppence worth as I read the thread every couple of days now. Great source of information thanks everyone!
Hiya

I do all my training in the pheonix park. The hills aren't very big, but something is better than nothing. Try running up the kyber pass a few times one night a week. That's what I do. It's about developing muscle strength and do a longer run to develop stamina. Once you have these, you should be able to hike C.P. reasonably. Of course if you were training on mountain runs, you'd be in a much better position to tackle CP, but just work with what you've got. Most people taking part won't have had the opportunity to do mountain walking either. If you've already done a marathon you'll know that distance will never kill you, but pace will- so take it easy and keep your energy for the blast home on the bike !
I have a terrible fear of heights and at the moment am trying to find a way to get over it as the last thing I want is to be frozen with fear halfway up CP ( has happened to me before- not on CP, but somewhere else. Had to get my friend to lead me the rest of the way hand in hand. )This didn't really hit me until this week as I was concentrating on running and cycling- the things that I do have access to do, but now all I can think of is how I'm going to get up the reek. I think it will have to be a case of heading straight from the bike with head down. I;m not going to hang around at the base as the longer I stay looking at what's ahead- the harder it will be to start...

Mr Freeze

g0g wrote: »

This one seems like a type designed for running that ties around your waste. Is Wiggle known to be cheap or reliable? Have seen that site mentioned in other posts.

Thats the very bag I bought off Wiggle, its excellent, High recommend it and Wiggle is a very reliable site.

ThisRegard

CKWPORT wrote: »

Thats the very bag I bought off Wiggle, its excellent, High recommend it and Wiggle is a very reliable site.

Gaelforce is going to look like it's sponsored by Camelbak this year I bought one of those at the start of the summer and I now know at least 4 others who since got one, and now you two, whch makes 7 altogether. And that's just people I know through training or here.

It's a great little bag though, you won't get a whole load of stuff into it but will get everything you need for the day, the side pockets are great for the gels and food and the elasticated string on the back is where I keep my jacket.

watergal

ThisRegard wrote: »

Gaelforce is going to look like it's sponsored by Camelbak this year I bought one of those at the start of the summer and I now know at least 4 others who since got one, and now you two, whch makes 7 altogether. And that's just people I know through training or here.

It's a great little bag though, you won't get a whole load of stuff into it but will get everything you need for the day, the side pockets are great for the gels and food and the elasticated string on the back is where I keep my jacket.

am I the only person using a bum bag ??

Mr Freeze

watergal wrote: »

am I the only person using a bum bag ??

There will probably be loads with bumbags! and marathon belts.

If you are not using a hydration system like the camelbaks, then all the kit should fit into a bumbag.

yop

watergal wrote: »

I have a terrible fear of heights and at the moment am trying to find a way to get over it as the last thing I want is to be frozen with fear halfway up CP ( has happened to me before- not on CP, but somewhere else. Had to get my friend to lead me the rest of the way hand in hand. )This didn't really hit me until this week as I was concentrating on running and cycling- the things that I do have access to do, but now all I can think of is how I'm going to get up the reek. I think it will have to be a case of heading straight from the bike with head down. I;m not going to hang around at the base as the longer I stay looking at what's ahead- the harder it will be to start...

I wud not be good on heights either, the cone is fair steep so my tactic is to NEVER lookup once I hit the cone, and end up on my hands going up a nice stretch of it. Its not pretty or fast but I have to do it this way.

Silas79

Vitamin C wrote: »

I've read a lot about everyone stocking up with loads of carbs the week before the race.

Unfortunately I can't eat a lot of stuff including pasta and bread. Would rice and spuds be a sufficient source of carbs for the week before would anyone know?

Or if not does anyboday have an alternative source of carbs to wheat based stuff?

Cheers

I have the same problem and I just eat rice, potatoes or spelt bread. I can't tolerate sugar at all so that rules out energy gels etc. Any natural alternatives? There is only so many bananas a person can eat!

watergal

Silas79 wrote: »

I have the same problem and I just eat rice, potatoes or spelt bread. I can't tolerate sugar at all so that rules out energy gels etc. Any natural alternatives? There is only so many bananas a person can eat!

I can't tolerate gels either, so I've ran many marathons on water and fig roll bars and worked well for me. Not a "natural alternative" I know, but just something else that is carbo-rich with a bit of salt and sugar.

watergal

yop wrote: »

I wud not be good on heights either, the cone is fair steep so my tactic is to NEVER lookup once I hit the cone, and end up on my hands going up a nice stretch of it. Its not pretty or fast but I have to do it this way.

hi Yop,
yep- I intend wearing cycling gloves as I know I'll bascially be on my hands on knees the nearer I get to the top-( basically like a spider crawl) .
Am hoping it won't be too windy or I'll be coming down on my hands an knees too ( I've come down Ayers Rock on my bum many years ago) .It won't be pretty, but it's the only way I can think of .
As you said- I definitely won't be looking upwards ( or backwards). Am just going to try and limit my vision to what's immdeiately in front at low level..
At least I know I won't be the only one in this boat

toomuchdetail

watergal wrote: »

I have a terrible fear of heights and at the moment am trying to find a way to get over it as the last thing I want is to be frozen with fear halfway up CP QUOTE]

Was on the reek this evening and if the weather on the day is anthing like this evening you should have nothing really to worry about , I am not a great runner/hill runner but something that helped me today and should help you if conditions are right on the day is that if clould and mist is as low as it was this evening you could only see 10m in front of you so looking down or to the sides is not an issue.
As the cone was hidden in cloud I just arrived at it , it didnt seem as hard work as I remembered it. Ground is also a lot more compacted in places that the last time I was on it in March .
Your focus on the day and the style you will have to adapt due to the terrain will mean you will only be looking a few meters in front of you at any time , if your looking around you will fall over ... I know !!

Mr Freeze

Did you come down the shale part of the cone or the path or was it ruined from Reek Sunday?

Youngatheart

I've been training fairly well since the last training weekend, but I've been having a problem with chafing in a very awkward place. I think it might be my shorts, though I've tried several different ones - Nike running shorts, cycle shorts etc. Anyone else had this? Any ideas how to deal with it? apart from that, I feel I'm comfortable with running up to 15K in around 1hr 10min, and 10K consistently under 48min. I've done a few brick sessions - cycle 23K over to the mountains, then a 10k including going up Black Hill, near Ballinascorney, in about 52min (half the time going uphill, then the other half going down, over a longer distance) then back home 23k on the bike. It's a gradual uphill from Celbridge, where I live, at the level of the Liffey, to the foothills of the mountains beyond Brittas, and that has taken 1hr 02min over, then 49min back, as it's mostly downhill home. Total almost 56K in about 2hrs 45min, including some hills, though nothing too steep. I just wonder about climbing CP on top of all that - I feel pretty wrecked by the time I'm home. I bought an Inov8 bum bag with a bladder, but it drove me mad - it kept bouncing around, and twisting. I bought a Camelbak last weekend, but haven't tried it yet. Any comments, ideas?

toomuchdetail

CKWPORT wrote: »

Did you come down the shale part of the cone or the path or was it ruined from Reek Sunday?

Path - couldn't see too much of the shale with the weather and what I could was cut to bits and wet . Might head up Monday again ,

toomuchdetail

Youngatheart wrote: »

I've been training fairly well since the last training weekend, but I've been having a problem with chafing in a very awkward place. I think it might be my shorts, though I've tried several different ones - Nike running shorts, cycle shorts etc. Anyone else had this?

Might sound like a silly question but are you wearing underwear under you shorts ? If you are drop them (not in public) cycling shorts are meant to be worn commando. If this is not an issue look for Chamois cream , most cycling shops have it.
Personally I use tri shorts some comfort with functionality.

Your run times are great, I think your thinking too much about it ,break GF into sections and see it as 5-6 seperate races .
For your own peace see if you want get to a long hill (cycle to it if you can) and do several hill repeats run up it , jog down.
Just keep a balance with a little bit of everything and relax and enjoy.

Youngatheart

toomuchdetail wrote: »

Might sound like a silly question but are you wearing underwear under you shorts ? If you are drop them (not in public) cycling shorts are meant to be worn commando. If this is not an issue look for Chamois cream , most cycling shops have it.
Personally I use tri shorts some comfort with functionality.

Your run times are great, I think your thinking too much about it ,break GF into sections and see it as 5-6 seperate races .
For your own peace see if you want get to a long hill (cycle to it if you can) and do several hill repeats run up it , jog down.
Just keep a balance with a little bit of everything and relax and enjoy.

Thanks for the comments - that's encouraging. I generally don't wear underwear under the shorts - they're the normal type with the "built in" jocks. It's like the seam ( on the left side only!) seems to irritate me right at the very top of my thigh - where it joins my you-know-what! It seems such a minor ailment, but it's very distracting, and quite sore by the end of a longish run.

Thanks for the advice about the hills - I've been trying to do more of that. I find I have to keep slowing to a walk on the uphill parts, so I probably only end up actually running about half the uphill bits - is that normal?

toomuchdetail

Youngatheart wrote: »

I find I have to keep slowing to a walk on the uphill parts, so I probably only end up actually running about half the uphill bits - is that normal?

On the reek if you manage to run more than 1k/1.5 (2.5k in total) of it on the way up in 10/20m bursts you will be doing well, the cone is impossible to run unless your in the top 20% of the field , running the hills is to build up the leg muscles so he body can cope a little better .
Walking is going to the order of the day for most of us mortals of alot of the route up.

On the shorts I use either Orca or Zoot brands but all the good triathlon brands are generally seemless around the tender spots ,expensive but worth it. I even have 1-2 pairs from Lidl and Aldi that are pretty good , shop around a little on these and try them out before the race .

Mr Freeze

Just back from doing the 2 Gaelforce cycle sections.

The recent rain has made the off road sections alot worse than a month ago when I did them last.

2 Punctures on scelp today within 5 minutes, walked and rimmed it home. Hopefully we don't get much rain in the next 3 weeks, wouldn't want it getting much worse up there.

Mr Freeze

Anyone have the spreadsheet with last years results?

I was hoping to see the my split times and see where I can improve this year, but all links from last years site are dead.

ThisRegard

Hey CK, they're still on the site as I was only looking at them yesterday unless they've been killed since. Unfortunately it was on my office laptop which I don't have handy at the moment so can't grab the link I used for you. I'll post it if they still work when I get the chance.


edit: Here you go, the things I do for fellow competitors, logging on to a work laptop on a Saturday evening of a bank holiday

http://www.gaelforceevents.com/upload/articles/GFW_2009_results.pdf

yop

Doing the CKWPORT in the morning and do the route from Westport-Ashleagh-Doolough-Sheffrey-Owenwee-Bog Track-CP-Skelp-Westport

So if any hard souls want to join me I am going before between 8.30-9am from Westport

Mr Freeze

Some rephrasing needed in the above post yop! I will have my door firmly locked if thats your plan!

I am probably gonna go with the Covies in the morning, and do the 75k route. Enjoy scelp, I didn't!!!! Ah no I did, found it ok going up, punctures going down was the only issues, its rough.

Thanks A Million ThisRegard, you sir are a legend!

Youngatheart

toomuchdetail wrote: »

On the reek if you manage to run more than 1k/1.5 (2.5k in total) of it on the way up in 10/20m bursts you will be doing well, the cone is impossible to run unless your in the top 20% of the field , running the hills is to build up the leg muscles so he body can cope a little better .
Walking is going to the order of the day for most of us mortals of alot of the route up.

On the shorts I use either Orca or Zoot brands but all the good triathlon brands are generally seemless around the tender spots ,expensive but worth it. I even have 1-2 pairs from Lidl and Aldi that are pretty good , shop around a little on these and try them out before the race .

Thanks for that - it's very encouraging. I bought a new pair of cycle shorts today - and some bodyglide! - so fingers crossed! And it wasn't the Reek I was worried about - I'll definitely be walking up that! it was the lesser hilly bits! 3 weeks to build up the legs!!!

Orion

2 weeks you mean. You don't want to be doing any serious training in the week of GFW. You need to taper off and put some fuel in the tank that week.

Trotter

Hey all,

Just a couple of first timer questions.

Firstly, with all the talk of Croagh Patrick being particularly manky this year, Im planning on strapping walking poles to my bike at the change over and then using them on the way to the top. Would you recommend this, or have any tips on how to carry them?

Also, I'm using a Giant FCR3 hybrid. Is around 100 psi the right pressure to use for gatorskins?

What advice would you give for preparing for punctures? In my puncture kit should I have some of those CO2 cannisters to help inflate the tyres if I get a puncture? Im planning on bringing 2 spare tubes in the bag with me.


Sorry.. also.. I'd love to make a video on the way, just as a keep sake. Would anyone recommend a helmet/mobile type camera that I can use without too much hassle?

mangotron

i know it's a bit late but does anyone know any b&b's, hostels or hotels (nearby)? yes i left it a bit late. i heard westport was sold out. castlebar? worse comes to worse i've got a tent...

also, does anyone know if an entrant has a dodgy injury which would make it very difficult to cycle, is there any way GFW would accommodate him? i know if someone doesnt make it CP by a certain time they move them on to the next section on the course. but this is a bit different i suppose.
any advice at all is welcomed.

Wonkagirl

i seriously doubt they'd accomodate that mongo, but go onto the gaelforce facebook page and send siobhan bennett a message..

as for the poles Trotter- why dont you tape them to the bike the nite before, when you register? rather than doing in at the transition?

i considered doing it myself but decided in the end it was a bit too much hassle..

as for accomodation- i left it late last yr (a mistake i didnt let happen again) and stayed in this b&b, about 10km out the road towards enniscrone.. was grand- clean etc and a mean breakfast, and cheap too.. try giving her a shout

http://www.bedandbreakfastireland.net/mayo_seabreeze.htm

yop

Wonkagirl wrote: »

i seriously doubt they'd accomodate that mongo, but go onto the gaelforce facebook page and send siobhan bennett a message..

as for the poles Trotter- why dont you tape them to the bike the nite before, when you register? rather than doing in at the transition?

i considered doing it myself but decided in the end it was a bit too much hassle..

as for accomodation- i left it late last yr (a mistake i didnt let happen again) and stayed in this b&b, about 10km out the road towards enniscrone.. was grand- clean etc and a mean breakfast, and cheap too.. try giving her a shout

http://www.bedandbreakfastireland.net/mayo_seabreeze.htm

Enniscrone.... Louisburgh I think you mean

Neighbours of mine them, nice views in the morning!


Did the route today, Sheefry road is has a few potholes and that, can't see them been filled in the mean time so its a case of beware.

The bog road wasn't too bad at all, plenty of bike tracks on it lol
Found it "mushy" in spots with the rain so the bike wheel was wavering. If you don't have so called puncture proof then you can still manage it, case of, if its a big hole, avoid it

There is a nice drag in the first 1/2 km of the rough bog road which will take the power out of ur legs but after that then outside of maybe 2 other sections then you are sound.
The only point I near came off was at the very end of the bog road, there is a hill and at the top its loose gravel, you need to get out of the saddle to get up the hill, this then leaves the weight off the back wheel, which causes it to spin

But I don't think there is anything to fear on that section.

I haven't done skelp yet, I noticed the road was well eat away with the rain so that will be fun

toomuchdetail

yop wrote: »

The bog road wasn't too bad at all,

YOP not familar with all the names of the various locations but where is the bog road ?
is this the new cycle thru the forest or the road up/down to the reek as per last year ?

yop

toomuchdetail wrote: »

YOP not familar with all the names of the various locations but where is the bog road ?
is this the new cycle thru the forest or the road up/down to the reek as per last year ?

Sorry yes its the new route through the bog road and forest.

toomuchdetail

Trotter wrote: »

Im planning on strapping walking poles to my bike at the change over and then using them on the way to the top.?
QUOTE]

retractable/telescopic poles should fit in your camelbak if your using one ,a lot easier than trying top get them onto the bike, seen a few guys with them last year , Using them is down to preference but I wouldn't personally , think they will slow you down .

the gator skins should have a recommended PSi on it but around 100 sounds right.
Not sure of the merits of C02 (have never used them), they can be tricky to use. Practice how to use them .Some shops might recommend teflon tape but again not sure of its merits
Also practice how to change a tube - been caught out a few times and its not as easy as it looks.