Chasing the Kona dream and a Mai Tai cocktail

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

El Director wrote: »

Ya if you paced it accordingly you should be fine. How about an OW triathlon, just for the experience of all those bodies in close proximity, chopping up the water etc... although just checked for olym distance races and there are none, Waterville is on same weekend but it's a sprint.

Yeah ideally wanted an OW triathlon but the OW tris do not really kick off until June onwards. That one looks good but going all the way to Kerry for just a sprint may not be worth it.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Brianderunner wrote: »

7/7 style terrorist attack as you blow up is it?

Lol first target for London is sub 3:15 as i think i have a few more minutes in me. I may get ideas above my ability and try beat your Barca time and go for sub 3:10 and risk a spectacular blow out towards the end. Either way just make sure you have the pints lined up in The Red Lion afterwards:cool:

Brianderunner

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

Lol first target for London is sub 3:15 as i think i have a few more minutes in me. I may get ideas above my ability and try beat your Barca time and go for sub 3:10 and risk a spectacular blow out towards the end. Either way just make sure you have the pints lined up in The Red Lion afterwards:cool:

If your even close to my Barca time i'll be waiting at Big Ben with a rugby tackle to help you on you're way :pac:

shotgunmcos

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

Yeah ideally wanted an OW triathlon but the OW tris do not really kick off until June onwards. That one looks good but going all the way to Kerry for just a sprint may not be worth it.

I was thinking the same. Nenagh is a typical warm up sprint for me but I've no interest in a pool 750 swim. I'd much rather a cold OW swim. Waterville is a candidate alright but such a long drive down might be better spent doing a long bike, especially with The Great Limerick Run the next day. I've entered Joey on the following wekend though and 3 weeks before the HIM is plenty. I intend to do a sprint in between just for the OW practice. Valentia Island and Spiddal are options.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

shotgunmcos wrote: »

I was thinking the same. Nenagh is a typical warm up sprint for me but I've no interest in a pool 750 swim. I'd much rather a cold OW swim. Waterville is a candidate alright but such a long drive down might be better spent doing a long bike, especially with The Great Limerick Run the next day. I've entered Joey on the following wekend though and 3 weeks before the HIM is plenty. I intend to do a sprint in between just for the OW practice. Valentia Island and Spiddal are options.

I just went to register for the Joey Hannon and the OLY distance is sold out:mad: Time to rethink my plans, Spiddal is out as it's on the weekend before Challenge Barcelona (29th May for that race) so may have to settle for one of the sprint distances or else do a dummy OLY distance simulation race myself:rolleyes: I can see myself now swimming along Bettystown beach:pac:

griffin100

If you've never done a tri before you really should get in an OW swim with a bit of being bashed about thrown in. Last year I found TriAthy OD to be the roughest swim of the year given the narrow starting point.

How about this http://www.gatewayironchallenge.com/ - I'll probably do the swim if I can get back to reasonable swim fitness in time. It wont be as busy as an IM swim but its all good training.

Now that i have a solid marathon time behind me it's time to stick the neck out and put down some projected splits for my IM. If i can get that bike time down i think i could get close to sub 11 but below is based on current pace & training whilst taking the course into consideration.
Swim: 1:15
T1: 0:05
Bike: 6:40
T2: 0:05
Run: 3:45
Total time: 11:50

Given your training I'd be sure this is doable. My 2c......your transitions are vey quick for what is your first tri. Give yourself a couple more minutes in transition and shorten your run time....after all the IMUK marathon is only 25 miles:)

I watched the dvd Griffin sent me before i posted the times The bike course really looks savage and also a few big hills/drags in the marathon. It gave me a real good feel for what the course is like, parts of it look **** if i am being honest. I think i am regretting picking the course but i can always pick somewhere nicer next year!!

Feckin DVD.....all that footage and I must be the only competitor who didn't get a look in.....although I am briefly seen leading a pack up a hill on the bike in the main Channel 4 programme:pac::pac::pac:

shotgunmcos

griffin100 wrote: »

Given your training I'd be sure this is doable. My 2c......your transitions are vey quick for what is your first tri. Give yourself a couple more minutes in transition and shorten your run time....after all the IMUK marathon is only 25 miles:)

since when is 10 mins IM transitions quick? Interesting, If you sit down and have a 3 min rest will you be able to reduce your run target by 4 mins... I dunno, after a 112 mile bike I would need to stay moving or I'll doze off on the grass...

Notwitch

Interestingly the gatewayironchallenge has become a 2012 event on the website in the last week or so. All dates have changed so it looks like it's out as an option for 2011.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Griffin100- I thought 10 minutes would give me plenty of time, i can normally get changed and back out within 2 minutes at a leisurely pace on the brick transitions. It does seem like there is a decent run in/out of transition so i may need to factor this is into my times. My main focus on transition is to keep calm and not rush things.
What is this about a short marathon course....25mile? I will pop that DVD back later in the week as i am going to have another look at it this week.

Notwitch wrote: »

Interestingly the gatewayironchallenge has become a 2012 event on the website in the last week or so. All dates have changed so it looks like it's out as an option for 2011.

Yeah i thought i was going mad, they still have it listed for 2011 on the RunIreland site? That OW swim would be perfect preparation for UKIM.
I just realised i am pacing the Limerick half so a nice handy tri sprint on Watertville the day before may work, albeit a slightly further drive down & back to Limerick.

griffin100

Yeah I suppose my approach to IM transitions does make a 5 minute transition seem fast to me but MCOS is right, it should be well long enough for you (assuming no problems with getting changed in T1, GI issues in T2, etc). I on the other hand took 15 mins in each transition, with most of T2 spent in the jacks (serious lack of portaloos on the bike course last year).

JB the lads on TriTalk say the IMUK bike is 115miles but the run is about a mile short - I don't know as I don't have a Garman. Have a look at the 2010 thread on TriTalk. It all evens out I suppose.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Wednesday
AM Swim
Plan - to swim:rolleyes:
Actual - nothing, simply put i am making excuses not to go swimming so this has to change or else i will end up back to square one. I am now going to do this session tomorrow morning and no excuses this time!!

Evening Bike - Seated Hill Repeats
I completed 5 repeats of Tullyallen hill and 3 repeats of Rathmullan hill. Decent effort tonight and a good bit of Z3/Z4 workout involved. Feeling good going up the hills but i think i need to find something with a tougher gradient to really test myself. I will try and do one of these sessions each week.
I am tinkering with bike position at the moment but i need to sort out a proper bike fit on both my road and tri bike when it arrives.....every improvement helps!!
Distance: 26.5km
Time: 1:09:15
Avg speed: 23kpmh
HR: 140/170

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Thursday
AM Swim - Technique session
Out of the bed no bother this morning after having stern words with myself yesterday. Going to start splitting my 3 weekly swim sessions into a technique, speed and endurance session to give it some structure.
Today the session shaped up like,
300wu
16x25 kick drills. I had planned to do more leg kicks as it is a weak part of my swim but this took enough out of me.
8x50 one arm drills
4x150 pull buoy drills
6x50 fist drills
4x50 thumb to thigh drills
5x200 counting strokes and trying to put all of the above into practice. I got my stroke count down to 20 which is still probably crap!!
200wd
Tough work out and i was fairly knackered afterwards. I hate doing drills but i know it must be done to improve. Looking forward to an IM distance swim in the morning:eek: I think the longest i have swam non stop is 3km so we shall see how it goes.
Distance: 3400mtrs
Time: 1:40

Lunchtime Run
I just wanted to test the running legs out and decide if i was going to do the club session tonight. Kept the pace slow and enjoyed running normally again:) I had planned to do 6km but took in an extra loop before heading back to work.
Distance: 8.9km
Time: 45:37
Pace: 5.07/8.14mile
No HRM

Izoard

So, you signed up for an IM as your first tri? Legend!

shotgunmcos

Izoard wrote: »

So, you signed up for an IM as your first tri? Legend!

I was just thinking the same thing. +1 Legend!

pgibbo

shotgunmcos wrote: »

I was just thinking the same thing. +1 Legend!

RESPECT dude! :cool:

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Izoard wrote: »

So, you signed up for an IM as your first tri? Legend!

shotgunmcos wrote: »

I was just thinking the same thing. +1 Legend!

pgibbo wrote: »

RESPECT dude! :cool:

Yeah i am one stupid mofo:eek:

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Evening Club Session - 6x600 & wu with 6x100 strides/wd
Blustery conditions tonight and everyone struggled. Completed the 600's in 2.09, 2.11, 2.07, 2.14, 2.09 and 2.05 for the last one. Hands on legs stuff as the effort felt more like sub 2mins on each set. Interval pace was 3.35km/5.46mile. Slight niggle on the left glute so rolled it out when i got back.
Distance: 6.09km
Time: 29:10

I have signed up for the Fingal duathlon on next weekend and i managed to find this tri sprint which has an OW lake swim so looking forward to it.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Friday AM
AM Swim - planned 3.8km straight and 200 WU/200 WD
The two targets today was survive the distance and secondly try get close to sub 1:15 which i have targeted as my IM swim time. I passed one and failed on the other:rolleyes:
I found this really tough going and near quit at the 3km mark as my arms and shoulders were on fire. Managed to get through the distance but struggled on the last 800 in the end coming in at 1:19:25 which by my calculations is 2.05 per 100 which is close to 10 secs per 100 off my 3km time i posted last month. I was in no shape to even think about doing a 180km bike or marathon after it.
Ended up doing b/s for the wd as i was fcked.
Distance: 4.2km
3.8k Time: 1:19:10
Total Time: 1:29

Izoard

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

Friday AM
AM Swim - planned 3.8km straight and 200 WU/200 WD
The two targets today was survive the distance and secondly try get close to sub 1:15 which i have targeted as my IM swim time. I passed one and failed on the other:rolleyes:
I found this really tough going and near quit at the 3km mark as my arms and shoulders were on fire. Managed to get through the distance but struggled on the last 800 in the end coming in at 1:19:25 which by my calculations is 2.05 per 100 which is close to 10 secs per 100 off my 3km time i posted last month. I was in no shape to even think about doing a 180km bike or marathon after it.
Ended up doing b/s for the wd as i was fcked.
Distance: 4.2km
3.8k Time: 1:19:10
Total Time: 1:29

Good going - it is great to finally hit the distance mark and take the mystery out of it.
I guarantee you, by the time IMUK rolls around, you'll be wishing you could stay in the water a little longer, to avoid facing the bike:)

shotgunmcos

Well done on the benchmark JB thats good going. I've just done the one 3.8 too and I couldn't imagine cycling 180km afterwads, let alone run a marathon too. It about how comfortable you can swim at your target pace that matters. 152 lengths is nuts. It will feel soo much easier in a wetsuit and your legs won't be wrecked from kicking off the walls so many times!

El Director

Well done JB on reaching that target. You now have a benchmark and it will improve all the time. 1:19 in the pool would def mean sub 1:15 in the OW in a wetsuit.

griffin100

+1 on the 1.15 in ow if you can do a 1.19 in the pool. My fastest pool last year was 1.21 and I did a 1.15 so no bother to you, especially when you consider how much swimming you have left to do before the day. Dont worry about the fatigue thing, 3.8km in a pool is a hell of a lot tougher than in a lake IMHO.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Thanks lads at least that's the swim monkey off my back.

Just got a call to say my new tri bike will be ready this afternoon, i am like a kid at Xmas.:) I might try get out on it this evening/weekend and get used to it.

pgibbo

I can't imagine swimming 3.8k straight in the pool Fair play. Nice to have that in the bank.

What type of TT rig did you buy? Best of luck with it. :cool:

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

pgibbo wrote: »

I can't imagine swimming 3.8k straight in the pool Fair play. Nice to have that in the bank.

What type of TT rig did you buy? Best of luck with it. :cool:

It is a Felt S22 pgibbo, nice little bike!!

Evening Bike: Turbo 1:30
Tried out the new bike tonight and i am not sure if my position is correct, video below. It looks as if i am still too high so may need to take a spacer out from the arm rests to get into a lower and more aggressive position. This was a tough session with 10 minutes holding a min of 240 watts and 5 minutes pushing out a min of 300 watt x 6 reps on the San Remo course.
I love the new bike and cannot wait to get out on the road although this weekend looks as if it's a washout with the weather.
Distance: 51.7km
Time: 1:30
Avg watt: 264/405
Avg cadence: 97/110
Avg speed: 34.4kpmh
http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii89/jackyback/?action=view&current=VIDEO0001.mp4
Resigned to the fact of a long turbo in the morning:o

catweazle

I thought it was Lance Armstrong when I first saw this, I see similarities

What thats coke machine in the corner, is it a fridge?

Macanri

Hey man, Great to meet up with you in Barca. Well done on a great time, and a negative split too.

I watched that vid of you on the bike, Janey Macks your legs were going 90. I watched it again and counted about 120 - 130 cadance - feckin high. I don't know a whole lot about position but I'ld say your not that bad - slightly lowering the front may help. Although wait for better advice.

Did you sign up for TourdBoyne?

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

catweazle wrote: »

I thought it was Lance Armstrong when I first saw this, I see similarities

What thats coke machine in the corner, is it a fridge?

I would say the only similarities between me and Lance Armstrong is we both own a bike:rolleyes: Yeah the coke machine is a fridge, i have a fully functional bar in the house but it gets very little use these days as i have no time to enjoy or relax in it:)

Macanri wrote: »

Hey man, Great to meet up with you in Barca. Well done on a great time, and a negative split too.

I watched that vid of you on the bike, Janey Macks your legs were going 90. I watched it again and counted about 120 - 130 cadance - feckin high. I don't know a whole lot about position but I'ld say your not that bad - slightly lowering the front may help. Although wait for better advice.
Did you sign up for TourdBoyne?

Good to meet you to Mick, i know i have said it a few times but thanks again for collecting my gear at the expo as i would have missed the match. Yeah Mrs JB took it when i was doing the z3/z4 5 minute bursts pushing out around 320+ watts. I have not signed up for TDB yet as i am trying to juggle a few things around that weekend. I take it you are just doing the run or will you have the bike on the road by then?

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Saturday
Plan - 2hr/40mins Z2 brick session
Actual - 2:18 Z1 easy bike/42.25 Z2 run
I decided to head out with some of the Drogheda Wheelers for a spin. Pace was much slower than i am used to and the HR was comfortably sitting in Z1 by the end of it. There was a couple of little climbs to get the legs working a bit but overall i am not sure if the session itself will give any benefit to my IM training. I really need to find a fast group around the town who are hitting 28kpmh+. Great company all the same and it is great getting out in a group rather than doing the solo runs.
Distance: 55km
Time: 2:18:46
Pace: 23.8kpmh
HR: 123/169
Cycle summary
I felt very sluggish on the run and tbh it was a bit of a struggle which was strange considering the bike was done at a very easy pace. I really need to get back to doing plenty of runs off the bike
Distance: 8.64km
Time: 42:25
Pace: 4.54km/7.54mile
HR: 157/165
Run summary

shotgunmcos

Hey JB did you do 6*5mins at 320w?! If so thats really good going! I've never had my TT set up done in a shop but did do it with my former coach last winter and through studying pics of the PROS. Now others my critique and I'd welcome that but I just wanted to show what a lower position in teh bard looks like. Your front end gets lower but its a pretty aggresive position. This was taken at the end of the bike leg at Valentia Island last year and I had a decent bike that day. Obviously I'm carrying some weight :rolleyes: and you really feel it in this low position. Now I haven't changed it at all since and took it out for a spin last weekend. While I felt good and strong at the start of the spin I was pretty stiff afterwards (details in my log). So in short, a more aggressive position may be more aero but its useless if you can't hold it for 5-6 hours