Chasing the Kona dream and a Mai Tai cocktail

Macanri

Well JB,

All the best for your London Marathon. You'll have plenty of marathon practice after this. It's bound to stand to you in the IM.

Tip, bring a few 'Nuun' or 'Zym' electrolyte tabs out on the course with you - if it's warm it could be good to replace lost neutrients and help avoid cramp. Maybe wrap them individually in tinfoil, to keep them dry? I learnt the hard way in Barca.

Enjoy the weekend - nice to get away with the missus too, without the kids.

El Director

Hey Jacky best of luck in London. I have never done a marathon but I have heard that you must be carefull not to get caught up in the buzz and excitement and do the first few k's too fast. Anyway dude best of luck I hope you get what you want out of it.

zico10

Good luck on Sunday Jackyback, looking forward to your report.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Cheers folks for the good wishes,

mac - lesson learned from barca aswell have two zym tabs wrapped and ready to go
eld - I don't think there is any fear of going off too fast I expect the first 5km to be very crowded.

Number picked up, the expo is something else. Mrs Jb had to get me out of there before I bought everything lol

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Bad race for me, a 3:25. Lots of things went wrong and lots learned. Will stick up a report later.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Well overall a dissapointing result but London is a fantastic marathon to run in and i hope i get the opportunity to race there again.

Pre Race
Arrived over on Saturday morning with Mrs JB and and we headed straight to the Expo to collect race number etc. We were booked in across the road so dropped off the luggage and jumped back onto the tube to the 02 for some lunch and a flick. Nice plate of pasta in the evening and then off to bed early, probably managing about 6 hours.
Nervous as hell on race morning and just about managed a bagel and some porridge.

Race
I was in awe at the pure size of the London Marathon when i arrived at the Red Start and the organisation of it all was brilliant. Lined up in my pen and away we went.
First 10k
I was expecting the first 5km to be crowded but luckily enough i found it ok even after we all joined up after 3 miles. The kms were ticking off nicely at my pace if not a few seconds ahead of plan. Felt good and was loving the support from the crowd. Took a gel around the 8km mark and a few sips of water along the way.
Hit the first 5k in 22:19 and the second in 22:29 so 44:48 for the first 10km.
10k-20k
At this stage of the race i was bursting for a pee stop. I had considered just going as i ran but decided against it. I stopped at the 18/19km for a quick pee and lost about a minute which i stupidly tried to cut the time back too quick. I ran the 19th km in 4:51 which was more likely a 3:51 and i started to feel the pace a bit which was starting to worry me so early on in the race. It was starting to get warm out there and i was finding the weather tougher going than Barca which is probably down to the later start. 5k splits were 22:53 and 23:07 for a 46 min second 10k leaving me a bit off target pace. I took a gel around the 16km mark and took a Zym mixed with water shortly after.
20k-30k
I passed Mrs JB at Tower Bridge and the support along here had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Mrs JB said i looked good at this stage although I was working a lot harder. I crossed the half way stage in a pb half marathon time for me, a 1:35:36 which is a minute off my Waterford Half earlier in the year. The wheels felt like they were coming off a little and i knew there was no chance in hell of a sub 3:10 and knew i was facing a tough second half in the sun. 5k splits were 23:12 and a 24:12 for a 47:24 10k split:eek:
30k-finish
I was starting to have trouble with blisters and was cursing myself from changing away from the asics to the sauconys. I was starting to get a numb feeling in my right foot and only realised after a km or so that the sole was coming up the side of my ankle. I had to stop twice to fix this and ended up pulling the bloody thing out. Everything was a struggle at this point and i had blown up way out from the finish.
I did not care about time at this stage and i just wanted to get across the line. I took a short walk break to try and get the cramp out of my quads as they were killing me.
Around mile 23/24 i decided to just jog it in and enjoy the last few miles and the crowds which i did. Splits for this were shocking slow, 25:09 and 30:35 (wheels well and truly fell off by then). The garmin tells the story on how not to run a second half, i crossed the finish line in 3:25:27 with mixed emotions.
Post Race
I went down to the Red Lion straight after the race for a pint and i was probably going through something similiar to what Dermcu posted about in his log. I hate marathons, not for me etc etc. Braindrunner joined us for a few pints which turned into an all day session. I lost count the number of pints i had once we went into double digits:) The body and head was sore on the flight home this morning!!
There are a couple of factors i think which caused the blow up with number 1 being the biggest factor.
1. Pace: It was too quick i learned the hard way i was not in sub 3:10 shape. Could i have ran a sub 3:15? hard to tell but i knew this was always going to be a big ask with a risk of a struggle towards the end. Next time i need to have plenty of PMP miles in the legs.
2. Wrong shoe choice: I had ran 2 16 milers in the sauconys but i should have really stuck with the tried and tested asics which give me more support. I have some ugly blisters on the feet and these did not help my chances.
3. Hydration/Weather: It was warm, much warmer than Barca and i struggled. I think i was over hydrated before the start.
4. Taper/Training: Only doing a one week taper does not help along with a hectic training schedule and a marathon 6 weeks prior does take it out of you. I also would have liked to do a 22 miler in between but it never happened.

Still learning a lot along the way but i am not making it easy for myself.
Garmin Summary
Official

dermCu

Sorry to miss you in the pub but my phone died. Well done on slogging it out. It wasn't easy out there. You were asking a lot of yourself so don't be too down about it. Looking back through your log you get through a mountain of work so a 1 week taper could always be hit or miss. You'll be back and trust me it'll be all the sweeter when you have a good one.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

dermCu wrote: »

Sorry to miss you in the pub but my phone died. Well done on slogging it out. It wasn't easy out there. You were asking a lot of yourself so don't be too down about it. Looking back through your log you get through a mountain of work so a 1 week taper could always be hit or miss. You'll be back and trust me it'll be all the sweeter when you have a good one.

Cheers derm, yeah my phone died to. It was tough going alright but it's a great course for a future pb attempt and there is no let up in support around the route. Hopefully I can get through the ballot process for next year and have a better outing.

shazkea

Sorry to hear you're disappointed JB but well done on getting through it. Only saw a bit of it on tv but it seemed like everyone was struggling. Onwards and upwards and as you say you'll be back next year (hopefully)

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Monday
Managed 20 minutes/8km on the turbo before i jumped off as quads are shot to bits.

Tuesday
Short Easy Bike
Just out in the small ring to loosen the legs again, lovely day for it.
Distance: 17.17km
Time: 35:07
Avg speed: 29.3kpmh
HR: 142/much lower than this usual garmin spikes again.

Evening Run
Legs felt better after the cycle today so decided to go up and do an easy 5km at the club session. Legs felt ok but the blisters are bloody sore, started off nice and slow and the pace crept up towards the end without me noticing.
Glad i done both of these sessions today as it should help the legs recover. Not sure how the rest of the week will work out but just going to listen to the body.
Distance: 5km
Time: 28:34
Avg pace: 5:42km/9:11mile
No HRM

Just finished calculating how much i have raised for the Children with Leukaemia charity and delighted that i have raised a total of £1,940 STG. Hopefully the money will be put to good use and the last few miles of suffering in London was well worth it for such a great charity.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Week 22 Summary
11th Apr - 17th April|# sessions|Time hh:mm|Distance kms
Total|5|7:14|92.4km
Swimming|2|1:45|4.4km
Cycling|1|1:00|32km
Running|2|4:29|56km
Conditioning|0|00:00|Strengthening Work/Core - Gym
Other|0|0:00|


Totals so far
15th Nov- 17th April|# sessions|Time hh:mm|Distance kms
Total|247|284:34|4941.35km
Swimming|51|48:36|140.85km
Cycling|76|127:24|3799.3km
Running|98|90:34|1001.2km
Conditioning|16|14:30|Strengthening Work - Gym
Other|6|3:30|Swim coaching


All focus back on IM now.

Macanri

A tough one for you there JB, but that will stand to you in your A Race for the y ear. It's possibly by having hard races like that, that we learn the most from them, and what to do differently for the next one.

Congrats on earning so much for the charity.

Looking at your splits you must have got a lift from the crowd towards the end as you picked it back up for the last few kms. Well done, on a tough race so soon after Barca.

PS 'Compeed' is the dogs b... for blisters.

ronanmac

Thanks for your report, JB, it's a measure of your progress that a 3:25 marathon is annoying the hell out of you! For what it's worth, you're going the right way around it, analysing what didn't work and what you would change. Learning from days like that is the way to improve...

griffin100

I look forward to the time when I can do a 3.25 marathon on a bay day:)

At this stage of training it is IMO no harm to have a 'bad' day out - it brings back a respect for the distances involved I think. If training is going too well you may start loosing sight of how tough the long day out could be.....or maybe that's just me.

shotgunmcos

Hey JB, shame it didn't work out for you but a couple of things

- you set a HM pb en route - thats takes a lot out of you
- you set a Marathon PB 4 weeks ago and have been training for IM in between - that takes a lot out of you
- it was much warmer than expected - that takes a lot out of you especially in the latter stages
- you were gunning for an 8 min PB 4 weeks after setting the PB - that was very ambitious and probably needed a full marathon taper

Despite that you were on target most of the way which is commendable. The heat got to many. It has been a lot warmer and more humid the last few weeks and as such that drains you a bit more each day, multiply the effect if you haven't focused more on hydration since.

I went for a 90 min run last night with no water straight after work. By 10k I was thirsty, by 15k my lips were bone dry and whatever moiture had solidified at the corners of my mouth. By 18k my RPE shot up and pace dropped. When I got home I was gasping, more tired than usual and a layer of salt on my face. 2 months ago I'd ave gone through the 90 mins fine.

Today at lunch I went for a 40 min walk and even after that I was gasping.

It might be an idea to guage how much net weight you are losing in longer sessions. If its a warm day in the UK on the day, hydration will be critical.

Kudos for the effort and guts to go for it. Back on IM focus now for sure, you have geat work put down and the important taper is not far away!

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Macanri wrote: »

A tough one for you there JB, but that will stand to you in your A Race for the y ear. It's possibly by having hard races like that, that we learn the most from them, and what to do differently for the next one.

Congrats on earning so much for the charity.

Looking at your splits you must have got a lift from the crowd towards the end as you picked it back up for the last few kms. Well done, on a tough race so soon after Barca.

PS 'Compeed' is the dogs b... for blisters.

Thanks Mac, yeah as i mentioned whilst i did not come away with the time i wanted i learned a helluva lot in the process. Yeah i enjoyed the last 2/3 km and the crowds do help drive you on. Will try that Compeed as for the sauconys well they are being retired early as they have left my feet in tatters.

ronanmac wrote: »

Thanks for your report, JB, it's a measure of your progress that a 3:25 marathon is annoying the hell out of you! For what it's worth, you're going the right way around it, analysing what didn't work and what you would change. Learning from days like that is the way to improve...

Thanks Rmac, yeah this time last year i would have laughed at 3:25 being a dissapointment for me. I am very critical of my self and do not like making the same mistakes twice.

griffin100 wrote: »

I look forward to the time when I can do a 3.25 marathon on a bay day:)

At this stage of training it is IMO no harm to have a 'bad' day out - it brings back a respect for the distances involved I think. If training is going too well you may start loosing sight of how tough the long day out could be.....or maybe that's just me.

I think the bad day out could well be a blessing in disguise as it has brought me back down to earth with a bang. Sure i was even talking about sub 3 attempts next year before i even ran London:rolleyes:

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Hey JB, shame it didn't work out for you but a couple of things

- you set a HM pb en route - thats takes a lot out of you
- you set a Marathon PB 4 weeks ago and have been training for IM in between - that takes a lot out of you
- it was much warmer than expected - that takes a lot out of you especially in the latter stages
- you were gunning for an 8 min PB 4 weeks after setting the PB - that was very ambitious and probably needed a full marathon taper

Despite that you were on target most of the way which is commendable. The heat got to many. It has been a lot warmer and more humid the last few weeks and as such that drains you a bit more each day, multiply the effect if you haven't focused more on hydration since.

I went for a 90 min run last night with no water straight after work. By 10k I was thirsty, by 15k my lips were bone dry and whatever moiture had solidified at the corners of my mouth. By 18k my RPE shot up and pace dropped. When I got home I was gasping, more tired than usual and a layer of salt on my face. 2 months ago I'd ave gone through the 90 mins fine.

Today at lunch I went for a 40 min walk and even after that I was gasping.

It might be an idea to guage how much net weight you are losing in longer sessions. If its a warm day in the UK on the day, hydration will be critical.

Kudos for the effort and guts to go for it. Back on IM focus now for sure, you have geat work put down and the important taper is not far away!

As usual Mcos you talk sense. The four points you highlighted sums it up really. I weighed myself on Monday as i felt weak when i got home and i was 2kg lighter even with the food and beer on Sunday so i reckon i lost about 3/4kg in the race. If it is like that on IM race day it will be a tough day at the office and pacing/hydration will become more critical.

Not long to go for you now, is it 6 weeks and then taper?

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Wednesday
AM Swim
I did not make my swim this morning which sucks. Need to get going on the swimming again or else i will be in trouble.

Lunchtime Bike
Legs are about 70% recovered so just another easy session with a workmate although i did do 5 minutes at a decent click to see how i felt. Bloody water was off and showers were not working when i got back, thank god i had no work meetings in the afternoon and stayed in my office:)
Distance: 20.69km & 7km commute
Time: 43:30
Avg speed: 28.5kpmh
HR: 139/166

I hope to get an early morning easy brick in before work as i am out tomorrow evening and work is hectic so that rules out a lunchtime session.

shotgunmcos

At least you have showers in work :rolleyes:
Yep, 7 weeks to Taper :eek::D

Aimman

griffin100 wrote: »

I look forward to the time when I can do a 3.25 marathon on a bay day:)

+1

Bambaata

Hope you've gotten over London jackyback. You cant be expecting to pb everytime ;-) And as said already 3:25 isnt a bad time whatsoever!

Sport also isnt always highs! Its how we go about dealing with the low points that make us improve most!

Ive been there myself and you'll quickly get over it!

pgibbo

Just catching up on this now JB. I'm sure London will stand to you and you will take a lot away from it and put the lessons learned to good use come your A race. Hope the blisters are healing.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Bambaata wrote: »

Hope you've gotten over London jackyback. You cant be expecting to pb everytime ;-) And as said already 3:25 isnt a bad time whatsoever!

Sport also isnt always highs! Its how we go about dealing with the low points that make us improve most!

Ive been there myself and you'll quickly get over it!

Over it already. As you say cannot be hitting pbs every time and something had to give eventually. I have hit a pb in every distance over the last 6 months or so and the original plan was a 3.25 and 3.20 marathon time for Barca/London which i hit albeit the other way around.

pgibbo wrote: »

Just catching up on this now JB. I'm sure London will stand to you and you will take a lot away from it and put the lessons learned to good use come your A race. Hope the blisters are healing.

Lots of lessons learned, legs are fully recovered and hopefully the blisters will heal up over the weekend.

Thursday
Early morning brick 1.5hour bike/30 min run
Nothing, i got a call out from work at 4am as someone was trying to break into our site so that cancelled out the chance of this session as i just stayed in work as it was going to be a busy day. I was in Dublin Thursday evening so no chance to get a session in.

The week is not shaping up great but i have a few quality sessions lined up between now and Monday. I am cycling up to meet the JB clan later today as they are in the North so hopefully will try make a route of about 130km and possibly take in the Cooley Mountains.
There is also a class lake for swimming close to where i used to live so i plan on hitting that twice over the next few days. I will also try get at least one brick session in and an easy MLSR run in (i think i just made this up:)).

I have my first tri next weekend "Muckno tri - Hollywood Intercounties" which is a lake swim so looking forward to it. It's only a 750mtr/20km/5km distance so should be handy enough.


Have a good BH weekend folks.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Friday

Brick Session
I did not get finished work until late so delayed the long cycle to the North until the morning. First brick in a while and as i said in a previous post most of my key sessions will be focussed around some good brick sessions.
Bike Summary
HR was about 10 bpm higher than normal for the effort on the bike so even though i feel recovered this is probably a sign that i am not...hard to tell with the bloody garmin hrm though.
Nice evening for it if not a little windy.
Distance: 39.54km
Time: 1:18:15
Avg speed: 30.3kpmh
HR: 150/179
Run Summary
Quick transition just took the cycle shorts off and put the shorts/runners on.
Felt laboured for the first km or so but the rest of the run felt fine, 5.00-5.10 kms is a pace i could probably run at all day long so that will be the plan for IM and about 4.45km pace for the half.
Distance: 6.4km
Time: 31:53
Pace: 4:58km/8:01mile
HR: 156/168

Bambaata

You might already know but a huge help for me with those nasty HRM spikes is some KY jelly on the electrodes and some on the front of the strap touching the shirt. I also wet the shirt a little in that area and it helps massively. You will feel like a tool buying the KY jelly though :P but it works. A small €5 tub will last months and solve a lot, but still not all, of the spikes. Also cleaning it after every use and making sure its dried fully so the batetry doesnt run down help. Are you using the old or new strap? Im back using the older one as the premium one was worse than useless!!

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

@ Bambatta - I am using the the new strap. I will give the KY jelly a try:eek: missus will think i am completely nuts when i ask her to get some:) Cheers dude.

Saturday
Long Bike Session - Drogheda-Portadown
This ended up being done at touring pace as the missus left my stuff behind in the house. I ended up heading out on the roadie with a heavyish rucksack with running gear, wetsuit and a change of clothes. I tried (twice) to tackle the climbs around the Cooley Mountains but took earlier turns so at least i know for next time. Quads started to give a bit of bother for the last hour or so but overall an enjoyable enough spin at a nice low hr.
I broke the bloody strap on the garmin tightening it too much on the handlebars so i hope i can pick up a spare easy and quick enough. I had to throw it in the rucksack so i had no idea of distance/pace along the way or stop/starting the watch at junctions/lights etc.
Distance: 113.31km
Time: 4:30:28
Avg speed: 25.1kpmh
HR: 136/157

OW Swim - Oxford Island/Lough Neagh - Take 1
Headed down in the afternoon for an OW Lake swim. A combination of lack of swimming in the last while and the cold shock to the system when i got in i only lasted about 20 minutes:(.
I could not even see my hand in front of me. I am going to sound like a wuss here but i near drowned in a lake when i was a young child and i think i had a bit of a panic attack when i was deep out in the Lough and started flapping around like a fish so i headed back to shore quicker than planned. I would say my hr was at my max as it sure felt like it.....not so good when your IM swim is in a lake:eek:
Distance: ?? about 1km
Time: 20 mins

Sunday
OW Swim - as above Take 2
After the dissapointment of yesterdays OW swim i decided to HTFU and the plan was to double the distance/time from yesterdays lame attempt but doing a shorter loop closer to the shore just in case the same happened again. Mrs JB was terrified of me heading out in the lake but kept a brave face as she knew after Saturday i was ****ting it.
It still felt weird at times and had to keep sighting every couple of strokes but i managed 43 minutes in the water. Strange thing is i have no problem swimming in the sea but the lake swims have me irked, need to get over it and try do 1 a week if possible.
Distance: about 2km
Time: 43 mins

LSR - Well kinda
Headed out before MIL started to dish out the Easter dinner. Took in a loop around Drumcree/Garvaghy Road, It is about a 5.5km loop which i done 3 times. It feels crap not running with the garmin as i am usually constantly looking at it checking my pace every 5 seconds:rolleyes: Just ran freely and was suprised by the time clocked when i got back and the legs felt good with the blisters clearing up nicely.
Distance: 16.5km
Time: 1:18
Pace: about 4:43km/7:36mile pace

Sort of a mixed bag of training but glad i had another crack at the swim this morning as it was a real HTFU moment for me. Now to find a replacement strap!!

Brianderunner

So when's the sub 3 attempt JB?

ronanmac

Good to discover the dislike of lake swimming now rather than later, though! I reckon part of the problem is that there is always something to see in the sea, be it rocks, fish, seaweed... In the lake, as you said, you can barely see your arm in front of you. A few more lake swims and it'll be second nature to you!

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Week 23 Summary
18th Apr - 24th April|# sessions|Time hh:mm|Distance kms
Total|10|11:04|236.57km
Swimming|2|1:03|3km
Cycling|5|7:43|205.67km
Running|3|2:18|27.9km
Conditioning|0|00:00|Strengthening Work/Core - Gym
Other|0|0:00|


Totals so far
15th Nov- 24th April|# sessions|Time hh:mm|Distance kms
Total|257|295:38|5177.92km
Swimming|53|49:39|143.85km
Cycling|81|135:07|4004.97km
Running|101|92:52|1029.1km
Conditioning|16|14:30|Strengthening Work - Gym
Other|6|3:30|Swim coaching


Not a great week to be fair and no real standout session springs to mind although i did enjoy the HTFU OW swim (when i got out that is:)).
I have 10 weeks training to go, 3 left in the build phase then 7 weeks into the peak phase followed by a 4 week taper.
The plan asks for some key sessions in the peak phase,
The half IM will essentially be a long training day for me and practicing my race/nutrition strategy.
There will be a long hilly bike and probably a 1:30 run off. I am thinking of using the Wicklow 200 on the 12th June for this session as i think it would be ideal.

98 days to lift off:eek:

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Brianderunner wrote: »

So when's the sub 3 attempt JB?

A long time away Briano:p I think i need to be down under 3:10 or a decent 1:25 half to consider a real good go at it so a lot of work to be done. I will probably have another go at a decent pb towards the end of the year in Dublin if i am not pacing or i like the look of the Florence Marathon. Annoyed i did not book Berlin at the time.

ronanmac wrote: »

Good to discover the dislike of lake swimming now rather than later, though! I reckon part of the problem is that there is always something to see in the sea, be it rocks, fish, seaweed... In the lake, as you said, you can barely see your arm in front of you. A few more lake swims and it'll be second nature to you!

That's it in a nutshell, as Donal Rumsfield once said:p
"There are known knowns; there are things we know we know.
We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know"

Sums up lake swimming for me as you don't know what is lurking around you.

griffin100

Don't worry about it JB, if the water quality is anything like last year you'll be too busy making sure you don't swallow any of the green grainy water to worry about what's beneath you.