Chasing the Kona dream and a Mai Tai cocktail

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Monday
Rest day

Tuesday
Lunchtime Swim
Just done 7x200's as i was short on time off 4:15
Distance: 1.4kms

Evening Short/Easy Run
Just ran a local 5km route from the house to keep the legs turning over, more recovery run pace. Legs feeling surprisingly dead
Distance: 5.1km
Time: 26mins

@Griffin: You big wind up merchant:), Kona? get outa here, i would need to be hitting low 9hr for that. I know i like setting lofty goals but Kona qualification is a long way away, if ever i get into that shape.

Hard to believe we have a poker player left in the WSOP Main Event day 8 who i used to play a bit with in my poker days. There is 18 players left and he is 2nd in chips, guaranteed $378k at the moment and first is $8.7million:eek:

El Director

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

Just ran a local 5km route from the house to keep the legs turning over, more recovery run pace. Legs feeling surprisingly dead

This could be the beginning of the "Taper Mind Tricks" just stick to the plan and no matter what the little voices say you have done enough! This may not happen at all but... just in case :cool:

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

El Director wrote: »

This could be the beginning of the "Taper Mind Tricks" just stick to the plan and no matter what the little voices say you have done enough! This may not happen at all but... just in case :cool:

I was thinking it could be that alright, comfortable with what i have done in training.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Wednesday AM
IM swim
Another IM distance swim at what felt an easy pace in 1:28. Just tried to keep relaxed right through but as per normal i really started to tire in the last 800 or so. I am sure the adreniline will help me through it on race day.
Distance: 3.8km
Time: 1:28

Just an easy 45 minute turbo planned for tonight with some short 10x1 min bursts thrown in just to maintain some sharpness.
I am working on some big projects in work at the moment which is going to involve some travel. Boss wants me to go to Korea next week. Whilst i would be back in time for IMUK i would be shattered from the travel for race day so trying to get it put off until after IM and my holidays. Never a dull moment.:rolleyes:

Brianderunner

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

I am working on some big projects in work at the moment which is going to involve some travel. Boss wants me to go to Korea next week. Whilst i would be back in time for IMUK i would be shattered from the travel for race day so trying to get it put off until after IM and my holidays. Never a dull moment.:rolleyes:

Get the boss to schedule the trip for the worlds in Daegu at the end of August

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Brianderunner wrote: »

Get the boss to schedule the trip for the worlds in Daegu at the end of August

Now there is an idea!! Freaky i just posted on your log at the same time you posted on mine.

griffin100

@Griffin: You big wind up merchant, Kona? get outa here, i would need to be hitting low 9hr for that. I know i like setting lofty goals but Kona qualification is a long way away, if ever i get into that shape.

Not a wind up at all. No reason why you cant set your sights high, maybe 2013? You could also look at getting to the podium of a ITU / ETU LD age group championship race. If you have the desire to train and are serious enough about your racing that you have hired a coach then why not? Maybe I'll ask that question again after you finish your first IM:)

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

griffin100 wrote: »

Not a wind up at all. No reason why you cant set your sights high, maybe 2013? You could also look at getting to the podium of a ITU / ETU LD age group championship race. If you have the desire to train and are serious enough about your racing that you have hired a coach then why not? Maybe I'll ask that question again after you finish your first IM:)

Oh i will be taking the training serious there is no doubt about that. I think i am a long way off those targets but thats not to say they cannot be achieved in years to come if i work hard enough and doing the right type of work as agreed with the coach!!
Winter work this year will be crucial for improvements for next year and i will start to train/cycle on wattage when i get my PM sorted later in the year.
As you say ask that question after my first IM attempt:D

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Wednesday PM
Easy spin - 45mins
Threw in some short bursts for a minute here and there just to throw a small bit of intensity into the session but overall it was a handy session.
Actually had the hr at its highest on the bike without noticing when hitting 450-470 watts.

kingQuez

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

Boss wants me to go to Korea next week. Whilst i would be back in time for IMUK i would be shattered from the travel for race day so trying to get it put off until after IM and my holidays.

Tell him no. Too much stress from work, too much of a time difference to deal with the jetlag from, and too much time in contact with the sick person you know your seat will be beside on the flights each way to deal with a week before the IM. Dont even entertain the idea (unless of course last minute travel is part of your agreed contract and it absolutely cannot wait ).

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

kingQuez wrote: »

Tell him no. Too much stress from work, too much of a time difference to deal with the jetlag from, and too much time in contact with the sick person you know your seat will be beside on the flights each way to deal with a week before the IM. Dont even entertain the idea (unless of course last minute travel is part of your agreed contract and it absolutely cannot wait ).

Thankfully it has been put off although i might have a one day German trip which i can live with. R

Really looking forward to a good rubdown after an easy run tonight to try and bring some life back into these lead feeling legs.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Thursday
Easy Run with a little bit of fast stuff (non intentional)
First time i can actually feel the huge burst of energy and the feeling of a caged animal waiting to be unleashed which means taper must be going well:). Really had to put the reigns on the pace tonight as i had oodles of energy. I set off on the first 3km nice and easy at 5.15 pace then joined up with one of the faster guys from the club and i gasped when i looked to see we were trucking along at 4.05km pace for about 2km without me knowing/feeling it. I sent him on his merry way and reverted back to slower stuff for another 3.5km to finish up the session, i will save the faster stuff for the sprint finish in IM
Went for a rub down after and the legs took a gentle battering. They do not feel so bad this morning as i wear my calf compression gear on under my trousers:cool:
Distance: 8.5km
Time: 41:22
Pace: 4.52km pace

I cannot believe i am down to just 8.5 days, every thought throughout the day is about IM even getting to sleep at night is troublesome. Think i will break out a book for some reading to help me nod off.
I am looking forward to dossing this weekend, long runs and bikes will be replaced with trips to see Harry Potter and Tayto land with the kiddies:)
Good luck to those racing this weekend in Frankfurt and Swinford have a good one.

Bambaata

Taper taking hold and the rewards of all that effort coming through is a great feeling isn't it! You'll always have those doubts and guilty feelings but its part of the process of peaking for the big day. Fair play to you Jackyback! You've certainly done the work and i'm getting excited myself to track you on the day and to read about it afterwards.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Friday
Lunchtime swim
5x100 x 4 sets with 2 minutes rest between sets. All off 2.15/20 or close enough.
Distance: 2km
Time: 50mins

Saturday
Evening Short Brick 23km bike/3km run
Got out for a quick jaunt after i got the kids to bed after a fun packed day with them. Surprised by both the pace on the bike and run although there was very little wind out which would have helped with the bike.
Bike: 23km/41:21/33.4kmph avg
Run: 3.15km/13:26/4.16km avg

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

i have stuck a small bet on Evans for the GC.

Barring a disaster that's half my Roth entry covered:)

@Bambaata -Yeah as each day passes in the taper i am feeling stronger which is a great feeling but going slightly insane waiting for the race to come around:)

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Sunday
3km swim/3k easy run brick
This has to be one of my most enjoyable OW swims this year. I headed down to Port Beach (Clogherhead) this evening with the clan for a splash and it was my first time swimming there. I think i found my new swimming home:) The water was lovely, clear and almost toasty compared to swimming around at the slipway.
I just followed the coast along from the start of the head across to the rocks which i measured out earlier as 750mtrs taking a straight line so an out and back was OLY distance. The first 15 minutes i was thrashing a bit and was not getting the breathing right but then i got into a great rhythm and i was really feeling the water. I felt like i was gliding along at ease.
Hit the first 1.5km in 31:04 and the 2nd 1.5km in 28:16 so 59:20 for the 3km and that's if i was swimming straight so could have been another 100/200mtrs!! Nice to hit under 2min/100mtr and who knows the swim might come together on the day. Think i will head back down here for another two shorter dips in the week.
Just a quick run up and down the beach twice, not even sure of pace but it was easy.
The eldest lads swimming is really coming on with the lessons he has been getting this year, so much so in fact i reckon he would push me close in a 25mtr dash:eek: Who knows a possible Kona qualifier in about 12 years or so:)
Swim 3km/59:20 /Run 3km/16mins??

Better start getting my stuff together early next week so i am not leaving it until the last minute.

Really pumped after tonight's session.

Macanri

Great stuff.

port beach is a really nice one. We used to go here as kids - especially on an August or Sept evening when the day was cooling down and the water would 'feel' as warm as being in the bath - great memories.

Careful running on the sand though if you are not used to it - very easy to do damage to your achilles tendon.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Macanri wrote: »

Great stuff.

port beach is a really nice one. We used to go here as kids - especially on an August or Sept evening when the day was cooling down and the water would 'feel' as warm as being in the bath - great memories.

Careful running on the sand though if you are not used to it - very easy to do damage to your achilles tendon.

Yeah i could not believe how warm it was it felt a couple of degrees warmer than around the slipway. I just ran on the compacted stuff and took it handy but you are right you could easily do damage. I will be doing very little running between now and race day, probably 10/15 minutes at the most.

griffin100

I'll have a bet with you that you'll be more than happy with your swim.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

griffin100 wrote: »

I'll have a bet with you that you'll be more than happy with your swim.

I hope you are right i would be happy with anything under 1:30, as a matter of interest did you come in under your target time? In general how did you find the swim? any tips on starting position etc would be helpful.

griffin100

I hope you are right i would be happy with anything under 1:30, as a matter of interest did you come in under your target time? In general how did you find the swim? any tips on starting position etc would be helpful.

I had done a 1.21 in the pool a week or so before and did 1.15.xx on the day so was delighted with that. I'm sure you'll do something similar as on the day the non current swim with the huge potential for drafting will help.

I was really worried last year heading into the swim about getting clobbered at the start but in reality there was loads of room. For whats it worth this is what worked for me.......

The organizers will start to 'parade' you from T1 into the water for a deep water start about 30 mins or so before the start. If you are in T1 when this starts to happen (as I was) then it gets very crowded as everyone congregates together for the parade. If you get caught at the front of the parade you end up in the water long before the start and have 1,000+ people following you in so a good position is hard to get. I got out of the melee of the parade and walked down to the start outside of the barriers to where the wife was and only got into the chute about 10 mins before the start. Once in the water I positioned myself about 2/3's of the way back in the crowd and slightly to the right of the course. This meant I was ahead of the breast strokers but behind the speed merchants. Positioning myself to the right of center also meant that I didn't have other swimmers coming across me when turning left at the first turn - instead I came across them The first turn is long enough away from the start that the swimmers have thinned out by the time you get there. Once past the first turn make sure to sight regularly as I found it quite confusing sighting between the first and second turns. I followed the tactic of sighting someone a few meters ahead of me; catching up to them; drafting for a few meters and then repeating the process. Despite the murky water the swim is a nice one as the water is lovely and warm and there's lots of room.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Week 36 Summary - Week 2 Taper
18th June - 24th July|# sessions|Time hh:mm|Distance kms
Total|10|6:51|79.28km
Swimming|4|3:49|10.2km
Cycling|2|1:26|49.48km
Running|4|1:36|19.6km
Conditioning|0|00:00|Strengthening Work/Core - Gym
Other|0|0:00|


Totals so far
15th Nov- 24th July|# sessions|Time hh:mm|Distance kms
Total|410|485:43|8800.08km
Swimming|93|86:47|233.75km
Cycling|134|229:03|6903.82km
Running|153|144:23|1662.51km
Conditioning|24|21:30|Strengthening Work - Gym
Other|6|4:00|Stretching & Swim Coaching


Well that's officially the training done and dusted:) Taper is going well and i think i have got the volume about right to have myself in good shape for Sunday.
So some averages over the last 36 weeks.
Weekly Average - Time/Distance
Swim: 2:25/6.49kms
Bike: 6:22/191.77kms
Run: 4:00/46.18kms
Conditioning: 0:36/n/a
Other: 0:07/n/a
Total average: 13:30/244.44kms

Swim: 18%
Bike: 47%
Run: 30%
Conditioning: 4%
Other: 1%

In summary it has been a long 36 weeks:rolleyes:

catweazle

I wont be on this much for the next while aftger today with the holidays coming so just best of luck at the weekend.

The only bit of advice is to be careful with the run, did I see a 5.10 pace a kilometre mention a week or two ago - thats quicker than your 1/2 Ironman run in Barcelona :eek:

I guessed i needed to hold 5.00 minute ks to break 5.30 and I knew it wasn't on. I started slowly on the run and kept it slow and just gradually upped the pace and HR as I was getting closer to finishing, 26.2 miles is just too long a distance to be caked early on trying to hold a pace thats unsustainable.

Good to see the swimming has improved, I am always wondering why your OW swims never match your pool times - you will fly it in Bolton with all the feet in front of you

Macanri

When are you flying out JB?

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

catweazle wrote: »

I wont be on this much for the next while aftger today with the holidays coming so just best of luck at the weekend.

The only bit of advice is to be careful with the run, did I see a 5.10 pace a kilometre mention a week or two ago - thats quicker than your 1/2 Ironman run in Barcelona :eek:

I guessed i needed to hold 5.00 minute ks to break 5.30 and I knew it wasn't on. I started slowly on the run and kept it slow and just gradually upped the pace and HR as I was getting closer to finishing, 26.2 miles is just too long a distance to be caked early on trying to hold a pace thats unsustainable.

Good to see the swimming has improved, I am always wondering why your OW swims never match your pool times - you will fly it in Bolton with all the feet in front of you

Enjoyment first and chasing a time will come second:). The aim would be to hold sub 5.20km pace for the 26.2miles which would be an easy run pace for me but you never know until you get off the bike so i will build into the run slowly and see what that equates to on pace.
The OW swims are getting closer to pool times although you are right i was much slower in OW to start off with compared to pool times. It was always about confidence for me in the OW swims, actually looking forward to an OW dip tonight!!

Macanri wrote: »

When are you flying out JB?

Not flying out heading on the early ferry on Friday with Michelle, 2 eldest kids and the parents have jumped on the support bandwagon:)

shazkea

Best of luck at the weekend JB, I look forward to reading your report.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Monday
Nada feet up and resting.

Tuesday
Not quite a run/swim brick 3.5km/1.1km
Just out for a short session tonight to keep the wheel spinning, barring some short recces of the course i will be doing nothing else.
A quick enough 3.5km run around the track and then straight down to the beach. I done the swim without the wetsuit for a change i also had the hrm on and the garmin in the hat trick. Just kept it very easy but i found i was not as fluent in my work compared to the weekends swim which is probably down to a poor body position without the wetsuit on.
Unreal that 4 out of the 11 100mtr splits came in bang on at 2:30. It is clear from the hrm that i am lazy in the water with an average of only 123bpm so i will be looking to increase that on race day and increase the stroke rate slightly.
It was worthwhile going for the swim as i now need a new pair of goggles. The kids have been messing with them and the lens came away slightly from the seal. I had to stop three or four times to adjust them so i need to get a new pair pronto for the weekend.
Run
Swim

The weather gives it good for the weekend
Fair to sunny.
19 degrees
5-6mph wind (so a gentle breeze)
Sunnier first thing then slowing adding a little bit of cloud

All the gear is ready to go since earlier in the week to avoid last minute running around like i usually do:)
No more training to be done so unlikey to be back on the log and when i do come back i hope to tell you all about the enjoyable and relaxing day i had :cool:.

pgibbo

Best of luck at the weekend JB.

Abhainn

Best of luck JB. Go for it

kingQuez

Have a great weekend!

menoscemo

Best of luck for the weekend Fran.