Chasing the Kona dream and a Mai Tai cocktail

Rawhead

Great thread. I have to say it was inspirational and moving reading the race report. I would have tore the arse out of it over the years and in Feb last year I touched 19 stone. I gave up the smokes (30+ a day) and decided to do a 10k race. I managed the race and this year I did the Connemara half marathon in 1:44, my first sprint tri and I'm doing Gaelforce as well. I'm down to 14 stone and really enjoying the fitness.
2012- sub 5:30 Humbert half iron and 3:30 DCM
2013- Lake Placid IM

I'm under no illusion of how tough it's going to be but seeing as you have 4 kids (I've 3 young boys) and you worked it I really have no excuse. Your a real inspiration and keep driving on hard.

El Director

A great race deserves a great race report dude and you delivered both. The look on your face says it all in those last two photo's. My GF's brother came in a few minutes after 13 hours and I have never seen sheer joy, just sheer joy like that. Both of you have inspired me. I have so much respect for you guys after watching my first Ironman, I could even feel the emotion for people I didn't even know!

I loved following your log and I am delighted it all worked out on the day. Interested is right, this year I have really worked hard on my swim, quietly chipping away at it and it hasn't really been till the last 4 weeks that I noticed my times coming down. I'd high recommend one (extra) session per week concentrating soley on drills and technique, it can also double up as a recovery session. Anyway...sorry...you don't need me giving you training tips-you've only just crossed the finish line :rolleyes: It was an honor and pleasure meeting you and watching you race.

BTW - you killed that marathon too :eek:

Aimman

Brilliant accomplishment Fran and excellent report. Dont know how you'd keep up that intensity for 12 hours, fair play to you. Despite the knock backs, you were still focussed on the overall goal time and adjusting your pace and effort as needed.

Well deserved rest called for now.

Mr Slow

Fantastic Race and Report, Congrats!

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Thanks folks only a few days left on holidays but i have had a few self apreciation moments fuelled from vino . I have recovered very quickly from IM and in fact have been out for a few runs and swims to keep things ticking over. In fact I managed my first speed session yesterday since IM and in 32 degree heat to boot. I am sure the scales will tell a tale though from all the good living. Looking forward to organising the training week for next year if there is any interested parties.... There is a few steep hills!!!!

Oisin11178

Fran congrats on the ironman, epic stuff:D
Im only pacing the mate to a 3.30 in liverpool but we must meet up after the race bud for a drink:P

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Friday 5th August
Swim
50 lengths of my 12mtr pool:rolleyes: This would become a morning ritual as soon as i got up out of bed and a good way to start the day
600mtrs
4km Run
I had to stop 3 times for a short break on this short run, 35 degree heat and not my idea of fun.

Saturday 6th August
Swim
600 mtrs - pool
2000 mtrs - sea
5.18km Run
Slightly easier and only 28 degrees when i went out even though it was evening time:eek:

Sunday 7th August
Swim
600 mtrs - pool

Monday 8th August
Swim
600 mtrs - pool
1500 mtrs - sea
Run - 8km treadmill
Just a break from the heat, almost enjoyed this in an air con gym!! 8km done in 39 mins.

Tuesday 9th August
Swim
600 mtrs - pool

Wednesday 10th August
Swim
600 mtrs - pool
2500 mtrs - sea

Thursday 11th August
Swim
600 mtrs - pool
8.18km Run
Out in the evening for my longest run outdoors over here, brought out a big bottle of water and by god i needed it. Enjoyable run as i headed for the National Milli Park and the surrounding mountains.

Friday 12th August
Swim
600 mtr pool
1000 mtr sea

Saturday 13th August
Swim
600 mtrs - pool
Run - Interval session 5x400s
My first bit of speed since the IM. I knew there was an athletics track somewhere in Kusdasi albeit a clay surface. I originally had planned to do 10x400s but cut that in half as by the time i found it was midday and the temperature was 32 degrees getting off the bus but it felt much warmer by the end of the session. 400s done in 83, 86, 85, 84, 84 with a wu and cd.

Sunday 14th August
Sunday is a day of rest

Monday 15th August
Swim
600 mtrs - pool
2500 mtrs - sea
Run - 11km treadmill
Went for a cold pint after this.....i deserved it:)

Tuesday 16th August
Swim
600 mtrs - pool
5km Hilly Run
This was bloody tough going simply put up a steep hill outside the house for 2.5km and back down it. I thought my heart was going to explode going up as it was very steep in places and a 150mtr gain in just 2.5km.

Wednesday 17th August
Swim
600 mtrs - pool
2500 mtrs - sea

Thursday 18th August
10k Club Run
Back on Irish soil after 2 weeks of fun so just out with the club for 10k. HR is way above where it should be at for this pace.

Swimming - 19,200mtrs
Running - 65.4kms

You would not think it from above:rolleyes: but that 2 weeks holidays was the most relaxing ever. Managed to get through 8 books, plenty of steaks and my own body weight in beer and wine. Hit the scales and i was 71kg when i got home so up about 4kg or so...hardly surprising given i lived it up.

Managed to get my hands on a 10 mile entry for Saturday so the plan is to hit MP for the 10 and if i cannot do that comfortably i am knocking the marathon attempt on the head. Need to find a new focus to keep things ticking over the next few months.

Must catch up on the logs as it seems to be busy on here.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Oisin11178 wrote: »

Fran congrats on the ironman, epic stuff:D
Im only pacing the mate to a 3.30 in liverpool but we must meet up after the race bud for a drink:P

Hey Frank i have not signed up to any marathon yet but i will make my mind up after the 10 mile in the park at the weekend.

menoscemo

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

Managed to get my hands on a 10 mile entry for Saturday so the plan is to hit MP for the 10 and if i cannot do that comfortably i am knocking the marathon attempt on the head. Need to find a new focus to keep things ticking over the next few months.

What's that fran? 7'10-7'15 pace? If I am not 100% over this cold I'll probably do an MP run too, somewhere around the above pace...

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

menoscemo wrote: »

What's that fran? 7'10-7'15 pace? If I am not 100% over this cold I'll probably do an MP run too, somewhere around the above pace...

Probably slightly faster than planned MP Niall, probably 6:50 to 7 min mile pace (if i can that is) if you want to head out and see how we get on as there is another 4 lads from my club aiming for around 68 minutes or therabouts so support in numbers etc. Sure drop me a text the morning of the race and we can meet up.

Brianderunner

Small world, i'm doing it as a MP run, 68 mins or thereabouts. See you there. The sprint finish could be epic

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Brianderunner wrote: »

Small world, i'm doing it as a MP run, 68 mins or thereabouts. See you there. The sprint finish could be epic

Cool see you there Brian...i doubt i will have a sprint finish in me:)

menoscemo

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

Probably slightly faster than planned MP Niall, probably 6:50 to 7 min mile pace (if i can that is) if you want to head out and see how we get on as there is another 4 lads from my club aiming for around 68 minutes or therabouts so support in numbers etc. Sure drop me a text the morning of the race and we can meet up.

I'll either be racing it and aiming for sub 68 (about 6'45 pace) or else running MP and heading for 72'xx. No point doing anything in between as It serves no purpose. There's also no point racing if I'm not 100% as another blow up would dent my confidence. I'll probably decide tomorrow evening after a short run. Either way, see you at the race....

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

menoscemo wrote: »

I'll either be racing it and aiming for sub 68 (about 6'45 pace) or else running MP and heading for 72'xx. No point doing anything in between as It serves no purpose. There's also no point racing if I'm not 100% as another blow up would dent my confidence. I'll probably decide tomorrow evening after a short run. Either way, see you at the race....

My only thoughts on why i was aiming for 68 minutes is that it puts you in line for a 3:10 marathon time (McMillan). Dependent on how my legs feel do you fancy tacking on some easy miles after it for your long run? I was suggesting the same to Brian as it would be good for your Berlin prep.

menoscemo

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

My only thoughts on why i was aiming for 68 minutes is that it puts you in line for a 3:10 marathon time (McMillan). Dependent on how my legs feel do you fancy tacking on some easy miles after it for your long run? I was suggesting the same to Brian as it would be good for your Berlin prep.

Yeah I'll stick a few miles on after, my car is will be parked outside the park anyways. Not too many mind, 18 miler is planned the next day and I don't want to miss the fun in the pub!!

Yeah 67'50 is the mcmillan time for 3'10, but judging by a few of my tempos lately, I reckon if I'm in good shape I can go low 67's.

If I were you I wouldn't worry about using saturdays race as a test of anything, it is only normal that you are a bit rusty, but the rust will soon shift with a few weeks normal training...

griffin100

You got the sky+ set for Sunday morning Fran?

pgibbo

Welcome back Fran. Sounds like a cracking holiday.

Do you have an out of season?

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

griffin100 wrote: »

You got the sky+ set for Sunday morning Fran?

Yeah El D gave me the heads up IMUK coverage was on so looking forward to watching it. I really hope they do not show me at my worst moment as i collapsed after the finish line:)

pgibbo wrote: »

Welcome back Fran. Sounds like a cracking holiday.

Do you have an out of season?

Hey P, what do you mean the two weeks was my out of season:D
Just going to tick along and decide if i can be bothered doing either the Amsterdam or Liverpool marathon in October or just enjoy a couple of smaller races and perhaps even a few A4 cycle races if i find any that suit. Also looking forward to pacing duties in the DCM as the 4 hour group should have some banter in it.

Hope the training is going well for Challenge Barca!!

pgibbo

Those cycle races are some craic. A totally different experience. I did one last year. Talk about getting handed your a$$ on a plate! Didn't help that I was in with A3s.

Enjoying the training for Barca. Won't be long now! :eek:

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Frank Duffy 10 miler
The plan for this was to head out around 6:50 pace and see how i got on. This was to be a tester to see if everything was still in working order since IM. I knew from my HR from the warm up that it was unlikely that 6:50 would be sustainable.
The father and sister were running as well as part of their training for a first marathon. I could have killed them as i was mortified when my name was called out by the MC for doing an IM before the start of the race. I got an absolute ribbing from the lads in the club and others around me...i really wanted the ground to swallow me up. When i spoke to the Father after he said he done it to make a show of me as i was winding him up in the car for being so slow:)
I headed out with 5 lads from the club who are equal enough in ability and aiming for a similar pace. I ran with them for about 1.5 mile and was feeling dog rough, lethargic and i knew i could not sustain the pace as my HR was well above in the 180s which was strange as similar pace in the past would have me in the high 160s so i knew something was up when i was about 12-15bpm higher (a sign i am not fully recovered perhaps).
I immediately dropped the pace back as i was not going to kill myself for a nothing race. The HR stayed elevated even with the reduced pace for the rest of the run and the legs just felt dead throughout. I passed Meno around midway who was shouting encouragement and probably knew from my demeanor i was not enjoying myself out there.
At least i got my answer from the race, i clearly dug deeper into the reserves than first thought with the IM and even though i feel recovered i obviously have not. I was half expecting this to be the case if i am being honest and i am not disappointed with the race at all which is good.
It does leave the question what should i do to aid recovery. I know complete rest is probably a popular suggestion but i know i will balloon up in weight even with a clean diet and loose some fitness which i have worked hard on. Should i just run by HR with z1/low z2 effort and work my way back doing slow runs? I might stick up a thread on it later.
Distance: 10 mile (1milewu+1milewd)
Time: 1:13:04
Pace: 7:16 mile pace
HR: 172avg/182max 91% max of hr for the avg:eek:

interested

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

what should i do to aid recovery.

swim, easy bikes - keep in simple, regular and you'll be grand in no time, keep an eye off the clock for a while ... imho

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

interested wrote: »

swim, easy bikes - keep in simple, regular and you'll be grand in no time, keep an eye off the clock for a while ... imho

Cheers M i suppose it has been a long season clock watching:rolleyes: sounds like an idea.

menoscemo

Nice tan!

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

menoscemo wrote: »

Nice tan!

I was getting ribbed over that as well from the club mates saying i had false tan on:) Hope the flu is clearing up and those pints in Ryan's are helping.:D

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Sunday
81.75km spin
Headed out for an easy early morning spin with bryangiggsy. Enjoyable spin and it flew in with good company, for a change i paid no attention to pace/speed etc. Legs did tire towards the end but overall a decent spin although we near got savaged by killer jack russell dogs towards the end of the spin:)
81.75kms/28.2kmph/2:54:08/145avg hr/444 mtrs

Monday
I avoided doing anything today as i felt a head cold coming on me on Sunday evening so took a rest day.

Tuesday
10.2km Run
Out for a run around Oldbridge whilst the kids kicked ball. I had the watch with me but paid no attention to pace or effort and just ran by feel. HR still elevated but i am sure it will settle back to normal in a while. Still have a bit of a head cold on me but this helped clear the system a little.
10.02kms/5:02km pace/50:34/160 avg hr.

Shopping around for a power meter at the moment and weighing up all the options and prices. I would love to get an SRM but they are very pricey so looking at alternatives. Cannot wait to start training by power!! Due to race the Dublin City Triathlon at the weekend so should be fun but if things do not settle i will just treat it the same as i did with TriAthlone. I see i got spotted twice on the IMUK coverage at the weekend, of course the dreaded collapse after the finish line was shown.....I looked a mess at the end of the race:)

RacoonQueen

I forgot to sky+ IMUK. I watch it every year :pac:

I'm helping out at DCT, I'll be sure to give you some abuse a shout.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I forgot to sky+ IMUK. I watch it every year :pac:

I'm helping out at DCT, I'll be sure to give you some abuse a shout.

Cool see you there M. There is a repeat of IMUK on Wednesday night/Thursday morning at 3:30 on C4.

rainbow kirby

It's also on 4od, watched it on Sunday morning when I finally got up.

El Director

Ya RQ it is on 4od still. YOu got a fair bit of air time JB, fair play I see they are coming to Galway too to film.

I think interested has given you top advice re recovery. Nomadic dosn't do too much running afaik, mostly biking and his running is exceptional so don't worry too much about loosing running fitness.

menoscemo

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

Cool see you there M. There is a repeat of IMUK on Wednesday night/Thursday morning at 3:30 on C4.

Just checked the guide there and it is actually on tonight/tomorrow morning. just set it to record on sky+ now.