The Road Less Traveled: IM 2012

Oryx

Dory Dory wrote: »

I'm not photo-shopped in those pics, am i?

No, you didnt need it.

This is a welcome distraction from my little bo peep deliberations.

Oryx

Not quite the down and dirty Griffin wants, methinks.

elvis jones

Oryx wrote: »

Not quite the down and dirty Griffin wants, methinks.

Is that coming out the the Liffey on Sunday

Oryx

elvis jones wrote: »

Is that coming out the the Liffey on Sunday

Ha! Probably. This was taken before I was a precious triathlete who worried about such things.

elvis jones

Oryx wrote: »

Ha! Probably. This was taken before I was a precious triathlete who worried about such things.

I looked worse than that at the end of Carrick on Suir when i fell in the muck twice on the run, i had to throw out my runners:D

griffin100

If we could just get you in some water polo head gear then you'd be the complete package

Oryx

griffin100 wrote: »

If we could just get you in some water polo head gear then you'd be the complete package

A strange fetish, but I'll roll with it.....

RedB

Oryx wrote: »

And now I have a conundrum to dwell on tonight.. Do I add another mad race to my schedule and cock up my marathon plan or do I not? Ah well. Maybe I won't have to decide..

I think you should do the race

Oryx

RedB wrote: »

I think you should do the race

How is your marathon plan coming along? And WHERE IS THAT UPDATE ON YOUR REPORT!!

RedB

Oryx wrote: »

How is your marathon plan coming along? And WHERE IS THAT UPDATE ON YOUR REPORT!!

Marathon plan is 100% on track. Report update is 100% off track! Running rocks! Busy at work/home so it keeps getting put on the long finger..........and yet I have time for a 20M run:D

Oryx

RedB wrote: »

Marathon plan is 100% on track. Report update is 100% off track! Running rocks! Busy at work/home so it keeps getting put on the long finger..........and yet I have time for a 20M run:D

Note to self: Do 20M run.

Oryx

elvis jones wrote: »

hmmmmmmm, might you be stepping over me in a pool of my own body fluids ????

Sanity has prevailed and little bo peep is staying home this year. She shall be marathon training as planned instead.

*stares down RedB*

elvis jones

Oryx wrote: »

Sanity has prevailed and little bo peep is staying home this year. She shall be marathon training as planned instead.

*stares down RedB*

Its ok,

My club mate you did Roth and Groomsport last weekend has stepped up to step over me !

Dory Dory

Oryx wrote: »

Sanity has prevailed and little bo peep is staying home this year. She shall be marathon training as planned instead.

*stares down RedB*

RedB is a wise man. You need to knock this marathon out of the park. I think you will come into your own with it.

Oryx

I took two days rest in a row this week, and as usual, feel worse than I did before resting. I think rest is overrated, I dont think I should do it anymore.

Xc run this morning, hate, hate, hated the first bit, it took till the last lap to hit my groove and feel steady and ok. No swim after, I was late for work.

Still feel ick now, which is par for the course with a race tomorrow. My body resents all this punishment and sulks on me.

Oryx

Did DCT Oly today. Quite enjoyed it, its a great race. Well organised, good challenging course. I didn't place very well, and wasn't happy with my overall time (let down by a poor swim and t1) But I take a tiny positive from it, by a small margin, my bike split was the fastest pace I've done at any distance to date. On a flatish but technical course. So thats something.

Izoard

Oryx wrote: »

Did DCT Oly today. Quite enjoyed it, its a great race. Well organised, good challenging course. I didn't place very well, and wasn't happy with my overall time (let down by a poor swim and t1) But I take a tiny positive from it, by a small margin, my bike split was the fastest pace I've done at any distance to date. On a flatish but technical course. So thats something.

Congrats - how were the crowds?
The last time I did DCT, it was rapidly heading to Athy-like levels of crowding...

Oryx

Izoard wrote: »

Congrats - how were the crowds?
The last time I did DCT, it was rapidly heading to Athy-like levels of crowding...

They had the normal ten metre no draft rule on the bike. But the course was so congested you were hardly ever more than 10m from another cyclist. That said, it did seem to be every man for himself with no blatant pelotons. The swim and run were fine for me anyway, though the run course was narrow in spots it didn't seem to get clogged.

Oryx

Seeing as this is my last tri of the season, I might as well do a report on it.

Because I'm notorious for being early, I got to this event in time to park right by transition, which made the whole setup part a doddle. I even had time to stroll around drinking tea. Got racked, checked the river which looked like there wasnt too much flow, and gawped at the amazing teepee they had at the start area.

Swim
I knew the swim would be cold, so it wasnt too much of a shock when I jumped in. It was only after Id jumped in that they said it was ten minutes to the start. TEN MINUTES. It was freezing! Still, it helped to acclimatise.

Began the swim and struggled to get any kind of rhythm going. Got quite a few knocks (more that austria) I think because it was all women, and we're vicious! So I never really settled in, and because it was anticlockwise and I sight to my right, I struggled with sighting all the way, particularly coming downstream into the sun. I worked hard, but ended up with a very poor 38 minutes anyway. Even I know Im better than that.

T1
Cramped getting onto the pontoon, and fought with my zip on the run in, but the real fun started when I tried to get the wetsuit over my feet. It was glued to me, and I had to lever it off with great difficulty. 3.30 mins which is my slowest ever transition.

Bike
I am certifiably a cr*p cyclist, so my only plan going into this was to work like a dog for as long as I could and see where that got me. I didn't care if I couldn't run afterwards. Of course the first thing you hit on the bike is the khyber hill, and it was demoralising to be passed on it by mtbs on my first lap. And my second lap. I did catch them again, but still, it looks bad. Though by my third lap either all the faster guys were gone or I was doing better. I liked the bike course, nice and twisty, and found it went by quickly. I had stickers on my handlebars to remove at each lap so I didnt miscount. The mind plays games on ya. 87 minutes to get this done, and I worked bloody hard to get that. Someday, I will get from mediocre to competent on a bike. Someday.

T2
This went more smoothly than T1 owing to not having to fight my way out of an uncooperative wetsuit. 2 mins.

Run
I knew the route for this one, and I knew it was xc, which didnt inspire me. As normal it took a few kms to shake the legs out, but the terrain was ok, and I plodded my way around. I did as much as I could, but I knew my hoped for time was shot to pieces anyway, this race had turned out tougher than I had hoped. A bit of mud on each lap made you concentrate, but then a stretch of blissful tarmac made up for that. The second lap felt better than the first, and I tried to up my pace as much as I could. A clubmate was ahead of me somewhere, I knew he was faster on the bike and a fantastic swimmer but I had hoped that somehow I could catch him on the run. Unfortunately it wasnt to be. Even though I made 11 mins on him on the run, it wasnt enough! I really need to learn to swim properly! 51 mins.

My overall time was 3.02.18. Still outside the elusive 3 hours, which I know I can do, but I have yet to get a day go perfectly to prove it. This is even more incentive to work hard this winter and break the Oly curse next year.

By the way. I was 300/385. Sheesh.

Izoard

Nice way to finish off an epic tri season - what are you looking at for next year?

Oryx

Izoard wrote: »

Nice way to finish off an epic tri season - what are you looking at for next year?

I'm going to do one or two HIMs because I like the distance. One is booked already for May, the other end of year one will be chosen in Spring. But over winter the focus is on finding some way to increase my speed. This means regular one to one swim coaching, a proper bike fit and possibly a tt bike, doing some technical rides cos my bike skills suck, and running speed work and maybe a bit of hill running over the winter months for a laugh.

I'm just sick of always feeling like a pleb.

Izoard

Oryx wrote: »

I'm just sick of always feeling like a pleb.

What???

You're an Ironman, baby!:)

Oryx

Izoard wrote: »

What???

You're an Ironman, baby!:)

I am female.

We are never happy.

Izoard

Oryx wrote: »

I am female.

We are never happy.

Jaysus, the mystery of woman, eh?

BennyMul

Oryx wrote: »

doing some technical rides cos my bike skills suck,

I use a set of rollers over the winter months and find they are great for balance, they are hard to get used to but great or get yourself a mountain bike and head off road.

Oryx

BennyMul wrote: »

I use a set of rollers over the winter months and find they are great for balance, they are hard to get used to but great or get yourself a mountain bike and head off road.

Rollers? More kit! I have a hybrid that I can take offroad. But I think Ill get some traffic cones and practice the basics first!

Oryx

Swim tonight. And it was a good one, yay! I haven't felt this good in the pool in months. After a short warm up I got straight into drills. First kicking, then scull paddles, then a pyramid of breath drills. (100m each of breathing every 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 strokes - are these called hypoxic or something?) I found it really helped my stroke and when I started 25m sprints afterwards I naturally kept to a 4x breath. Each sprint was 23 secs, slower if I did it 2x breaths, which was interesting. 2k in total, and I felt great afterwards, that dragging fatigue I usually have just wasn't there. That's a novelty!

Oryx

My marathon plan is not going to, well, plan. 15.2 miles today which should have been 16 at least.

When doing the IM training, somehow I could get all my long runs in, yet now, when the pressure is less, I keep missing sessions. Its not a lack of motivation, its a lack of time. The light isnt in until half six these mornings which leaves me struggling to get a decent run done before 9. I have 8 weeks to get my finger out and get some proper LONG lsrs done. I think a headtorch might help but Im taking my life in my hands on my local roads regardless!

Solobally8

Do you do all your cycles alone Oryx? My swim and run are crap but the bike is the only area I feel strong on. I think that's due to cycling in a group that are way faster than me, forcing me to push beyond what I consider my limits at least once per week.

Oryx

Solobally8 wrote: »

Do you do all your cycles alone Oryx? My swim and run are crap but the bike is the only area I feel strong on. I think that's due to cycling in a group that are way faster than me, forcing me to push beyond what I consider my limits at least once per week.

Up to now I have, I did do some IM training with someone, but that didnt push me. I know its what I need alright. I did a ride recently with someone who just annihilated me, and it showed how much harder I can (and need) to work. But tbh I'm intimidated by the larger cycling groups, I feel like such a numpty. Plus their times have never suited.