Toiler's Constant

Solobally8

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Running with faster people is the quickest way to up your game.

That's exactly what I kept saying to myself at the club interval session last night when I was miles behind everyone else

Kurt Godel

Solobally8 wrote: »

That's exactly what I kept saying to myself at the club interval session last night when I was miles behind everyone else

Pick up those knees solobally8!;) Intervals are fantastic for running out of your comfort zone. If you're lagging too far behind everyone, maybe try starting shorter intervals, with a headstart. That way you'll run faster knowing you're being chased. Hey, it worked for the bunch of 8-year olds I was training tonight, it's bound to transfer over to hardcore Tri-heads!:D

Kurt Godel

Wed 500m OW swim; 22k bike

I was working in Dublin this morning, so packed my new speedo wetsuit and trunks, figuring lunch would be in the harbour or in the pool. The sun broke through a few clouds, so down to the lonely deserted Wicklow harbour it was. It's empty now, gone are all the boats that formed our lap. Anyway, on with the wetsuit- its a size down from my previous, seems to be a decent fit. I entered the water and my hands were frozen. Splashing the cold water on my face and neck brought on the gasping reaction, and a while of breast stroke got that heavy breathing under control. I wasn't prepared for putting my face in, though. An instant slap of raw, my teeth ached with cold, and I immediately had an "ice-cream" headache. I started some swimming, and it got a bit more bearable after a while. Breathing out through my nose seemed to warm it up an iota, so if anything came of this swim, it helped my breathing! I was happy to eventually get out though. I may be only 9/25ths as fast as some people, but I bet my pain threshold is 25/9ths of theirs;) Looking forward to spending the summer swimming around here.

Evening: took the bike for a steady spin around the Tinahely Tri bike route. The surface is better than usual, in fact as best as I've seen it, just one rough patch really. All the downhills are fast on good roads, thats the main thing.

Dory Dory

OW swim!!!???? :eek: Aching teeth? Ice cream headache? Frozen hands? Are you mad?????

Kurt Godel

Dory Dory wrote: »

OW swim!!!???? :eek: Aching teeth? Ice cream headache? Frozen hands? Are you mad?????

Brainless rather than mad, apparently;)

Has to be done Dory- first race of my season is on in a couple of weeks, and its mandatory that entrants have completed a 500m OW swim within 30 days of the event. Cold, but it was great to taste the brine for the first time this year:)

catweazle

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Brainless rather than mad, apparently;)

Has to be done Dory- first race of my season is on in a couple of weeks, and its mandatory that entrants have completed a 500m OW swim within 30 days of the event. Cold, but it was great to taste the brine for the first time this year:)

Was there an official from Valentia viewing putting a tick beside your name

Dory Dory

catweazle wrote: »

Was there an official from Valentia viewing putting a tick beside your name

^^^ What he said.

Kurt Godel

catweazle wrote: »

Was there an official from Valentia viewing putting a tick beside your name

Do they not read our logs?:eek:

In all seriousness, I'm more than happy to get in beforehand. You have to sign a disclaimer at registration stating you've done 500m OW in the 30 days previous. It's held on a cold May date anyway, so this is their way of preparing swimmers for what's in store. I'd hate to travel that far and have the swim cancelled because enough people decide its too cold for their liking.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

OW swimming, crazy man!!

Kurt Godel

Right, prepare for the key weekly swim session:

Easy day yesterday, check.
Rest the legs today, check.
Meal at sensible time, check.
Quinine drink to help prevent cramps, check.
Shorts, goggles, towel, euro for lockers, arrive at pool with 15 mins to spare, check.

Phone rings, a neighbour has employed a lad with a chainsaw to cut down the huge trees that I love in our back yard, he's standing out the back and says those trees are coming down...

Thurs 25km hilly drive in 10 mins, HR 190+. 0m swim.

Dory Dory

Please tell us you saved the trees.

Kurt Godel

Dory Dory wrote: »

Please tell us you saved the trees.

They're still standing. Had a chat with the neighbour. Tried to compromise, but there's a pretty entrenched position there. Some people, literally, hate trees. Lets hope reason prevails before law is required. My training will suffer if I have to move into the tree.

catweazle

Dory Dory

Kurt Godel wrote: »

They're still standing. Had a chat with the neighbour. Tried to compromise, but there's a pretty entrenched position there. Some people, literally, hate trees. Lets hope reason prevails before law is required. My training will suffer if I have to move into the tree.

:D:D I lovelovelove a good, worthy cause!!! And I've seen Swiss Family Robinson. How are you with a hammer and nails?? I have a few ideas..... :):D

interested

I cannot ... I really cannot understand this madness ...


you missed a key swim session to save a tree ????? what the hell ? is your brain still frozen from the open water swim ????

Kurt Godel

interested wrote: »

I cannot ... I really cannot understand this madness ...


you missed a key swim session to save a tree ????? what the hell ? is your brain still frozen from the open water swim ????

Two trees.

I couldn't sleep last night, kept wondering how much faster you'd swim Valentia with a tree branch up your arse:p

interested

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Two trees.

I couldn't sleep last night, kept wondering how much faster you'd swim Valentia with a tree branch up your arse:p

cmon ... way too early to get me all excited with talk like that big boy ! ... sadly the answer will be as before 'faster than you'

Kurt Godel

interested wrote: »

cmon ... way too early to get me all excited with talk like that big boy ! ... sadly the answer will be as before 'faster than you'

We have a proposal (stick up interested's arse for Valentia); we have his hypothesis; all we need now is to conduct the experiment.

With my coach's famous people skills ringing in my ears, I figured the only way to respond to his elitist peacocking was to train harder, and/or drown my sorrows. So I have a nice bottle of red wine to console myself I'm still a great swimmer tonight, and I've got the training swim in the bag. The 200's were all one block, but descending effort 1-4,5-8. Form was slipping by the last one, but (I think) only in minor ways. The 50's were a blast, I like sprinting efforts, even if I turn too slow.

Fri 2,500m swim

400m warm up

8*200 off 3.30, desc 1-4,5-8
(in 3:18, 3:23, 3:18, 3:17, 3:26, 3:26, 3:25, 3:21)

200 ez

6*50 off 2:00
(in 40, 39, 39, 38, 39, 39)

Abhainn

Kurt Godel wrote: »

We have a proposal (stick up interested's arse for Valentia); we have his hypothesis; all we need now is to conduct the experiment.

With my coach's famous people skills ringing in my ears, I figured the only way to respond to his elitist peacocking was to train harder, and/or drown my sorrows. So I have a nice bottle of red wine to console myself I'm still a great swimmer tonight, and I've got the training swim in the bag. The 200's were all one block, but descending effort 1-4,5-8. Form was slipping by the last one, but (I think) only in minor ways. The 50's were a blast, I like sprinting efforts, even if I turn too slow.

Fri 2,500m swim

400m warm up

8*200 off 3.30, desc 1-4,5-8
(in 3:18, 3:23, 3:18, 3:27, 3:26, 3:26, 3:25, 3:21)

200 ez

6*50 off 2:00
(in 40, 39, 39, 38, 39, 39)

See you were talking to coach on last nights sessions. Not much time between those 200 reps. Well done

Bottle of red again? Mind the sore head

Kurt Godel

Sun 10k hill run

Met up with SJ for a scout around Annagh Hill, which is supposed to be hosting a race in three weeks times. It's been chopped to pieces, between Coillte cutting down the forests, and the 4x4'ers creating new offroad tracks... I'll have to change the route for this years race. Have to keep the tough hill in there though;)

Run itself was gentle enough, although my legs are feeling the pain of not having hill memory.

Dory Dory

Are the trees still standing?? (fingers crossed they are...)

Kurt Godel

Dory Dory wrote: »

Are the trees still standing?? (fingers crossed they are...)

Yup, still there. Everyone with a chainsaw within a ten km radius now knows there will be war if they are chopped down. Hitler invaded Poland; my neighbour interrupted my swim session... War, I tells ya...;)

Slogger Jogger

:mad:

Dory Dory

^^^ :mad:

Kurt Godel

Theme for the past few days really. If a tree exists, chop it down. The Annagh landscape is utterly different now.

interested

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Theme for the past few days really. If a tree exists, chop it down. The Annagh landscape is utterly different now.

Its not just down south - they've been at this for a bit all over north wicklow too. They're not natural forrests, they grow quickly - but the land looks like its been blitz kreiged after they've done it which is very upsetting. Even more importantly, is that some of the deforrested areas used to provide quality shielding from prevailing winds on the slopes of serious bike climbs. Now, I generally have to wait on those bikers who've wintered better than others to provide cover.

Kurt Godel

Mon 2,400m swim

1,000m steady @ 1:50 pace
200 easy
4*(100 ripple, 100 point, 100 swim) Swims 1:31, 1:33, 1:29, 1:29.

I had it in the back of my mind to test a 400m TT for April today, but decided against. My legs are in bits after yesterdays hill run, and I was slow for the effort put into the swim. No point in ticking boxes for the sake of it- my swimming needs to sit back a little as running picks up.
When I checked the watch after the steady km I was surprised- 18:20 when I expected 17:30 or so from the effort. Thats a real sign that I had no leg power, which is to be expected from my first real hilly run in ages. Different muscles.
The drills were ok, again they felt a little harder effort wise than they should. Each of the 100's felt like they should be 5 seconds quicker.

interested wrote: »

Its not just down south - they've been at this for a bit all over north wicklow too. They're not natural forrests, they grow quickly - but the land looks like its been blitz kreiged after they've done it which is very upsetting. Even more importantly, is that some of the deforrested areas used to provide quality shielding from prevailing winds on the slopes of serious bike climbs. Now, I generally have to wait on those bikers who've wintered better than others to provide cover.

Yeah, its the barren landscape left behind that is most depressing. The increased acidity flowing into rivers and lakes are a result of these imported trees. I'm lucky to live nearby an untouched oak forest- its a pleasure to run through it. Wish the Government would encourage more planting of native broadleafs.

Kurt Godel

Tue 27k hilly bike

My legs are still tight and sore from the hill running. Overall, thats a positive, as I'll have got them into some sort of condition for the (lesser) incline at Valentia. Today's spin was to get some biking hills in. Around Annagh hill from my house, including a section that should perfectly mimic the initial Valentia climb. I tried staying in the saddle for almost all the hills, and keeping the cadence higher than I usually would. I'm fairly clueless about bike skills, but my legs seemed fit for running at the end. I guess well paced rather than lactate pain is the way to go for the bike section.

Kurt Godel

Tue pm 8k steady run

Met up with some from the club for a scout of the run sections of this weekend's Tinahely Duathlon. Run was steady, not as fast as previous weeks (judging by effort; I didn't wear a watch). My legs feel great after it, any tightness in the hamstrings has dissipated. It's a nice route, I'm looking forward to giving the Duathlon a lash at the weekend.

Kurt Godel

Wed 50k bike

Home-Tullow-home. I stayed in the saddle all the way, on the aero bars for as much as I could. There's rolling hills on this route, but moving through the gears to keep cadence up seemed to do the trick. I need to think "cadence over torque".