Fat and unfit to 2hr40min Hell of west in 1year

Trig1

Well..thats my aim, decided to start a training log to keep track of my progress and look for some help and feedback along the way.....

My background - have been rowing from age of 12-26 -competing at a high level for most of this then came family.

Im a 36year old male with wife and 4 Kids- 10yr/8yr/3yr/20months..this was and is my greatest challenge- fit training around family. I had to start back training just over a year ago as i was tipping 16stone on the scales (i'm 5ft10in):eek:.. so I aimed for the newport 10k as a start..completed it in 52mins and was down to around 15and 1/2 stone but I needed something else to aim for, my bro was big into triathlons so he persuaded me to aim for the try a tri in worlds end Castleconnel last august- I could prob do a length of a pool) anyway i found out i was really strong on the bike(god bless the cycle to work scheme) and my running was ok (24min 5k) so of course I concentrated on those and swam around 5 times coming up to the race- I won the try a tri:D - was delighted and also was hooked.....

Roll on this year.. Kept doing winter training throughout winter- only cycling and running- aiming for keeper Hill Challenge in Feb- did long 60-70k cycles and 10-15k runs around 4days a week- started feeling fitter and stronger (did no weights but started doing pressups and chinups everynight before bed {20 press ups and 1-3 chin ups was all i could do})..
Keeper Challenge- 14.5stone 3hrs 17mins of racing and came 17th out of 80+ was really happy with this but started getting calf strains the whole time until I was introduced to the fabulous foam roller..From february on my routine was Foam roller every night- calves/i.t.bands/quads- press ups and chin ups (50 press ups and up to 10 chin ups)...
My main aim this year started out to be Hell of the west in 3hrs along with 9 other races- have now completed 5 races of my calender...
Keeper challenge-17th out of 80+
Limerick duathlon-42nd out of 160
Ennis duathlon2-27th out of 126..
This was end of duathlons so heading towards end of march and started to increase the intensity of my training, oh and started swimming- was probably now doing 8-9 sessions a week which involved ...
Monday/wednesday/friday morning swims- couple of lengths then 750m (always around 17minutes-slow)
Few runs during week and few cycles- trying to fit them all in around kids/homework/nappy changes/cooking/ and work(work 12hr nights and days)....
North tipp sprint was to be my first real triathlon ever!! so roll on 14th april and I was as sick as a dog with bad cold for the whole week leading up to race- deciding whether to race or not as did nothing for a week- anyway i paid my entry fee so I raced anyway- felt bad throughout whole race- did a good swim (for my standards ) in 16.21, my bike is really strong but couldnt get going and was coughing alot during bike- 36.34 (51st), run also was poor - 23.44, did 1hr20min15secs- 81st overall, the bro of course came 7th with 1hr 8mins..
I saw him and i knew I could do better so wanted to do 2 savage weeks of training for Joey Hannon, Started concentrating on running and swimming as i knew my bike was strong- running at break time in work- doing intervals and 5ks, started doing longer distance swims- 1500m and 2000m swims in u.l. pool, did some cycling to and from work (52k round trip), took in the plassey 10k before Joey and did a 45min 10k which for me was great- felt really strong and fit- down to under 14st on the scales for first time in nearly 5 years- still doing foam roller every night with pressups and sit ups- legs felt good and was knocking alot of time off my running and cycling pb's- even did a sub 30min 20k on my bike (700euro road bike that i stuck tri bars onto)..
All set for Joey Hannon sprint-long story short
swim-16.40- ok for me- 99th overall felt fine
cycle-42.37-great cycle- 6th overall-fastest in my age group and only beaten by 4 juniors(irish squad) and 1 30-34 age grouper, even beat my brother by 10secs-he finished top in the sprint (was sickened though as he came in behind 5 of the junior squad)
Run- felt good for the first 2.5k- then of course-the hamstring went- very painful- walked the last 2.5k to finish line
Run took me 37mins 27secs-(i was 201st overall in run out of 211)- still came 86st overall- reckon if i did a 23min run I would have done top 20.
..
Where to from there- my plan for may was 2 10k races and up the creek tri in kilrush.. I'm also concerned majorly about the hell of the west- 23rd of june!! how bad is my hamstring???also had a pretty sore groin strain from all the running leading up to the Joey..
Took a full week off training only doing loads of stetching which leads me on to the week just gone- so where do i stand and where do i see my goals now...................................................

I'm weighing in at 88kg (13 3/4 stone) Feel fit and strong but still carrying excess weight of around 1stone.. i have a Hamstring tear and my groin strain is getting pretty severe and sore and for some reason my hip is getting sore too.. I think my realistic aim now is to get back for Kilkee Hell of west which gives me around 6 weeks from today- can I still do 2hr 40mins?? My aim at start of year was 3hrs- 45min swim, 1hr 20 bike, 50min run + transitions- why i think I can do 2hrs 40mins- aiming now for 35min swim/1hr15min bike and 45min run+transitions....

I'm the stubborn kind who thinks "i dont need physio"- i'll rest and heal myself...this time its different- more concerned about my groin and hip than hamstring so i have booked a physio for this wed morning..

Anyway thats my brief history..
Started back training last monday morning 8th may with a light swim to see how hamstring was- did around 1200m- few lengths warm up 750m in 17.05 and few lengths warming down-legs were fine so now at least I knew i could swim to stay fit...
Tuesday 9th..cycle- light 30k cycle -avg speed 30.1k- 1hr- hamstring a little tight but felt ok- so i can swim and cycle but dare not run yet
Wednesday 10th..swim- did 2k swim tonight 40 lengths of u.l. - 47mins- slow but i was very happy with fitness to get it done..
Thursday- 11th -slow cycle with friend on bike- avg 30.5kmph- 32km..
Friday-12th- back to work for weekend of 12hr nights so took fri off-stretching and excercises for hamstring and groin only.
Saturday 13th-cycle into work- 26km-avg 33.7kmph 48mins felt good-
Sunday 14th-cycle home from work 26km avg 34.5kmph- 46mins-strong..
in work at moment-its 3am-heading for swim in morn- still concerned about groin and hip as when i try to run a few steps-hip gets very sore-looking forward to physio wednesday- will keep as much up to date as possible

shotgunmcos

Good man Trig1 and best of luck with it. Is the Bro doing Kilkee too?! He is going well..

LOL imagine if PaMac had us all keep blogs like this back in the day... all the shnakey training would be revealed:D

Trig1

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Good man Trig1 and best of luck with it. Is the Bro doing Kilkee too?! He is going well..

LOL imagine if PaMac had us all keep blogs like this back in the day... all the shnakey training would be revealed:D

Ya Mike.. he's doing it, he's going very well this year but he's suffering a bit from some calf strains too- he is another foam roller user andfinds it brill too.. i think the fact that i'm training and getting fitter is giving him the ol' extra edge.. nothing like brotherly rivalry to spur someone on!!:D

Trig1

how i wish I could swim like thorpe, alas that is so not the case, went to U.L. this morn for a swim after working a hard 12hr night...
To expand a bit more on my swimming level ability.. last year before the worlds end triathlon i was only able to swim with my head up out of the water and very slowly- after a few lessons from the brother i managed to sort out my breathing.. 3 swimming sessions later and I raced the 200m of the worlds end try a tri and after around 50m I was out of breath and head up out of water for last 150m- it was the cycle that day obviously that won me the try a tri..
Didnt swim again after that until March/April this year..
I now swim monday mornings/ wednesday nights(free hour in ul. with work) and friday mornings. started off with the idea that i needed distance distance distance. so my routine since late march was few lengths warm up..then 750m(to me that was distance) then few lengths warm down. first 750m was around 19.30. ..gradually came down over few sessions to 17.05..tried reading up on techniques and watching the lads from Limerick triathlon club in the other lanes but in training i have been and still am stuck at 17minutes+ for 750m(race day this drops to around 16.30-for last 2 sprint tri's anyway)..started doing a long session weekly on my wednesday nights.. few 1500m pieces in 35mins and even did 1 or 2 2000m pieces in 46-47mins...
So anyway on the way to swimming this morning I was thinking to myself again..what can i do this morning to go faster..I'll try change my breathing...thats it- i'm able to breathe fine now in the water but only every 2 strokes so i'll try every 3 strokes(bear in mind I have never tried breathing out alternate sides before)..

So into the pool this morning and i'll try 200m warm up for 750m (rushing home to bring kids to school)..will try new breathing technique..
50m into the session and I probably swallowed a pint of pool water, coughing ,spluttering and choking.. think a few people in my lane were probably laughing... tried another 50 and this wasnt working, so reverted back to my old way and tried to concentrate on long strokes and keep legs straight-did another 100 and now i'm ready for my session...
there was 3 other lads in my lane and I heard them saying " so 3 more 200's".. they were doing speed work- interval training... wow.. why didnt i think of that.. I asked could i join in and they were fine with that.. went off last of the 4 and held my own (they did tell me they were slow, I said..perfect me too)..
so first 200m....4mins17secs felt ok but slow..actually passed one of them out..then they all put on flippers!!! wtf!!:( I tried to stay with them this time a bit harder but to no avail
second 200m....4mins09secs very tough
third 200m.......4mins 26secs felt very tired and laboured in this one(maybe the last 3 12hr nights work with less than 6rs sleep each day is taking its toll in me).
ok- they finished then so i said I'd do one more..felt good and strong in this one, gonna power home for the last 100m..great power home done..look at watch..expecting around 4mins flat..
fourth 200m......4mins 26secs ffs!!!! I'm really slow!!!
did another light 200m recovery and then out of pool to rush home to bring kids to school..
Total training 1200m swim incl 4x200m pieces (first speedwork session ever! done!)....

bed for 9.30 up at 3.30, last night of work tonight until friday thank god!! plan to cycle to work this evening- push a hard 26k sprint and another hard 26k sprint home in the morn..but alas the wife put her foot down!! "if you think your going out cycling in that wind your mad, you'll get killed, NO WAY"... i actually wasnt allowed!!!!. think I might have been a bit relieved deep down;).
Anyway no cycle session this evening.. will have to do a harder session tomorrow- will plan for a hard 40-50k cycle in the afternoon- pushing the whole way depending on how hamstring feels of course..then physio Wed morning

Trig1

The worst thing about working 12hr nights and days is the turnaround to normality after the last night, working last night until 8am this morning, home for 9am and straight to bed.. 4 hrs sleep and up again at 1pm so i make sure I can sleep tonight... wrecked tired but I feel guilty for missing a session not cycling to and from work last night...
I dont know what it is, perhaps it is my rowing background of constantly training 7 days a week (shotgun might have more input into this) but I always feel guilty and less fit if I miss a days training and I feel i need to go that extra bit harder the next day.....
Straight on with the cycling gear and downstairs to tell the missus I'm off for a cycle, she looks at me like I'm nuts but says nothing, she's brilliant and its thanks to her I can get so much training done, she did tell me to be home to do homework with the kids..that is before the 2 oldest go to athletics at 5pm and then hurling at 7pm...busy evening ahead..so I have a window of around 2hrs for cycle and shower..
Off for my cycle and plan is 50k..
Newport to Finnegans Roundabout then to Birdhill roundabout out the old dublin road back the old dublin road again to finnegans roundabout and back to Newport..

..First 10k and felt great, down on the tri bars and 10k in 16mins avg over 36kph
..Second 10k and went around Finnegans roundabout and into a very hard headwind, no wonder i felt great for first 10k, took a big gulp of my energy drink (aldi Energise tabs- brilliant) and knuckled down..bike is giving off loads of weird noises-chain rubbing or gears or something- sounds like an ol'high nelly (mental note-badly need service)..anyway went through 20k in 35mins08secs.. not bad..avg back down to 34kph..
..third 10k..few more k and around Birdhill roundabout. back with a crosswind.
bit faster..went through 30k in 52mins 10secs- consistent anyway- total avg so far in 34.2kph.
..fourth 10k ..starting feeling the tiredness and the lack of sleep..another big gulp of aldi's finest and head down again- slight shower cooled me off a bit..
went through 40k in 1hr10mins13secs- again consistency..34.1kph total avg,
..fifth 10k..ok push to 44k (hell of west distance).. went through 44k in 1hr17mins05secs.. avg 34.2kph , long slow drag after this which zapped what was left out of the leg... crawled the last few k at 23-25kph.. back home and few minutes cool down before shower..session done and showered all in 2hrs..
..Plan for tmrw Physio in morn and 2k swim tmrw evening...oh p.s. hit just over 13 1/2 stone on scales after cycle today 86kg- delighted- down nearly 2 and 1/2 stone since I started back training last year

Session.. Total distance 49.5k cycle.. total time 1hr 29mins 09 secs.. Total avg speed 33.5kph

Trig1

well went to physio this morning..good news is I didnt tear my hamstring, bad news is my hip is kinda displaced this is whats causing the groin soreness..the affect of this was too much pressure on my other leg thus the hamstring nerves got affected.. I didnt really understand him to be honest,, got something to do with the hip flexors and all the muscles around the hip being inter connected.. anyway thankfully recovery time should only be another 3 weeks and I will be able to do light runs during that time.. this with the cycling and swimming should keep me fit and keep me on the road towards Kilkee on the 23rd june..
Hip/groin all pretty sore at moment after a lot of manipulation today so decided to skip my swim tonight and rest.. plan for tomorrow (if I dont wake up with hip totally in bits) is a long 70k cycle with some 4min 90% of max pieces thrown in..... I'm still very slow in the water..gonna do my first open water swim next monday evening.. would love to get some tips from anyone reading this on what they did to help themselves go faster in the water..

Nwm2

Trig1 wrote: »

..
I think my realistic aim now is to get back for Kilkee Hell of west which gives me around 6 weeks from today- can I still do 2hr 40mins?? My aim at start of year was 3hrs- 45min swim, 1hr 20 bike, 50min run + transitions- why i think I can do 2hrs 40mins- aiming now for 35min swim/1hr15min bike and 45min run+transitions....

Sorry to rain on your parade Trig1, but I think 2:40 is a year too early for you. Especially with the injury. Be careful not to push yourself to further injury before 23rd June. Not to try to demotivate you - the opposite actually. Don't want you to be disappointed with what will still be a great performance.

2:45-2:50 is more likely and will not be easy. 2:40 in HOTW is in the top 20-25% in a high quality field and I just cannot see that happening with your swim and run where it is right now, especially with it being your first Olympic. I did a bit better than your target last year with a swim time similar to your goal (they started the swim while I was wading into the water, still bitter!), a bike similar to your splits this year, and a 5 min better open 10k time.

You can probably add 3 min at least to your open 10k time for the run (given the swim and 44k cycle you have just done, and considering the difficulty of the run).

For 1:15 on the bike, you're looking for a top 7-8% bike split on a day with very benign conditions (eg 2010) or top 4-5% if the conditions are bad (eg 2011). But I don't think your bike is at that level yet, especially after a 1500m swim. My bike is averaging a couple of minutes faster than yours over those short events this year, and 1:15 would still be beyond my target (save it for the run!).

Good luck training, and I'll be looking out for your splits!

shotgunmcos

Hey D good stuff on the bike. I remember when sub 70 mins for 40k TT was a benchmark I'd chase after in training.

RE the guilt: I think there was a greater sense of this in rowing because you were part of a crew and missing a session was not just letting yourself down but the boat. Nearly every session was group orientated or there was someone sitting on the turbo next to you or lifting in the gym. Triathlon is largely different. You are really in charge of your own destiny. One think I'll say about the guilt is you have to learn to let it go. Training for 3 disciplines can take its toll if you try to catch up on sessions

RE: the swimming. I said it to RedB and I'll say it to you. If you are down in UL on mon, wed or fridat mornings join onto the back of teh tri club/masters session. You will get through more work than you would on your own and you will progress faster.

Of the 3 disciplines I've made the most progress in swimming (I couldn't swim in 2008). Its largely down to consistency, watching others' strokes, group sessions and always having one technical aspect in mind, even when suffering.

What might also help is I used to imagine my hand as the spoon of an oar in the water. The catch, acceleration and finish are all similar. Also, think of dropping your elbow as akin to shafting the blade. You lose horizontal momentum. Hand entry, reach, quick catch, smooth acceleration through the fulcrum, high elbow, fast last quarter, natural roll and clean finish. Oh and learn to bi lateral breath.. that helped a lot too

Edit: I'd tend to agree with NWM2 a 1:15 bike followed by a 45 min 10k is very ambitious for Kilkee. Not impossible mind you but you have basically got 6 weeks and current splits don't suggest its on. Having said that, I know how tenacious you are and pain temporary and all that!

Nwm2

Trig1 wrote: »

I'm still very slow in the water..gonna do my first open water swim next monday evening.. would love to get some tips from anyone reading this on what they did to help themselves go faster in the water..

Get 1:1 lessons, not group lessons. Swim every day. Swim hard with a group (eg masters) as often as you can.

Trig1

thanks Mike and nwm2, some really sound advice too, In all honesty i'd have to have the race of my life for a 2hr40 hotw, i think a normal olympic distance yes but not hotw, not now anyway, my initial aim was 3hrs but I do think sub 2.50 is achievable-conditions depending of course, I have only started swimming and I am doing 35min 1500 in pool but I know open water is different, Im hoping I get faster over the next 6 weeks, cycle- i could surprise if i got new wheels for the bike before kilkee-my bike is just an average road bike with tri bars fitted(have already done a sub 30min 20k-in training only though), but 45 min 10k after swim and cycle on that route and after an injury- i'll settle for 50mins,
Mike- I'm not a member of the Limerick tri club but i'm down every monday and friday morning in the "slow lane" longside them, (swim wed nights at 8.45 as I have a free pass with work) can i still go into the lane with the masters??...
p.s. the stroke reference is brilliant, i never thought of the swim technique like that, must try it fri morning

Trig1

Well today consisted of Cutting the back garden, cycle and cutting the front garden, doesn't sound too bad but when you have just under a half acre and your back garden is a hill and a broken push petrol lawnmower with 1 wheel hanging off then its a different kettle of fish..I usually use cutting the gardens as a training session and it usually takes me around 4 hours to do front and back... anyway I cut the back garden, then put Aoife to bed (our mad 21 month old) then got into my gear to head out on a cycle....

.....I dont know if its keeping a training diary on boards or the day off training yesterday or the thread from last night but I was rare-ing to go out and push myself to the limit, plan was 70k cycle with few hard 5minute pieces thrown in..this is how it went..
Newport to finnegans roundabout-out old dublin road through birdhill roundabout and on towards Nenagh until I hit 35k on speedometer- turn around and same route home
First few km's from my front door are slight decline so good speed- was flying it actually.
First 10k...15mins 37secs-total avg speed over 38kph..thought I must have a big tailwind..went around Finnegans roundabout and very surprised I didnt hit a strong headwind, just a slight headwind-speed reduced but not by much..
20k....32mins 29secs- total avg speed dropped to 36.5kph (that included having to stop and turn around to get my sunglasses as they were fogging up and when i went to put them in my back pocket they fell on the ground)
30k....49mins 53secs- total avg speed 36kph-but dropping fast with bit of headwind and long drags, few gulps of my aldi energy drink and off we go..
last couple of km's up to 30k and the next 5k until I turned around were extremely hard- long slow drags from birdill for nearly 10k really took it out of me..turned around and knew i'd be able to build up speed again with the downhills..
40k....1hr 9mins 23secs-total avg speed dropped to 34.5kph nearly 20minutes for that 10k...ok again push to 44k.. went through 44k at 1hr14mins39secs-flew the 4k on a long slow downhill section-44kph to 50kph..thought to myself -your going well-avg speed was 35.2kph-why not try push for 70k in sub 2hrs..
50k....1hr 25mins 52secs-total avg speed 34.9kph..still felt good and strong, sweat pouring off me though and legs were burning and in pain..
60k....1hr 42mins 40secs, total avg speed 35kph-still on target--homeward stretch now newport road...then I just realize something.. the last 3k is basically a long slow hill, my legs are hurting so badly...need to push hard to make up for the last 3k,, doing 37kph avg now for few km's.. hit the first drag into newport town and the legs explode, I have only 3k left and over 5 minutes to do it in but the legs have given up, I'm up standing on the pedals but i'm looking at my speed at 23kph,, couldn't get over 25kph for last 3k-legs and lungs exploding..
70k..hit home and speedometer reads 69.75km must have been shorter distance on the other side of road?? absolutely wrecked
time on clock 2hrs1min22secs- total avg speed 34.5kph...
...warm down and long hot shower then the wife says are you going out to cut the front gardens before it starts raining..2 hrs later and front gardens cut.. i feel like a vegetable sitting on the couch in bits....never did my 4 hard 5 minute pieces bit did the whole thing hard so happy with the cycle

mental note.. sick and tired of cycling on my own-cycling for a year now and only 3 times been out with other people..must try get into a group session...

plan for tomorrow..back on 12hr days tmrw..swim in morn before work and gonna try a light jog at lunch time-first time running since Joey Hannon

Session..70k cycle..total distance 69.75km, total time 2hrs1min22secs total avg speed 34.5kph

Trig1

Totally depressed today..feel like packing it in..not sure where i'm going from here..
Swim this morn..plan was 5X200m pieces with 1 minute rest between each..actual went a bit like this....
200m warm up..
first 200.. 4mins 26secs...felt wrecked after it
second 200... 4 mins 32secs....totally out of breath...
third 200.... stopped after 100m as couldnt keep going-- 100m at 2mins 10secs.. decided to do few 100s instead,,
first 100m 2mins11secs..
second 100m 2mins 12secs
third 100m 2mins13secs..
fourth 100m-stopped half way and started doing breast stroke-
stopped in 2 pieces today!!! I usually never stop in pieces...got out of the pool totally wrecked and dejected..

Lunch time today and went for a light jog to see how groin/hip and hamstring are.. lasted 9 minutes- was going to stop after 9 strides!!!
Hip was really sore from very start-thought it might loosen out,then hamstring came at me( never had a problem with my hip whilst running before-maybe its something the physio did)..stopped after 9 minutes for fear hamstring might "go" again.. totally p*ssed off now, useless at swimmimng and cannot run for over 1km,, only thing I can do is cycle..should have taken up cycling instead of tri's!!!! need to decide what to do over next few weeks!!!

session: swim 1200m: 200m wu 2x200m hard and 4x100m hard 200m wd, run 1.5k-slow

newbie runner

stall the ball.

you need to take a step back and realise that these bodies of ours aren't machines that just can be started up turned onto full power!

You are doing a great job , and and have had an off day.
I have many, in my short time of running, and have just put those days down to the body saying, "give me a break will you".

When I switch off, and have a few beers, or glasses of wine, I'm sure the body is saying "hold on a minute, your killing me man.."killing me with exercise, work,family ,alcohol, and lack of sleep.........i'll not perform for you today....no way hoezzay?!.

Maybe tomorrow,or the day after!

Keep the faith....rest up a while....you'll feel the better:)

Trig1

Thanks Newbie..think maybe the hard cycle on thursday killed me, i think I need to take a full week off cycling and running to see will my legs recover some way... maybe the cycling is also affecting my hip and hamstring..so for next week im gonna take the weekend off and just swim next week and do my physio exercises and foam roller and see how we go..anyway ..going for pints tonight , havent been out for pints since february:( so looking forward to it!!!:D

Trig1

Well after taking a needed weekend off due to various injuries and work I went for my first open water swim of the year in worlds end this evening..

Tried out the new wetsuit ..blue seventy sprint and was amazed how warm I felt in it, head feet and hands of course were cold but it was fine..
did ~800m initially in 18min flat, turned around again and said i'd swim down around the bend for 15mins then turn around and swim back ..felt great-30mins non stop probably ~1300m, anyway still gonna take it easy and rest this week..swimming/exercises and foam roller only, will try get another swim in tomorrow before I head back into work on nights...

Session: Open water swim:total time 50mins, total distance~2100m

Trig1

Well..still on my week/2 weeks of recuperation trying to get this hip/groin/hamstring sorted... took another day yesterday of rest..
tonight went to the pool and to keep the fitness levels up i decided to challenge myself to try do an hour non stop swimming..again I am not a strong swimmer- did 1 45 min swim few weeks ago and that was longest swim ever.. anyway i knew I wasnt going for distance-- went for a comfortable L.S.D session concentrating on breathing and keeping legs straight..delighted with session- actually did the full 1hr and covered 52 lenghts of u.l.(not much i know for the strong swimmers but i was very happy) 2600m..
first.. 750m in 17mins37secs... hit 1500m in 35mins flat.. hit 2000m in around 46.40 mins... hit 2500m in 58mins and 2600m in 1hr9secs- from the splits it looks like i went slightly faster for 2nd 25 lengths-suppose I got my rythym and felt more comfortable... prob another rest day tomorrow and more l.s.d. swimming on friday morning..

Session total:2700m swim total time 1hr5mins (including 100m warm up)

Trig1

didnt do much over the last few days... still trying to rest hip and recuperate..hip actually felt ok until I went for an open water swim this evening..so now i'm thinking...maybe its the swimming thats hurting my hip..I know I dont have good technique..have to get it checked out... gonna start back cycling soon and will try run by end of week..anyway session tonight was more l.s.d. swimming.. only did half hour as wife and kids were with me in paddling

Session .. l.s.d. swim..distance ~1300m time 30mins

Trig1

well back running of sorts anyway...
did a very easy 45mins on treadmill today.. loads of stretching warming up then 7.5mins run at 10kph pace and 2.5min walk. did this 4 times and long wind down afterwards... good news..hamstring felt well...bad news... hip very sore but I was able to keep going... just need to keep doing exercises and stretching as prescribed by physio.. a p.s. to this is that i'm doing around an hour of core exercises for last few nights- these included exercises from physio, foam roller, some plank exercises, situps, pressups and chin ups..

Session..45 mins light treadmill,, 7.5mins @10kph pace 2.5 mins walk x4

Trig1

I'm getting sick of doing nothing and I'm getting worried the hell of the west is coming closer..had to take another rest day yesterday due to the hip being sore after running on monday..getting a little demoralised and hoping my fitness doesn't slip away, Physio appointment for 1pm today so probably wont be able to do anything today either..
..did do stretching and exercises for 1hr last night ..found it hard even to get motivated to do those...until tomorrow..

Trig1

well just been to a different physio this afternoon and I have to say he was worth every penny. he was excellent and he also explained the difference to me between a Physical Therapist and a chartered Physiotherapist , he is a chartered and the guy I was with 2 weeks ago was a phy.ther. ...what a difference... feel extremely sore after a lot of dry needling:( but I can cycle and swim no bother and another 3-4 sessions and I should be fine to run.. wont be doing any pb runs in kilkee but just want to complete course now..anyone know how I can change the heading of this training log to "fat and unfit to completing Hell of the west".. new goals..
swim...35mins
t1.......2mins
cycle...1hr18mins (weather depending)
t2........1min
run.......55mins..
so my aim now is ...bad day sub 3hrs
good day....sub 2hrs 50mins

Anyway..feeling more positive and if hip is fine in few weeks I'm gonna sign up for Brian Boru oly:D

p.s. if anyone is looking for a good physio i'd highly reccomend this young lad in Raheen-only started out a few weeks ago and he's excellent
http://www.xcelphysiotherapy.ie/

Trig1

more rest today... hip feels remarkably good though after physio yesterday.. loads of stretching and foam roller last night and usual exercises- actually did 18 chin-ups in a row- something I havent been able to do since i was 21, chuffed.. going away for weekend to dingle for lots of drink but there is a counter-flow pool in the house so will try get alot of swimming done- then I have 2 easy weeks in work so planning on 2 hard weeks training on bike and water (hopefully some light jogging) before kilkee..anyway bring on Dingle:D:D:D

Trig1

Haven't done a good session in over a week so decided to torture myself this morning.. it was a warm muggy morning so i threw on a few extra tops and a rain jacket and decided to do an 80k cycle sticking to 30kph average and doing my slightly hilly route- newport to birdhill on backroad- birdhill-montpellier-montpellier-castleconnel- castleconnel-birdhill- birdhill almost to nenagh-turned around at 40k- nenagh back straight road to finnegans roundabout- finnegans to newport and home, longest cycle i've ever done before this was 70k last week...
put a banana in my back pocket, my 750ml of aldi sports tabs and sports tracker on the earphone with some low background music (I know this is a no no, but bored cycling on my own so decided on some music..
10k..first 10k nice and easy- actually started thinking about cadence (seeing as i'm reading alot of it on alot of posts-) i mostly cycle in hardest gear and my cadence was 110-120 rpm (dunno if thats good or not) anyway first 10k was 21mins- speed 28.6kph..(this was slow as the sports tracker took a minute or 2 to kick in
2nd 10k 19mins 23secs.. speed 31kph and already sweating like a jack ass but i needed it to loose a few pounds..
3rd 10k 18mins 54secs.. speed 31.7kph.. felt fine
4th 10k 18mins 53secs.. speed 31.7kph.. was glad I had the sports tracker because I was sweating so much that I was sweating all over my speedometer and it stopped working..
5th 10k 19mins 52secs.. speed 30.5kph.. a lot of long slow drags on this 10k..started feeling it in the legs
6th 10k 19mins 43secs.. speed 30.8kph .. still ok
7th 10k 19mins 50secs.. speed 30.6kph.. at this stage i had done 70k and was at an average of around 31kph for the lot until i hit last 10k and the wheels literally fell off- hit the back road from finnegans to newport and there was nothing left in the legs
8th 10k 23mins 9secs.. speed 26kph. couldnt move the legs..
got the 80k done in 2hrs 40mins 30secs.. 29.8kph . Hamstrings burned like hell after it and I was soaked to the skin but was a good long session- just what I needed before a long weekend of drinking in Dingle..

Session 80k lsd cycle maintaining 30kph..total Distance 80.2k total time 2hr41mins20secs.. total speed 29.8kph

Dory Dory

Nice work!

Trig1

well the weekend was a write off anyway, the so called swimming pool was a hot tub at 35 degrees so there wasn't any swimming in that anyway.. a lot of drinking done over the weekend so got back into training today with a light 40k cycle in 1hr 25mins, physio again tmrw.
session :light 40k cycle, speed 28kph, time 1hr25mins

Trig1

got into the pool late this evening after work, plan was to try do 3k, 60 lengths of u.l. (50m pool), unfortunately was kicked out after 46 lengths as the pool was closing..
speed still not improving but felt very comfortable in the water..
750m..17mins13secs
1500m..35mins16secs
2250m..53mins44secs

session: swim-distance 2300m time 55mins04secs

Trig1

had physio yesterday- need to go for mri on the hip ..g.p. tmrw to get referral for barringtons..
anyway I wish I had a turbo trainer but unfortunately I dont so on with the winter gear and the rain gear and off out for 50k in the lashing rain this morning.
was absolutely drowned after 5 mins but was determined to go as hard as possible and over my hilliest route- did 23k loop from newport to murroe over back roads by clare glens and back around to newport, did this twice and then a bit..couldn't really get good speed going due to the driving wind and rain so just decided to drop a few gears and spin the legs as much as possible..
10k....19.33 avg 30.7kph
2nd 10k....19.08 avg 31.7kph
3rd 10k....17.30 avg 34.6kph
4th 10k....23.01 avg 26.3kph(head wind/rain/hills)
5th 10k....18.27 avg 32.5kph
like a drowned rat after session but was worth it to get out and get a session done
Session 50k bike, total time 1hr 37mins 27secs total speed 30.7kph

Trig1

well didnt have time to do much today, did get into the pool for quick swim though..that was after going to my gp and then heading into barringtons with a letter for mri on hip and groin area, mri wont be until late next week and results around 5 days after that so- gonna give leg a few more days rest before I attempt another run, doing kilkee regardless;). its the triathlon i've aimed for since I saw the brother doing it over last few years- I never thought i'd be fit enough to do it but here i am 36-going on 37 and fitter now than I have been in at least 10years- i'm not gonna let a sore hip stop me racing!!!:mad: so 2 more weeks of intense training and bring on kilkee!!
swim today... 1500m steady pace... 35min30secs ..still miserable slow time, on a positive note i did 2x50m flat out after my 1500m- i've never broken 1minute yet for 50m but did the 2x50ms in 55secs and 54secs woohoo:D- maybe i am getting some speed!! anyway- some sprint work planned for bike tomorrow- prob some type of fartlek session,

session:swim 1500m-35mins30secs, 2x50m 55secs/54secs

Dory Dory

You keep working on your swimming and you will get it!! Good determination you have!

Trig1

Thanks Dory..I know i have the fitness- i feel like I could swim all day now but alas I have no speed..think its time to get a few 1 on 1 lessons, after kilkee though!!. i might do some of your sessions;) from reading your log i'd say your a great swimmer

Dory Dory

Trig1 wrote: »

Thanks Dory..I know i have the fitness- i feel like I could swim all day now but alas I have no speed..think its time to get a few 1 on 1 lessons, after kilkee though!!. i might do some of your sessions;) from reading your log i'd say your a great swimmer

Swimming speed can be gained through many things, and improvement in speed can be somewhat dependent on ability and experience. For instance, early in a swimming career it can be just time in the water....then it can be in perfecting your stroke/kick/breathing.....and then it can through fast interval sessions (translation: bloody sprints). I'm all for one-on-one lessons, so go for it - you'll probably learn a lot.

Great swimmer? Hmmm...let's just say that for a time in my life competitive swimming was my world. I probably approach time in the water differently than most of the lads do here, but without elaborating on the reasons why our approaches are different, suffice it to say that I swim to make me happy.

Trig1

well saturday was all about how am i going to get a session in, had the parents coming over for dinner in the evening, gardens had to be cut, house had to be cleaned and groceries had to be got, I knew if I said anything to the other half about going training she'd kill me, so plan was : she's going to do groceries with 3 girls and I stay at home with the eldest and cut gardens , so anyway the minute she was gone in the car my cunning plan took place, told the eldest I was going for a quick cycle and we'd start on the grass when I got back and not to say anything to mam, I knew I didnt have much time so I planned to do a hard tt. on my hilly 20k route from newport to murroe and back on back roads, my p.b. for this was 35.43, so off I went as hard as i could on the tri bars, flew the route and hit home in 33.53- thrilled as its a pretty hilly route with some long drags -35.4kph, back and on with the wellys to go out and cut the grass, 1.5hrs later wife arrives home and first comment is "you dont have much done" to which I reply its very long and still wet- its a nightmare, but to which the son replies... "well if he didnt go for a cycle he'd have it done by now" :mad: the little feck!!! oh well- I spent 4 more hour out cutting the gardens- was wrecked after it- this to me is definitely a hard session!!

Session 20k tt on hilly route,time: 33.53 speed 35.4kph also 4hrs of garden cutting