The Lion's Roar - "Vita Perseverat Sursum"

couerdelion

Wednesday 5th December


Lunch: 5km easy run at 5:08 pace.

Final maximum strength session. Upped some of the weights again.

Leg Press - 175 kg (3x6)
Row - 90kg (3x6)
Swiss Ball Crunch (3x40) w/20kg plate
Hamstring Curl 70kg (3x30) - tougher!
Straight Arm Pulldown (3x6) 38.75kg
5 min spinning at 90+rpm to finish.

No evening Yoga as at Tri Club meeting.

couerdelion

Thursday 6th December

No swimming this morning - really busy in work and was meant to go out for a couple of hours at lunch so no running either. Ended up working all the way through in the end. As I'd done nothing and no Yoga last night I was feeling fresher than i would normally so decided to do an FTP test. Set up as usual and off I went. Hard work - legs burning and heavy breathing. Happy with the result though - new FTP of 280.

Chartsengrafs

So have you given up or are you just training too hard to post?

couerdelion

Basster wrote: »

So have you given up or are you just training too hard to post?

Was mentally busy in work leading up to Christmas and then picked up a chest infection when I finally took time off and relaxed. 2 weeks later still suffering, not training and easting crap. Demotivated at the moment.

Chartsengrafs

Well getting sick will do that. Still better it happens now than in the middle of the season proper. Plenty of time to get back on the horse.

couerdelion

Saturday 29th December

So after over two weeks out with a chest infection I finally did some exercise.
I had signed up for Vinny Mulvey's Christmas running camp a month or so earlier. I had no real expectations from the session which covered dynamic stretching, interval session and running technique but I enjoyed it and brought quite a bit away with me. Ended up running just over 8km.

Evening time I put the football on and did an hour on the turbo doing nothing but trying to keep my heart rate under 120bpm. This stemmed from a conversation I had with a sport scientist who is helping us out with training and planning for the Up and Over triathlon and his recommendation of keeping everything extremely low during base building. The 120bpm was a guess of where I think I needed to be training to be in my fat burning zone. It was pretty boring to be honest.

Sunday 30th December

Nothing. Felt rough again and was worried chest infection was coming back. By the evening I was fine and I think the aches were just from not training for a while.

Monday 31st December

Testing time. I had a body composition,metabolic analysis and VO2 test done with the sports scientist I mentioned earlier - Chris Simpson at Leinster Sports Clinic.

First up was the Body Composition which was kinda where I thought - except I've put a fair amount of weight on since being unable to train - I'm back up to 110kg. 23.3% (25.6kg) of this is fat so my lean weight is 84.4kg. Target weight then has been set to 97kg which will mean sub 13% bf if I can maintain my lean weight. My Hip to waist ratio was fine at 0.92.

I then did the VO2 test which was bike based. It was basically me cycling at a comfortable cadence (82 rpm for me) whilst the resistance was slowly increased over a 10-12 min period whilst I wore a mask with tubes running out to measure and analyse the air I was exhaling. This would would give me an idea of what energy sources I was buring at what heart rates, my anaerobic threshold and my VO2 Max.

My VO2 Max was dead on 50.0 ml/kg/min. According to the charts this is well above average for my age.
My anaerobic threshold was reached at 130 bpm and my anaerobic base (where I burn fat as a predominant fuel) was reached at 90 bpm. The graphs were pretty interesting as I varied slightly from the norm as I have a wider range across the heart rate band where I continue to burn fat at a high rate (albeit also burning carbs in increasing amounts) probably due to training mainly at a higher heart rate which hase caused the body to adapt slightly.

Outcome of this testing is that I will be training predominantly at a heart rate of <=110bpm for the next 3 months in order to teach my body to use fat more effeciently (My 120bpm guesstimate was out by a good bit). This should help me maintain lean mass (and strength) whilst burning fat/losing weight. We're also pretty confident I can increase VO2 over the next few months with the training he's prescribing as well so this should lead to the increased endurance needed for Up and Over. This for me means a slightly longer base than I had originally planned but I don't think it will be to my detriment. The redrawn plans still build and peak but I now only have one 'A' race. Any speed I lose from the slower steadier efforts should hopefully come back during build (not that I've got any to start with!).

I've been really impressed by Chris and his knowledge and how he's applying it to our needs. It sounds counter intuitive to go slower to burn more fat and increase endurance but when he explains the science behind it, especially in regards to metabolic rates, it really makes sense. If anyone is thinking of getting there VO2 done i'd definitely recommend him. He's just down the road in Laois.

Tuesday 1st January

Tom Brennan Memorial - 22:30. Enjoyed but had nothing left for a sprint finish at the end. I was trying to stick witha girl who had beat me in the last BHAA XC for most of the run but she left me in the last km and put nearly 30s into me.

couerdelion

Wednesday 2nd January

Lunch time gym session - 45 minute run trying to keep HR under 118. Started off fine but then with heat it started to creep up and I was shifting the speed down quite a bit to make sure I kept below the target. 6.77km covered and I actually enjoyed it. No music or TV but the time passed suprisingly quickly (unlike the distance )
Still playing around with weights routines to see what doesn't interfere with the rest of the training. So just 3x12 of pullups, dips, chins. Need to add core in and I reckon that should suffice. I'm finding the leg exercises (presses, squats, extensions) compromise my ability to train and recover.

No late Yoga session as still xmas/New Year hours at the studio. Back to normal from Thursday so will try and get back into it from Friday.

couerdelion

Just a 90 minute turbo today. Again concentrating on keeping HR at or just below a certain rate (110 for cycling). It should really be boring but again, like the running yesterday I actually enjoyed it. http://tpks.ws/YZ9U


I was meant to run at lunch but work has been pretty hectic. Hoping to make some significant changes to that situation soon.

couerdelion

4th January 2013

Day off - Eat too much.

5th January 2013

Club cycle - 95km done. Punctured badly at around the 60km mark which damaged the tyre. Patched with a gel packet and got me a good way towards home before the wife picked me up ( van also punctured - not my day!).


6th January 2013

Club run - 7 x 1.2 km circuits with a 2 min slow jog in between. Also ran a 1.2km circuit with the wife to cool down. 10.5km done and really enjoyed it.

couerdelion

7th January 2013

Run - 1 hour at <120bpm. Slow enough at 7:03min/km... 8.6km done.

8th January 2013

Turbo - 90 mins <110 bpm. 38.77km done.

couerdelion

A bit of catching up to do... not much description but there's not a lot to say about keeping your HR below 110bpm whilst running and 120bpm on the bike

9th January 2013

60 mins HR Based Run - 9.1 km

10th January 2013

90 mins HR Based Cycle - 39.0 km

11th January 2013

60 mins HR Based Run 9.3 km

12th January 2013

Club Cycle. Tough day. Got dropped on a couple of climbs around the midway mark but hung on to the last wheel and dragged myself back on and felt grand towards the end. 108km done

13th January 2013

Club running session - XC intervals in the park again over the munich hills. Managed to move up the Strava leaderboard for the section which is always good! 11.5km covered.

14th January 2013

70 mins HR based run - 10.7 km

15th January 2013

40 mins HR based run - 6.3 km

100 mins HR based cycle - 43.4 km

16th January 2013

70 mins HR based run - 11.1 km

17th January 2013

120 mins HR based Cycle - 54.2 km

I've not done any swimming yet this year. Until yesterday / today I didn't feel like I was completely over the chest infection I had before Christmas so have been holding back a bit on training. Hopefully I'll add everything (Swim/Yoga/Gym) back in over the next couple of weeks and be back to full on training.

couerdelion

Friday 18th January

Day off so just Bikram Yoga - 90 minutes of sweating. Not been for a while and enjoyed the session.

Saturday 19th January

Out west with the rest of 'Up and Over' checking out routes and getting measured in Amphibia King for new runners. First time I've ever had my run analysed and it's good to know I've no real problems. It does feel a bit weird though running up and down a yellow strip.

No training done. Had hoped to fit in a turbo but was too tired after the early start.

Sunday 20th January

Club run and intervals around a soaking wet Munich Hills course in the park. With warm and cool down it ended up at just over 14km. Hamstrings tight after the Yoga and tough conditions where I was just sinking in the mud at some stages.

Turbo session. 2 hours session keeping HR in the <110bpm zone. I think the batteries could be going in the strap as it kept jumping from 108/109 to 120 then would drop again - either that or I was having heart palpitations. Found I couldn't put as much effort in as Thurs for the same HR but that could be down to the run earlier in the day.

El Director

Hey dude, quiet in here. All okay? Are you still grinding out the low intensity sessions? That takes focus and serious discipline. Hope all is well.

couerdelion

El Director wrote: »

Hey dude, quiet in here. All okay? Are you still grinding out the low intensity sessions? That takes focus and serious discipline. Hope all is well.

Sorry, El D - only just saw your comment.

There's been a lot of long slow base sessions and it's been boring enough to a point where I've not been too bothered about triathlon at all - I don't know if it's been the weather, the long off season, having a main season goal so far away or what exactly.

Anyway a couple of weeks ago I revisited my goals for the season and refocused my training and am starting to enjoy things again. The season starts soon enough and I'm raging now I didn't enter Laois.

Going to get this log up to date soon and start using it as I did last year to keep me honest...

elvis jones

couerdelion wrote: »

Sorry, El D - only just saw your comment.

There's been a lot of long slow base sessions and it's been boring enough to a point where I've not been too bothered about triathlon at all - I don't know if it's been the weather, the long off season, having a main season goal so far away or what exactly.

Anyway a couple of weeks ago I revisited my goals for the season and refocused my training and am starting to enjoy things again. The season starts soon enough and I'm raging now I didn't enter Laois.

Going to get this log up to date soon and start using it as I did last year to keep me honest...

If only you had said it to someone in Trilogy:rolleyes:;)

elvis jones

couerdelion wrote: »

Sorry, El D - only just saw your comment.

There's been a lot of long slow base sessions and it's been boring enough to a point where I've not been too bothered about triathlon at all - I don't know if it's been the weather, the long off season, having a main season goal so far away or what exactly.

Anyway a couple of weeks ago I revisited my goals for the season and refocused my training and am starting to enjoy things again. The season starts soon enough and I'm raging now I didn't enter Laois.

Going to get this log up to date soon and start using it as I did last year to keep me honest...

Check your e mail;)

couerdelion

elvis jones wrote: »

Check your e mail;)

me and my big mouth

couerdelion

couerdelion wrote: »

Going to get this log up to date soon and start using it as I did last year to keep me honest...

A couple of long posts to bring it up to date....

22nd March 2013

My training hasn't been going too bad but if I am being honest my diet has been poor. I do not eat particularly badly or unhealthy at all but I probably do eat too much (portion sizes) which means I've maintained weight rather than losing it - although I am 7lbs lighter than as of the same time last year so there is some 'top level' progress being made

So the plan is to place a higher focus on losing weight and concentrate on my diet. Scales this morning were reporting 17st 0lb. Ideally I'd like to be down to 15st 7lb for my 'A' race of the year in 11 weeks time so that would be just under 2lbs a week I need to lose - I think that it is an achievable target and one I really need to aim for - at the most it's less than 12 weeks of focus that needs to be maintained.

My 'A' race is still going to be the ITU European AG Championships in Alanya, Turkey. I was contemplating pulling out as it's not going to be cheap to fly, take my bike, stay, enter the race, pay various fees, buy the tri suit etc.. but sure, I might only get to do it once and could be injured next year or fall out of love with the sport - who knows - so I'm still going for it and I'm going to make sure I enjoy myself too. The aim isn't to win the thing (I will not be anywhere close) but merely to do myself justice and put a marker down for any future appearances. So now I've written it down again there's definitely no going back now.

On my way to this 'A' race I have a few shorter term targets. First up in mid April is a training camp in Northern Sardinia with the Triathlon Club (Activ Multisport). There will be plenty of hard cycling done that week over the hills of Northern Sardinia and I'm hoping that combined with eating well I will see a big jump in fitness and a good loss in weight. I've been planning the cycle routes and there's around 6,000 m of climbing over 500km in the 6 days - and that was when I was trying to keep some of the routes flat!

10 days after returning is my first race of the year - Joey Hannon (Olympic - NS) in Limerick. A National series race and a chance to see where I am at fitness and speed wise compared to last year (at the moment I am not confident I've improved much if any from last year!).

12th May is the Kildare marathon - my first marathon and essential in my opinion if I 'm going to be up to the task mentally of completing 5 marathons in 5 days later on in the year. Hoping to do a sub 4 hour marathon which whilst not spectacular will be more than good enough for me as the real target here is just to complete.

The 3D NAC Fingal Tri (Sprint) in mid May will give me a better indicator as to how I am progressing overall - it was my first ever race two years ago so I should be able to compare almost directly to previous efforts, although the bike course will have slightly changed slightly due to a new road opening.

Then I've TriAthy (Olympic - NS) penciled in for the beginning of June and then the 'A' Race mid June.

After a week or so of rest I've 3 national series races back to back -
Mullaghmore (Sprint - NS) on the 22nd June, Hell of the West (Olympic - NS) on the 29th June, Athlone on the 6th July (Sprint - NS) - followed the weekend after by a middle distance (Half Ironman) in Swinford, Mayo. That will be a tough month but I then have three weeks downtime (no racing - still plenty of training though) until the Beast of the East see me reappear on the 21st July.

Last up is Tri the Lough (Sprint - NS) on the 10th August to try and confirm my Euro AG place for 2014 and hopefully have enough points from the 5 National Series (NS) races to hit targets I've set and beat last years points total.

After that the focus will be back on Up and Over - the Ultra triathlon I'm doing with Mark and Wes of Trilogy Triathlon club and helping to organise (although Mark is doing most of the work!). It's all in aid of Irish Cancer Society and Irish Autism Action.

That kicks off on the 22nd August with a 7.6km swim in Laois, followed by 5 days of cycling - Malin to Mizen (with an extra 100km loop) and then 5 days to run Galway to Dublin. I'm sure you'll here lots more about this event as we'll be hitting facebook, twitter and linkedin pretty hard over the next 5 months to raise the profile and as much money as possible for the charities and will be looking for personal and business sponsorship for myself and the events. I also hope as many people as possible will sign up for the public day - 100km cycle in Galway and a half or full marathon from Offaly to Kildare.

I might round of the year with Lough Key (Sprint - NS) a week after I finish Up and Over but I might be a complete mess after all the exhertions (and massive after-party we've planned!).

couerdelion

Week 0

Monday 18th March:
61.4 km cycle. Met up with a few people from the club - Hazel, Paddy and Joe for a brisk cycle in miserable weather. I did just over 60km all up.

Tuesday 19th March:
Lunchtime Docklands Run - 7.5 km
These lunchtimes runs are mainly just about getting out and running. With an emphasis on easy. Speed work will be built in soon enough.

Evening: Resistance Bands workout
90 mins turbo

Wednesday 20th March:
Lunchtime Long Run - 16.0 km


Thursday 21st March:
Lunchtime Docklands Run 7.5km

Evening:
Resistance Bands workout
35 minute Turbo was meant to be longer but didn't have the time to finish it as I started too late and had to go pick the wife up.


Friday 22nd March:
Day Off

Saturday 23rd March:
Marshalled at Lucan GP so no chance to train.

Sunday 24th March:
Long Run: 15km. Had 'gastric issues' so had to cut the planned 28km short.


Summary: Not a great week. Missed a long cycle and cut a turbo and long run short. I also didn't swim at all this week. If it was a school report it would read "Must do better!"

Week 1

Monday 25th March:
8.1km lunchtime run around the Dublin Docklands.


Tuesday 26th March:
Lunchtime Docklands Run - 11.7 km. Added in a lap of the park near Dublin Bay to see if it was viable for use on Wednesday long runs.

Evening: Turbo - FTP Test. Set new high of 232 watts.

Wednesday 27th March: Lunchtime Long Run - 14.6 km - a little shorter than was planned but it was snowing and I was starting to get cold.


Thursday 28th April:
Not an excuse but I was down in Limerick for a CIO forum. Enjoyed it and managed to not drink or eat too much (disappearing to bed whilst everyone went to the bar was a necessary tactic!). Still surprising that I lost weight as I wasn't particularly careful.

Friday 29th April:
Long run - 29.5km. Longest run yet.


Saturday 30th April:
Nice easy 68km cycle with the Tri club. A few beginners so took it easy for the most part - a couple of sprints to warm the legs up but nothing manic.


Sunday 31st April:
First ever Cycle Road Race. Jeysus it was tough! Report to follow...

Summary:
A better week. Missed a turbo and a run due to being away on business but a good quantity of training was done.. I still didn't swim at all this week. Good to have lost weight despite the indulgences whilst away but I won't be able to get away with this every week.

If it was a school report it would read "Still must do better!"

Totals for week 1:
Swim: 0m (still rubbish!)
Bike:155km
Run: 66.3km
Weight: 16st 11lbs. (Total Loss: 3lbs :-: 18 lbs to go )

Week 2

Monday 1st April:
Morning: Run - NAC Loop 12.3km. Nice easy pace to try and get the tiredness out of my legs from the cycle race.

Tuesday 2nd April:
Lunch: Run - docklands loop: 9.3km
Evening: Turbo - 90 mins consisting of 3 sets of 20 x (30s @ 120%FTP + 30s@ 40%FTP); 8 min rest between sets

Wednesday 3rd April:
Lunchtime long run - 13.2km

Thursday 4th April:
Lunchtime run - 7.2km
Stupidly mentioned that I was gutted I wasn't racing Trilaois - ended up with an entry so no cycle in the evening. I did how ever make it to the pool and did a short set of 200m warm-up, 12 x 50m off 1 min, 100m cooldown. A bit pathetic really.

Friday 5th April:
Lunchtime Run - 8.0km
Nice and easy run - really felt it in the knee area after this run. Not sure why or what I did different but will keep my eye on it.

Saturday 6th April:
TriLaois: Race Report to follow

Sunday 7th April:
Cycle with Triclub. 6 of us did an easy loop from the NAC up to the Naul, across to Balbriggan and down through Skerries and the back of the airport to home. - 78.7km

Summary:
A better week. Enjoyed the race and it reminded me what all the training is for. I sometimes have a tendency to avoid racing as it messes up my training. Slightly backwards view...

Totals for week 2:
Swim: 1550m (still poor!)
Bike:143.3km
Run: 55.7km
Weight: 16st 9lbs. (Total Loss: 5lbs :-: 16 lbs to go )

couerdelion

Race Report: Ras an Laois, Rathdowney

After trying to get in touch with CI all week to upgrade my licence from CC (Club competition) to A4 (lowest open race license) I decided to just go down to Rathdowney and race using the final opportunity of the year to get a day licence - day licenses are not available anymore from 1st April.

Picked up Mick and left his house around 9:20 so got down early enough and after the obligatory 'getting lost' we parked up outside Rathdowney GAA club. I got the day licence and registered pretty quickly. I'm sure the hall was actually colder than outside so the ladies made me a cup of tea to warm me up. It was still early so we sat around talking and people watching for a bit then got changed and did a quick 10 mins warm-up just to raise the heart rate and get the blood flowing a bit. We were then back to the club for a rider briefing and we were ready to go.

It was a rolling start into town behind the lead car and although I thought I was around midfield I actually positioned myself pretty badly and by the time we got into town and over the start line I had ended up near the back.

Once I was there it was pretty hard to move up the roads were narrow so even though they were open to traffic the riders were still taking up both sides of the road. From the very start the pace was pretty high - but still manageable and I was slowly working my way up on the inside. At one point there was one loud shout and the guy in front of me locked up his bike and fishtailed - somehow I managed to prevent myself running into the back of him but I had slowed right down, lost places and needed to put in an effort to get back into the pack. The problem with being at the back even early on was that through corners the front of the group would gallop off and for those of us further back it was then a sprint just to stay in touch. First few corners were fine but as we hit the hill on the first lap at around 13km the elastic snapped and a good group of us were off the back - To me it seemed that a few in the middle weren't able for the pace, they slowed and no one behind could get past quickly enough to stay in touch. Somewhat surprisingly I managed to work my way up the group climbing the hill (I'm not built for climbing!) and eventually we joined up with another couple of groups in front of us and a bigger group formed. By this stage the front group had gone by then so it was a case of turning it into a good workout and making sure I pushed myself - I didn't want to be back in the van thinking I could have ridden harder.

The group was trying to get up and overs going but it was a little slow and gaps were appearing where riders weren't holding the wheel so I kept jumping out and tried to lift the pace - I did it a few times and on the third or fourth no one came past me so I sat up and waited (I think they were teaching me a lesson for pushing the pace too high). I was told after that I was just going through too fast and it was too hard to hold my wheel. Eventually a few came past and I just sat in the group then for a while finishing off the lap. Eventually lap 1 was over.

We seemed to be working pretty well and spotted another group just in front which we should have been able to catch. A couple of lads jumped off the front going over the start/finish line and although we caught them once they were gone again shortly after. At this point no one wanted to chase - in general as a group there wasn't much going on and no one was in any kind of mood to take it on so off I went to the front again and started to increase the pace. A Killcullen lad on a Storck came through but that was it - the rest were just sitting there. I said to the lad on the Storck that no one was going to help and we ended up doing 30s or so each on the front to try and keep the pace up - we lost some of the group around this time but we kept it going till the left hand turn for the second time over the hills. A few of us got shelled off the back here with three of the group leaving me behind and although I barely managed to keep in touch I just couldn't get back towards them and once the headwind hit I was gone. Decided to use it as time trial practice and just hammered as hard as I could the rest of the way round. I saw a sign that said 6km to go and then one 2 km later that said 6km to go too. I had entered the twilight zone...

With about 4km to go I saw a cyclist walking so I pulled up and asked if he was OK - he had a puncture so I gave him (Lenny) a tube and my pump so he could get back. I then took it handy the rest of the way and put a spurt on to finish. No idea how far behind I ended up but I think I was probably around about 25th finisher - but I don't care really - I had a good day out, enjoyed the cycling and feel better for doing it - I also felt like I put a decent effort in albeit in vain. Looking forward to doing the next one.

The marshalling from Ossary Cycling club and the sandwiches and tea afterwards were great. Really good event and one I hope I get to race again. It was also a good intro into cycle racing and I've now upgraded my licence and hope to do a few more road races during the year - I'll definitely be doing the club league on a Thursday night too.

couerdelion

Race Report: TriLaois

This wasn't a planned race at all. On Thursday I mentioned on here that I was raging the the triathlon season was kicking off this weekend but I wasn't racing for another 3 weeks and I was jealous of all those getting a head start. An hour later I have a text from a friend telling me to check my mail - I have a place!

Friday night was spent making sure I had everything ready - changes laces on runners, putting cleats on Tri shoes, checking the bikes, making sure I have plenty of spare equipment in case something breaks after a winter spent in my bag... you get the idea.

So Saturday morning the alarm goes off at 5:00am and after a few snoozes I get up for breakfast, pack the car and set off. Temperature says -5c and it feels like it!

I get to registration with a few minutes to spare and see my name at the bottom of the list. So sign on, pick up my numbers and goody bag and rack up in transition. First spot I get is useless - the weight of all the bikes has made the rail bend in the middle and it's too low to hook my bike saddle over. Eventually I get racked - helmet on bike, Tri shoes to one side, runners to the other and a jacket to put on for the cycle as it's not even slightly warm. I then wander off to see some of the other lads in the club... A few minutes later as I'm putting my number on my belt I get asked if I'm wearing it for the swim... a quick run and I just get into transition to put the race belt on the bike before it closes.

I was in Wave 7 and there was a bit of hanging around before hand as there is at all pool based Tri's. The first wave went at 9:00. I think we got into the pool around 12:00. So just the 3 hours of waiting!

I jumped in the pool for the warm-up and lost my timing chip at some point during the 50m swim. I reattached it and then after finalising start places within the lane we got going. I was second in the lane and kept that going all the way through. Got a nice draft off the lad leading out the lane and I'm pretty sure he must have been fed up with getting his feet touched - I wasn't looking to pass though just keeping tight in. after 10 or so lengths my hat started to come off my head and eventually on one length it was hanging off acting like a parachute from my goggle straps. I grabbed it off at the turn around and swam back with it in my hand to pass it to the people marking off the lane so they could make a note and not make me do any extra lengths. I completely lost count of the distance I had covered and eventually received the tap on the head indicating 2 lengths to go. Once finished I jumped out and then got held back as my chip had come off again and one of the helpers reattached it for me. I ran into T1 with Eoghan a fellow ActivMultisporter who had been on my toes in the swim.

I was slow enough in T1 as I had not bothered attaching shoes to pedals and instead sat down and changed them. I threw the jacket I had on the bike to the floor as it didn't feel too cold and I wanted to save time I'd lost by not attaching shoes to pedals. I ran out of T1 and to the mount line then dropped my chain as I jumped on the bike. Minor delay as I lifted the back wheel span the cranks and the chain was back on and off I went. It was a bumpy enough route and a bit draggy in places but I hit it as hard as I could (I'd already said earlier in the day that I wasn't bothered about saving my legs for the run) - half way round I noticed I had no chip on my ankle - sure if it couldn't stay on in the pool what chance did it have on the bike... I continued picking out the cyclists in front and closing them down one by one and felt good, after about 14km one of the marshalls shouted letting me know that I was in about 7th place within the wave. This gave me a lift and I put a bit of a surge in from then till the finish and picked off another 3 cyclists. I went past one as he was grabbing a drink and I'm not sure if it was shock at me coming past or he wasn't concentrating but he dropped his bottle as he was rushing to put the power back down. I've no chip time but the Garmin has me at 34.00 from mount line to dismount line. It was then a long enough run into and out of transition though.

Into T2 and sat down again to get runners on. Saw a good few people coming in after me and I was out just behind the Pulse lad who led the swim out - he asked me if I was still drafting him which made me smile. I tried to stick with him but he built up a lead pretty quick. I then got over taken on the run by another Pulse guy, Vanessa Fenton (who won the ladies race), a Piranha bloke and a 3D'er which I was happy with - normally much more overtaking me on the run.

Finished in 1:19 which I thought was pretty poor but now the full results are out I'm actually fairly happy with. 15th overall and 2nd Veteran. (The word veteran makes me feel really old!)

All in all it was a nice day out and happy enough considering it was a last minute decision to race. Kudos to Trilogy Triathlon Club for putting on a great race. Plenty of marshalls all giving great support and plenty of abuse from the MC/DJ.

Chartsengrafs

couerdelion wrote: »

my first marathon and essential in my opinion if I 'm going to be up to the task mentally of completing 5 marathons in 5 days later on in the year.

You're doing what now?! When is this planned for?

couerdelion

Basster wrote: »

You're doing what now?! When is this planned for?

it's all part of this -

Up and Over - the Ultra triathlon I'm doing with Mark and Wes of Trilogy Triathlon club and helping to organise (although Mark is doing most of the work!). It's all in aid of Irish Cancer Society and Irish Autism Action.

That kicks off on the 22nd August with a 7.6km swim in Laois, followed by 5 days of cycling - Malin to Mizen (with an extra 100km loop) and then 5 days to run Galway to Dublin. I'm sure you'll here lots more about this event as we'll be hitting facebook, twitter and linkedin pretty hard over the next 5 months to raise the profile and as much money as possible for the charities and will be looking for personal and business sponsorship for myself and the events. I also hope as many people as possible will sign up for the public day - 100km cycle in Galway and a half or full marathon from Offaly to Kildare.

Sounded like great craic last year when we were chatting about it. S**ting it now! :eek:

Chartsengrafs

I see, hadn't come across this yet. Fair play! Great causes, very impressive target.