Putting down the spoon

woody1

great core workout.!!! im in the same boat cw, mercifully ive missed turning it since there was a massive panic on and i was working so the in laws looked after that.. but il be expected to do my bit footing and loading it.. itl probably end up being the week before ballina tri.. il have no bother with the tt position on the bike i suppose..

catweazle

I had actually forgotten about the turning as I was away last year for it

So only 1/4 or so of the way done after three hours solid last night.

In previous logs the bog has been the bane of my life and this year will be no different, the wife must have mentioned I was racing Kilkee next weekend as he tackled me as soon as I arrived that if the weather is good we will be footing in the bog all next week.

I have had a few stand up rows with him before about this in previous years but I am not hugely motivated for Kilkee at this stage anyways so I said I would pick my fights and this year wouldn't be one of them

With my legs and back in bits today and more bog to come, It did make me think about a possible Ironman attempt next year though and a few weeks in the bog screwing up my training. Its impossible to plan around it as he will suit himself with the timing, if I refuse to do on a particular date he goes ahead anyways without me and I am made the pariah of the extended family

So June and July "A" races are very dodgy for me, late August on would be a safer bet

Green&Red

CW, this sounds like a lot of oul complaining, sure after the first day and the stiffness its grand. I've 6 hoppers myself to turn over the weekend. I dont mind the reckling too much

catweazle

Green&Red wrote: »

CW, this sounds like a lot of oul complaining, sure after the first day and the stiffness its grand. I've 6 hoppers myself to turn over the weekend. I dont mind the reckling too much

Absolutely Alan, I actually look forward to having a good moan every year on this log about the bog - I cant exactly give out about it to the in laws

Green&Red

I hope you ownt be blaming a few days in the bog if I can see you coming out of the water below in Kilkee

pgibbo

If you ask me he's looking for an excuse not to do HoTW!!!

So what IM's are on in late August? Please don't say a trip to Kerry!

catweazle

Green&Red wrote: »

I hope you ownt be blaming a few days in the bog if I can see you coming out of the water below in Kilkee

I am actually swimming quiet well lately, however I am a little worried about my endurance since I quit the pool, 1500m is the most I have swam in 6 weeks. So I hope I am not fading towards the end in Kilkee

catweazle

Monday Evening: Not the longest of swims - left it too late to go over, 1000m

Tuesday Lunch: Between my legs giving out and pain in the arch it took me about 2k to get going but began to run well then. 10k @ 4.35 pace

Tuesday Evening: Another 1000m swim in the evening

Wednesday Lunch: I decided to try a swim at lunch and see if I could knock out a little bit more training time - so sweating away at the desk in my wetsuit just befoe lunch (good job i don't do video conferencing) I messed up by taking a call which stretched into lunch. So alas only another 1000m

Wednesday Evening: I did my usual 20k loop, I was going well into the last quarter just clinging on to 33kph and then a tractor pulled out in front so had to sit up for about a km. Got back in for the 20k at 31.8kph which is approx the same time I held in Tri-Burgh Cadence 92. I definitely let myself down on the bike up there :mad:

Thursday: After a lot of stretching to get the stiffness from the bog out of the legs I decided to not do repeats as my hamstrings were tight. I was ticking along at 4.42 pace for the first 5k but then started to feel a little bit lightheaded, almost like I was going to bonk. Stopped and walked at around the 6k mark for a little while and then eased back into it, towards the last k i felt more like myself and was back in the 4.40's. 10k @ 4.54 pace

Friday: I was going to do a turbo session but with the decent weather I said I would do another lap of the 20k route. I was trying to hold it at a little easier pace than wednesdays effort to get a type of Olympic distance pace. I was around the 29kph just after halfway so picked it up a little to get it back into the 30kph before I got to the house. Back very stiff after it but thats proably more a consequence of the bog than the position as I am beginning to find it comfortable.

We had a bit of extra help last night, so weekend looks bog free which is great news. I should be tapering anyways for Kilkee but I haven't done much work to taper for it in the first place :rolleyes:

catweazle

Saturday: A free weekend from the bog but instead the painting jumped up and bit me in the ass instead. So nothing done this weekend and no-one to blame but myself, I have been putting off painting the kitchen and dining room for months now and with us on holidays the week after Kilkee I ran out of road. I still could have got a run in but got greedy and decided to watch the Lions match instead and hope to get out later but alas I am a slow painter so finished up late and straight into barbecue mode

Sunday: I had got up early and had got the painting out of the way by 1, a long cycle and swim was the plan but Mrs C was feeling under the weather and the guilt hit me as I was putting on the bib shorts. I took the young lad off in the bike trailer for 20-25k instead and visited the playground but you wouldnt call it training as I had to stop at every dog, cow and sheep we came across or there would be trouble.

Monday: I usually don't get a chance to train on mondays but desperate for something I snuck off for a quick 5k down to the bridge and back. 5k @ 4.36

Dory Dory

Hi catweazle!! Wow, some great training going on over here - way to really push the man-of-steel envelope with your can-do attitude. Impressive!!!! Don't let that buddy of yours, Pgibbillooo, give you a hard time about your biking skills - and if he does, I've got your back on this one. Good luck to you at Kilkee this weekend, not that you'll need it.....and, in the spirit of this weekend that is Kilkee, and because of my sincere admiration for your dedication to and discipline in the sport that is triathlon (too much?? ), I give you the following quote that I know will get me back in your good graces warm your heart....

"Life's not about how hard of a hit you can give....it's about how many you can take, and still keep moving forward."
~ Rocky Balboa

Take those hits this weekend, cw, and keep moving forward.

:D

catweazle

Dory Dory wrote: »

"Life's not about how hard of a hit you can give....it's about how many you can take, and still keep moving forward."
~ Rocky Balboa

Take those hits this weekend, cw, and keep moving forward.
:D

Ha I think DCM is building itself up to be Rocky v Clubber Lang (and I am too good looking to be Clubber)

I am dreading Kilkee this weekend, its a race that breaks me every year, I swore I would be coming into his in great shape but alas it didn't happen. I can comfort myself with the knowledge that the goody bag will be fantastic.

After all that moaning I am still aiming to do better than last year, I was in the shape of my life last year but just didn't perform.

Swim - I am not going as well as last year but last years swim was long, so if the swim distance is right I should get in a little quicker

Bike: Failed to break my 30kph barrier - I was going well for a while last year but my shapely body at the time succumbed to the cold and hailstones in the 2nd half. I have a nice extra spare tyre this year to cover any freak weather, so lets see if I can break the sound barrier (30kph +)

Run: My run was awful, awful awful, something like 52/53 minutes (which is around your 10k pb isn't it ) as I was a broken man going up those hills. I am not going as well as earlier in the year but I should still break that time comfortably

I was hoping the wife and kid would be in attendance but an ex pat Uncles months mind has come up, its a pity as I know she secretly thinks that triathlon viewing is boring but I reckon she would like Kilkee, particularly the no doubt very fit looking top 20

Green&Red

I've the fear of God myself, the thoughts of that 10k, I've done very few brick sessions other than the 5 or so tris I've done and I've no idea how I'll switch from sprint to olympic. Knocked out a sub 40 there two weeks ago so the running is going well in general.
Remembering it from last year (and my 54min run) is doing me no good. Would hope for a 43min run but just have no idea whether I can hold that pace.
I'll see you down there and for a pint after

catweazle

Green&Red wrote: »

I'll see you down there and for a pint after

Don't be on the lookout for a K-Swiss suit this time, I will never fit into it. I will be wearing a slimming black one piece tri-suit instead.

You should go well, its a bikers course so that will suit your strengths. That flat stretch for the 1st k before we hit the hills isn't bad for running the brick out of the legs.

catweazle

Tuesday Lunch: The heel was very tender for the 1st couple of k, probably running two days in a row made it worse, it gradually reduced from sore to uncomfortable to fine as I went along. I will be up to my tits next week with work before I go on holidays so I am thinking of stopping running for the week to see if that helps and then most of the running will be on a beach in Portugal. Albeit with runners on as the sand is too hot to go barefoot 8k @ 4.38

Its a worry though that its still lingering with marathon training on the horizon.

Wednesday Lunch: The usual TT route, conditions were suitable for faster times than normal, I went hard for the first 10k holding 34.5kph and then eased off for the next 10 home. All finished in 31kph. Back was stiff towards the end but I am hoping that was from wearing the shades, the black rim seems to get in the way of my vision so I tend to overcompensate to get a clear view. They are actually a pain in the arse to wear in the drop position

Wednesday Evening: I had hoped to swim every day this week to get some type of consistency back but things didn't work out as planned. Got in 1500m down at the lake this evening

Thursday Lunch: Nothing too heavy just a few repeats. I had decided to try the Kinvaras again but even walking they were at the heel so I went back to my Sauconys which are a bit more cushioned. I first noticed this heel issue while wearing the Kinvaras so perhaps they don't suit me

Thursday Evening: A quick swim with Pgibbo down in Blackrock. Notice I have no problem going swimming with him but will use every excuse in the book to dodge him when it comes to the bike Not a bad swim, a decent bit of chop on the way back in, while I have got plenty of open water swimming in this summer there is a difference between chop in the lake and in the sea. My sighting was awful - hope the buoys are big in Kilkee

Friday Lunch: More just setting up the bike with race wheels, I have been meaning to change the cassette on the race wheels all year as the bike gear ratio set up previously is for a far stronger biker than me and there are not enough teeth for me between the front and back on the tougher courses, but of course I didn't bother my arse :rolleyes:

No swim this evening, babysitting instead

catweazle

The day I was dreading had finally dawned. Once I was on the way though my mood lifted a little, while it wasn't exactly sunny and was windy at least it was warm. I went with the K-Swiss suit again - my old Lidl one piece was just as unflattering.

Registered in good time for a change, the jackets left alas were only in xl, they were absolutely monstrous so I would guess everyone before me went for small and medium. I don't think I even have a friend big enough to give it to.

The usual gossiping around the transition area - Kilkee shuts transition early so you have to be down well in advance so having got set up you have loads of time and with this race being so popular there's plenty of faces around

Swim

Down to the swim start and the plan was to take it easy out to the 1st buoy and then start to pick it, I haven't swam as much as previous years so I was doubtful of my ability to hold top speed for 1500m. Off we went and without a doubt this was the most physical swim I was ever in, between swipes, being dunked and people swimming all over me it seemed unrelenting all the way out and around the 1st buoy. Probably for the 1st time that I can remember I started getting a little freaked out, a little claustrophobic and hugely frustrated every time I took a buffeting.

It improved once we got around the 1st buoy and my nerves began to settle again, I eventually started to get around to doing some attempted drafting and going around the 2nd buoy with the waves behind us I started to motor. I caught on two guys feet and we were going towards a yellow bouy, it took me a good while to realise that there was no-one else heading that way and that everyone else was heading straight to the shore. I let them off and turned back towards the right and came back into the melee diagonally.

Knowing the inevitable cramps would be coming as I waded into the shore, I tried to keep swimming in as long as I can. As soon as I got up I was rewarded with a cramp in both hamstrings which left me unable to walk. After a few stretches I eventually started to shuffle into the shore and just as I was coming onto the beach the Marshall tells me 28.50, now this put a smile on my face, it must have been short I thought to myself as I didn't go that well. Once again I had to do the waddle of shame as I tenderly walked up to transition 1. 29.32 was the swim time, way down position wise on previous years but still a few minutes better time wise than last year. I took my time taking off the wetsuit for fear of another dose of cramps and stuck on a cycling top as well, so a not great 2.28 transition.

Bike

As always with this race the tailwind is on the way out and as I always I get too excited and think this might be the year I will do a decent bike. Was going reasonably well and was passing a good few on the road, after a few minutes the top guys from wave 2 start screaming by me. But all in all - my head is in a good place and I am seeing plenty of sub 1 minute 30 kms coming up in the garmin.

As per usual this changes almost as soon as I turn into the headwind for home, its still a source of annoyance that my first year doing this race (this is my third) is still my fastest time by 4-5 minutes and I am convinced its because I had the road bike with my lovely compact gearing and granny ring. I am just not a strong enough biker to handle the gear system of the Pussywagon with the race wheels on, while I love the silky smooth changing of the Dura Ace cassette, I need at least a 12-25 ratio on the back as the front has damn all teeth as well. Pure laziness - I have been told before to change it and I just never got around to it.

So this is when the part when the back and balls starts killing me and I sit up and stare at the ground a metre in front of me and grind for about 22k, while I saw very little drafting on the way out I think the course and conditions lends itself to packs forming on the way home and I was overtaken by a good few of these.

I eventually get into transition and I am thanking god I am off the bike - this race puts me off an Ironman every year, I couldn't imagine doing another 140k after that ordeal. 1.32.48 - christ my worst bike yet and 4 minutes slower than last year

Run

Straight away I know I am well behind in position as I can hear the loudspeaker congratulating Kevin Thornton for his 2nd place finish, one of the things I like about this race is seeing the top guys running home and this is the first year I haven't made it to the start of the hills before they start coming through.

My plan here was to take it reasonably steady on the hills and try and pick the pace up on the way home, I went out way too hard last year and had to walk the hills towards the end. My few trips to Knockma before Triburgh seemed to serve me well this year and I actually would guess I passed more on the way out than when I was pushing it on the way in. Not sure of my splits now but I would guess I was averaging around the 4.55/5.00 pace for the outward half.

The way back I went a little harder and was into averaging around the 4.30 mark - once again I passed more people on the few uphill sections than the downhill. I still had a little energy left so I pushed the last km for a fast finish. Again the poor bike probably has a negative effect on the run, I should be able to go faster but it was at least the fastest run split over the 3 years so I am happy enough 47.17

Overall 2.53.45 - so at least I got my primary goal of beating last years time. Twas looking a lot worse coming off the bike. Enjoyed the day and the sun came out on the run which was nice. Looking forward to it next year already and perhaps next year I might even still be looking forward to it in the lead up to it rather than dreading it

On another note, I didn't even notice the heel arch of the foot yesterday but it was killing me after and today again, I am sure the pounding it got going downhill in lightweight shoes didn't help, so no running and diligent stretches for the next few days

Solobally8

Well done catweazle. From all accounts it was a very tough day out there.

Dory Dory

Very nice run split, especially after having put in 2 hours of work just before it. The swim and the bike will come - sounds like a little more practice sighting in the water and working out what mechanics work best for you on the bike and you'll be all sorted. And as always, loved your report. Well done, cw.

c07

Wow.. Well done catweazle. Impressive considering how rough/tough it seemed! ��

pgibbo

Well done on beating last years time. A tough day at the office. PIG of a swim and a tough wind on the bike. Well paced on the run.

I'll change the cassette for you if you want. I'll loan you an 11-25 or a 12-28 to see if you find them better before you buy. I think your gearing up front is too big too.

Mind you, there's always - winter miles...summer smiles to overcome those problems.

catweazle

pgibbo wrote: »

I'll change the cassette for you if you want. I'll loan you an 11-25 or a 12-28 to see if you find them better before you buy. I think your gearing up front is too big too.

Ahem It gets worse

I picked up a 12-25 over on the cycling forum a few months ago, its just I was too busy training to have time to put it on

BennyMul

Congrats on the weekend, nice day put in

catweazle wrote: »

I picked up a 12-25 over on the cycling forum a few months ago, its just I was too busy training to have time to put it on

a 25 :eek: really, unless your are sticking a 60 on the front then its ok,

Green&Red

Fair play on Saturday CW, you looked fresh enough when I saw you on the run, looked like there was plenty in the tank.
You'll have to get on the turbo for the winter build up that power

catweazle

Mad busy finishing off some stuff for work and I have done diddly squat all week. I would guess this is the longest I have gone in years since I got the fitness bug without doing something.

I am not too hopeful on my heel, its still there no better or worse really. So with 17 days holiday from tomorrow I am going to start up the swimming and beach running again or I will go cracked with boredom. Running on this beach is no real punishment anyways, I will be kept busy with bikinis and thongs * and my smoothie treat at the beach bar when finished.

* Must remember to pack shades

We will see how it goes and if its still bothering me when I get back I will cut it out for a long time and let the Dublin Marathon go, it will be probably a far bigger benefit in the long term for me anyways to spend a winter and early spring concentrating on the bike only

Dory Dory

catweazle wrote: »

and let the Dublin Marathon go

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::mad:

Note to self: call t-shirt printing place and have the personalized "I've joined the ranks of catweazle" race shirt cancelled.

catweazle

Not much going on over here I am afraid - I left it a week until I couldnt feel a jot of pain in the heel. Did a local 8k loop and tried as much as possible to run in the grass, all good but later that evening the pain started to come back. Again its more than manageable but still a worry. I will see a physio when I get home.

So I left it another few days and have started running barefoot on the beach instead - this is grand but its hard to knock out any distance. I have put on about a stone already I would guess

Shag all swimming - I just haven't the motivation like previous years as I know I wont be racing when I get home. One decent swim a day of about 20 minutes in the sea, it can get pretty hairy with the chop so I enjoy that.

My wife has come to the rescue yesterday and virtually dragged me to a bike shop and then a decathlon shop to get bib shorts and a cycling top. I had a good laugh, I have been arguing with Pedro in Bikeland about the hiring of bikes shoes - 25 euros for three days which I am mad about as I could have brought a pair over with me.

I called into haggle some more and when I mention where I am staying he asks do I know an English couple from number 50 who own a villa down from the uncles, these rich bucks are so fickle and everyone talks about this family by the pool as they don't know where they have got their money from. They have a Ferrari, a Porsche and a Hummer outside the house (for when the kids come over). I actually like them, they are very friendly. Pedro eyes are like saucers - you know them - they just bought a 8500 euro mountain bike off me for their teenage kid.

This worked great for me as the bauld Pedro threw in a helmet, nice Northwave carbon shoes, three free tubes, a lock and upgraded me to a Scott Speedster for free when I told him I didn't want a Bikeshop banded bike. So not bad for 70 euros for 3 days, far cheaper than a round of golf on my own which I was planning

So off I go the agreement is I can go as long as I want providing I am back by 12 to take over Pudsy. I foolishly wrote down after a bottle of Portugals finest a list of towns I needed to go through on my way to Quarenca which is a hilltop village that was recommended to me. The main advice was stay away from the Motorway - of course my list was arseways and I went wrong and 15 of my first 20 kilometres were on the motorway and I couldn't get off. I was close to turning around at that stage when I reached Loule. I soldiered on tipping around Loule until I eventually got directions from someone that could understand me saying Quaarrreeennnnnnccccccaaaa

This was much more like it, quaint country roads and teams of serious looking cyclists all along the route. At one stage I was absolutely drilling a descent, it went on for ages and towards the end I was thinking I didnt go up anything to deserve a descent like this so I see the sign for Quarenca pointing skywards to the left so up I go. I actually enjoyed this climb, the Speedster had plenty of teeth and it wasn't short and sharp like a lot of the Irish hills, it just went on and on and on and eventually I found a rhythm I could hold. I eventually got to the top and saw a nice little cobblestoned village with a small square and loads of Bulls (statues)



I went to the cafe with the white Umbrella for my beer. Ordered my Superbok and a swarthy looking Portuguese guy beside me says what part of Galway I am from :eek:. Salthill - ah I lived in Spiddal for ten years - small world. So three beers with him later telling me how great he was I was off again - dead late and having to cut short my planned 85k to 60k instead so I go back the way I came.

I come down the other side - its like a cliff-face something like St Patricks Hill in Cork. I am moving now as I don't want to be late on my first day out - I have to go back up the other side of the valley as well and the legs are shot at this stage. Found the scenic way from Loule to Almancil and then back to Quinta for a hard earned 60k.

View



A bit more work needed on the map reading for tomorrows spin will do no harm

catweazle

Quinto - Villamoura:

This one was a bit of a disaster, I didn't bother checking it out online as I had been there before. I had guessed it would be 60K + I had not factored that its basically beside another town called Quarteira. I landed in Villamoura - wtf - I look at my Garmin and it reads just over 15k. What harm - its a nice place for my coffee stop



I head home again - I took a coastal route and had imagined something like a Salthill to Carraroe in lovely weather with the sea in view most of the way. Instead it was festooned with Lidls and petrol stations without a sniff of the sea. I cycled around the villas of Vale de Lobo to eek out an extra 10k, actually not a bad spot, its all short hills so there was plenty of out of the saddle work. 42k in total

Quinto to barranco do vehlo:
Could this be the best cycle I had ever done I asked myself in a busy cafe in Loule. Why yes it was I decided. It made yesterdays borefest all the more painful as today is the last day of the bike.

Out to Queranca again today, I was now familiar with the descent into the region this time so no need to feather the brakes this time but instead of going left and up the hill to the village I saw a sign called barranco do vehlo with a picture of mountains beside it. Thats good enough for me and I set off - I couldn't tell you the distance but it was the longest hill I ever went up.

It felt a little creepy - the sound of crickets was deafening which always make me think of dodgy things like Camp Crystal in Friday the 13th. Not a car in sight and nothing but mountain forest everywhere.

I eventually got to the top where I was presented with a choice of heading right to Lisboa in 249k or left to Silves in 50k. Neither rang a bell with me and I was secretly looking forward to a 7/8k descent. Spun out very quickly and tried to tuck in as much as I could - hair raising stuff :eek:

When I reach the bottom I am then conflicted should I go back up to the village or continue on to Loule. Conscious I have no food, and I am out 1.20 at this stage I decide to forego another climb and just continue to Loule for the coffee and the one gutbusting hill before it. A brief bit of googling at the cafe and I see barranco do vehlo was used twice on the Tour De Algarve in 2012. 70k in total



I was coming back to the house I go by a jogger that I recognized from Galway - back around the roundabout. Typical he was only hiring his bike today while I was leaving mine back in. If I had communicated a bit better with him before I went I would have had company for these spins.

So thats it for me as regards cycling over here - its my 4th year over here and its my first time on a bike so I am now mad with myself for missing out on such a great location. Good luck to me next year with a 3 year old and please god a 9 month old in tow :rolleyes:

catweazle

Wednesday: The physio meeting - it was going ok until I mentioned it was niggling me when I got out of the saddle on the bike. She didn't like the sound of that at all and from being mildly encouraging to try the marathon she went to being cautious instead.

I think I had my mind made up before I even went in anyways, I have heard too many horror stories of Plantar suffering that went on for years to bother risking it at this stage of the year. While she said the tendon was pretty thick on the positive side it was just before the heel so I shouldn't aggravate it too much day to day.

I am thinking of perhaps the Galway 1/2 marathon instead which shouldn't be as big a jump in mileage as the Full would have been. Anyways its not so bad had a good weeks cycling instead in great weather

Thursday: I skipped wednesday as the heel was sore after the physio gave it a going over. So off I went on the 20k TT loop, it took me a few kms of arsing around to decide feck it and lets see if I can put it into the 30K+ average. Moved pretty well - I am using the road bike at the moment, I don't know why really probably I suppose because I am not doing any more triathlons this year. Came in for 30.9 which was a nice roll out I suppose. 20k @ 30.9

Friday: I did 5k easy, 5k hard repeats for 26k 26k @ 28.9

Saturday: A long bike of 70k+, out to Furbo and back. Went down on the drops on the road bike for some short periods, it felt fairly comfortable. 72k at 28.8

Sunday: I should have got longer but I slept in a little up late watching Robin Hood on Film4. It was useless and I should have ditched it and gone to bed but I rarely give up on watching a film no matter how bad it is. The sister is away on holidays and the mother isn't strong enough to walk her undisciplined dog who strains at the leash like she sees a cat in front of her all day, so I had to factor that into my training time. *

A strange day out past Inverin on the Barna road, I felt their was a slight headwind on the way out but I was reasonably pleased to see an average of 28.5kph before the turnaround. I turned back and decided to stay down and gun it on the drops of the road bike and I was averaging far faster. I found my Polar so it was great to see mostly 130s/140s/150s/160s on my screen for the way home, a sure sign that I am working hard. Arrived back at the mothers house with a rare 30kph+ for a longer distance. 45k @ 31kph 127bpm

* The physio told me to start running back on grass so I dragged the dog around a few laps of a local field until I got bored. No problems yet

So the plan is to get a bike plan - and have a good go at finally getting stronger on the bike. I will start back running next week but it will be an easy week to see how I get on.

pgibbo

Hope the foot gets sorted soon. SO bike focus will do you good.

What's the plan for the bike training?

catweazle

Well not a jot done all week but I have a decent excuse for a change. From bringing in the wife's shopping at 4.46pm on monday I was a proud dad to a baby girl 40 minutes later :eek:

I am a great man for criticizing the public sector but huge thanks for the 4 garda motorbike escort that appeared within a minute of us almost ramming a traffic guard coming into Ballybrit and from one nurse in the labour ward to a small army of doctors, nurses, anesthetists and mid-wifes that appeared within a minute when they realized what was happening.

From discussions later in the week we were left in no doubt that 20-30 minutes later the baby wouldn't have survived.

So we have a little 28 week old girl that is doing great in special care, as soon as I get a chance I am going to wander off to the vasectomy department as my poor heart cant take much more of this.

The name was looking to be Elizabeth but I ruined that by mentioning I would be proud to call my daughter after the two time National Aquathon champion - for fear that I would be calling my daughter Lizzie Lee - she pushed for Anna instead.

So I think that's a good way to end my log for this year, I just cant see much training going on. I am guessing it wont be Ironman next year but hopefully a few 1/2 Ironmans - Swinford and Shadowman perhaps. This is the 2nd year that I haven't held my form from an early spring A race so it will be straight into it from July next year

Dory Dory

:D:D

Oh catweazle, while I absolutely hate that I won't have the opportunity to hand you your @ss in Dublin, I am 100% delighted for you to be the proud father of a little (very little, I imagine) girl! Congratulations to you and Mrs. C....and the very best to your family of four.