0-GFW in 5 months. Is it possible?

Wile E. Coyote

I've decided it's time to get off my ass and get myself fit so I've set myself a goal of completing Gaelforce West in August. I'm not going for a record beating time. I'll be just happy to complete it.

So a little about me. I'm 30, 5ft 9in and about 150lbs. I'm not overweight but no where near fit. My diet is crap and I haven't been near a bike or ran since I was about 12.

Starting today my plan of attack is to follow a modified couch to 5k route getting out 5 evenings a week to build myself up while also doing squats, sit-ups and push-ups following the routines set out on this site http://www.twohundredsquats.com/.

Am I setting my sights a little too high or is there anything you think I should be adding to my weekly routine to build myself up? Obviously cycling is a big part of the course but I'm not going to get a bike just yet. I want to wait till I'm a little fitter and the evenings are a bit brighter before I start going out on that.

All suggestions and advice greatly appreciated.

Rew

Yeah I think you will be fine just dont do too much too soon, get out on the bike ASAP as well. Best thing I ever did was start commuting to work on a bike. Maybe to the Conamara adventure race in May as well as a warm up and to give you an idea of what its like on the day. If your in Dublin I find a lap of the Phoenix park keeping to trails where possible a good training session. Its 10k not too many hills but enough so that its not too easy.

Wile E. Coyote

Rew wrote: »

Best thing I ever did was start commuting to work on a bike.

I'd love to but I think the 80km each way commute might be a bit too much to begin with

Rew

Wile E. Coyote wrote: »

I'd love to but I think the 80km each way commute might be a bit too much to begin with

Probably Seriously though why dont you drive 70km and cycle 5km to start with then build it up? I do 20km each way fairly easily. Bit of work to find a spot to park but it can be done.

Waylander79

It's most definitely achievable, you don't have to be hugely fit for GFW as long as you're not too focused on a particular time but even in 5 months you can achieve a good time. I'd take a guess that you would be able to hit in around 6 hours with potential to fall sub 6 hours if you got your training right. As a very short piece of advice I'd say get out on the hills as soon as you're up to it, there's probably a hill running group somewhere near you which will have a wide range of abilities taking part. Check out imra.ie. Don't feel that it's too soon to go on the hills, you can start with a fast hike and build up towards running and you'll get fit quicker and with less impact on your joints than you would on the road. Secondly the long bike ride at weekends is essential, start with shorter runs but build up towards 60km runs and then onto 80km cycles. If by July you're doing that along with a couple of runs and a shorter cycle midweek then you're well on your way to conquering GFW.

Waylander79

Actually reading that back the 80km cycle may sound scary when you're starting from scratch!! You'd be more than capable of building up to a 60km cycle which would be enough to do a good time in GFW, and even though now that might seem like a lot once you're into it you'll hit 60km no problem. And if you're able to do an 80km all the better!! GOod luck!

hardCopy

I started from scratch in April 2011 and did GFW that year, it's very doable and very enjoyable.

I had no access to a bike during the week so I just worked off a half marathon training plan and added a long cycle every weekend.

I'd recommend a weekend trip to Westport early in the summer, the Reek is worth checking out beforehand.

woody1

yeah youl be fine,
if you coming from total zero itl be tough ( the race itself ) but its far from impossible, all shapes and makes of competitor in gaelforce , just look thru the range of finishing times,
how tough it is depends on what your aiming for.. ie fast time, reasonable time, just finish the thing..

Wile E. Coyote

Day 1 down and I can officially say.....I'm f***ed. It gets easier right?

3.6km walk/jog/stumble into stupid pothole done in 29mins.

Zebrano

No it doesn't get easier u just get faster
Well done the first one is the hardest

hardCopy

Don't forget to start a log -> http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1552

Waylander79

Wile E. Coyote wrote: »

Day 1 down and I can officially say.....I'm f***ed. It gets easier right?

3.6km walk/jog/stumble into stupid pothole done in 29mins.

Well done Wile E, as Zebrano said it won't get much easier but you'll get stronger and you'll start to enjoy it more!! Just keep the end goal in sight, crossing the line at GFW with a big smile on your face! Defo look at training with a group if you can, hill run or cycle, its always harder on your own, especially starting out, and the support really helps with the motivation.

Training log would be great!

Waylander79

Rew actually recommended you look at the Connemara Adventure Challenge and I think that's really good advice, if you start now and try to train until August it's a long time to try and maintain focus and avoid distractions, especially when you're just starting out. You need interim goals. The key period for you is this early period that you're in, you need a short term goal now to help keep you going when the effort required is at its greatest. I'd recommend an IMRA race in April to get you started, there's a few of them to choose from, maybe Bray Head on the 24th or Mount Hillary on the 28th, depending on the part of the country you're in! Check out the events list on IMRA.ie and then just turn up on the day, couldn't be easier! Connemara Adventure Challenge in May is a good idea, I'd aim to do another 2 IMRA races after that as well. That'll give you consistent goals to aim for and keep you ticking over nicely!

hardCopy

AFAIK, the Connemara Adventure Challenge cycle route is a lot rougher than the roads in GFW, I believe mountain bikes are recommended for the CAC, whereas a road bike would be better for GFW.

Wile E. Coyote

Thanks for the advice. Going to aim for the Bray head run on April 24th. That will be my first race and then possibly the Connemara challenge.

Can anyone recommend a bike (pictures may help) I was looking at some sites last night and I can honestly say I haven't a clue what the difference is other than the fact some cost more than the price of a small car....

Waylander79

hardCopy wrote: »

AFAIK, the Connemara Adventure Challenge cycle route is a lot rougher than the roads in GFW, I believe mountain bikes are recommended for the CAC, whereas a road bike would be better for GFW.

Haven't done the Connemara Adv Challenge myself so don't know anything about the course I'm afraid so I can't help you there, definitely road bike for GFW though.

In terms of bike selection I won't be of much use to you as it's not my strongest area but it will obviously depend on your budget. If you're not sure if you're going to keep up the sport into the future then there's no point spending a fortune. You can get great value second hand bikes at the moment if you're a fairly normal size, if you're smaller, taller, longer legs or longer arms then you'd be better off getting measured for a bike, most decent bike shops can do that for you. Some of the other guys on here would know a lot more about bikes and hopefully they'll advise you but as far as I know once you head above €1500 you can get a full carbon bike with basic gear sets which can be upgraded later if you want. Below that price you're probably talking an aluminium (heavier) frame and a bike that you wouldn't tend to upgrade if you got into it in a more serious way, you'd tend to just go and buy a better one.

Waylander79

Oh and don't forget the bike-to-work scheme!

Oryx

The one piece of advice I will give you is dont do this:

5k route getting out 5 evenings a week

Not straight in from zero, anyway. Youre asking to get injured. If you want to train 5 days a week, alternate between bike and run at first and keep intensity down till you build up a bit of resilience in your legs.

Wile E. Coyote

Thanks for the tip. I'll do my Monday, Wednesday & Friday walk/jog as per the plan. Might just limit myself to a long walk on either Saturday or Sunday depending on how my legs are feeling.

Wile E. Coyote

Second day out walking/jogging and did just under 4km in 30mins. I know it's a bit early to be seeing any real improvement but I can honestly say I feel much better this evening than I did on Monday night. Monday I couldn't move afterwards, today I could have gone an extra bit if I wanted. Not looking forward to seeing how the legs feel tomorrow and Friday.

*Edit - Might as well turn this into a training log so can one of the mods move it so I'm not hogging all the space here? Thanks.

shotgunmcos

Moved and best of luck. Might see you at GFW if I get there myself.

Nice suggestion from Rew to bring the bike in the car and commute progressively longer distances once every 2 weeks if you can...

10% extra run volume per week and step back 10% every 4 weeks. Just another suggestion.

Waylander79

How are you doing with the training Wile E? Making any progress?