A State of Devolution

tunney

2008 was a good year
2009 was a good year (bar the bus, the collarbone, the slashed leg etc)
2010 was a good year

In hindsight I should have heeded the advice of my coach and sat out any attempts of long distance racing in 2011. I drifted away from my coach towards the end of 2010 and Frankfurt was a disaster. I compounded the issue with Roth in 2012. Single focus years, long distance, nothing else on the calendar, nothing else mattered. And I did nothing. 10:45 or so in Frankfurt and 10:3x in Roth. You could say "not bad for no training", or more honestly what should be said is "why bother".

With the aid of yet more hindsight, 2010 was the beginning of this malaise. 2010 was an intensely focused year, everything about vanquishing the Austrian demons. Once I had dealt with them what was my motivation. I had lost touch with the healthy motivation of 2009.

July 2012, "Next year will be different, I will do IM Austria, the whole family will go and I will train hard and race well". Single focus year. End of February I realised I had done it again for the third year in a row. Rather than subjecting my family to months of moaning about the impending race, my lack of fitness and huge weight I binned Austria. It hit me hard binning it but it was the right thing to do.

I haven't had a clean diet (junk and alchohol) for the last few years but I went nuts since then. I'm weighing in at 12st 9 (race weight 10st 7, happy weight 11st). I've not done any training at all in 7 days. But for the first time since early 2010 I want to train.

So this year is going to be all about relearning good habits, good form and finding the grá again. I'm looking at a sprint in June, a sprint in July and an Olympic in August (probably DCT), plenty of aquathons and if I can find some good summer duathlons those too.

So introducing the all new whinge free, excuse free training log - A State of Devolution.

Dory Dory

He's BAAA-aack!! Best to you!

tunney

Plan for this week:

Planned swim time : 1:40
Planned swim dist : 4km
Planned bike time : 4:15
Planned bike dist : 100km
Planned run time : 2:45
Planned run dist : 33km
Planned total time : 8:40

What should be completely obvious is the absence of stupid unrealistic goals for where I am now - in life, fitness and mojo

And yes Dory I am back

Kurt Godel

Good to see this log, best of luck for 2013. For someone who seems to be able to pull 10:xx IM out of limited training, it'll be interesting to see how you get on training for shorter stuff.

Two questions; will you be working with any coaches? Second one (ignore if its too personal)- have you considered giving up alcohol altogether for the season?

tunney

I mentioned that in six days that I have done no training. However what I didn't mention was that in six days I have barely left the house. Wednesday I had to take off work to look after the kids as Glenda had a vomiting bug, Aoibhe had it too. Thursday the whole house was sick, Friday the same. Saturday, Sunday and today the kids were/are vomiting. So I've done nothing other than watch Jake and the Neverland Pirates. For those not familiar with it - it makes you want to fvck a brick through your telly.

Anyways today was meant to be a swim but the pool was closed. So I decided to do a run instead to get over that inital horrible hump of returning to training.

Short and easy was the plan.

For those that have done an Ironman, it felt like the 32nd km on the run. You can run but you know that at some stage soon everything is going to fall apart. HR in the 160s (high into 170s too) for slow and "easy".

Its a start!!!

Was happy with the kids getting better and thought we were on the mend, and then Eoin puked on me again. Easy to tell when she is on the mend, hard to tell when he is simply because he is alwasy happy. Happy right up to the moment he pukes and then happy and laughing again 2 seconds later. We once took him to the doctors because he stopped smiling - turns out he had a double ear infection, a chest infection and a strep throat. A happy happy chappy - must get it from his Mammy.

tunney

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Good to see this log, best of luck for 2013. For someone who seems to be able to pull 10:xx IM out of limited training, it'll be interesting to see how you get on training for shorter stuff.

I'd not expect much

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Two questions; will you be working with any coaches? Second one (ignore if its too personal)- have you considered giving up alcohol altogether for the season?

Some good questions.

Bugsy2000

[Quote=tunney;83722419. So I've done nothing other than watch Jake and the Neverland Pirates. For those not familiar with it - it makes you want to fvck a brick through your telly.
.
[/Quote]

Yo ho wey hey!

Oryx

Good luck with the new you. May he surpass the old you and the even older you.



as an aside, yesterday my (brand new) 910 fogged up. I thought of you, and I'm telling you in the hope that vindication makes you happy.

tunney

When I used to ride alot at weekends come Monday mornings a few things would happen.

1) I'd panic after about 5 minutes cycling to work that I had lost my SRM Powercontrol head unit.
2) Mid panic I'd start to coast while I figure out what happened to the head unit
3) I'd get launched off my saddle, plant my groin on the stem and after I dealt with the loss in control the pain would remind me that I was in fact cycling my fixed gear commuter to work and didn't have SRMs on it.

These days when I cycle to work I take a short cut across the slip road onto the Northbound M1 near the Port Tunnel exit in Santry. It can be busy and sometimes requires clipping out and waiting for traffic to pass. This morning I forgot how to clip out and found myself in a bit of a bind on the slip road. Thankfully I managed an emergency track stand and then when it was safe cycling on a few metres and remembered how to clip out.

tunney

Years ago when Nike discontinued the Zoom Elite 4 I went looking for a replacement shoe. A shop recommended a Mizuno Elixir as a replacement. Its a lovely shoe, comfy and light. As its nowhere near the Elite in feel (high high ramp ) I no longer take advice from that shop, occasionally I still shop there though. Anyways the shoe has REALLY long laces. So long that I have to two bows in them. Silly long.

Anyways the kids are still sick and Aoibhes biggest fear when sick is "being alone" so she slept in the bed with Glenda. I was given a chair bed to sleep on as I dared not venture into Eoins room - a light sleeper and sick and if he saw or hear me I was fecked for the night, and I cannot fit in Aoibhes bed in her room. I think when this chair bed was bought it was bought with the intention of projection an illusion of hospitality. "Oh come stay with us, we have a chair bed" could be said. However given the impossibility of sleeping on it its unlikely the offer would be taken up twice.

Perhaps it was because of this complete lack of sleep that I failed to notice during a lunch run that one of the bows on my right shoe had come undone, and why I failed to notice my left foot getting tangled in it. Nothing beats a solid face plant on concrete by the sea front.

BTH

tunney wrote: »

Perhaps it was because of this complete lack of sleep that I failed to notice during a lunch run that one of the bows on my right shoe had come undone, and why I failed to notice my left foot getting tangled in it. Nothing beats a solid face plant on concrete by the sea front.

I did this in my very first triathlon. No one told me you were supposed to cut off the excess elastic lace. So embarrassing.

shotgunmcos

Do ye not just put lock laces on all your runners? who is taking bets on how long this log can stay in a neutral mood ?

tunney

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Do ye not just put lock laces on all your runners? who is taking bets on how long this log can stay in a neutral mood ?

I don't like lock laces except on the shoes I use as slippers around the house.

I use Grippers on two pairs and like them but I don't like lock laces as I find they stretch as I run and the foot moves and isn't stable thereby placing more strain on the tfl and itb in order to stabilise the leg.

As for the mood, who knows!

tunney

Lunch run along the sea front. Didn't cream myself but did get smoked. Easy run with pieces with bambatta. Max HR 196bpm, max SPM 118. Fun!

tunney

It was shaping up to be a great day. 24 hours vomit free house. Slept in my own bed last night. Chatted to a good friend that I've not heard from in a bit last night. (End of DCT for me but cannot beat a wedding of a good friend). Nice run at lunch..... then "fun" in work and kids sick. Not vomiting, in pain which way worse. Was actually looking forward to tonights turbo but hey - life! *might* still get it done but not leaving a child rolling in pain who wants Daddy for a turbo!!!

Anyways, I can feel the love building!!!!

El Director

I enjoyed reading the OP I think this is a good idea and a good way to go. Short course racing is fun and is not as time consuming. It will be great to see yet another boardie at some of these races. Best of luck to you

tunney

Came up with a great idea to get things going - Adventure Racing. I've decided to target Gaelforce West this year!!! Exciting times.

catweazle

I am surprised you are willing to fork out for the daylight robbery charges from Gaelforce

Oryx

tunney wrote: »

Came up with a great idea to get things going - Messing. I've decided to target Gaelforce West this year!!! Exciting times.

fyp

Which you richly deserve, and Im sure, expected.

tunney

catweazle wrote: »

I am surprised you are willing to fork out for the daylight robbery charges from Gaelforce

Quality is worth paying for. Maybe one or two of the WAR races to get ready first though.

BTH

tunney wrote: »

Quality is worth paying for. Maybe one or two of the WAR races to get ready first though.

Now I know you're taking the piss.:pac::pac::pac::pac:

griffin100

BTH wrote: »

Now I know you're taking the piss.:pac::pac::pac::pac:

He heard that there were Haribo in the goody bags

tunney

All joking aside....

Kids at doctors today, severe stomach pains. Doctor said very bad bug going around - the initial stages match what we had. The doctors own kids had it, final bit is stomach cramps for a few days.

Poor tots.

Thought I was on a chair bed last night. Man marked the kids though, in a bed with Aoibhe who just couldn't sleep. Meant couldn't bog off at 6am for a swim though, if she woke up sick on her tod.......

Slight set back. In the scale of things doesn't matter. No pressure means no guilt! I'm not taking things seriously so that good. (Although not pi$$ing about enough to do adventure races)

tunney

This is to confirm that we have received the cancellation of your registration for the event listed below. You may click on the link below to view your detailed registration record.

Event: IRONMAN Austria 2013 (eng) 1096104

Who knew I could get money back!

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Should be a finders fee!

tunney

Winston Zealous Menu wrote: »

Should be a finders fee!

I'll give you money then Rumpelstiltskin

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

tunney wrote: »

I'll give you money then Rumpelstiltskin

A beer and a packet of haribo will suffice Makka Pakka.

tunney

Winston Zealous Menu wrote: »

A beer and a packet of haribo will suffice Makka Pakka.

Makka Pakka is Eoin (he answers to it and Aoibhe calls him it).

Makka Pakka Snr or something else.

tunney

Makka Pakka, or Makka the Cracka, went to sleep at 6 last night this morning.

Suffice it to say staying awake today is the best I can hope for.

Dory Dory

It's mighty quiet over here on this log. Should someone go check on Tunney to make sure he's not been taken out by a fatal case of Tunney-gastroenteritis?? (not a good day for Dory when she comes looking here for a pick-me-up.....)

tunney

Last week was either a good week, an okay week or a terrible week depending on the metrics and baseline being used. I'm going with a good week. I swam, cycled and ran and I enjoyed it all. Weather was a little shocking and being beside the sea front didn't help much. At one stage I was out of the saddle on the flat giving out socks at half ironman intensity going 10kph.

The bug that hit the house hard has faded. 24 hours since Eoin vomited last and before that both had been fine for a while. Now, as anyone with kids knows, comes the hard part - getting the kids back to a normal routine. Thankfully it's only three days to the best Easter since Jebus rose from the dead and a four day week (no idea why I think it's going to be so great but it is).

Plan for this week is the same as last week but with an extra swim. A coached one.