A State of Devolution

tunney

Club swim tonight. Hadn't checked the session plan. Wondered why people were grumpy. Found it then it was TT night. Thought to myself "emmmm sounds fun", sure sign the attitude is returning. Given is only swam once in about six weeks I though it best not to lead out the lane :-) Went third. Started with RPE steady and intended to build to hard. Figured I'd probably maintain times that way. I took my time, swan strong rather than fast and enjoyed. 1:26, 1:38, 1:38, 1:38. 6:20 ovThen the lane rope came out for some open water turns and starts practise. out for some open water turns and starts practise. Like real open water these are no place for manners or being timid. "Bull on" I say. So apologies for those I swam over, into and battered. It will toughen ye up :-)

sconhome

Its like a different Tunney.

Get a great sense of relaxation and enjoyment from reading the new you in this log. That is, you're the one enjoying & being relaxed.

Good stuff.

tunney

amphkingwest wrote: »

Its like a different Tunney.

Get a great sense of relaxation and enjoyment from reading the new you in this log. That is, you're the one enjoying & being relaxed.

Good stuff.

Shattered today so don't expect much cheer and happiness today. Neighbours (one house on the road that "is different") had a huge domestic, about ten people involved, kids crying, on the street, in the house, in the gardens. Police bailed in the lot. Feck all sleep for the road

tunney

Anyways....


Since last swim 400m TT (12/12/2012) I swam swam 29km. Dropped 31 seconds off TT time. (6:51-6:20) Nice return of over a second per km swam If only this trend would continue

tunney

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?

I meant to come back to these sooner.

On the second one. I am a firm believer in denial being counter productive. Firstly "lets have a glass of wine David". "No I cannot I'm an uber serious athlete and my body is a temple". "You're my husband, and a b0ll0cks, I hate you"
(Note not an actual example but have to be aware that denial of foods, drinks and activities can impact others)
Secondly. White Polar bears. I want you to not think of white Polar bears for 2 minutes. Oh really? You couldn't get 30 seconds.......
Thirdly. The odd glass of wine or pint is good - relaxation and not being too serious I find is key. The best race of my life (Lisbon half) I was relaxed and chilled, night before the race in the race hotel myself and a friend had a glass of wine each. All the other Irish gasped. He was first Irish, I was second. Relaxation, moderation, distraction all good.

That being said consumption of alcohol in the same fashion, quantities as a normal person is bad (okay Fran maybe a little more than normal person).

So the plan is to go back to how it was. Alcohol only when suggested by others or the night before a big race.

tunney

Clock goes forward.
Things get sunnier.
Bikes come out of storage.

"Us cyclists are cool aren't we? Those pesky motorists in their cars are a danger though? Right? We're green and proud".

And the other nine months of the year how the fvck do you get to work?

And then there is the god awful awareness on the road, no clue about positioning, signalling, not pulling into the path of fast moving traffic (i.e. other bikes). Sweaty t-shirts strewn around the office to dry. You cycled 10km to work, how the fvck did you break a sweat. The pointless commuter races that don't last even as long as a 16 year old bloke with a porn star.

Summer cyclists, fvck off and die.

</rant>

Dory Dory

5:15 in the morning is way too early for me to read your posts. I get way too confused.

tunney

Dory Dory wrote: »

5:15 in the morning is way too early for me to read your posts. I get way too confused.

Cliff notes version:
* Don't get in my way
* Don't put your sweaty stuff on mine
* Don't wave at me if I don't know you

Dory Dory

tunney wrote: »

Cliff notes version:
* Don't get in my way
* Don't put your sweaty stuff on mine
* Don't wave at me if I don't know you

I was wondering if there were Cliff notes available but was afraid to ask.

tunney

Dory Dory wrote: »

I was wondering if there were Cliff notes available but was afraid to ask.

You're always allowed to ask!

Dory Dory

tunney wrote: »

You're always allowed to ask!

But am I allowed to wave?

tunney

So I've started to get a little more serious about things. Tracking everything I eat again (so much easier these days with barcode readers on smart phones), trying to shift some of the massive weight increase. (Tipped the scales are 12st 11 recently).

This year is all about having a laugh, yes I will place at the back of the pack but thats life. Not sure on the races though Athy anyways but after that not sure, having issues with scheduling (weddings).

More importantly I want to return to an approximation of my lifestyle of old. My wife wants me to return to the lifestyle of old (Was told during the week : "I want the lunatic Dave back who ran a marathon before work on Thursdays). I'm never going back there, that Dave is gone. This Dave has kids and wants to spend time with them. I'll sacrifice lots of things but not time with them.

But I want to get fit and fast again. This time I actually do.

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?

I addressed one of these questions but the other I didn't.
Will I be working with any coaches? Yes, yes I will. This week is week four back working with my old coach Rich Brady, aka Trimonkey. Rich is a full time performance development coach with the BTF. I worked with him for years, improved immensely, learnt alot and became really good friends with him. When I drifted out of being serious about the sport we parted ways. I approached him again a few weeks back and he agreed to take me back. No grand goals, nothing except relearn the habits I lost and have fun. Hopefully the time it takes to rebuild me will be much less than the time it took him to build me the first time!!

tunney

Right time to get back into this logging thingy.

Easy run with some fast pieces yesterday, nice run. Met @bambatta on the return leg.

Strength endurance turbo then in the evening. I say evening but I really mean night time as himself decided that he didn't want to sleep but wanted to play with Daddy until late.

Using the release candidate for Golden Cheetah for the ergs. Had been using the beta V3 for the last year or two. Its still the best turbo software out there I think, but definitely a few steps back in the UI. Not going to compare the results of the session to similar from 07/08/09 as I would cry.

Fingers crossed the weather holds for the weekend! Amstel Gold at the weekend, just need to figure out how to watch it now!

sconhome

tunney wrote: »

Right time to get back into this logging thingy.

Easy run with some fast pieces yesterday, nice run. Met @bambatta on the return leg.

Strength endurance turbo then in the evening. I say evening but I really mean night time as himself decided that he didn't want to sleep but wanted to play with Daddy until late.

Using the release candidate for Golden Cheetah for the ergs. Had been using the beta V3 for the last year or two. Its still the best turbo software out there I think, but definitely a few steps back in the UI. Not going to compare the results of the session to similar from 07/08/09 as I would cry.

Fingers crossed the weather holds for the weekend!

Like a 'good news, bad news' item I was thinking good stuff, fair play and then saw this:

tunney wrote: »

Amstel Gold at the weekend

and stuttered whilst reading, wondering why you would be drinking that rubbish.:)

BTH

amphkingwest wrote: »

Like a 'good news, bad news' item I was thinking good stuff, fair play and then saw this:


and stuttered whilst reading, wondering why you would be drinking that rubbish.:)

1 out of 10, and thats just out of pity.

Terrible effort.

tunney

Given he lives in the "West" where civilisation is yet to reach.

This is Amstel Gold :


But this too is Amstel Gold :



One is a sh1t beer, one is one of the classic bike races.

Given I am a wine type of guy these days which is more likely

BTH

Wine or whine??

sconhome

BTH wrote: »

Wine or whine??

SOOOO Obvious :rolleyes:

Not even worth a point!

Kurt Godel

I was googling 400m swim times last night and came across this from 2006, you've a consistant opinion regarding standards

How's training going?

tunney

Kurt Godel wrote: »

I was googling 400m swim times last night and came across this from 2006, you've a consistant opinion regarding standards

How's training going?

I'd probably be a little less harsh, 6:30 rather than 6:00 now

Training is going which is a start. Few hours on the bike this morning with Tango and JB this morning.

tunney

Did a quick review of the file from yesterday's ride. Happy with the numbers as am well out of shape

Three hours - norm power 211, avg 184
One segment of low aerobic effort - 55 minutes 236 NP, 215 AP, 152bpm.

Admitedly this Garmin data as I deleted the PC7 file before uploading but the numbers (AP - SRM don't do NP).

Lunch run today. Second run of the day so when a colleague suggesting running with him thought no harm as could do with company for my easy run. Turns out he is faster now than when I last ran with him (5 years, yes I am fatter and slower too). Sub four minute ks out of the block. Decided to hang on for as long as I could. Thankfully after a few it faded out to 4:20, then in the back end of the run it became apparent that pacing is not a word in his vocab. Good to know that there is someone to run with in the office!

tunney

Stuff I train with (Part 1)

Shoes: Saucony Kinvara 2

Many moons ago I was urged to ditch my solid robust training shoes in favour of a lighter shoe, a racer - not Mayfly racer thought, for everyday training. At the time it was a Nike Marathoner. It was a fairly massive shift for me and the intention was to boast my powers of proprioception. It was a long road but it worked and I found myself knowing alot more about how I ran, how I was landing and over time I refined my technique. I loved the Marathoner - in fact my slippers are still an old pair with lock laces. Then Nike discontinued it - the b@st@rds. A long search for a replacement shoe occurred and I found myself owning a massive assortment of shoes. Some I love, some I hate.

The Kinvara falls into the former category. I had found myself drifting to shoes with a lower ramp before I even knew heard the term "ramp". Kinvara have a 4mm difference between heel and toe. Probably at the lower end of what I like being honest. I find that 4mm is great for single run days when running upto an hour. On double run days I'd only use the Kinvara for one of the two runs and always the shorter. Over an hour and I'd not use it. Not because of the weight (which is low) but because I find too much use of the Kinvara in a single day can load my calves up and leave them sucecptible to becoming painfully tight. Now this is a factor of the regression of my running style as well but its something worth noting. That being said 4mm means I feel much more "in tune" with the ground.

The uppers on the Kinvara 2 seem flimsy and I can see issues using them in triathlons as the uppers have a tendency of folding over when inserting your foot. Trying this at speed could result in issues I feel. That being said the uppers have held out and my pointy toenails have not poked through - yet.

I'd struggle to wear this shoe in winter. The lightweight upper provides little protection from the elements but its the soles that really would stop me using them in cold, wet days. For some reason the water streams in. I had thought that there were some sort of drainage holes in the soles work the other way too and let water in but no none, they just let water in. Not an issue when I run at home but when I run in work in flood prone coastal areas its a pain.

Overall its a nice shoe for a neutral enough runner, one that would definitely help you be more aware of what you are doing. Feels nice enough to race in, and contradicting what I've already said I'd wear for upto and including half marathons. My ultimate endorsement, I've bought a second pair, (Kinvara 2s mind, behind the curve a little given there are Kinvara 3s and 4s now too).

Dory Dory

Food for thought....so thanks for posting. I'm pretty much stuck on one shoe - have tried a few brands but always go back to what I'm used to....but perhaps I will get a little adventure-crazy at my next shoe purchase and try slipping into something new.

tunney

Stuff I train in (Part 2)

(Part 1 : Shoes Saucony Kinvara 2 )

Shoes: Saucony Mirage 1

In the quest for a runner I liked following the discontinutaion of the Nike Zoom Elite 4 I eventually stumbled upon the Saucony Mirage. My first pair were a black pair. Hideious looking, black is not a good colour for a runner, but it was all that they had in the shop. This was my first experience of the Saucony brand in terms of shoes and the immediate draw was the lower ramp. A good bit less than what I could get in other brands at the time and I knew that this was something I would like.

And I did like it. Possibly the most comfortable shoe I've ran in for a long long time. The weight was nice, the cushioning was firm but there was enough for long runs on tired legs. The reduced ramp meant there was no chunky horrible heel getting in the way. They handle the elements well and are long lasting. A good few hundred km on my first pair and they are still going strong. Probably worth pointing out that I don't retire a running until the sole is worn away or the uppers tear. These have little little wear.

There is enough cushioning as I said to make this shoe good for long runs but its firm enough that you *could* race in it. Halfs and marathons for sure, below that there would be better choices, but there are alot worse ones too! However it would be my shoe of choice for IM distance racing.

If I was told "You can only have one pair of runners", these would be them.


Updated : I got the ramp wrong.

tunney

Stuff I train in (Part 3)

(Part 1 : Shoes Saucony Kinvara 2 )
(Part 2 : Shoes Saucony Mirage )

Shoes: Nike Zoom Elite 4

The first good few years of my post chunky life I struggled to find a shoe I liked. I tried the usual Asics Kayano "cause thats the best". They were completely wrong for me. I tried Asics 1080s, 2080s and the rest "cause Asiscs were best". Then I tried New Balance for a while. They had one okay model but they changed and I didn't like the replacement. In hindsight what they had was a lower ramped shoe that they replaced with a higher ramped one. But at the time all I knew was "the new ones are sh1t".

So I struggled with shoes for a while. Then I found the Nike Zoom Elite. I honestly cannot remember if my first pair was the Elite 3 or the Elite 4. I've owned so many pairs. In fact I am wearing a retired pair right now. Comfy, robust, light (enough for what they are), firm. A nice performance trainer. I loved that shoe. Still do. They wear excellently, are great for tired legs off the bike, work well with lock laces and Greepers (I've found some shoes don't work well with these things - looking at you Saucony) and are just great.

Nike discontinued this shoe in 2009 I think. "but how are you still training in them four years later???" I hear Sean asking. Well when I heard that they were being discontinued I bought every pair I could find. I found a little shop in the South of England that had a good few in my size and just bought them all. I still have one active pair. I cherish them. I use them sparingly.

The Saucony Mirage is very very close in terms of what my favourite shoes but I've done more miles in Zoom Elite 4s than any other shoes. When I was runnign 160km a week it was all in these. They lasted 800-1000km and once they were done they didn't even need to be washed, you could just use them as a day to day runner. Brilliant shoes. Brilliant. Just the right about of cushioning, firm though, for a neutral to very slight over pronator. Great shoe for training and long distance racing! You b@st@rds Nike.

I suspect there are about 600km on this last pair. Some slight thread wear but I will get 400km more out of themm. When they die I will probably cry.

tunney

Stuff I train in (Part 4)

(Part 1 : Shoes Saucony Kinvara 2 )
(Part 2 : Shoes Saucony Mirage )
(Part 3 : Shoes Nike Zoom Elite 4)

Shoes Mizuno Elixir

Following the realisation that Nike had discontinued my favourite shoe I set out on the quest for a new shoe. I started by going to all the running shops in and around Dublin. I got fits, I got gait analysis, I got advice. Most of it was total and utter sh1te. I got some decent advice in AK and as a result bought one pair of shoes from them but they just were too chunky and I returned them within 4 days as they just weren't what I wanted. In the end I resigned myself to having to find something myself. After alot of research I ordered a pair of Mizuno Elixir's, I ordered without trying from AK and guessed the size with the help of Damian. The shoe was almost exactly what I wanted. Light, with some cushioning but not so much that I lost the sensation of the road. Firm but comfortable. I still have them and still use them. A nice shoe, robust, comfortable. Neutral to slight over pronator. Has worn well. BUT the heel is too high with respect to the toes i.e. the ramp is too high. Strangely despite this high ramp I like them. They feel fast, they have stupidly long laces that have resulted in my snotting myself a few times. I have to admit while I didn't love the shoe I'd quite happily try another offering from Mizuno some stagein the future.

Firm, light, slipper like inners, but a large enough ramp.

sconhome

One of my favourite shoes of all time - the Elixir.

I find with the ramp in it you are tipped forward very naturally and all you want to do is run fast in them. Good shoe to vary the low ramp shoe with or to use as a racer for the heavier lads.

You might like the new Sayanora due out in the Summer. Replaces the Elixir and should be lower and slightly more neutral, a blend of the Musha / Precision / Elixir. Getting a pair myself.

tunney

Stuff I train in (Part 5)

(Part 1 : Shoes Saucony Kinvara 2 )
(Part 2 : Shoes Saucony Mirage )
(Part 3 : Shoes Nike Zoom Elite 4)
(Part 4 : Shoes Mizuno Elixir)


Shoes Nike Lunar Elite

I found the Mizuno Elixir okay but it wasn't what I wanted as a generous purpose runner. The ramp that tipped you forward and promoted fast running pushed me a little too far forward and would load my calves up on longer runs. So I was keeping my eye out for another shoe and praying that Nike would bring out a replacement for the Zoom Elite. They did. The Lunar Elite.

I was excited! I probably had one of the first pairs in the country. I knew within 200ms that I fvcking hated them and that they were no where near a replacement for the Zoom Elite as claimed. They were clunkier, they were much more supportive which aggravated my ITBs, the cushioning was springing. It felt like running on a trampoline. I used them for a week and tried to force myself to like them. I couldn't. Every so often I try them again to try and force myself to like them as I hate wasting money. I cannot. So I have left them in the changing room in work in the hope that someone will steal them.

Worst....shoe.....ever....

tunney

Stuff I train in (Part 6)

(Part 1 : Shoes Saucony Kinvara 2 )
(Part 2 : Shoes Saucony Mirage )
(Part 3 : Shoes Nike Zoom Elite 4)
(Part 4 : Shoes Mizuno Elixir)
(Part 5 : Shoes Nike Lunar Elite)

Shoes Nike Pegasus

Around the time of the Mizuno Elixir I picked up a pair of Pegasus. They were neutral(ish), light(ish), comfortable enough in the shop and most importantly 75% off. At that price I couldn't have gone wrong.

I wouldn't say that I did go wrong, but I didn't go right. Almost identical to the Elixir in terms of properties - lightish (but not as light), comfy (but not as comfy), firm but also dead. No sensation of the road. This "dead" sensation is horrible. I just cannot bring myself to throw them out but neither can I subject myself to this dead deeling

tunney

Stuff I train in (Part 7)

(Part 1 : Shoes Saucony Kinvara 2 )
(Part 2 : Shoes Saucony Mirage )
(Part 3 : Shoes Nike Zoom Elite 4)
(Part 4 : Shoes Mizuno Elixir)
(Part 5 : Shoes Nike Lunar Elite)
(Part 6 : Shoes Nike Pegasus)


Shoe Nike Zoom Elite 5

Amazingly Nike finally realised that the Lunar Elite was flopping and that it was not a replacement for the Lunar Elite. So they announced the Lunar Elite 5. At this stage I was happy in my Saucony Mirages so didn't rush in. Initial reviews said that it was closer to the Elite 4 than the Lunar Elite so I went hunting. I worked in town at the time so I went to Runways. "Nah we don't carry much Nike as Nike have distribution problems. Nike won't ship that to us easily, at least 3 months, Nike terrible at ad hoc distribution. Would you like to try <insert completely inappropriate shoe>". Much later I discovered that the mark up on Nike is less than other brands. I've learnt over the years if a shop *really* pushes a brand its mark up related or, say maybe, that the shop is actually the distributor for the brand.

Anyways I rang AK. Told the lads my woes and I had a pair 2-3 days later. Went to the Bray store to collect, got the wife fitted for a lovely pair of shoes and Aoibhe had great craic playing with the toys in the basket of toys in the corner of the shop (its the little things that count).

I put alot of miles in the Zoom Elite 5. Its worn well but not fantastically. I still consider it active but it needs a few months rest. Its *almost* the same as the Elite 4. Almost. But its not. I just cannot put my finger on it. I don't like it as much and I won't be buying another pair. I believe there is even an Elite 6 coming out. I doubt I'll even try them on.

Don't get me wrong it ticks most of the boxes its light for a trainer, its mostly neutral, its ramp isn't too high, its comfy. But its no better than the Mirage. And I am still bitter over the discontinuation of the Elite 4 (and the Marathoner) so I'm going to stick with a brand that sticks with its models.