The Good Mood Cookbook

RacoonQueen

Oryx wrote: »

Who was talking about my cranks??

We were talking about how craz...wonderful you are at my fit!

Oryx

RacoonQueen wrote: »

We were talking about how craz...wonderful you are at my fit!

Jeez... whatever happened to client confidentiality???

Dilbert75

Heavy stuff Oryx but better to be told in advance I guess. Take care of yourself.

Oryx

Well spring has officially sprung in the south east this morning. Sunshine. Warmth. Running without gloves! What a change from the hypothermia of two weeks ago.

A gentle run with some friends, 6.2 min km pace for 7k. And still my legs felt like I did double that at race pace. But it was chatty, a little slice of normality after all the high pressure. More hobby, less obsession. I enjoyed it.

pointer28

Oryx wrote: »

I enjoyed it.

And that's all that matters at the end of the day!

Sometimes we can become so focused and goal oriented that we forget why we do these things in the first place.

Oryx

I just got an email titled The Race Launch 2016. My first thought on the later date (end march) was a momentary 'oh, interesting!'. My second thought was 'who do I hate enough to forward this to?'

RacoonQueen

Oryx wrote: »

I just got an email titled The Race Launch 2016. My first thought on the later date (end march) was a momentary 'oh, interesting!'. My second thought was 'who do I hate enough to forward this to?'

I signed up for updates a couple of weeks ago, so when I got the race date though hmmm this might be better...then I read what you posted yesterday...

Oryx

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I signed up for updates a couple of weeks ago, so when I got the race date though hmmm this might be better...then I read what you posted yesterday...

I also refer you to where I said all potential entrants require counselling.

Oryx

Tbh if you asked someone like Diane Behan about the race, you'd probably get a very different impression than i gave, she had a very different experience. But if you are considering it, don't underestimate it. Its nasty enough regardless of weather.

Oryx

I cant do much at the moment, but still want to make use of my training time. So, to make the best of a 90 minute bike, I took out my TT bike for the first time in like, forever. I finally got a proper fit last week (tks DD!!!), so the whole thing is a lot more user friendly. To say I'm not strong on it would be a kind of massive understatement, but thanks to the unfailing patience and encouragement of Mr T, I made a lot of progress today. I may at some point be actually able to ride it 'in anger'. Ended up being just under two hours easy, 48k.

pointer28

Well done, longest journey, single step etc.

mossym

sounds like you're on the right path oryx, get teh head right first, body will follow. nice display of pma.

Mr Tony Stark

You were so natural when you got down on the bars it was ridiculous. Fair play to you yesterday, it was breezy and road traffic was busy especially after the boat arrived in Rosslare. Being on tt bars feeling uncomfortable isn't helped with Articulated lorries whizzing by.
I wish I had the determination to get over my weaknesses that you have. Also you are a feckin demon on hills.

Oryx

^^^ this is the kind of encouragement I was talking about. I was not relaxed but its good to know I faked it well

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Just catching up on here. Really enjoyed reading the race report.

What can i say thats not already been said, you are one truly remarkable and tough lady.

Oryx

Well this week is better. I'm still keeping things short and slow, but I'm feeling more like me and less like a cardiac patient. Monday was a run and core work, yesterday was fasting blood tests in the morning (to check if I'm still 2/3 immortal) and a club swim in the evening. Did the main set of the swim (2 x 400, 3 x 200, 4 x 100) with pb, but the rest normally. Let everyone else in the lane do their paced stuff, mine was easy, checking hr at the end of each set. (Initially 140+, but <120 after that once I realised, and slowed it down). Because I cant do pace, I did technique. I tend to hold my breath, so I was bubble breathing, every 4 strokes, thinking calm, relaxed... gliding, working on hand and head positions. Swimming easy is a strange thing. It is revitalising. I loved this hour.

Rest day today, but as I missed a core session yesterday I did it today, along with some mobility stuff which I've been neglecting. All's good in the Oryx training world today.

Oryx

Turbo this morning. Last weeks assigned session was way too hard, so this one was set at a much easier level, and went better, though my hr was still way to high for the rpe (150+). Ran ten minutes off the bike and yet again, this felt much more normal than any previous runs since the race.

Strength work tonight... need to get my focus right, and start doing things properly. The 'real' race season is looming, with my actual real targets, and I need to get my race head on. The last two years training camp has helped with this, but unfortunately no camp this year, so mojo will need to be found on my own time.

Oryx

I did get my bit of late night S&M done, not terribly painful. I should probably try to suffer more....

Still, I could feel the work in my arms this morning for my swim. A short swim today, but still got in for 6.30am, you know, get a good auld start to the day. A mix of swim, pb, and kick, 1200m in all. The water felt heavy today, I put that down to being up far too early, and a bit tired.

Edit: my resting hr was normal today for the first time in a month.

BeBetter

I have to say that race report really struck a chord Oryx! I did The Race in 2014 and a lot of what you said in the report really resonated with me. I never put my thoughts down on paper (or screen!) afterwards but I was in a fairly similar place although maybe a little luckier than you. I'm signed up to do The Race again next year, how quickly the pain is forgotton!! These days I'm leading a group of adventure racers so there's gonna be 5 or 6 of us taking on The Race. If it was ok with you, and only with your permission, I'd like to copy your race report as a post on our Facebook page? I think it really would help, firstly to mentally shock the guys into realisation of what they are preparing for. And secondly to make other people in the group realise that the lads are gonna be facing so that they'll get behind them and give them the support that we both know is vital to get through this kind of an event. Would you be ok with that?

Oryx

Not a problem. Pm me your fb ac so I can see what youre up to

coffee_cake

jaysus. i've just read your race report now. that is some going. congrats.

BeBetter

Thanks Oryx, I'll PM you soon as I get a chance to put it up there. Hope the recovery keeps going well

Oryx

Godawful weather out there today, but in a warped way I prefer running in rain and wind to baking sunshine, so I quite liked heading out for my run.

A couple of the guys had arranged to run loops of the racecourse this morning (windiest spot in the county even on a good day - good thinking whoever) and when I arrived one of them was already out. The other three sheltered by the wall for a few minutes before deciding to wuss out and head to somewhere less blustery. I couldn't be ars ed with that so I went to catch up with the chap already out. It turned out to be a good decision. It was his lsr so pace was perfect, we chatted all the way. Once you got going the wind was just part and parcel, not that bad at all. I was supposed to do 30 mins, but it was so easy and felt so good I only glanced at my watch when I had gone way over that. Ended up being out nearly an hour but was under no pressure whatsoever, very slow 10 min miles. Todays run was for the head, not the body.

Oryx

Wooo... more wind today. The local duathlon was on, but unfortunately the likes of that are out for me at the moment. Im good... much better... but not that good.

I had hoped to tt today, but talked myself out of it. Wind. Rain. Deep rims. So many excuses. Got out on the roadie later than usual when the weather cleared - Ive done enough rain soaked bike miles this year already I couldn't face more today. The wind was fun, a bit of a challenge on the 'out' and free speed on the way back. It was all easy, but I noticed that any attempt to raise the intensity, say for a hill, was like hitting a physical stop sign. Body just says Nope. That damn race has cost me a lot more than I thought it would.

Oryx

Well I did TT today, the weather was much kinder. Spent as long as I could aero, its my shoulders that bug me more than anything else down on the bars. Felt a lot more relaxed on it today. Still requires conscious thought to move about and do stuff, all that needs is practice to become familiar. But even now I can see why people love their tt bikes and hate going back to a roadie after being on one. Pity its taken this long in my case. 1hr, no idea how far, left gps at home!

Mr Tony Stark

I love tt bikes. You will too.

career move

I love MTB bikes. You will too. One day

Oryx

career move wrote: »

I love MTB bikes. You will too. One day

Ill love them like I love tigers. From a safe distance

Oryx

Yesterday was another easyish day on paper (autocorrect tries to make 'easyish' into 'hashish' - how apt) but in practice, not so much. Core and strength work in the morning, supposed to take 30 mins, always takes much longer to get through it. Swam with the club in the evening, as per the last few swims, pb is a mandatory aid if I am to get through it at all. I ended up swimming away from the pack as I just couldn't stay with them, in fact one of the girls thought someone new was in the lane, so different did my swimming seem! This was hard. The hr thing is funny. It doesn't get excessively rapid, it just pounds... and feels like it's missing beats. Very odd and uncomfortable. For this reason, I just plodded, and avoided anything that provoked that effect. Unlike last week, this wasnt a a great swim, I was too conscious of feeling a bit 'off'. Not tired, just.... not right.

And before anyone recommends a doctor - Ive been. Apparently I'm perfectly healthy. I just need to stick to 10k fun runs and stop doing this silly stuff. :rolleyes:

Dilbert75

An anecdote relating to GP's and endurance sports: A few years back Mrs. D went to the GP complaining that she could hardly run 10k without being out of breath. Doc laughed and confessed he was the same. He later apologised when the blood tests revealed an iron level normally low enough to require hospitalisation for blood transfusions.