I have no idea what I'm du-ing

pointer28

Saturday 10/5/14

Trainer Road - 8 Days In California Stage 1 - 75 mins TSS 105 IF 0.92

Gentle introduction my arse!

The first hour was grand, lots of steady tempo work with two sprints and one climb, but the last 15 minutes was meant to be a circuit race with lots of corners. On the turbo this equated to 24 x 5 second sprints (150%+) with 10 second rests (80%) and it was pure savagery. I've never done much of this anaerobic stuff before and it nearly killed me, my HR was the highest it's ever been on the bike and I've never come as close to spewing either. Great fun!

Individual Time Trial coming up today, looks like great craic altogether.

pointer28

Sunday 11/5/14

Trainer Road - 8 Days In California Stage 2 - 59 mins TSS 80 IF 0.90

After a long and thorough warm up, this was basically 22 mins at 103% FTP. It was tough but manageable and the hardest part was concentrating on keeping the effort going. If it was just a straightforward 20 min test I'm confident I could have went a little harder but with another 6 days to go I think that will do for now. Once the 8 days are over I'll take a few easy days and then do a proper FTP test.

In a sick and perverted kind of way I'm actually starting to enjoy this.

pointer28

Monday 12/5/14

Run 11k @ 5:39 mins/km AHR 142

Nice and easy plod around town, not going too mad with the running this week, just keeping the legs ticking over and another 5k race Wednesday night.

Trainer Road - 8 Days In California Stage 3 - 95 mins TSS 138 IF 0.94

Apparently the hardest workout of the 8 days and boy was I glad to see the finish line. Was falling asleep on the sofa at 8:30. Massive drop out rate after this stage, 1700 at the start of the 8 days and only 700 left after this stage.


Tuesday 13/5/14

Run 6.4k @ 5:40 mins/km AHR 144

In Dublin today so another short one around the Phoenix Park, only meant to do around 5k but got lost and added a little extra. No harm anyway.

Trainer Road - 8 Days In California Stage 4 - 70 mins TSS 108 IF 0.96

Shorter but still quite intense. I'm really enjoying this and I think they got the sessions just right, hard enough to make you fitter but not enough that you're knackered for the folllowing day, although I'm only halfway at this stage so may have spoken too soon. I'd say I'll know all about it after the 8 days but hopefully there will be gains from it. I know it's probably a bit nerdy to do an imaginary bike race in my shed, but it keeps me interested and there are plenty of people shooting imaginary zombies every day so it could be worse.

pointer28

Wednesday 14/5/14

Trainer Road - 8 Days In California Stage 5 - 56 mins TSS 78 IF 0.92

A little easier today but still a solid session. I've recently moved my turbo to the shed and leave my bike set up on it all the time as I find the hardest part of getting a session done was dragging the bike into the house and moving furniture to set it up, thereby giving myself an excuse not to do it. I know, I'm mentally weak, but anyway. It should be a perfect pain cave, dark and miserable with the odd mouse watching and laughing from the corner (don't tell herself) and no central heating. However, what it also lacks is ventilation and what it does have is a steel roof. Perfect acclimation for a duathlon on the surface of the sun.

Run - Belvedere 5k League Race 2 - 20:42

Fatigue starting to kick in from the turbo sessions so 22 seconds down on last week but I'm not a bit bothered by that after 5 days in a row on the turbo and the last 3 of them double days with turbo and run everyday. These races are over a very tough route and I'm not competitive anyway so the whole point of these was never to chase times or win ribbons. What they are though is a big dose of hard, hard work and MTFU and I think they're certainly worth doing. Once the league is over I'll take an easy week and then pick a nice flat 5k and I think I should be able to get my sub 20.

pointer28

Thursday 15/5/14

Trainer Road - 8 Days In California Stage 6 - 88 mins TSS 135 IF 0.96

Pure and utter savagery! Stage 3 may have been harder in terms of TSS but the intensity for this was .96 and it felt every bit of it, especially after 5 solid days before it. The last 20 minutes was a climb which started at 97% ftp and rose to 120% by the end (no rests), then they tagged on a 5 second sprint to the line just to really finish you off. I was chewing the bartape for this one and praying for it to end, which it did eventually, but it was the longest 20 minutes of my life. Epic.

At this stage my bike clothes are only fit for scientific research.

pointer28

Friday 16/5/14

Run 3.7k @ 5:50 mins/km AHR 142
Run 4.5k @ 5:44 mins/km AHR 141

Busy today with a couple of different work things on, all in different places. I knew I would be under pressure to get training done and one of these jobs was only a couple of kms out the road so I stuck on the shorts and trainers and ran there and back. Nothing exciting but I'll chalk it down as an active recovery day.

I was meant to get another turbo session done in the evening but it was just too warm to think about sitting in the shed baking for an hour.


Saturday 17/5/14

Run 8k @ 5:32 mins/km AHR 144

Up and out for this one before breakfast as I knew I had a busy weekend ahead of me. Nice calm morning and surprisingly warm for 7am. Legs felt fresh and pace felt easy.

Trainer Road - 8 Days In California Stage 7 - 70 mins TSS 106 IF 0.96

This wasn't too bad until the final "circuit race" at the end which consisted of 33 x 5-10 sec sprints with 15-25 sec recoveries at sweet spot effort. I did the first 10 or 11 but just couldn't manage another sprint after that, the legs were just fried, so I just rode at sweet spot effort until the end rather than calling it quits. Intensity Factor was .96 with two thirds of the sprint efforts missing, I wonder what it would have been had I done them all.

Although I'm sure this hard block of turbo training has done me the world of good, I'll be glad to see the back of it and to actually ride outside again.

pointer28

Monday 19/5/14

Trainer Road - 8 Days In California Stage 8 - 81 mins TSS 126 IF 0.97

Final stage and boy was I glad to see the end of it. I was meant to do this after work last night but I spent all day in the rain getting through two sets of waterproofs and I figured 80 mins of sweating in a shed afterwards might be just the right thing to make me sick, so I did the sensible thing and went to bed early last night.

The fact that I didn't ride on Friday or Sunday probably helped me get through all these sessions at their intended IF. A lot of guys on the ST and TR forums were saying that they had to dial down the intensity to get them finished which is exactly what I didn't want to do. Tough, tough session and I had to take a gel at about 40 minutes but I got it done.

Stupid mouse was sitting in the rafters watching me too! 5 traps set and I still haven't caught the little sh1te. If he shows his face while the GF is riding her turbo I'm done for.

pointer28

Tuesday 20/5/14

Run 10.1k @ 5:38 mins/km

No turbo today and my poor arse is thankful for it too! Nice and easy 10k around my usual loop, quite warm and sticky out but better than the rain that was forecast.

Looking forward to getting stuck back into some running again now, I only did a few easy runs last week and my legs were dead for all of them with the hard turbos every day. Another 5k race again tomorrow, not expecting anything magical but last week was 22 secs slower than the week before and I just hope that trend doesn't continue. Of course, I won't be doing a 20 min FTP session tomorrow morning so hopefully that should help too.

Dory Dory

Good luck with the 5k!!

pointer28

Wednesday 21/5/14

Trainer Road - Corduroy - 60 mins TSS 61 IF 0.79

Very easy recovery spin on the turbo due to tonight's 5k race, a total of 28 minutes of sweet spot intervals with 2 minute recoveries. Nothing too taxing but then again, I didn't want anything too taxing. I've done this particular session quite a few times and find it perfect for freshening up the legs when tired.


Run - Belvedere 5k League Race 3 - 20:07

I wasn't looking forward to this all day, warm up felt like crap and while my legs felt better than last week I just didn't feel up for it. First km starts downhill so way faster than 5k pace for the first 700/800 mtrs and then the hills start. I gave up watching pace on the watch at this race as the GPS reception is terrible and can't be relied up at all. Instead I just keep an eye on the stopwatch and look for 4/8/12/16 at the km markers. I was slightly ahead of pace at 1k, didn't find a 2k marker and right on pace at the 3k marker, by the 4k marker the hills were really taking their toll and I was about 10 secs behind pace, managed to rally a bit after that and pulled back a few seconds by the finish so a PB all the same, even if not the sub 20 I was looking for.

The good news is that this is a truly horrible course for setting a fast time, but a truly superb one in terms of hard training. I honestly believe now that I can get my sub 20 now on the right day with the right course and properly rested. I think Naas Parkrun on a still day might be worth a go. This is my fifth 5k this year (never raced one before that) and the times are slowly improving. While I hate making excuses they have all been quite testing in their own way, so have never had perfect conditions yet.

Feb 20:16 - Griffeen Valley, windy conditions
Mar 20:11 - Griffeen Valley, windy conditions
May 20:20 - Belvedere, hilly course, windy
May 20:42 - Belvedere, hilly course, massively fatigued
May 20:07 - Belvedere, hilly course

I also tagged on another 5k between warm up and cool down to bring the total to about 10k for the day.

Dory Dory

Sub 20 is in the bag! In addition to SO many other factors, don't forget you did 60 minutes on the trainer, something you never would have done if this 5k was your "A" race. Five 5k races already this year? Good god, that's worth noting if you ask me as I can't stand that distance....in fact, I've not done that many 5k races in my entire life! Blech! Any way...very well done on the PB!!!

pointer28

Thursday 22/5/14

Bike - 102k - AHR 132

Up and had breakfast early and out the door in the rain for my first longish ride in 6 weeks, can't believe it's been that long to be honest. While my legs and lungs were fine I'm still having serious comfort issues to put it politely and from 2 hours on I was constantly shifting in the saddle and standing in the pedals, which means I wasn't keeping up a nice even effort. My cadence graph is nice and steady for the first half but the second half is just dreadful.

I don't know where to go from here TBH, this is the 3rd saddle I've had on the bike and it cost €110 as I figured I'd buy a good one and it would cure all my problems and just make everything wonderful. There was some sort of fitting process involved when I bought it so I thought it would be right. Unfortunately, I didn't buy it locally and it was a long time ago now so there's no going back. I think in future the best course of action is to shop local and try to find a tester model.

pointer28

Dory Dory wrote: »

Sub 20 is in the bag! In addition to SO many other factors, don't forget you did 60 minutes on the trainer, something you never would have done if this 5k was your "A" race. Five 5k races already this year? Good god, that's worth noting if you ask me as I can't stand that distance....in fact, I've not done that many 5k races in my entire life! Blech! Any way...very well done on the PB!!!

Thanks Dory,

I hate them too, but that's exactly why I'm doing them, and 4 in 4 weeks to really stick the knife in.

I have an awful habit of taking the easy way out so I figured forcing myself to do the 4 week league and go all out in each of them would really teach me to HTFU and get on with it. Plus, there has to be some serious fitness gains too. I didn't mind the turbo too much, it was very easy and didn't really stress me too much at all.

My main "A" goal for this year was to run a sub 1:30 HM in the autumn, I was meant to run a sub 1:33 a few weeks ago as a stepping stone along the way but that all turned to sh1te and I only managed 1:36:xx. I was a bit dejected by this so I turned my attention away from it for a while and wanted something else to focus on for a few weeks. I'll be glad when the 5k finishes next Wednesday and am looking forward to getting stuck back into the long interval sets which were always my favourite.

Dory Dory

Apologies if your races are posted here somewhere....but what other races are you doing? Any tris? How about a marathon? I think you and I are similarly paced at the run based on your times.

pointer28

No tris planned, can't swim and despite 7/8 lessons still can't swim. I think the group lessons just don't suit me. I might try and get someone to give me a few private lessons just to get me started but not just now.

Race plan at the moment as follows:

8 Jun - Strawberry Half Marathon
22 Jun - Galway 10k <42:00
12/13 Jul - Stone Mad Ultra - 2 HM's in 2 days
24 Aug - Sean Kelly Tour - 160k Cycle
13 Sep - Flatline HM - Goal Race <1:30
5 Oct - Athlone 3/4 Marathon
27 Oct - Dublin City Marathon - Maybe

I'll probably throw in a few more 5k's and HM's along the way but that's the main targets for now. I'd also like to do a 10 miler at my target 1:30 HM pace but they're not that terribly common and I tend to work weekends so it might or might not happen.

I entered DCM last year but pulled out the day before as I had hamstring issues beforehand and they just weren't going away. I had them at the 3/4 marathon as well and ended up walking the last 10k in the rain, not fun. I know what caused them and how to manage them now so hopefully they won't be a problem again. Pace wise I would probably be aiming for a 3:30 marathon.

Long term, my main goal would be Powerman Zofingen, a long distance (10k/150k/30k) Duathlon in the Swiss mountain, which is the Du equivalent of Kona. I've sat in front of the laptop a few times with my credit card in hand ready to press enter, but I think I'm going to wait until next year at least for now.

Dory Dory

Oh, we need to get you swimming for sure!!! Not sure where you are based, but I'm sure there are lots of good folks who can give you some one-on-one lessons. In my opinion, group lessons are good for young kids, but as an adult you really need the one-on-one. Go for it. It will open so many doors for you.

And your marathon target of 3:30 is way slow. If you achieve your goal of 1:30 in the half, then I imagine you would be closer to 3:10 or 3:15 in the marathon. Just sayin'....

And you MUST go for that Duathlon race at some point!!! You only live once...and maybe next year is your year!!!

pointer28

Friday 23/5/14

Run - 21.1k @ 5:37 mins/km AHR 143

Between the Trainer Road 8 Days Challenge and the 5k league I've been neglecting my long runs for the last few weeks, I usually like to do 2 x 20+ runs a week, 1 an easy run and the other with HM intervals.

Today was a nice easy one around the town, ran mostly by feel but took an occasional glance at the watch to see how I was going. Funnily enough, even though my AHR is a little higher, these actually feel easier than the really slow runs I was doing earlier in the year, when I was constantly slowing down trying to keep my HR low. Anyway, what works for some doesn't always work for the other, and what I did today seems to work for me.

pointer28

Sunday 25/5/14

20k with 2 x 20 mins @ M Pace

22 mins - 5:41 mins/km AHR 136
20 mins - 4:36 mins/km AHR 164
22 mins - 5:38 mins/km AHR 147
22 mins - 4:40 mins/km AHR 163
22 mins - 5:43 mins/km AHR 145

I really, really enjoyed this run, my second 20 k in 3 days and it just felt great. I love this session and have done it a good few times, 40 mins of M pace running with easy pace rather than recovery pace in between, it's a nice bit of work but doesn't leave me wasted afterwards. I'll do another run tomorrow as my next target race is 2 x HM's in 2 days so I need a few decent back to backs before that. I really think I had some sort of virus or dose a few weeks ago as this just flew by and I was still high as a kite when I got home rather than dying on the couch. My confidence is back now and I can't wait to get stuck back into it.

I very nearly entered a marathon this afternoon, and I still might. A very experienced 100 Marathon Club member told me to just pick a marathon, enter it and jog round at a very doable pace just to get the monkey off my back and then worry about chasing times for the second one. I think he might be right as I have a huge problem with self confidence and could literally talk myself out of anything. My M pace as prescribed by Jack Daniels of 4:38 mins/km equates to a Marathon time of about 3:15 so he suggests following the 3:45 or even 4:00 pacers and just treating it as a long run and enjoying the experience. Anyway, the race is Dingle marathon which is a tough and hilly route so I'm staying away from the credit card just for now and I'll give it a few days but the idea is growing on me.

Funnily enough, the GF thinks Dingle is a great idea and would love to head down there for the weekend but hates the idea of standing around Dublin while I did DCM or some other big city marathon. Hopefully, by that philosophy she'll love the idea of the Zugspitz Ultratrail. Here's hoping.

pointer28

Monday 26/5/14

Run - 10.8k @ 5:35 mins/km AHR 141

Trainer Road - Corduroy - TSS 69 IF .78

I purposely wanted to run earlyish this morning while there was still a bit of fatigue in my legs from yesterday's run. Surprisingly enough, legs felt great and had to force myself to slow down on a few occasions. This really felt like it took nothing out of me.

I couldn't make up my mind whether to do a turbo session today or not, seeing as I had a decent run yesterday, another run this morning and a long ride planned for tomorrow. As it turns out, I had an hour to spare and nothing to do so I opted for a nice recovery style turbo session. The session was very easy but if nothing else it burnt a few calories and was better than sitting on the sofa.

pointer28

Tuesday 27/5/14

Bike - 117k AHR 134

Lovely day for it, little chilly starting out but nothing that a gilet couldn't cure, and took it off after an hour. Nice route although the last 20 kms were uphill and into a headwind, but nothing I could do about that.

I adjusted my saddle position half an inch forward last night to see if it would make a difference. It definitely did and my avg. speed was higher for what felt like the same effort. Comfort levels were still not great but a lot better than last week whihc was torture, I was so uncomfortable that I was only spinning the pedals for ten seconds, then freewheeling for ten seconds. Today I did get a bit tired towards the end and cadence dropped but nothing like previously. I still think some saddle shopping might be in order but at least I'm better off than before.

pointer28

Mad with work since last Thursday so haven't been near a computer for more than 5 minutes.

Wednesday 28/5/14

Bike - 39k - AHR 136

Nothing exciting about this one, a little tired from the previous day's long ride but nothing major and a 5k to follow that evening so took it easy enough.

Run - Belvedere 5k League Week 4 - 20:12 - AHR 175

Another tough one and glad it's the last one to be honest. I know they're great training and all but I don't think I'll ever enjoy racing 5k. Not much to say really, went like hell from the start and then just hung on as best as I could. I say this every week but it's a killer course and hopefully some weekend I'll have a decent stab at sub 20 on a friendly course.

Thursday 29/5/14

Bike - 30k

Biggest weekend at work of the year starting today so no choice but to throw some clothes in a backpack and head off for a short bike ride before work.

Friday 30/5/14

Run - 20k with 2 x 20 mins @ M Pace

20 mins - 5:36 mins/km AHR 135
20 mins - 4:36 mins/km AHR 155
22 mins - 5:39 mins/km AHR 140
22 mins - 4:40 mins/km AHR 154
24 mins - 5:41 mins/km AHR 139

Up and out the door at 5:30am for this one as I knew it was my last chance to do anything for 3 or 4 days and if I missed the chance there wouldn't be another one. This is rapidly turning into one of my favourite sessions. It's a longish run with some quality thrown in, it doesn't take too long, it's not as boring as a normal LSR and it doesn't leave you shagged for the rest of the day. Happy with the numbers, especially the HR for the M pace stuff, it seems the 5k work is having an effect.

Wednesday 4/6/14

21.1k LSR - 5:39 mins/km - AHR 147

As I knew it would be, the last 5 days were hell on earth and I was working 12/14 hour days and on my feet for all of them. I was wearing crappy work boots and have the blisters to prove it so my feet are in ribbons and covered in Compeed plasters as I type.

I set out this morning to do an easy 8/10k but just kept going and did my HM route around the town instead. Legs are still very sore from the weekend and HR is a bit higher than normal but still very, very tired so to be expected.

pointer28

Thursday 5/6/14

Bike - 115k - AHR 134

Lovely day for it so out the door for a longish spin. While I hate my job at times and have to work a lot of weekends with no felxibility, there are days like today when I can go for a long bike ride while the rest of you are stuck in an office. So, maybe it's not all bad.

Pretty flat route, a few rollers but no climbs of any significance. Today felt a lot easier than the previous two weeks and I managed to keep a constant effort until the end. Previously there would have been a steady decline in speed and cadence as the distance increased but not today so I'm obviously getting fitter. I also spent a lot more time in the big ring than I usually would and although it doesn't mean anything, my average speed was a lot higher than usual.

I think what made all the difference was that I ate a lot on the bike today and what I did eat wasn't as much crap as I usually would. I had two fruity oat bars and a banana in my pocket and I also stopped for a sandwich and a coffee a little past half way. I used to try and do these with as little food as possible, and what I did eat was usually crap like chocolate and cake but now I think I was just sacrificing any meaningful quality work. I would love to have had a power meter out of interest to see some more meaningful stats, but I think keeping fuelled is definitely the way to go in future.

Playing with strava it's giving me the following power figures. I don't know how accurate they could be but it's some sort of progress.

22/5 - 102k - 134 bpm - 101W AP - Saddle pain and under-fuelled
27/5 - 117k - 137 bpm - 105W AP - Saddle better, under fuelled
05/6 - 115k - 134 bpm - 111W AP - Saddle better, well fuelled

I think in future I need to eat plenty on the bike and try to get some quality from my rides rather than worrying about calorie deficits and trying to lose weight. Saddle issues are definitely improving, but since moving the saddle forward I now feel a bit cramped and upright so I might need a slightly longer stem to offset this.

joey100

You can also try flippin the stem, most have a bit of a rise (around 7 degrees) if you flip this it will drop them a bit further away from you. Might save you buying a new stem. Jus be careful not to make huge changes to your position too quick, body needs time to adapt to the changes.

pointer28

Cheers Joey and well done in Collinstown, I was only up there Friday on the bike. You're right about making changes slowly, I can really feel a difference in my glutes and it's very obvious that they're doing more work than they used to. No sharp pains or anything, just a DOMS type feeling the following day. It might actually do me the world of good to work my glutes more as they are a weakness of mine and this might be a blessing in disguise.

Friday 6/6/14

Bike - 60k - AHR 129

Someone was looking for company on the club FB page for a 2 hour spin so I met up with a group and we headed off looking for a few hills. Could feel yesterday's long spin in the legs but nothing more than tiredness to worry about.


Saturday 7/6/14

Run - 6.2k @ 5:37 mins/km - AHR 142

Nothing fancy, just a short one around the homeplace to wake up the leg's before the Enniscorthy HM on Sunday.


Sunday 8/6/14

Enniscorthy Half Marathon - 1:43:36 - AHR 155

Really, really ecstatic with how this race went. The plan was to stick with the 1:45 pacers and just do this as a nice tempo run but I found the pace group too tight and claustrophobic for me so pulled a few yards ahead of them to give me more space and just gradually drifted away without ever blowing hard or feeling uncomfortable.

I ran this race last year, but I was chasing a time and only came in 20 seconds faster than today. The main difference though is that last year I gave 100% and was absolutely floored on the finish line and not fit to stand up. This year I was smiling all the way around and went straight into a short run at the end to cool down, I could happily have done a lot longer at the end but the GF and mother were waiting so ten minutes was all I could do.

My average HR was 155 or 81% and it felt very comfortable all the way. I'm so happy that I've reached a stage where I can knock out a 1:45 HM relatively easily and still be fit to tag on a few miles and run again the following day, and all of this on a pretty tough and hilly course too. If I had felt like this 5 weeks ago in Wexford I'm happy I would have smoked that 1:33 I was chasing.

Short warm up and cool down for a total of 25.6 kms.

pointer28

Monday 9/6/14

Run - 8k @ 5:39 mins/km AHR 144

I purposely made an effort to get a run in today whether rain or shine as I have a two day half marathon coming up shortly and I want to acclimatise to running on tired legs. Job done, legs a bit dead for the first km or two but by the time I reached the 3k mark I was constantly telling myself to slow down. The weather turned out to be lovely and I would have happily done 10/12k but I made myself take the short route. Legs feel better after it and I think that these easy recovery days suit me better than a day of no exercise. I'll save them for when I need a mental break from it.

Next race is Galway Simon Community 10k on Saturday week so I may do some kind of a quality 10k session this week. Maybe 3 x 2 miles or something similar.

pointer28

Tuesday 10/6/14

Bike - 40k - AHR 133

Legs still a bit tired this morning so ten minutes with the foam roller and a quick spin on the bike and they're like brand new again.

I only meant to do an easy spin but once I hit the main road and the nice smooth tarmac, I couldn't help but stick it in a big gear and let rip for a few minutes. I didn't hit the lap button so I have no idea how long, how fast etc. but it felt very comfortable and a lot easier than it would have a few months ago.

So, that's basically two recovery days in a row which should set me up nicely for tomorrow's tough run session, McMillan's ultimate 10k session which is 3 x 2 miles at 10k pace. The forecast is for bright, sunny and warm which would be fantastic and lovely on the bike, but kills me on the run. Either way, it has to be done regardless of weather.

pointer28

Wednesday 11/6/14

Run - 20k with 3 x 3.2k @ 10k Pace, 5 min RBI

This is Greg McMillan's ultimate 10k workout and apparently if you can get this done at target 10k pace, then you're guaranteed to hit your target in a 10k race and you'll be showered with admiration and hordes of nubile young maidens will throw themselves at your feet.

10k Target - Sub 42:00 or 4:12 mins/km

Lap 1 - 4:07 mins/km AHR 174
Lap 2 - 4:09 mins/km AHR 174
Lap 3 - 4:09 mins/km AHR 174

Anyway, this was f'ing tough, as I knew it would be from the start and the weather was just horrible, really warm and sticky. I could have done with cooler and a light drizzle but it just wasn't to be and I had to get on with it. I love sun on the bike but it just kills me on the run.

The numbers were good, pace slightly quicker than target and HR well within the parameters for a 10k. The fact that I'm happiest about is that the HR remained constant, even for the final rep when I was really suffering, I would have expected it to increase a bit as the reps went on.

Just as I started the final rep, the local running star and a buddy ran past me going the opposite way, just running at an easy pace and chatting to each other. Around about 2.7k in I could hear them behind me, still chatting to each other, I desperately tried to hold them off but they passed me just before the end, not a bead of sweat on either of them. The same runner passed me in a recent 5k while I was busting a gut trying to break 20 mins, he was doing a recovery run after winning both a 5k and a 5 miler (both very competitive races) in the previous 3 days. Just gives you a little bit of perspective when you think you're doing great things.

pointer28

Thursday 12/6/14

AM - Bike - 85k AHR 131
PM - Bike - 40k AHR 136

I would have liked to do a decent longish spin but I had an appointment right in the middle of the day which threw a spanner in the works so had no option but to split the session. Both spins felt comfortable enough and I pushed on a bit for the second one to get the HR up a bit.


Friday 13/6/14

Run - 12.4k @ 5:36 mins/km AHR 145

Not a nice run at all, just felt flat and tired and not in the form for it at all.


Monday 16/6/14

AM - Run - 10.1k @ 5:38 mins/km AHR 142

Tired over the weekend so took two days off as I felt I needed them and didn't think I'd gain anything by logging more miles just for the sake of it. Today's run felt a lot better for it too, beautiful day out, scorching and blinding sun and life was good. Sometimes a day or two off is the best training you can do.

PM - Bike - 40k AHR 131

Another easy spin, this time with a new, longer stem on the bike. Definitely felt different and I didn't get the sore back and shoulders than I have been getting lately so hopefully it's an improvement. I suppose I won't know for sure until I chance a longer spin which won't be until next week.

Target 10k race this Sunday (sub 42 mins) so nothing but short and easy sessions for the rest of the week. I might throw some strides into a run but that will be it.

pointer28

Tuesday 17/6/14

Bike - 40k AHR 132

Another scorcher of a day, I brought the dogs out for half an hour earlier and I could feel the top of my head burning in that short space of time so I made sure I had plenty of suncream on for this. As per most of my rides lately, I'm making the effort to get some time in pushing a bigger gear and keeping my cadence up at the same time resulting in a far more respectable average speed. My HR doesn't seem to mind this it's only me legs holding me back but they're improving constantly and if I keep doing it they'll only get better with time.

Garmin started acting the maggot about 2 kms from home, constantly changing to rubbish speeds and autopausing for no reason. Hopefully it's something as simple as a sensor battery or maybe my wheel magnet has moved.

pointer28

Long time since I logged so time to catch up on a few sessions.

Wednesday 18/6/14

Run 7.2k @ 5:30 mins/km AHR 151


Thursday 19/6/14

Run 7.3k @ 5:35 mins/km AHR 141


Sunday 22/6/14

Galway Simon 10k Race - 43:36 - 4:20 mins/km

What can I say? Nearly two minutes off my target but to be honest I just wasn't up for it on the day and had no interest in even being there. Mad busy all week, spent 4 solid days driving (which I hate) and had a ****load of work stuff going on in my head so didn't get into it at all. In retrospect I could have gone a lot faster if my mind was on it. HR had a fit when I poured water over it so no reliable HR data.


Monday 23/6/14

Run 10.1k @ 5:50 mins/km AHR 145

My 10k race was so slow that I figured I didn't need much of a recovery period and as I have a two day race coming up very shortly I decided to get in 10k on tired legs.


Tuesday 24/6/14

Bike 128k AHR 134

Lovely day for it but I picked a crappy route. The surface was pretty good but terribly boring other than that.


Wednesday 25/6/14

Run 21k @ 5:45 mins/km AHR 142

Did this one with my camelbak and planned race gear for the upcoming two day race. Even though I'm only doing the HM's, it's still officially part of the ultra race and we have to carry the mandatory equipment, probably for insurance reasons or some such crap. The camelbak wasn't too bad, one small strap that needs to be trimmed but no major chafing and the biggest annoyance was just the sound of water sloshing behind my head.


Thursday 26/6/14

Run 10.7k @ 5:37 mins/km AHR 144

Again, to reinforce the running on tired legs feeling.


Saturday 28/6/14

Run 20k with 8 x 1k MP, 1k Easy Fartlek style

I was meant to do a bike ride yesterday but work screwed up that idea for me, so determined not to let work ruin another day of training, I was out the door at 6am for this one. No particular purpose to this session other than to just break the monotony of running 20k easy.


Monday 30/6/14

Run 10k @ 5:40 mins/km AHR 139

Manic weekend at work and in a hoop after it so barely managed to drag myself out of bed to do this. Nice easy one just to get the week started. Gorgeous sunny day and would have loved a long bike ride but lots of appointments at different times today meaning I can't go anywhere for more than an hour.


What's glaringly obvious to me looking back over this is that I'm starting to get lazy about my biking again, just 3 sessions and 200 kms in a fortnight. That's what I should be doing a week. Between work putting a squeeze on my time and the weather just being cruel for turbo sessions I've always had a reason not to ride my bike but I'm just going to have to suck it up and get on with it.