ROK 2014

boredatwork82

So I have decided to log this. I am going from zero cycling to Ring of Kerry in a couple of months.
Bought a hybrid for Bike to Work scheme. Started enjoying it, so pulled my old racer that was hardly ever used out.

So far my cycles to date have been:

12/03/2014 - 39 km
13/03/2014 - 35 km
29/03/2014 - 42 km
05/04/2014 - 31 km
08/04/2014 - 23 km
11/04/2014 - 45 km
12/04/2014 - 40 km
19/04/2014 - 30 km
22/04/2014 - 39 km
24/04/2014 - 61 km
26/04/2014 - 79 km (first half of this was into a gale force wind and it was raining and horrible, second flew home!)
28/04/2014 - 29 km (still suffering from Sat night - this felt awful)

Using mapmyrun. So if I can keep clocking up the saddle time, and up some of the long distance ones I am hoping to be grand.

boredatwork82

Ok, so had a few bad weeks, got nailed with a chest and sinus infection, and anti biotics and the like, but finally getting back on the bike this week.

Monday 12th I did around 40km, very slow and leisurely as I did with a girl from work.

Monday 19th I did 28.71 km, in 1:04. Short but pushed hard and averaged 26.64 km/hr.

Wednesday 22nd Did 56.08 km in 2:23. I felt really weak out on the bike for the first half of this, but started feeling better and kept cycling. I only planned on doing about 40km but kept going. I tagged along with a group for the last 5km that I met. It seemed much easier to stick to a higher pace in a group and chatting away. I must really try and get down to the cycling club.

boredatwork82

Latest Log:

Friday 23rd May - Did 40km. about an hour 40, phone died.
Sunday 25th May - same again but in reverse. really had no interest in doing it as I was hung over and the weather outside was miserable. But when I got up on the bike and going flew it. Did it in 1hr 20 mins which was very good for me. My fastest yet I think.

Then tonight , 28/05/2014 gorgeous evening. Took to the road after work with a plan to do 80km. cycled 40km, called into my parents house, refilled water bottle and ate 2 slices of brown bread with smoked salmon and started my journey back home . About a ten minute stop in total. pushed fairly hard for the next 15 km, ( maybe too hard) then hit the wall, but kept going, got my legs back after a few kms and got stuck into it. ate a biscuit i had in my pocket. arrived at my destination and still felt ok, so pushed hard and did an extra 10km. At that point I was sio near breaking 100km, i just did a little lap of town to bring me up to the 100km mark.

Feel wrecked now, could eat a horse(a big horse even)
101.75km in 4:04:33 - Well chuffed, but feel I may pay for it tomorrow.

ZiabR

Well done! I am deep in my training for the RoK this year also and i am hearing the weather is to pick up for the weekend!!! Plenty of time in the saddle ahead.

if you are almost at 100km you will handle the RoK no bother, with the breaks etc.

boredatwork82

logik wrote: »

Well done! I am deep in my training for the RoK this year also and i am hearing the weather is to pick up for the weekend!!! Plenty of time in the saddle ahead.

if you are almost at 100km you will handle the RoK no bother, with the breaks etc.

Thanks logik. I think i just need to try and sustain the training, and be careful i don't over do it either. I wasnt prepared for the 100km last night so it will probably take longer to recover.

i will aim to do a lap of lough ree on saturday and maybe another one on Monday and will be flying.
Thanks for looking in and commenting man. Much appreciated.

ZiabR

You could do the RoK in either 2x83km or 3x55km with a break of 30 minutes or longer inbetween each stint. You have already covered the distance. Don't kill yourself take time to recover from the 90+km run and then go again, but you should have no problem with the RoK.

boredatwork82

Did a lap of Lough Ree yesterday morning. got out on the road at 7.30 in the morning. It was glorious.

89 km in 3:34. pretty much non stop except for stopping at a shop to get some water.

Felt good after it, but my god does cycling make you hungry.

boredatwork82

did 80km last night in about 3 hrs 30 mins.

Really wasn't feeling the buzz - first 40km were against the wind (which seemed strong enough), but called into the parents house at halfway had 2 mr kipling French fancies, and back on my way again. Got a good pace going on the way home but unfortunately my new windows phone mapmyrun app, didn't seem to provide the same detail as my old Samsung android phone.

boredatwork82

So I went out on Saturday for a lap of the lake again. Its about 87km, I got a flat tyre at around 79km went to fix the puncture and realized I had a broken spoke - so that was the end of my cycle for the day.
Disgusted now. Dropped my bike in to be fixed, and was told I won't have it for the week.

It was tough going, strong wind, a few thunderstorms that brought with them some heavy rain in spots, but really warm.

No racer for the week, so I will try and keep busy with running and tag rugby.
Hopefully the break from the bike, will rejuvenate me a little bit next week when I get back on it.

boredatwork82

OK so my bike was out of action last week. Felt my energy levels really recover, but pulled a hamstring playing tag rugby so was unsure how it would go.

I did 30 km fairly hard the last 2 evenings. Felt great after them. I think I am going to cut down the long cycle to once a week, and at the weekends. I think I was doing too much during the week, and out for too long, and that just drained me and encouraged a bad diet. So I am going to keep my spins a little shorter, go a little harder and try eat healthier for the next few weeks. 2 weekends before the big day, so will do 2 big cycles and that will me done.

boredatwork82

So we are nearly there.
I have been trying to sort out my diet over the last 2 weeks. I found that I wasn't able to motivate myself to do too many long cycles on no carbs.
SO I did 2-3 40km cycles oer week the last few weeks. Towards the end of last week, I decided to start reintroducing a little bit of carbs, and felt decent, so on Saturday I went out for a cycle ajnd did 100km. Not sure of exact distance as my phone died in the middle of it. Felt great after it, glorious day!.

Then this morning I cycled into work 40km, and I will cycle home.
Then that will be my last cycle till the big day!
Really looking forward to it. I will be glad to do it, and to get it over and done with so I don't feel the pressure to do so much cycling. I will definitely keep it up, but I will start diversifying abit in my training. Cycling was/is starting to become a bit of a chore.

But it will all be worth it when I complete the Ring of Kerry.

ford2600

A week or two before your longest cycle ever isn't the time to be experimenting with no/low carb.

Just eat what you are used to and enjoy Saturday

boredatwork82

Ring of Kerry - Done
8 hours, and my god was the last 30km torture. but got through it.

nilhg

boredatwork82 wrote: »

Ring of Kerry - Done
8 hours, and my god was the last 30km torture. but got through it.

Fair play to you, well done.

Tourman

Well done. Hope you enjoyed it despite the hardship.

boredatwork82

I really enjoyed it. If only I had the nerve to not break as much going downhill!
Couldn't stay off the bike, got back up this morning for my 40km(each way) commute to work!

Far cry from 20 and 30km spins a few months ago!

Have to say that cyclists really a nice bunch of people, everyone is so helpful, from my local bike shop, who fitted me and gave me really good riding tips, and every cyclists I asked silly questions who gave me good answers and encouraged me.

Now to pick a tougher challenge for next summer (and probably ROK again )!

nilhg

boredatwork82 wrote: »

I really enjoyed it. If only I had the nerve to not break as much going downhill!
Couldn't stay off the bike, got back up this morning for my 40km(each way) commute to work!

Far cry from 20 and 30km spins a few months ago!

Have to say that cyclists really a nice bunch of people, everyone is so helpful, from my local bike shop, who fitted me and gave me really good riding tips, and every cyclists I asked silly questions who gave me good answers and encouraged me.

Now to pick a tougher challenge for next summer (and probably ROK again )!

Why wait till next summer, Rebel Tour 2014 FTW.

Dianeco

Well did you do it cause I'm in same situation this year bought hybrid when my head tells me a racer. But had severe fall off racer years ago ski off face. Stitches galore. Did you hybrids do the job