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I'm too young for a midlife crisis
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So...updates...
I enthusiastically got more serious about training in January but my one long bike at the start of the month remained just that. Got into March and I don't think I had been back outdoors on the bike...no big deal if doing long turbos, but I wasn't.
By mid February, I already figured the game was up with Austria. I hadn't the time at weekends to do what I needed to do on the bike and I spent much of February fighting the first chest infection / cough I'd had in 5 years. Cough stuck around for a few weeks, which, with my history meant a visit to the doc and hospital to make sure all was ok. Brother wasn't doing well end of Feb/March and stress levels rose to epic proportions, my evenings were taken up with sitting on the couch staring into space, I really had little interest in doing anything else. Getting some cycling done now over the last few week and loving it. Nothing major, I've maxed out at 75k but I've even been getting up a few hills.
Life has been so mad and stressful over the last year that I just want to train and enjoy it. Spending more time in the pool, ramping up my running and easy pace has returned to more normal levels...getting out on the bike...loving it. That's what it's all about!
As for Austria, I couldn't give it the time I wanted to. I signed up to get revenge on 2015. Things happened in life since, we can't predict that, we can try work around it, but sometimes that just doesn't happen the way you'd like it to, so you have to move the goalposts and work on the real important things in life.
I've a couple of days left to decide what to do with Austria entry, forget it, or put down another 40 euro and transfer to Dublin / Wales / Italy / another 70.3.
Could be turning Dublin into a €600 race entry...I'd want to win the bloody thing at that price :P0 -
Been off work since Good Friday, which was originally for bumper Austria training but has mainly been studying and getting much needed chill out time. Still, managed two sessions a day most days.
April been a much better month than Feb/March, have only taken one day off and managed the rest of it well I think.
Can't really remember all that much of the training as there hasn't really been major structure, really, as above, it's been train and enjoy it.
Friday 14th April
AM: Out on the bicycle, had dropped the car to the garage and cycle home from there. 57 min. GPS didn't kick off but was about 20-25k at a guess.
PM Was running back to collect the car, 10 mile run, was nearly 6 miles in when they called me to say it wasn't ready. Only one way home. Run. Crap. 11.77 mlies. First half downhill, second half uphill...
Saturday 15th April
AM
Collecting the car now, so over a longer way on the bike. Only about 35-40k ~90 mins
PM
80 min solo swim, can't remeber what I did. Most swims have been squeezed in before work or at lunch so I've mostly been topping out at about 2k and need to get that increased. So trying for 60-80 mins at the mo with 2k main sets and plenty of drills. Stroke has improved I think but the work on my arms nad rotation caused my hips to drop and my strong kick (which normally was what propelled me through the water) has probably weakened a bit. Concentrating on balance drills to try get the hips up in the water.
Sunday 16th April
AM
Went for a run with Pulse. Stayed with the gang about 25 mins but the pace was far too slow for me, so bid adieu and went off on my own. 66 mins and 7.x miles.
Monday 17th April
AM
46 min run. Easy. 5.4 miles
Tuesday 18th April
AM
80 min swim in the middle of an aqua fit class / mid term break. Not easy to hold the set (4x100, 2x200, 1x400, 2x200, 4x100)
PM
Hard turbo, 50 mins.
Followed by brick run, onto the estate hilly loop which is 600m round for a session of death. 25 mins
Wednesday 19th April
AM
80 min easy bike
PM
42 min very, very easy run
Thursday 20th April
Over with my folks, so longish run in the Phoenix park. 1hr 39 and around 11/12 miles
Friday 21st April
90 min swim session with Pulse. Pace probably a tad too slow from session set by blow in coach but was tired, so glad of the slightly slower pace and time to concentrate on stroke.
Saturday 22nd April
Tempo run in the Park. 51 mins. 7ish miles.
PM
Recovery swim. 50 min very easy.
Sunday 23rd April
AM
Long hilly bike. 3 hours. 75k ish. First time doing Sally Gap in about 2 years. Not as bad as I remembered.
4 mile brick/deathmarch off the bike.
PM
35 min easy swim to ease out the muscles.
Monday 24th April
AM
Tired legs. Very easy recovery run. 5.3 miles.
PM
Swim with Phoenix. Wrecked.
Tuesday 25th April
PM
57 min turbo + 5 x 1100m @7:30/mile brick off the bike.
Wednesday 26th April
AM
2 hour, easyish, hillyish bike
Thursday 27th April
AM
75 min swim - can't remember what I did
PM
Long, easy run. 11.x miles. 1hr 40.
Friday 28th April
AM
Swim. 20 x 100m. Finsihed just in time for the 'swim fit' class at the gym.
PM
50 min run around my normal lap. 5.3 milen.
Saturday 29th April
Didn't sleep well on Friday night, wrecked on Saturday morning. No training as such in the AM.
PM
Interval run. w/u > 4 x 1 mile > w/d. 7 miles.
Sunday 30th April
AM
Out on the bike early. 15km down to meet the gang then 100km with them + 12km home. 127km in total. Nice spin, despite the bad weather. Rubbed wheels with those in front of me twice
Very lucky to stay on the second time. Bike handling skills have obviously improved with time off the bike.
Followed by 2.5 miles on the estate hills after the spin. Was going to bin the brick run but glad I did it.
PM
Dinner. Pints. Couch. Sleep.
Great two weeks. Enjoyed every second of all that. Even the long bike today in the rain.
One last day off for some good recovery work tomorrow and then back to reality on Tuesday.
Think I need another holiday already...0 -
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Monday May 1st
AM
Bad, bad, bad nights sleep...awake at 5am. Out on the bike for an easy leg spinner. Legs felt fine in general after Sunday...until I tried to climb some not very big hills on my favourite lap of trying to keep it flat in Wickla'. Just spinning out the legs with this...and probably close to the slowest I've ever done this lap. 26k / 65 mins.
PM
Last day off work after nearly 3 weeks off...first day of good weather...and I needed to stay home to get an assignment worked on. Out for a run Monday evening in the scorching heat. Normally I avoid running the sun, not so lately.
5.6 miles / 46:41
Tuesday May 2nd
AM
The dreaded day has come...early alarm and into the pool for 6am(ish). I'm finding swimming hard...I'm slower than I used to be, yet I'm led to believe my stroke is better. Goes to show how much I propelled myself with my kick. Popped to a Pulse swim session last week and the blow in coach for the evening told me I wasn't kicking. Used to get told to lay off the kicking. Can't win.
Anyway, this was 400m fc > 200m kick > 100m side kick > 300m various drills > 12 (I think) x 100m > very short swim down. If I get into the pool for 6 I have until about 7:30 before I need to get out as I'm close to work so can still make it to office for 8. But I like to sit in the car reading my book and drinking tea for a while in the morning and that can lure me out of the pool.
PM
Run
15 min w/u > 10x500m > 10 min w/d
Wednesday May 3rd
AM
6am ish pool time again. Recover set. Can't remember what this entailed as it's all run together on my watch. Slow and easy anyway.
Lunch
Easy lunchtime run. 4 miles @ 8:44/mile
PM
Striaght out on the bike when I came in from work. Programmed a new 30k route into the bike computer, hitting some of the Wickla' hills...ended up missing a turn and taking a longer route into Enniskerry and home (but missed the hill to Glencree then). 39k total...I think
Thursday May 4th
Lunch
Wanted to get decent run in after work, so dropped the car home and easy run back to office.
2.6 miles @9:11/mile
PM
Straight out the door at 5pm. There's a lap in Dundrum/Sandyford that I had started doing back when I wasn't stressed and Austria was still on the cards which makes a great hard hilly tempo run lap. 2.5 miles around...steep ohmygodI'mdying uphill and a long gentle downhill. So the run today was 15 min w/u > 2.5 times round the lap (3 times up the hill) and then home..about 10 - 15 min warm down.
The first time up the hill hurt like a bastard...then you get flat...then you get a downhill that you don't even realise is a downhill, then you get a nice proper downhill....then you turn and OMFGTHISHURTS
Sunshinine. Warm. Tired. Loving it.
Pace kept consistent over the three laps. Job done. Good to have this first one done again to have something to work off and judge improvements with. Didn't have my HRM though but no big deal...blasted thing is too big for me anyway so not sure it's reading HR correctly.
9.4 miles @ 8:08 / mile
Friday May 5th
AM
Easy day.
6am in the pool. Can't remember.
PM
Easy run. 3.4 miles and 9:16 / mile
Saturday May 6th
AM
Landlord just told us on Thursday that he's decided to stop renting out the rooms...so Saturday had lined up a few viewings. Had me on edge about getting out for too long. Was awake early but bit down in the dumps about having to move. So motivation a bit low. Finally dragged myself out for a run at about 10:30 - 5.8 miles @ 8:27 / mile
PM
Feeling a bit less miserable Into the pool 6x(4 x 50m). Last time I did this at a cocahed swim I was hitting 50-52 seconds. At the back of the lane, chasing (few weeks before that I was hitting 47-49 seconds but was training less so think the lack of fatigue helped that day). Any time I've tried 50's on my own over the last few months, they've been dreadful. Killing myself to hit 55 seconds. Today, nicely hitting 50-52 (54 a couple of times after someone decided to join me in the lane)
It hurt, last couple I must've started windmilling like hell as shoulder started hurting, that old injury only kicks in when my technique goes to sh*t. It's a good marker though, I know when shoulder hurts that I need to start concentrating more.
Sunday May 7th
AM
Out on the bike at 7am. Plan to hit 120-130 again. Missed a turn in Maynooth and ended up heading towards Dunboyne so had to make it up from there and try to find extra kms all over the place. Got back to the top of the embankment via Saggart and realised I would be only 110km by the time I got home. Went home anyway. 110km at around 27km/h average. Really enjoying time on the bike right now.
PM
Rounding off the three weeks with an easy run. 4.8 miles @ 9:11 / mile
Can't remember the last time I enjoyed training this much - probably in the run up to Rotterdam marathon 2016, pre injury. Didn't realise how stressed out I'd gotten until it all went away. Long may this continue.
Recovery week next week - perfect timing as I'm on call with work so need to be close to home and have a few nights out planned anyway so no stressing about getting training done.0 -
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tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »YOU STILL HAVE A BLOG!!! OMFG
You still have a boards account?! :eek:
Don't expect many updates, I went to update it yesterday and realised I wasn't arsed. 0 -
Typed out a log of my easy week a couple of weeks back and then wasn't assed posting it.
Here goes again :pac:
Monday May 8th
Lunch
Easy 30 min, recovery run
PM
Coached swim with Tango. 20x 100m
Tuesday May 9th
PM
Was meant to be 10x300m run intervals. Didn't happen. Far too tired. Slog of a run done instead.
Wednesday May 10th
Lunch
Swim
PM
Run of some sort. 37 mins.
Didn't have much time for this as had a work thing which ended up not happening. Would have got my intervals in now if I'd known this.
Thursday May 11th
PM
Bike round my usual handy 1 hour ish lap - 56 mins/26km ish
Run off bike 35 mins (I got new shoes had to test them out)
Was out late for this as had a work thing
Friday May 12th
AM
40 min pre work swim.
Lunch
Dropped car home and ran back to office as had beers after work
Saturday May 13th
Met a friend for a handy and boring spin along the N11. He wanted flat. I was hungover. Everyone happy.
Sunday May 14th
I was double hungover. I'm far too old now for drinking 4 nights in one week :P 10 mile horrible horrible run. Dehydrated. Slow. Warm morning. Slow. Bleh.
10 hours 30 in all for the easy week. Just happened to fall on a week where I was super busy so was fairly handy to not have to overly worry about training.
Monday May 15th
Lunch
38 min easy run to blow off the cobwebs
PM
Swim with Tango - 4 x 100m > 2 x 200m > 1 x 400m > 2 x 200m > 4 x 100m
200's were hell. Everything else meh.
Tuesday May 16th
Lunch
30 mins swim over lunch. Can't remember what I did...
PM
Run. 8 x 1k. Solid enough on a warm evening. Starting to embrace this running in the sunshine thing.
Wednesday May 17th
Lunch
Swim again. See Tuesday.
PM
54 min low HR run.
Thursday May 18th
AM
1 hour swim. Think I did 20x100m.
PM
Weather was crappy so opted for turbo over getting out on the bike. No harm really as hadn't been on turbo in ages and weather was too bad for me to risk hitting the hills with my chicken sh*t descents.
Followed the turbo with a brick run 30 mins.
Friday May 19th
PM
Long run. 12 miles. First time getting over 12 miles in ages despite many, many attempts. Good, solid run. Very happy with this for so many reasons.
Saturday May 20th
AM
Early morning spin in the hills. 80km was the most I could do as was picking up keys to new apartment so pressed for time. Good spin - happy with my efforts on the hills right now. They're not as awful as I remember but my damn lungs are the main reason why this is so much more enjoyable now. Being able to breathe and being able to get oxygen to your legs is always a bonus.
PM
Run from the folks house to ease out the legs. Have a couple of nice little laps from around Drumcondra/Santry etc which is always a nice change.
Sunday May 21st
AM
Up early and out on the bike again with Tunney and Tango. Feeling a bit shattered. Was hoping to get 120k done but was moving day and was meant to be out of old place by 11:59 pm and new place was filthy. I'm very OCD so needed to get in and get cleaning. Cut this off at 80k but did manage to throw in a quick brick run off the bike. Happy with my paces off the bike at the moment even if this was only off an 80k bike running 8:30/8:40 miles off the bike which is far better than I would ever have managed previously.
Monday May 22nd
PM
Had to take a half day in work to try and get the move finished. Ended up staying in old place again AND missed my coached swim
but got a 40 min run in to clear the head and destress. Had an assignment to finish off for Thursday and an exam on Thursday but they were the least of my concerns - cleaning home more important :P
Tuesday May 23rd
AM
Swim. Had hoped to do the set I missed on Monday night but the pool was busyish. Actual fast lads in the fast lane so I had to hop into the 'medium' lane with some eejit who was swimming up the middle of the lane.
Lanes 1, 3 and 5 are swim up the right. Lanes 2 and 6 are swim up the left. They even have signs at each end of the pool to illustrate this. Of course, we all know why each lane switches sides...but after swimming in the lane with me for about 10 minutes...I crash halfway up the pool. Grandad idiot was swimming up the right. He stops and asks me which side is the right hand side...I told him you swim up the left in this lane and pointed to the signs at each end of the pool...had to explain how lanes work. Was just finishing a warm up at this stage and realised trying to do a set of 50's would be fruitless.
After about 35 minutes of agony and stopping at the wall with a big **** sake as the second person who got in who was also painfully slow pushed off just as I reached it...the lads in the fast lane called me into swim with them as they'd been watching me get more and more pissed off. :pac:
THiS IS WHY I DON'T SWIM TUESDAY MORNINGS!
PM
Run. 10 x 500m.
Finally finished moving. Hello clean apartment. Hello life with no housemates. Bliss.
Wednesday May 24th
Off on study leave. Hurrah, no need to get up at 5:30 for a swim.
Oh...you fool RacoonQueen...you fool.
Got to the pool about 10:30 - didn't check the timetable as I knew aqua aerobics was on on Tuesday and Thursday and didn't think it'd be on Wednesday at the same time.
10:00 am, however, is swim fit class...which is basically just a coached swim session. Fine like, but they use the two medium and the fast lane...so only the two slow lanes available for other members. One slow lane jammed. The other one is the 'walking' lane. If I'd known this was on at 10 I'd probably have joined them.
****it I thought, 30 mins of warm up and drills in here and I'll move lanes and get a session in. You'd think. YOU WOULD THINK WOULDN'T YOU.
So swimfit ended and I moved into the middle lane and started getting ready for a session. Then the dude starts laying out the aqua aerobics kit on the pool deck. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.
Aqua aerobics, also uses 3 lanes. F*cking great. So much for these been off peak hours.
Squeezed into the other medium lane but could really do feck all such were the numbers in there. Another failed swim session. But some swimming is better than no swimming...right?
PM
90 min hilly bike followed by short brick run
Thursday May 25th
AM
Exam day and up till late doing final assignment which I only started at 11pm
Tired but got to the pool and finally got that set of 50's done. 6 x (4 x 50m) Last two sets were woeful and dropped pace by about 3 or 4 seconds per 50 but had been a tiring week with moving, studying, cramming etc so no being hard on myself for that.
PM
Exam was over in Marino, so went to my folks after and then headed out to do some miles with the Donore girls. Couldn't tell you the last time I ran with them so was happy to get some miles in with them. Jaded so this was just 6 miles easy.
Friday May 26th
Lunch
Pool time. 30 mins over lunch to hit this so just some recovery work for 1500m or so.
PM
Long run. Too warm. 13 miles.
Saturday May 27th
AM
Alarm went off at 5:30 to go out on bike. All I could hear outside was rain trashing down. Got up. Looked out window. Disabled my 10 alarms. Went back to bed. Woke up at 9am. Went for recovery run instead.
Never sleep till 9, so probably needed it.
All I did on Saturday as had other stuff to work on and was really not arsed hopping on the turbo. Thought I was entering dangerous territory and losing motivation but been a mad busy week with moving, cleaning, shopping for all the things I needed for new place, studying, examing - really enjoyed just relaxing on Saturday evening instead of freaking out about getting training done....
Sunday May 28th
AM
Woke up not feeling the love for getting out on the bike. Was going to be a solo ride today and hoped to get out at 6 as I'd so much other crap to do...but really needed an extra few minutes in bed. Got up an hour late, had quick breakfast and out on the bike for 7.
Spin out just past Baltinglass and back home again for 122km - was trying to figure out on my way out if the wind was against me or behind me to prepare me for the ride home. Was hard to tell. I found out as soon as I turned around and headed towards home that I was not going to be cycling into a headwind for 60km. Hurrah.
Took a while for the love to kick in and had to talk myself out of the "sure 100k will be grand, you've a busy day today so it's ok to bin a few k" thoughts going round in my head. This was fine really...spent most of the way home keeping myself as aero as I could but I'm still on road bike...could really have used the TT today!
Out for 4 mile brick afterwards. 8:30ish per mile.
One more big week and then winding back down again...badly timed that easy week falls on bank holiday week with an extra free day to train but I also have an exam that week that I really need to start studying for but I'll likely start on the bank holiday monday. Hope it rains a lot that day. 0 -
Monday
AM
4.3 miles easy before work. Long time since I've been up that early for a run. Nice though.
PM
Coached swim. 25 x 100m. (well 24 was awarded a rest half way through because I'm special and the boys are all faster than me )
Tuesday
Lunch
Easy 30 min swim
PM
Run. 6 x 1 mile.
Ages since I've done a 6 x 1mile session. I love this session. Started too slow but I always do on sessions with a 7:23 first mile. Down to 7:05 ish after than. HR could do with being about 10bpm higher per rep - space there for working harder anyway. Lots to relearn about how hard to train while still keeping the balance right.
Wednesday
AM
Swim. Pyramid 4x100, 2x200, 1x400, 2x200, 4x100.
Coming in comfortably enough 1:50ish for most which is huge progress for 6am swimming...
Lunch
Out on the bike, planning a few hills and to climb sally gap...got stopped on my way up from Glencree as road was closed and had to turn round. Going down into roundwood back up and around would have taken more time than I had so headed back down into Enniskerry and up to Glencullen and home from there. Lost a few k's from my planned spin but got in a decent bit of climbing over the 50k.
PM
30 min leg turner...easy...low hr run 3.2 something miles
Had been considering going over to do the pulse aquathon so packed up the car last night and decided I'd see if I could get out of work on time.
Took over an hour to get from Sandyford to my folks house in Phibsborough where I made a quick change into my tri suit and hit the road again out to bull wall. Got there on time for on the night reg...damn have to do it now.
Haven't been in ow yet this year so first foray into the murky depths. I forgot to bring decent goggles but clocked 12:54 for the swim including run to transition though I reckon that was short :P
I had one of the longest transitions of the night as I severly struggled to get out of my wetsuit
I also had no runners with lock laces such is how long it is since I did a triathlon...so had no option but to just run in shoes with normal laces. I knew when I picked my runners for the race that this was a stupid pair to pick as I always have to retie the laces a few times when running...they didn't let me down. Had to stop 4 times to retie them. :rolleyes:
Probably making it the slowest 5k I've ever done with just under 25 mins...but I'll take 2 mins off that for lace tying
Anyway...not exactly going to be a race with 4 hours training yesterday but nice to be out there for a blowout of sorts. Likely could have worked harder and finished better but I just need to suck it up and get out and do something resembling a race...laces where a pain in the face, did go out at lunch to try and get laces but irish fit shop seems to have disappeared from Sandyford.0 -
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Couldn't sleep Thursday night, presumable after the ow swim. Not a fan of evening ow swimming as I always struggle to sleep after it. Meant getting up for a swim at 5:30 on Friday morning after finally getting to sleep at about 3:30 was out of the question.
Friday
PM
Tired all day and considered binning the long run or just getting out and going easy. Feel the same every Friday and have pulled out decent long runs regardless. Was a little late starting and pushed for time so cut this a little short but ran in circles around the estate a bit to make up milage when I got home.
12.5 miles @ 8:23
Saturday
AM
Woke up and DID NOT WANT TO GO OUT ON BIKE. Road bike needs a service, badly...all stuff I could learn to do myself I'm sure it's pretty easy but I'd rather let a professional do it...and TT has been out on the roads once since IM Austria 2 years ago. Woke a little late anyway, so headed to the park for a recovery run and hoped to fit a run out on the TT later in the day to make sure it still worked :P
TT spin didn't happen as didn't get home till late. Wasn't feeling the love on Saturday.
Sunday
AM
Woke up and DID NOT WANT TO GO OUT ON BIKE. Déjà vu.
Anyway, I went out 2 hours and 15 minutes later than normal and quickly remembered why I normally hit the road at 7. Idiot mobiles everywhere. Spent the majority of the first half an hour thinking "If I'd gone out at 7, I'd have been on my way back by now". My legs were dead. My breathing was laboured. HR was normal enough. Couldn't figure out what was wrong. Bit of a headwind, but that couldn't have been it.
Couple of mechanicals on the bike on the way out to Blessington, laboured breathing and a head that was in the clouds and unfocused. I turned around and headed home (+ one more chain drop). Only 60km done, less than half required bike for the day.
Realised about 30 mins after getting home that I had a chest infection...didn't click with me earlier in the weekend. All made sense now.
PM
Out for a run, mostly to try clear the head. Bit stressed out at the mo which is probably another/the main reason for the tiny lull in motivation.
5 miles @ 8:40
Not the best week of training, a couple of bad nights sleep didn't help - next to impossible to get up at 5:30 when you don't get asleep till 3/3:30. And probably not all sensible when you've just had a hard training day anyway.
This is meant to be easy week and exam on Friday that I really should start studying for at some point.0 -
Easy week turned into more of a running week. Pretty much just short easy runs as I hadn't much time/energy/interest for anything else.
Monday June 5th
AM
Spin out on the TT to see if it still works outdoors after spending the best part of the last two years living on the turbo. Legs feeling dead on the bike. Slight chest infection still running through me which I'm blaming for this.
PM
Swim. 5 x 400m alternating with pb / paddles
Tuesday June 6th
AM
30 min swim. To wake me up.
PM
47 min run easy. Was a session of 300s planned, but tired and stressed. Just wanted to run. 5.2 miles 8:52/mile
Wednesday June 7th
AM
Nothing. Didn't sleep.
PM
Short nap after work and out for a run. 38 mins. 4.3 miles 8:48/mile
Thursday June 8th
AM
Nothing. Was off work on study leave and had some sleep to catch up on and chest infection still niggling away at me so with that and exam stress and other stress just feeling drained all week. Got up early enough to get study done. Didn't study.
Road bike also needed a service and there's a telling crack on the top tube that appeared a couple of weeks ago that I've been telling myself is just the paintwork...so I brought it to Bee Cycles asked him to look at it, he suggested bringing it back to base2race.
Anyway, still waiting to hear back from them on whether it is a crack / if it can be repaired. Not a happy bunny. Frame is 4 years old but bike is in immaculate condition otherwise. So much so, people always ask me if it's new. No question, cannot afford a new bike right now if it is done for.
PM
Did feck all study all day. Went for a run to try feel better about bike/life/impending failure 4.7 miles 8:24/mile
Friday June 9th
PM
Exam day. Went to bed late, got up early, failed exam, went home, slept...dragged myself out for a run after 7 to run off the blues.
4.1 miles 8:40/mile
Saturday June 10th
AM
Hoped to get out on the bike early and get my long bike for the weekend done but a week of little sleep, stress and lingering chest issue meant I woke up feeling tired and heavy. I dozed in bed for an extra hour or so then got up and headed out on TT for what I knew would be a short bike. Legs that are feeling fine on the run are feeling awful on the bike. Everything feels tired. Breathing laboured. Coughing. Did my local short lap that is my after work lap and headed home. Measly 25km.
PM
4.3 miles 8:44/mile
Legs feel fine running...
Sunday June 11th
AM
Long run. Remarkably easy on rested legs. 12 miles 8:03/mile
Poor week even for a recovery week, but so much more going on. Training was the last thing on a long list of important stuff I needed to be doing.
Back to the grindstone this week. As much as possible anyway. Have a wedding on Saturday and have signed up for the Olympic in Blessington on Sunday. So might take a half day from work on Wednesday or Thursday and get a long bike done as haven't done one for two weeks now and will miss again this weekend unless I get out at 5am Saturday
The race is just for fun and I'm staying out that way after the wedding anyway so will be in the area. IM Austria in 2015 was my last triathlon so should be fun to get back out there doing something again.
15 weeks....0 -
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They rang me on Monday to say they'd had a good look at it and don't think it needs repair, however they've contacted Argon anyway to see if they can do anything. It's a 2012 frame that I bought April 2013 - Argon do do a 5 year warranty but that's for people who registered the bike on their website (I obvs didn't know this )
Not sure how confident I am but I have been out on it a couple of times since I first noticed the crack (was trying to pretend it wasn't real ) but have had two bike shops look at it and neither of them seemed concerned...
May as well throw in the training...
Monday
AM
Easy run. Very happy to see Marlay park open when I got down..can be hit and miss whether the gates will be open by the time I'm passing if out early.
4.4 miles @ 8:34 Avg 133 bpm
PM
Coached swim w/Phoenix
Tuesday
Lunch
Swim. 1700m steady.
PM
3 x 1.5 mile. 10:19, 10:13, 10:05
Wednesday
AM
Back to the pool for a session. Awful swim. Been a crappy few weeks with my big bro and I'm not sleeping well. My techniques was woeful - falling apart. One of my morning swim buddies stopped me before he got out to point this out to me :pac: Must have been bad. Same comment as I've heard many, many, many times over the years. Nice to know my swim is consistently awful anyway.
Lunch
Took the half-day from work today and hit the road on the TT for long spin. Headed to Baltinglass and back...probably not wise to hop on the TT for only the third time in 2 years (turbo excluded) and go for a 4+ hour spin...hips were already not happy by the time I hit 50k...stopped for a fuel break on about 70k and the pain when I got back on the bike was close to unbearable.
Worth trying different saddles I think. Have never been happy with the Adamo. The rest of the 50K home was pain fuelled...back a bit later than I hoped as I wanted to do another 20k but traffic was building at this stage and doing the next 20k on narrow, rush hour filled roads was probably going to be fairly fruitless anyway. Plus, the pain.
Did actually feel much fresher otherwise arriving home than I did a couple of weeks ago on same spin. I didn't nearly fall off due to going so slow on the hills coming back home and even managed a strava PR on the M50 bridge of death :pac:
Don't think hip is injured as just a little stiff now...just need to either not go from 1 hour on the TT to 4 + hours in TT position in one go...and maybe try different saddle/have a look at fit.
Anyway 120k @ 29kph
Have not planned this week well as race on Sunday was just thrown in on a whim...will likely train as normal tomorrow and Friday and maybe go crazy and take Saturday off with being at a wedding but I've not taken a day off since April 8th (or felt the need for one) so the OCD in me doesn't want to break it...0 -
Went to bed early on Wednesday night to try and catch up on some zzz's...I usually get about 5 hours a night, so, sure enough at 3:30am my body clock shot into action with "Hey, RQ...it's been 5 hours lets get up and go swimming" :mad:
Struggled to get back to sleep and when it WAS time to get up and go swimming I was so shattered...and body still a little sore from the bike on Wednesday, I didn't get up. By the time lunch time hit, I was shattered from being up so long...by the time I got home...I had a snooze on the couch. Needed to pick up road bike from Base2Race so had no time for anything decent at that stage if I was to get the bike.
Rest day.
Friday June 16th
Well, rest days are like buses and I was very tempted to take another Alas, I got out for my long run on Friday evening. With racing on Sunday in mind and wanting some sort of rest for it I kept it a bit short.
13 miles @ 8:40 / mile
Saturday June 17th
Stayed in bed till 10am. Got up. Got ready for wedding.
Rest day 2
Mostly stayed in bed in the hope that I'd manage to stay the distance at the wedding. That was a fail. Think it made me more tired.
Sunday June 18th
Blessington Triathlon
My last triathlon was IM Austria nearly two years ago. My aero helmet still had the IM stickers on it...had to peel them off before packing up the car on Saturday!
Had stayed in Tulfharris for the wedding and I vastly overestimated how long it would take me to get to the race from there, so I skipped breakfast in the hotel and figured I'd pick something up on the way to the race...but I arrived at the sailing club before I arrived at any petrol station. D'oh!
Got to the sailing club at 8:30 and registration was quick and painless...parking was efficient too, so, great start.
Got racked and ready, mingled...and got the kind offer of granola bars for my breakfast from one of the guys. Yay. Food. Not my usual pre-race breakfast but wine, beer and shots are my usual day before cuisine either so....
We hit the water pretty much bang on time, for what sounded like a very complicated swim course. Really had no idea where I was going but didn't think that was too much of a big deal, sure it's not like I'd be at the front.
I started close enough to the front as the field was small. Shortly after starting started getting passed by those idiots that go out far too fast and then just get in the way 50 metres later...so, yeah great lads. Got to buoy one, kept tight to the buoy (everyone else for some reason way off to the right) We had a long straight after that and sighting was easy...I was at the front of our group at this stage so had a few pink hats way up ahead to keep an eye on...reeled a couple of bodies in but after that there seemed to be just two of us. Other person took the turning buoy before me then stops dead. Really? Really? I told him/her it was round to the left and off they went again...I had only a vague idea of where we were to go from here but there were still hats up ahead, so all I could really do was follow them...started feeling like I was in the water a long time...and started thinking maybe we'd gone off course a bit. Then the guy beside me cut across me and could see some other people from behind us cutting a different arc so cut across too. Don't think it was any shorter as caught them and overtook quickly. Finish of the swim in sight now and I tried to put the boot down to finish the swim fast.
Out of the water, glance at the watch...see 33 mins on the clock and nearly die.
Swim: 33:17
Got back to the bike rack and see the girl beside me still there, so figured my swim couldn't have been that bad. At this stage, I didn't clock how many bikes were still on the rack...as I got out of the wetsuit two of the lads were running in behind me and one commented on the long swim. I looked to my left and noticed that there was a huge amount of bikes still on the rack. Phew.
Took me a lifetime to get out of my wetsuit..could prob do with practising this...
T1: 2:02
Onto the bike and up the hill...around a couple of cyclists and down on the bars and then just pedal. Spent much of lap one with no one around. Overtaken by a few men with fancy noisy wheels but I noticed no women had overtaken me and I hadn't overtaken any. We'd passed Jen Duffy at the side of the road shortly after leaving transition...so started to think I might be able to place here.
As I got to the end of lap one, I still hadn't seen any other women, but now
we were hitting the sprints coming out of transition and they were all over the road...balls.
At one stage a car overtook me but with the traffic coming in the other direction he couldn't overtake the cyclists up ahead. Leaving three olympic athletes behind the car and slower cyclists. Rulez say we can't draft off the cars...and we couldn't overtake it...so like WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO.
I sat back, took the chance to get some fluids in, while the two lads sat behind the car. After what was probably not a very long time but felt like a long time the car overtook and we got space to move.
Out onto the N81 and soon had the same issue with a van. The downsides to racing on open roads I guess..again take the chance to get fluids in etc...nothing else you can do.
Was impossible to tell who was from what race, but still hadn't been overtaken by any women on lap 2 but had overtaken a few myself...hmmmm
Back in towards the end of the bike...and into transition.
Bike 42.3k in 84 mins 30.6km/h Few biting hills on that route and some dodgy lumpy roads that forced me out of the tri bars...but happy to do that on tired legs.
It's been so long since I did a triathlon...I forgot to get out of my shoes before getting off the bike. Didn't clock it until I was struggling to run in cleats with the bike
T2: 52 seconds
And onto the run...up the same hill as the bike to get out of transition and OMFG this is so HARD...this run is going to be MISERABLE. Suffered for the first k or so. Legs were feeling heavy and tired...knew I was slogging. Took a couple of k to get into the run, just as we entered lap 2 of the run, I over took another woman and used that as motivation to hold on/try to kick on.
Disappointed with my run pace...by the time I got to the 7km mark, I knew it was mostly downhill from there and felt I was clear of the girl behind me so just held on. Overtook a few guys during the run and have rarely been so relieved to see a run come to an end. Back down the end and nailing a nice finishing 'sprint'
2:51 on the clock as I crossed the line.
Run: 51:18 - 8:07/mile
Good to have the blowout and get back doing a bit of racing...my run was awful but I'll blame the heat for that. Really enjoyed that...sunburnt to hell now though and a prize to boot for finished second in the female 17-39 AG...bit morto getting a prize for a 2:51 though. 0 -
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Bling! congrats, I've no idea what those times mean (was 33 mins for the swim good or bad?) and what are you doing with Aero's helmet sorry, there's probably no messin allowed in here... Am genuinely interested in the times though, for research purposes! 0
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Kurt.Godel wrote: »Well done kiddo, shiny silver podium on your Triathlon return! Treat it like an Olympic medal for the rest of the week, wear it to work, photobomb tourists flashing your bling; is there a podium pic?
Sounds like the racing hunger and mojo is back, hope you get to a lot of races this summer and soon enough it will be gold:cool:
No podium pic...but I do have an envelope with a big 2 on it, was saying to the lads tonight, in the absence of a plaque I'll just pin that envelope up on my wall.
Annie get your Run wrote: »Bling! congrats, I've no idea what those times mean (was 33 mins for the swim good or bad?) and what are you doing with Aero's helmet sorry, there's probably no messin allowed in here... Am genuinely interested in the times though, for research purposes!
33mins was brutal. Swim was about 200 metres long though but still a poor time for 1700m should probably have managed a couple of minutes faster than that...my watch actually clocked it as 2k (evidently polar don't measure open water very well) but everyone else seems to have clocked about 1700m. Would expect 27:xx or so for an olympic swim really. So, not my best swim ever.0 -
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Monday June 19th
Came away from Blessington, happy that I didn't race too hard and would have a full week of training ahead.
Regardless, on Monday I treated myself to a lie in and skipped the morning run. Had coached swim on Monday evening so running earlier in the day is never a big deal, it's usually just a leg loosener anyway.
Coached swim on Monday evening 4 x 100, 2x 200, 1x400, 2x200, 4x100. Fairly surprised with how not wrecked I felt in the pool.
Tuesday June 20th
Lunch
Easy swim to get me out of the office / stretch out the muscles. Did not feel as easy as it normally would. Checked pace when I got out and was averaging 2mins...usually would be hitting average of 1:50 on this swim so figured I was tired after poor nights sleep/race/wedding....
PM
Run session was planned so hit the road after work. Running felt awful. Breathing laboured...."maybe I'll switch this round to an easy run and do session tomorrow"
Changed route to a 4.5-5 mile route and decided to just keep it easy. HRM was on the blink so couldn't keep an eye on HR....
"Christ this is not fun. Perhaps I raced harder than I thought I did..."
"How am I not home yet, I've been out forever"
"Oh holy christ did someone increase the incline on this bloody hill"
"I'VE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY TO BE HOME"
Run pace...9:30 / mile
Balls. I'm sick.
Sure enough woke up Wednesday morning with a full blown chest infection.
That's the rest of the week off so.
Took Wednesday off...tried a 2 mile run on Thursday and nearly died. 9:30's again...took Friday off...easy 3 mile run on Saturday at 8:45/mile suggested I was getting there....and back out for 4.5 miles last night at 8:35 to say yay you're better.
Mostly just spent the last week sleeping....no swimming, no cycling...but there was absolutely nothing to gain from even trying it so it was bed and the couch for me for the week.
Actually worked out well as I'd been meaning to work in how I'm going to tackle the last 13 weeks, a week 'off' last week now leaves me with 2 x 4 weeks (3 hard, 1 easy) > 3 hard > 1 taperish > 1 taper
Plenty of time last week though to think "OMFG 13 weeks...I'll never be IM ready in 13 weeks"
and while comfort eating
"OMFG I need to lose like 5 stone before I can race"
Austria is on next weekend...that decision was a well made one 0 -
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Easy week came and went in a breeze. Absolutely shattered this week and only got to the pool twice...I still set my alarm for the mornings as the morning swims still need to be done, easy week or not, but nothing was stirring me. Gotta take the rest if thats what your body is craving though
Little biking...plenty of easy running. Finishing up late in work on Wednesday meant I missed my bike ride...but I'd been shattered all day anyway and only just made it out for an easy run. By the time Friday arrived, was itching to get back training agai.
Poor nights sleep on friday but hills on the bike Saturday...by hills I mean up by Masseys and onwards to Glencree and Sally Gap...then it's all downhill from there ill I've to climb back towards home 60km in total
Long spin planned for Sunday...the guys were doing same route as last week which would get me 150-160...was testing my willpower whether I would turn back early...but didn't get that chance as two of them came down on a bend and the other went back in the taxi with them. So I turned for home at that stage. Bad nights sleep on Friday and Saturday had me feeling fairly tired and I figured I could put more distance on into Wicklow when I got home. That didn't happen.
65k for today but 12 hours for the week will do for recovery week I guess...very unstrucutred...and probably way too much running...but hey, the girl just loves to run.0 -
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Ah dude - good to see you hiding out over here. I knew there was something about that log of yours I liked
Great to see you getting some tri's done...I must try get down to Wex and join you for a spin some weekend. You'll have to give me the planned date of next years Ben5k so I don't plan IM's for the same weekend again!0 -
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