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project 40/41
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Good last week
Had to pick up the tandem which was in Scotland. ( things are so much more complicated without it so glad it's back.weather was quite OK for January and it was a nice camping trip.
Funnily herself said she wanted to do a few turbo sessions before and it made a good difference .never thought she would ever go on a turbo.
I have no idea but did at least 90 k running last week
body wanted an easier week with little fast stuff and muscles have recovered.
Swim was alright first 5 k session this year and approx 1.02 for 3.8 k
Weight keeps comming down slowly. haven't been on scales since last June and have no plan to do so. But Skin folds and cloth say it's on the right way.0 -
solid week
nothing special on the swiming front apart from a funny encoutenr with agressive single child. after aobut 30 min swimming guy stops me and claims i took his pull buoy. which happend to be the same colour than his. long story short i allowed my self to be dragged down to 3 year old leveles . I think at some stage he did undestand that he was wrong but by then i had already somehow regaind composire and swam.its kind of a sad incident , but i was quite angry at myself, as after 30 sec of that nonsens i should have just gone back to swim .
solid 26k run saturday including a park run where all flat k were run sub 3.30 pace. this was one of the easiest park run i did , so no complaints here.
85 k running this week 6 k sub 3.20 and 12k sub 3.30 pace
4 week stats roughly 47 swim 1200 bike 310 run
as usual i dont have a gps etc so its quite meaning less , especially for the swim. the run should be fairly accurate and the bike could be 1100 to 1300 but i guess most likely 1200-1230
what is more relevant is that i have hit the training quite well this month bike and run are moving in the right direction and i enjoy the swimming more ( still far from proper training but my steady state is solid. ( there was 1 turbo and 1 run where i pushed a bit to hard and espcially that turbo session i did pay for a couple of days and the run session left me a bit too stiff afterwards but otherwise all quite solid .
i enjoy the faster running more and slowly pushing a bit more but still mindful to hold back and go easier when body wants.
calves are good again left glutes and abductors are a bit tight and require attention to not get worse. and i have to be a bit careful for thursday sessions ( i feel at the moment its a beneficial session for me but this is also the most risky one - i hope to do them feb and then reduce them to twice a month ) .
the following week will be a bit easier after this bike weekend .
weightloss i think was solid last 4 weeks no complains here since mid december. still a tiny bit behind scedule but on track to catch up by mid feb.0 -
another 2 weeks this time was a few more up and downs . which is fine
usual tue to wed training last week and thursday in right harmsting a few fibers pull against a tendom and fast running got a bit anoying its not a big deal.
evening flight to portugal. did not sleep well thursday night and friday was not quite the day i wanted but still 120 k bike 6 k run weather was a bit annoying with serious wind and rain ( but not to bad either and by night time as predicted the rain was over . had a great fresh fish supper under an amazing pine tree and after aobut 5 pages reading my book about persia i was gone. ( 2 two glasses of wine might have had something to do with it as well)
sat am 75 min run in rio fromosa natural park one of the best places to run at the algarve.
130 mostly up and down the hinterland with some great vistas.
another nice fish and loads of vegatbles.
sunday 2 hour am run around monte gordo and san antonio thats another great aera for for running.
2.5 hours cycling with my friend tom who happend to be there for work one of my favorite people to talk triathlon with. and it was great not to have to think aobut where i was going as he knows this area better than prety much anybody. after lunch back to faro criss crossing the smaller roads of the cost and a 55 min run.
monday 4.5 hour bike and home . cycled till 12.30 and was on the plane at 13.50 so i guess i made the most of my time.
all over 535 or so k on bike 360 or so with luggage 175 without and aobut 52 k running
apart from first day which was not the best all the rest worked well and left leg felt better monday than it was last week.
tue swim and run i started in the slower group to run a bit easier. we did 4x2 k and i felt i had hit the session well ( in hindsight i wont do that again . at best this session could do little good and the risk was way too high that it is a negative session ( which at the end it was )
wed turbo first time on tt bike this year and easeir sesion to get used to it ) pm swim
thursday swim short short intervals not a great session
friday 10 k run steady turbo swim
sat 16 k run swim
sunday 25k to race athy duathlon 3.45 cycle hom 45 min easy turbo
overall the best swim week of the this trainings year with approx 18 - 19 k
solid bike week
and not so great run week did not feel great friday saturday flying alwyas a bit of an risk and very clearly tue run was an error as just swim would have been enough.
the race today there was 1 or 2 things positive and 2 things i did not like so much .
i would have liked to do a bit better on the other had the way i felt friday and sat iam actually happy. if i was a cola i would have been perfect to serve on course today so flat i was ( and yes the plan was to be a bit less flat) at the same time I did enjoy the race ( of course thats not a good thing if you enjoy the race ) but i did . Interestingly while i did not have time for a proper run warm up I felt actually quite good i just did not get into th 4th gear today. overall another good training day and loads of cyclng at roads i dont get to ride too often.]
next week will be a bit easier and then iam going slowly to start to get more serious.
base fitness is good . and overall interval work is quit solid nothing crazy yet but good frequency . almost 1000k in last 2 weeks on the bike with little mental energy spent . But i would have liked to be a bit more willng to go into the zone which is the most negative aspect of today (neither did i want to go to deep but on the run today i was a more a fun participant than a racer . at the same time getting to the start line this morning had its stuggles to say the least.
I have to say it was a really great atmosphere and the food and tables after the race was prob the best i have seen . its actually really nice to sit at a table after a race . I will be back at that race for sure.
ps . i have to say while iam not mad aobut the algarve I finally have understood how to make it work and i undrstand it now.and having gotten flights for 32 euro return i cant complain i guess.0 -
another positive from the race their was a few astray fibers that irritated an tendom in the hammer the last couple of weeks . I did quite a bit of work on it to fix it but the race on sunday sorted it out lol.
still defo no fast running this week and defo defo no fast running around bends.
I have finished one phase now and now its time to make sure all the niggles go in the left leg before i start the next phase but one issue less is already good lol.0 -
not much happened the last 2 weeks first light cold this winter
pretty much only easy training not feeling bad really at the same time as sooe as i went a bit harder i knew not to go there.
in refelction of this , all todays race was not so bad, but it was still total s...e apart for first 200m on the run and last 400 on the bike ...( and with my 2 transitons maybe i should do an eye test...)
the only good thing iam masively annoyed. I know i have more and i know iam not where i was planing to be at the moment.
good training today . waste of time to enter a race.0 -
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the only productive tri training i did last week was entering the half champs and ordering some gear ...
iam a proper triathlete now
i forgot i also cleaned the bike shed...0 -
Not sure we're we are since last post
It's an up and down 2 steps forward 1 step backwards
The last few day running has been an issue due to a cough but on the upside I'm doing a lot of core strength work with all the coughing
Swimming is going well the last 2 weeks and I can report that I'm not just in the water but also working. Good progress.
Bike Patrick day and Monday saw 6 hour turbo sessions including 35 min runs one day 4.30 the other day 4.10 pace
Last saturday 190k at good solid pace I race set up about 5.10 for 180 k.
Sub threshold Endurance is good but but power is lacking.
Running I start to enjoy it again it's not where I want it to be but it's okish
Weight is not OK.
Anyway I have 9 weeks left and while a bit behind schedule on pace I'm still in control as endurance is good. And while the last 6 weeks have not been that great there is 5 years of miles in the bank and I had done some good stuff October till Feb. It's still entirely in my hands
I'm nowhere near were I wanted to be for the dua champs so I scrapped this.
Out of my plan of doing a 4 day trip faro to Madrid and then later another 4 day trip Madrid to bordeux became now faro to Dublin trip I got a 3 euro ferry from chearbourg to roslare... I was a bit lucky to sneak off for this one.oh got nominated for a price at a film film festival but I was told my nose doesnt suit for the red carpet ( thanks God)and it would be super boring . I would have been interested to go but... I was quite quick to look for flights and when I saw the ferry it took less than a min to book
I realised only later that this will be a challenging trip ( I knew the distance bordeux to cherbourg but forgot I have to fly to biarritz since this is where my bike will be .. Rookie error lol ( but as a bonus I get to ride a good chunk of the Frenchman bike course)
I have to do 850 k what is effectively 75 hours it's a good challenge and fits the programme timing well ;-)
I also booked flights to Frenchman last week very happy to have been invited back, as I would like to improve on last year race . not fighting windmills on the bike like last year. There is a chance.0 -
peter kern wrote: »Not sure we're we are since last post
It's an up and down 2 steps forward 1 step backwards
The last few day running has been an issue due to a cough but on the upside I'm doing a lot of core strength work with all the coughing
Swimming is going well the last 2 weeks and I can report that I'm not just in the water but also working. Good progress.
Bike Patrick day and Monday saw 6 hour turbo sessions including 35 min runs one day 4.30 the other day 4.10 pace
Last saturday 190k at good solid pace I race set up about 5.10 for 180 k.
Sub threshold Endurance is good but but power is lacking.
Running I start to enjoy it again it's not where I want it to be but it's okish
Weight is not OK.
Anyway I have 9 weeks left and while a bit behind schedule on pace I'm still in control as endurance is good. And while the last 6 weeks have not been that great there is 5 years of miles in the bank and I had done some good stuff October till Feb. It's still entirely in my hands
I'm nowhere near were I wanted to be for the dua champs so I scrapped this.
Out of my plan of doing a 4 day trip faro to Madrid and then later another 4 day trip Madrid to bordeux became now faro to Dublin trip I got a 3 euro ferry from chearbourg to roslare... I was a bit lucky to sneak off for this one.oh got nominated for a price at a film film festival but I was told my nose doesnt suit for the red carpet ( thanks God)and it would be super boring . I would have been interested to go but... I was quite quick to look for flights and when I saw the ferry it took less than a min to book
I realised only later that this will be a challenging trip ( I knew the distance bordeux to cherbourg but forgot I have to fly to biarritz since this is where my bike will be .. Rookie error lol ( but as a bonus I get to ride a good chunk of the Frenchman bike course)
I have to do 850 k what is effectively 75 hours it's a good challenge and fits the programme timing well ;-)
I also booked flights to Frenchman last week very happy to have been invited back, as I would like to improve on last year race . not fighting windmills on the bike like last year. There is a chance.
That's some serious cycling and running volume that you have built up over the years! Out of a matter of interest what film were you nominated for a prize? And what prize? I'm curious!0 -
i said the OH god nominated for a few festivals with her movie.
nothing to do with me, apart from the fact that while she goes there i go cycling for 4 days ;-) interesting process to follow she wrote the script, is the director and the editor selcted the actors. bloody hard work which makes triathlon look so easy. i had some difficult athletes who think that they are special but none of those come even close to your average actor or actress lol0 -
peter kern wrote: »i said the OH god nominated for a few festivals with her movie.
nothing to do with me, apart from the fact that while she goes there i go cycling for 4 days ;-) interesting process to follow she wrote the script, is the director and the editor selcted the actors. bloody hard work which makes triathlon look so easy. i had some difficult athletes who think that they are special but none of those come even close to your average actor or actress lol
Wow, best of luck to her. One of my best mates is an actor and it's a tough existence!0 -
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So I wanted something different ...I got it...
Maybe I did not want it so different but faro Madrid was a different experience.
It was an iron-man experience over 4 days with all the good and bad.
Thursday flight was 80 min late and 80 min less sleep. ( not good as it was an impoertant hour given i already arrived late) Took me a while to get into a rhythm Friday morning climbing up into the hinterland of the algarve. The weather was shine and hail but out of 10 or so hail storms 7 or so I had a bus shelter within a couple of 100 meters so that's luck 🍀
The further I got away from the coast the more rural it got and traffic was as usually very minimal once you get of the cost.with loads of cobbled stone sections in the vilages. ( i almost came down one as road was wet and front wheel sliped from cobble into a nice gap ) I passed a few nice villages and being so close to Spanish boarder they were many castles some quite impressive
At about 3 pm I got into a rhythm and started to eat miles to ended the day at about 180 clicks with good climbing done.
Serpa was a very interesting town and I got a bit of sight seeing done. Prepared some fish and had a nice glass of wine.
Sat after a good night's sleep I got into a nice rythem and enjoyed the landscape.
I made the ambitious decision to visit a town which was a bit out of reach but I was on schedule. Needed to do 225 k I to stay on schedule... And then if course as it does troubles start at sat late afternoon when shopes are closed.first some issues with front hub ( totally my fault ) then an almost new tyre I had on had some of its casing sticking into the inner tube very tiny and it took me a good few punctures to realise what's going on i checkecd carfully each time but with the rain and quite a fed debris on the road i thought thats the more likely cause. As they say measure twice and cut once. By trying to be quick I was only 99 percent and missed the issue. Not helped that after 3 punctures I had 3 spare tubes I realised my glue wasn't the quality it should have been so I had a slow leaking puncture... In the rain... at this time ecided to just press on pump up every so often and lok at it proper after sun set.
Loads of times missed and I was on the back foot did not made it to merida ( but did enjoy an albeit brief visit to badajoz) . With all the repair work I started cooking at almost 11 pm ( nice mussles as a starter and octopus and rice as main dish so at least a good finish) 190 or so k for the day what should have been "easy " 225 k
Still badajoz was nice the detour it's kind of cool with in 60 k you have badajoz which an very Arabic architecture and merida which is very roman with quite a few impressive sides.
I had another puncture ( a real one I have to say the second one in the last 6 month ie i really cant complain about punctures in the last 6 month ..)
sunday I got a bit annoyed looking for a solution to my issues ad struggeling to get anywhere and suddenly I was 75 k back behind schedule. still merida was still cool lol
a slight mental crack atfter i left merida but At around2pm I just decided to just enjoy and rode a lovely little rode and then an old railway path and just got into a nice rythem in isolated landscape and just loved it despite 3 hours of constant rain, Into the hills ,
only 165 done with a good bit of gravel and nice hills.
But I was driven to make it to the airport the next day
This point to point travelling on a schedule it's like in an ironman, this kind of travelling requires good decision taking, to get the max out off it without overstepping the line. There is ups and downs and prep is key ( and I was a bit gear under prepped and this will be charged for the next trip.
I started Monday 1 hour before sunrise despite the rain it was one of my most enjoyable cycling hours no cars a great uphill and the downhill, it got a bit lighter for downhill just enough to see the valley shapes, awesome. I just belted it... about 240 k to the airport and then 15 k home in Dublin all went well till 75 k to Madrid and it looked like I would have an hour to spare in Madrid and then another tyre episode started.... Which included 2 faulty inner tubes I got in a shop....( I did not even have time to lament about the wasted money, which is a good thing.lol Speaking of money the trip cost me approx 95 euro flights food and spare tubes so that's pretty OK and I was eating well.)
Anyway a short story cut short I was at the airport 58 min before departure so all good lol. And then flight was delayed 80 min again....
So all in all loads of changing landscape
From coast to snow and cloud forest I had it all in 4 days. The real stress score 0 pages read in 4 days gives an better idea how full the days were. It was not a hilly trip but still I would imagine 4 k of climbing over the 4 days and it's certainly some work with luggage .
That next trip I am fine r 40 pages and the third one ( the most ambitious one I can read on the ferry)
I was about to bring a spare tyre but decided against it last minute...
I knew about the hub issue and totally forgot the grease and the hub key...
As they say piss pure preparation gets piss poor results...
I need to bring a few more tools and spares as shut always happens x mas day and Saturday evenings or Sunday lol.
A few take aways the shortest way was 650 k. I took on to many places I wanted to see and I ended up with close to 780- 790 k over 4 days. Cycle to Madrid airport is a nighmare if you are short on battery
Still even crossing Madrid is a sight ,it's amazing how much one you can see just going through the city e ( I like Madrid it's a great city I would hate to live there but however short I enjoy it there)
Be a little bit less ambitious I can't train sightsee cook. And repair bikes. Overall I slept to0 little and had 0 downtime. as in 0 pages of reading is no good.
But like in a race there was many ups and downs and I will be thinking about this trip during the race.
So in a way it was a very good race prep.
And as I said I was looking for something different this year and going faro Dublin in 3 etaps over 4 days is just that.
I wasnt too sure how it will work but the next flights will work a bet better with sleeping and with that i think it will just be fine.
i have to say i love to pick up and leave the bike at the airport .
its realy good to max out time ( and i will bring a new front wheel for the next trip lol)
for the next trip i am really looking forward going back to san sebastian great town and ne of my favorite places to swim. ad go through the rolling hlls of the basque country.0 -
Enjoyable read Peter! Love reading about these adventures! I too love the Basque region too and may I suggest the north of Portugal and the Galicia to the north of that in Spain, Pontevedra is Javier Gomez's home town and he trains around there a good bit I believe so it must be decent.
Quedtion: do you leave your bike at the airports? If so where and how??0 -
i like galicia still the picos de europa attract me more
re bike i just leave it at the airport usually 5 -50 meter from the departure building , i think i did say i like to maximise my time lol and my cooking stuff and bibs and bobs is usually within 1 k of the airport , unlike train stations bike thieves dont seem to frequent airports. i do have a solid u lock. ( i just hope i remember where i parked my bike in madrid - ref no d 216 t1 20m just in case )
and if they steal it i wish them good luck with the front wheel and rear tyre ... they will need it. the tetra pack strip in the rear wheel wont last eternally lol the first 2 worked about 150 k each so i guess there is not much left.0 -
peter kern wrote: »i like galicia still the picos de europa attract me more
re bike i just leave it at the airport usually 5 -50 meter from the departure building , i think i did say i like to maximise my time lol and my cooking stuff and bibs and bobs is usually within 1 k of the airport , unlike train stations bike thieves dont seem to frequent airports. i do have a solid u lock. ( i just hope i remember where i parked my bike in madrid - ref no d 216 t1 20m just in case )
and if they steal it i wish them good luck with the front wheel and rear tyre ... they will need it. the tetra pack strip in the rear wheel wont last eternally lol the first 2 worked about 150 k each so i guess there is not much left.
That's brilliant. Would have thought it would be stolen but as you say nobody would ever think anyone mad enough to just leave a bike there :cool:
Sounds like fun.0 -
I left the house sat morning and I felt miserable... Made it to the startline and as always first 205 meters in 39 to 40 sec 40 this time and I was like wow that's better than I could have hoped for
3.17 for first k 6.44 after 2 k I was wow no way did I think I would have that today, struggled up the hill and 10.28 aftervr the third and I stopped... I started again after 20 sec but just before the 4 k mark I had enough....
It was recovery week and I still had 32 k to run in the afternoon. But this run sums it up nicely I'm tired I'm actually not far away from making a nice step forward but I'm frustrated where I am.
That was actually a very solid run till k 3 given how I felt but still I was so p.ssed off running too slow.... I had had enough ( and weight is the issue up the hill ..)
the good news after the 32 k run pm I had exactly the soreness I wanted. So not so bad... The big picture is what counts after all.
In fairness the last 4 week's have gone well
I started to swim and times are heading in the right direction first sub 5.30 pull for 400 this year first sub 1.15 free as well so I have shaved about 5 sec over 100 in the last 4 weeks. And as I said I'm totally fine if I swim 1 min slower this year.
The endurance on the bike is there. And even Friday when I had another bad day my times where not bad on my test course
So while not thrilled it's fine and what I lack at ftp I compensate with endurance. Not the way it was planned but this is how it is.
And the run... If only I would lose some weight.... There is glimpses of hope and there is bad sessions but 2 kg less and things would look much better and while I'm not where I want to be I'm better than last year.
But... The weight showes the training enjoyment and no weight loss means it's not enjoyed. It's just a bit of a struggle, I'm not where I want to be and it just annoys me... Which is of course not good
And I'm not in bad shape either while at this stage I can't say I'm better I would say at the moment I swim a bit slower cycle a tiny bit faster and run a bit faster so I'm I'm legit sub 8.50 shape... But from 8.50 to 8.43 something has to happen and let's face it I would not have started another year if I did not think a sub 8 . 40 is out of question... And no we are defo not there....
it's one thing that I'm not that far away from it and another thing it happening. Sometimes you need something positive.
Ie I'm not patient enough and I can't keep crying in my cornflakes that I had 4 bad weeks due to chest infection....
But yes I can lol if it was easy everybody would do it
I have no real stats but I know in 2 weeks I did 64 hours and this week was still some 70 krun. And I was away y day and today on the bike which was still 180 k on the tandem mostly overgeated work ( and very enjoyable to spend a night in the wicklow mountains and be on some roads I have never been on. So close to 300 for the week
So all in all all is OK at the same time OK annoys me and while I do a lot well, there is enough I don't do well enough and I have to lift my game a bit the next 4 weeks.
because I want make this jump munching away...
Bla Bla Bla.... Just get on with it....
on the niggle front I can't complain the left leg is still a bit dodgy but it's under control and the rest is as good as it can be at 440 -
th weeked before this i had a good trip from madrid to biarritz
so all good
solid run on tue when i was back
thursday 2.30 run not so great i worked fairnly hard for 12 k after the turn around , a bit inot the wind but pace was hardly sub 4.30
some solid sessions sat and sun
this morning i did a 1 h nonstop swim and had enough time to think
nothing new iam still not happy with nothing apart from bike miles.
but at the same time apart from tempo runs and weight there is nothing iam really unhappy either
on the upsite i know the course , i know all the logistics around iam confident that my bike wont be lost since i don fly with aerbikelos. so that alone will be a huge energy safeing.
and i could not ride more agressively than last year even if i tried
and without those many spikes it will be a much more plseant day ( hopefullly ) and even iam not happy with the run its better than last year and the swim is not too bad ( iam a bit off and certainly not in 52 flast shape like lat year but if either the swim are not less long or the current wasa bit different i might lose nothing ( very poitive thinking as the swim is a bit long but i dont think i will be more than 75 sec slower and anticiapte to be faster on bike and run.
anyway this weekend is the last trip and its 4 days 1000 k but the way i see it . iam going to play it by the ear and iam more interested to get 2 runs in and a quick swim at the frenchman venue . and might take a bus for 120 k or so
loking ver much forward runing up eurpopes highest sand dunnes
ride half of the frenchman course spend a couple of hours in la rochelle and maybe mount micheal.
what i wont be dong is sacrifising sleep so i either do ess sight seeing or take a bit of the bus ( i also brought my big frying pan home it was fab for preparing fish but its aobut 1 kg this time it will be about quick cooking . in spain i often cooked for more than an hour , it was great but it takes away rest )
looks like frenchan wil be my first tri this year. but nothing really fits the scedule this year . bantry half i would have been keen to do as it loos like a fab course but is a week before and it dosnt suite me specialy since this weekend will be a biggish one .and i want one more 180 k on the tt bike and also have one more 3 hour run, a few races do keep the training more fun. but i feel my cycle weekends away keep it intersting any way and iam glad a lot of my long stuff is NOT done aoround dublin. ( thats a much bigger bonus)
ps i had a quick wonder the other day and by race day i should have roughly 12000 k on the bike since october. bare in mind i dont even have a speedometer ...so it could be easily plus minus 1000 k .0 -
so that trip never happend ryanair cancelled flight i got them to book me on aer lingus flight later on that flight after clowning around for 2.5 hours got cancelled as well ...
havent decided what to do know but i guess i go for a weekend late july.
otherwise all ok did my last long run on tue and many was i happy when it was over ...
i cant say i enjoyed the last few weeks training and happy to made it through. some test sets show iam not too bad
the other day somebody asked me where i was and i said swim 2 min slower bike 3 min faster and run 3-4 min if same race weather etc as last year
so this is roughly where we are and there is a solid chance to go sub 8.45 and with a bit of luck not being 180 k solo there is a few min there . and of course with more wind etc i might be slower... ( and of course i have 2 x 5 k park run dnfs lol so thats not the best sign if i cant even finish a 5 k run i was leading by 50 meter at k 4 )
but i cycle better and run better than last year and i have spend a couple off 100 euro on bike speed and filed off some things on the bike and shoes and i going to drill some things on frame and shoes tomorrow . and if my 1 chainring finally arrives i should have another 1min there as last year the chain came of a few times when i used a standart chainring as a 1 chain ring. so the odds for being faster than last year are in my favor . especially if my bike dosnt get lost again.
anyway the biggest gain would come from if race a bit less agressive on the bikes ( maybe i killed 2 with that tactic last year so it was not wrong but those 20 spikes and going really hard form 40-50 and 90 to 140 km cost me too and this year i will race for fastest time possible not placing, thats the plan anyway and of course it depends who is there but i certainly wont try to shake off a IM 2.46 marathoner like last year after 100 k going after 90k was smart but after 115 it was not anymore.
i was being told that my legs are skinny but the person very smartly did not mention upper body lol . i have not stood on a scale for almost a year , i think but i know i am about 2 kg above where i should be and another 2 kg to best race weight. (but no the best weight is not going to happen anymore but by end of june the other 2kg will be gone ) so i guess all the money i spend on the bike is neutralised by weight at the moment lol.
anyway iam in one piece and since monday i feel like i like to race (something i did not have so far this year ) henceforth frenchman will be the first triathlon of the year. which is good as it will give me a few race nerves and i have become to calm before races.
no plan b if it dosnt go well next week but i guess since i do the half champs end of june i would not do a full before ( but we will see ) so far the plan is aquathon champs at bull wall mid of the june since its close to home and always a great race. not ideal 2 weeks after a full but its good fun.
one thing i really noticed if i do this again i need to find a running partner for long runs and long bike i got all the long runs done and have done more long bikes than in the last 4 years , but to get me on the bike is not getting easier and without those weekends away it would have been a struggle and at the end of the day it needs to be fun.0 -
Safe & uneventful travels Peter. Good luck & race well
P.0 -
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Of a the bad races... that was the best I have done...
Realistically the race was over after 8 k on the bike. And this was one of 2 mistakes I made on the day I started the bike too fast and the left glute tightened up. The other mistake was losing my salt and gels ( I always laugh about people when that happens, but I stopped very quickly when I realised I had forgotten to put in my emergency supply in my gear bottle... I managed to sort out the energy but not the salt. Unfortunately at 150 k the aid station was not ready for me. ( of course that was not great but that's how it sometimes happens and overall the aid stations in both French man's have be excellent.)
Apart from that many positives and going 4.38 using only 70 % of left leg is promising and the swim was the easiest I have ever done ( it was definitely slower than last year when the conditions and/of distance were very unfavorable) but it was a walk in the park for 90 sec slower or better said last year was long. officially was 6 sec faster than last year....
I started the swim deliberately easy as I knew from practise that I have the stamina but have to be very careful at the start. After 100 metres I was in about 45 th position... That was a bit worse than planned but at about 1800 m I was where I wanted to be. I could have bridged one more group but they were to far ahead.
T1 was shi.e as I could not get the suit on
Prerace research showed that race no 2 is similar swim bike like me and surely enough he came out 1 or so sec behind me out of the water.... So I wanted to close the gap as quickly as possible once on the bike but about 1 k before I caught him I felt the left glute. And of course while thus was not wrong, it was very wrong as this was what I had to avoid and I should have built in. No excuses here it was not smart...
Anyway the bike was about managing the left glute which I more or less managed as good as I could, in hindsight I should have ridden the last 30 k a bit easier as I would likely have hold on to 5 th place. But I did not know this of course and chances where v high that I had to push.
Good t2
And on the run apart from that I should have eaten crisps from the beginning to get more salt in, I could not have done better I run the smartest I could have done in the circumstances. I was very tight but felt good. Until about k 32 - at this stage just when I was confident that iwould hold 5 place it was suddenly game over, I could not even walk after massive cramps and had lie on the ground a few times ( that was the first time I noticed how hot it was. Over 30 and real feel was 35 or so) I somehow walked to the next aidststion and took 2 cups full off crisps and 20 or so min later I was running again (after I had a fierce fifht with a 60 year old lady who had walked away from me...)
It was quite an emotional experience as I knew how close I was to have the race I wanted. At the same time as I said to a friend I can go sub 9 without any issue sub 8.45 is the risky part and I can live with trying and failing much better than not trying.
And overall aim take loads of positives from the race and I know what I have done wrong.
Since I did not really got to my limit in all 3 I have recovered quite well. And have already enquired racing on the 15 or 16 th June another full . One race kindly said as long as you are there 10 min before the start you will race ( who said the Germans are not flexible... That email made me smile)
I guess I have to decide before sat but I guess chances are good that I will go for it.
It's of course high risk, but...
I did feel I had a sub 8.40 in me and that is a good feeling....
As for now the reality is 54.25 swim 4.38 bike 3 fuxking 55 run. 9.32...
I think I have 53. 00. 5.35 and 3.08 in me at the same time waiting longer would be smarter as I have another 4 -5 on the run losing weight and this was the one big thing I take away the lowest hanging fruit is weightloss...
Other wise I have to say I love the French man it just hits the spot of being relaxed, athletically challenging, and professional run .
I love the location and the swim is just the best there is. A lake crossing that finishes swimming through a fantastic port. Good chance that I will be back next year.
Ah and one more thing big thanks to the lady that gave me a lift and drove on 25 k passed her house to bring me to the race venue. Due to my flight being 2 hours delayed I missed the last bus and just started to cycle to the venue. Just awesome.0 -
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Great read Peter and well done on a great performance despite the challenges that presented themselves! I haven't gone long yet but it seems to me that managing situations as they arise on the day and solving them as best you can is a big part of it and not getting disheartened. This would mean the old adage of "hope for the best but prepare for the worst" rings true.
How are you planning on tackling the glute issue? Physio? Strength work in the long term? A bit of both perhaps?0 -
El Director wrote: »Great read Peter and well done on a great performance despite the challenges that presented themselves! I haven't gone long yet but it seems to me that managing situations as they arise on the day and solving them as best you can is a big part of it and not getting disheartened. This would mean the old adage of "hope for the best but prepare for the worst" rings true.
How are you planning on tackling the glute issue? Physio? Strength work in the long term? A bit of both perhaps?
I have seen a physio 3 times in my live so unlikely I go that road lol.
The first thing I did was some small bike adjustment while I had to go to extreme efforts to get the right leg as far far inwards with the left I went a tiny bit too far as it does not want quite as an narrow stance as the right
And yes for this race rather then spending hours on making sure I save another 0.1 watt on the bike I focuse on the leg.
And doing a lot of work on the bike on the bike was a small part of glute issue. It's a long storey but a chairing took 3 month to arrive and of course when it did it did not work and I was filing on it Thursday and Friday to make it work ( and at least that did work. But since I had no bike stand I had to sit on the floor to do that. And of course just work into the bike a bit more.
The glute is not really the issue...0 -
moritzburg irondistance race and other things
If you don't try you can't win...they say. So I guess the is the good takeaway from the race, I took a punt to race and despite a performance I'm not happy with, I still won... on a day where quite a few people collapsed on the bike ( and it does not surprise me since I know how much I struggled to keep somewhat hydrated on the bike and the drug test after the race was a serious struggle)
More important than the race... Did it make sense to race...
To be honest even now. I still don't know what I should have, done no race, toursman or moritzburg. everything had pros and cons. and as I say even after the race I don't know the answer...
For a start I think it was right to give it a go as I needed to find a few answers from the frenchman, and With the issues at frenchman I had recovered rather quickly. The weather and no wetsuit in moritzburg I miscalculated, at the same time that's racing.. and I had a great time seeing weimar dresden and leipzig. Besides moritzburg was my first long distance race 21 years ago and 3 Rd triathlon ever. SO A NOSTALGIC OCCASION LOL
People ask how I do 2 ironman races in 2 weeks and the answer is simple. I start to move asap after the race. I tend to walk 5- 8 k the evening after the race get a massage and of course take on proteins asap after the race
The next day I go for a spin, after Frenchman it was 60 k cycling back to bordeux. Last Sunday Sunday it was just 15 k as there was no more time. And I tend to walk 10 - 15 k the day after the race and ideally swim 20 or so min. To move is key. And loads of self massage and light stretching . But the key is too move, rest move rest move the days immediately after the race.
I started swimming Tuesday after the race cycling Wednesday after the race and first short run was Thursday. Over the weekend I went on the tandem to the west and did 130 and 160 k and each day an am an pm run. Approx 10 k felt good for each of them.( 20 min at least was the goal the rest as long as it felt good and when you run along the cliffs of mohar I guess it's hard not to feel good) . So between the races I did about 500 k on the bike run about 65 and swam about 13. Not using mental energy and just doing what felt good.
The race week I did a short crisp swim and a ramp run on treadmill where I stopped at about 18 k just to get turnover going, that was the only intensive stuff. And of course plenty of stretching and self massage.
It wasn't planned to 2 fulls last year and if fact it was a no no for this year in the first half of the season but I felt much better on Friday after the race and henceforth made a decision to race.mainly as I wanted to make sure 2 things are OK. And of course I was really frustrated about the frenchman.
I had made 2 changes to the bike set up (and I guess that was the good things to take that I had correctly identified the little issues)
And of course I really focused on the hip area to losen up.
Race day The one thing that never crossed my mind was the chance of no wetsuit swim mid June. So I had no swim skin.
The race started of I felt solid and was working well with one guy. Until he suddenly disappeared after 1.8 k... ( they do what the call a duet where 2 athletes do half of the distance and then the other takes over. After that I was alone and felt solid. 59.50 was slow and I was not pleased with at the same time given the high temperature I would not want to have gone faster. I have done ironman Malaysia twice both years at tough conditions but I have to say the swim and bike where warmer than both Malaysia races...
Whereas at Toursman the next day it was nice 20 degree lol
Good transition and onto the bike all felt good. And I was pleased after 60 k. The bike was like as if somebody was holding a hair dryer into may face. I drunk about 700 ml every 15 k yet for the first time every I did not pee on the bike. I definitely did not under drink...
I got through 10 litre roughly .
4.34.5o for the bike which was well paced and the right effort. The only thing to mention apart from the heat was that I lost half of my pump ffs half... ( I still had the co2 system)
T 2 was solid as well.
And the run felt fine. The run was undulating but with loads of forest and to be fair the run was not as hot as Frenchman 2 weeks ago.
I was not happy when I looked at watch for first time after 7 k... But I felt like given The day I would be happy with a sub 9 and I was still nicely on course for that. So I just kept plodding on but after 25 ks I did get slower. The only change I would make is to run with a half litre botle and fill it up but unfortunatly I can't blame the heat for the run time as much as I would like to. Still getting in as much fluid as possible I did not pee on the run either. I felt much better on the run than at Frenchman but I was even slower... When I was running, not a big surprise 2 weeks after a full and what was more important I did not cramp up this time. The good thing is I did not really let it get to me and just kept plodding on.
I was glad to reach the finish line and have it done.
It was not a good race at the same time I raced the best u could on the day so that's OK.
After 6 litres of drinks I managed to provide a sample for the drug test. That was harder than the race and I did get sick during it. It's of course great that there is drug testing and I welcome that but after such a hot day it was not fun.
I was super lucky that I had a top masseur at the end if the race and he did a fantastic job. And the lady at the food looked out for me to make sure I ate enough.
So yes I'm pissed off about the race but as I said it was a good race give n the circumstances. I learned a few things and as somebody said a win is a win ( not in my books but still it's not entirely wrong)
A bit of rest know follow what the body wants than sheephaven. While after frenchman I was mentally fresh and the body was fresh too but I was a mess from above knee to above hippy. This time there is only one tendom in a mess but the tiredness is more deep this time. After sheephaven I will take a week total rest and then back to the drawing bord.
Swim and bike are fine weight run and range of motion not and there is a few trigger points I need to sort out and with so weight loss and a few little tweaks to the run training I'm still Confident I get the run to 3.06- 08-level. And redress the run over the winter.
I'm hitting t2 consistently at 5.36 plus minus 1 with a bit more lucky and get the run where I want it and an sub 8.4o performance is within reach and sub 9 at the Hardman . not going to be easy but one day I will get the day where conditions and body get it right.
To be honest at this stage I'm almost ready to enter a draft ironman race such as Copenhagen or Barcelona but I d much prefer a real race. I guess to get the same satisfaction I would get from a sub 8,40 in a real race ( ie no packs on bike) I would have to go 8.30 in an branded race given the huge advantage you get ( and of course I would wait 6 - 10 min at the swim start to get the max pack bike benefit of the 1 to 1.05 swimmers..
Anyway it was a great trip and I did manage to get this heavy brick trophy made of the famous elb sandstone, home.
Few details are missing but I'm much closer to a performance that would satisfy me than it looks like. it's not a great realisation, as it is never nice to admit to onesleves the errors that where made for one I should have done all the bike stuff and changes earlier and take more care of left leg, but at the same time 90% is in place and I would not say luck was with me in the last 2 races given the conditions. So there is good room for improvement.
on the weight front I have been making solid progress over the last 6 weeks or so.
So frustrated yes but also with good positive things to take away from.0 -
Lots of good nuggets in there Peter. Nice to get a win. Fair play for doing 2 in 2 weeks. All the best for Sheephaven next week.
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Sheepheaven participation report...
Fist things first that was a well organised value for money race. hats off to letterkenny tri club.
If there was any chance of a solid race I had to go steady from a to c... So naturally that hat was the plan, besides plan a there was a plan what place in the race would merit to finish the race ( and to be fair I was already on the edge after the swim so if there is a day good for a puncture it was this race)
Steady worked about till mile 6 or so on the bike. ..
The swim was not good but I just shrug it off and while I did not go fast I was well in control.
I did not cycle great for the first 6 miles but I did not care, because like in the swim I was steady and the race was going to really start at mile 27.
At mile 6 I was not in control, as I had no air in the tyre and of course this happened on a sharp uphill ( which made me look stupid after the repair running up a hill... For some reason I did not care too much either and after quick fix I was on the bike.
But the steady plan was out of the window.... The only issue the power I put in, did not transfer into going forward .... Given a few steep downhills in the race I had tightened the rear break ( anybody knows that break on the p4 is a bit.h and it takes great care to adjust the wheel time I did not take after the puncture....) I had repassed a few people but for 3- 5 k I knew that it wasn't right. So off the bike again and yes this time I did care.... I was way behind my goal I kept still going for a while but my heart wasn't in it anymore. still I planned to run for a few k, until I punctured again after about 74 or so k... I had enough then...and roled home
Great race, great location, this is one of the few parts of Ireland I had not seen yet and I'm glad I made it up there it was worth it for the landscape. And the friendly volunteers. It's a great addition to the race calender.
Did a nice spin on Sunday around the area before I took the bus home.
As an aside after I have watched frankfurt I rate my performance in my last ironman race a bit higher. Still not good but OK.
Now a bit of rest0 -
the good and the bad
the good
iam have the 2 ironmans out of my system
iam losing weight
i started to swim again more seriously
and the bike feels good
and i had 2 runs where there was hope
the bad
without those 2 runs chances are high i would have pulled the plug and just focus on sorting out my upper harmstring / nerve issue .
the left side ( which was the issue for the whole year) is defo getting better the right side wich espcially at moritbueg overused to compneseat the left side is not great. i have been doing loads of things and its defo gettinga bit better but espcially when i get of the chair after sititng for a while and the first 5 min runing it can be hell and long bike rides dont help we will see. i know what iam willing to do and what not.0 -
not much to say
weight loss slow ( too slow) progress
swim actually quite good have done some of the best sessions this year and set quite a few training season pbs in the last 10 days
bike solid
run slow improvement
still not sure what iam going to do ( neither am i too bothered about it ) i dont have the biggest motivation to race as the run is just not where it should be. I have invitations for 2 races but i dont fancy to fly unless i feel i am sub 8.50, or better said do a race i feel satisfyed with and while i have the endurance to run 42k its just too slow and the likely outcome is 3.20 maybe 3.15 if all goes well . 4 weeks of good run training would make a nice change and would likely get me in the 3.10-3.15 area and while not a perfect outcome i would take it as in a way i am in "too good " shape not to race at all. and i have done 2x210 k bike days in last 3 weeks. ( maybe i should do an aquabike race ...)0 -
last bank holiday weekend i had a good tandem trip 16 hours of cycling and some running i have been riding a tandem for many years now , but still it always impresses me what a good low cadence workout i get from it ( besides earning bonus points while actually training lol
wednesday i think i did my first sub 4 min k run since mid of may and i have to say i enjoyed it massively but much more importantly
next day at 215 k bike ride i felt the best in a long time ,but still i had to force myself to actually go to the race and even when i arrived bray i was thinking to turn back .i hated the start of the swim, but the rest was good solid work.
take away. left leg is back in the dark green area. the right leg still orange but getting better ( and pain wise still in red zone for the first 5-10 min running) but thats one step in the right direction.
decided a last second entry to carlingford triathlon ( and thanksfuly they allowed me to race, thanks setanta tri club and also sorry) worked on the bike sat night to get it ready .... missed the fecking bus to newry by 1 min even tried to hitch hike but no luck ( i wonder why nobody would take me with my bike lol)
anyway overall solid week.0 -
I was in lourdes for some guidance last weekend to find the road to Kona... Should have known that lourdes is biased and said do the Frenchman...
So it's still the same Frenchman and the race in the Algerian desert really intrest me and I find it very hard to get enthusiastic about the m dot races
. At the same time it's now or never. The one thing is clear I'm in my last 13 en month long distance racing and 21 22 I don't see myself doing more than only distance.
i plan to do an iron-man when I'm 80 but more like one every 5 years
Anyways I'm on project 10 since the start of October . I have already lost 2.5 kg so 25% done and loads of work left. I'm still borderline fat and thats the first thing to change.
not in a rush at the moment and first I want to see how things are going. If I go to Kona the only goal would be a realistic top 5 chance. I was not there on the run last year and while I would be confident that swim and bike get me there the run was not and 2018 was also 7 or so min off .
Interestingly I did buy a swimskin a few weeks ago. But the title of the thread is project 40so and I do feel with the Kona money I'd much rather go 6 month travelling. So that will be interesting.
More importantly the main goal is to get a solid run ( not sure if it's going to work bur I will try and doing a 8 week really good bock for 1 race.
Kilkee and the half champs are on my schedule. Really happy to see kilkee Nat champs it's just the classic triathlon in Ireland and it made me sad that it lost a bit of its glory in last few years. . It's the cradle of triathlon in Ireland and given there is not much history in our sport it should be treated as something special by all the triathlon stakeholder in Ireland.0 -
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I finished the year on a low. In fact the lowest weight in over a decade. While it's now the start for new year resolutions I decided in October when I was at my 2 nd or third highest weight every to start back then...
I have to say I have enjoyed the process the main goal was to reduce sugar intake and I have done really well here I have to say and munching less I'm the evening ( by and large I did quite OK here with a bit room for improvement) those are my weaknesses I want to change long term and especially for me with the sugar it was important to do it at a time with reduced training as ideally needed to change that. Personally I always want to be a bit heavier over the winter but then last year I just could not shake the weight off enough... I just entered the 45 age group and naturally it's not getting easier but it's the lowest hanging fruit so to speak for me.
It's my last 9- 13 month before I take a tri rest and if I don't change my eating habits I will quickly get unhealthily heavy so that is the 2 angle for my goal
Apart from that I did finish the year on a high spending 10 days cycling in morroco. A friend of mind says that area without going to morroco is a missed year... I just love this place it's the biggest change you can get and a refreshment for every sense. Dry air barren landscape, good fish easily available etc in so many ways it's the antidote to Ireland and I just love it.
This year I went the first 4 days to a part I had never been before and I am glad I did as I saw some amazing landscape and a places I enjoyed to be at and got to eat some of the best dates o ever tried. I like most of the people there as always I got to talk to a few school boys cycling 15 k one way to school day in and out. And people on scoters ( one of them drove 20 k beside me while we were talking he was a bright friendly educated man in the middle of nowhere. He was cheerfull yet realistic about morroco at the same time. It's a pity there is so much willing talent in morroco and many very hard working people. Yet so few opportunities for using them.
Where I got it wrong or on the other hand I was surprised was the milage I got done after the first 2 days where I struggled I rode the most ks I ever did pret new year and I really enjoyed it ( on the negative side I had less time as planned to dive I'm a bit deeper and take more time to talk to people. I guess one of the reasons for this weather wise it was just perfect...
Concorde ( the bike) is now in morroco but after the next trip
I will be using, A mtb there is just so many gravel roads I'd like to do but I think next year it will be Algeria... I usually avoid countries where I need a visa but many of my favorite places in Morocco are close to Algeria and it has been a while now.... And I think I would like to do my last iron-man for this triathlon block In the Sahara and the only place for this is Algeria...
I just love the silence the vastness and the night sky of the desert...
I still have not decided what I do this year the 2 races that call me most are the Frenchman and the Algerian race and Kilkee. But I'm still hoping that one day I wake up and say Kona part of the weightloss game is Kona but still it hasn't gotten me yet. Coach brain planes for it but the heart still isnt in it.
Anyway it's time to lift the swim game regardless what I will do for the next while bike wise I'm in a surprisingly good state given the heartless winter turboing so far.
Running wise legs got better in morroco but after a few days sitting we are back to pre x massive level ( I need to stand more..0
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