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I Am the Master of My Fate
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Looks like you banished the ghost of Mallorca just in time. Race is no more
Jesus, I knew no date for 2017 had been confirmed, but I find that a real surprise. It was a great race and didn't seem to be struggling for numbers. I see Challenge have a race planned for Madrid on the same weekend in September and with IM Barcelona only a week later, the organisers might have felt having two other full distance races on Spanish soil to compete with within 7 days was going to have an impact on numbers.
Also the bad weather in Mallorca this year might have been a factor, I think many triathlons never recover from the misfortune of inclement weather striking on the day of their race. Could this be a factor here? People just don't want to take the risk of it happening again.
But hearing this, makes me glad I went back to Mallorca and banished the ghosts while the race was still on the circuit.0 -
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You really really really need to listen to the IM talk podcast from this week. And I mean really.0
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You really really really need to listen to the IM talk podcast from this week. And I mean really.
A triathlete friend had alerted me to this podcast alright. Still, if he hadn't known about it, I would have missed the show. So thanks for the heads up. It's pretty cool to hear yourself being talked about by guys on the far side of the world. I particularly loved the way the co-host said 'Kenny' after the fist guy mentioned my name. I'm trying not to get too carried away though. They wouldn't have mentioned me at all if any of the guys ahead of me had set up athlinks accounts. And while there was nothing factually inaccurate about what they said, there are one or two I'd liked to have said to them.0 -
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Monday 28th November
a.m.
Run
70 minutes progression15.10km in 1:10:02, 4:38/kmI only drove back up from Roscrea to Dublin this morning. I arrived at my school at 6:30, parked up in the school car park, had a quick 20 minute power nap and did this run along the Royal Canal Way. It required a head torch for the first half. It’s a route I enjoy, but one I hadn’t run in a while. It felt good to be back running the trail. The run itself didn’t feel difficult, but I still need to lose more weight before activities of this nature start to feel like a piece of p!ss.
2.05km in 10:01, 4:54/km
6.50km in 29:59, 4:37/km
4:53km in 20:18, 4:29/km
2.01km in 9:43, 4:50/km
Totals: 1.0hrs – 15.10km
p.m.
S & C40 minutes strength workThe first part of my plan to get two S & C sessions done each week was accomplished. Not much else I can say about the workout. I look forward to the week I can log these without comment, as it will mean they have become part of my routine.
Totals: 0.5hrs – n/a
Swim
25m pool, coached session8*50m off 60”, every 2nd one fast (43” approx.),In the final set, I started to cramp during the first four 50s, so I did the second set of 4 as pull. My times fell for these descending 50s, but they weren’t particularly fast. I seemed to be moving well earlier in the session though and I was matching faster swimmers in the lane beside me over the fast 50s. The same was happening for the 100s, but it is harder to feel proud about this, as they were given 5 fewer seconds to swim them off and I know how close to one’s limit those 5 seconds can take you.
8*100m off 1:45, every 2nd one fast (Getting faster; 1:38-1:36),
50m easy,
6*200m off 3:40 (3:28 approx.),
50m easy,
8*50m off 60”, desc. 1-4 & 5-8,
25m easy
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,925m
Tuesday 29th November
a.m.
Swim
50m pool400m warm up,My times were a bit inconsistent over the hour, but I suppose I got faster rather than slower; something to be cheerful about.
10*200m off 3:55 (<5” rest for first 2, >10” for quite a few thereafter, <10” for #9 & #10),
100m easy,
8*50m off 65”, #2, 4, 6, 8 fast (49”, 48”, 48”, 48”),
100m cool down
Totals: 1.0hrs – 3,000m
p.m.
Cycle
Turbo10:00 warm up,I felt I managed this well. Once more, I was out in a cold shed, but pedalling hard enough to work up a sweat. My rpm were consistent throughout the efforts.
20:00 IM effort,
5:00 recovery,
15:00 IM effort,
5:00 recovery,
10:00 IM effort,
10:00 cool down
Totals: 1.5hrs – 41.0km
Wednesday 30th November
a.m.
Swim
50m pool1,000m SKPS, w. fins,I was particularly pleased with how the 4 sets of 4*50m went. The times I swam them off were prescribed for a SC pool, but I thought there was no point backing down from the challenge of swimming off faster push-off times for the second week in a row. The 60 seconds at the wall between each set gave me lots of rest, but I still thought I was going to fail to make all of the times during the 3rd set. When I was pushing off straight away after touching the wall on 49 seconds, I thought it was going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. With 15m left, I thought ‘F*CK IT!, No way am I failing.’ I gave it everything I had and was almost shocked to see I swam it as fast as the opening 50m of the set. I wouldn’t classify it as a breakthrough moment with my swim, but it’s a long time since I felt so content looking at the pool clock. The effort took a lot out of me and I was delighted I had an extra 10 seconds for each length during the final set. Still, the additional time didn’t make the set all that comfortable. This wasn’t supposed to be the idea, but successfully making the 50 seconds push-off times is enough to take from the session. I was so wrecked after my exertions during the 3rd set, I had to take 2 minutes rest after all 16 50s.
16*50m as 4 sets of 4, extra 60” rest between sets;1) off 60”, (53” approx.),8*50m, w. final half of each length fast, off 1:20 (48”-49”),
2) off 55”, (51” approx.),
3) off 50”, (47”, 48”, 49”, 47”),
4) off 60”, (55” approx.),
100m cool down
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,300m
p.m.
Run
60 minutes w. 2 x {4 x 110m hill sprints}13.20km in 1:00:35, 4:35/kmAnother Wednesday doing almost the exact same session I've done for what feels like a very long run of consecutive weeks. It's starting to get a bit boring, but I am seeing improvements.
Warm up: 2.45km in 11:08, 4:32/kmEfforts;Recovery: 1.21km in 6:25, 5:18/km,
1) 110m in 19.70’, 2:59/km,
2) 110m in 20:54’, 3:06/km,
3) 110m in 21.16’, 3:12/km,
4) 110m in 19.90’, 3:00/km.5) 110m in 20.59’, 3:07/km,8.54km in 40:01, 4:41/km
6) 110m in 20.05’, 3:02/km,
7) 110m in 18:38’, 2:47/km,
8) 110m in 19:26’, 2:55/km,
Totals: 1.0hrs – 13.20km
Thursday 1st December
a.m.
Swim
25m pool, coached session
More technique work and a slight increase in the amount of harder stuff we were asked to do, but it was never overly long in duration.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 3,000m
p.m.
Cycle
Turbo2 hours steadyIntensity was slightly down on last week. This was as much a mental failing as it was physical.
Totals: 2.0hrs – 58.0km
Friday 2nd December
a.m.
Rest
p.m.
Swim
25m pool, coached session400m warm up,I was given a drill to do for the last set of 4*50m pull I mentioned above. We were asked to do the same drill again for another set of 4*50m. Once I got rid of the pull buoy, my legs almost immediately cramped. From there, I struggled through about another 500m of drills, half cramping, and half swimming as the final 20 minutes ticked by. I’ll put the problems down to not hydrating enough throughout the day. Despite this disastrous end, I was pleased with how I performed during the opening set of 9*100m.
(9*100m off 1:45, desc. 1-3, 4-6 & 7-9, (1:38, 1:34, 1:31), (1:39, 1:32, 1:31), (1:38, 1:33, 1:30),
50m easy,
4*50m pull off 70”
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,050m
Saturday 3rd December
S & C50 minutes strength workI failed to get this done yesterday, so I had to make up for it today. I did it just before setting off for my longish run from the NAC to the Phoenix Park.
Totals: 0.5hrs – n/a
Run
90 minutes progression19.70km in 1:30:18, 4:35/kmMy weight is coming down and this felt very easy. This is probably due to the fact that my target paces were much slower and consequently far easier hold than they have been for the previous couple of Saturdays, but the several mornings I’ve denied myself breakfasts seem to be paying off as well.
Lap 1) 12.92km in 60:01, 4:39/km
Lap 2) 6.78km in 30:17, 4:28/km
Totals: 1.5hrs – 19.70km
Sunday 4th December
Cycle102.55km in 3:34:06, 28.7km/hrI feel like I’ve been taking it too easy on my long spins the last couple of weeks. Without digging too deeply, I wanted to push just slightly harder today. Overall average speed was slightly up as a result, but there’s still a few more km per hour I need to increase it by before I’d consider it in anyway fast.
Totals: 3.5hrs – 102.55km
Weekly Totals;
Swim: 5.5hrs – 13,275m
Bike: 7.0hrs – 201.55km
Run: 3.5hrs – 48.0km
Other: 1.0hrs
I’m getting there with the weight. There’s another 1 or 2kg I want to lose before Christmas though, so more work and stoic living to endure.
I was hoping to race the Jingle Bells 5km on Saturday just gone, but I missed the closing date for registration. I haven’t done a race since Mallorca and I’m starting to get antsy. Dunboyne AC registered me for the National Novice Cross Country in Dundalk on Sunday. I don’t quite feel race ready, but it’ll be good to stretch out the legs and it will hopefully make up for missing out on the Jingle Bells Run.0 -
Good luck Sunday0
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Ah I'm running Sunday - see you up there, was going to say I'll bring you over a slice of cake but you're probably too fat for that0
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RacoonQueen wrote: »Ah I'm running Sunday - see you up there, was going to say I'll bring you over a slice of cake but you're probably too fat for that
I probably am, but right now I've only banned myself from buying junk food. As long as I don't buy it, I can eat whatever I like without breaking any rules.0 -
Well done today - didn't spot you after. You looked like you were really enjoying that....0
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RacoonQueen wrote: »Well done today - didn't spot you after. You looked like you were really enjoying that....
That would be a bit of an exaggeration. I'd have much sooner be running on the road, but I didn't fare too badly in comparison to some other people I knew who were running. Cheers for the shout out. After seeing you, I was thinking you'd be waiting at the finish line to greet me with cake. Maybe that's why you thought I was enjoying it.
How did you go yourself?0 -
That would be a bit of an exaggeration. I'd have much sooner be running on the road, but I didn't fare too badly in comparison to some other people I knew who were running. Cheers for the shout out. After seeing you, I was thinking you'd be waiting at the finish line to greet me with cake. Maybe that's why you thought I was enjoying it.
How did you go yourself?
I was going to do exactly that, but didn't want you to hold me responsible for your fatness* You are anything but, btw, I was almost expecting you to turn up like this having read your last few log posts
I...survived albeit very slowly. I absolutely love cross country - different baby to running on the road. Good to be back running in the mud.
*I actually left the tin full of brownies and blondies in my brothers house yesterday0 -
Monday 5th December
a.m.
Run
70 minutes basic progressionLap 1) 1.99km in 10:02, 5:02/km,This was steady throughout. It became a slight effort on any drags, but I was always in control of things.
Lap 2) 6:49km in 30:00, 4:37/km,
Lap 3) 4.47km in 20:00, 4:29/km,
Lap 4) 2.09km in 10:11, 4:53/km
Totals: 15.03km in 1:10:12, 4:40/km
Totals: 1.0hrs – 15.03km
p.m.
S & C50 minutes strength workTotals: 1.0hrs – n/a
Swim
25m pool, coached session400m warm up w. last 100m at 80%,I made all the 50s during the main set, but I was getting closer and closer to failing, and I’d started using a pull buoy for the 100m recovery from set #4 onwards. I might have managed to bring a seventh set of them in on time, but I think an eighth one would have been beyond me.
6 sets of {4*50m off 50” & 100m off 2:30} (no rest between sets),
100m pull easy,
2*200m off 4:00 w. 3rd 50 of each one fast,
100m cool down
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,600m
Tuesday 6th December
a.m.
Swim
50m pool, (wore buoyancy shorts)800m SKPS,This session was scheduled for tomorrow, but the one I was meant to be doing, called for a lot of fast swimming. After last night’s club swim, I decided I might be in better shape for fast stuff tomorrow morning. I opted for a session with longer sets, but less taxing push-off times instead. I was comfortably hitting the times without any pressure and I was actually getting faster as the sets progressed. The buoyancy shorts were obviously a huge help. But I think my kick is improving as well and this combined with the benefits provided by the shorts made it an easy morning in the pool; exactly what I was looking for in fact.
3 sets of {3*200m off 3:50} w. extra 60” rest between sets, (Slowest: 3:30, Fastest: 3:25),
100m easy
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,700m
p.m.
Cycle
Turbo10:00 warm up,I’d fiddled around the resistance knob on my turbo before beginning this set and it wasn’t as easy to hold the same cadence as last week. I also wasn’t able to move up into the big ring for the second and third IM efforts and had to use the small ring and a cog on the cassette that would provide me with the same resistance. It was hard to replicate the resistance and I ended up settling on a combination that provided slightly more resistance than the opening effort. My cadence was consistent from the start to end of each of the three efforts, but I had to work harder than I did for the last few weeks to hold what felt like an IM intensity. I was more lacking it in the legs than the head this week.
20:00 IM effort,
5:00 recovery,
15:00 IM effort,
5:00 recovery,
10:00 IM effort,
10:00 cool down
Totals: 1.5hrs – 40.0hrs
Wednesday 7th December
a.m.
Swim
50m pool
400m warm up,8*50m kick w. fins, 15” rest,The 24 hour postponement of this session seemed to be a good decision. I coped well with the faster paced stuff prescribed in the session. Although my times slowed over both the 50s and 100s, I was never struggling for any of them. Mentally though it felt like a bit of a slog and I was happy when I finished, more just to be done than for any other reason.
20*50m done as 5 sets of {4*50m off 55”}, extra 60” rest between sets (Typically 48”-49”, but some of the lengths in sets #4 & 5 drifted out to beyond 50 seconds)
12*100m off 1:55 (1:47-1:49),
50m cool down
Totals: 1.0hrs – 3,050m
p.m.
Run
60 minutes w. 2 sets of {4 x 100m hill sprints}Warm up: 2.28km in 10:24, 4:37/km,I held back slightly for the efforts tonight. This was prompted by a suggestion from my coach to do so if I was feeling tired. I didn’t feel 100% for both last night’s turbo and the swim this morning, so I was happy to be given permission to go easier and it made the whole run seem a lot easier.
Efforts;
1) 100m in 22.0’, 3:40/km,
2) 100m in 19.4’, 3:14/km,
3) 100m in 17.9’, 2:59/km,
4) 100m in 22.0’, 3:40/km,
Recovery: 1.26km in 6:31, 5:10/km
5) 100m in 20.2’, 3:22/km,
6) 100m in 20.1’, 3:21/km,
7) 100m in 21.0’, 3:30/km,
8) 100m in 20.6’, 3:26/km,
8.52km in 39:52, 4:43/km
Totals: 12.99km in 1:00:00, 4:37/km
Totals: 1.0hrs – 12.99km
Thursday 8th December
a.m.
Swim
25m pool, coached session100m warm up,I seemed to do better as this session went on and was beating a faster swimmer in most of the 50m and 25m sprints at the end. It was probably more to do with him tiring, than anything else. Order will be restore soon enough, but it was a good feeling touching the wall before him.
350m one arm drills,
800m paddles & pull buoy steady,
50m one arm drill,
6*100m (first 3 fast, second 3 75 fast/25 easy),
6*50m sprints (41” average, Peter told me I swam one in under 40 seconds, which I’m pretty sure would be a first for me.)
6*25m sprints (19”-20”),
300m cool down
I’m coming round to Peter’s way of thinking that in order to swim fast, I need to swim these shorter distances fast. I might be better off forgetting about breaking 60 minutes for an IM swim and concentrate instead on breaking 15 seconds for 25m. The ability to do that should benefit me over longer sets as well, which in turn should transfer to longer race distances.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 2,750m
p.m.
Rest
Friday 9th December
a.m.
Rest
p.m.
Swim
25m pool, coached session400m warm up,I was comfortably hitting the times for the 200s and never finished any of the reps breathing heavily. There was one other guy in the lane with me tonight, but he was descending through the sets of 200s. He led out obviously, but drafting him was only really beneficial for the first 200 in each set. After that, he sped up and the draft was gone quite soon after I pushed off the wall. After swimming the second set of 200s quicker than the first, I was expecting a similar improvement for the third set or at least to be able to hold the same pace. I’m not really sure why my times slipped so drastically, but they did. I was looking to redeem myself by breaking 40 for at least one of the fast 50s in the final set. I tried just swimming smoothly for the first one of these. When that didn’t work, I gave it socks for both numbers 2 & 3. I was bunched after the third one and accepted it wasn’t going to happen for number 4 either and so it proved.
9*200m as 3 sets of {3*200m off 3:30}, extra 30” rest between sets, (3:20, 3:22, 3:20), (3:17, 3:17, 3:19), (3:23, 3:22, 3:23),
100m easy,
12*50m off 70”, every 3rd one max effort (42”, 41”, 41”, 43”),
100m cool down
Totals: 1.0hrs – 3,000m
Saturday 10th December
Run
40 minutes easy7.56km in 40:01, 5:17/kmThis was just a nice easy trot in advance of tomorrow’s race. I never looked at my pace and simply turned around and headed back for home once 20 minutes were up. I ran the return leg in the same manner without looking at my pace.
Totals: 0.5hrs – 7.56km
Cycle
Turbo2 hours steadyIt was fairly late in the evening when I started this. Probably a bit too close to the race tomorrow, but I’m training for triathlon first and foremost, so no way was I going to shelve a bike session to benefit a running race.
Totals: 2.0hrs – 55.0km
Sunday 11th November
Run
Warm-up
Easy jog w. 6 x 10 second sprints3.14km in 15:01, 4:47/km
Race
National Novices Cross Country Championships6.20km in 20:55, 3:22/kmAfter a brief and not very effective warm-up, I lined up with a bunch of other Dunboyne athletes. I stood behind those I felt were going to beat me and before the gun went, one of them advised me to just go out fast and not worry about pacing things. He’s ran the race for the last two years and he knew it was going to be very difficult pass in the early stages of the race. This turned out to be a very accurate description of how things did play out. I was hoping to pace myself off one of the Dunboyne athletes, but hundreds of runners narrowing into one narrow stream, meant I lost contact with him immediately. Everybody went out hard and I just wasn’t ready for the surge. About 20 bodies got between me and him in a matter of seconds.
I simply couldn’t get round anybody and trying to accelerate back up to my club mate was impossible. I’ve never been in a race where I was surrounded by so many evenly matched runners and losing contact with my club mate probably didn’t matter a whole lot anyway. The field seemed to have found its natural order within 200m and the guys I was running beside were just as fast as me and were just as useful to pace off as the Dunboyne runner, still 20 bodies ahead of me, would have been. I was able to keep him in my sights anyway and he wasn’t pulling away from me.
The race carried on in such fashion for the three 2km loops. People might put in a surge and pull clear, but they never got too far away. By and large, those that passed me after the first 5 minutes, eventually came back to me. I made up several places on the last lap, one of which was the Dunboyne runner I’d been hoping to pace off at the start. He bet me pretty convincingly in an 8km cross country race this time last year, so it was good to get the better of him today.
The finish line came soon enough after this and I was pretty happy it did. It was a suffer fest from start to end, and there were several moments during the race I wished we were out on the road. But it was good fun looking back and considering everything, I don’t think I fared too badly. My overall pace matches that of my 10k PB on the road. It was 3.8km less I had to hold the pace for, but I was on grass today, and I wouldn’t have thought I was anywhere near this sort of shape. My coach also pointed out to me afterwards, it was achieved ‘with minimal training load and no specific hard work’. It has me looking forward to Rotterdam Marathon with increased optimism.
Next up is the Meath Cross Country Championships on Saturday, where hopefully I’ll run even better than I did today.
Cool Down4km easyTotals: 1.0hrs – 13.14km
Cycle
Turbo30 minutes easyI kept this in a very easy gear and used it just to flush out the legs after the race earlier on.
Totals: 0.5hrs – 22.5hrs
Weekly Totals;
Swim: 5.5hrs – 14,100m
Bike: 4.0hrs – 117.50km
Run: 3.5hrs – 48.92km
Other: 1.0hrs
The race on Sunday has given me plenty of food for thought. Matching the pace of my 10km PB, has left me with a lot to ponder. For the first time since, I’m wondering did I really do myself justice in the two 10k races that were part of my build up to Connemarathon 2014. I don’t doubt that the high mileage program I followed for the marathon had me in optimal shape for the big day itself. And although I did 99.9% of the training in the 18 week plan I followed, I didn’t stick rigidly to the order in which the sessions was meant to be done. The week I set that 10k PB, I did a 29km run less than 48 hours before it. And I ran 6*500m at 5k pace, again within 48 hours of the next 10km race I did, a few weeks later. Looking back on it now, these decisions seem foolish and it’s definitely not how Pfitzinger & Douglas had prescribed the workouts. With a coach behind me though, I expect I’ll be making wiser decisions (well, they’ll be made for me) and I expect to become a better runner because of that.0 -
Well done yesterday sounds like you enjoyed it. Did my first xc racing this year and really enjoyable. Something refreshing (and sobering) about it. Pure running, no gimmicks, gadgets etc.
You say you feel your 10km pb times could be bettered. What do you feel is achievable?0 -
rodneyr1981 wrote: »You say you feel your 10km pb times could be bettered. What do you feel is achievable?
It's hard to say, as I've never concentrated on the distance. To answer your question, all I have to go off is my marathon time. I know it's a crude instrument, but inputting my marathon PB into the McMillan Running Calculator, gives me an expected 10k time of 33:13. My marathon PB was set in Connemara, which is certainly not a fast course. I don't know how much faster I would have been on a flatter course, but the winner that day, Philip Harty, ran 2:29:16. This was after running a PB of 2:21:53, in Berlin, the previous September. It's hard to imagine I would have been capable of running over 7 minutes quicker somewhere else, but looking at the results of other runners who raced that day, makes it somewhat plausible. Another person ran 13:10 quicker in DCM the previous October, then a third guy for whom I can find results ran 5:49 quicker in DCM 2014. I know I can't say with any certainty how fast I might have gone in either of those races, but it's not too much of an assumption to say I'd have ran quicker on a fairer course. Were my marathon PB 3 minutes quicker, McMillan predicts a 10k time of 32:35; were I to have broken the sub 2:30 barrier, then it says I should be capable of running 31:58 for 10km. All those imagined times for a marathon are still smaller improvements than the three sample athletes above had, so dare I dream?
I accept the McMillan calculator has its failings, but it's hard not to look at my 10k PB of 33:52 as being very ordinary on the basis of what it says.0 -
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Monday 12th December
a.m.
Run
Basic Progression2.03km in 10:00, 4:56/km,To be certain I’d hit my target paces, I started each portion of the run a bit harder than I needed to and then eased up. It was never difficult to hold the speed, but my pace was a bit all over the place as a result.
7.62km in 35:00, 4:36/km,
5.75km in 25:15, 4:24/km,
2.27km in 10:54, 4:48/km
Totals: 17.67km in 1:21:12, 4:36/km
Totals: 1.5hrs – 17.67km
p.m.
Swim
25m pool, coached session400m warm up,I couldn’t manage to swim either of 25m at the end of the session without taking a breath, I’m not sure I managed to swim them particularly fast either, but I tried my best.
16*50m off 60”, every 4th one fast (42”-43”),
12*100m off 1:50, {desc. 1-3} x 4, sets 2 & 4 done as pull (Approx. 1:43, 1:38, 1:35), straight through,
100m easy,
4*25m off 40”, every 2nd one fast & trying not to breathe
50m cool down
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,650m
Tuesday 13th December
a.m.
Swim
50m pool8*50m kick w. fins,I didn’t break any records, but I was getting faster as the session went on.
2*400m off 8:00 (7:42 & 7:36), 1’ rest,
4*200m off 4:00 (3:40 approx.), 1’ rest,
8*100m off 2:00 (1:48-1:51),
100m cool down
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,900m
p.m.
Cycle10:00 warm up,The instructions were to pedal extra hard for 20 seconds at the start of each of the IM efforts. I chose too hard a gear for the first one and I couldn’t hold the cadence. I carried fatigue into the effort as a result and it took another 20 seconds to get back up to pace. It was a poor start to proceedings, but I learned a lesson and manged the other two 20” sections a lot better.
20:00 IM effort,
5:00 recovery,
15:00 IM effort,
5:00 recovery,
10:00 IM effort,
10:00 cool down
Totals: 1.5hrs – 41.0km
Wednesday 14th December
a.m.
Swim
50m pool400m pull,I struggled to find top end speed today. It’s a little bit concerning as I wasn’t even swimming anywhere near as fast as I am capable of.
24*50m off 65”, {desc. 1-4} x 6 (Approx. 54”, 50”, 48”, 46”, [managed one 44”]),
100m easy,
9*100m pull off 1:50, {desc. 1-3} x 3 (Approx. 1:44, 1:42, 1:38),
200m
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,800m
p.m.
Run
60 minutes w. 4 x 30 seconds & 4 x 20 seconds hill sprintsWarm up: 2.28km in 10:24, 4:37/km,Unlike previous weeks, I wore my Forerunner 210 for this. I can’t set it to auto-lap for such short distances/times and was pressing the lap myself when I thought either 30 or 20 seconds were up. I’m not sure how responsive the watch is, but the speed for the efforts follows the pattern of the last couple of weeks. The 40 minutes steady felt easier than previously, which I hope is a sign of progress.
Efforts;
1) 150m in 31.2’, 3:26/km,
2) 160m in 30.7’, 3:18/km,
3) 150m in 28.9’, 3:18/km,
4) 140m in 28.9’, 3:20/km,
Recovery: 1.07km in 5:43, 5:20/km
5) 90m in 19.3’, 3:38/km,
6) 100m in 21.0’, 3:28/km,
7) 120m in 23.8’, 3:19/km,
8) 120m in 21.9’, 3:10/km,
8.51km in 39:45, 4:40/km
Totals: 13.11km in 1:00:23, 4:36/km
Totals: 1.0hrs – 13.11km
Thursday 15th December
a.m.
Swim
25m pool, coached session
Another Thursday morning with Peter, for which I’ve no record of the swimming we were doing.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 3,000m
p.m.
S & C50 minutes strength workMy coach gave me a rest from cycling for this evening and with nothing else to do, I thought it would better to fit in a strength and conditioning session, than have to make time for it along with my club swim tomorrow evening.
Totals: 1.0hrs – n/a
Friday 16th December
a.m.
Rest
p.m.
Swim
25m pool, coached session16*25m, every 4th one fast (20” approx.),I was meant to do six more 200s, but with such small numbers at swimming tonight (only one per lane), the coach was able to give us more individual attention and tailor the swimming to suit. He spotted two very basic things that I was doing wrong, and gave me 100s to swim off much slower times, telling me to focus on these two things instead. Seemingly my right hand crosses over my centre line, and as I up the effort the more inclined I am to drag my hands through the water on the recovery phase of the stroke; two things to think about over the Christmas. The change of emphasis made for a much easier Friday night swim than usual, which was no harm ahead of a race tomorrow.
200m steady,
3*200m off 3:40 descending (3:34, 3:28, 3:19),
8*100m off 2:15 (1-4 pull, 5-8 fs),
6*50m off 60”, 3 &6 fast-ish (45”)
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,300m
Saturday 17th December
Run
Warm up2km w. some strides & hill sprintsRace
Meath Senior Cross Country Championships8.43km in 29:51, 3:32/kmI found this much tougher than last week’s race in Dundalk. Not only was it >2.5km longer, the course was much more difficult with two testing hills. On top of these two things, underfoot conditions were much worse.
Kilometre splits; 1) 3:24, 2) 3:28, 3) 3:34, 4) 3:27, 5) 3:41, 6) 3:41, 7) 3:33, 8) 3:40, 9) 430m @ 3:14/km
After a very brief warm up, I made my way to the start line with some other runners from Dunboyne AC. The starting gun went and compared to last week, it was far less congested. There were no melees and things settled pretty quickly. Despite the temptation to push on, I stayed behind a Dunboyne runner I knew I was never going to beat. By the end of the first lap, I was still close enough to this guy.
Despite thinking I had ran pretty conservatively, the pace started to take a toll and it began to hurt after two laps. I’d lost contact with my club mate and ended up running on my own. Those behind were closer to me than I was to the group in front, and regular shouts of encouragement to one of the people behind me had me worried just how close to me they were. I was suffering and my only hope of holding on to my position was that the recipient of the support was suffering as much as I was.
My laps had been getting progressively slower and though I had long since given up hope of catching anybody in front, I was delighted to finish the penultimate lap having held the gap on those behind. It gave me extra impetus to keep going. Once the final climb was out of the way, I injected a bit of pace and duly finished the race.
For the second week in a row, I beat two Dunboyne runners who were faster than me 12 months ago. I don’t want to get too carried away with things though, as two others who were ahead of me in Dundalk put even more time into me today, times that cannot be merely explained away by the extra 2½ kilometres. Still, my running seems to be in a better place than this time last year, so it’s not a bad way to finish my last race of 2016.
Cool down1.5km easyTotals: 1.0hrs – 11.93km
Run
30 minutes steady6.68km in 30:09, 4:31/kmThis was supposed to be done soon after the race, but almost an hour had gone by when I eventually started. My legs were very heavy for the opening few minutes, but I felt okay once I found my groove.
Kilometre splits; 1) 4:39, 2) 4:32, 3) 4:33, 4) 4:34, 5) 4:27, 6) 4:25, 7) 680m at 4:22/km pace
Totals: 0.5hrs – 6.68km
Sunday 18th December
Cycle
Turbo3hrs steady effortI’d been out with friends last night and wasn’t in the best of shape today. I kept this on the easy side of steady and left it until late in the evening before starting. I was set up in front of the TV and the programmes on offer, mainly the ‘BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards’, helped pass the time.
Totals: 3.0hrs – 82.50km
Weekly Totals;
Swim: 5.5hrs – 13,650m
Bike: 4.5hrs – 123.50km
Run: 4.0hrs – 49.39km
Other: 1.0hrs0 -
Monday 19th December
a.m.
Swim
50m pool600m SKPS,I felt okay, never superfast, but the fast parts during the 500m reps felt smoother and faster as the session went on.
3 sets of {500m steady w. 15m fast every 100m & 100m pull easy},
300m cool down
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,700m
p.m.
Run
80 minutes basic progressionWarm up; 1.91km in 10:01, 5:15/km,I was slower overall than for the same run last week. I was well inside my target paces though and it was never a struggle. It was foggy and cold and although I had no incidents of slipping on a frosty/icy path, it was something I was slightly worried about.
Lap 1; 7.59km in 35:00, 4:37/km,
Lap 2; 5.64km in 24:59, 4:26/km,
Cool down; 1.98km in 9:59, 5:03/km
Totals; 17.11km in 1:20:01, 4:41/km
Totals: 1.5hrs – 17.11km
Tuesday 20th December
a.m.
Swim
25m pool1,000m SKPS,I was swimming the 100s at a very easy effort level, trying to get rid of some of the ‘low hanging fruit’ my coach pointed out to me. I was told to expect to swim slower before these changes became ingrained, which was somewhat reassuring this morning, as my times for the 100s started off at around 1:50, but steadily drifted out as the 10 reps progressed.
10*100m off 2:10
All swimmers had to use the diving pool in the NAC this morning. It’s not a nice pool to swim in and currents pushing me into the ropes on the way down and out into the centre of the lane on the way back wouldn’t have helped with fast times either.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,900m
p.m.
Cycle
Turbo10:00 warm up,This was another solid turbo session. I’ve taken to doing my turbos without a fan as of late, which in theory should prep me for the humidity I’ll have to deal with in Kona, but it makes it harder to judge the efforts and once again my cadence dropped by 1-3rpm from the first to the last effort.
20:00 IM effort,
5:00 recovery,
15:00 IM effort,
5:00 recovery,
10:00 IM effort,
10:00 cool down
Totals: 1.5hrs – 41.0km
Wednesday 21st December
a.m.
Swim
50m pool400m warm up,I was in the diving pool again and the currents were once more a nuisance. Knowing this and in anticipation of the slightly more challenging swim conditions, I wore buoyancy shorts this morning.
8*50m kick w.fins,
400m as 25 one arm/25 fs,
24*50m pull off 60”, every 4th one fast (42”-43”), extra 30” rest after 8 lengths,
200m easy
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,800m
p.m.
Run
60 minutes w. 4 x 30 seconds & 4 x 20 seconds hill sprintsWarm up: 2.27km in 10:27, 4:31/km,Totals: 1.0hrs – 13.84km
Efforts;
1) 140m in 31.2”, 3:44/km,
2) 140m in 27.9”, 3:26/km,
3) 150m in 29.5”, 3:19/km,
4) 150m in 29.7”, 3:12/km,
5) 140m in 29.4”, 3:25/km,
Recovery: 1.40km in 7:30, 5:22/km,
6) 100m in 22.3”, 3:36/km,
7) 110m in 21.5”, 3:20/km,
8) 110m in 21.5”, 3:19/km,
9) 110m in 21.6”, 3:10/km,
8.98km in 41:42, 4:38/km
Totals: 13.84km in 1:03:36, 4:36/km
Thursday 22nd December
a.m.
Swim
25m pool, coached session150m sculling & 50m one arm,I’m pretty sure this is the fastest 400m TT I’ve done, the previous best time I can find being 6:15. A 2 second improvement is not much, but at least it’s an improvement. The first 200m of the TT felt very controlled and it only really started to pinch when I made the conscious decision to kick harder from the halfway point. Perhaps pushing harder earlier would have been wiser or maybe I should have been thinking about my arms rather than my legs.
50m easy,
150m of easy/steady/fast,
50m TT in 37.5”,
100m easy,
400m TT in 6:13 (1:33/100m),
(100m splits; 1:26, 1:34, 1:36, 1:37),
100m easy,
300m steady,
400m paddles & pull buoy TT in 6:13 (1:33/100m),
(100m splits; 1:30, 1:34, 1:35, 1:34),
200m cool down
Totals: 1.0hrs – 1,950m
p.m.
Cycle
Turbo1 hour easy/steady effortTotals: 1.0hrs – 27.5km
Friday 23rd December
a.m.
Rest
I started my Christmas holidays yesterday, so not having to go to work made this a true proper rest.
p.m.
Swim
25m pool,200m warm up,Thankfully the currents were not as strong in the pool today, as they had been for the previous two mornings. I wasn’t supposed to be looking at the clock, but I reckon my pace was a bit up and down from judging my progress against the people in lane beside me.
400m w. snorkel as 25 one arm/25 fs,
3*800m steady,
250m cool down
Totals: 1.0hrs – 3,250m
S & C1 hourTotals: 1.0hrs – n/a
Saturday 24th December
Cycle3 hours solid effortThis was a real solid effort, and the most f*cked I’ve felt after a long cycle since IM Mallorca. I was determined to get through it without taking calories on board, which I did, but it took an awful lot of resolve. I drank 1.5L of High-5 Zero and 0.5L of water, but still lost over 2kg of weight from start to finish.
Totals: 3.0hrs – 93.0km
Sunday 25th December
Run10.83km in 50:01, 4:37/kmEarly Christmas morning run done down in Roscrea. All’s good with the world.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 10.83km
Weekly Totals;
Swim: 5.0hrs – 12,300m
Bike: 5.5hrs – 161.50km
Run: 3.5hrs – 41.78km
Other: 1.0hrs
I’m a good bit behind with this log, so my next musings will come when I get it up to date.0 -
Monday 26th December
Run
Warm up2.0km easyGoal Mile – Porterstown Park1.67km in 5:46, 3:27/km40 minutes easy8.16km in 41:13, 5:03/kmI happened to be heading back up to Dublin today. Going to this Goal Mile race meant I had to be on the road a little bit earlier than I would have liked. Although I was sensible enough in the amount I drank, I had eaten a considerable amount and stayed up talking sh!t until nearly 5 a.m. I got less than 5 hours sleep and I was in no mood for any hard running today. To encourage the kids in my class to participate in what is our local Goal Mile race though, I’d promised them I’d be there with school running singlets. I couldn’t renege on the promise, and it was with a lot of reluctance I climbed into my car at 10 a.m. to drive to the race.
There were races being started every 15 minutes. One of them I ran as a warm up with kids from my class and the second one I did, although in no condition for it, I treated as a proper race. The mile was four laps of MSB’s grass track, so in theory it should have been easy to pace. I completed the first lap of this “race” in 1:20, and then doing quick sums in my head; ‘‘1:20 x 4’ gives me a finishing time of 5:20.’ That wouldn’t have been too bad a time considering I’d a bellyful of turkey and plum pudding sloshing around inside of me.
It was far easier to do the sums than run the times though, and the next lap was completed in 1:28, the third lap in 1:30 and the final lap in 1:27. This gave me a total finishing time of 5:46, which is a long way off 5:20. The track was a mud bath though and made for tough conditions in which to run. I found the air cold and my lungs were burning for quite a while afterwards.
It wasn’t my proudest moment in running spikes, but it would have been hard to have taken the race too seriously and it was all in support of a good cause.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 11.83km
Tuesday 27th December
Cycle
Turbo3 hours steady effortI really and truly should have gone outside for this, but after another day eating and drinking yesterday, motivation was pretty low. Getting up on the turbo was far more straightforward, so that’s happened.
Totals: 3.0hrs – 84.0m
Run
60 minutes easy12.06km in 1:00:04, 4:59/kmI wasn’t looking at my pace and kept the effort very, very easy.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 12.06km
Wednesday 28th December
Swim
50m pool400m warm up,I wasn’t pushing hard, instead concentrating on things my coach told me to be wary of.
8*50m kick w.fins,
20*50m pull off 60”, every 4th one fast (46”, 46”, 44”, 44” & 44”),
100m pull easy,
16*100m off 2:10, (1:44-1:48, getting slower),
200m cool down
Totals: 1.0hrs – 3,700m
Cycle
Turbo10:00 warm up,This was a hard session, probably made harder by the fact that nutrition over the last few days has been dreadful.
20:00 IM effort,
5:00 recovery,
15:00 IM effort,
5:00 recovery,
10:00 IM effort,
10:00 cool down
Totals: 1.5hrs – 41.0km
Thursday 29th December.
Swim
50m pool400m warm up last 100m @ 8 RPE,Another session done at an easy intensity spent focussing on my stroke.
8*50m kick w. fins,
12*200m off 4:00 alt. fs/pull (3:35-3:31 & 3:25 – 3:20),
200m pull easy,
8*50m off 80”, 2nd 25m of each second length fast (22”-23”)
200m cool down
Totals: 1.5hrs – 3,800m
S & C40 minutesI ticked this box for the week, but the gym closed earlier than I was expecting and I had to cut the session short.
Totals: 0.5hrs – n/a
Friday 30th December
Cycle
Turbo10:00 warm up,This was my second time doing this session in three days. My rpm dropped by 1, then 2, then 3 revs over the three efforts. My legs still felt zapped 2½ hours later when I went out for what should have been an easy run.
20:00 IM effort,
5:00 recovery,
15:00 IM effort,
5:00 recovery,
10:00 IM effort,
10:00 cool down
Totals: 1.5hrs – 41.0km
Run
40 minutes easy7.80km in 40:06, 5:08/kmI wasn’t supposed to be worried about the pace, but it felt dreadfully slow all the same.
Totals: 0.5hrs – 7.80km
Saturday 31st December
Run
1 hour 17 minutes w. 4 blocks of increasing pace (5’/3’/2’ @ 5/6/7 RPE),Warm up: 2.62km in 12:01, 4:35/kmI was pleasantly surprised with how well this run went, especially so the final 25 minute, which really were just an easy effort. I happily finished this section with an overall faster pace than the opening 12 minute warm up, which had taken a steady effort to hit the desired pace.
Block 1: 1.18km in 5:00 – 4:15/km, 730m in 2:59 – 4:06/km, 522m in 1:59 – 3:49/km
Block 2: 1.17km in 4:59– 4:16/km, 738m in 3:00 – 4:05/km, 518m in 1:59 – 3:51/km
Block 3: 1.19km in 4:59 – 4:12/km, 496m in 1:59† – 4:01/km, 805m in 3:00† – 3:44/km
Block 4: 1.18km in 5:03 – 4:11/km, 758m in 2:59 – 3:57/km, 522m in 1:59 – 3:51/km
25 minutes easy: 5.48km in 25:00, 4:33/km
Totals: 17.92km in 1:17:04, 4:18/km
† I got the 2 and 3 minute intervals mixed up here.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 17.92km
Run
60 minutes steady13.12km in 1:00:03, 4:34/kmI felt I was moving well for the effort I put in. It’s my first double run day in a long time and I wonder if the run earlier in the day made this seem easier.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 13.12km
Sunday 1st January
Cycle
Long cycle with combined 60 minutes in Z4 & Z5106.71km in 3:50:42, 27.8km/hr, + 3km not recordedI drank a bit too much last night and if it wasn’t the 1st January, there’s a good chance this session would have been done on the turbo. But the mantra of ‘begin the year as you mean to go on’ meant I found the resolve to go outside. The efforts were meant to be done during the second half of a four hour ride, but this would have meant doing them in the dark. I wasn’t too keen on this and setting out, I wasn’t even sure if I’d even get close to 4 hours outside. The gods weren’t cooperating during what were meant to be the harder efforts, so the corresponding speeds don’t look right, but the requisite effort was always put in and I was pleased to hold the speeds I did. No records were set, but I’m happy with how this went. I managed 4 hours and it felt like a good start to what will hopefully be my most successful year in triathlon.
30 minute warm up @ 30.4km/hr
Z5 effort: 7.64km in 15:01, 30.5km/hr, 45m gain & 4m loss
Z4 effort: 8.23km in 14:58, 33.0km/hr, 29m gain & 74m loss
16 minute easy @ 24.5km/hr
Z5 effort: 7.72km in 15:01, 30.8km/hr, 70m gain & 35m loss
Z4 effort: 8.38km in 15:03, 33.4km/hr, 5m gain & 35m loss
2 hours 4 minutes steady @ 25.5km/hr
Totals: 4.0hrs – 109.71km
Weekly Totals;
Swim: 3.0hrs – 7,500m
Bike: 10.0hrs – 275.71km
Run: 5.0hrs – 62.73km
Other: 0.5hrs
0 -
Racing Naas sun?0
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rodneyr1981 wrote: »Racing Naas sun?
No. It's a grand race, but for one reason or another I haven't done it in years. This Sunday it's because Dunboyne AC want me to run in the Leinster Masters XC the same day. Well that and I'd never planned to race Naas anyway, and as of now I've no plans to do any duathlon anywhere in fact.0 -
Monday 2nd January
Swim
50m pool200m warm up,I wasn’t looking at the clock, but it felt like I was moving well.
6*50m kick w. fins,
100m as 25 front scull/25 fs,
3 sets of {500m steady w. 20m max effort every 100m & 100m easy},
300m cool down
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,700m
Run
80 minutes basic progression1) 2.03km in 10:01 – 4:56/km,This was on the usual loop I use for all my nightly runs when I am down in Roscrea. The start of the two blocks that called for an increase in pace fell at nice times, as they both happened on downhill stretches. This enabled me start off at a pace above what I was aiming to hold and I finished off both efforts comfortably inside my target paces. These runs need to start feeling like a piece of p!ss though and that wasn’t the case today.
2) 7.60km in 35:00 – 4:36/km,
3) 5.63km in 25:04 – 4:27/km,
4) 2.10km in 9:57 – 4:44/km
Total) 17.37km in 1:20:03 – 4:36/km,
Totals: 1.5hrs – 17.37km
Tuesday 3rd January
Cycle
2 hours steady58.39km in 2:00:00, 29.2km/hr, 182m gainI did this cycle from Roscrea to Nenagh along the old N7, it’s 90% uphill out of Roscrea and the North Tipp Co. Council seem to have laid the hard shoulder with the intention of providing as much rolling resistance as possible to cyclists. The road smooths out once you cross the border into Offaly, but it’s very annoying up to then and almost infuriating when it’s combined with a headwind, which was the case today. I was quicker over the second half of this ride, but this was down to the tailwind I now had rather than any extra effort I put in.
Totals: 2.0hrs – 58.39km
Run
50 minutes easy10.57km in 50:02, 4:44/kmI was supposed to swim this evening, but I was still down in Roscrea and my experiences of swimming in the local leisure centre are mostly negative, so I swapped it around with an easy run that was scheduled for tomorrow.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 10.57km
Wednesday 4th January
Cycle
3 hours steady (This was the plan at least.)97.07km in 3:40:43, 26.9km/hr, 697m gainI hadn’t ridden in any sort of mountains for quite a while and I decided today was the day to rectify this. The mountains of choice were the Slieve Blooms. The climbs aren’t as tough as Wicklow, nor the descents as tricky, but they are all I have within riding distance of my home and to be honest I wouldn’t have fancied anything more challenging anyway.
Hour 1) 29.24km in 1:00:03, 29.1km/hr, 127m gain & 106m loss,
Hour 2) 22.11km in 0:59:59, 22.1km/hr, 359m gain & 404m loss,
Hour 2) 29.55km in 1:00:00, 29.6km/hr, 93m gain & 114m loss,
Finish) 16.25km in 0:40:41, 24.0km/hr, 119m gain & 73m loss
The weather wasn’t too bad starting off, but by the time I got the mountains it had started to rain. It wasn’t that heavy though and I was well wrapped up, so I wasn’t going to be soaked. It was foggy at the top of the mountain and visibility was poor. Combined with the slick surface, it made for a cautious descent. I wasn’t going to make up any of the time I had lost climbing and I felt a strong sense of déjà vu of ‘The Lost Sheep’ last September. Thankfully I’d more on than a skimpy tri-suit and today’s slow process of descending had no impact on my position in a race. Still I wasn’t particularly enjoying things and the sooner the road levelled out, the happier I’d be. When this did happen, I arrived in the village of Kinnitty.
Planning to get through the three hours without taking any calories on board, I’d set out without fuel. I scrapped this idea when I got into Kinnitty. Along with water, I’d always planned stopping for, I bought a sports drink and a Snickers and stopped at an old country shop. I consumed both outside the shop and hopped back on my bike in slightly better mood thanks to the sugary pick me up.
From here, it was simply cycle to Birr, then turn onto the N62 and I’d be on the road home. I was rolling along nicely when I saw a sign for Kilcormac. I thought I’d be a little bit short of my three hour target if I just went straight for Birr, so I took the turn for Kilcormac with the intention of getting back on the road to Birr once I got there. I seriously underestimated the distance this was going to add to my cycle and when I reached my initial three hour target, I was only after getting out of Birr and still over 10 miles from Roscrea.
Not that I was working overly hard, but I couldn’t have been arsed carrying on pedalling at the same intensity and after pressing the lap button on my Garmin for a third time, I eased up and pedalled on home at a much more leisurely pace.
Totals: 3.5hrs – 97.07km
Swim
25m pool400m warm up,After finishing my cycle, grabbing something to eat and rather hurriedly packing my car, I drove back up to Dublin. Had Peter Kern’s swim sessions not being starting back up early tomorrow morning, I would have left it until the morning and endured the trials and tribulations that can sometimes come with swimming in Roscrea Leisure Centre. I knew a 130km drive on top of the 100km cycle wouldn’t have me in much humour for anything overly taxing. To even work up the enthusiasm to switch on my ignition, I planned out a very easy set in my head. Not having a swim to dread, kept me in reasonable humour throughout the lonely drive back up. It was late enough when I started, so the pool was quiet and I had the lane to myself.
10*200m pull off 3:50 (3:25-3:30),
100m fs easy,
8*50m alt. easy/fast (43”, 43”, 42”, 41”),
100m cool down
Totals: 1.0hrs – 3,000m
Thursday 5th January
a.m.
Swim
25m pool, coached session400m warm up,I used a pull buoy for a lot of the stuff today. The reason being; I’d what I considered a much more important cycle to do later on. I moved fast on occasion, but without ever having to gasp for air at the end of a length.
6*75m building,
100m drills,
8*75m as 25 sprint/25 steady/25 sprint,
100m paddles & pull buoy,
6*150m as 50 fast/50 easy/50 fast,
50m easy,
400m fast,
50m easy,
9*50m mix of fast & easy,
50m fast (Peter assessing my poor mechanics)
Totals: 1.5hrs – 3,550m
p.m.
Cycle
3:15 w. 30’ @ 5 RPE & 4 x 8’ @ 7 RPE94.19km in 3:16:42, 28.7km/hr, 289m elev. gainIn my hurry to get back up to Dublin last night, I’d forgotten to pack a couple of things. One of these was a pair of winter cycling boots. However well I would have managed until I was back home without the other forgotten odds and ends, there was no way I was undertaking any January cycling in anything other than Gore-Tex boots. After Peter’s swim, I went for breakfast in Java in Ballycoolin with other members of the swim group. When rush hour was over, I made the return trip to Roscrea. Doing the cycle here would give me more daylight to play with than had I waited until I had driven back up to Dublin. Plus, the stretch of the old N7 between Nenagh and Borris-in-Ossory (which conveniently bypassed Roscrea before the M7 motorway was built) was ideal for the session I had planned.
Efforts;
1) 16.17km in 29:59, 32.4km/hr, 51m gain & 68m loss,
2) 4.16km in 8:01, 31.1km/hr, 14m gain & 7m loss,
3) 4.40km in 7:59, 33.2km/hr, 17m gain & 5m loss,
4) 4.20km in 7:59, 31.7km/hr, 10m gain & 17m loss,
5) 4.16km in 8:01, 34.3km/hr, 16m gain & 8m loss,
I pretty much just said hello to my mother, took my bike out of the car, went up to my room, put on my cycling boots and started the cycle. I hadn’t been particularly looking forward to this session from when I’d seen it loaded on Training Peaks at the start of the week. The four 8 minute efforts were to be done at above ironman intensity, which on my tri-bike in the summer months would yield me an average speed of about 37.5kph. Not having cycled this fast under my own exertions for a long time, I found it pretty daunting.
Anyway, when it came time to do the efforts, I did a U-turn and switched direction for each alternate one. None of them seemed any easier than the last and I finished all four with a feeling of failure. It would be easy look for excuses; winds that never seemed to be in my favour, lumpy surface, climbs that came at precisely the wrong moment, but it’s no coincidence I only remember these things when I’m struggling. My legs were jaded and I simply had nothing to give.
This certainly wasn’t the best session I’ve ever done. The cumulative effects of 260km of cycling in the previous four days had obviously taken its toll. Part of me wonders might it have been different had I followed my coach’s plan exactly to the letter, by not swapping around the midweek run and swim, and also by not carelessly adding an extra 40 minutes to yesterday’s spin. Neither of these things added too much to my training load, but I think the whole week’s training was all leading up to this session and I made a balls of it.
Totals: 3.5hrs – 94.19km
Friday 6th January
Day Off
This wasn’t a rest day as such. I’d a night out in Galway planned with college friends and told my coach to factor this in. I was supposed to swim, but procrastination put paid to that. Rather than stressing about fitting in the session and trying to make it to Heuston for a 1 o’clock train, I postponed the swim until tomorrow, which was intended as my rest day.
Saturday 7th January
Swim
50m pool200m warm up,Yesterday’s postponed session done a day late
400m as 25 one arm/25 fs,
3*800m steady, (#1 pull, #2 fs, #3 pull),
300m cool down
I was still hungover from my night out in Galway and to make things easier I wore buoyancy shorts. I wasn’t feeling in the groove and every length got more and more arduous.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 3,300m
Sunday 8th January
Run
1 hour 15 minutes with four 10 minute blocks of increasing paceWarm up: 2.59km in 12:03, 4:39/km77.8kg showing on the scales this morning shocked me into getting out the door without a bite to eat. Overall, I was slightly slower than for the exact same run last week, but the faster parts were faster. This was probably more due to poor judgement and the fright my weight this morning (exactly three months and a day from Rotterdam Marathon) had given me. The run was okay considering everything, and no way will I allow myself get this heavy again until I’ve raced in Kona. After that, all bets are off.
Block 1: 1.19km in 4:58 – 4:11/km, 741m in 2:58 – 4:01/km, 530m in 2:00 – 3:46/km
Block 2: 1.18km in 4:59– 4:13/km, 742m in 3:00 – 4:03/km, 529m in 2:00 – 3:48/km
Block 3: 1.18km in 4:58 – 4:13/km, 496m in 2:59 – 4:03/km, 527m in 2:00 – 3:47/km
Block 4: 1.19km in 4:59 – 4:12/km, 765m in 2:59 – 3:54/km, 549m in 2:03 – 3:44/km
Cool down: 5.39km in 25:19, 4:41/km
Totals: 17.83km in 1:17:23, 4:20/km
Totals: 1.5hrs – 17.83km
Run
60 minutes steady12.98km in 1:00:03, 4:38/kmMy legs were heavy and much like yesterday’s swim, this felt like a chore.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 12.98km
Weekly Totals;
Swim: 4.5hrs – 12,550m
Bike: 9.0hrs – 249.65km
Run: 5.0hrs – 58.75km
Other: 0.0hrs
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Monday 9th January
a.m.
Run
75 minutes basic progression1) 2.01km in 10:01 – 4:59/km,I slept poorly and the weather wasn’t great. I felt slow and fat, and this was not the most invigorating start to a Monday morning in January.
2) 6.42km in 30:15 – 4:42/km,
3) 5.56km in 25:06 – 4:31/km,
4) 1.95km in 9:34 – 4:57/km
Total) 15.93km in 1:15:02 – 4:43/km
Totals: 1.5hrs – 15.93km
p.m.
Swim
25m pool – coached session400m warm up,I felt like the main work had been done after the 32*50 set and thinking ahead to the next couple of days, I decided to use a pull buoy for the set of 200s.
32*50m off 60”, (desc. 1-4) x 8 (Approx; 50”-51”, 47”-48”, 43”-44”, 41”-42”),
100m easy,
3*200m pull off 3:45, desc. 1-3 (3:30, 3:20, 3:10),
6*25m off 40”, alternating easy/fast, #1 & 2 pull, #3 & 4 fs, #5 & 6 pull,
75m cool down
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,925m
Tuesday 10th January
a.m.
Swim
50m pool200m warm up,I felt okay at times and not so hot at others, but I was never struggling and was pleased I made all of the times.
8*100m off 2:05, desc. 1-4 & 5-8 (Approx.; 1:50, 1:47, 1:44, 1:42),
8*50m w. 10” rest as 50 one arm/50 kick/50 pull/50 fs,
3*100m off 2:00 (1:48 approx.),
50m easy,
3*100m off 1:55 (1:45 approx.),
50m easy,
3*100m off 1:50 (1:40 approx.),
50m easy,
3*100m off 1:45 (1:37 approx.),
250m cool down
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,800m
p.m.
Cycle
Turbo10:00 warm up,Each effort began with a twenty second max effort. I thought I managed this well for the very first one, but I started to struggle midway through the first effort and I had to switch it down a gear to maintain my cadence. With nothing more to give, I used this easier gear for the other two efforts. My power was definitely down on last week, but I wasn’t able to do much about it.
20:00 IM effort,
5:00 recovery,
15:00 IM effort,
5:00 recovery,
10:00 IM effort,
10:00 cool down
Totals: 1.5hrs – 40.0km
Wednesday 11th January
a.m.
Swim
50m pool5*200m as 50 swim/50 kick/50 pull/50 swim w. 10” rest,I’d no sense of urgency when I was doing the set of 200s and the times reflect this. I wanted an easy morning though, as I’d a tough run session to do in the evening. Thinking like this affected the mind set I started off with, and perhaps it didn’t help me when I tried to hit “fast” times for the 50s.
50m easy,
4*200m pull off 4:00 (3:23-3:30),
16*50m off 65”, # 4, 8, 12 & 16 fast (45”, 44”, 44” & 43”),
50m easy
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,700m
p.m.
Run
45 minute split tempoWarm up: 2.73km in 12:00, 4:24/km,I did this session planning to hit :40/km pace for the tempo paced sections. My tempo pace really should be faster, but I didn’t feel in shape for anything quicker. Because of this, I allowed myself a slightly less strenuous target. The initial 20 seconds hard at the start of each effort pushed me into the red and I found it hard to settle into my tempo pace after them. I would have loved a short recovery instead of the 3 minutes 40 seconds of hard work I was asked to do. It’s going to help prep me for racing though, so I just need to suck it up.
Effort 1: a) 110m in 20.4”, 3:12/km, b) 1.04km in 3:41, 3:39/km
Recovery: 210m in 59”, 4:39/km,
Effort 2: a) 110m in 20.8”, 3:06/km, b) 1.00km in 3:39, 3:40/km
Recovery: 220m in 59”, 4:28/km,
Effort 3: a) 120m in 21.3”, 2:56/km, b) 0.99km in 3:39, 3:41/km
Recovery: 210m in 59”, 4:42/km,
Effort 4: a) 110m in 20.5”, 3:08/km, b) 1.00km in 3:39, 3:39/km
Recovery: 200m in 59”, 4:56/km,
Effort 5: a) 110m in 20.7”, 3:28/km, b) 1.04km in 3:40, 3:38/km
(Avg. for efforts: a) 3:10/km & b) 3:38/km
Cool down: 1.94km in 9:48, 5:03/km
Totals: 11.11km in 45:50, 4:08/km
Totals: 1.0hrs – 11.01km
S & C1 hour approximately – usual exercisesTotals: 1.0hrs – n/a
Thursday 12th January
a.m.
Swim
25m pool, coached session100m warm up,I felt like I made progress at today’s session. After about 20 minutes, Peter gave me a few pointers on where my stroke starts to break down. He’s me telling me this for a long time, but how he explained it today finally made sense. He was happy with how I swam afterwards. It's a bit too early to say if this was an epiphany and it was easier focus on his advice with the broken up easy/fast nature of the sets we had to do. Old habits die hard though and 3.8k is a long time to stay focused. But today, at least, I felt the benefit of the changes he suggested. Hopefully it's a step in the right direction.
150m sculling,
12*50m off 65”, {#1, #2 fast & #3 easy} x 4 (Times for fast 50s approx.: 42”-43”),
400m pull fast,
200m easy,
8*75m as 25 fast/25 easy/25 fast, w. 25” rest,
100m easy,
300m w. band,
100m cool down
Totals: 1.5hrs – 3,250m
p.m.
Cycle
Turbo1 hour steady w. 5 x 30 seconds @ >120rpm every 10 minutesThis was a straightforward session, reduced to one hour on account of an upcoming race on Sunday.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 28.0km
Friday 13th January
a.m.
Rest
p.m.
Swim
25m pool – coached session400m warm up,The plan for the set of 100s was to descend through them as three sets of three, three separate times. We were due a break in between each set, so it sounded very doable. I managed to swim each of the first three 100s getting progressively quicker. It was an improvement of about 3 seconds each time (circa 1:37, 1:34 & 1:31) and with sufficient recovery I felt confident of repeating this for the other two sets. Others in the pool seemed to misunderstand the instructions though and pushed off for the 4th 100 without taking a break. After this mistake, the subsequent 100s were swum straight through. I was the slowest of the swimmers doing this set and as the golden rule in group swimming decrees the leader is always right, I had to push off as well. From here, my objective became to simply finish with enough time to spare that’d I’d get adequate rest for the next rep. I was holding 1:33-1:34, which on paper looks okay, but it didn’t feel that way. Perhaps looking at the faster swimmers who were well rested by the time I finished made things seem worse than they were.
16*25m off 45”, every 4th one fast,
50m easy,
5*200m off 3:40 (3:25 typically, but #4 was 3:20 which was almost inexplicable),
50m easy,
9*100m off 1:40 (Approx.: 1:33-1:34)
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,800m
Saturday 14th January
Cycle
Turbo2 hours steadyI really should have gone outside for this, but I made lots of excuses not to, all of them borne out of pure laziness. Anyway it was a solid effort and in the long term not going outside today won’t matter. I just need to be wary it doesn’t become a habit.
Totals: 2.0hrs – 55.0km
Run
40 minutes easy7.71km in 40:02, 5:12/kmThis was very easy indeed and I started so late, I was giving serious thought to scrapping it altogether.
Totals: 0.5hrs – 7.71km
Sunday 15th January
Run
Warm up5km w. 4 x 20 second hill sprintsRace
Leinster XC Masters - Dunboyne6.23km in 21:44, 3:29/kmI was asked to run this a week ago by Dunboyne AC. It’s the last time for a while I think I’ll be able to stray from my program and I was happy to oblige.
Kilometre splits: 1) 3:17, 2) 3:25, 3) 3:29, 4) 3:33, 5) 3:39, 6) 3:35, 7) 230m @ 3:23/km
Any cross country race I’ve ever done has been tough and I’ve been just willing them to end from almost as soon as they start. This one wasn’t any different. I didn’t recognise any runners I’d be able to pace off and just took to the start with a ‘wait and see’ approach.
It didn’t start as quickly as the last two cross country races I did and while I knew I was never going to overtake the leaders, the front pack didn’t split for a few minutes. I tried to maintain contact with these runners for as long as possible. Gaps were starting to appear and I did my best not to end up in one of the groups that was cut adrift.
I had to put in a few surges to prevent this happening, but in the end I was unable to stay with the front pack of 20 or so runners and I found myself on my own after the first of three laps were completed. I was exposed to the wind and between this and everything else I was slowly worn down.
Catching anybody ahead of me was very unlikely and I kept plodding on hoping the people I had passed in those ultimately futile earlier surges wouldn’t repass. I slowed bit by bit though and three or four people went by me on the last lap. I couldn’t match their pace for any length of time and I just kept my fingers crossed that there wouldn’t be too many more going past me.
I heard the MC announce the leaders were 800m from the finish and I reckoned I had to push now or I’d lose more positions. I found something from somewhere and managed to pick it up slightly for the last 1.2km, and crossed the line with respectively only 2 & 3 seconds to spare over two faster finishing pursuers.
It didn’t feel like a great race for me, but cross country is definitely not my forte and it was a useful blowout if nothing else.
Cool down2.5km easyTotals: 1.0hrs – 12.98km
Run9.75km in 41:41, 4:16/kmBetween this and that, about an hour had gone by between me finishing the race and starting this run. I would have preferred had they happened closer together, but 10m into this run, I still knew I was just after doing a race. I was happy with the pace I held for the effort I put in, on what were at least somewhat tired legs.
Totals: 0.5hrs – 9.75km
Weekly Totals;
Swim: 5.5hrs – 14,475m
Bike: 4.5hrs – 125.55km
Run: 4.5hrs – 58.23km
Other: 1.0hrs0 -
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Good progress recently with the swimming, well deserved given the effort you put in for the past few years.0
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