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I Am the Master of My Fate
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Monday 14th August
Run
1 hour w. 3 blocks of progression @{5' @ <4:00/km, 3' @
:45/km, 2' @ :30\km}
14.70km in 1:00:12, 4:06/kmI haven't coped very well recently when I have been asked to run top speeds in training, so I was a little bit trepidatious about this run. My nerves turned out to be unfounded and I was well under my target paces throughout. Perhaps they were a bit soft, but I expect to get faster over the next few weeks and I'll be more ambitious the next time I'm given a similar session.
Blocks of progression;
Block 1;
1) 1.31km in 5:01, 3:48/km,
2) 832m in 3:01, 3:37/km,
3) 622m in 2:01, 3:15/km,
Block 2;
4) 1.31km in 5:01, 3:48/km,
5) 856m in 3:01, 3:31/km,
6) 603m in 2:01, 3:20/km,
Block 3;
7) 1.32km in 5:01, 3:48/km,
8) 854m in 3:00, 3:31/km,
9) 622m in 2:01, 3:21/km,
Totals: 1.0hrs - 14.70km
Cycle
Touring bike - 2 hours steady55.49km in 2:01:59, 27.3km/hr, 460m elev. gainI took out my steel frame touring bike for this cycle. I haven't ridden it in a few years and it took a bit of TLC before I deemed it was roadworthy. The bike felt like a real pig of a yoke, but my average speed wasn't bad considering what I was riding and also the fact I was wearing runners.
Totals: 3.0hrs - 55.49km
Swim
25m pool - coached session13*50m off 60", #5, 9 & 13 fastI was meant to be aiming for 3:15 for the two 200s at the end, but I failed miserably for the first one and didn't even come in under 3:30 for the second one. I guess coming at the very end of a total of four hours training for the day, my energy reserves were empty. At least that's what I'm hoping is true.
16*100m as 4 sets of {4*100m off 1:45, desc. 1-4}
50m easy,
2*200m off 3:30
I was also just after driving up from Roscrea to Dublin and was swimming within 5 minutes of getting out of my car, so I wouldn't have had the best of lead ins either.
Totals: 1.0hrs - 2,700m
Tuesday 15th August
Swim
25m pool, coached session
No details recorded for this.
Totals: 1.5hrs - 3,800m
Run
1½ hours steady w. two sets of 4*20" hill sprints into 40' @ 3RPE, then 20' @ 4RPE18.49km in 1:17:55", 4:12/kmThe path I used for the hill sprints wasn't long enough for 20 seconds of sustained sprinting, but once I'd done the first one, I thought for comparison's sake I needed to do the rest of them on the same hill. I walked back down as recovery and was glad to see my pace didn't drop off from the first to the last rep in either set.
Warm up) 2.45km in 10:05, 4:07/km,
Hill sprints; set 1) 1) 111m in 20.98", 3:09/km, 2) 115m in 20.70", 2:59/km, 3) 109m in 20.65", 3:08/km, 4) 114m in 20.22", 2:58/km,
Recovery) 1.01km in 5:02, 4:57/km,
Warm up) 2.45km in 10:05, 4:07/km,
Hill sprints; set 2) 1) 116m in 21.82", 3:07/km, 2) 110m in 20.42", 3:06/km, 3) 111m in 20.13", 3:08/km, 4) 112m in 19.82", 2:57/km,
3 RPE) 9.29km in 40:01, 4:18/km,
4 RPE) 4.84km in 20:01, 4:08/km
Once these efforts were finished, I stayed on grass. I was targetting <4:30/km and <4:15/km pace for the two separate segments. In my enthusiasm to log two good run days in a row, I might have been pushing just a bit harder than 3 RPE and then 4 RPE, but it was never difficult and I could have easily given a bit more had it been required.
Totals: 1.5hrs - 18.49km
Cycle
Road bike - 60 minutes steady28.75km in 59:52, 28.8km/hr, 65m elev. gain
I got off to a very slow start, getting less than 4km covered in the first 10 minutes. I was on my road bike though and started my watch on a stretch of windy, lumpy country road and into a headwind to boot, so there are a few reasons for that embarrassing stat.
Totals: 3.5hrs - 103.50km
Wednesday 16th August
Cycle
Road Bike - 3 hours steady86.10km in 3:03:31, 28.1km/hr, 202m elev. gainIt was a windy old day. I'd nearly go so far as to say it was very windy. Garmin Connect also tells me it was raining, but I don't remember if I got wet or not.
Totals: 3.0hrs - 86.10km
Run
45 minutes steady w. first 15' @ IM Pace (<4:12/km)10.99km in 45:02, 4:06/kmThe first 15 minutes, when I was meant to be working hardest, were into a headwind, so I pushed harder to compensate. Perhaps I could have backed off, but I've never been afraid of running too fast before and not that I think there's a hope of it happening, but if 3:57/km ends up being my IM run pace in Kona, I won't complain. After the opening 15 minutes, I backed off. Anything between 4:15-4:30/km would have been sufficient, but unless I had started walking, this just wasn't going to happen. But I guess it's a nice complaint to say I wasn't capable of running slowly.
Splits;
1) 3.80km in 15:01, 3:57/km
2) 7.19km in 30:02, 4:11/km
This was the third day in a row, I felt I ran well. One month out from the Lost Sheep and things seem to be coming together with my run at least. Iv'e still a bit to go to hit optimal racing weight, but there's plenty to be positive about.
Totals: 1.0hrs - 10.99km
Thursday 17th August
Swim
25m pool, coached session
We did more open water practice today, with the lane ropes removed and Peter having us swimming in packs around buoys strategically placed in the pool.
We finished with 8*25m sprints.
Totals: 1.5hrs - 3,300m
Cycle
3 hours 15 minutes w. 30' Sub IM & 4 x 8' Olympic Efforts}105.03km in 3:10:57, 33.0km/hr, 579m elev. gainI hit the speeds I wanted to hit and this certainly felt like good work.
Sub IM Effort:
17.68km in 30:03, 35.3km/hr, 80m gain & 64m loss,
Olympic Efforts;
1) 5.57km in 8:02, 41.2km/hr, 4m gain & 19m loss,
2) 4.96km in 8:00, 37.2km/hr, 27m gain & 8m loss,
3) 5.34km in 8:01, 39.9km/hr, 27m gain & 40m loss,
4) 5.48km in 8:00, 41.2km/hr, 8m gain & 48m loss,
Totals) 21.35km in 32:04, 40.0km/hr, 66m gain & 95m loss
Totals: 3.5hrs - 105.03km
Friday 18th August
Run
40 minutes easy7.57km in 40:02, 5:17/kmTotals: 2.0hrs - 27.68km
Swim
50m pool400m warm up,This was all done a at a very easy pace.
10*100m kick w. fins,
400m one arm drills,
400m more drills,
2*400m paddles & pull buoy
I'm happy with where my cycle and run are, I've given up all hope of doing a sub 60 swim in Kona. I've done nothing in training to suggest I'll be even close and I'm sort of now operating under the assumption that swimming hard every session is no longer going to bring me on. I'll push hard when I'm asked to at the three weekly coached sessions I'm going to, but aside from those most of the swimming I do on my own will just be steady paced stuff. Whether this approach is going to work out for me or not, I don't know, but at least it will leave me fresher for the other training I do.
Totals: 1.0hrs - 3,000m
Saturday 19th August
Cycle
4 hours w. 4 x 20' climbing106.75km in 3:53:57, 27.4km/hr, 1,774m elevation gainI drove to Laragh and parked there to do this cycle in the Wicklow Mountains. The three hill climbs were from Laragh up the Wicklow Gap. Just to add an extra bit of a challenge, the wind was against me most of the way up. My recoveries were simply rolling back down to Laragh. Unfortunately I went into a small speed wobble on the first of these descents that put the sh!ts up me and seriously affected my confidence on the next two descents.
Climbs;
1) 5.70km in 19:40, 17.4km/hr, 291m gain & 0m loss
2) 5.72km in 19:59, 17.1km/hr, 293m gain & 0m loss
3) 5.54km in 19:58, 16.6km/hr, 283m gain & 6m loss(not sure how the elevation loss happened)
Totals: 4.0hrs - 106.75km
Run
60 minutes steady off bike14.09km in 1:00:03, 4:16/kmAs I was parked up in Laragh, I went for this run there. The change of scenery made it far less boring than the roads around Ratoath, that I'm frankly sick to death of. It was a hillier route than I'm used to well, so that added to the variety. As I've been doing for a lot of my runs of lately, I got well layered up and this ensured I was adequately uncomfortable and sweating sufficiently. My average pace over the first 30 minutes was 4:19/km, which fell to 4:12/km during the second half of the run. I hope this is a sign that I'll be able to cope with the loss of fluids I'll have to deal with in Hawaii.
Totals: 1.0hrs - 14.09km
Sunday 20th August
Run
2 hours progression; 90' @ 3 RPE & 30' @ 4 RPE28.09km in 2:00:03, 4:16/kmI met one of my Kona bound club mates in the Phoenix Park for this. We went outside the walks and up Konckmaroon Hill twice. It an absolute b@stard of a climb, but he says it's a nice taster of what Palani Road will be like over in Kona.we ran together for the first hour and a half, but when it came to the last half hour fast, he took off at what he told me afterwards was 3:53/km pace. I didn't want to be running that fast, so I just let him off when I realised he wasn't going to slow down. I say that and while it's true I wasn't aiming to run any faster than 4:00/km, had we been racing each other today, I wouldn't have fancied my chances. Once again I wore way more layers than necessary to continue my heat acclimatisation.
Splits;
1) 20.83km in 1:30:02, 4:19/km,
2) 7.26km in 30:01, 4:08/km
Totals: 2.0hrs - 28.09km
Cycle
Turbo1 hour 10 minutes w. 3 x {10' IM Effort & 5' Recovery}Anything outside of the IM efforts and subsequent recoveries was done at a steady effort. I varied the resistance and cadence during these parts, but kept the intensity the same.
Totals: 1.0hrs - 37.0km
Weekly Totals;
Swim: 5.5hrs - 12,800m
Bike: 13.0hrs - 419.09km
Run: 7.0hrs - 93.93km
Other: 0.0hrs0 -
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I wouldn't expect TI to fund me. Honestly, I'm sure their budget is already stretched enough. Seeing as there are Olympians and potential Olympians struggling to make ends meet, there's hardly going to be too much money left over for the likes of me. Plus when the guys racing at this level are past their best, they're dropped just like that and if they haven't prepared for life after triathlon, they often find themselves in a much worse position financially than when they were receiving support, however meagre that support might have been.
There are actually twenty Irish heading over there this year, so the company I'm in is not all that exclusive. And with no limits on the number that can qualify from one country, costs could start to rise very quickly if TI were to dip into their coffers for Kona bound athletes. Qualifying for Kona as an age grouper is still a hell of a long off being an elite level athlete. It's these guys TI need to look after, not late thirty-somethings with jobs such as myself. There's really no need to feel sorry for me.
But thanks for the well wishes. It's been a long time coming and getting there certainly hasn't been plain sailing. I'm hoping it is the pinnacle of my tri life, but if I go there and don't perform to my potential, it won't feel like that.
Well that's a good attitude.
I wasn't feeling sorry for you really, more kind of thinking how there is shag all money put into anything sporty in this country.
I know only too well what kind of pittance they give athletes. When you look at the funding the likes of Fionnuala Mc Cormack gets in comparison to elite British runners for example.
You really shouldn't undersell yourself though, most 9 to 5ers could not possibly do the training and qualify for a Championship in their lifetime...especially aul lad nearly 40
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Well that's a good attitude.
I wasn't feeling sorry for you really, more kind of thinking how there is shag all money put into anything sporty in this country.
I know only too well what kind of pittance they give athletes. When you look at the funding the likes of Fionnuala Mc Cormack gets in comparison to elite British runners for example.
You really shouldn't undersell yourself though, most 9 to 5ers could not possibly do the training and qualify for a Championship in their lifetime...especially aul lad nearly 40
9 to 5?? You know he's a teacher, right?
Bon voyage Alan, I hope it lives up to your expectations.0 -
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I'll be off in Hawaii when they start back up and not sure I'll be straight back into them in November. I'm going to miss the dynamic of these group sessions over the next two weeks. If you're reading this Mark, thanks for your help over the last few years. It remains to be seen how I'll swim in Kona, but your coaching has definitely brought me on.
Hey Alan
A public place to pass along the following but seems apt.
The journey you've been on over the years since returning from Thailand has been a pleasure to be part of. You're where you are now because you don't just show up at sessions to fill in the hours or make up the numbers. You show up each and every time to improve, to take what you can from each session from the coach and the sets given as I've no doubt you did when attending Peters swim sessions.
Take the time to sit somewhere over there if you haven't already. Savor the sounds, the smells, the views of the sea and the Island - you've earned the right to be there but don't just make up the numbers on race day. Show up Alan
and execute the swim and all the rest as you know you can.
Enjoy, a pleasure to have been able to witness you're progress over years of hard work.0 -
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