Time for a New Adventure

Neady83

Monday January 16th
AM 45mins Wattbike (22km)
20mins wu with single leg drills
10x (30secs sprint off 30sec recovery)
2x2mins BG efforts
10mins cd
Felt a small niggle in my left knee going up the stairs to the gym so was cautious kicking this off. Felt ok once I’d warmed up.

15mins S&C
Calves & quads

PM wu, 4x200m off 200m rec + 4x400m off 200m rec, cd
Time to start introducing a bit of speed into these legs of mine.
2 miles along the river to wu – left knee niggling a bit at the start but fine after 1 to 2mins so nothing serious I’m guessing. Used the track in Dangan for this one.

4x200m off 200m active recovery
200m splits: 0:51, 0:49, 0:49, 0:48
First one was a bit long, I overshot the line as I wasn’t sure which one was the 200m line on my first pass.

Followed up by 4x400m off 200m active recovery
400m splits: 1:40, 1:42, 1:41, 1:42
2 miles cool down for a total of 6.5miles in 60mins.

Tuesday January 17th
AM 2.8miles @ 9:20/mi (25mins treadmill) (
Warm up before circuits

Circuits: 7 stations @ 3x90secs
1. Walking lunge with band around knees ( shorts were not a good idea). Straight arm & twist & overhead press with 10kg kettle bell
2. Bear crawl forward, backward crawl & a jump
3. Core: Bicycle kick & a dead bug
4. One handed burpees – seriously he must think to himself in the morning, how am I going to get a laugh out of this class.
5. Stability: Box jump & squat
6. Row with 2x8kg kettle bells & swings
7. 1 burpee & 2 dynamic lunges with 2x3kg dumbbells.

Lunch 6.3miles @ 9:29/mi (1hr)
Recovery run around the pitches in Dangan. Took it east but powered up the little inclines to warm up the legs. Nothing much to report but I was a bit bored by this. Miles seemed to be going quite slowly.

PM 90mins Yoga
Breathing exercises including retentions
Sun salutation x 8 + 2 sun salutations holding each pose for 1 minute
Warrior 1, 2 and 3 plus 4 variations on the warrior pose. Very twisty stuff.

Wednesday January 18th
AM 60minutes Wattbike (30km)
10mins wu with drills
5 x 5mins L10 off 5mins steady @ L1

PM 2miles @ 13:15/mi with Kieran
3miles @ 9:24/mi (55mins)
6 x hill repeats: there’s a nice shot sharp hill with a gentle decent on the other side on the trails so I sprinted up this with high knees and down the other side, looped around and took it on again. I’m trying to make every run count in the run up to the Race. Each needs to serve a purpose be is LSR, hills, speed or recovery.

Thursday January 19th
AM 3miles @ 8:35/mi (27mins)
A short progression run on the treadmill to warm me up & loosen out the body. 1% incline all the way.

Circuits: 5 stations @ 4x60secs off 20sec recovery
1. Backward lunges with 2x8kg dumb bells
2. Core: Russian twists with 10kg medicine ball
3. Core: Bicycle kick & a dead bug
4. Russian wood chop with 10kg medicine ball
5. Sun salutation holding each pose for 1minute

Followed it with 15/20 minutes on the wattbike with 30sec sprints after a quick warm up. The trainer never turned up so myself and my friend made this up to fill the hour.

Lunch Progressions run: 3.6miles @ 8:24/mi (30mins)
8:42, 8:35, 7:57, 4:46
Unplanned by too sunny outside not to run. Took myself to the pitches. Lots of runners out today and I used some of them as targets, race style ☺. Lunch earned.

PM Bike/run brick: 75mins Wattbike (39km) + 3.2miles @ 9:25/mi (30mins)
15mins steady (L1 + 90+rpms)
6x (5mins L10M3 @ 65+rpms off 5mins L1 @ 90+rpms)
5mins cd
This was hard, very hard and it hurt but I weirdly enjoyed it and embraced the pain. I really pushed the big gear intervals. I’m much stronger on the bike in the evenings and willing and able to give it more so will make an effort to do one evening sessions a week. Could have eaten a small horse by the time I was finished but alas had to hop on the treadmill.

Straight on the treadie off the bike. Too drowned with sweat to go outside & run – a towel down and quick change of clothes would have solved the problem but I didn’t have them with me. Started at 10:00/mi and moved up 0.1 every 5 minutes to finish on 8:30/mi. Legs felt good and strong especially on the 1% incline.

15mins S&C
Calves, glutes, arms, hip flexors & hamstrings.

Friday January 20th
AM 70mins Wattbike (34km)
Legs felt good when I got out of bed but when I hopped on the bike, oh dear god, the burn. Easy spin, only pushing the legs a bit.

15mins S&C
Followed up with stretching the calves, quads, glutes and hamstrings.

PM 1.4miles @ 12:59/mi with Kieran + 4miles @ 9:26 (56mins)
Did the warm up with Kieran and followed it up with a few easy miles in the dark around the pitches by myself.

Saturday January 21st
19miles LSR @ 9:43/mi (3hrs5mins)
Splits: 10:21, 9:37, 9:22, 9:50, 9:59, 9:59, 9:42, 9:32, 9:45, 9:29, 9:36, 9:23, 9:43, 9:33, 9:53, 9:40, 9:42, 9:44, 9:43
Was late getting out for this, house stuff and bike shopping/fitting took up most of the day so it was 6 when I got out to do this. New bike purchased after much research and negotiation. Have signed up for London-Edinburgh-London in August and need an endurance bike for that so figured now is as good a time as any to get it. Picked up one of last seasons Genesis Datums – sweet bike. Will hopefully have it in my possession by the end of the week.

I was on my own so broke the run into 4 mile sections and went about ticking them off. Was tipping about the pitches for the first 6 miles before doing a few one mile loops of a housing estate Ososlo sytle. Finished off with a few long hills and a run along the prom. Listened to a Fitter Radio podcast on double bike days and superfoods, really took the mind off the miles. Didn’t need any water and fuelled on Powerbar jellies. 2 to start (no lunch so still working off breakfast), 1 @ mile 4, 2 @ mile 8, 2 @ mile 12 & 2 @ mile 16 – walked the 7 or 8 minutes into the housing estate to let the legs recover a bit. Nutrition worked, no tummy issues or toilet stops and the legs felt good.

Sunday January 22nd
2.7miles recovery @ 11:27/mi (30mins)
Easy few miles with Kie, he’s nearly back to 5km.

65mins Wattbike (34km)
Too foggy when I got up this morning to get out on the bike so waited until 3 and it was only getting thicker so I headed for the wattbike in the gym instead. It’s days like these that a turbo would be very handy.
Steady 65mins holding 90+rpms.

Totals for the week:
9.25 hours running (57.6miles)
2.25 hours S&C
5.5 hours Wattbike (167km)
1.5 hours of circuits

Annie get your Run

Another cracking week - did a little google on the bike, very nice indeed, enjoy it

snailsong

googling here too, looks lovely, well wear.

Brilliant week, you have some dedication. Taking on London-Edinburgh-London too, just in case you might be at a loose end:). I'm mad jealous of course.

Ososlo

Neady83 wrote: »

Totals for the week:
9.25 hours running (57.6miles)
2.25 hours S&C
5.5 hours Wattbike (167km)
1.5 hours of circuits

That's some week, Neady! Awesome long run too!

Neady83

Bit of catching up to do

Monday January 24th
AM 75mins Wattbike (38km)
15mins steady (L1 + 90+rpms)
6x (5mins L10M3 @ 65+rpms off 5mins L1 @ 90+rpms)
I wasn’t able to hit the 65rpms on the BG stuff. I find it much tougher to hit the numbers so early in the morning, same effort level but the power isn’t there.

10mins S&C
Calves & quads

PM 60mins Wattbike (31km)
Steady as she goes. 90+rpms.
Found it difficult to get comfy on the saddle and I bonked with 5 mins to go.
I heard a coach discuss double bike days on a podcast at the weekend so I’ve been reading up on the benefits of them. The idea is that you do your sprint or interval session in the morning and a recovery effort or light spin in the evening. By working already tired muscles, the demand on the muscle is transferred to less used muscle fibres – it also trains the body to burn fuel more efficiently. It’s all trial and error for me.

I think my running is ok in terms of distance but I do need to do more work on the bike so it will be interesting to see if this helps. Have a couple of long cycles planned in the next few weeks so I’ll get to test this on the road.

Tuesday January 25th
AM 3.1miles @ 8:35/mi (27mins treadmill)
Warm up before circuits

Circuits: 7 stations @ 4x80secs
1. Squats & bear crawls, all using resistance bands for added pressure
2. Medicine ball slams, burpees & walking planks with a ball underfoot
3. Side shuffle in a squat with a resistance band & throw ball to partner
4. Core: Plank & mountain climbers
5. Stability: Bosu ball jump & squat, backward lunge with kettle bell
6. Squat and press: 2x10kg
7. 30punches & 5 burpees with weights

PM 90mins Yoga
Breathing exercises including retentions
Sun salutation x 8 + 2 sun salutations holding each pose for 1 minute
Stretches using the wall.
Yogie teacher says my body is looking very happy ☺

Wednesday January 26th
AM 65minutes Wattbike (31km)
15mins wu with drills
20 x 30sec sprints @ 90+rpms
I wasn’t able to go all out, in fact, I had to pry myself out of bed. Just not feeling the pep in my step this week.

PM The planned second bike didn’t happen. Went to the dentist at lunch for a filling & he must have used a vile of anaesthetic. Even my ear was numb & everything in work was taking me twice as long to process so late evening in the office & wiped when I eventually got home.

Thursday January 27th
AM Circuits: 8 stations @ 4x100secs off 20sec recovery :O
1. Split squat + 5xthrust 2x5kgs over the head
2. Ropes & 6 power squats
3. Chin-ups & a variation on a push-up
4. Cone shuffles & burpees
5. Pull-ups with 16kg kettle bell
6. Side walking squat with 10kg & resistance band
7. Core: Pike & plank & mountain climbers

Lunch New Bike
Nada, decided to go pick up my shiney new bike ☺

Friday January 28th
Rest & impromptu work trip to Brussels for meetings. 6:20am flight to Brussels meant a 2am rise and shine to get the bus to Dublin airport. Meetings all day, struggled to stay awake let along remain coherent and a late evening flight home followed by bus back to Galway in the wee hours. Great training for sleep deprivation. The first day since some time in November that I have done zero training in a day.

Saturday January 21st
Clare Run Series 5km: 3.1miles @ 8:02/mi (24:49)
When I found out I had to do a round trip to Brussels, I knew this race couldn’t be raced, well it could but after 24hours of sitting and tight calves from wearing heels, racing would only end in tears (and lets face it, I hate racing 5kms). My brother is recovering from a fractured rip and wanted to do this so I stuck with him for this and we jogged around it together. A fantastic crowd, this race series is growing in popularity every year.

Sunday January 22nd
Nothing – the best laid plans. We had hoped to go to Westport early on Sunday but we had an impromptu visit from a homeless German couple and their kids on Saturday. They’ve moved here for 6 months but their accommodation wasn’t ready so it was panic stations to get beds made up for them at ours. By the time we got rid of them on Sunday, it was dark o clock when we got to Westport so no Reek .

Totals for the week:
1 hour running (6.1miles) … hangs head in shame
2 hours S&C
3.25 hours Wattbike (100km)
2 hours of circuits

This was the worst week of training in ages, it started off so well but the week just got away from me. Must try harder.

Neady83

Monday January 30th
The plan was to climb the Reek but I got a call from a devastated and shocked best friend to let me know that her and her husband had just been told that their perfect little 8 month old son had been diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy. The same couple lost a child at birth only 4 years ago. What can you say to a person who’s been dealt this hand. Life is fragile. I dropped Kieran home and went to Portlaoise to give them both a hug and just be there. I didn’t know what else to do.

Tuesday January 31st
Nothing, still in Portlaoise. Training seems frivolous.

Wednesday February 1st
On the road early to get back to Galway for work so didn’t get anything done.

Thursday February 2nd
AM Circuits: 7 stations @ 4x90secs off 20sec recovery
1. Bosu ball slide & side to side jumps
2. Burpees & boxing with weights
3. Kettle bell: 10 swings & 3 overhead presses (16kg)
4. Mountain climbers & pikes with sliders
5. Wall runs & can’t remember the rest
6. Clean & press with 2x7.5kg
7. Ropes & jumping squats
Went to the bathroom after and threw up, nuff said.

PM
Nothing. Another trip to the dentist for a filling and a wisdom tooth extraction. This tooth has been bothering me for a while and since I was half numb already the dentist figured if I was up for it without a general anaesthetic, we’d get it all done in one go. Two more injections and he took to yanking it out. Took a lot of hard work on his part but it came out. Fingers crossed there won’t be sinus issues or an infection to follow.

Friday February 3rd
PM Run/Bike/Run: 22km/65km/16km
I arranged this training session with Rachel and Lonan ages ago – put the feelers out to other peeps to join but nobody wanted in except Frank but he was sick. The original plan was a 140km Connemara night bike followed by the Connemara half marathon route but with me trialling a new bike & the weather conditions forecast we figured a run/bike/run in Galway city, practicing two transitions would serve us better in the long run.

We set up a transition area in my house & got all our gear ready before we headed out around 6pm. I even practiced with the permitted 32l boxes I’ll be using in Donegal.

Run: 13.6miles @ 9:20/mi with 140m elevation (2hrs2mins)
9:21, 8:46, 8:48, 8:40, 9:08, 9:16, 9:32, 9:36, 9:41, 9:23, 9:26, 9:51, 9:36, 9:35
Lonan choose the route and off we went with reflective gear and head torches. The weather was cold and windy with sporadic showers so perfect for trialling our warmer gear for Donegal. We went out around Drum and up Tonabrocky, all country roads with no lighting so a perfect training ground. The pace was fine and we happily chatted away though telling ourselves to cool the pace every now and then. My mouth was giving me a bit of bother at the start because of the cold but thankfully it went away when I pulled the buff over it – probably not the best way to recover from a tooth extraction. The time flew but my stomach was in bits after 6 or 7 miles, the days food was starting to swash around in my tummy and I needed the loo but resisted going. Was so glad to get home to the bathroom and prayed that it would be the last of my tummy problems for the night. No food on this run but two slices of brown bread, butter & jam and 500ml of water in transition.

We set a timer and gave ourselves 10 minutes to head out the door and we did it in 12mins so not so shabby.

Bike: 65km @ 21.5kph (3hours)
I was quite nervous on the new bike & clipped out with the wrong foot (I’m a leftie clipper outer) at the first set of lights we met and nearly toppling over in the process. The plan was steady as she goes and spin the legs on the low ring on the up hills as we’d picked quite a hilly route. The second hill we met and my left calf, sweet baby jesus, the cramp was unbelievable. Managed to spin it out and then the right one went, I’ve never ever had a cramp like this before.

We were only 10km in when my neck and shoulders started to hurt. Rachel and Lonan checked my position & I was leaning way too far forward. The position felt grand cycling around the industrial estate but out on hilly roads I was much too far forward and as uncomfortable as hell. The cycle shop guy had swopped out the 100mm stem for a 70mm but did suggest that I may need a shorter one – he was right. I’ll take it in this week to sort out a few bits. Getting used to the disk brakes was also quite interesting - it was very much the learning curve. Just over 2 hours in and my light battery went dead but I had a spare – swopped it out and what do you know, the spare battery is dead. The cold must have killed it. So I got home on the strength of Rachels light.

Overall, the bike was a great lesson to each of us on gear and equipment. My sealskinz gloves just about kept the cold out but I may team them with a pair of liner gloves in Donegal. I was quite annoyed with the bike, I thought I’d get to test my cycle training but it wasn’t to be because I was uncomfortable from the off.

Food: 2x Eat Natural bars & 500ml of water on the bike. Back to the house at 12am and another quick transition (10minutes).¾ Eat natural bar, 2 powerbar jellies in transition and some water with a zero tablet.

Run: 10miles @ 9:55/mi with 50m elevation (1hr 37)
9:37, 9:31, 10:04, 9:49, 9:47, 9:45, 10:02, 10:14, 10:11, 10:05
We all used our backpacks for this one as we all plan to have the packs on the second run in Donegal. Water and food won’t be supplied on the course so we’ll have to bring it with us.

Lonan and Rachel quickly fell into step together and I was a couple of meters back, I found my own rhythm and stuck with it. It was tough to start out and it did take 4 miles to start to feel normal(?) again. I felt ok on the run, no pain and the legs were tired but I felt I could have shuffled along at this pace for quite a while. I remembered to drink lots of water on the run. Think we were all quite tired when we were done.

Pros, cons, lessons learned:
- I have good reflective gear for the run & bike – head torch is good
- Bike lights – need to figure out how to keep batteries warm. Wear head torch on bike in case the torch doesn’t work.
- Bike fit is so important – If it’s not working on a cycle this weekend I will revert to old bike for the Race. It’s a bit heavier and clunkier but I know it’s comfortable over a long distance.
- I need a mudguard on the back of bike, got saturated from the splash of the back wheel. Will also switch tyres from 32mm to 28mm as the 32mm felt too chunky. Waterproof cycling pants, do these exist?
- I ate too much at the end of the bike and in the bike/run transition and got a stitch on the second run – need to eat every hour on the bike instead of back loading when I feel a bonk coming on.
- Regardless of how warm I feel, always add an extra layer, better to be peeling it off than wanting more.
- I know Donegal will be tough but this has brought home to me just how tough it will be. It will certainly be a case of taking it leg by leg. Pacing will be key. The first half marathon will have to be controlled and no less than 10:00/mi.

Saturday February 4th
Dancing: does that count?
Hen party in Carrick on Shannon …. Does dancing and racing around Carrick trying to find clues to solve the mystery of the grooms kidnapping with little sleep count as recovery?

Sunday February 5th
AM 6.2miles @ 10:04/mi (63mins)
Was awake early so figured I’d do some exploring around Carrick before the rest of the hens woke from their slumber. There was freezing fog so visibility was pretty low and my eyelashes had icicles on them that quickly melted when I finished. It was oh so very cold but a good sightseeing trip.

PM 2miles @ 12:13/mi (24mins)
Recovery run with Kieran when I got back to Galway. He’s confined to running on the track until his injury heals so it served as a good recovery. Followed by an Epsom salt bath as my calves are still tender from the cramping on the bike Friday night.

Totals for the week:
5.5 hours running (33.5miles)
3 hours Cycling (65km)
1 hour of circuits
Not a great week volume wise but hopefully the session on Friday night has stood to me.

annapr

Just catching up here Neady... I was still in awe of your 19miler off no lunch but your other exploits make that look like nothing!

Very sorry to hear about your friend, awful news for them.

Annie get your Run

annapr wrote: »

Just catching up here Neady... I was still in awe of your 19miler off no lunch but your other exploits make that look like nothing!

Very sorry to hear about your friend, awful news for them.

+ 1 to both those comments, news like that puts everything into perspective.

Neady83

Monday February 6th
AM 60mins Wattbike (28km)
Easy spinning, legs still heavy from Friday night.

15mins S&C
Mostly calves as they’re tender from cramping on the bike on Friday night.

PM 6.24miles @ 9:36/mi (60mins)
Handy recovery run after work – happy to have some day light on these runs now. Very wet around the pitches in Dangan, my runners got destroyed.

Tuesday February 7th
AM 1.2miles @ 10:00/mi (12mins)
Dreadmill warm up

Circuits: 7 stations @ 3x90secs
1. Inch worm crawl & walking lunges with weight over head (2x4kg)
2. Core: slider under one foot, arm crawl
3. Russian twist with 5kg & core work on gym ball
4. Core: plank jack & wide mountain climbers with sliders
5. Squat & side way with 10kg & resistance band on thigh
6. Clean & press with 2x10kg kettle bells
7. Core: plank position side shuffles with resistance band at ankle

Lunch 4.5miles @ 10:17/mi (46mins)
This was supposed to be 4x200m & 4x400m but I was feeling a bit sick on the warm up and ended walk/slow jogging around the pitches instead. My tummy just wasn’t up to the job.

PM 90 mins yoga
A different instructor tonight so we did different breathing exercises and the sun salutations were much quicker which I liked. There was much more stretching than relaxing in this one.

Wednesday February 8th
AM 65mins Wattbike (31.5km)
20min wu with drills
20 x (20sec sprint, 90+ rpms, off 40 sec recovery)
20min recovery

20mins S&C

PM Brick: Bike/run: 65mins Wattbike (32.5km) & 3.21miles @ 9:20/mi (30mins)
Wattbike: Steady @ 90+ rpms. Sweatfest
Run: Treadmill, progression run from 10:00/mi to 8:55/mi

Thursday February 9th
AM 1.6miles @ 9:20/mi
Warm-up on the treadmill

Circuits: 7 stations @ 4x90secs off 20sec recovery
1. Bosu ball slide & side to side jumps
2. Burpees & boxing with weights
3. Kettle bell: 10 swings & 3 overhead presses (16kg)
4. Plank with knee raises
5. Wall runs & can’t remember the rest
6. Clean & press with 2x12.5kg
7. Ropes & wall run

PM 5 miles @ 8:57/mi (45mins)
Easy run around the pitches

Friday February 10th
PM 30mins Wattbike (15km)
Easy spinning

15mins S&C
Quads and lower back mostly
Headed for Gweedore in Donegal Friday evening after work to meet up with Rachel, stay at her aunties and take the opportunity to recce some of the course. Rachel came up on Thursday and did Muckish and the second cycle on Friday so was able to talk me through it – we also drove this cycle route. I did Muckish last year so I know the mountain. Gweedore is so very pretty but it is in a land far far away, 5 hours of driving.

Saturday February 11th
Brick: Kayak/bike – Race route recce
Stage 2: Kayak: 10km race route from Ramelton to Rathmullen (1hr 35)
We met some locals who we’d arranged to borrow kayaks off & paddle with and there was no pissing about at 7.30am. We got out of the cars, into the single sit on tops and the guys were gone like the clappers. I was second last in the water – no time for nerves and we were off. I was at the back of the pack (a good bit back) for the 10km and did not stop for a second to even scratch my nose. One of the guys, Damien, kindly stayed alongside me to make sure I was ok. Incidentally he came out of the kayak during the Race last year and was able to assure me that the rib was with him within 2 minutes. It took him 45 minutes to warm up before he got on the bike but ultimately he didn’t finish the race as he had gotten too cold. He’s an accomplished kayaker & a super cyclist so this was interesting to hear.

There was a nice bit of chop so the going was slow but overall the conditions were good – obviously the baltic cold wind wasn’t good but you can only plan for these conditions. I had no feeling in my fingers for the first 45 minutes but the rest of my body was warm. The sunrise was spectacular.

Stage 3: Bike: 110km with 1,100m in 5 hours (21.4kph) [/U]
We transitioned as fast as possible but it still took us 20-25minutes to warm up off the kayaks. Food down the hatch and we were off. About 10 of us left together but Rachel, Damien and I had planned to do 90% of this cycle stage and loop around back to Rathmullen to where we’d parked up. The front group left us after 10km. My new shorter and raised stem felt comfortable but the guys stopped me immediately to raise my saddle. The fit of the bike is just terrible and the saddle, there are no words. I’ve made an appointment to get a proper fit this week.

The cycle … hard, tough, a killer …. :eek::eek::eek:. It’s put a very different perspective on the race. It’s hilly, it’s one long drag after another long drag and there is very little opportunity to build momentum – the kms go so slowly. This coupled with 2.5 degrees and the ferocious wind that was either in our faces or coming at us from the side all day made this very tough. We kept the pace as handy as we could but really we were going as hard as we could or at least I was – I was chasing down Rachel and Damien all day. I spent the day in the small ring but I was still running out of gears close to the top of these mountains.

After doing the coastal loop near downings Damien suggested that we stop at a shop – this will be our last opportunity to stop before hitting for the mammoth climb that is Lough Salt in the Race (noted). We stopped for 10 minutes to refuel and coffee up. The pace or time above doesn’t reflect this stop so the pace was slower when you consider this. I got a new lease of life following this stop & it gave me time to get my head together – a lesson learned – stopping for 10 minutes to refuel will save me time in the long run, not the other way around.

This cycle is spectacular but Rachel and I both agreed that it was difficult to enjoy today while digesting just how difficult this cycle will make the race. This section will make or break me. I will really have to be able to tough it out if I want to get through this and nutrition will be key. I don’t have much of a hunger during these races but I will have to force food into myself whether I like it or not. Today I fuelled on a porridge, quinoa, dried fruit, nuts & almond milk mix in transition & 2xeat natural bars, 1xnakd bar, 1xpowerbar jellies & 1litre of water with a zero tablet with a few crisps for salt at the coffee stop.

We rolled into Rathmullen and wondered how the f**k we’d climb Muckish and do another 70km on the bike after what we just did. We had nicely wind burned faces for the evening and I developed a few sores on my lips from the wind.

Sunday February 12th
Stage 1: Run: 14.15miles @ 9:19/mi (2hrs12mins – 135m)
We got on the road early, left a car at Ramelton, and headed for Gartan, the outdoor centre where the race will start. This is the first section of the race and it’s net downhill but sweet cheeses there’s a lot of uphill. The first mile and a half is practically vertical. We were facing into a head wind the whole way which made the going tougher than normal. The arch on my right foot was hot and I had a sharp pain in it so I switched to the left hand side of the road – I’m hoping it was from the slight tilt in the road surface on the right hand side. Note to self – run in the middle of the road where the ground is even. We got to Ramelton quite tired and contemplated how we’d feel about sitting into a kayak - mixed feelings about that.

We did this following breakfast but without carrying water or fuel with us. We will need fuel and water on this section for the race though or cramping will be an issue on the kayak.

Overall, it was a very worthwhile trip to Donegal. There’s definitely an advantage to seeing the course.

Totals for the week:
5.75 hours running (35.9miles)
8.5 hours Cycling & Wattbike (213km)
2 hours of circuits
1.5 hours kayak
2.25 hours S&C
I’m pretty goosed after the week.

annapr

So, knowing you, I'm assuming that site visit makes you look forward to the Race even more..... ?? :eek: :eek:

Beautiful area but challlenging terrain to say the least.

Neady83

annapr wrote: »

So, knowing you, I'm assuming that site visit makes you look forward to the Race even more..... ?? :eek: :eek:

Beautiful area but challlenging terrain to say the least.

It's absolutely stunning Anna, the coast line is spectacular - I'm sure I could have enjoyed the views more if I wasn't trying to keep the bike upright while whizzing down a hill at a ferocious speed with a side wind trying to knock me over Donegal people, yer made of tough stuff

I won't lie, it has put the sh**s up me, I have no idea where I'll get the mental and physical strength to put all those stages together.

Annie get your Run

Neady83 wrote: »

I
I won't lie, it has put the sh**s up me, I have no idea where I'll get the mental and physical strength to put all those stages together.

You have both those strengths in spades, look back at everything you've achieved to date. #awesome

annapr

Annie get your Run wrote: »

You have both those strengths in spades, look back at everything you've achieved to date. #awesome

+1. So long as the weather gods are kind to you, and even if they aren't you will do it!

Dilbert75

Neady83 wrote: »

I have no idea where I'll get the mental and physical strength to put all those stages together.

Pfft. Have you read your own log?

joey100

That's some serious training Neady! Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get used to the bike fit. Get out on your bike as much as you can before the race, even short spins just to let the body adapt! With all this training though it's not going to be a problem to you.

Bungy Girl

In awe. As always. If I ever feel like I'm doing too much training I pop in here for a reality check !

Very sorry to learn of your friend's sad news. Life doesn't seem fair sometimes.

Neady83

Annie get your Run wrote: »

You have both those strengths in spades, look back at everything you've achieved to date. #awesome

Thanks AM, that's very kind of you. I guess it's the fact that I won't have the lads by my side this time that's worrying me. I always felt I couldn't let them down and they pulled me through the tough periods. This is a bit of a step into the unknown.

annapr wrote: »

+1. So long as the weather gods are kind to you, and even if they aren't you will do it!

Thanks Anna, I fully intend putting the Child of Prague out the couple of nights before I hit for Donegal, I assume the same principle applies to long races as weddings

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Pfft. Have you read your own log?

Thanks C Yea, I need to have a bit more confidence in myself.

Bungy Girl wrote: »

In awe. As always. If I ever feel like I'm doing too much training I pop in here for a reality check !

Cheers BG, it's no XC though, that's hard core.

Neady83

joey100 wrote: »

That's some serious training Neady! Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get used to the bike fit. Get out on your bike as much as you can before the race, even short spins just to let the body adapt! With all this training though it's not going to be a problem to you.

Thanks Joey and cheers for the advice. I only thinking this morning that with brightness creeping in at 7am now, I could potentially get out for a few short spins before work over the next few weeks. Still waiting on the bike fit guy to get back to me with an appointment, the sooner the better at this stage.

Neady83

Monday February 13th
AM 20mins Wattbike (10km)
Easy spinning, Recovery session after the weekend.

20mins S&C
Calves, quads, lower back and shoulders after the weekend.

Was in a zombie like state for the day. Kieran was up during the night with a stomach bug and I was awake with a pain in my gum on the side where the wisdom tooth was pulled last week. I popped to the dentist at lunch for an emergency appointment – since the top tooth has been pulled the bottom one has free reign to grow and it’s cut the gum and is infected. He prescribed pain killers and antibiotics and said it needs to come out so I’ve to make a date with a specialist. Filled the prescription and considered taking the anti-biotics, also considered the effect that they’ll have on my immune system three weeks out from the race so I decided that I’ll pull back on training for a few days, brush and wash every hour and see if I can fight this off myself. If there’s no improvement by Wednesday I’ll start the antibiotics.

Tuesday February 14th
AM Circuits: 7 stations @ 3x100secs
1. Bands: side jumps
and squats, lots of squats with bands
2. Fast crawls using resistance bands & burpees
3. Wall squats & plank push ups
4. Step: Squat jumps & push-ups
5. Squats with 2x10kg kettle bells
6. Bands: plank type star jumps with band around ankles and wrists
7. Single leg squats with weights
Now that I’ve written this up I realise exactly why by backside is in a world of pain. It was squat central this morning.

PM 90 mins yoga
Breathing exercises
Sun salutations, fast & holding poses
All sorts of inversions, hand stands and fun stuff with the help from the teacher to get into the hand stands.


Wednesday February 15th
AM 60mins Wattbike (29km)
Still on recovery mode from the weekend and my behind is stiff from all the squats yesterday.

10mins S&C

PM 3.1miles @ 10:20/mi (31mins)
Quick run late in the evening to try and loosen out the legs, they’re very stiff. Had to dodge a ridiculous amount of very drunken rag week students falling about the place.

My gum is marginally better, it’s still sore to the touch but I’m popping marginally less pain killers so I’ll stick with it for another few days. I can make up for the paired back training this week by doing a long cycle Saturday and a long run on Sunday.

Thursday February 16th
AM 2.3miles @ 9:36/mi (22mins)
Warm-up on the treadmill

Circuits: 7 stations @ 4x90secs off 20sec recovery
1. Bosu ball slide & side to side jumps
2. Burpees & boxing with weights
3. Kettle bell: 10 swings & 3 overhead presses (16kg)
4. Plank with knee raises
5. Wall runs & can’t remember the rest
6. Clean & press with 2x12.5kg
7. Ropes & wall run
Legs still very stiff so I found this tough.

Gum is feeling much better, the swelling is definitely going down. Crisis may be averted.

Friday February 17th
PM 20mins Wattbike (10km)
Easy spinning – not feeling 100% so called time on this after 20 minutes.

10mins S&C
Still not feeling 100% so I figure it’s my bodies response to fighting whatever infecting is in the gum.

Saturday & Sunday February 18th & 19th
I woke at 3am on Friday night/Saturday morning with that dreaded feeling, a crippling pain in my stomach. Ah here, you have got to be kidding me, Kieran and his f**king stomach bug. Spent the next 24 hours in various states of deliriousness on the bathroom floor.

Had to call James at bikefit and tell him I wouldn’t make it in for the fit today, hoping he didn’t think I was on the lash last night an was too hungover to come in. Called the bike shop to say that I wouldn’t be out to pick up the saddle to trial it and cancelled my long cycle plans with my friend.

I was much better on Sunday morning but when Rachel arrived Sunday evening to do our long run, I figured two slices of toast and a cup of tea over 48 hours would hardly sustain me.
Totals for the week:
53mins running (6miles) jesus wept
1.75 hours Wattbike (50km)
2 hours of circuits
2.25 hours S&C
Do you ever feel like your body is conspiring against you?
Will this weeks set back effect me in three weeks time, who knows but I’m not feeling good about it.

Dilbert75

You've all the hard work done now S and it's better to get a bug 3 weeks out than 3 days out. The only thing you've to worry about is that it'll put doubts in your head about your readiness. But take charge of those thoughts. You've had a great, thorough training cycle and if anyone is ready for The Race it's you. You're going to ace it.

Neady83

Dilbert75 wrote: »

You've all the hard work done now S and it's better to get a bug 3 weeks out than 3 days out. The only thing you've to worry about is that it'll put doubts in your head about your readiness. But take charge of those thoughts. You've had a great, thorough training cycle and if anyone is ready for The Race it's you. You're going to ace it.

That's very kind of you C, thank you. You're right, waking up at 3am on the morning of the race with a tummy bug would have been a hell of a lot worse. The work is done and what will be, will be at this stage

Neady83

Monday February 20th
AM 50mins Wattbike (25km)
Easy spinning, way too much sweat for the effort levels – maybe some remnants of tummy bug still left.

15mins S&C
Calves, quads, lower back and shoulders after the weekend.

PM 60mins Walk
Attempted run was aborted very quickly when the need for the loo arose, hopefully this is the last of these tummy problems. Resorted to a walk instead.

Tuesday February 21st
AM Circuits: 7 stations @ 3x100secs
I didn’t write down the set so I don’t remember – lots of band stuff and felt strong during it.

Lunch
Took the bike to the bike shop to get them to fit a new trial saddle (can try as many as I like without having to pay so that’s why I’m going with them). Guy gave me the SMP Well (formally known as the SMP Hell) – he said that he swears by it. Nice looking saddle that goes very well with my new bike but I’m already dubious, it looks too narrow to me. He says he uses it himself and he’s had good feedback so I ask him if any girls have given him feedback. One girl trialled it and it didn’t suit her. I know they’re all guys working in the bike shop and maybe a lot of they’re customers are men but they could do a little bit of homework on ladies saddles.

PM 90 mins yoga
Breathing exercises
Sun salutations, fast & holding poses
All sorts of twists and contortions, back felt stiff but good after

Wednesday February 22nd
AM 60mins Wattbike (29km)
15mins wu
6x (5mins BG off 2 mins recovery)
Really hard session, I gave it everything. BG was L10M2. Legs were well cooked after it.

10mins S&C

Thursday February 23rd
AM 2.8miles @ 8:58/mi (25mins)
Warm-up on the treadmill – felt good

Circuits: 7 stations @ 4x90secs off 20sec recovery
1. Bosu ball: backward lunges & push-up and plank
2. Walking forward & reverse planks
3. Burpees with weights
4. Ball slams & side shuffles (10kg)
5. Sit-ups with eights
6. Clean & press with 2x12.5kg
7. Ropes & shuffle

PM 3.3miles @ 9:09/mi (30mins)
Another work dinner tonight but I managed to squeeze 30 minutes of running in before I went. Every little counts I guess.

Friday February 24th
AM 60mins Wattbike (29km)
15mins wu
6x (5mins BG off 2 mins recovery)
BG was L10M5.
Same as Wednesday but I tried to give even more. Quads were well burned after it.

10mins S&C

Saturday February 25th 27km cycle @ 24.5kph (65mins)
Only had time for a short cycle to test the SMP saddle so I took it on some bone rattling roads around the outskirts of Galway. It lived up to its former name, it sure is hell. It was bothering me after 35 minutes. Of course, I went out with low expectations of it so I probably didn’t give it a fair trial. I’ve done a lot of online research on this and other saddles and this one had had rave reviews – from men. All the research seems to point to the fact that women need a wider saddle then men because our sit bones are wider. Back to the shop with this.

Bike fit
James from bikefit came highly recommended from a few friends who’ve been fitted by him. He certainly lived up to his reputation, I found him extremely tentative and his attention to detail was second to none. I walked away having learned a lot more than I thought I would.

He started at the bottom and worked his way up. My feet - I’ve flat feet, have had since I was a nipper. Had my legs straightened with casts and had to wear those horrible blister generating patent shoes when I was a kid and I’ve worn orthotics since. As a result, my feet spread considerably when I stand. This means I need to tie my cycle shoes in a different way – it also means I need to take out the insole of a shoe before I buy it and see if it’s wide enough to take the spread of my foot. He recommended some exercises to strengthen the arches – all very easy to do while sitting at my desk in work.

Next up was flexibility. Basically, mine is very poor and my glutes are not strong enough so we went through a set of exercises that I can do to strengthen everything and ultimately improve my cycling. All exercises that I can easily build into my gym and circuit routine. I thought I had been making great inroads with my yoga and S&C but I’m missing out on some important exercises.
Finally, the bike. Basically, I looked like I was riding a Harley, his words not mine, though I had to agree with him when he showed me the video after. He tweeked the cleats, the saddle height and he gave me a new saddle to trial. I couldn’t believe how comfortable I felt on the bike after. My weight seems to me more evenly distributed between the saddle and the handlebars. I don’t seem to be putting all of my weight on the saddle either so this saddle he has recommended should work for me.

He also noted that my bike posture isn’t very good. I do the same thing that I do in the gym, hunch my shoulders and curl my back – it was shocking to see the video back, I had no idea I did it. This will take some training but I’m determined to fix it. He suggested wearing a backpack with a book it in and focusing on making sure all the point in my back are making contact with the book. I did this with running when I started running – to fix my bad posture – of course I never thought of posture on the bike.

All in all, a great experience, I feel much more positive about the bike and the progress I can make. As Joey100 said, I need to get out regularly in small bursts to get used to the new set up so I need to saddle up a lot this week.

Sunday February 26th 13.25miles running @ 9:13/mi (2hrs 22 & 150m)
Was supposed to head for Quilty in West Clare for the second run in the Clare run series but I’d already decided I’d be making a LSR out of it so when I heard the roads were flooded on Sunday morning, I canned the idea and opted to stay in Galway.

Hit for the back roads and by roads of Galway and due to getting myself geographically misplaced a little, I ended up going up and over Tonabrocky from both sides. Ah sure a bit of hill training did me no harm. Other than flood dodging it was uneventful until I was about to hit the pitches in Dangan. The same pain I had in the arch of my foot during the LSR in Donegal two weeks ago returned – I ran through it and then it shot up through my leg and stopped me dead in my track. F**k it, f**k it, f**k it, visions of hobbling into a taxi crossed my mind as I hobbled to a wall. Sat down and spent 2 mins doing the exercises the bikefit guy yesterday showed me. Started off again, tentatively, manageable pain and after 10 minutes it was gone thanks be to j**us. Possibly a touch of PF?

25km bike @ 13.5kph (62mins & 119m)
Cooked and ate some lunch/dinner before getting out on the bike for an hour – just snuck it in before it was dark enough to turn on the torch. This was ….. smooth I quite enjoyed it, even though the wind tried to knock me sideways a few times. Got a shower of cold rain but the new Algarve 2 bib tights I bought kept me toasty warm and dry.

I was on the road two minutes when I checked myself and realised that my back was hunched – so made a real effort to keep on top of this. The bike feels great but different. I’ve never ridden a bike with the saddle quite so high.

Totals for the week:
4 hrs running (26miles)
3 hours Wattbike (85km)
2.25 hours Cycling (50km)
2 hours of circuits
2 hours S&C
2 hours of bikefit (this was hard work)

ITS TAPER TIME Let the madness begin

diego_b

Interesting on the bike stuff, I bought a bike last Aug with the intention of maybe doing the Ring of Kerry cycle or an adventure race this year (Dingle in June in in particular) but come about an hour on the bike I kinda want off. It feels comfortable but wondering is there tweaks like you got done there to make it just better.

annapr

Glad you are over the bug, Neady. Hopefully no lasting effects, plenty of time for you to recover for the race.

Annie get your Run

Fascinating info on the bike fit Neady, and the saddle. I was at a physio recently as my shoulder is at me again and sometimes I can't feel the brakes the pins and needles are so bad :pac:, he also does bike fits so I've to bring mine in for my follow up appointment. I know I was fitted when I bought the bike but not on the level you've described above...

Glad you're recovered from the bug, enjoy the taper!!

Neady83

diego_b wrote: »

Interesting on the bike stuff, I bought a bike last Aug with the intention of maybe doing the Ring of Kerry cycle or an adventure race this year (Dingle in June in in particular) but come about an hour on the bike I kinda want off. It feels comfortable but wondering is there tweaks like you got done there to make it just better.

It might be worth tweeking it yourself by changing the saddle height and the placement of the saddle and see how you get on first?

Annie get your Run wrote: »

Fascinating info on the bike fit Neady, and the saddle. I was at a physio recently as my shoulder is at me again and sometimes I can't feel the brakes the pins and needles are so bad :pac:, he also does bike fits so I've to bring mine in for my follow up appointment. I know I was fitted when I bought the bike but not on the level you've described above...

Glad you're recovered from the bug, enjoy the taper!!

Thanks AM, yea I was intrigued at the time he spent on my strength and flexibility before I even sat on the bike. Actually one of the questions he asked me was if I had experienced any pins and needles while on the bike - but I hadn't - I wonder what adjustments he would have made if I had been complaining of that. One of the Arses sent this https://youtu.be/oxNznrlRXGU video to me before to illustrate just how important the fit of the bike is.

Neady83

annapr wrote: »

Glad you are over the bug, Neady. Hopefully no lasting effects, plenty of time for you to recover for the race.

Thanks Anna, it sounds like its doing the rounds at the moment. Glad to be at the other side of it with enough time to recover

joey100

~I'm sure he looked at it during the bike fit Neady but what width handlebars are you using? I know for Laura that change had probably the biggest impact on her overall comfort on the bikes. Lot of bikes come with 42cm bars, Laura went down to a 38 and I use a 38/40 too.

Getting close now, trust the taper!

Annie get your Run

I've just looked at the stages in 'The Race'...... Oh lord!

Neady83

joey100 wrote: »

~I'm sure he looked at it during the bike fit Neady but what width handlebars are you using? I know for Laura that change had probably the biggest impact on her overall comfort on the bikes. Lot of bikes come with 42cm bars, Laura went down to a 38 and I use a 38/40 too.

Getting close now, trust the taper!

Thanks Joey, yea it's got a 40cm handlebar and it feels right - James seemed to think it looked good against my shoulders but he also mentioned that if I have any discomfort, to go back and he'd document any changes that may be necessary, including narrower handlebars. Here I was thinking that I'd just buy a bike, off I'd go and everything would be grand.

Actually, any suggestions on taper? drop it to one session a day or shorter sessions or less intensity in sessions?