P in the Pool

griffin100

Same here. A stupid o'clock start on Sunday morning followed by a long drive is not appealing at the minute. If I can stay off then vino tomorrow night then maybe I'll give it a go.

joey100

Knew you would go to the race, great running, seems to be going the right way for the Pulse sprint at the end of the month. Plus an age group win, congrats!

RJM85

Nice! Well done.

Kurt_Godel

Sat 16km easy run @ 5:16 pace

Kids are doing swimming early on Saturdays now, so I took advantage of the two hours to get a nice morning run out of Arklow, great time of morning to be running along the sea.

Sun Lough Key Sprint, 50th place (and first in AG :P)

I was himming and hawwing about going down- I've the start of a cold, not firing on all cylinders, yadda yadda... anyway woke up at 5am and had the gear ready, made a call to give it a shot. Loooooong drive down there! Glad I did now, met a few beforehand (a very fit looking pgibbo and a well-prepared interested... seriously the guy takes 10 minutes to put on his wetsuit!). Good atmosphere, efficient reg, well organised all round.

Swim 12:27 31st/361
This was the least full-on I've done a tri swim yet. Started wide, just made sure not to get in trouble before the first bouy, found feet between the two bouys, and coasted in home. Effort was a little faster than cruising speed, but totally in control. Why am I doing this? Because I've learned its not about the swim, at least at my level. If I can swim faster next year I'll make a concerted effort to grap good feet and make a break, but at the moment there is little to be gained in an all-out swim, and a controlled one (perhaps 40 secs in a sprint). So, the swim went to plan.

T1 No issues

Bike 40:47 75th/361 (about 22.7km long)
Couldn't get my feet into the shoes, a persistent issue with the Bont shoes. I'm going back to my trusty Lake's. So I biked the first 5km with one foot half in, one foot out. 250W average is a little low, I'd have targeted 260+. Route was twisty.
Don't really want to talk much about the bike except to say it was disappointing to see so many blatant drafting packs. They don't care anymore, to the extent I would consider drafting next year. Two large packs passed me, and made up easy ground, and they were working as a group. Lots of others passed stuck to each others wheels too. Yes its hard to pass on that narrow course but thats not an excuse. Grrr.

T2 Shoes took a little long going on; forgot to talc them. Lost an iota taking Garmin off the bike.

Run 6nd/361 21:07 (a little short I thought?)
Straight out of trans pgibbo passed me, going at a decent clip. He slowed going up a hill and I figured he'd taken off too quick, but when I tried the hill my legs stopped working too I kept a decent pace throughout, legs were a little stiff after yesterdays run. Nice route, good underfoot. I was only passed by the one (pgibbo), and nabbed about 6 or 7 myself, so I'm most happy with the run from today's race. I ended up with first in my AG, which is pretty meaningless, except for the fact that I passed the lad who came 2nd during the run, and he had passed me as part of a bike peleton

Next race is in 20 days, Pulse Sprint, and I want to be a lot more focussed for it.

RJM85

Sure you don't need to worry about drafting if you're cycling at 60km/hr!

pgibbo

Great meeting yourself & Mark yesterday Paul. I had a mad dash after to get to the big smoke. It's a pity Croke Park wasn't as enjoyable as Lough Key

Fair play for making the round trip yesterday. Great race and location.

Kurt_Godel

Mon 15 min easy bike; 2,000m Masters swim

Legs and body felt ok today, a bit of spinning on the turbo loosened things up a bit.

Swim:
200m warmup
6*50 (25k, 25sw, 15s rest)
20*50 (alternate off 45, 60)
8*50k
300 hypoxic

Return of Masters swimming- great I've been looking forward to this! I shared a lane with Stu and we swam side by side. The main set was a nice sharp shock, the perfect way to get things going again after yesterday's race. All of the fast 50's came in under 40s, all of the slower ones in under 45. Stu is an ex Breaststroker so he did BS for the slower ones, and I tried to keep up with his front crawl for the fast ones. Swimming side by side you get to watch someones stroke, a good lesson.
Then into some kicks with fins- I have the usual shyte triathlete kick and need to work on this aspect.

Kurt_Godel

Tue 60 min easy turbo

Legs felt good today. 162W av, for very little effort.

I reheated the Bont shoes and held the heel very wide as they cooled. Seemed to make a big difference when I practiced getting them on while clipped in to the turbo. I'll give 'em another chance, but will practice T1 several times before the next race.

Kurt_Godel

Wed 2,100m swim; 8.55k hill run

200sw,200p,100k
10x50 as 25fist, 25 fast +15sec
10x100 race pace on 2
100 choice easy

Decent swim, the 50's were all in 45, which isn't too bad including fist.
The 100's were all in 1:28-1:30, happy enough with my form. Turning is getting better.

Hill run- met up with Mick for a recce of the control points of next Sunday's Nav Challenge (I'm RD'ing the race). Annagh is a great part of the world to run, especially on a clear day like today. Fingers crossed we have similar weather at the weekend!

Kurt_Godel

Thurs 45 mins turbo

10 easy
5x(1 HC, 1 easy)
5x(3 target race wattage, 2 easy) (288W, 288, 279, 288, 314)

The target was 270W, but I held a slightly higher cadence and so seemed to squeeze more out of the perceived effort. No doubt the previous HC fed into the main block, and as someone who never does a bike warm-up pre race, this is food for thought.

tunney

Kurt_Godel wrote: »

Thurs 45 mins turbo

10 easy
5x(1 HC, 1 easy)
5x(3 target race wattage, 2 easy) (288W, 288, 279, 288, 314)

The target was 270W, but I held a slightly higher cadence and so seemed to squeeze more out of the perceived effort. No doubt the previous HC fed into the main block, and as someone who never does a bike warm-up pre race, this is food for thought.

Someone was fvcking told to do them. Always.

Kurt_Godel

tunney wrote: »

Someone was fvcking told to do them. Always.

Yes, you told me to do them, and explained the reasoning behind the bike warm-up (and swim WU and run WU). However most Tri's I've done this year have meant a long journey beforehand to just about make registration cut-off, I just didn't fit in the time for a bike WU.

I'll bring a turbo with me next time and get in 5-10 mins in the car park. Can't look any more of a prat than I already do in a too-tight Ireland suit.

Kurt_Godel

Thurs PM Masters swim/crossfit

Warm up
200 free
10x25 free (15m Max/10m easy)
15s rest
Main set
10 press ups/10 sit ups/10 squats (X2)
4x50 free on 50
20 burpees/ 1min plank (X2)
4x50 free on 50
Repeat 3 times

As I was entered the pool, the kids were exiting from their lesson. Timed 75m, push start, to set a "back to training" market. Junior did 61s which he was chuffed about, rightfully so. Missy did 71s but of course was disappointed with anything slower than his... still, a good start to the season. He'll beat me over 100m this year.

Crossfit/swimming with the Masters group, and a reminder of how important it is to keep the core work consistent... my belly is like a pillow doing these drills. All the 50's were in 40-45, on ever-tiring arms. The planks were tough, couldn't hold the full min on each X2. Hurting now in a few places I don't normally hurt. I had to ditch the last burpee's and 50's as two hungry kids were glaring on the bank.

Mr Tango

Kurt_Godel wrote: »

Yes, you told me to do them, and explained the reasoning behind the bike warm-up (and swim WU and run WU). However most Tri's I've done this year have meant a long journey beforehand to just about make registration cut-off, I just didn't fit in the time for a bike WU.

I'll bring a turbo with me next time and get in 5-10 mins in the car park. Can't look any more of a prat than I already do in a too-tight Ireland suit.

I sneaked round the side of the building before Dublin and did 10 mins pretend swimming with stretch cords. Fastest I swam this year. Only failed to beat 20 mins by 5s. (According to my timing). Warming up works!!!

interested

"Can't look any more of a prat than I already do in a too-tight Ireland suit"

Don't forget the bandana Paul and you'll only ever be limited by your imagination

Kurt_Godel

Fri 6.9k run

10 easy
4x(500m faster than target pace pace, 500m easy)
5 easy

Whatever about the bandana, I had to consider a trisuit for this run, I'd no dry shorts or leggings. In the end I did it in a pair of Adidas long-johns, the tight black see-through material that reveals the colour of your underpants. Ladies, contain your swoons.

Decent run along the forest trail, the min/km pace for each fast 500m came in 4:00, 3:54, 3:43, 3:38.

Kurt_Godel

Sat 12k run

5km easy
5km steady (4:33, 4:28, 4:28, 4:22, 4:07)
2km easy

Early start again to get two bleary-eyed kids to the pool. I got my run done as they swam, again around the back roads of Arklow. Great way to start the day, running along the sea watching waves crashing. Felt good for the steady kms. I could get into the habit of this.

joey100

That's wide range in the steadys Kurt, running to heart rate or effort??

Kurt_Godel

joey100 wrote: »

That's wide range in the steadys Kurt, running to heart rate or effort??

Running by effort- the first was slightly uphill, 2 and 3 into a breeze, 4 and 5 downhill (although I upped the effort on the last alright)

Kurt_Godel

Sun, Mon
Nothing. I was organising a hill race with Mick on Sunday, set up my turbo in the carpark. I figured I'd get in a 2 hour session before the racers came back, but it was lashing rain and the tyre was slipping on the flywheel, no traction at all.

Monday, I skipped swimming as a blocked eardrum infection got worse. A lot of pain, thankfully seems to be getting better now.

Tue 52 mins turbo
10 easy
5x(1 HC, 1 easy)
5x(4 target race wattage, 2 easy)
2 easy

The 4min blocks were 277, 277, 280, 281, 279. Found it tough enough hold, but manageable.

Also my weight has crept back up in the past two weeks to 87kg. The culprit is carbs- bread and a couple of beers. Have to get under 85kg again for Pulse Sprint.

RJM85

285kg. Would you not aim for 1 watt per kilo for pulse at least?

Kurt_Godel

Love this short article from Gary Hall Sr.

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2015/09/training/4-ways-triathletes-differ-from-swimmers_121664

Olympian and professional triathlete Andy Potts recently visited The Race Club camp to help coach alongside Gary Hall Sr. Here’s what Gary learned from the experience and training triathletes vs. swimmers in general.

They don’t think of themselves as swimmers
In teaching triathletes to become better swimmers, I have found one of the greatest obstacles is in their minds. They don’t think of themselves as swimmers, but rather as runners or cyclists, trying to get better at swimming. In order to swim like a swimmer, one has to think and act like a swimmer.

During a recent triathlon swim camp, one of our campers complained rather openly that he didn’t see the value in learning to streamline or do flip turns. “What is the point?” he asked. “I am never going to do a flip turn or streamline in a triathlon.

The point is that in order to swim fast, whether in a pool or in open water, one must learn the ways of a good swimmer, and those include streamlining off every wall and doing flip turns. Doing both of these well in practice will shave seconds off each 100 repeat you swim and that will give you more confidence in your swimming ability. Streamlining helps teach you the importance of reducing frontal drag, whether during the push off the wall or during the swim itself. As long as you are moving, frontal drag is slowing you down. We spend a great deal of time teaching you how to swim with less frontal drag. Doing flip turns are not only much faster, but an important part of hypoxic and core training.

They don’t swim enough
Andy Potts, who narrowly missed making the Olympic team in swimming, is arguably the world’s fastest swimmer in the pro triathlon circuit. Andy stated while coaching our triathlon swim camp that he trains more swimming each week than most triathletes. The reason Andy trains more in swimming than other triathletes because swimming is more of an aerobic sport, elevating his heart rate more than either running or cycling. He feels the aerobic conditioning of swimming helps him in all three disciplines. Andy gave several other reasons why he spends more than 20 percent of his time swim training when only about 8 percent of his triathlon race is spent in the water.

Most triathletes dedicate around three or so one-hour practices per week to swimming. Then they wonder why they are not getting better. I am not sure one can get much better at anything with three hours per week of practice. Swimming is no exception.

Since the shortest swim distance in a triathlon is likely 400–800 meters, and typically more, one needs to consider what training is required to sustain a good pace for the distance to be swum. 800 meters is no sprint. In my opinion, four practices per week is a minimum requirement, and each should be at least 1 ½ hrs, not just an hour. By doubling the hours of training in the pool from three to six hours per week, you will see a big difference in your fitness level and, most likely, in your swim times.

They are held back by poor technique
Some triathletes get stuck at a certain race split, even with the additional training time and effort. For those, poor technique is likely standing in the way of improvement. Being some 800 times denser than air, water shows no mercy. Make a mistake in your swim stroke, over and over again, and you pay dearly for it. There also seems to be a tendency among triathletes to think that swimming freestyle offers a big margin of error. Well, for slow swimmers there is, but not for fast swimmers. One needs to get the pulling motion, the head and body position, the kick and the connecting rotation and recovery just right….or else.

They don’t breathe often enough
For most triathletes, breathing presents a few problems. It is not just that they take too long for the breath—that long star-gazing breath that slows the stroke rate and body’s speed down—it is also that they don’t breathe often enough. Many triathletes are taught to breathe to both sides, which usually gets translated into a 1:3 breathing pattern; one breath for three strokes. With a stroke rate of 60 (not unusual for a triathlete), that is a respiratory rate of 20 breaths per minute. On the bike or while running, one breathes 50–60 times a minute…so why do we want to swim hypoxically? Virtually all world-class freestylers breathe every cycle (1:2 pattern) and most of them are swimming at a stroke rate near 90, so they are getting 45 breaths per minute. The world record holder, Sun Yang, from China also throws in three consecutive breaths (three breaths in a row to both sides) in the middle of the pool and into and out of each turn.

Oxygen is the most precious nutrient out there for us. So use it, lots of it. If you insist on breathing to both sides, then breathe three times to the right, followed by three times to the left…but breathe more often.

If you are struggling on the technical side, let us (or another coach) help you. It is very hard to know or understand the subtle mistakes you may be making without a good trained eye and/or a camera on you. Every triathlete has very specific swim training needs. The motions of a fast freestyle swimmer are neither intuitive nor obvious. Nor are they easy. You need to be told what you are doing right or wrong, because what you are doing in the water and what you think you are doing are two very different things.

We don’t expect you to train like an elite swimmer, as that won’t help your triathlon, either. But more than likely, you do need to up your training, breathe more and most importantly, think like a swimmer.

tunney

Kurt_Godel wrote: »

Love this short article from Gary Hall Sr.

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2015/09/training/4-ways-triathletes-differ-from-swimmers_121664

There is an epic Slowtwitch thread were a poster offered advice on swimming. He was ripped apart by people and someone asked him "What do you know about swimming? f*ck off"

At that point the poster introduced himself by name (and was verified_ = Garu Hall Sr

Kurt_Godel

tunney wrote: »

There is an epic Slowtwitch thread were a poster offered advice on swimming. He was ripped apart by people and someone asked him "What do you know about swimming? f*ck off"

At that point the poster introduced himself by name (and was verified_ = Garu Hall Sr

Ha, busted!:D Do you have a link to the thread?

Kurt_Godel

Wed 2,600m swim

200sw,200p,100k
10x50 as 25fist, 25 fast +15sec
15x100 race pace on 2
200 choice easy

The 50 fist and fast came in 45/46 each.

I tried swimming slower for the 100's than last week, wanted to see what was the time difference in steady race pace, rather than fast race pace (if that makes sense). They came in 1:34-1:38. I think the next leap forward will come from better streamline, which will come from better kicking and glide.

One of the Masters guys was just finishing his set when I got in, he used to be fairly handy and is working at becoming handy again. His aim is sub-5 for a 400mTT we have next week. If I can get sub 6 I'll be happy, but would like to get under 5:30 over the winter.

Wed PM 40mins easy run

8km up at the forest at dusk, 5:04-5:27 easy trot (too dark to see watch). A bat swept past my face and shaved some whiskers.

Kurt_Godel

Thurs Masters swim

Warm up
200 free
8x75 25k/25d/25s choice 10s
Main set
2x75 fly/back/brs 15s
Hollow rocks hold 20s, 1min plank, 20 sit ups
4x50 free on 55/50/45/40
20 squats, 20 press ups, 1min plank
2mins rest
Repeat 3 times

Ouch, my flabby belly is going to hurt tomorrow.

Kurt_Godel

Fri 2,900m swim

300sw,200k,100k
4x50 as 25 fs, 25 sw +10s (in 45-46)
2x400p race pace on 7:45 (6:32, 6:45)
4x50 fast on 60 (>45)
2x400p race pace on 7:45 (6:42, 6:42)
200 choice easy

Felt good in the water, the 400 times are alright for pb. Its a lot easier to breath without a leg kick, each length BE 3,4,4,3,4,4.

Kurt_Godel

Fri PM 6.7k run

10 easy
4x(500m faster than target pace pace, 500m easy)
5 easy

Done up in the forest, body felt a little jaded. The fast 500's pace were about 3:45. I have a ways to go before I can hold that pace for much longer, but its progress for the moment.

Had to visit the doc with an ear infection, figured I'd be on antibiotics so the race would be in jeopardy... thankfully its sorted by other means and all systems go.

Dory Dory

I have no idea if your ear infection was swimmer's ear or not, but....the remedy (and preventative) I've used since my youth for swimmer's ear is 1 part alcohol (the rubbing variety ) and 1 part white vinegar.

Kurt_Godel

Dory Dory wrote: »

I have no idea if your ear infection was swimmer's ear or not, but....the remedy (and preventative) I've used since my youth for swimmer's ear is 1 part alcohol (the rubbing variety ) and 1 part white vinegar.

It initially came after I returned to the pool, but who knows... either way thank you for that remedy, it will be used preventatively from now on

One case of home made candles on their way as a thank you