Winter Miles, Summer Smiles

Kurt_Godel

Loughrea Sprint 1:12:27 50th overall, 4th AG

As mentioned above the build-up to this race was very loose, being a weeks holiday in the water, and a last-minute decision to partake. The generous afternoon start meant I could delay my two-and-a-half-hour commute until 9am, and so a long drive from town to town like Ireland before the motorways were built. Easy to reg and set-up, chatted to a few while watching the lake. There was a wind crossing it and disturbing the horizontal surface so beloved of Water Safety Officials, and I was resigned to the usual curtailment. Thankfully this didn't happen, and I watched the first wave take off for any pointers.

Swim 13:10
I positioned myself wide and to the front, and took off strong with the early leaders. There was an effort to breath against the bit of chop, but sighting was easy enough so the waves weren't anything too big. I lost some great feet I was on after the first bouy, and battled into clear water to the second turnaround bouy. Here I caught another draft, he was moving at a decent clip and so I kept in his slipstream all the way home. There was a gang behind me, and my lad got a few slaps on his toes when he slowed, which made him giddy-up-again. I fought one tiring swimmer in passing for my coveted position, and kept my wake to exit in about 8th place for my wave, conscious of having had a great swim for the effort expended (not so true for my tugboat, results showed he DNF'd after his swim). This was probably the best swim section I've raced yet, and I'll take a lot of lessons from it- not least of which will be questioning what-if I had fought harder to stay with my first early draft?

T1 01:28
No problems- the suit comes off easier since I cut the legs a while back.

Bike 36:06
I shoe-ed in pretty quick (note to self: loosen the front strap on the Bont shoes for easier ingress) and got going. Can't say I enjoyed this course, it was rolling, twisty, and a rough surface. But thats the same for everyone, and Predator Tri had done a great job sweeping each bend and vocal marshals ensuring clean turns. I possibly held back a little power-wise from previous races (243W, 32.3kph averages) but its hard to compare between courses. A few lads from my wave passed me early on, but I caught one or two back towards the end. I have to be content with this solid bike section, given the lead-in.

T2 1:05
I'm methodical in transitions, and had noted my position as the second row from the far barriers. Unfortunately they had moved some barriers since the race began (I guess to neutralise trans, but it should have been done earlier) and I racked one row too soon. Glancing down I wondered why my shoes had changed colour and size since I last saw them... before quickly grabbing the bike to its correct position. Probably only cost 10 secs or so, no biggie in the overall context.

Run 20:37
Since I was going against my coaches advice by racing, I was conscious of returning home with a good performance. This would entail suffering on the run, something I mentally prepared for on the drive down. I started off at a decent clip (4:06/km pace) before hitting a few "hills" (well they felt like hills at the time!) and slowing a little. One lad passed me at 1km, and I resolved to hold the gap he put in for as long as I could. I was hurting by 1.5km and pulling all sorts of mental tricks to mask the pain ("get to a third of the way", "get to 2k", "make the turnaround", etc). My garmin had the turn a little short (but my garmin has been undermeasuring latey), but I was very glad to go round it. The rest of the race was a matter of catching those in front (mainly who had started before my 2nd wave) and keeping an eye on calf/achilles/hamstrings which I was conscious may be tight with little recent running. To that mind I coasted home, rather than upping the pace for the last 500m. I was very happy to finish, and happiest of all with the run. Its the fastest race 5km I've done yet, and bodes well for future races with a bit more run training.

Dilbert75

Great work Kurt. I'd happily take any of those three sectors, or indeed the transitions.

Kurt_Godel

griffin100 wrote: »

Missed you at the Barrow swim today. Still have your medal from last year in my car Was a good day, topped off by junior missy being first home in the junior 400m.

Hope that medal is hanging beside some furry dice
I'd have gone to the Barrow if I didn't head to Galway. Nice photo of your two kids (with a Jedi) on FB- well done to them, great work!

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Great work Kurt. I'd happily take any of those three sectors, or indeed the transitions.

You will Dilbert, more race experience will bring faster times

Kurt_Godel

Mon 10.3k easy run Hillbrook Loop
The Tinahely Show is on today and its lashing rain- a real pity for all those attending. I opted to skip it this year and go for a run in the rain instead. The legs don't feel too bad but my arms and torso feel like they took a battering yesterday. I'll put that down to lack of training.
Kept it easy today, 5:39/km pace, no niggles, and the jog will hopefully have eased off tomorrows DOMS.

griffin100

Kurt_Godel wrote: »

Hope that medal is hanging beside some furry dice
I'd have gone to the Barrow if I didn't head to Galway. Nice photo of your two kids (with a Jedi) on FB- well done to them, great work!

Ha ha the beard / full length swim hoodie was not a good combo. Was referred to as 'Brother', 'Abbot' and 'High Sparrow' at various times over the day

Kurt_Godel

Tue 45min easy turbo

As expected, DOMS became known today. An easy spin to wash out that feeling from the legs, the calfs in particular feel much better for some gentle flexing.

Kurt_Godel

Wed 2,800 pool swim; 1km OW swim

300sw,200k, 100k
4x50 as 15 fs, 35 sw + 15sec
4x200 mod + 15 sec
10x100 p+p easy + 10sec
4x50 choice easy

First time in the pool in quite a while, it felt strange and restricting. I was swimming better with the pb.

Straight after I met up with some of the club at Arklow Rock, for a splash in the sea. This felt more like it, I can get a decent stroke going in the suit. It fits much better since I pay attention to where the "D"'s on knees and shoulders go.

The plan was an easy run after but no-one seemed too pushed and my calfs were a little tight in any case, it will hold over until tomorrow.

Kurt_Godel

Thurs 45mins turbo; 8k easy run

10 easy
5x(1 HC, 1 easy)
10x(1 110%, 1 easy)
5 easy

First turbo in a while, I was told to use recent race wattage as FTP, but that felt very easy. Good to be back sweatin' on the turbo.


Run:
Met up with some from the club, a nice easy run chatting away. Felt the calf twinge after 4k so stopped to massage, walked a little, and a gentle jog back. Calfs have felt tight lately so I'm overprotective, doesn't seem to be any lingering issues but I'll keep the run pace handy for a while.

Kurt_Godel

Fri 3 hr turbo

1hr easy
3x(30 90-95%, 10 easy) (230W, 218, 191)

Work was a bit mixed up today, had hoped to go swimming but was stuck in the office all day. I managed to get on the turbo for a long spell, with just a couple of interuptions. Tiring for the last hour, otherwise a decent long spin. Calf seems less tight today, but I skipped the bric run after.

Kurt_Godel

For the night thats in it!

MojoMaker

Great pic.

Kurt_Godel

MojoMaker wrote: »

Great pic.

Yes, and amazing to think she will most likely eclipse his GOAT Olympian status. Heroes, the both of them!

Sat 1:36 turbo
Easy spin, 162W.

Sun Short OW swim
The loooong journey down to Kerry put paid to any training today, but an evening dip in Valentia brine had to be got.

Mon 5.6k OW swim (1:41/100m av)
My annual trip from Ballymanagh to Knightstown Harbour and back. There were fields of Mermaids Hair to swim through, always a little eerie. My goggles are too scuffed to have optimal visibility (new pairs in the post) but it was nice what I saw. Some wind and rain for a while, but no huge flow, an enjoyable swim as ever. I can still taste the salt, yum. Despite vaseline theres a nice welt on my neck now.

Tue 2hour hike
A walk with the family to Bray head and around the loop, nice to be able to do this with the Da (2 hip replacements and years of Chemo have left him lower on puff but hasn't lost any determination).
Looooong travel back after and I was too tired to do the evening turbo.

Wed 47:40 run
20 easy
10x1 Race pace, 1 easy)
5 easy

Decent run, no calf issues and I'm feeling lighter of foot at the moment. Target race pace for CK is 4:20 after a decent bike. We'll see.

Dory Dory

Kurt_Godel wrote: »

Yes, and amazing to think she will most likely eclipse his GOAT Olympian status. Heroes, the both of them!

Katie in particular!!! She's pure class. And I loved how the USA basketball team (basically big NBA studs) showed up all psyched and proud to cheer her on. So incredibly cool.

P.S. I've missed you guys...but I'm coming back.

pgibbo

best of luck tomorrow. have a great race

Kurt_Godel

Why thank you P I'll certainly try!

And in the absence of your log, well done on Podium last weekend! That was some run!

Kurt_Godel

Sat Caroline Kearney Oly, 2:19:18, 49th, 4th AG

I like this race a lot, its the best in the country, year after year. So well organised, its a credit to them that they get such numbers on the same weekend the IM razzmatazz $$$-machine is in town. I was in the second wave along with fellow refined gentlemen.

Swim 24:33
Positioned wide for fresh water, and swam on my own for the first 200m. A glance inside showed two lads hammering away, I tried to venture over but they were gone. A few were becoming available so I swam to catch the draft- unfortunately I missed them and soloed to the first bouy. The long stretch to the second was difficult to sight- on a grey day the white bouys are difficult to spot, and its hard to take a bearing from such flat landscape. Still, thats the same for everyone, and I spent this distance cursing the constant 20m I was behind a bunch. At the final turn I caught one of them, and took the tow in to land. Pleased enough with the swim- I exited 6th in my wave- but I'm really going to have to be bolder at the start when it comes to holding a draft. Came out into trans feeling solid, a decent swim behind me without bursting the lungs.

T1 1:16
Slower than others, but no issues.

Bike 1:08:55 (35.6kph, 258W)
Last night I read my blog notes from the 2015 CK, where I lamented not pushing harder in the first 15k (leading to a total 1:12:31 time). So, todays race saw me push from the start, I was looking at keeping the power and speed higher than I usually would. This worked well, I pushed on the bike and got a very good result. A fellow IRL-suit lad passed me early who I've been ding-donging the last few races, and I never let him get too far ahead. What did I do right today- I trusted my bike, and trusted that I could push it for a decent result. The whole way around I was holding speeds higher than I'd have expected. For the last 10k or so I didn't push quite so hard. I was conscious of feeling good now, but perhaps I was borrowing effort from the run. In any case, the this was my best bike ever, very controlled and a good result.

T2 1:07
I've been having issues with foot-in-shoe-quickly during Trans, so last night I put lock laces on my Brooks shoes, and kept the final lace low. This made for a big hole, and it worked a treat.

Run 43:25
A new route, which took out some rough trail, but kept in a couple of dog legs where you could spy opponents. I left Trans just behind my IRL-suit buddy, and I caught him in the first km (4:13). I felt good, was running well, and the second km was a faster 4:03. From here though, pain started, and I was willing each km marker to come sooner. I was still motoring at planned pace (circa 4:18 or so), but the real pain was just around the corner. At the dog-legs I spied my buddy, did some arithmatic and figured it would be close. Also another lad from Piranha who has been powering past me in race runs lately... he was 50s down with 4k to go.
Unfortunately I couldn't hold it and the last 3 km were 4:28, 4:28, 4:30, and it was an effort to even get that. I was passed in these last km by the Piranah guy, but also by two lads from my AG (held off the IRL suit guy though). Yes I could have dug deeper into the pain cave- there is always more- and in the end I came 4th in AG. Just desserts.

Overall
Very happy with the overall race, its faster than I expected (swim was a lot slower than last year but swim courses are never the same). The bike was perfect, the run was perfect for the first 5k, and a bit of a sting in the tail after that. I need to be lighter to run faster, you can't bluff a 10k run.
You can however bluff a 5k run, so I'm going to have a celebratory beer tonight and look forward to next weekends Tri the Hook Sprint

Dilbert75

Well done Kurt. Looking forward to being obliterated by you on home turf on Saturday!

Kurt_Godel

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Well done Kurt. Looking forward to being obliterated by you on home turf on Saturday!

You (the ecumenical You) should never think that. Never be content that someone will beat you in a race!

Kurt_Godel

Sun 2 hours easy turbo 163W

I had a great night sleep last night, obviously tired from the race. The old body was feeling its age today, but this turbo spin helped ease a bit of life back into it.

Looking at the results yesterday I dropped two AG places over the final 3 km, had I kept them under 4:20 rather than dropping to 4:30, I'd have got an auld fella podium. Not saying that would have been a huge achievement, but it would have been an achievement. I mentally gave in towards the end of the race. But I learned a huge amount, good and bad, during it, so that should help for future races.

Dilbert75

Kurt_Godel wrote: »

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Well done Kurt. Looking forward to being obliterated by you on home turf on Saturday!

You (the ecumenical You) should never think that. Never be content that someone will beat you in a race!

Should have added a smiley then? Seriously though. Acceptance is different from contentedness. For now I'm playing a longer game...Rome wasn't built in a day, and all that...and anyway my baseline was Loughrea, so I'll measure myself, both quantitatively and qualitatively, against that rather than anyone else.

MalDoc

Great result and a very nice bike split. The few unstructured weeks seem to have stood to you!

Kurt_Godel

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Should have added a smiley then? Seriously though. Acceptance is different from contentedness. For now I'm playing a longer game...Rome wasn't built in a day, and all that...and anyway my baseline was Loughrea, so I'll measure myself, both quantitatively and qualitatively, against that rather than anyone else.

I'm currently in over-analysing race mode... too soon after yesterdays race... some of ye have time on their side to play the long game, something I keep forgetting Either way, look forward to seeing you down there, a nice part of the country for a race picnic chinwag

pgibbo

Nice going at the weekend. That's a serious improvement on the bike. Well done

boysinblack

Your IRL buddy is racing next weekend as well! The series continues....

Kurt_Godel

boysinblack wrote: »

Your IRL buddy is racing next weekend as well! The series continues....

I'm sure he'll be out for revenge! The bit of competition this time of year, when you recognise previous rivals, makes it all worthwhile. Bring it on!

Mon 10k easy run 6min/km pace
A very easy run with a couple of the lads on the Railway Walk and into the forest. Good to have company at this pace for the chat. My body is tired-er than I might first imagine, Saturdays run took a toll on the engine, but thats to be expected and easy runs like this will help with recovery.

rodneyr1981

Kurt that's at least 4-5 posts you've made and not a mention of anything swim related :-)

Great racing well done

MojoMaker

CK swim is beautiful - I hope you smashed it Kurt.

Some good shots of you in the TI photo album btw.

Kurt_Godel

Tue 1,000m swim
First time in the pool for a while, with the youngest of my two fish. We practised turns, schulling, hypoxic. Of course she wanted to race, of course I beat her over 25m sprint. Not just yet, little Padwan, but very soon

Wed 1:15 turbo
5 easy
5x(30sec build, 30sec build)
4x(13 90-95%5%, 2 easy) (256W, 253, 245, 256)
5 easy

Today was a long and busy day in the office, but I managed to get a decent turbo afterwards, which helped destress the mind, as well as healthify the body. Can't ask for more than that.

Kurt_Godel

Thurs Off

Fri 25min turbo; 25min run

Turbo:
5 easy
5x(30sec build, 30sec build)
5x(1 90%, 1 easy)
5 easy

Run:
10x1 Race pace, 1 easy)
5 easy
The Garmin wasn't very precise for these short intervals, so I ran on effort (a little fast, paces were 3:30-3:50/km).

I'm a glutton for punishment- I'd entered Tri the Hook tomorrow. Done it in 2012 and 2014, both times the swims were curtailed to 250m and 450m, for ludicruous reasons. Swim was also cancelled in 2013, but went ahead last year (I heard it was long ). Its in a great sheltered Bay, that I know well from swimming as a nipper, so I hope against hope that some day I will be able to race the full 750m. Unlikely tomorrow, as there is a weather advisory. Given that they cut the swim previously in perfectly calm conditions, I'd say that its very unlikely to go ahead tomorrow. To be honest, I find it hard to get motivated for this race- if it is a duathlon, the bike course is pretty scrappy and rough, and the run course crosses it... I've been spoiled lately with some great club races recently, and although I hope everything goes well tomorrow... it won't.

Control the controlables. I might just turn the alarm off and stay in bed.

*Edit* Half the crap I post here is stream of consciousness, if you write it down it can help define why you do stuff. Staying in bed wouldn't be good for the old mental side of things. I'll go down tomorrow and push hard no matter what, a race is a race is a race...

griffin100

It could be worse, you could be sitting in a B&B in Killarney listening to the howling wind and torrential rain outside knowing you have to get up in 6hrs to do an IM.