To the waters and the wild

joey100

Seen a video of Wicklow Harbour last night, looked pretty choppy with the wind, but inside the walls sheltered as usual, does the Olympic distance race there go outside the harbour walls or is it two laps of the sprint course within the walls?

Kurt.Godel

joey100 wrote: »

Seen a video of Wicklow Harbour last night, looked pretty choppy with the wind, but inside the walls sheltered as usual, does the Olympic distance race there go outside the harbour walls or is it two laps of the sprint course within the walls?

This year it leaves the harbour and most of the swim takes place outside the harbour walls before returning. Same course as the Leinster OW race and ironically makes better use of the Harbour IMO than lapping the boats- you get to exit/enter the mouth and swim along the pier up and down.

There's been a nice bit of chop these past few days, lets hope as a Championship TI don't fret too much about wee-Willy-water-wings

Kurt.Godel

Tue 10min yoga, 74min turbo; 2k OW swim

Turbo:
5min EZ
5*(30's on, 30's off)
3 sets of: (4*(1min 60rpm 210W, 1min 90rpm 270W), 4min EZ)
20mins 260W
5min cool down

The main 20mins was relatively comfortable, sweating and working throughout but always in control and couple have pushed 10W harder if required.

Legs were very tight doing the yoga, but feel much better after this turbo, which went well. The main 20mins was relatively comfortable, sweating and working throughout but always in control and couple have pushed 10W harder if required.

Surf lifesaving in the evening, but I sat out anything hard and kept the swimming low key, practising sighting and bouy turns.

Kurt.Godel

Wed 15min yoga, 30mins easy Fastlane

Thurs 10min yoga, 40min turbo; 15min yoga, 25min run

Turbo:
10 mins easy
10 * ( 10' hard, 50 easy )
5 * (1 min 'on' @ 240-260 watt build with control, 2 min easy)
5 mins easy
Found it hard to stay in the 240-260W zone, I was going higher without too much effort. Better focus on cadence seemed to help steady the effort in the correct zone.

Run:
10min easy
10min <4min/km pace
5min easy
My legs have been tight all week, and I wasn't looking forward to testing them in the heat. After the first km my HR started rising and the effort was noticeable. I bailed after 10mins (was meant to do 15min at this pace).

Fri 15min yoga, 1km OW swim
Sea swimming with the SLS group, didn't push anything, just steady and practice turns around bouys. Legs have been stiff all week, sartorious in particular today.

Sat Nothing
As my legs were so tight I decided against any training today, what will be will be for the race.

Kurt.Godel

Sun Wicklow Harbourman Oly NC

This was a big target for the year. Having underperformed the past two times I'd raced, I was looking forward to a good result. The extreme heat on the day was something I'd prepared for as best I could- keeping hydrated the days before, keeping as cool as I could in the hours leading up to the race. I don't perform well in heat, and my biggest fear was blowing up again on the run. The aim was to race by "feel" rather than by the watch (although I did have a power display on the bike).

Swim 28:16 (119th place)
I was positioned about 10 rows back in the coral but this got pushed back as many walked to the front and pushed in. No big deal, it was a rolling start and lots of space. Glad to get in the cooler water and get started, a fair bit of fisticuffs along the pier wall but no real hassles. Into the open bay and I just plugged away, a decent stroke without too much effort, jumping on heels where I could, dragging others along at times too. My sighting was decent but I wasn't swimming as strongly as I might have expected, throughout I was passed by at least as many as I passed myself. I'm probably going to have to work more on my swim, which has been neglected of late in training.

Bike 1:15:04 (175th place)
I tried to keep the power around 260W or so, and to keep the cadence going for the downhills and the flats. Think I suffered a bit on the climbs, did ok on the flats and didn't quite get the downhills right (need to keep the power higher for the downhills). There just wasn't the expected zip in my legs and I was perhaps over-conscious of holding back for the run. However, if I'd had been offered a 34kph average for that course beforehand I'd have taken it, so can't really complain.

Run 45:08 (98th place)
I was a little disappointed at the amount of bikes in transition when I got there (just mentioning that as an aside). By now things had really heated up, and I was hyper conscious of not blowing up, of staying in control during the run. Its a tricky course, and I talked to many afterwards who had blown up by halfway. I followed a guy in green right out of T2 and he seemed to be going at a decent pace, so followed him as we passed by a few and focussed on reeling in a few more. A km in and I was feeling ok so decided to test the water and pushed on past green guy, and just focussed on holding good running form and targeting who was ahead of me. This worked ok, although I was in a few ding-dong battles with green guy and a few others over these deceptive hills. At 5k I stopped at the water station and threw a few cups over to cool down. From here to the end I knew it was a matter of control. The legs were playing ball, no cramping or tightness, but I was feeling very hot and audibly panting. The run along the pier went ok and by now I knew I wouldn't blow up. First set of steps were walked up, jogged the rest, and back into a rhythm at the top. Finished the first lap and pushed on (stopped twice at water stations to throw water over me). I had passed by quite a few during the race, and won most battles, but green guy came back onto me at the bridge and passed me. The last 500m were very hard, I wasn't going to risk a sprint finish and let the place go, happy to just get through this run without collapsing.

Overall
I was pretty happy with how things had gone at the end. I controlled what needed to be controlled, and ran a smart race. Looking at the results I can see where time needs to be made up, and I was a lot further down the field than I'd had expected, but that can wait for another day. Running without the watch was the right thing to do, I think. The biggest battle yesterday was the heat, something of an albatross for me in the past, and while I can't say I didn't suffer, at least I can say I managed to alleviate that suffering. I think the value from yesterdays racing will be found in upcoming races over the next few weeks.
Have to mention the marshals who were just brilliant, vocal at every junction, corners swept, water plentiful at each station and served fast... Wicklow Tri Club always put on a great race and the amount of their members who gave up their day so we could race is much appreciated.

Kurt.Godel

Sat Two Provinces Triathlon 56th/337, 8th AG

Swim 13:45, 8th in AG
Not much in the way of chop, the lake was hotter than I've known it (Super Series athletes were non-wetsuit, lucky sods). Earlier waves had several groups swimming wide to the right of the first bouy, so I made it my business not to let the same thing happen. After a strong start I was swimming hard out the front with another lad for company right by my side. Sure enough we seemed to be pushed to the right and every time I sighted and corrected we would clash... it was a fair old knockabout for the first few hundred meters! Others had come in from a tighter line on the inside but I still was well up the pack rounding the first bouy (incidentally my turns around bouys are getting better after all the practise in Surf Rescue training).
From here I started to drop off the leaders- I was still content with the effort/reward ratio, but lets be honest I've not really targeted swimming in training lately in preference for gains in other areas, and so I used whatever natural ability I have (rather than swim fitness) to bring me home, grabbing feet where I could, and having a reasonably successful swim overall.

Bike 34:42, 12th in AG
Straight from the get-go I pushed hard on the bike. The plan was to keep it around 270W, and after biking the hillier Wicklow Oly at 34kph average last week, I hoped to be able to get over 35kph average for this 20km out-and-back course. Having started in the last wave I was a bit concerned about congestion on the course, but earlier waves seemed well spread out and the closed roads were a godsend.
I was passed by a few during the race- invariably this would happen on any of the uphill sections- but held my own on the flats. Cadence and power were both kept high enough, in particular I wanted to keep pushing on any downhills. By the end though I was a little disappointed to see an average speed just under 34kph, which seemed low for the effort I'd put in. Still, a solid enough bike and I've no real complaints as it went to plan.

Run 20:14, 8th in AG
Ok this was the biggest test. My goal was sub 20. The aim was to ease into the first km and push on from there. I was almost caught out by the first little section through the forest, a combination of sandy paths and a sneaky uphill contributed to a slowish first km of 4:18. Still, this was within the plan, and once on the road again I could push onwards. A lad from Naas tri club came up behind and passed me, at what I guessed was about 4min pace. His shoulder seemed a good place to sit for a while, and so I worked to stay with him up to just past the turnaround point. This rewarded me with decent numbers (4:00, 4:01), but a return "hill" brought a lot of hurt with it and he started to pull away (I had a slower km here at 4:05). I was in pain now (thoughts of dropping out etc) but so were others around me so you just focus on the finish and try and empty what you have left in the tank. I was closing down on a couple of lads ahead who looked like my AG, but was running at pretty much my limit, and the gap was just to large to close for a sprint finish. In any case this was my fastest km at 3:50- overall just outside my goal with an overall 20:14 for the 5k but close enough to put a decent shine on the run.

Overall
Its another solid race, with a lot more positives than negatives... of course being the guy I am my focus is on the negatives:rolleyes:. It was pretty competitive in my AG and looking at the results, 20secs faster would have bought me 2 more places- a couple of minutes faster and I might have been pushing for an AG podium. Similar story to my other NS races this year, there are no free rides and if you want success you have to work for it.
So where can I find those couple of minutes? Others around me are biking 20km 2-3mins faster than me. At this level thats far too much time to give away, so I'll have to look into that. Being caught out on uphills while living in Wicklow tells its own story, and shows my over-relience on the turbo. I really should be swimming faster too, but given that I've expended very little training time in the water lately, that has to be balanced alongside the potentially small gains to be found here.
That's enough with the negatives- overall though the abiding memory from this race will be a successful run. My training of late has improved my running no end, and this has resulted in much improved run performances and times. I'm now within touching distance of the elusive sub-20 Sprint run, whereas previous years have been a war of attrition in being passed while running high 22mins. Thats a huge positive, and augers well.

Kurt.Godel

The past few months have been tough for a number of reasons, and while I hadn't intended racing as often as I have, travelling to the races and competing has been enjoyable. However, I'm getting pretty tired now, mentally as well as physically. I've raced hard almost every weekend for the past couple of months, and focus is starting to slip... with holidays coming up in August, I need to consider that my season may be coming to an end.

At the start of the year one of my goals was a top-5 ranking in my AG NS league... just as a motivator, I understand the swings and roundabouts of the NS scoring system. Right at the moment I'm in 2nd place, but thats mainly to do with the amount of races I've completed. As more results come online I don't expect to remain within the top 5, partly because of relatively low points in Oly races (and at least one scoring race must be an Oly). Belfast next week has been entered, with a view to getting a decent Oly points tally, but travelling up North is looking unlikely now as I weigh up the pro's and con's. After that, there's just DCT Sprint (I'm loathe to enter too soon as its pricey and I don't trust the Liffey water) and then Pulse Port Beach. As things stand I'll probably take a mini break now, and refocus on targeting a good showing in either/both of those races. Still waiting for that elusive perfect race where everything goes right, and it would be good to round out a decent season with a perfect race.

TriFirst

Kurt.Godel wrote: »

Sat Two Provinces Triathlon 56th/337, 8th AG

Swim 13:45, 8th in AG
Not much in the way of chop, the lake was hotter than I've known it (Super Series athletes were non-wetsuit, lucky sods). Earlier waves had several groups swimming wide to the right of the first bouy, so I made it my business not to let the same thing happen. After a strong start I was swimming hard out the front with another lad for company right by my side. Sure enough we seemed to be pushed to the right and every time I sighted and corrected we would clash... it was a fair old knockabout for the first few hundred meters! Others had come in from a tighter line on the inside but I still was well up the pack rounding the first bouy (incidentally my turns around bouys are getting better after all the practise in Surf Rescue training).
From here I started to drop off the leaders- I was still content with the effort/reward ratio, but lets be honest I've not really targeted swimming in training lately in preference for gains in other areas, and so I used whatever natural ability I have (rather than swim fitness) to bring me home, grabbing feet where I could, and having a reasonably successful swim overall.

Bike 34:42, 12th in AG
Straight from the get-go I pushed hard on the bike. The plan was to keep it around 270W, and after biking the hillier Wicklow Oly at 34kph average last week, I hoped to be able to get over 35kph average for this 20km out-and-back course. Having started in the last wave I was a bit concerned about congestion on the course, but earlier waves seemed well spread out and the closed roads were a godsend.
I was passed by a few during the race- invariably this would happen on any of the uphill sections- but held my own on the flats. Cadence and power were both kept high enough, in particular I wanted to keep pushing on any downhills. By the end though I was a little disappointed to see an average speed just under 34kph, which seemed low for the effort I'd put in. Still, a solid enough bike and I've no real complaints as it went to plan.

Run 20:14, 8th in AG
Ok this was the biggest test. My goal was sub 20. The aim was to ease into the first km and push on from there. I was almost caught out by the first little section through the forest, a combination of sandy paths and a sneaky uphill contributed to a slowish first km of 4:18. Still, this was within the plan, and once on the road again I could push onwards. A lad from Naas tri club came up behind and passed me, at what I guessed was about 4min pace. His shoulder seemed a good place to sit for a while, and so I worked to stay with him up to just past the turnaround point. This rewarded me with decent numbers (4:00, 4:01), but a return "hill" brought a lot of hurt with it and he started to pull away (I had a slower km here at 4:05). I was in pain now (thoughts of dropping out etc) but so were others around me so you just focus on the finish and try and empty what you have left in the tank. I was closing down on a couple of lads ahead who looked like my AG, but was running at pretty much my limit, and the gap was just to large to close for a sprint finish. In any case this was my fastest km at 3:50- overall just outside my goal with an overall 20:14 for the 5k but close enough to put a decent shine on the run.

Overall
Its another solid race, with a lot more positives than negatives... of course being the guy I am my focus is on the negatives:rolleyes:. It was pretty competitive in my AG and looking at the results, 20secs faster would have bought me 2 more places- a couple of minutes faster and I might have been pushing for an AG podium. Similar story to my other NS races this year, there are no free rides and if you want success you have to work for it.
So where can I find those couple of minutes? Others around me are biking 20km 2-3mins faster than me. At this level thats far too much time to give away, so I'll have to look into that. Being caught out on uphills while living in Wicklow tells its own story, and shows my over-relience on the turbo. I really should be swimming faster too, but given that I've expended very little training time in the water lately, that has to be balanced alongside the potentially small gains to be found here.
That's enough with the negatives- overall though the abiding memory from this race will be a successful run. My training of late has improved my running no end, and this has resulted in much improved run performances and times. I'm now within touching distance of the elusive sub-20 Sprint run, whereas previous years have been a war of attrition in being passed while running high 22mins. Thats a huge positive, and augers well.

A great read as usual, similar to me in that I need an extra 3 mins on the bike and get caught out on hills, if turbo isnt the answer are you talking hill repeats ?

joey100

Some great racing this year Kurt and especially the run, no harm in a mini break at all, even for the mental break rather than the physical. Can be nice to switch off from racing for a few weeks and just get back to routine.

Without being rude I'm going to guess the time you lose in climbing is down to size rather than you not being 'good' on the hills. Your a tall broad lad, more of a swimmers build than a typical runner or biker, I'd say it's just your carrying more up the hills. I wouldn't discount the turbo, get that power number up as high as you can so you can get a nice high w/kg, the hills are where this really shows up.

Kurt.Godel

TriFirst wrote: »

A great read as usual, similar to me in that I need an extra 3 mins on the bike and get caught out on hills, if turbo isnt the answer are you talking hill repeats ?

Really I just mean getting out there on the roads, rather than the turbo. I don't mean to denigrate the turbo at all- I think its the best bang for bike buck you can get- just that I also need more hills, more road, more being specific to what race conditions are.

joey100 wrote: »

Some great racing this year Kurt and especially the run, no harm in a mini break at all, even for the mental break rather than the physical. Can be nice to switch off from racing for a few weeks and just get back to routine.

Without being rude I'm going to guess the time you lose in climbing is down to size rather than you not being 'good' on the hills. Your a tall broad lad, more of a swimmers build than a typical runner or biker, I'd say it's just your carrying more up the hills. I wouldn't discount the turbo, get that power number up as high as you can so you can get a nice high w/kg, the hills are where this really shows up.

Thats not rude at all Joey, as a matter of fact I was chatting with the coach about this very topic this morning. There's certainly some weight that can be dropped before DCTri or Port Beach, and as you say its on the hills where it becomes apparent.

But as the coach emphasised too, its all about balance, and this has been a good year so far. We always want to do better, always look for ways to get faster, but its good to take stock of things too and celebrate what has gone well. I'm very happy with how my racing has gone thus far, and more to the point I'm happy with how its fit in with the rest of my life. A little downtime to recharge the batteries now, and then focus on the remainder of the season. Its all going to plan

Kurt.Godel

Sun Rest

Mon 15min yoga, 40min easy Fastlane; 45min easy jog

Kept things real easy today, that'll be the theme of the week.

Tue 10min yoga, 40min easy turbo; 1.4k OW swim

Turbo:
10min easy
5*(30s hard, 1.5min easy)
5*(2min build to PE 5/6, 1min EZ)
5min EZ

I didn't even look at the watch (besides for time), just kept things very easy while watching Countdown. Usually my brain gets fried playing this on the turbo, today I got 118 points

Swim
As part of Surf Rescue training we swam around several bouys in choppy water. Its great for sighting and awareness, as you are often swimming back from a bouy while a herd of others are swimming out to it. You have to keep the wits about you! For the last 5 bouys I was joined by a teenager- if there's one thing the teenagers don't let happen its get beaten by the oldies, so it was quite a scrap between those last bouys. Very useful actually, as I got to try a few things with my stroke and cadence to reel her back in (or at least match her pace). The kids really put manners on you when it comes to technique.
Afterwards myself and another lad did some kick sculls between bouys, and then utilising that kick for a stronger swim to the next bouy. Again, very useful.

Tomorrow I might try the second Bray Aquathon, and while it might be a little intense for an easy week, the aim is to have fun during Round II with Junior.

Kurt.Godel

Wed Bray Aquathon

This was a bridge too far, but in many ways it was enjoyable and I learned a lot from it. Having done a lot of races recently, my body (and mind) are starting to rebel, lingering niggles starting to shout, motivation starting to wane... with that in mind I intended to do this Aquathon as a bit of fun, and use any result to help determine the lay of the land. Waking up with an annoying backache went some ways towards an answer, and try as I might with stretches all day it, the back was still constrained during warmup. Decision made, I'd do the swim and only continue if the back played ball.

There was a large crowd tonight, registration was as easy as it always is at these races. Wicklow Tri deserve huge kudos for the effort they put in to these races. My son was one of two Juniors, we were taken down for a separate briefing with Wicklow's Child Liason Officer... just another example of the extra lengths Wicklow go to to ensure anyone who wants to race gets to do so. Hugely appreciated.

Anyway, set-up was nice and easy, chatted to quite a few before the off (one of my Asgard Masters buddies doing the relay swim... think the water of his swim line is still steaming!). Not much in the way of flow (if anything I think we were slightly against a current?), and into the swim. I started well, with the leaders around the first bouy, but a twinge in my back as I turned put paid to any aspirations of a decent swim. I wasn't catching the water well from here, the effort was more than it should have been, and my lines weren't straight as I drifted towards shore between each bouy. We get the races we deserve, and my half-hearted preparation fed into a very average swim. I was debating exiting the race as I swam towards the final bouy. Made some effort while swimming in with a lad, but otherwise it wasn't a good swim.

Into trans, and I figured I may as well give the rest of the race a whirl (if only to stave off that horrible DNF-drive-home-feeling). Slow enough getting started on the run- my back was complaining straight away. I forced a decent cadence along the promenade, but my heart wasn't in the first hill, and again I contemplated quitting... saw Junior well ahead as I ran up, no chance of beating him today. Quite a few went by me on the run, and I resolved to leave any fight for another day. Once having decided that, I really enjoyed the rest of the race. Still hurting, but never reaching gameface or anywhere near it. I crossed the line happy having learnt something certain- I'm tired and need a break. For that knowledge I'm very happy I went to Bray, its almost a relief now. Junior finished way ahead of me, well done to him (he had 5th fastest swim and was annoyed as he said he paced it wrong, but overall he loved the race and is on a high for having done it).

As ever I enjoyed the soup and chat afterwards, all good fun, and a good sleep on the cards tonight.

Kurt.Godel

Thurs 19th July 30 min easy swimming
Can't remember if it was Fastlane or OW

Fri 15min yoga, 60min trail run
I was up in Dublin and managed to get a jog around Marlay Park. Not quite a mountain run but different and refreshing enough to keep things interesting.
Legs/hammers/back felt tight throughout, nothing terrible and it didn't affect the run.

Mon 15min yoga, 50 min progressive run
The first 30mins were fine, but problems started when I went to up the pace... nothing in the tank, I was struggling in the heat, and stopped a good few times. Found it much harder than expected.

Tue 15min yoga, 40min S&C; 30min OW
OW swim with surf rescue, great evening to be out there and wash away the workday tiredness. Felt a lone string of "seaweed" wrap around my neck and sure enough I've a nice lions mane rash now. But a great swim.

Wed 10min yoga, 1:30 turbo
10 mins warmup
5 *(1.30 mins easy, 30 secs all out)
Easy 60'
4 sets of {
12 min at 220-230 Watts
5 min easy
}
rest of 90 min easy cool down
Found this good, staying around 220W kept any stress down and I just focussed on steady spinning.

Thurs 15min yoga, 40min S&C

Fri 10min yoga, 2:00 turbo
10 mins steady to build
5 * ( 30' all out 1.30 easy)
6 * (
10 mins 'on' ... building from PE 3 to 8 every 2 mins
5 mins easy
)
easy 5 cool down

This was grand, again just finding my groove as the effort dialed up.

Mon 2.6k OW
I drove down to Kerry yesterday, wrecked from the drive.
Today was a swim down to Knightstown, water felt brilliant. Not as clear as usual underwater and being caressed by mermaids hair all the way. At my age I’ll take any caressing I can get...

Tue 10min yoga, 42min OW; 15min yoga, 50min run
Run:
10 min easy warm up
3 sets of {
4 * 400m with 60' rest between (PE 7-9)
easy 3 mins jogging
}
easy jogging to cool down
There’s a gale blowing down here, so I alternated into/with the wind along the shore road. Some difference! It was pretty tough fighting that breeze, and overall probably the toughest session I’ve done in a while. Recent weight gain didn’t help, but it didn’t hinder a hard effort either.

Swim:
Traversed the channel from island to mainland with the kids. Fairly choppy in the middle and a sneaky current against the visual flow. Great fun and two more people who can now look out and say “I swam that”

Wed 45min OW
decent swim in the surf at Inny Beach, then some actual surfing (got smashed in the throat by a board which has affected my voice/breathing somewhat). We drove back via St. Finians Bay and the wind had whipped up a lot of surf... the kids wanted to stop and Junior took his surfboard, myself and Missy messed in the waves. Great fun, and great fun for everyone else too... plenty of folk of all ages splashing in their underwear, grabbing the moment. It was the best place to be on the planet that day.

Thurs Run
Watch messed up so no idea what I did

Sun 3:06 bike
A poor few days as I got a whack in the larynx from a surfboard on Wednesday, so elected to not breathe heavy running. Very busy trying to clear the desk before USA trip and a long trip back from Kerry on Friday. Lots of OW swimming and fun down there though.

Mon 15min yoga, 2.5k OW
Surf Rescue fundraising day spent on the beach. Lots of swims, lots of races, I tried (and failed) with the long fins (only had scuba fins, ah well). Brian H showed up and took all the Masters medals I had expected but I did win a small cake.

Tue 15min yoga, 45min run, 25min run cool down
Felt a bit sluggish, probably due to recent weight gain. Picked it up ok towards the end. Hot muggy afternoon.

Kurt.Godel

Wed 8th Aug Long flight to USA

Thurs 15min yoga, 1:30 run
It’s really hot and humid in NY. A decent nights sleep, awake early and even though it was still dark when I started, the heavy wave of heat souped me once outside the hotel. Sweaty within two minutes, I knew this run would be slow and hard. My old stomping grounds around Yonkers and Bronxville provided scenery and memories. The run was endured rather than enjoyed, and I was very happy to stand in the cold shower once finished.

Sun 15min yoga, 17k run; 20min OW
Early morning run on the boardwalk- I’ve been traveling the past couple of days so no training, and wanted to get something done. Even with the early start though, it was still very warm, although running along the shore helped with the humidity somewhat.

Mon 15min yoga, 5k run; 20min OW
Early easy run with junior, plan was keep it very slow, but of course young blood did what young blood does... thankfully pops caught up before too long and a very easy last km imparting the need for warm up and cool down. Good run in that it was a lesson for junior and his education becomes more important as the planet spins.

Tue 55min run; 30min OW
Meant to do this last night but circumstances meant it was done early this morning. Running across a long bridge meant a cooling breeze which helped on a hot morning. I felt good starting off, although the heat impacted speed for the final couple of km.

Wed 15min yoga, 1:25 run
It was very hot on the boardwalk even at 8am, the 30 min easy went fine but I struggled when going faster. I stopped a couple of times to sip from faucets and was sapped by the end.

Fri 30min OW
Developed a chest infection (too much AC and humidity) so little exertion.

Kurt.Godel

Wed 22nd 15min yoga, 20min run
Back from the USA. Kept it easy, useful run to iron out creaks and get the joints moving after travel in cars/plane. Breathing felt tighter than usual, not unexpected as I'm still getting over chest cough.

Thurs 10min yoga, 40min turbo
10 mins easy spin
5 * ( 30' hard, 1.30 easy )
5 * {
2 min 'building to steady' @ PE 6 ....
1 min super easy
}
5 mins easy
Feeling better today no real chesty issues.

Fri 30min Fastlane; 15min yoga, 8k run
First time in months I've ran in 15degree weather, it felt lovely and fresh. You could drink the air. Moderate/steady run along the forest trails, breathing felt much better and the legs and body felt strong.

Sun IMRA Nav Challenge 1 3:23
Wet and misty starting off. We were given a map, turn it over at 10:30 and note 9 controls, hit any 7. I went astray on the second, a 30min "shortcut" before I got back on track. Then a miserable hour trudging through knee-deep thick grass tufts uphill. Once this misery was complete things got a little easier (although I mistook a cliff for a path... managed to survive!). The balance was runnable and good fun all round.

Mon 15min yoga, 45min Fastlane
20 mins easy
20 mins as
1 min 'on'
1 min 'easy'
5 mins cool down
About 1:36 for "off". 1:24 for "on"
Again, the biggest benefit was easing out yesterdays aches and pains.

Tue 10min yoga, 1:05 turbo
10 mins easy spin
5 * ( 30' hard, 1.30 easy )
40 mins as 5 * {
5 min 'on' @ PE 5-6
3 min easy
}
5 mins easy
Legs a bit stiff but this spin helped.

Wed 15min yoga, 1:10 run
Legs were still a bit stiff from Sundays hills so I didn't go too hard at the end.

Thurs 10min yoga, 1:30 turbo
10 mins warmup
5 *(1.30 mins easy, 30 secs all out)
Easy 60'
3 sets of {
12 min at 7-8 PE High Tempo effort
5 min easy
}
20 * {
20' at 110 RPM +
20' easy
}
rest of 90 min easy cool down

I didn't look at the watch at all, interesting now to see the W and RPM... first rep is about right, second I spun in a higher gear so again feel=actual, third rep though, much lower power although it didn't feel any less effort!

Kurt.Godel

^ catching up over the last few weeks. I've been on holidays in Kerry for a week, USA for two weeks, and now have a stressload of work to catch up on. Training has been adequate, nothing better than that. I really needed to break though, without knowing it I'd let things build up mentally and a bit of rest was required.

I "raced" the IMRA Nav Challenge but made some really poor terrain choices. However its always refreshing to spend time in the hills.

Last race of the season will be Pulse Port Beach Sprint in 3 weeks. I'm in ok shape, good enough to give it a lash (without being in perfect shape). Already thinking about next year and hoping I can build on this seasons work with the coach, and really give it a blast. Thats a few weeks off yet, so knuckle down and hopefully make that sub20 run in a Sprint thats been a season target.

Kurt.Godel

Sat 7k easy run
Didn't feel great for this (I've been really busy all week and in the office for 6hours this morning too) and it was fairly hot out... but always good to be up around Annagh hill and the mood was lightened once complete.

Sun 15min yoga, 24k easy run
An early start for a long loop of Annagh Hill, along the backroads for the first half and following the trails for the latter. Mist and rain ensured any views were obscured, but there's a certain serenity to running slowly in the mist at an early hour.
I kept the pace slow and it was manageable all the way, could have kept going at this pace or could have ran faster towards the end, but for now just getting a long "time-on-feet" run will do.

Kurt.Godel

Mon 15min yoga, 45min swim; 5.8k easy run

I've been very busy in the office the past while, all of these segments above were grabbed and thankful to have been able to do so.

Tue 10min yoga, 120min bike; 5k easy run

Last night the wifey was driving kids home from dance class on backroads, a huge Artic truck passed her at speed and hit into a tree which fell on her car... thankfully everybody is fine and only metal and glass was damaged. Road was blocked, locals came out with chainsaws to cut them out, guards were called (truck driver never stopped)... but our trusty Skoda Yeti saved the day.

The result meant I had to bike to Dublin to borrow a replacement car this morning. 60k steady into a slight headwind. The run later on was one of those stress-cleansers.

Wed 15min yoga, 45min run intervals

10min WU
3*(4*400m PE7-9, 90s walk) 2mins jog
5min CD

Did these in the forest so tree cover means garmin errors- just ran for 1:30 each rep building and happy to finish each one. Focus was more on control than eyeballs out.

joey100

Glad to hear the family are ok Kurt, scary situation.

Kurt.Godel

joey100 wrote: »

Glad to hear the family are ok Kurt, scary situation.

Cheers joey, yes scary for them and a reminder to cherish those near and dear around us and celebrate each day awake on this mortal coil.

Thurs 65min turbo; 60min Masters

Turbo:
10min EZ
5*(30s hard, 1:30EZ)
5*(5min build to 5/6PE, 3min EZ
5min EZ

Masters:
2*(200m swim, 4*50 BE4)
10*(50m on 1:00, 50m on 45)
10*(25k, 25drill, 25 hard)
200 swim down

Its been a while since I've been at the pool. My goal now is to kick throughout, and tumble turn all the time. So far so good- I felt no better that alright in the water, but it was good to be back. Unfortuately the air quality is still bad, so I was coughing towards the end (others too had breathing problems). Its a real shame, and is the reason I'm limiting Masters to one day a week. If the air remains bad I'll up sticks... I'm lucky that I have the endless pool, but swimming in a group really brings you on and this is a good group of swimmers.

Neady83

Crikey Kurt, someone was looking out for your family. So glad they're all ok. A shock for you to get that call I'd imagine.

Kurt.Godel

I've been very busy the past few weeks, and haven't got the training in to be sharp enough for Clogherhead sprint, so it looks like my 2018 racing season is over. Its been a year of up and downs, but on the racing side of things I've had my most successful year yet. No harm in putting down my thoughts and reviewing what worked and what didn't...

The biggest change started a year ago, when I moved to a coached routine under Mark Waters (username "interested" of this parish, he used to post some great info when more active a few years back- newbies should do a search, some fantastic swim info in particular). He was someone I trusted and I was looking forward to working under his plan. My desire was to be more accountable and to have some structure over the winter, to stay injury free... but what I got went way beyond that, and totally exceeded my expectations. Starting yoga as well as working on the mental aspect of training and racing, meant I was learning new aspects throughout the winter, which helped with motivation/mood/flexibility. Mark had asked to keep it too myself for a while, so I contented myself with a nod in my new log title and kept schtum

Oct-Mar
Really this was all about consistency- putting in the hours, following the program, discussing what was working and what wasn't... Most biking was done on the turbo which suited my work schedule, most swimming was in my fastlane (which helped any ear/throat problems the Arklow pool caused in previous years), and there was a much bigger run focus.

April
Heavy snowfalls in Spring meant the National Masters Champs were postponed a few weeks. I had targeted a medal in the 1,500 but had dropped some swim fitness by the time they came around. However, I managed a very consistent swim to nab a bronze. Lost the fight for silver on the last length but happy to have hit my goal. The next day was one of my favourite days racing, we had a gang down from the club and I was part of a couple of relay teams. Great fun cheering each other on throughout the day, and I tried a few backstroke races for fun too. Brilliant weekend all round, and something I'm looking forward to next year.

May
National Aquathlon Champs 1st AG
This was a season goal- an early sea swim with a flat run would suit a fatty like me. On the day I was very relaxed (possibly too relaxed during the swim!) and managed a decent enough run to win my AG. Very happy about this.
Wicklow Way Relay (4th team)
We organised a team for this, had a great day during and after. I had a solid enough leg 4 and a lovely swim in Glendalough lake afterwards.
Lough Cutra Standard
A good swim, very poor bike (mechanical issues), and a decent run... I felt strong throughout this race but really should have sorted out the bike beforehand.

June
Schull Sprint 34th/283 (7thAG/40)
This was my most complete race to date. A very hot day, I fought hard during the run but as ever the bike was where I lost time. Less than two minutes away from 2nd in my AG in a packed field.
Westport Sprint 27th place (5thAG)
A similar story to Schull, but the run was getting better and I finished very strong.
Bray Aquathlon series 1 (19th place)
A nice ding-dong on the run as I tried to reel in my son but alas he just pipped his da Being able to train/race with the kids as they get older is what its all about.
Valentia sprint (8th place, 1st AG)
This was my best race, on another magnificent day in the Kingdom. A good swim and solid bike left me high up the field at the start of the run... I got stuck in and caught a few places running up, and emptied the tank coming down to nab another. Highlight to the season.

July
Wicklow Harbourman Oly NC
This was a really hot day, the heat was crazy throughout. I suffered as a big lad. my swim wasn't great, I had a decent bike, but managed to control the run and finish with a solid time. Previous years I'd blown up on this run, so I was happy to have managed better in the heat, although it took a lot out of me.
Two Provinces Triathlon 56th/337, 8th AG
I was most happy with my run, latched onto a strong runner and a few seconds faster would have got me under 20mins.

There was an awful lot of races one after the other. This helped to take my mind off other things, but it all caught up and I was burned out racing by the end of July. A timely trip to the US and Kerry took care of August- some training but not at the intensity as before. When I came back I was very busy in work and resigned myself to ending the season. It was a lot of fun attending and racing, and overall its been my most successful year. Most pre-season goals were met, and the training and racing added so much to other aspects of my life. It's important that it stays fun.

So now I'm starting to form plans for next year, I can review what worked and what didn't? On the positive side the largest "plus" has been working with Mark, and a massive thanks to him for the huge amount of work he puts in. He tidies up a lot, and marries your training into your life. Just a brilliant coach/motivator, and I'd highly recommend him to anyone who wants to take their training to a new and unexpected level. Besides that I have to commend my own consistency over the winter- setting goals and doing the grunt work, leaves you in a position to hit those goals. Focussing more on running has been great, and something I hope to continue to improve. Yoga/flexibility/S&C have been very important in staying injury free.

What didn't work? Well, its a balancing act between 3 sports, and I took my eye off the swim after March. Perhaps no major issue (made up more time on the run), but I'd like to work more on my underwater power this winter (as well as the kick). My bike needs more long spins, end of.

But overall there is far more on the positive side. Looking ahead to next year, I'll do a few late season galas and look to improve my 1,500m time. That'll lead nicely into a possible trip to the ITU AG Aquathon Champs in Spain next May. After that, better planning of the race season, and we'll see where we go from there.

Thanks to everyone who gave advice during the year, or even just popped in for a read!

griffin100

Now the log title makes sense, and there was me thinking it was an oblique reference to Gerrit Van Gelderin and your arty background.

Kurt.Godel

Sun 16th Sept 40min S&C, 30 min Fastlane
I was very busy over the past week, everyone of my clients seems to be in "back-to-school" mode since start of Sept... thankfully it looks as though things will ease off the next few weeks.
Several days rest by choice and to give the body a real clear defined break. I'm ready to start back into things now, feeling good mentally and physically and looking forward to training towards a good racing year next season.

Mon 17th 15min yoga, 45min run
30min EZ, 15min build
Started out feeling great, but after 20 mins I was going backwards. Kids have brought a bug home, wait and see if its an issue.

Tue 18th 15min yoga, 30min Fastlane; 40min S&C
Kept it an easy 1:44pace throughout, straight steady swim with a decent flutter kick throughout. I want to get used to kicking all the time, make it become a habit.

Wed 19th 30min Fastlane; 10min yoga, 42min turbo
Turbo
10 mins easy spin
10 mins as 5 * ( 30' hard, 1.30 easy )
15 mins as 5 * {
1 min 'on' @ PE 9-10 .... power / effort should build
2 min easy
}
5 mins easy

First trial of Zwift (using my regular turbo and bike PM). Its really handy for sessions like this, plenty of targets and distractions from any pain during the intense sections- although the flip side is that I find it hard to let go of any "racing" during the easy parts. Patience and practice.

Thurs 20th 15min yoga, 40min run
Pissing raining around Courtown after a very long day at work... I'm looking for excuses really as I once again felt crap after 20mins or so. No biggie at this stage of the game and likely caused by the bug in our household.

Fri 21st 30min Fastlane

Sat 22nd Nothing, working all day

Sun 23rd Nothing, working all day

Mon 24th 15min yoga, 45min run
I was pushed for time and so just did 15min easy before upping the pace. Felt good, much better than last weeks running, and was motoring along the last couple of km

Tue 25th 15min yoga, 30min Fastlane; 40min S&C; 30min easy run
Swim: Easy swimming 1:42 pace throughout- kicking is becoming more of a habit and starting to feel more natural.
Run:I had intended a very easy 30min jog, however a calf niggle soon became obvious. Tried to stretch it out but still there. Reckon I've a small tear from fast heel steps earlier.

Wed 26th 65min turbo
10 mins easy spin
10 mins as 5 * ( 30' hard, 1.30 easy )
40 mins as 5 * {
5 min 'on' @ PE 5-6 .... power / effort should build ... but from easy to moderate and no more
3 min easy
}
5 mins easy
First trial of the new direto turbo, coupled with Zwift. I'm impressed with both, the turbo is very stable and changes resistance automatically depending on the course/workout. I had a go at creating this workout in zwift, didn't get it 100% right but it should be easy enough to get the hang of it.
Calf still a little tight walking but didn't notice it at all on the bike.

Thurs 27th 40min S&C; 60min Masters swim
200m "step test"
7*200 off 5min, each one gets faster by 7s until you finish with your fastest. I plotted sub 3 as my fastest, was going fine until the last two, 3:12 and 3:15 when they should have been 3:07 and 3:00. My stroke was lacking when I upped the effort (otherwise a good stroke and kick). Air was better, they have started flushing extra water in the pool but I fear this will be temporary.
Either way, good to be back at the Masters again and a marker for early season form.

Fri 28th 15min yoga, 30min run
Easy chatting pace along flat forest trail with Mick. The calf is still a bit tight- certainly better than a few days ago though.

Sat 29th Nothing, working all day

Sun 30th 10min yoga, 65min turbo
Another busy weekend- I'm really going to have to reconsider my choice of job, I've always believed time more valuable than money. Anyway, to save some time I swapped the intended 90min outside for the turbo.
20min @190W
10*(1min 400W+, 1 min EZ)
5min @190W
15min steady build from 225W-350W
10 EZ
Felt good during this, the hardest were the 1min on (big gear) but I held over 400W for all of them so was pleased with that.

Kurt.Godel

Mon 1st Oct 30min Fastlane; 15min yoga, 10k interval run
Swim:
10mins @1:42pace
10mins @1:36pace
10mins @1:30pace
Focusing (trying not to focus!) on a natural flutter. If I raise my butt- this takes a leap of faith as it "feels" unnatural- my kick follows without effort, as well as better streamline etc.

Run:
10 min easy warm up
3 sets of {
4 * 400m with 60' rest between (PE 7-9)
easy 3 mins jogging
}
easy jogging to cool down
I did these along the forest- thousands of tiny flies for supper and eyewash, besides that they went ok. The last few were tough enough, effort was hard although pace probably suffered as I've put on a few kg over the last month- 92.9kg today, mostly due to a very busy (read "I deserve a beer" after workday) September. Things should get more manageable in the office for the moment, and the missus poured away 23litres of quality homebrew down the sink last night, bless her cotton socks.

Kurt.Godel

Tue 2nd 30min Fastlane; 10min yoga; 41 min turbo
Swim:
10mins @1:42pace
10mins @1:36pace
10mins @1:29pace

Turbo:
10min EZ
10*(30s hard, 30s EZ)
5*(2min build to PE6, 1min EZ)
5min cool down

Another Zwift session, grabbed at lunchtime. These are still very novel at the moment but I foresee the newness wearing after a bit... however, for now its a perfect way to get a session done with the minimum of fuss.
The Elite Direto trainer is pretty impressive I have to say.

Kurt.Godel

Wed 15min yoga, 40min S&C, 20min jog; 30min Fastlane

The run was very slow, done right after the S&C. Later on I played with a few toys in the pool for half an hour.

Thurs 1:23 turbo; 60min Masters

10 mins warm up easy build
5 mins as
30' on, 30 off
4 sets of {
4 * {
1 min @ 60-70 RPM ... 10-15% below FTP
1 min @ 90-100 RPM .. 10-15% over FTP
}
4 mins easy
}
15 mins steady at 260 WATTS
easy for remainder

This was done around the virtual streets of London- Zwift really is a great tool for helping you through hard intervals. A good session, the intervals were just the right amount of effort/steady/easy, and the last 15min at 270W felt tough enough but manageable.

Masters:
200m WU
12*50 as 25sw (build 1-4), 25 EZ, 15s
4*50 off 1:30 (in 41)
1:30 rest
4*50 off 1:30 (in 40)
1:30 rest
4*50 off 1:30 (in 39)
1:30 rest
4*50 off 1:30 (in 38)
1:30 rest
400m WD

I liked this set, three of us in the lane of similar standard and we worked well to bring the session home. Now that I'm back in the pool I can notice a couple of things... compared to last year my breathing is MUCH better and more controlled, and my kick has improved (easy to improve from dragging feet behind you!). My stroke has lost a little strength but thats something that will come back soon enough.

Kurt.Godel

Fri 15min yoga, 40min S&C; 30min Fastlane
Recovery swim 1:42 pace

Sat 15k moderate run
Junior is doing his lifeguard exam today so I had an early start dropping him in Dublin. The world was my oyster driving home, lots of runners on the streets and I contemplated joining them. Too nice a day however, it would be better running somewhere arboreal to take in this magnificent autumnal change (best its been in my memory). I passed on Marley park, vaguely considered the Sugarloaf, before half settling on Glendalough. I crossed the mountains to get there, passing over the Vartry reservoir... my mind was made up. I parked in Roundwood and started running around the lakes, somewhere totally new to me. Its a fantastic place to run, the air is fresh, loads of beech trees, the views across the lake... I was in a very happy place, and just kept going round while enjoying the run. Definitely somewhere I'll come back to, one of my favourite runs of all time.

Kurt.Godel

Sun 10min yoga, 1:20 turbo

20mins easy
20 mins as
10 * 1 min climbing, 1 min easy
odds seated over geared low cadence
evens standing, over geared low cadence
5 mins easy
15 mins steady .. building to finish strong
20 mins easy

French student in the house, needed entertaining so Dad Taxi service was operational most of the day- hence another missed outdoor spin. This was instead done on Zwift, kept the effort low enough throughout most of it and managed the sit/stand intervals well enough.

Kurt.Godel

Mon 30min Fastlane; 15min yoga, 45min run
Fastlane:
10min 1:42 pace
10min 1:36 pace
10min 1:29 pace
Keeping things nice'n'easy with a focus on the kick.

Run:
30min easy, 15min steady to strong
The legs felt a bit heavy for this one. A nice flat forest trail, seasoned with the late afternoon fiery hues. I felt the pinch as the pace got hotter.

Weekly weigh-in 90.5kg


Tue 40min S&C, 20min run; 30min Fastlane

Run directly after S&C: super steady for 10 mins and then increase intensity.
Handy enough for the first half and then upping the effort... after 5 mins my breathing was laboured, I pulled back slightly and let breathing dictate pace. From here I managed to steadily get faster and finished well.

Fastlane:
10min 1:42 pace
10min 1:36 pace
10min 1:30 pace

Wed 10min yoga, 1:05 turbo; 30min Fastlane; 7k run

Turbo:
10 mins easy spin
5 * ( 60' build from medium to hard, 60' easy )
5 * {5 min 'on' @ PE 5-6, 3 min easy}
5 mins easy
Felt good for this, the turbo once again providing great bang for buck... I could execute a precise 65 minutes and shower between work and more work.

Fastlane:
10min sw 1:40 pace
5min sw 1:36 pace
5min pb 1:36 pace
5min pb 1:29 pace
5min sw 1:29 pace
Keeping things nice and easy, just checking out streamline/catch/kick. Plan is to just grab these easy half hour swims when I can, try and make them daily.

Run:
This was done to kill time while the Dad taxi meter was running (junior now taken up boxing...). I kept the pace right down and the effort nice and relaxed. There’s a Q&A over on the athletics forum with a coach who makes the point that you can’t run easy runs too slow.