[El Director]

Well I've decided to keep a log then. Thought it would be cool to look back this time next year just to see what i was thinking, doing, hoping for and where it got me. Also felt it would be nice to get my thoughts on paper as it were, and give my girlfriend a break from listening to me go on!

I got into triathlon last year, mainly because a friend of mine had been doing them for 7 years and he loved it! He regularly finishes in the top 25% and higher in tri's, he to me, is the carrot on the stick. Perhaps this year i will finish added of him hehe!

I always wanted to be able to swim properly so i decided to put that right first and if it went well then i'd add cycling and running. I had done some road runs previously and i had and still was playing junior soccer. Loved the soccer and the lads, grew up playing with them and had been playin with the team since i was 17. However i was always a little envious of my friends that played handball (big in the village im from!). Envious in the sense that they only had themselves to rely on. I found with the soccer that only a few of us were committed, the rest just went with the flow. I wanted to win something! We eventually did and i got that monkey off my back.

It was then i started to think of doin a triathlon, and i did. Last may, tri limits sprint in dungannon. I finished in a time of 1 hr 19 min, 4 mins behind my mate. I was buzzing that day! I loved it. I had only planned on one but i ended up doing 10. 4 of those were National Series and upon advice from my friend i applied for a place on the Ire age group team for Athlone 2010. I got my place, i was so delighted and really looking forward to that this year.

Even before i got my place on the team i had decided that i really want to push on in 2010 and improve. This lead me to my second posting on boards, here it is....http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055645249 I got loads of great advise from there. When i look back now (and it was only 6 months ago!) i see how naive my "plan" was! I intend to go back to this thread in Sept 2010 to tell people just "how much one can improve"

So here is what i did...

1) Got the Tri Training Bible (well the girlfriend did!)
2) Read it from cover to cover (i now know what periodization is!)
3) Bought a Turbo Trainer
4) Decided to do two sessions a day 5 days a week
5) Read as much as possible and listen to others.
6) Ordered a TT bike (Giant Trinity 0, god bless cycle to work scheme!)

I found that endurance was my big limiter, becomes very apparent in my runs.
Here are my Season Goals:

1) Obtain 650 points-Top 20 in Age Groups
2) Finish in the top 30% in Hell of the West 2010
3) Finish in the top 30% in the Euro Champs Age Group

Here are my Training Objectives:

1) Do a 20k TT in under 32 mins
2) Feel stronger climbing hills by May
3) Run a 90 min half marathon
4) Run a 45 min 10k in a triathlon

My A races are:

1) Hell of the West
2) Euro Champs Age Group 2010
3) Half Iron man* (Kenmare or Groomsport)



So I started Base 1 on Mon the 18th of Jan.

Monday Swim (Technique)/Turbo (Delboys Intervals, thanks delboy!)
Tuesday Weights/Run (Liffy Valley AC)
Wednesday Swim (with coach)/Turbo
Thursday Weights/Run (Liffy Valley AC)
Friday Swim (with coach)/Long easy run, 1hr 30min(ish)
Saturday Cycle (with Swords CC)
Sunday Rest/Race (every second week or so)

It was going quite well until I got an infection in my wisdom tooth last week, so no training. This week was scheduled as a rest/easy week, so we booked into a nice hotel in Cavan to relax (the joys of being a teacher on mid term!). So Base one was 3 weeks and i've now had 2 weeks rest o well i just have to adapt, these things happen. Also only got out once for my long cycle on Saturdays for one reason or another. I hope this chances, i am confident it will. I have also decided to keep the competitive edge by doing one mountain run and one duathlon per month (Jan to April) This will also break up any boredom and keep me motivated. The idea of the mountain runs is to toughen me up because the Hell of the West and Beast of the East were like hell on earth for me last summer.

So this week (scheduled rest week) i did an easy spin on sunday on the turbo (by the way i love my turbo, i get a chance to catch up on box sets, Lost season 5 at the mo)

An easy 7 k this morning, 4:50/km pace.

Anyway here goes logging, i hope to update it every evening.......all constructive criticisim/feedback welcome, that is if anyone will read this!

*Haven't decided on HIM yet, going to wait and see how i feel, not pushed yet on doing long distance tri's, this is only my second year after all and im not in it just to do it, i want decent times too.

[catweazle]

Good luck with it Director, my wifes a teacher too, I sometimes wish I could have her hours.

[El Director]

Thanks Catweazle, i must admit the teaching does give time to train especially during the summer. Finishing at 3:45 each day helps to especially during the winter, still have a couple of hours of day light.

Did the same easy 7 k this morn, 4:53/km pace. Feeling very sluggish, i am putting it down to the inactivity for 10 days.

Glad i've decided to do a bit this week before Base 2 starts next week.

[Macanri]

Great to see another tri log. The best of luck with the training. So does this mean we can correct your spelling? lol.

What plan are you following?

[shotgunmcos]

Nice one El Director good man starting a log. If there were more jobs going I'd consider teaching myself so I could skirt off to the hotter parts of the world for longer that 10 days

Good solid goals you have there too. What AG are you?

BTW I started doing hillrunning once a week with the IMRA types around may and continued util I fell on a descent in July (haven't been back yet) but I can definitely say they helped me for sure at Kilkee and at Carna where the runs were very hilly and very tough.

Best of luck for the season and I'll see you in Athlone

[El Director]

Feel free to correct my spelling Macanri lol. I do have a touch of dyslexia actually, thats why I'm a maths/science teacher I guess!

I designed my own training plan based on the guidelines in the Triathletes Training Bible, the bible is quick to point out that no one training plan will fit all, you have to work it around your own circumstances.

I'm in the 25-29 AG Shotgunmcos, are you on the team also? What AG? Really looking forward to that!

Thanks for the best wishes guys!

[shotgunmcos]

Originally Posted by El Director

Feel free to correct my spelling Macanri lol. I do have a touch of dyslexia actually, thats why I'm a maths/science teacher I guess!

I designed my own training plan based on the guidelines in the Triathletes Training Bible, the bible is quick to point out that no one training plan will fit all, you have to work it around your own circumstances.

I'm in the 25-29 AG Shotgunmcos, are you on the team also? What AG? Really looking forward to that!

Thanks for the best wishes guys!

30-34 yeah looking forward to it, need to get my sh!t together by then though. Are you part of the 40% or whatever of Maths teachers that RTE were claiming are unqualified last night I think the issue of the leaving cert Math results was more a result of society issues than teaching competencies if you ask me!

I'd say its a tough job being a teacher these days actually. A different world to when I sat in a Maths class thats for sure

[El Director]

To be honest I love the teaching, it gets easier with time, I'm in my third year. I did have to bust a drug deal going down in the class room once! With regards Maths, well I am frequently met with "can't do", "im just not good at Maths" attitude. It is very frustrating and I think this attitude can sometimes seep down from the parents, this sometimes becomes apparent at PT meetings. Also many teens these days (god i feel old for saying that!) are plain LAZY. So many are overweight, the only exercise they get is in PE once a week. Not enough IMO. I am fully qualified though!

[pgibbo]

Sounds like another intresting tri log in the making. Best of luck with your goals for the year.

Where are you at currently on your swim, bike & run targets?

[El Director]

Thanks p.

Swim Well i have two coached sessions per week and i leave it to my coach as to what we work on. My base pace at the moment is 2 min (for 100m). I started the coached sessions just before christmas and the week before i got my infection i was noticing significant improvements. Such a shame that was nearly two weeks ago now, but hopefully I'll get back to it next week. I will describe the sessions in more detail as they happen.

Bike Last year biking was prob my strongest discipline. Got my first bike last march, now i have a TT for this year. To be honest the biking isn't going as i would have wished. Haven't been out for the last 3 Saturdays, I have kept up the turbo training though. I got fitted on Monday for both my bikes and i am feeling more confident already. I have also found that the squats I've been doing in the gym are really paying off in the hills (in running too).

Running This was my weakest discipline last year but i have worked hard on it and i posted a sub 40 min 10k just before christmas. Gone back a little since (32.30 for Raheny 5) but i am happy that i will be much better this year. Doing the Larne Half Maraton next month so that will be an excellent test.

Thanks again for the interest.

[El Director]

Well today was my last day in Farnham estate in Cavan, lovely relaxing stay. Beautiful run routes by the way through woods and around two lakes.

Any got in a run early in the morn. Decided to do something high intensity as I have the Naas Duathlon on Sunday.

4 k warm up,

Hill Repeats

Hill 1 378 m-1 min 26 sec (steep)
Recovery 550m
Hill 2 214m 47 sec (very steep)
Recovery 763m
Hill 3 371m 1 min 28 sec

2 k Warm Down

My HRM is battery less so no idea how high my HB went but something tells it was very very high! Not lookin forward to Naas.

[El Director]

Well missed my long cycle again, 3rd Saturday in a row! It was my decision, the last time I was out with the club i fell twice, both times on my right hip-because of icey roads. That morning I just couldn't keep on my bike, the other, more experienced, cyclists seemed to have no prob! Anyway wasn't chancing it this morn. But I did have a plan B. I really needed to test drive my new TT bike before Naas tomorrow so i took the opportunity this afternoon. A 20k TT.

20K TT

Warm-Up 4K 100+ RPM Spinning

20K TT 38min 23sec

Cool-Down 5K 100+ RPM Spinning

Well as you can see I'm a long way off my target of a 32 min 20k. At least I know now where i stand. I will repeat this TT in 6 weeks time.

I should keep in mind that i am in my maximum strength phase of my weights, big weights on the quads, I am aware my times will suffer for the next 5 weeks until I reach strength maintenance phase. At that point I will replace one of my weight sessions with a biking session.

Note Never do a TT in the phoenix park on a Saturday afternoon, too many kids, dogs and people walking on the cycle lane.

Tomorrow Naas-I guess if I had a goal for tomorrow it is to break the hour mark.

[Macanri]

Bets of luck for the race tomorrow! Looking forward to the report. Hope the race is on for ye all, the weather seems to be taking a wintry turn!

[El Director]

Well the duathlon was cancelled today. Kinda happy as I didn't sleep at all well last night. I suspect the restless night was because I knew I wasn't prepared. Anyway hopped into the pool for my first session in 11 days, decided to do a test, I've read it is recommended to do these tests every 4-6 weeks to keep an eye on progress.

7 X 200m Test (As suggested in Triathlon 220)(Even Spilt/Desending)

Warm-Up 300m freestyle
100m Pull

200m 3min 47sec, 24 sk/25m, HB 126, Efficiency Index (EI) 40
200m 3min 48sec, 24 sk/25m, HB 144, EI 41
200m 3min 49sec, 26 sk/25m, HB 156, EI 42
200m 3min 45sec, 24 sk/25m, HB 162, EI 40
200m 3min 54sec, 26 sk/25m, HB 163, EI 42
200m 3min 55sec, 24 sk/25m, HB 174, EI 41
200m 3min 55sec, 26 sk/25m, HB 174, EI 41

Cool-Down 50m back crawl.

Food for thought here. Felt unfit in the pool this morning, to be expected though. As my coach said, I have only two gears slow and fast (like most tri's according to him). So my pacing is all over the place, this was supposed to be a descending set! Anyway now I know were I stand. Pool backed this morn too, not used to Sunday morning swims.

Did this session for another reason, tomorrow morning is Hell of the West Reg opening (one of my A races) so I had this session planned for then but now its done.

[El Director]

Mon Feb 22nd (My birthday! )

Yesterday saw the start of Base 2. Usually this would mean an early morning swim but i did that yesterday so i could register for kilkee.....didn't happen, could not find the link even though i was looking/checking since 7:45 this morn. Not to worry i'll get it next time around.

After school - Turbo Session

Turbo Session no. 25, 60 mins (interval sesions made available to me by delboy on boards, let me know if anyone wants it, i'm sure he won't mind me spreading the wealth)