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Getting to know ... griffin100
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22-04-2014 9:46am#1
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This series must be coming to an end now that we're scraping the bottom of the barrell with the fat bloke
how long are you doing triathlons and how did you start
I did my first tri in 2008. The Focus Ireland triathlon....which ended up being a duathlon due to water quality issues but I managed to get a couple more in later that summer. Why did I start? Health reasons to be honest. Various symptoms gave rise to a doctors visit who told me I was in very poor health with weight and blood pressure measurements suggesting I was entering into heart attack country. I was 16.5 stone and my blood pressure was such that the doctor suggeted a lifetime of medication beckoned. That gave me the jolt I needed and I heard an add on the radio for the Focus Ireland tri at the same time and when I was younger I'd liked the idea of doing a tri, so I signed up, raised over €2k for the charity and the rest is history. 2014 will be my 7th season.do you have a favourite distance / discipline
I suppose I like every distance to some degree.
I like sprints because yuo can go b@lls out from the start, don't have to worry about pacing and they can be done and enjoyed off feck all training.
I like the HIM because it's a nice distance, is challenging and they also represent value for money as you get a 5-6hr race for your entry fee and can be done off a reasonable amount of training.
I like IM distance beacause of the challenge but I've never really trained properly for any of the ones I've done.
I never liked the OD due to suffering on my first couple but I did Rosslare last summer and enjoyed it so I'd maybe do some more this year.
Discipline wise over the last year swimming has become my favourite as I've gotten faster and closer to front end of the field. I also enjoy the run. I'm not a huge fan of the bike, I've done less and less bike training over the last couple of years for various reasons including time pressures, and tbh having a club mate killed in a bike accident hasn't made me any more keen to spend time in the saddle. This is something I need to address as I'd like to do another IM at some stage, maybe even this year.0 -
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Some things never change you are a great man for last minute Ironman decisions - Hardman again?
Favourite Film?
Favourite Film character?
Favourite scene from a movie?
As it seems like you enjoy your horror films - most uncomfortable film for watching?
What happened the running motivation, you were always someone I thought close to me in running times but you seem to have lost interest recently?
How is the kid after the operation - right as rain hopefully?
If I were to do another IM this year chances are it would be Hardman. Shadowman interested me (a flat bike) but it's even sooner than Hardman. I know I'll not get enough training in beforehand but that's what makes it interesting right?
Films.....hmmm.....big fan of Das Boot and City Of God. My guilty pleasure is Dawn Of The Dead (the Zak Synder remake) and Home Alone
(it makes me laugh)
Favourite film charcter, good one, I think maybe Joe Pesci's chacter in Goodfellas.
I love the scene in Gladiator when Maximus identifies himself. Russel Crowe is a knob but I like that scene.
We've mentioned some dodgy scenes / films on your log I think (A Serbian Film; Antichrist - the crushing scene) but perhaps the worse that comes to mind is the fire extinguisher scene in the movie Irreversible - do not look at this unless you're prepared to be shocked....you have been warned.
Re. running I'm not sure if it's a loss of motiviation or just finding it harder to get the time to run or indeed do any training. Work has got busier (I had a public sector 'promotion' last year - more staff to manage, bigger budgets, more reponsibility, no change in salary :rolleyes:) and I'm trying to finish a (for me) challenging college module. Also as the kids get older my evenings seem to dissapear into a haze of GAA, soccer, athletics, basketball and dancing lessons....to say nothing of my weekends. I'm working on fixing this though, training keeps me sane (and stops me getting too fat).
The little lad is great, thanks for asking. Just back from watching him do 400m repeats of the running track at athletics tonight. He has a check up in a another year or so but his cardiologist is happy with him. One less thing to worry about
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how's it going griffin??
Have your ever cycled up to the mast on top of mount Leinster?? The gf's dad is on at me to give it a go, not sure I could even walk up some of it!
Dream bike set up road and TT??
Racing 795 said they had something planned for this year when they had to cancel the sprint tri last year, you have any inside information on what this is or is there anything??
Hi Joey. No I've never been up to the mast. I've contemplated it though
A few lads in the club have done it on mountain bikes but none of them on roadbikes. One of the lads tells a story about working hard out of the saddle getting up the hill when an aul one pushing a buggy over took him :pac:
We've no plans for a tri this year. The bike route we use needs over 40 marshals to make it safe and it's hard get that many to volunteer, let alone turn up on the day. It's a pity as it was a nice event.
Dream bike set up? I love Italian bikes. Any high end Bianchi, Colnago or Basso would do me. Not that fussed on spec, image is everything!!0 -
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Hey Griffin
money no object, Bikes, car
any bucket list of race
Ideal location to swim, bike,run
Best time to the mast on Mt. Leinster
Have you started writing the book on Racing an IM with no training.
I'm a boring old fart when it comes to cars. I like jags, especially older ones. If I had the money a nice XJS Convertible would do the job. I am hoping to get an XJ6 as my next car, finances allowing. Like I said above I'm a sucker for hihg end Italian bikes, like this one, true bike porn.
Bucket races:- one of the large European IM's - Roth or Autria
- Otillo :rolleyes:
- Norseman
- Alpe D'Huez Tri
- Escape From Alcatraz
Not a race but I'd love to be able to give the channel swim a go. It will never happen, I'm too old, my current arrangements don't suit a swim heavy scehuele, I'm too poor a swimmer and my wife would never let me, but it's a nice fantasy.
When I was a postgrad in the late 1990's (:eek:) I spent a lot of time on offshore islands, expecially the Inishkea Islands off Mayo. I did quite a bit of diving in this area and in the Summer it's an amazing place. I would love to spend some time if we got a summer like last years swimming around and between the islands. Bike and run wise the obvious choices are somewhere like the Alps and Colarado.
My approach to IM training is a bit unorthodox. I will never be able to go sub 10hrs, maybe sub 11hrs if I put the work in but I'd rather do other things with my time (if I had the time). Maybe when the kids are older I'll give a race a proper go but at the minute times don't bother me that much, if they did I'd avoid hilly races and just do flat ones. I have done IM's for personal satisfaction and because it's something to keep you training. It's nice to have been able to get around Hardman twice on what was relatively speaking a small amount of training, but I dont think I can do that again. I don't have the residual / base fitness to do that this year That said I think anyone can get around an IM course as long as you can swim and put some training time in. It's a mental thing, once you do it once you know what to expect and it gets easier (I'm talking about mid pack racers like me, not the higher end guys). I know one person who got around Barcelona of a few 100km bike rides, some pool sessions and runs of no longer than 10km, and he was well within the cutoff - perhaps he should write the book 0 -
Hey Griffin, regarding the Mount Leinster Mast. I am contemplating it soon myself - not afraid of the climb, but more of the descent. Has anyone who has been up commented on the descent. I know one fella who does it and reckons letting go of the brakes for a second or two could be bad news (above the barrier).
The lads I know who did it descened off road on the mountain bikes. I'd say it is leathal on a road bike - brakes or no brakes. I've descended off a 1km stretch of road near Clonegal which is 9-11% and if you get that wrong you're fecked, once you loose control of the speed it's hard to get it back under control. I'd say coming down off the mast is even worse, I imaine if I ever do it I'll walk back down 0 -
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griffin100 wrote: »The lads I know who did it descened off road on the mountain bikes. I'd say it is leathal on a road bike - brakes or no brakes. I've descended off a 1km stretch of road near Clonegal which is 9-11% and if you get that wrong you're fecked, once you loose control of the speed it's hard to get it back under control. I'd say coming down off the mast is even worse, I imaine if I ever do it I'll walk back down
I have done the decent from the mast a few times, once in winter and any sweat turned to ice on the way down,
how hard it is depends on the person, good bike handling skills and it is fun, bad and you will $hit your self, the main thing is keep on top of the brakes and not let it go, once its gone its gone :rolleyes:0 -
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Kurt Godel wrote: »Howdy Griff, all swim related Q's:
1) What's your swimming background?
2) Favourite three toys in the swim bag?
3) How long can you swim underwater on one breath?
4) Best way to use 60mins in the pool?
5) Whats your favourite OW place to swim?
6) Best ever swim race?
7) What does the future hold; a <6min 400m, or a comfortable pair of checkered golf slacks?
1) I've no swim background. When I started tri all those years ago I thought I could swim and that 750m would be no bother to me. That was when in my head splashing from one end of the pool to the other with my head out of the water was swimming I still keep the notes of my training for my first tri and my first ever swim session was a simple 200m. I arrived in Tallaght pool early in the morning, did 3 lengths and had to get out after almost drowning It was a big shock - I had spent a few years as a grey seal researcher on the west coast and would be jumping off a boat to swim onto uninhabted islands and into sea caves and onto beaches under cliffs to count / tag seals. I would wear a drysuit and buoyancy jacket for this and would paddle more than swim but it made me think I could swim. In some ways I was lucky though, it meant I had no fear of rough seas so this was a big help in OW swimming. My swimming only got decent last year when I started to put the effort in and structure my sessions properly and I got some proper coached sessions from Tango. It's gone backwards this year though 
2) I'm not a big swim toy user. I have paddles I use very rarely but I do love my fins. I actually really enjoy kick drills and will happily kick away using the fins. I love kick repeats of the 50m pool.
3) I'll have to get back to you on that
4) One hr - 3,000m straight swim or ~200 wu / ~ 1,000m drills / (100 x 4) x 4 off descedning times with one minute between each set / 200 cd -~ 3,000m
5) I realy like Wicklow Harbour & Courtown. Haven't swim OW regularly anywhere else.
6) Warrior Of The Sea - 6km in 1.50ish. Was a big deal for me. When I started tri I avoided deep water swim starts as I reckoned if had to swim out to the start line I wouldn't have enough energy left to do the 750m so avoided these types of races :pac: Performance wise last years Pikeman was a highlight, as was Lost Sheep where I was close to someone I know from Tangos's sessions who used to kick my ass in the pool.
7) Jesus not golf, but I doubt a sub 6 min TT is possible for me. I reckon I could go sub 6.15 in the 25m pool with proper training but I doubt sub 6. I hope to push out the swimming again this year and do Beginnisg Island swim which is a bucket race for me (forgot to list it above :rolleyes:) - I would like to do a 10km at some stage but an A to B type race rather than laps.0 -
Anyway, sorry for the divert. Griffin, tell me this:
What scares you?
Toughest moment in a race ever, and why?
Give up all types of sugar or swimming for the rest of your life, choose which.
Which are you better at, climbing or descending on a bike?
Early bird or night owl?
How many bite size chocolate profiteroles do you reckon you could eat in one sitting?
What scares me? The thoughts of anything happening to my kids or wife, or me for that matter. After seeing the absolute and complete devastation a single event can have on a family last year when Martin was killed I appreciate my family more and more.
My toughest ever moment in a race was at the end of the first lap on the bike in IMUK in 2010. At that time I didn't wear a Garmin / use a bike computer and it was only at that stage I realised I was looking at a 7hr+ bike. I had entertained hopes of a 6hr bike ride having done the full 180km in 6hrs 3 weeks beforehand but that was on a flat course. I almost cried and had to overcome the little voice in my head that told me to just give up. The whole of that second lap was just hell.
At the moment I'd give up swimming over sugar. I'm not enjoying it at the minute as its exacerbating an ear condition I have. Refined sugar on the otherhand is always enjoyable
On the bike I'm a shi1t descender. My record speed is around 65kph. I'm actually not a bad climber for a big guy, I can stay out of the saddle if needs be for a good while when I'm in shape.
I'm a real night owl. I've never been able for early mornings. If I wasn't the boss I'd be in real trouble in work
How many bite size chocolate profiteroles do I reckon I could eat in one sitting? All of them!!0 -
Howdydo Griffin!
During times of "serious" training, how many hours would you train per week? And how would you break that time down between swim, bike, run?
Taking into consideration current lifestyle, responsibilities, and sustainability, how many hours of training per week is realistic, enjoyable and beneficial to you? And how would you break that time down between swim, bike, run?
What motivates you to train (when you train), and what reward do you derive from it?
What goes through your mind when you see some of the crazy high training hours some of the folks on here log?
Do you tend to wear/display your race shirts/trinkets, or are most of them tucked away out of sight?
Have you ever raced drunk?
Do you smoke? If so, have you ever carried cigarettes to a race and had a sneaky smoke before, during or immediately after a race?
Have you ever vomited before, during or immediately after a race?
Can you relieve your bladder on the fly while cycling?
What is your best weapon during a race?
Best pickup line to the cute girl next to you donning a hot pink swim cap and mirrored goggles in the mass start to a triathlon?
Wall flower or social butterfly?
Blondes, brunettes or red heads?
In 10 words or less, who is Griffin?
Any tattoos? If so, how many, where and of what?
Have you ever tried on any of your wife's clothes? If so, what did you try on? And how did it look on you?0 -
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MrCreosote wrote: »Hi Griffin100
What is your favourite part of Ireland?
3 months paid leave from work- how would you spend it?
Rank these in order of toughness- sub-10 IM, sub-3 marathon, climbing Mt Everest.
Favourite part of Ireland is around Leenane / Letterfrack / Lough Inagh Valley. Lovely part of the country and I spent many a happy time around there. Visiting makes me feel both young and old, young because I spent a few years here in the late 1990's when I had no responsbilities and my life revolved around beer and chatting up tourists; old because now when I visit I usually have 4 kids and a wife in tow (as do many of the guys I used to hang around with who still live there).
Three months paid leave would be nice. Leaving aside the obvious of spending more time with the family I'd like to spent 3 months in Antartica with a research group of some sort. It was always an ambition of mine when I was a marine biologist to spen some time doing research there and I got quite far with BAS at one stage to go but it never happened. I think I'd like to do that
Order of toughness depends. On one level Everest is the toughest as it's the most expensive to do and requires a large block of a time committment from what I understand, and has a 2% mortality rate :eek:. Training wise I think a sub 10 IM is the hardest, as it takes huge hours to build up the fitness levels. A sub 3hr marathon training programme of 100 mpw would equate to about 12-13 hours per week, as opposed to 20hr weeks for sub 10 IM. Effort wise perhaps the sub 3 marathon is the hardest, as I suspect you're on the edge for 3hrs. That all said I'll never know, as I wont ever do any of these
Interesting questions, thanks.0 -
Some strange questions Dory but here goes.....During times of "serious" training, how many hours would you train per week? And how would you break that time down between swim, bike, run?
Taking into consideration current lifestyle, responsibilities, and sustainability, how many hours of training per week is realistic, enjoyable and beneficial to you? And how would you break that time down between swim, bike, run?
For my first IM I think I peaked at around 19hrs in the last week before taper. That would have been approx. 4hrs swimming; 6hrs running and 9hrs or so biking. That would have included a 6hr bike and a 3hr run as per Finks plan.
Realistically 12hrs for me is a reaonable amount of training in a week. I did 12-14hrs per week for the 12 weeks leading into my second IM and this was plenty for me. This would be approx. 3-4hrs swimming (9,000m+) / 5-6hrs running (60-70km) / 5-6hrs bike depending on the week. Currently that would be difficult to hit, I can get the swim and run hrs in at the minute if I try but the bike hrs are always difficult for me. I commute an average of 17hrs per week so this eats into a huge amount of training time.What motivates you to train (when you train), and what reward do you derive from it?
Training is a great stress reliever so when I'm actually training I almost always enjoy it. What motivates me is fixing on a particular race and thinking about crossing the finish line. My reward is that training allows me to get lazy wit my diet and not worry too much about what I eat, except at periods of low training volume like now when this approach causes me to start putting weight back on :rolleyes:What goes through your mind when you see some of the crazy high training hours some of the folks on here log?
I dont have an opinion / judge it - each to their own. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for another person. I think there can be a tendancy here to link training hrs put in to knowledge, they are not necessarily related.Do you tend to wear/display your race shirts/trinkets, or are most of them tucked away out of sight?
I wear race T shirts occasionally (usually at other races where this is an essential part of the p1ssing competition that goes on:)). My 'medals' are all in a press somewhere. The only thing that you could say is on dispay is a nice piece of glass I got from the club when I did my first IM.Have you ever raced drunk?
Drunk - no. Hungover - yes.Do you smoke? If so, have you ever carried cigarettes to a race and had a sneaky smoke before, during or immediately after a race?
Dont smoke. Used to like a nice cuban (went on honnymoon to Havana for this reason) but not in a few years.Have you ever vomited before, during or immediately after a race?
Have puked in a sea swim once. Have been nauseous once or twice during and after a race but dont recall ever puking. I have puked after run intervals.Can you relieve your bladder on the fly while cycling?
Nope. I stop every time.What is your best weapon during a race?
As a mid packer I dont really have one. At this stage experience is my best asset - I know what's coming, how it's going to feel and how to cope with it. I am gettign better at suffering in races, but not to the extent that some around here do.Best pickup line to the cute girl next to you donning a hot pink swim cap and mirrored goggles in the mass start to a triathlon?
Howya CarolWall flower or social butterfly?
Bit of both. Can be outgoing as it's part of the job, but in new situations I tend to sit back and observe first before gettting involved. It's funny to see the exact same trait in my son. I like to think I'm shy, my wife dissagrees.Blondes, brunettes or red heads?
I have a simple mantra when it comes to women that has served me well over the years - pale skin, big boobs and red hair. I love all three Yes it describes my wife and no I wont be posting photos of her In 10 words or less, who is Griffin?
Difficult question - Happy husband / dad who can be very grumpy at times (10!)Any tattoos? If so, how many, where and of what?
One on each shoulder. One of dolphins, done when I was part of a dolphin research group years ago; one a celtic animal thingy. Would like more but the wife is not keen. My brother is heavily tatooed and is always at me to get more done.Have you ever tried on any of your wife's clothes? If so, what did you try on? And how did it look on you?
Eehh, no. They'd be too tight in the crotch and too loose in the chest
I need a lie down after that!!0 -
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griffin100 wrote: »Some strange questions Dory but here goes.....
I need a lie down after that!!
But I knew if anyone could handle them with class, it would be you! You did great! 0 -
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