Is it Now?

Khari Little Iron wrote: »

I officially hate you now Dpop:rolleyes: around 300kms swam in the pool since i started (a lot of junk kms) and i only have my 50 time down to 41secs.
Seems you are enjoying the variety and benefits that swimming and biking brings not to mention the running benefits you will no doubt see from it.

Oryx wrote: »

I hate you too. I'm swimming two years and your times are still just a way off dream.

*sulks*

HTFU, both of you;)

Without wishing to sound smug, I'm surprised myself at the relative ease of the times. I haven't swam in a few years, but I guess all the 1,000's of running km count for something. I'm pretty tall, with a decent reach, so I suppose that's in my favour for the stroke. When I was a kid we had good instructors, who drilled form into us. The immediate impact I'm noticing is how swims are opening up my lungs on runs. Great crossover benefits.

Both of you would blow me away on the bike though, I'm carrying way too much weight to be in any way fast on the bike:o

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Yo DeePop

Sh!t, I'm wit ya, I ain't mad at cha
got nottin' but love for ya
do your thing boy...



holla at them hoochies!

Yeah but you're on 33 secs for 50m. I hate you

Thurs 8k run, including 10x400m intervals.

There's a crappy track in Arklow, long since forgotten by any maintenance crews, which is populated by dog walkers as a handy place to walk while their dogs defecate on the infield. It's stoney, uneven in places, strewn with broken glass- but for a chap used to measuring distances by peaks, its perfect for measured intervals. So, with a chill wind coming in off the adjacent Irish Sea, I parked and warmed up with a couple of laps, before launching into the 400's.

First one came in at 82 secs, and felt tough. Jogged for 200m, and repeated. By the third, they were an effort, and I started the lies, just get 5 done today; ahh make it six; ok do 8 and we'll go home, I promise; g'wan one more for the road, easy pace, well not easy pace; sure we may as well make the ten, and go eyeballs out. Then they were done, all between 82-85 secs. They were tough, especially into the wind on the backstraight (? no markings), but then they are meant to be tough. I'll keep the amount at 10, and try and bring them down towards 80 secs each over the next few months. My sub 5min mile has 4 of them at 74 secs in a row, gulp!

Sat 13k, with 10k steady, 3k barefoot

I bumped into SJ running around his forest, so was happy to tag along for a couple of loops with him. Always better to run when you can have a chat. There was a local GAA fella doing loops too, at a very decent pace. Turns out he's a referee at county level, who wants to get fit so he can ref the All-Irelands. Judging by his pace, and the way he was attacking the uphills, it won't be his fitness that holds him back, anyway.

Pace was steady, after a couple of loops I headed back to watch junior train for his rugby. Did a few laps barefoot, the ground was forgiving and felt great underfoot. On the Gaa lads recommendation, I immersed the legs into the icy river in Aughrim, for two minutes. Freezing, but they feel good now!

Sat afternoon 28k bike

This was meant to be week 2 of XC training for a bunch of local kids, so I biked down to the meeting place, in gentle rain. No sign of anyone, too wet I'd say. Gonna have to toughen up these kids! Anyway, it gave me an opportunity to extend my cycle, so I went up past Shillelagh, across the backroads towards the Wicklow Way. There's a sign by the forest, saying Coillte will be removing all feral goats in the area in a weeks time, so anyone stashing their goats in Aghowle forest, you've been warned. The cycle down Coronory Hill gave me a max heart rate of 300+. Across Kilquiggan, and up and around these less travelled backroads on the WW. Their was a fair few hills in this journey, tough going in places. Back through Tomnafinnogue forest, which was alone but for me and the puddles, and then home.

What did I learn on this hike, besides the goats thing? When cycling wet backroads covered in Tractor muck and slurry, with no mudguards: keep your mouth closed.

Dory Dory wrote: »

:eek: I wonder what will happen to all those confiscated goats?

Gonna phone tomorrow to find out. "Feral"="wild", its a little unfair if they aren't rehoused in Wicklow National Park, or something equivilant. Not their fault no one taught them which soup spoon to use.

Oryx wrote: »

epic barbeque.

Bad Oryx, bad!:mad: I have changed my mental picture of you changing on the side of Wexford roads, to one of me chastising you as you change on the side of Wexford roads:mad:;)

Tue 7th Feb 2.35k swim

The younglings brought a cold into the house, nothing too bad, but I've been drained of energy these past couple of days. Was tempted to run under last nights glorious moon, but erred on the side of caution.

Into the pool at lunchtime, 1k swam to warm up in 19 mins. A lot of the other swim logs mix things up a bit, so I'm trying to introduce that. Didn't feel too energetic after the initial warm up, but tried a blast of 50m. Crap turn, 42 secs, crap. It felt tough too. Tried again, this one felt really hard, better turn, 38 secs, better, but I was shattered after it. Tried two more at about max effort, 39 and 40 secs. Fairly tough and tired after them. A few slower lengths, then did 3x100's, all coming in around 1:53 each. Their wasn't any great effort in them. Finished off 2k, then added 50m to make up the 50m GoHard always seems to be ahead of me on the SBR, then added some more to elevate my position on the SBR work on form.