Run Fat Boy Run - The lazy mans guide to Ironman and Marathon training.

joey100 · 28-02-2014 5:09pm

A lot of them will let you swim in a wetsuit but you won't be considered for the prizes, need to go skins for that. I used to do rescue at a few of these, think there might be some sort of licence system or open water swimming membership you might want to look into though.

The Liffey and Dun Laoghaire swims you need to do a number of qualifying swims too to get a entry. Think it's 5 by a certain date for each.

Kurt Godel · 28-02-2014 5:30pm

Greystones Tri was wetsuit optional last year, I chose to swim without one. While I certainly lost time to wetsuited swimmers, the experience was much better than racing with a suit, highly recommended. Sure we're both practically swaddled in blubber anyway, ya soft git:p

griffin100 · 04-03-2014 1:00pm

So nearly two months since I posted any training......have gone off the rails a bit with little training and lots of eating. I decided to drop out of marathon training in mid January, I was finding it hard to get time to do a decent level of training and tbh I just wasn't enjoying the running anymore. I didn't want to go to Zurich and plod around in 4hrs, so I stopped training for it.

The SBR challenge will show a very low level of run and swim volume in January and especially in February where illness and work pressures kept to a very minimum. This lack of training has been supplemented by a weight increase of epic proportions, I've gained about 10lbs since the summer.

So I'll start posting again here to keep me honest. I've no definite plans for the season. Some tri's, some short run races and some swim events; maybe a HIM or an IM. Just once though I'd like to go into an IM with a decent level of training behind me and try and hit some goals.

So where am I fitness wise:
Run is poor. Last weekend was my first run over 10km in about two months. I did some 1km intervals at 5km race pace over the weekend - all came in under 4 mins so that's not too bad, but I suffered on each and every one.

Swimming is actually not too bad. Endurance has suffered but on the short stuff I'm going ok. Still getting a coached session every Friday night and it's starting to make a difference I think. Yesterdays swim session was 750m warm up - with the last 150m at a moderate to hard pace - came in 12.55 - that's a big improvement on this time last year when I was hoping to break 14mins for the 750m. Also in yesterdays session was 5 x 100m hard off 2 mins - all in in under 1.35. So I'm happy where I am with the swimming.

So the short term goals are to loose some weight, get my running back to sub 20min 5km, to keep improving on the swim times but to get some long sessions in and to actually sit on my bike for the first time in 8 months :rolleyes:

Dory Dory · 04-03-2014 2:13pm

Glad you're back, Griffin. I always enjoy reading your log.

griffin100 · 04-03-2014 4:52pm

Dory Dory wrote: »

Glad you're back, Griffin. I always enjoy reading your log.

Thanks Dory, that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling in my tummy.......then again that could be the hunger pangs kicking in as I start the long slow process of shifting a few pounds :pac:

10km at lunch time @ 5min/km pace. Almost felt like summer with the sun in the sky for the first time in ages!!

griffin100 · 05-03-2014 4:15pm

Simple enough swim today. 100-200-300-400-400-300-200-100 - off 2mins per 100m holding between 1.40 and 1.45 per 100m. Nice set. Total 2,000m

griffin100 · 08-03-2014 1:30am

Thursday was a long day in the hospital with junior but after eight years he got the all clear and was discharged from cardiac care following his surgery last December

A slow 10km @ 5.30 min/km pace when I got home.

Tonight was a coached swim season.
400m wu steady
400 mix (40 free/40 catch up x 5 continuous)
20 x 10 kick
400 x 2 (80 easy / 80 hard / 80 easy / 80 hard / 80 easy)
400 mix (20 head up / 20 free x 10)
100 x 6 easy off 2mins in on 1.35-1.40
200m cd
Total 3,000m

The two 400's of mixed easy / fast 80's both came in at 6.33 despite some heavy traffic. That's the same as my 400tt in this pool a month ago. Hoping for good things for March's 400tt. Felt good in the water tonight with the stroke feeling long and smooth.

griffin100 · 12-03-2014 4:09pm

Saturday did a nice run session of (500m flat out / 500m recovery) x 9. Hurt in a good way and my ass muscles felt the pain for a couple of days after.

Sunday was a simple 10km @ 5.20km pace.

Haven't been able to get anything done this week yet, work is mental, home life is mental and I've college assignments to do. My brain is fried with trying to understand nCr = n! / (n-r)!r! and the like

I'm sure Kurt will get the reference and will laugh at my mathematical ignorance

Kurt Godel · 12-03-2014 4:19pm

griffin100 wrote: »

Haven't been able to get anything done this week yet, work is mental, home life is mental and I've college assignments to do. My brain is fried with trying to understand nCr = n! / (n-r)!r! and the like I'm sure Kurt will get the reference and will laugh at my mathematical ignorance

Sometimes life gets in the way. The video below from the brilliant Sal Khan helped my understanding of Combinatrics- for bonus points watch them on the turbo (that works surprizingly well!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCxMhncR7PU

griffin100 · 21-03-2014 4:50pm

Last week was a disaster training wise. No swims and a total of 25kms run. I have yet to get on a bike and my first tri of 2014 is in two weeks :rolleyes:

This week was a bit better. Have managed 3 runs so far, two swims and will get to my coached session tonight to make it 3 swims for the week. In my mind less than 3 swims a week means you're going backward.

Last Saturday I was going to run a 5km road race but had to do family stuff so decided to do a 5km TT in the evening. If there was ever a session to show how much fitness I've lost over the last few months this was it. Last March I dipped under 20mins for the 5km, exactly a year later I struggled to hold what I would consider to be my half marathon pace for 5km. It was a real kick in the nuts and a warning to get my finger out. There was almost an identical percentage slowing in pace from last year to the percentage weight increase from the same time. I need to loose some flab :mad:

griffin100 · 22-03-2014 1:44am

Coached swim session tonight and one of the hardest swim session I've ever done. Coach wanted to ramp up the effort with the tri season almost upon us! Water in the pool was boiling which didn't help!!

200m wu
400 mix of 40 catch up / 40 fc hard
80 kick x 7 hard with fins / 10 secs rest between
200 x 5 fc hard with fins / 15 secs rest between
120 x 5 hard / 30 secs rest between
120 cool down
Total 2,280

I was sharing a lane with one other swimmer of similar speed so we spent the entire hour racing side by side. It hurt

.

griffin100 · 25-03-2014 11:14am

Saturday I managed to get a slow 10km run (5.25 km pace) in, the first run in ages where I've actually felt comfortable. Lugging this extra weight around really slow you down!!

Last night I actually got onto the turbo trainer :eek: The first time in about a year and the first time on a bike since Lost Sheep 2013. I'll do a few sessions before my first tri in a couple of weeks, not that I'll get any fitter but I just want to remind myself what bike legs feel like. 45 mins total split as 3 mins steady / 2 mins hard (out of saddle+big gear) x 9.

Yet another ear infection this week so not sure how much swimming will be done. That's the 4th or 5th one since last summer. Something not right me thinks. I have ongoing problems with my ears anyway so wondering if it's linked to this - maybe a new ENT consultant is required :rolleyes:

griffin100 · 26-03-2014 3:48pm

Yesterday was really stuck for time so did a 5km run at moderate pace (HM effort) at munch time. Held 4.25 min/km easy enough which is around my HM race pace. This ended up being faster than the 5km 'TT' I did over the weekend :rolleyes: Hopefully that weekend run was an aberration.

So today into the pool, ear infection and all. Given some of the monstrous sets being out down by KG and MCOS at the minute decided to try and start upping the distances. Decided to do the IM Tester Set that I enjoyed from last summer. The set is:
4x400 rest 30
4x300 rest 20
4x200 rest 10
4x50 rest 5.
Total 3,800m
Take your total time from start to finish and deduct the rest period (4.15) which equals your IM predicted swim.

My aim was to hold 1.50 per 100m pace for as long as possible. This is a pace that I find to be comfortable and I can hold it for a while. This equates to a 1.09.45 IM time.

the 400's came in between 7.11 - 7.20.
the 300's came in between 5.25 - 5.35
the first two 200's came in at 3.42/3; the third one at 3.50; and the last one at 3.59 :eek:
the 50's were all in and around 55secs
IM Predicted time was 1.10.35.

Slightly slower than hoped for, but I'm ok with that. Apart from the last couple of 200's I was going well and holding decent form. I never put the hammer down so wasn't that tired at the end. That's my longest set since last summer.

griffin100 · 30-03-2014 10:03pm

Thursday was one of my rare double days. 10km run at lunchtime @ 5min/km pace with an evening turbo - 45mins as 3 mins steady / 2 mins hard x 9

Friday lunchtime was an 8km recovery run followed by a coached swim in the evening - my second double day in a row!! Swim was:
320 wu
120 kick with fins x 6
400 x 3 as fins for first / easy effort for second / breath once every 4 breaths for third
40 x 6 sprint with minimal breaths
200 cd
Total 2,680

Saturday was one hr turbo, again as 3 mins steady / 2 mins hard. I alternated the hard parts as either on the tri bars pushing a bog gear or out of the saddle for the entire two minutes. Felt tired but good at the end.

Today was 16km run @ a very slow 5.44 min/km pace. Had the wee lad with me om his BMX for the first 5km to keep me company.

Overall my best week in a long long time - 39kms run / 2.5hrs turbo / 6,480 swim. Just over 8hrs in total. Nearly IM training for me!!!!!

griffin100 · 01-04-2014 9:58pm

Monday's swim session included a 400m TT, which was 3 secs slower than February's one. I think I've reached a plateau of sorts in swimming, manly set by my inability to get consistent training done. I need to be hitting 8-10,000m a week I think to start driving the times down. I seem also to have developed some very bad habits, masked by improvements in other areas so that my times are not dropping. I've noticed that my post entry reach has started to develop a big flaw - I seem to be allowing my fingers / hand to drive upwards rather than keeping fingers below wrist below elbow - a big no no for a fan of swimsmooth.com

Also my stroke has shortened and I'm not pushing back far enough - a rookie mistake.

200m wu
400m TT @ 6.37
50m x 8 kick (hard, I was p!ssed off after the TT)
100 x 3 off 1.55
100 x 3 off 1.50
100 x 3 off 1.45
one minute between sets, all repeats in around 1.40ish.

Today was a run on a stunning Irish spring evening, somewhat ruined by the eye watering, throat burning, stomach churning smell of the fresh slurry that was spread on the land around my house today.
1km wu
1km x 5 @ 5km race pace / 500m recovery (all in on 3.57-4.00mins)
Total 8km

griffin100 · 04-04-2014 12:17pm

Not much doing this week, work and college assignments taking precedence (anyone here any good at building excel spreadsheet business models :rolleyes:). Short 8km easy run yesterday and I'll hit the pool at lunchtime today for a few 100's and 200's in advance of tomorrows first tri of the season.

For the first time since I started my very first tri I'm worried about my fitness for a sprint tri :eek: I've not been 'feeling' the water in my last few swims, I haven't been outside on any bike since last September and my additional padding is making fast running very very hard. This is my 5th time to do this race and I always looked enviously at those competitors who got to start in wave 7, the last wave and populated by the fastest swimmers, and always wondered would I ever be in that wave. This year with a swim prediction of 13 mins I'm in wave 7

. My happiness at achieving this personal goal was somewhat tempered by the fact that given my poor form in the other disciplines I may actually be the last person to finish the course as the rest of the wave race away from me

Oh dear!!

Predictions........13min swim / 38 bike (it's 19km) / 22.15 run / 3 mins transition / Total: 1.16.15.

Dory Dory · 05-04-2014 1:53am

Good luck Griffin!!! Just suck the gut in and fake it, you'll be grand.

Can't wait to read your report.

griffin100 · 16-04-2014 11:25am

Haven't really had a chance to post much recently....or to do much training. Interest in being fit is starting to wane and a life as a fat fcuker beckons......

PortLaois Tri
I like this race despite the fact it's a pool swim. It has always been an ambition of mine to be placed in wave 7 which is the last wave and would be full of the good swimmers. This year with an estimated swim time of 13 mins I was in wave 7, the pinnacle of my tri career to date. It did mean 5hrs+ of waiting around for the race to start. There were a few from the club doing the race so the time passed quickly enough.

Six of us in the lane for the swim. Estimated times given placed me 3rd/4th, so I set off in third place. The first 2 dissaperared after a while (3D Tri, so trained by Interested). After 200m I pulled aside to let the guy behind me through. That left one lad sitting about 5m behind me and the last one well behind. Was swimming ok I thought. With a couple of hundred metres to go I lapped the last guy. With 2 lengths the lap counter normally taps you on the head but no one tapped me.....disaster....they miscounted my laps. I ended up doing 800m. Three of us ended up getting out of the pool together, despite the fact that two of us had already lapped the third guy

No point in arguing with the lane counters. Spoke to one of thet other guys in tramsition and he confirmed an 800m swim. Spoke to the guy I lapped at the finish and he confirmed he swam 750m and was delighted with his time. My watch showed 13.50 for the 800m. I had been hoping to break 13mins for the swim and that time suggests I may have just crept under it. I was mightly peeed off though. Swim time ws 14.11 (23rd) when the long run into T1 was added.

T1 was my ususal long affair (1.57) and then onto a bike for the first time in 7-8 months. I pushed hard on a undlating course. One small hill but nothing major. Actually managed to spin out on parts of the course suggesting speeds of over 50kph hit. Was surprised to see that my time was a very poor 39.29 (including the 400+m of running between bike mount / dismount and timing mats). That was 54th overall. Cant really expect better though. I was nervous enough on the bike as (a) my tyres were in sh1t condition and I expected the side walls to go at any minute and (b) my handling skills were abysmal and I almost ended up in a ditch twice. That said on one caught me on the bike (there was only about 15 people or so behind me) and I caught 5-6.

Another long transition (1.42) and out onto a testy enough 5km run. Pushed hard the whole time. Caught 4-5 people and no one caught me. Finished the run in 22.07 (35th) and I'm happy with that.

Overall 1.19.36 and 39th place. About what I expected.

Have done no swimming since then and a small amount of running. Work and college assignments are taking over my life. I need to make a plan for the summer and set some goal races so I will train. Swimming is a problem now though, it's exacerbating an ear problem I have and its putting me off getting into the pool. Not sure how that is going to work out:(

Dory Dory · 16-04-2014 2:09pm

Hey Griffin! Tough luck about doing too many laps in the swim, but class that you didn't make a big deal about it to the lap counters - they are volunteers, and make honest mistakes. Not to say if you were in contention for an award that your shouldn't bring it to their attention...and perhaps they should know to try and prevent it from happening in the future to any of the participants. But, any way....:)

I'm not sure what kind of ear issue you are sporting, but in case it's related to swimmer's ear, a solution I've been using since I was a young kid (my pediatrician had recommended this to us) that works for me is a 50/50 solution of isopropyl alcohol and white vinegar. I'll even pop a few drops in my ears periodically after I've been swimming just to prevent a problem.

Nice report.

griffin100 · 28-04-2014 3:49pm

I need to start logging more :rolleyes: Being doing a bit. Last week 4 run sessions covering 41km, including a nice 10km at HM pace (44.50) and some 5km race pace intervals.

I manageed to set two swims in last week plus another one today. Badly out of form but can feel a bit of it coming back. In partcular my hand entry has gone to pot!!

Last three swim sessions:

200 wu / 100 x 6 kick / 400 balance drills / 800 steady. Total 2,000m. The first 750m of the 800m came in at 13.50 so not too bad considering.
100m x 20 off 2 mins. First couple came in in the low 1.30's and then managed to steady the pace and did the next 18 or so at between 1.44-1.46 per 100m. Nice set. Total 2,000m.
Todays session - stuck for time so 100 x 4 off 2mins / 1 min rest / 100 x 4 off 1.55 / 1 min rest / 100 x 4 off 1.50 / 1 min rest / 100 x 4 off 1.45. Truth be told the last couple of reps missed the interval time by a second or two but no matter. Total 1,600.

I can start to feel some form coming back, but I need to get back to at least three swims a week. At the minute I'm not too bothered by distance, I'd rather swim shorter sets with decent form than longer sets with ragged technique.

griffin100 · 02-05-2014 3:26pm

Managing to get a bit done this week. I reckon I've got one more mad week in work and then it'll slacken off a bit, hopefully allowing more time for training.

This week so far:

Tuesday run 10km @ 4.58 km pace
Wednesday run (500m all out effort / 500m recovery) x 5. 500m's in on around 1.45mins which I was very happy with.
Thursday run 7km @ 4.50 km pace
Friday swim - 200m x 10 off 4mins. Aiming for a nice steady pace and concetrating on form every one came in at 3.29/3.30. Very happy with that. Form began to suffer on the last one so didn't do any more, as said above at the minute it's about getting form back over doing longer sets. I feel like I'm sarting from scratch again :rolleyes:

I just realised that it's 16 weeks from the this wekend to Hardman 2014. Just saying like, that's a lot of time to get into a bit of shape

Dory Dory · 04-05-2014 12:29am

griffin100 wrote: »

I just realised that it's 16 weeks from the this wekend to Hardman 2014. Just saying like, that's a lot of time to get into a bit of shape

:eek::eek::eek:

shotgunmcos · 04-05-2014 7:33pm

Dory Dory wrote: »

:eek::eek::eek:

You have noticed the title of the log right....

griffin100 · 06-05-2014 1:17pm

Dory Dory wrote: »

:eek::eek::eek:

You have noticed the title of the log right....

Just thinking out loud about Hardman. I mightn't be scared of the IM distance but I do respect it and I know getting from where I am now to anything like 12hr IM shape in 16 weeks is a big ask. Unlike last time I dont have a large amount of residual fitness going into this. But that said I have a hairbrained half arsed training plan in mind that might just work :pac: Watch this space

Nice swim today, was determined to put at least 3,000m down and I did.
400m wu (7.10)
100 x 5 kick off 2.15 (in on 1.45-50)
100 x 3 paddles off 2.15 (in on 1.45-50)
100 x 2 balance drills off 2.15 (in on 1.50-55)
400 x 2 off 8 mins in 7.10 / 7.30
100 x 8 off 2.30 hard efffort - all in around 1.35-40.
Total 3,000m

I had hoped to finish with 400 x 4 off 8mins but the second of these showed how tired I was / unfit I am, so I did the last 800m as 100m repeats with a longer rest but a harder effort. Rationale for this was I think at the moment it's better to concentrate on keeping good form for shorter repeats rather than splashing my way up and down with poor form just to hit a particular distance.

griffin100 · 08-05-2014 1:29pm

Tuesday and a tempo run of sorts. 2km @ 5.30 pace / 2km @ 5.00 pace / 2km @ 4.30 pace / 2km @ 4.15 pace. Total 8km

Wednesdays run was a simple 7km @ 5min / km

Short swim set today:
100 x 5 off 2mins (all in around 1.45)
1 min rest
100 x 5 off 1.55 (all in around 1.45)
1 min rest
100 x 5 off 1.50 (all in between 1.40-1.42)
1 min rest
100 x 3 off 1.45 (in on 1.38 / 1.42 / 1.46)
1 min rest
100 x 2 off 1.45 (in on 1.37 / 1.42)
Total 2,000m

Couldn't quite make the full 5 repeats off 1.45 without a rest after the third one - something to aim for.

griffin100 · 08-05-2014 4:23pm

Speaking of doing an IM of feck all training I found this file floating around my laptop today:

IMUK 2010
Longest Week 18hrs
Average Week 8.5hrs
Training Plan 30 weeks - Fink Competitive

Swim: Total - 128,000m - Longest Session 3,800m - Race Time 1.16hrs
Bike: Total - 3,150km - Longest Session 180kms / 6hrs20mins - Race Time 7.20hrs
Run: Total - 960km - Longest Session - 3hrs / 20 miles - Race Time 4.40hrs
Finish Time 13.50hrs

Hardman 2011
Longest Week 14hrs
Average Week 7.5 hrs
Training Plan 30 weeks - Fink Intermediate

Swim: Total 120,000m - Longest Session 3,800m - Race Time 1.25hrs
Bike: Total 2,400kms - Longest Session 150kms / 6hrs10mins - Race Time 6.48hrs
Run: Total 1,100kms - Longest Session 3hrs11mins / 21 miles - Race Time 4.30hrs
Finish Time 13hrs 12 secs

Hardman 2012
Longest Week 14.5hrs
Average Week 10 weeks @ 12hrs + 2 week taper
Training Plan Spring Marathon P&D 55mpw / No cycling until May / No swimming until June / No set training plan / No IM training until ~12 weeks out

Swim: Total 60,000m - Longest Session 3,000m - Race Time 1.19hrs
Bike: Total 1,500kms - Longest Session 4.5hrs / 120kms - Race Time 6.28hrs
Run: Total 1,800kms - Longest Session 3hrs/21 miles - Race Time 4.29hrs
Finish Time 12.37hrs

shotgunmcos · 08-05-2014 10:41pm

Seems the feic all approach yielded the best result, but how much of that was down to the work of the previous 2 IMs?

Nice work on the 4x5x100m there. Bowed out at exactly the same point in the same session yesterday. Something to aim for indeed!

griffin100 · 14-05-2014 1:57pm

Managed to get no training in last Friday / Saturday / Sunday. Firday was a mental day in work followed by a night on the serious lash - Sauturday I was so hungover I could barely see, talk or walk - let alone run

Sunday saw the whole day spent at the Giro D'Itala. After a long time considering where to go I brough the two older kids to Malahide and it turned out to be an amazing day. The sun shone all day, there was a funfair, live music and my favourite thing in the world - a line of food stalls selling weird and wounderful food. Oh and the cycling was pretty amazing as well. One of the best days I've had in a long time.

Monday this week saw a short 5km run.
Tuesday was a swim and run double day. The run was 8k @ 4.50km pace.
The swim was:
400 x 5 off 8 mins
200 x 2 off 4 mins
100 x 6 off 2 mins
Total 3,000m.

A real eye openeer for me re. lack of swim fitness. This time last year I did 400m x 10 off 8 mins, yesterday I tried to repeat this and had to stop the 400m's after 5 repeats. I was dropping pace rapidly. I think I need to get back to some coaching somewhere, my technique is starting to fall to pieces. Not swimming enough doesn't help but hopefully in a few days work will calm down to allow this to happen :rolleyes:

Dory Dory · 15-05-2014 1:20am

What sorts of weird and wonderful food did you have?

griffin100 · 19-05-2014 4:22pm

Last week's training as usual tailered off poorly - juniors communion yesterday resulted in me eating me entire body weight in refined sugar :rolleyes: Sometimes I don't like having a wife that can bake like a pro :cool: Thats the last two weekends where I've done no training

Got in the pool today for a quick session of 1,200m. 1,000 steady in 18.50 / 200m cd. I suspect at the minute I'd have trouble getting around a HIM course

Dory Dory wrote: »

What sorts of weird and wonderful food did you have?

Perhaps more wounderful than weird but from what I can remember.......real kebabs of various hues, pulled pork / spit roast, various lentil and chickpea curries and other veggie indian dishes (fantastic), deep fried stuff wrapped in vine leaves, various samosas, some nice cous cous and hummus dishes, and of course the obligatory hot dog. Cant really complain about my weight can I?

Dory Dory · 20-05-2014 1:30am

griffin100 wrote: »

Perhaps more wounderful than weird but from what I can remember.......real kebabs of various hues, pulled pork / spit roast, various lentil and chickpea curries and other veggie indian dishes (fantastic), deep fried stuff wrapped in vine leaves, various samosas, some nice cous cous and hummus dishes, and of course the obligatory hot dog. Cant really complain about my weight can I?

Dear god...please tell me these were itty bitty sample size portions you had. :eek:

Kurt Godel · 20-05-2014 5:39am

griffin100 wrote: »

Perhaps more wounderful than weird but from what I can remember.......real kebabs of various hues, pulled pork / spit roast, various lentil and chickpea curries and other veggie indian dishes (fantastic), deep fried stuff wrapped in vine leaves, various samosas, some nice cous cous and hummus dishes, and of course the obligatory hot dog. Cant really complain about my weight can I?

Planning for non-wetsuit OW races, smart lad.

griffin100 · 20-05-2014 9:47pm

Run last night - 400m sprint/400m recovery x 8: Total 6.4km

Short swim today. I'm trying to get a swim in every day this week (Monday - Friday) so I dropped into the pool after a day at a conference for a quick dip. 100 x 10 off 2mins hard effort, first 5 in on 1.35, drifted out to 1.40 for the last couple but the most comfortable I've felt in the water in a while. Having a former Olympian teaching kids in the lane beside me meant I had to concentrate, especially when he spotted me getting in. Felt very self conscious for the first couple of lengths.

8km run tonight @ 5.08min/km pace.

griffin100 · 20-05-2014 10:07pm

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Planning for non-wetsuit OW races, smart lad.

No choice at the minute, don't think my wetsuit will go past my hips at the minute without the use of a lot of lube and some strong men

griffin100 · 21-05-2014 4:13pm

Last night easy 8km at 5.10 min/km pace.

Nice swim set today.

100 x 22 off 2mins. I had hoped to get 30 done but was late to the pool so only managed to squeeze out 22. Aim was easy effort, concentrating on stroke, hopefully coming in between 1.45 and 1.50. Every one of the first 20 repeats came in at 1.46/47, nice pacing if I say so myself

The last couple were 1.48 and 1.50. I'm happy with that, technique is starting to come back I think but fitness is still very poor.

griffin100 · 22-05-2014 8:41pm

Another short swim today - 2,000m total
200m wu
100m kick with fins x 5 (15 secs between repeats)
100m x 2 paddles (15 secs between repeats)
100m x 2 catch up (15 secs between repeats)
100m x 2 blance drills (15 secs between repeats)
100m x 2 sculling drills - first time in a year (15 secs between repeats)
400m steady
100m cd
Total 2,000

A decent swim session tomorrow should see me break 10,000m for the five days so fingers crossed I get to the pool early enough to get a full session in.

griffin100 · 23-05-2014 4:03pm

I had planned to do my favourite IM swim test set today and get to over 10k swimming for the week but after the first 2 400m repeats I had to bail, my time for the second - third 400m's had crept out to 8min pace :eek: I felt tired and was taking it very easy but that's still very poor. I did manage to salvage the session but I dont know whether it was swmming every day this week had caught up on me, I really am that unfit, my technique is brutal - or a combination of all 3.

200m wu
400 x 2 (30 secs between)
300 x 1 (pulled up when my 100m times were hitting 2 mins)
100 x 3 off 2.00
Rest 1 minute
100 x 3 off 1.55
Rest 1 minute
100 x 3 off 1.50
Rest 1 minute
100m x 3 off 1.45 (just about made the last repeat)
Total 2,500m

Total swim for the last 5 days 8,900m, the most swimming I've done in a week in about 8-10 months.

griffin100 · 26-05-2014 4:29pm

Kids swim lessons on Saturday so I snuck in a quick 100m to take the weeks tally to 9,000m

As the smllest swimmer is now getting more confident and has moved into a new group there's no need for me to 'mind' her in the pool any more

Didn't get any session in on Saturday, unless you count 3hrs walking around Dubin Zoo, which is a hard session in my book :pac: Sunday did my longest run in ages, 14km @5.15 min/km pace. This hurt more than it should have

Today got a nice pool session in.
400m wu
100m x 5 kick off 2.15
100m one arm / 100m catchup / 100m balance - 15 secs between each x 2
300m-200m-100m off 1.50 per 100m x 2 (rest 1 min between each set)
Total 2,700

Was hitting 1.45 per 100m for the main part of the set so not too bad compared to recent sessions.

griffin100 · 28-05-2014 1:50pm

Yesterday evebing was a set of run intervals. 1km@5km race pace / 500m recovery x 5. I could really feel the extra timber I'm carrying by the 4th and 5th reps.

Nice 3,000m swim today. Simple enough, 1,000m x 3 off 20 mins - in on 18.17 / 18.55 / 19.25. Big drop off at the end where I was hitting 1.58per 100m but still happy enough with that as a session. Next time hopefully all 3 will come in under 19mins.

griffin100 · 30-05-2014 3:25pm

Yesterday run 9km @ 4.52 min/km pace.

Very short swim today, couldn't muster up the energy to do any more.
300m wu
100 x 5 off 1.50 hard, all in between 1.35 - 1.40
100-200-300 off 2mins per 100m holding 1.50 pace
100cd
Total 1,500m

griffin100 · 31-05-2014 10:00pm

Easy 5km recovery run last night.

Today was a glorious day, and anyone with any hope of doing an IM this year was out on their bike........so off I went for my first 'training' ride in so long I can't remember. It's been a while since I've seen so much lard packed into so little Lycra

60km over an undulating route holding 28.9kph average. Felt good, but a while to go before I get into any fit state to tackle a 180. I don't have to make up my mind for a few weeks yet so we'll see how it goes. One useful lesson learned today was I need to undertake some serious manscaping

Dory Dory · 01-06-2014 1:32am

griffin100 wrote: »

Easy 5km recovery run last night.

Today was a glorious day, and anyone with any hope of doing an IM this year was out on their bike........so off I went for my first 'training' ride in so long I can't remember. It's been a while since I've seen so much lard packed into so little Lycra

60km over an undulating route holding 28.9kph average. Felt good, but a while to go before I get into any fit state to tackle a 180. I don't have to make up my mind for a few weeks yet so we'll see how it goes. One useful lesson learned today was I need to undertake some serious manscaping

It's that furry arse, isn't it??

griffin100 · 03-06-2014 3:20pm

Dory Dory wrote: »

It's that furry arse, isn't it??

You seem to have a bit of a fixation with my ass. That's alright though, you aint the first :cool: (pictures can be supplied on request :pac:)

Sunday was my longest run a a while, 16kms with the first 10km @ 5.30 min/km pace; then 2km @ 4.30 pace / 1km @ 5.30 / 2km @ 4.30 / 1km @ 5.30. I hurt more yesterday than I should have :rolleyes:

Todays swim:
400m wu
100m x 5 kick with fins off 2.05, in on 1.45-50.
100m cathup / 100m balance / 100m single arm drills x 2
300m - 200m - 100m off 1.50 per 100m x 2 (one minute rest between sets)
300m cd
Total 3,000m

griffin100 · 05-06-2014 4:32pm

A couple of short swims yesterday and today.

Yesterday 1,000m straigh at the pace I would plan to swim a 5km or so OW swim in, done in exactly 19mins.

Today 100 x 10 off 2mins, moderate effort, all in on 1.39/40. Happy with that as it's some improvement. Getting a better feel for the water.

Short run last night of 1km easy / 4km @ 4.20 pace / 1km easy.

5k run TT with the club tonight if I can make it. It's on a grass track so wont be as fast as the road, I'm hoping to hold around 4.10 pace for a sub 21min 5km.

griffin100 · 06-06-2014 1:12pm

Dis the 5km TT last night and it was laughable. It was a handicapped race, so we set off at intervals based on estimated 5km times which the handicapper plucked outta his arse :pac: First to cross the line wins. There were no fast runners so I set off second last with one lad behind me. This meant I got to chase after some of the atractive club ladies

First two km's were waaaay too fast, I blew up completely and crawled the last km. 5km in 21.20

Thats an average pace of 4.16 per km, when the night before I ran 4km @ 4.20 easily

Oh well, back to the drawing board. At least my club handicap will be a bit better next time.

With Beginnish Island Swim in mind a simple 4km straight swim today. Thats the longest continious pool swim I've ever done. I set off at an very easy pace which I tried to maintain. Every so often I'd loose focus and have to speed up a bit to get back into a rhythm (I tend to loose concentration if I'm swimming slowly). Felt ok until about 3,400m when it started to get hard to concentrate. My left arm reach really shortened when I got tired and I got some calf cramp at around 3,700m but nothing too bad.

First 1,000m @ 19.10 (avg 1.55 per 100m)
Second 1,000m @ 19.45 (avg 1.58 per 100m)
Third 1,000m @ 19.35 (avg 1.57 per 100m)
Fourth 1,000m @ 19.55 (avg 2.00 per 100m)
Total 4,000m in 1.18.25 (avg 1.57 per 100m)

I hit the 3,800m mark in 1.14.30 - I think this is my fastest ever pool IM distance swim and it's the first time I've done it in a 50m pool. I would hope to be a good bit quicker in OW in a wetsuit and pushing the effort on a bit.

Glad to get that session done. If I can get to a straight 5km swim in the pool sometime in June I'll be very happy.

griffin100 · 09-06-2014 4:40pm

An actual turbo session on Saturday :eek: 1hr of 5 mins steady / 5 mins big gear pushing hard. Watched the first hour of this during the session - it's one of my favorite movies but I'm not sure subtitles and turbo go together. Anyway it made the hr pass very quickly.

Sunday did 16km run at an easy pace - 5.40 per km. This hurt more than it should have, with my abdomen being really sore. Trying to work out if this was DOMS due to the turbo and long swim in the days before, or the massive expansion stress I put my stomach muscles the night before by eating vast quantities of pizza and drinking liters of Peronni :P

Did a short swim today, 100 x 2 easy / 400m TT / 100m easy. 400TT came in on 6.50 - pants. I was hoping to go under 6.40. Splits were 1.30 / 1.45 / 1.50 / 1.45. Not good :mad:

Saturday night was the Carlow County Community Games Swimming. Had the two older kids swimming in the U10 Boys 25m front crawl and the U12 Girls 50m back stroke. The way the kids birthdays fall mean that they were in events with kids over a year older than them who swim before school and in swim clubs. Despite that in the boys the little chap got a silver, just behind the winner and miles ahead of the third place. The winner in his heat stood a full head above my lad and started off the blocks, whereas everyone else dived from the deck. A great result but he was still a bit disappointed about not winning. In the girls we were a bit worried, my daughter has been concentrating on backstroke in her lessons all year and was sure she was going to get a medal, she would be really disappointed if she didn't podium. In her age group the gaps were even more obvious - some of the girls were literally head and shoulders above her. We weren't confident, but she managed a second place beating much bigger girls. A brilliant result for her and I was overjoyed for her - she tends to get overshadowed in these type of events by her brother but not tonight. Two silver medals is a great result, it gives the kids the confidence to keep up their swimming and as they didn't win they dont get to go to the national finals, were they would be really struggling against real quality swimmers, possibly to the detriment of their confidence. I was a prond dad on Saturday

griffin100 · 10-06-2014 10:19pm

Short swim today. 400m x 4 off 8 mins. Pushed a bit on these and they came in around 7.05-7.10. I'm starting to 'feel' the water a bit better but my overall fitness is still poor. I was tired at the end.

40 min turbo tonight - 15mins steady / 1 min out of saddle with big gear + 30 secs easy x 5 / 7 mins steady / 1 min out of saddle with big gear + 30 secs easy x 5 / 3 mins cool down.

Tried to get into my wetsuit this evening. I just about managed it. I look heavily pregnant in it and I suspect given how tight it is around the neck it's going to give me some serious wetsuit burn - but it closed which means I'm off to Bray tomorrow for the aquathon - this will be my first ow swim since last September, and my only one before the 4km Killiney Beach swim this Sunday :P :eek:

Dory Dory · 11-06-2014 1:32am

^^^ You and Izoard crack me up with your "casual" training approaches - god bless your pea pickin' little hearts. Good luck to you and your wetsuit tomorrow!!!

griffin100 · 12-06-2014 9:55am

I survived the first ow swim of the year at the Bray Aquathon last night. I found the water very cold for the first few minutes and my hands and face were freezing. Did the swim in 14mins, I was taking it steady and certainly didn't push like I normally would in a short swim (I was afraid of having a heart attack if I did coz I was so cold :pac:); went very wide between buoys as advised by the canoeists to take advantage of the current but not sure if that helped. I came out somewhere in the top third of the field. Run was a steady enough 21mins, I've forgotten how hard it is to run up Bray Head. Finished in 37mins and change, the exact same time as when I last did this race two years ago - this time my swim was one minute faster but my run was one minute slower. Well organised race as always from Wicklow Tri Club. Roll on the 4km swim in Sunday

griffin100 · 12-06-2014 2:40pm

Just a short swim today to loosen the legs up. I'm surprisingly stiff and sore after last night.
300m wu
100m x 5 kick with fins easy
100m catch up
200m cd
Total 1,100m

In other news the boot of my car and in particular my swim bag seems to have become infested with ants.....probably attracted by the couple of squashed gels in the bottom of the bag. Flicking the ants off my togs as I put them on was a new experience. I spent the entire swim feeling imaginary bites and ants crawling over my body :pac:

Run Fat Boy Run - The lazy mans guide to Ironman and Marathon training.

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