Eddie Rockets!

catweazle · 06-03-2014 4:43pm

Dory Dory wrote: »

Results?? I took the reading after having been at work all morning but before I hopped on the trainer for 3.5 hours. I sat down for a minute or two before I got on the bike, relaxed, and it bounced between 48 and 49. I don't know what it would be first thing in the morning before I hop out of bed, but I think I may have a go at that tomorrow!!!

If Hubby has roving hands in the morning spank them away - it will ruin your results!

I am usually low 40s when resting - and it doesnt seem to go much higher than that when exercising, certainly not on the bike anyways

Bambaata · 11-03-2014 5:11pm

Thursday 6th March
Run - Mod intervals
Starting to put some work into run sessions now. Prep is done! This was 4 on mod/1 off and i ran them well. Had to do after work as I was tied up at lunchtime (i always run at lunch and hate running later!) but was feeling good and didn't have any caffeine after lunch to make sure tummy was ok. No tummy issues anyway and i felt strong. First 10min easy was slightly wind assisted but still quick for no real effort at 04:06/km pace! I had a slight wind assisted and downhill start to the 1st 4min effort and tore off probably a bit beyond mod. Felt good though. The second again i possibly pushed a tiny bit too hard but the remaining i controlled well and finished strong. I had that slight incline and wind in face for the last minute of the last rep so slightly slower pace there to balance it out. Overall the 5 reps were 03:31/km, 03:43/km, 03:40/km, 03:42/km, 03:50/km. Good session. Longer cooldown than planned but felt good and enjoyed stretching it out slightly.
53mins, 12.63km

Friday 7th March
Easy Bike - lunchtime
Took a trip to the park at lunch and just spun around keeping things easy and trying not to sprint from corners etc. Lovely day out! Much easier to enjoy things when the weather is playing ball!
1hr, 26k

Swim - Evening 400sw, 4 x 100B+B -> 100sw, 100B+B
I swam after work, i had intended on swimming before but id a crap sleep so was too wrecked once the 6:10 alarm went. Felt great with lots to strength. No issues in left shoulder and i tried to really give a good strong pull throughout. I forgot the bloody band but i dont use feet at all anyway when pulling and made sure to keep heels close. Opening 200sw was 02:57 for only steady/mod effort without really pushing so i knew this was going to be a solid enough swim. Clocked 40, 39, 38, 34 for the 4 des! 34 is equal to my fastest ever. The 400sw was 06:08, 4 x 100s all 01:31, 250sw (miscounted!) was 03:54, then did 150p to make up in 02:21 with other all remaining 100p's being between 01:31 and 01:34. 100sw 01:27 and finally 38, 38, 39, 38 for fast 50s at the end. Felt good to the end. I did slow very slightly but not too much. Solid swim
1hr 3mins, 3200m

Saturday 8th March
Long easy run
I had work early on Saturday so swapped around the long bike/run days. Decent run. I was out the night before for a few for a friends 30th so I was groggy! I wasnt hungover but didnt sleep well and was awake from about 7. Finally got out a little later than planned as i had to be in work for 10:30 so cut a tiny bit short. While i felt groggy i ran well and within range. Surprised to hold 04:21/km ave for the 18 odd k! I had a strong tailwind for the first half so hence pace uphill was faster than expected but then was into it for the way back. Wanted a route with climbs rather than just out along the strand.
01:17:50, 17.88k

Sunday 9th March
Long Bike
Decent spin. I was down home so took in a few laps of next weeks race route (which will be my first bike race!). I rode easy on most of them but threw in 2 mod/steady laps too. Its a tough enough route with rough ground and long draggy bits. I got pretty tired from about 02:45/3hrs and was very tired by the end. It started raining too during that and i was desperate to get home! i had 2 bananas and 2 bottles of water so not really enough but good to still have power despite feeling bad enough by the end. enjoyed the spin though. Got the mammys dinner in immediately after!

03:35:48, 104km

Monday 10th March
Morning Swim
Good session. I like this set and dont notice the time going. It was 5x(200p steady,100sw mod, 50 fast, 50 easy all + 15s) Swam pretty well. 200p's were between 03:11 - 03:16, 100s mod 01:29 - 01:32, 50s fast 38-40 and 50s easy 46-48. Fast 50s at end were 38, 39, 39, 39. Swim fitness seems there now, did this on empty but pace stayed pretty consistent to the end. Did 150 extra as 3 50s here and there to get space.
01:01:21, 3150m

Long Bike
I was off Monday so coach seems to be trying to get me tired before this coming Sundays bike

I went too far at the clb practise race some weeks ago and ended up not able to train properly for a week so ive noted that and hopefully by Sunday i wont be able to kill myself! Im glad of the big bike distance planned this week though and have sent myself a target of 300+ km on the bike this week. Great spin and beautiful weather, massive difference to yesterdays bike energy wise. Difference here was i took 1.2l of high5 2:1 with me and a banana and not just electrolyte/bananas. I felt like id still loads of power right to the end. I was a little concerned i wouldn't have the energy today after yesterdays spin but strangely id waaaaay more. First hour average power was about 285W! That included the climb from rathfarnham to sally gap which i was flying on at times. I was comfortable on it but in 400s at times and felt great. Ended up not far off the strava KOM for that stretch without actually trying too hard - http://www.strava.com/activities/119468966#2654547857 !! Really enjoyed the spin and had a beaming smile at the top of the mountains. Bit shorter than id have liked but i got caught for time earlier painting in the house etc but still managed near 3hrs. Great spin, one of the best.
02:51:00, 82km

Bambaata · 11-03-2014 5:22pm

I know i mentioned a while ago that i hope to have a good lead into Tri an Mhi unaffected but within days i booked two weeks holidays to Costa Rica

Its somewhere we've talked about going to before and when we copped that flights aren't too pricey we went for it! Ill be gone 1st to 14th April so not quite ideal in that build up to Tri an Mhi. I don't make it easy on poor coach

All i can think of might be that he'll have me in pieces by 31st March to the point of overtraining so that i can spend those two weeks away recovering. I'll have runners and togs with me too and it will be an active enough break with lots of beach and surfing done. I'll just need to control diet and i should come back ok.

If anyone reading has ever been to Costa Rica what should we do? We've no plans as such other than landing in San Jose at 19:15 on the 1st April!

Bambaata · 12-03-2014 11:53am

Tuesday 11th March
Lunchtime Run - with 30s builds
Good enough run. Legs a little tired (which is to be expected) but no aches or pains whatsoever and in better shape than id expected considering two good days on the bike. Amazing the recovery turnaround from long bikes compared to runs! Ive been paying attention to recovery too though and have the tights on the past few days. Lovely out, warm and i sweated a lot. Id a slight headwind out and tailwind back but i did slow up a bit in the easy back in after the builds. Builds felt good enough though and session flew by.
00:44:27, 10.15km

Unplanned Recovery Bike
With an evening like that it was impossible to resist a short spin. I logged possibly the lowest power ever for the spin and kept things all about recovery - keeping a good fresh cadence but as low a power as i possibly could. Enjoyed the spin and hoping it helps with the recovery to the next hard session tomorrow. Im excited about the big bike work this week! If i dont hit 300km now ill be disappointed! If all goes well it will also be my biggest training week ever. Itll be just over 16hrs and nothing compared to some but thats massive for me!
01:10:21, 30.21km

joey100 · 12-03-2014 12:27pm

What race have you planned this weekend Bambatta? Any luck getting a club jersey sorted?

Looks like Lucan GP will be my bike racing debut, the nerves are already starting!

Bambaata · 12-03-2014 12:34pm

I'm doing Boyne GP near Slane Co. Meath. Its beside home home for me so looking forward to opening my account only a few k from the door. I did a few loops on Sunday to familiarise myself with the route but know it well anyway. Its a separate A4 race too which is good.

Im going to be racing without kit this year, they only have skinsuits available and im not going to turn up all Team Sky'esque in my first season

Ive a black with white stripe jersey and black shorts/tights so ill just use those.

Solobally8 · 12-03-2014 11:21pm

Hi Bambaata best of luck at the race on Sunday. I'm doing the women's race hopefully. Can you tell me what the route is like? Is it rolling?

Bambaata · 13-03-2014 11:01am

Hey Solobally8, best of luck to you too. This is my first bike race ever so starting as an A4 so im hoping you dont catch me

I see all A4s are first and 4mins later the female race starts.

The route hasnt any major climbs or anything but does have a long dragged section and another few short climbs. Surface is quite rough on the back roads, the main road is 100%. No potholes really but rough if that makes sense.

Solobally8 · 13-03-2014 11:43am

Ha ha I doubt we will catch you somehow

Thanks for that info. I'd say that drag could get a bit tiring the third or fourth time round! I hoping to be up early enough to do a warm up lap. It definitely helps to have an idea of the course and corners beforehand.

Best of luck, I'll be the only girl there in the blank and white gear of Nenagh CC. Come over and say hello if you see me. Anita

Bambaata · 14-03-2014 11:28am

Cool, i'll be sure to look out for you so. Ill be in plain black with a white stripe top (dont have club gear) and on a black Focus bike if i bump into you during warmup.

Wednesday 12th March
Tired Swim!
I was not at the races this morning. Session consisted of some drills to start and then 200sw's steady, 150p's mod, 100sw's hard and some fast 50s to finish and i just never woke up or felt like i had the energy for it. Still got through the 3100m but just! I woke at 5:30 this morning and just got up rather than dosing til just after 6. I had a brekkie and think it didnt help as it was repeating on my during the swim. I just didnt have that top gear today and left shoulder ache was ever so slightly apparent! I got through the session but struggled to keep it going.
01:04:30, 3100m

Turbo
I was slightly concerned about this during the week. It was a 105-115% 5min on/2 off set. My quads were quite tight all day and legs felt a bit tired from the solid work the past few days. I cycled to the gym and work today and made sure i didnt put any pressure down. Wore the recovery tights all day too to give myself every chance of getting through this. In the end a fair amount of mental energy was needed to grit it out but importantly i did (albeit slightly below the target at times but still over FTP). Normally im ok for the first minute of work in these kind of sets and then the pain starts rising but today by 30-40s i was in the pain cave. I had been watching breaking bad but, as with an FTP test, it started wrecking my head so i turned it off after the 2nd rep. Next two were done with eyes closed and in total concentration and for the last i put on some techno to get me through! Really happy to make them all, power a little low but i didnt want to start too hard and be dying by the 2nd rep so i worked my way through them and upped it slightly as i went (apart from last one!). Happy with the session. AP/NP/AHR for the 5 reps were:
1) 334/330/139
2) 341/338/143
3) 344/339/145
4) 351/347/149
5) 343/339/149
01:11:20, 40.04km

Thursday 13th March
Easy Run
The easy day of the week! As usual though it took the most mentasl effort to do! It was bloody freezing out and i chickened out of running at lunch so hence had to do it after work. I seem to switch off slightly on these kind of days but still got it done and i was a bit surprised at how well it went! I really thought by now id be feeling the effects of a good few days but no instead i was flying! HR took a while to come up so possibly some fatigue there but i felt great. I lapped at halfway to see if there was much difference but in the end i ran a faster 2nd half (but with slightly more effort)! Really happy with how the body is responding as i was not expecting a 04:09/km average pace for the 11k for a 138HR (which includes some static spikes) and easy effort!
00:45:42, 10.99km

pgibbo · 14-03-2014 4:43pm

Best of luck with the bike race this weekend Ed

Bambaata · 15-03-2014 11:59pm

Cheers Paul. Looking forward to it now. Not long to go

mossym · 16-03-2014 3:30pm

Bambaata wrote: »

Cheers Paul. Looking forward to it now. Not long to go

just a nice easy 90km warm up on saturday for it..:)

Bambaata · 16-03-2014 8:47pm

Ah yesterdays long ride was a lot easier than usual. Did me the world of good though! Good bike week though, managed to get in over 300k

joey100 · 16-03-2014 11:11pm

well done on the bike race today, a great first race! puts the pressure on the rest of us doing our first races this year!

Bambaata · 16-03-2014 11:13pm

Thanks a mil, ill get a report up tomorrow fr it. Really enjoyable day out and sweeter again that i got to open my bike racing account with a home race! Finish line was right at the NS my little brother went to.

Solobally8 · 17-03-2014 2:23pm

Well done yesterday Bambaata. Fantastic result and in your first race! Must have been real sweet

pgibbo · 18-03-2014 11:59am

Sounds like you went really well at the weekend Ed. Congrats! :cool:

Bambaata · 20-03-2014 6:01pm

Friday 14th March
Morning Swim
Decent swim. Session flew by with the unfamiliar type set. I had a mix of 150s easy, 100s steady, 50k's hard and 150s B+B and the 50k's stung a fair bit and ranged from 01:12 - 01:16. On fresh legs they'd be around 01:05. No problem with left shoulder which i have been having on/off pinching pain in. Trying these days to engage the lats more. I seem to be doing it but it seems to take a small bit more out of me so not sure if i'll keep that up.
00:47:22, 2200m

Run with Mod Efforts
I had 3 x 7min mod efforts here and was a little concerned considering id have a big enough week to this point. Good solid run in the end though, hard going but i managed to get through it. The mods felt mod towards easy and i didnt quite go as a slave to the HRM. It was spiking a little and didn't seem to be reading right now and then so i just went to feel. Id a nice tailwind out but very nasty headwind back so that last effort really took some more mental energy! Legs felt decent though and i really kept things easy in the cooldown. I also walked about 20s of the start of easy to help bring HR down.
00:47:19, 11.33km

Saturday 15th March
Group ride
Out with the cycling club. It was very leisurely pace, i decided to go with what was supposed to be the fast group but the wind made it impossible to get properly organised. Session was a bit easier than id have liked but probably did the legs good considering its the biggest training i've probably ever done! I did get to put in minor efforts here and there. Legs felt ok on those, small bit of fatigue but nothing major#
03:25:55, 89.89km

Sunday 16th March
Boyne GP (A4) - First ever bike race!
I was looking forward to this. No better way to open my bike racing account with a race beside home.

Great race, i raced well and managed to nab 3rd which was beyond what i thought possible considering i'm clueless to race tactics! I started right at the back and things really took off so much so that it took a while to catch everyone! Once i bridged i moved forward but made the mistake of going on the inside and i was pushed back again with everyone passing through on the outside (i was boxed in). Onto lap 2 i moved forward again and this time ended up at the very head with two others. I was marking moves hoping an organised break might go but only 3 of us went clear. We pushed but soon it was only 2 of us working and after a few k i gave up as it was too early and i kept thinking coach will kill me :P (these races are to be used as training sessions only so i cant bury myself to the point of effecting training later in the week). I could have gritted it out but it would have been a balls out the line to try keep it.

It did make things that bit safer for me and i got a gel in with some fluid while i waited on the pack. I took it very easy at bends but it meant i had to dig in hard at times to catch back up. I again got caught on the inside as we came towards the lap marker. This section was narrow enough and slightly uphill and into the wind so i knew it was the place to go if going was an option and made the decision that as we came off the main road to come towards this section for the 2nd last time that id get to the top and go with any few that went. There was also a descent after this so gave a small few the chance to get away further.

While resting up in the pack before that lap i was lucky to not come off as i was pushed into the verge and clipped wheels with the guy who pushed me out! I recovered to the about lap 3.8 and just before the last lap at the exact time i thought going was an option i got to the front, saw there was a small group ahead and tempo'd up to them. Around 400-500W was enough to get away and bridge and i was glad I didnt need to sprint but just dug in a solid effort and tagged on.

I took a slight recovery at the back of them and then went to the front of the few ahead and drove us on further trying to get distance from the pack chasing and get everyone going. I knew this was the place to move as there was a savage headwind into a gradual climb with rough road and it turned out exactly that. We then had a fast section to make some space which we did and away we went maybe about 200-300m clear. Around to the main road and the fast descent i did some turns at the front but not everyone was as willing. We'd 2 not coming through which i was worried about. I gave plenty of shouts (as did others) to them all that 6 would score and we had only 6 now but if we didnt work we'd be pulled in. Down to the 2nd last turn i took it very easy knowing its a tight bend and greasy and low and behold 2 guys went sliding. I was well behind them and got clear and now there was 4. One guy wasnt helping at all and this could have put us in trouble as we'd the hardest part of the course to finish (long drag on the rough surface into the wind). Myself and two others did turns and now i was hurting bad. I got minor recoveries but i could sense all 4 of us were hurting. I kicked to 600W region a bit with 2k to go knowing the pack were closing and 2 of the others helped too and in doing so we got rid of the guy who was tagged on. With just 500m to go the pack were close and all 3 of us were on the edge! I reckoned we'd be caught if any of us tried holding back and so with just 250m to go i went hard but didnt have much left and wasnt really pushing huge power! I knew there was the chance that i would be helping the other two and that is what happened but i reckon we could have been caught had i not and was delighted to get 3rd.

Delighted with the result. I was really happy to see that decent efforts without too much redlining had me clear and knew i could attack as i pleased but i wont manage that for long if i get 1 more decent result to be promoted to A3s! I just need 4 more points now having nabbed 6 here. I was told after that breakaways never make it in A4s and that having managed to help in a breakaway in A4s was a good sign so here's hoping i can play a bit smarter and get that 4 points needed.

File - http://www.strava.com/activities/121267974
Avg Power:272 W
Max Power:825 W
Max Avg Power (20 min):319 W
Normalized Power (NP):326 W
Intensity Factor (IF):0.992
Training Stress Score (TSS):158.8
Work:1,589 kJ

Really didnt feel like a 0.992 IF! Legs feeling good and really happy to clock over 300k for the week with this race.

Weekly Summary
At the start of the week when i saw i had 1/11hrs of biking schedule i was very excited about getting good hours in! In the end i 15:42:56 in which is i think the most iver ever closked! I was happy to see that the body wasn't breaking after it either and speaking with coach we're going to try bring weekly average biking more in line with that when possible.

In all i got:
Swim|8450m|02:53:13
Bike|306.71km|10:32:15
Run|32.47km|02:17:28
Total|347.63km|15:42:56

Dory Dory · 21-03-2014 2:19am

Congrats on the podium!! And 600W???!!!!!! :eek::eek::eek: omfg.....

MD1983 · 21-03-2014 11:17am

i never thought a4 bike racing would be that hard in terms of power requirements but it must be, fair play looks like a good day out!

pgibbo · 21-03-2014 11:23am

Nice debut Ed and a cracking week of training too! Congrats on the podium. All the sweeter with it being on home turf :cool:

kennyb3 · 21-03-2014 11:36am

MD1983 wrote: »

i never thought a4 bike racing would be that hard in terms of power requirements but it must be, fair play looks like a good day out!

It's not to sit in the bunch, it is if your pushing the pace/part of a breakaway

mossym · 21-03-2014 12:25pm

savage effort Ed. well done on the podium

Bambaata · 21-03-2014 12:49pm

Thanks all. Yeah there's considerable difference in sitting in. That said there's still decent effort there. plenty of sprints after corners too but id say once my handling gets better i might not need to slow as much into them

21-03-2014 2:45pm

Dont play down your strengths on the bike, you would fit comfortably in A3 right now and likely move into A2 soon enough.

BennyMul · 21-03-2014 2:59pm

+1 on what JB said, and great opening race btw.
A3 racing is better racing, slightly harder and longer but more controlled and in breaks you will have people who want and can ride to stay away.

and as long as you don't mind having your arse handed to you by some juniors:(

Bambaata · 24-03-2014 1:02pm

BennyMul wrote: »

and as long as you don't mind having your arse handed to you by some juniors:(

i came across a few of these on Saturday! Report to come!

Bambaata · 24-03-2014 2:03pm

Monday 17th March
Was supposed to be a 2-3hr easy ride but i ended up going out the night before and beng out a lot later than planned! I missed my window of opportunity.

Tuesday 18th March
Lunch Run with 30s Builds
Good enough run, serious wind out. I was flying with it on my back but knew once i turned i was in for a struggle back! I did the builds with wind on the back. Legs felt good and energy good too. Day off yesterday probably wasn't the worst thing
00:47:21, 10.95km

Evening Swim
A pyramid of 100sw, 200p -> 400s and back down with some fast 50s to finish. Good enough swim, i was feeling pretty good as i generally do in the evenings. I kept things very easy in the sw's and to steady for pulls apart from one or 2 25m parts where i was passing etc but felt good. Focused on breathing parallel and making sure i wasnt tipping head up slightly which also helped with the roll. I always try to focus on something every swim. Fast 50s were good on 37, 36, 37, 38. This session always seem to fly by.
00:58:40, 3000m

Wednesday 19th March
Bike
Today was supposed to be a day off but after missing Mondays bike i didn't want 2 days off in 3 so just headed out to go by feel but on the lower end of things. Felt decent but for some reason i kept finding cadence was low! Legs felt ok though and i enjoyed putting in a short few steady/mod efforts on some climbs etc. Loving the bike these days!
01:14:52, 36.47km

Thursday 20th March
Bike with 2min efforts
Went ok, had no access to turbo for this so not as controlled as id have liked. I also didnt cop the first rep had started for 20s! I got lashed out of it by rain and wind too which made it tough going but I was still in decent shape. Legs felt ok and hr was rising to what id expect so felt ok enough. This second winter isnt nice!
00:44:51, 20.73km

Evening Swim
Id a few front and mid scull drills, rock n roll and kicks before just 4 x 200m steady on 4. I couldnt find a bioro to jog down the session and ended up not doing those 200s on 4 but rather 03:20/25. Good swim, swam late enough and not long from dinner so plenty of energy. I was feeling a little tired from a poor enough sleep and a long day but no better way to snap out if that than the pool. 200s were 03:01, 03:02, 03:01 & 03:01 & all comfortably in range. I did an extra 250 as 150p and 100p around the ms's to get some space.
01:03:14, 2650m

Friday 21st March
Swim
Seems like i never left, i was near closing last night and back in early as i was driving to Leitrim from work. Id some balance drills ton start and then some 150s as 100 mod, 50 fast. Ok swim. I felt decent enough but did struggle slightly in the 150s. I was tight for time so just got 6 of the 8 i was supposed to do. The 6 came in on 02:15, 02:14, 02:16, 02:15, 02:14 & 02:14 (so all around the 01:29/100 pace) but all done with 25-30s rest to get space. Had to cut sessions slightly short.
00:46:15, 2000m

Lunch Run - Steady and short mod
Solid run. Had wind with me on the way out and against the way back - it wasnt quite right on my back/face though so not effecting too much. Really happy to run 04:01 pace for the 22:30 easy although it was slightly wind assisted. Without wind it would still have been around the 04:08/9 region i reckon. Steady felt comfortable and mod felt only a tiny bit more effort but still very comfortable. Slight twinge twice just over left knee on the inside where the quad meets knee. It think its to do with new pedals on bike, my left foot seemed slightly twisted for a few days til i changed it. I could feel an ever so slight weakness in it on Tuesday but went and didnt progress to anything so reckon alls good there. Steady 15 was 04:06/km and 5 mod 03:46/km (both into wind)
00:48:55, 12.14km

Bambaata · 22-04-2014 12:40pm

Well for the past month training has been slim to none. I went on a last minute (well relatively speaking) holiday to Costa Rica which was fantastic on the holiday front but not so fantastic for training. I got about 75k ran and 6k swam in the two weeks but nothing over the hour as the heat was unbearable! Every run felt like torture. What was a bit more concerning was the jet-lag which lingered through last week. I was exhausted all week and only today/yesterday am feeling back to normal. As a result i got feck all done last week too.

As a result of the 3 week slip id say im down about 15/20s per km run wise and probably about where my last FTP test had me (im pretty sure id brought it into 340's range before i went). Hoping a good two weeks now gets me back on track. That said Tri an hi wont be a show-down with Fazz as i dont have and wont have the work done but it will prove a good tester race for Canada.

Aim for the next few weeks is consistent training, enter a race or two as practice events before Tri an Mhi in June and get in the wetsuit! Anyone in recently? I was in the sea most days in Costa Rica but it was 30C water there!! I also need to get clean food wise so for the next few days im going to log everything i eat (not so much to the weight but just as a way of trying to keep me as clean as possible)

Eddie Rockets!

Comments