140.6 deep breaths...

Manu thanks all

mloc123 wrote: »

This is something I worked on last winter, to track cadence I would cout steps for 20seconds every 5 minutes in my runs... problem I found was that I could easily 'cheat' for those 20 seconds and slack off in between. A footpod for your garmin might help keep this honest, but at €80 it seems like bad value to me.

Will be keeping an eye on this log, you have done a couple of HIMs already?

I did Kenmare at the end of my rookie season and ended up in the back of the ambulance. Otherwise had fun! Nope, no other HIMs which was a worry. Life situations juct meant bringing the IM goal forward. I'm not done with OD distance by any means. The long one just had a greater appeal than targetting faster times next year.

I get what you mean about the cadence checks. Because you are suddenly counting you tend to speed it up a notch. I take a check for 30 secs 4 times on a long run. The best I've managed so far is holding 170 up to 75 mins but then along with my pace it dropps to 162-164 by 90 mins. I'll build it like everything else.

griffin100 wrote: »

It's not enough to say you're gonna do it, you could probably get around now on your current fitness levels.........give us a predicted time:)

Looking forward to this log already.

@Izoard too
Cheers, yeah I know you and others would expect me to have a time in mind but I really don't. I'm not letting myself get sucked into that for a while. Of course I'll have some target splits eventually but this is a venture into the unknown for me so I'll hold off a while to see how my body adapts to the longer stuff. I have a lot to learn about nutrition in particular. Right now I just want to finish!

Izoard wrote: »

Man, I now have to go back and worry about the A/R/T challenge for 2010 again...:)

I reckon you have it sown up man, unless we get some mega update from someone.

Abhainn wrote: »

Any B races lined up yet before the big one?

Aiming for sub 3 in 10 weeks after Roth would seem challenging. The fast course of Amsterdam in mid Oct would give you anb extra 3 weeks prep. Worth thinking about.

Thanks Abhainn, I hadn't thought about A'dam. I guess Berlin is one I 've had on my mind for a while but that extra 3 weeks is worth thinking about for sure. Nice tip man As for B races. Waterford half Marathon in December just to replace an LSR but also to set a benchmark. I'll do another half then before the Autumn Marathon in 2011 with some speedwork behind it and see what progress I have made. I know I'll need to be in the ballpark of 1:25 for a half for a decent crack at sub 3... Gulp! The Waterford half will bne an indication as to the size of that particular Mountain. For Triathlon I'll do an early HIM and an Olympic this side of the IM. Oh and I've pencilled in the W200 too but I won't be stopping for tea and sandwiches this time

Thursday PM: Swim session in 25m
The TT was just a little sprinty 200m to sort us out. 450m either side warm up and cool down with some breast stroke thrown in. Its still awful but I'm getting there. 2:46 on the TT which is a personal best. Pace 1:23/100m and the stroke didn't fall apart. happy days Session 0:25, dist 1,100m

I went for a swim with the Masters group there at lunch. Its one of my favourite sessions. It conflicts with the keeping everything at base theme as it’s a short but tough session. 40 minutes in and out. Main set is usually about 1.6km and as with today we usually get through 2k with the warm up and cool down. I can't quite hang onto the group in the fast lane in the morning swims yet but this session is definitely the key to getting me there. As our esteemed uber swimmer Interested once advised me. Its sometimes better to suffer in a lane of faster swimmers than lead out a slower lane. Suffering it is too!

The main set was 100m*3, 150m*2, 200m, 100m*5, 150m*2. What’s the difference between swimmers and triathletes? While I was delighted to be hanging onto the their coat tails, hitting 1:25s for the 100s (SC), the girls were doing a mixture of backstroke and sometimes even fly in front of me :eek: They also tumble turn effortlessly without a splash and the efficiency of it takes seconds per length out of the rest of us. Ok, they may not be as quick (thankfully) as they were is their hay day but there is a sense of 'business' about the session that I like. Its always a quality swim. If my stroke can't handle the pace I back off and happily get lapped. What I try to do is swim as hard as I can while still being able to concentrate on my stroke. If I lose control and start just hammering the water chasing feet I A) die very quickly and just reinforce poor technique.

So, this will be the only session of intense effort during the 20 week base period. Its short enough, gives me something to look forward to in work and legs are still fresh for the weekend long sessions

Session 0:40, dist 2,000m

Saturday AM: LSR Z2
The Plan
2:30 Z2 (hr 137 – 155)
Actual
2:31 Z2 average hr 150, max 205 (Garmin went nuts)

Awful run. Conditions were ok, dry and cool. Almost muggy. First 16km were ok and steady. The pace was around 4:40/km but my heart rate was in check so all good. At 20km I began to feel it. The wheels came off shortly after and pace dropped like a stone. Cadence was an encouraging, for me, 170 - 172spm up to 70 mins then dropped to a lazy 160 by 100 mins and I just could not turn over faster. The Garmin was spiking like mad also which was annoying and distracting as I was trying to keep to heart rate. Hamstrings locked up on me early (they had been tight from the start) and it was a real struggle to even get home. Had to stop and stretch them out a couple of times. By 25km I was down to 5:20+ pace. I went over on my ankle on O'Connell St too just to rub salt in. I shuffled up the last hill home like an 80 year old at 5:40 pace. In the end I was happy just to get it done.

Time 2:31
Dist 30.66km
avg pace 4:56/km

0:20 stretching planned for later, or on my lunch break.


· I decided to eat a bagel before the run and brought water with me. I normally do long runs with nothing but that would have been a bad idea this morning..
· I dragged my butt out of bed at 5:30am for this to get it done before work
· First 75 mins were pleasant and had the roads to myself.


· Stupid Garmin was unreliable for the 2nd half when I needed it most :mad:
· The wheels really came off after 20km and it got progressively worse. My base fitness is terrible.
· Could only hold target cadence for 70 mins then it died dramatically
· The tightness of my hams and calves. Flexibility is shocking!
· 5 hours sleep didn’t help
· 3 LSRs in 2 weeks didn’t help, especially since I haven’t done any all year
· 1:30, 1:50, 2:10, 2:30 was building the long run too quickly but hey I have to stay on my feet for 4 hours in a couple of weeks.

After the DCM I have soooo much work to do on my running if I am to run a Marathon after 6 hours on a saddle!

4-10 October|# sessions|Time hh:mm|Distance kms
Total|9*|8:26|104.86
Swimming|3|2:10|6.1
Cycling|2|1:39|51.96
Running|2|4:02|46.8
Conditioning|2|0:35|core/stretch

* lots of short easy sessions

Notes: Easing back into things but should be running more frequently. Just 2 weeks to DCM and I'm hoping residual fitness will see me through again.

Sunday was a recovery day, thankfully as I was feeling the effects of the LSR. Just 30 mins Z1 turbo spinning the legs out at 100rpm. Avg heart rate 125. Did some stretching and core afterwards. Hamstrings are like steel rods.

Izoard wrote: »

Hey MCOS,

Did you get the Roth entry as a regular application or via a travel agent? - seems to be sold out at this point...

I got it as a regular application. Speculative at the time but I figured that I could withdraw if it wasn't to be. There are 200 places going up for it in December too, details on the site and I'm sure you can get there with angencies also.

"...Athletes who have so far missed out have one more chance at an entry in the race—the Nikolaus-Action set for 6 December. At 10am (CEST), race organisers will open online entries for 200 entries for individual starters..."

link: http://www.challenge-roth.com/en/news/newsmeldungen/2010_08_25-1.html

Wednesday PM: Turbo
The plan
1:00 Z2
Actual
1:00 Z2

The plan was to ride steady at no higher the Z2 and keep the cadence fresh. Overall I felt good, kept the cadence at 90; heart rate averaged 136 and output 236 watts. After 40 mins though the heart rate started rising significantly and by 56 mins I had to drop a gear to maintain the cadence and keep below the Z2 ceiling of 150. The central heating did come on half way through it so it turned into a sweat box. That wasn’t the only factor. Long day at work and ill disciplined comfort eating affected the energy levels. Beyond the excuses it’s just poor base fitness! I have lots to improve on…
Time 1:00
Dist 34.0km

I'm really looking forward to the Marathon now. I'm also feeling good and ready to start into the IM programme on Nov 1, fresh

10-17 October|# sessions|Time hh:mm|Distance kms
Total|9|11:51|163.87
Swimming|3|2:30|7.1
Cycling|2|3:34|109.16
Running|3|4:30|47.61
Conditioning|1|1:15|core/stretch


Decent week overall. Plenty of quality work. I really need to book in for a massage though my legs and shoulders are in knots. Should I get one this week or after the Marathon? 2 easy weeks ahead now before I kick off the IM programme. Flexibility is something I simply have to take more seriously too.

Although not exactly advocated by my bro and mum (both fitness professionals), I'm going off carbs for the next 3 days and then carbo loading for Monday. The Marathon is not an important race so I'm not worried about experimenting the weke before. I got the idea from donothoponpop's log and thought I'd just give it a go. More to kick start some mental diet discipline than anything else! I'm sure after all the eggs, nuts and chicken I'll be dreaming about porridge on thursday morning every night!

Wednesday AM: Group swim session (LC)
Day 3 of no carbs and it would be interesting to see how the body would respond to a bit of intensity. The warm up was fine, some drills and kicking with fins. The main set was 5*500m off 5:15 and 6*100m off 1:45. As usual the fast lane was pretty strung out but I managed to stay with the group for the 500s. It was solid work but comfortable higher end cruising speed. I made the RTs with time to get a sip of the bottle and was averaging 36/37spl. Not too bad. The 100s though were into the tempo zones properly and they hurt. The group shoved me up the line but I was feeling it after the 3rd rep and dropped back. We cooled down with some choice 50s which I tried in vain to do other strokes. I did do a couple of dps lengths very easy though and was happy to hit 32 on some. I was starving afterward sand the nuts and ‘dry fry’ just didn’t cut it. Felt sick of meat and eggs!
Time 1:05
Dist 3,100m

Wednesday PM: Turbo Z2
The plan
0:40 Z2
Actual
0:40 Z2

I struggled with motivation to even pull the turbo out. It was nearly 10pm by the time I hopped on. A long day at work with training session on either side on a no carb fuelled system was a test. I averaged 236 watts and my heart rate averaged 139 which is pretty high for this workout actually. The perceived effort was higher than last time. I aimed again to maintain a cadence of 90 at least which means holding roughly the same output. The cardiac drift is the factor of significance. He last time I did this for an hour and at 56min I had to drop a gear to keep the heart rate under the Z2 ceiling and also to maintain cadence. I got off after 40 mins this time but no doubt would have had to drop that same gear after less than 45 mins. It basically means I found the session tougher.
Time 0:40
Dist 23km

No Carbs.
By day 3 off carbs I was relying solely on fat for fuel. It yields great energy at very low intensity but clearly the intensity of the turbo was too much to burn it efficiently. My body went in search of the sugary glycogen store for a more immediate release of energy but it wasn’t there. After just 40 mins of turbo it felt as though I had done 2 hours! Instead of the peanut butter and jam bagel it wanted, I fed it with another ham and cheese omelette

Staying off the carbs was easier than I thought. The protein intake made me feel fuller for longer. I had great energy for meetings in work and the energy itself was pretty constant. No moods, no cravings, I ate loads and I lost weight.
Monday morning 78.2kg
Thursday morning 76.2kg (the lightest I’ve been since I was a teen)

So it’s all good then yes? Wrong. I had to supplement the lack of fruit and veg with Juice Plus capsules. My cholesterol would have hit 6-7 by next summer or sooner (on route to a heart attack!). I became sick of eggs and I really love eggs. If I had tried 10 mins of Z4 effort I’d have been left trembling for the lack of oxygen being transported quickly enough to the cells that demanded it. It’s a diet designed for Polar Bears who need the body fat to get through a long winter sleep ahead.

The Net effect?
Well we shall see as I reintroduce carbs to the system and use those primarily for the marathon on Monday. Although, since I’m pacing at a lower intensity, my lower heart rate may hold off on the carbs for longer, meaning I will have sufficient glycogen stores for the duration (no gels etc... needed). That would be one of the overall aims of the IM programme. 20 weeks of base training at lower intensity to get the body used to metabolising fats for energy. Ideally, you will develop both your endurance and your ability to burn fat for energy further up the zone. It’s critical for Ironman Distance really. The longer you can stay effectively fuelled, the better you will perform. I can say one thing, the bowl of porridge with soaked and fatten sultanas and cinnamon this morning was absolutely delicious!! I just have to introduce similar discipline to a more balanced and lower GI diet from now on

Thursday PM: Z1-Z2 run with Caz
The plan
0:40 at Caz’s pace
Actual
0:53 mostly at Caz’s pace

It was a perfect evening for a run. Still, chilly and crisp. Caz is running a bit more consistently now and when our schedules coincide we head out together. My original plan was Z2 pace but I stayed at Z1 for 6km to enjoy some company. Average heart rate for that bit was 128 and we were trotting along at 5:50km pace, the upper end of Caz’s Z2. We just took different routes home for the last couple of kms and I upped the pace to Z2. About 4:40 – 4:50kms and 150bpm and with carbs back on board I had plenty of energy for it. Lots of people out, I suspect, keeping loose ahead of Monday. I felt good but the only minor concern is that my right ankle is a little sore/stiff again. Time was pressed so it was straight in the door, glass of water and over to the pool…
Time 0:53
Dist 9.93km

Thursday PM: Technical swim session (SC)
I found this session tough.
It’s pretty much all coached drills. It was very busy too with 7 per lane and in a 25m pool that’s a bit claustrophobic for me (I’m not good in elevators and shops like Pennys!). First we did a set of 100s with the last 25m kicking, hand by your side. I hate kicking drills and these suck the most, contorting ourselves trying to find air. I’m useless at them but I guess all the reason for more practice. I’m one of the fastest in the group in TTs but when it comes to kicking I literally got swam over last night (the norm) . After those it was another set of 50s kicking on your side, hands by your side and rotating with your torso. More gulps of pool water and panic breaths. More hell!

Next up; catch up drills. I used to hate these almost as much as the kicking drills but something has clicked with these lately. I used to sink after every stroke and found it impossible to sustain any momentum. The sets were 150/100/50. Swim the first 100 of the 150 and then catch up for the rest. The idea was to count your strokes for the last 50 of the 150 and maintain that for the rest of the set. Sounds a bit complex, well it was! It meant that while doing catch up we had to have a stroke target in mind also. By the second and third set it was getting increasingly tiring and difficult to do so. You had to really concentrate on maintaining a long accelerated stroke. After 600m of the 900m doing catch up my shoulders were burning! I was also cramping in my calves (due to the run beforehand). The lack of kick off the wall as a result of cramps meant I had to really concentrate on long strong strokes to maintain my target for each 50. I think it was the focus on dps that sustained the momentum for the catch up drill where I’d normally sink with each stroke. Progress We did some more drills afterward and I was only fit for my bed by the end of the session.
Time 0:50
Dist 1,750m

Friday: REST DAY...

In other news, I signed up for the Berlin Marathon next year so thats the 2 main goals firmly in the firing liine now

nomadic wrote: »

interesting stuff. Do you plan on restricting carbs again for some of your IM training sessions?

Doubtful nomadic. Its certainly not going to be a regular thing. I'll limit the high GI sugars as much as my discipline will let me but I wouldn't head out for a long bike with a few days of merely meat and fat on board.

Just 4 more days until I begin the focus on Roth. I still have trouble walking down steps so doubtful there will be any form of running this week. I'll make do with some swimming and if the legs are up to it a cycle at the weekend. A few new books arrived too which was like an early xmas present. Racing Weight , The Paleo Diet for Athletes , Once a Runner and The Man who swam the Amazon. I've started with the latter. The guy swam 63 miles on day 1 :eek: Ok he had guys directing him to the fastest possible current but still, thats insane!

Wednesday AM: Swim group (LC)
Got into the slow lane initially for a warm up thinking I'd be wrecked after Monday. Despite the legs being sore however I felt fine so back into the fast lane. I avoided fins for the warm up and just swam easy. The main session then was 3 sets of
2*200m off 3:30
100m
4*50m
We had a minute between sets and I made the RTS comfortably. I tucked into a draft at the back of the group. I felt suprisingly good. Just avoided pushing hard off the wall. I'm the odd one out in the lane in that I seem to be the only one who doesn't tumble turn :rolleyes:
6*50 choice cool down.
I didn't hang around for any sprinty stuff. I didn't have time even if I wanted to anyway.
Time 1:05
Dist 3,200m