How hard can it be, eh?

Izoard

griffin100 wrote: »

Joy? Where?

I'd kinda agree at the moment...trying to juggle everything else, has taken the fun out of it over the past couple of weeks. Hopefully Athy and the eh, W200 will give me some inspiration.

Also, seem to be managing too many of the "you are heading out training AGAIN?" statements at the moment:rolleyes:

TriBar

When do you get to spend Brownie points. I seem to collect them but never redeem them!

You could cycle to Athy and back and still do the OLY for the crack! Then it would be a decent spin. :rolleyes:

Izoard

TriBar wrote: »

You could cycle to Athy and back and still do the OLY for the crack! Then it would be a decent spin. :rolleyes:

Only if I could wear the wetsuit on the bike...should be good practice for Zurich!

asimonov

Just looking at the swim / bike / run challenge there - savage numbers, well done. You'll surely smash your time from last year's triathy. Best of luck.

Izoard

asimonov wrote: »

Just looking at the swim / bike / run challenge there - savage numbers, well done. You'll surely smash your time from last year's triathy. Best of luck.

Cheers...the swim was very easy last year as it was in flood, so I'm not sure I'll be troubling last years time. Also if the run is the full 10km this time, no chance:)

Izoard

Had the epic cross country drive from Gorey as a warm up, but got there in loads of time.

Swim start was held up as 5 lads struggled to remove the scaffolding for the water.

As soon as a wet-suit clad Peter Kern entered the fray, things seemed to happen!

Swim:
Off in wave 2, and was at the front when the hooter went off. A foot in the face after 30 secs or so knocked the goggles off - standard tri fare really.
However about 3 mins in, I got a kick to the temple that had me seeing stars:(
I was all over the place for a couple of mins, before things started to come back to normal.
By the time I hit the turnaround, there were few around me, so I knew I was near the back. As an added bonus, my super-fly Aquasphere goggles are fog-magnets - I meant to bin them last year, but arrived in Tyrone with them and they weren't too bad (probably the cold up there...), so gave them another chance here - red card performance.

Finished the swim in a poor 31:54, nearly 3mins down on last year.
So much for setting a PB:mad:

Bike:
Lap 1 was great, but by lap 2 there were a lot of people on the course and there were a couple of nasty accidents. Drafting continues to be an issue, but not as bad as you might expect with the crowds.
Felt good on both laps and passed more than passed me - unusual circumstances in my position.
Time: 1:14:24 vs 1:19:21 from last year.
I wasn't aware I'd pulled back much time on the bike, so started the run in relaxed mode.

Run:
Stared to push a little after 2km, but was a bit "disappointed" to see that they had added the dog-leg to make up the 10km, which was going to rule out any chance of clawing back the PB time.
However, starting lap 2, a female competitor was starting her first lap and was travelling a little faster than I was comfortable with. Latched on for 2km and then realized that I might still have a shot to go sub 2:40.
Once we got to the "lego", I kicked on and held it to the finish.
Run 48:12 vs 46:56 last year (but this was a real 10km).

Overall finished in 2:39:54, vs 2:40:45 in '09.

Not exactly smashing the PB, but given it was a full 10km run and off the back of a terrible swim, I'll take it:)

Last event milestone before IM is the W200 next week. Weather looks to be good - bring it on!

catweazle

Nicely done Izoard, I hope you dealt out some retribution yourself after that kick to the head

griffin100

:eek:

Swim:
Off in wave 2, and was at the front when the hooter went off. A foot in the face after 30 secs or so knocked the goggles off - standard tri fare really.
However about 3 mins in, I got a kick to the temple that had me seeing stars
I was all over the place for a couple of mins, before things started to come back to normal.
By the time I hit the turnaround, there were few around me, so I knew I was near the back. As an added bonus, my super-fly Aquasphere goggles are fog-magnets - I meant to bin them last year, but arrived in Tyrone with them and they weren't too bad (probably the cold up there...), so gave them another chance here - red card performance.

Finished the swim in a poor 31:54, nearly 3mins down on last year.
So much for setting a PB

What was it about that swim....I got more kicks and punches than I ever have before in any open water swim. I almost broke a finger when I stroked into the back of someone walking (yes walking) about 50m after the turnwround point

shotgunmcos

Well done on the PB in Athy kiddo! Bin those goggles for sure, you don't want that sh!te for 3.8km now

I'm looking forward to/nervous about the W200 this weekend. First time for me doing a sportive and with a paltry 6 group rides and 2 100km rides done this year I'm anxious enough in groups. I have zero hill climbing sessions done also Still though pockets full of tea brack and a sunny day and I'll coast along happily for as long as it takes.

TriBar

Izoard wrote: »

As an added bonus, my super-fly Aquasphere goggles are fog-magnets - I meant to bin them last year, but arrived in Tyrone with them and they weren't too bad (probably the cold up there...), so gave them another chance here - red card performance.

Well done on PB in Athy. Hope you didn't think it was a wasted training day.

Had same constant problem with Fog until I came across two bits of advice.
1. Smear a drop of Wash-up liquid on inside of lens. Spread it around and leave for a couple of mins. Then using kitchen paper rub in hard into lens until all liquid dried up.
2. Put your goggles on before they get wet. Moisture+Heat=Fog.

Had a much more pleasant swim in Athy with goggles working. Try it out before you bin the old goggles or even on a new pair.

Good luck in the W200.

Izoard

TriBar wrote: »

Well done on PB in Athy. Hope you didn't think it was a wasted training day.

Had same constant problem with Fog until I came across two bits of advice.
1. Smear a drop of Wash-up liquid on inside of lens. Spread it around and leave for a couple of mins. Then using kitchen paper rub in hard into lens until all liquid dried up.
2. Put your goggles on before they get wet. Moisture+Heat=Fog.

Had a much more pleasant swim in Athy with goggles working. Try it out before you bin the old goggles or even on a new pair.

Good luck in the W200.

Cheers TriBar...how was your outing on the Sunday?

For your suggestion 1 above, do you eventually rinse the the washing-up liquid off, or just leave the residue there?

TriBar

Managed to knock 9mins off last year even with the upstream swim leg, wet bike and full 5k run cross leg/country. A definite PB-chuffed. A lot more training combined with shedding a few lbs of lard really does work. A few years since you've been able to achieve those improvement jumps! Brittas OLY is the season end litmus test of my progress.

On the Anti-Fog - Just leave the lens to dry and it forms a jelly like film. Don't wet it before you swim. It forms the best anti-fog treatment I've found. I've found rinsing the lens and repeating every 3-4 swims keeps swims fog free. Just don't let MrsI catch you or you'll have to do the dishes too!

Izoard

Great work on the PB, TriBar!

I'll get to work on the washing up liquid, out of sight of Mrs. I...:)

dare2be

Izoard wrote: »

Had the epic cross country drive from Gorey as a warm up, but got there in loads of time.

Swim start was held up as 5 lads struggled to remove the scaffolding for the water.

As soon as a wet-suit clad Peter Kern entered the fray, things seemed to happen!

Swim:
Off in wave 2, and was at the front when the hooter went off. A foot in the face after 30 secs or so knocked the goggles off - standard tri fare really.
However about 3 mins in, I got a kick to the temple that had me seeing stars:(
I was all over the place for a couple of mins, before things started to come back to normal.
By the time I hit the turnaround, there were few around me, so I knew I was near the back. As an added bonus, my super-fly Aquasphere goggles are fog-magnets - I meant to bin them last year, but arrived in Tyrone with them and they weren't too bad (probably the cold up there...), so gave them another chance here - red card performance.

Finished the swim in a poor 31:54, nearly 3mins down on last year.
So much for setting a PB:mad:

Bike:
Lap 1 was great, but by lap 2 there were a lot of people on the course and there were a couple of nasty accidents. Drafting continues to be an issue, but not as bad as you might expect with the crowds.
Felt good on both laps and passed more than passed me - unusual circumstances in my position.
Time: 1:14:24 vs 1:19:21 from last year.
I wasn't aware I'd pulled back much time on the bike, so started the run in relaxed mode.

Run:
Stared to push a little after 2km, but was a bit "disappointed" to see that they had added the dog-leg to make up the 10km, which was going to rule out any chance of clawing back the PB time.
However, starting lap 2, a female competitor was starting her first lap and was travelling a little faster than I was comfortable with. Latched on for 2km and then realized that I might still have a shot to go sub 2:40.
Once we got to the "lego", I kicked on and held it to the finish.
Run 48:12 vs 46:56 last year (but this was a real 10km).

Overall finished in 2:39:54, vs 2:40:45 in '09.

Not exactly smashing the PB, but given it was a full 10km run and off the back of a terrible swim, I'll take it:)

Last event milestone before IM is the W200 next week. Weather looks to be good - bring it on!

What type are they as i may have the same pair? Must try the trick below!!

asimonov

Izoard wrote: »

Great work on the PB, TriBar!

I'll get to work on the washing up liquid, out of sight of Mrs. I...:)

well done on the PB - good stuff. i'm pretty sure he meant Mrs. I was meant to do the goggles.

Izoard

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Well done on the PB in Athy kiddo! Bin those goggles for sure, you don't want that sh!te for 3.8km now

I'm looking forward to/nervous about the W200 this weekend. First time for me doing a sportive and with a paltry 6 group rides and 2 100km rides done this year I'm anxious enough in groups. I have zero hill climbing sessions done also Still though pockets full of tea brack and a sunny day and I'll coast along happily for as long as it takes.

It should be a good day out...200km is a bridge too far for me from an enjoyment perspective (120km is where the enjoyment generally ends...just in time for Sileve Maan:))

My first W200 was in 2002 on the day of Ireland v Spain at the World Cup.

Pretty much everyone bailed at 100 and settled in to watch the game, but I was determined to push on. It started to lash rain and it was a miserable final solo 100km.

When I'm struggling up Sileve Maan/SE, I'll think back to my first outing..:rolleyes:

Izoard

dare2be wrote: »

What type are they as i may have the same pair? QUOTE]

Aquasphere (Appalling) Vista's....

Macanri

Enjoy the W200 tomorrow.

Izoard

Macanri wrote: »

Enjoy the W200 tomorrow.

Cheers Mac...good day out.

Izoard

Got to the car park around 6:30am. Beautiful sky, so dressed lightly.

Heading up the Glencree valley a nice mist mixed with the sun - beautiful.

By the time we hit Sally Gap, it was biblical:rolleyes:

My "travel light" strategy resulted in no rain jacket - school boy error.

However, I had a pair of wolly socks that came up to the knee - looked lke a gimp, but they were a complete life saver as they kept the calves warm during the worst of it.

Anyways, the weather eased by Kilbride, and with the wind from the SW, it meant that it would be a struggle to Donard but would ease from there.

Luckily the triple-header of Aughavanna, Slieve Maan and Shay Elliot were all in glorious sunshine - result.

Thought we were done and dusted at that stage, but the climb out of Avoca to Redcross took forever - didn't even know it existed, so mentally I was faffing around a bit at that point.

Once past that, the road surface improved (Bottom of Slieve Maan for the Worst Road of the Year Award...?) and it was a nice spin home, although the last 15km were in increasingly wet and blustery conditions.

195km total on the Garmin, with ride time of 7h 45.

Not sure I'd fancy tackling a marathon straight after!

Least painful W200 - slightly easier course and a stone less in lard:D

That's it for the events prior to IM - it's all becoming a bit real now.

shotgunmcos

Twas biblical up there on the Sally Gap alright. I felt downright miserable and wanted to go home! Thank fully in cleared up. I felt sorry for anyone who was still out there after 4pm though :cool:

TriBar

Well done for completing a gruelling test. Sure, a marathon would be no problem after that! :eek:

Great prep for IM CH. Nearly there. Started tapering yet? That's my best discipline if you need tips.:P

DustyBin

Nice casual W200 for you Izoard
Sure you throw out these distances no bother

let me know if you fancy a training partner next time you're around Gorey - perhaps the final week or two of your taper would suit me fine distance wise

Enjoy your taper

Izoard

DustyBin wrote: »

Nice casual W200 for you Izoard
Sure you throw out these distances no bother

let me know if you fancy a training partner next time you're around Gorey - perhaps the final week or two of your taper would suit me fine distance wise

Enjoy your taper

With your sub 3:15 debut marathon, I'd be holding you back...:)

The family decamp to Ballymoney for the summer, but I won't see much of it before IM CH as there is a lot going on in Dublin + a family trip to Spain in mid July.

However, I've an Oly-distance in Brittas Bay on Sept 4th, so will be ticking things over on the roads around Gorey in August if you are around...

DustyBin

Cool, let me know when suits
Nice flat routes around Ballymoney, you wanna head the other side of Gorey for a bit of hill training

Izoard

Went to bed last night with a major twinge in my back, as a result of some over zealous garden activity.

Sitting/standing etc., all OK, just the change from one to the other is seriously painful.

Woke up at 6am this morning facing a 4-5 hour bike, still hobbling about.

Left the keys out, to let myself back in after 10mins, but a solid HTFU moment for me, delivered 118K in 4hr 10.
Included in that was a trip over the Wicklow Gap on the TT bike...a solid milestone, given that I am normally in the triple around there

I was flicking through Fink earlier and noticed the emphasis on the "bricks".

I've never done one and don't plan to start anytime soon, as the thought of one is a complete turn off.

I reverted back to my "swim/bike/run when you can, for as long as you can" strategy many months ago, as it is the only thing that will get me out the door.

It will be interesting to see if it is enough to get to the IM finish line, but for me, it is what makes the journey worthwhile...

shotgunmcos

Thats 2 good long bikes 2 weekends in a row dude. Are you practicing your race day nutrition on them? You are about a long run away from leading the challenge too in case you hadn't noticed :cool:

Izoard

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Thats 2 good long bikes 2 weekends in a row dude. Are you practicing your race day nutrition on them? You are about a long run away from leading the challenge too in case you hadn't noticed :cool:

I'm fairly settled on Nature Valley bars, bananas and Nuun electrolyte tabs in the water.
Normally, I have an iron stomach, but I had a spectacular systems failure at L'etape in 2006, so have a nagging nervousness in the background.

I see your taper madness has started already...:)

Izoard

Will be starting a forced taper from next week, as I'm on the road a lot for the next month between work and family holiday.

Will have comfortably hit the time commitments in Fink's Intermediate Plan, but the "quality" leaves a lot to be desired.

Swim:
Doing 3.5-4km per visit and while I'm not getting any faster, it is getting more comfortable. The objective is to exit the swim with as little energy used as possible and feel in good shape for that.
Having said that, 3.8km in the open water is a complete unknown and as for 2,000+ at the start line?:eek:
Target: 1hr 30
Confidence level: Medium

Bike:
Getting through one long-ish ride per week (plus the daily bike commute), but I'm peaking at around 4.5 hours, which is a bit less than where I need to be.
Having said that, the distance doesn't bother me unduly, but I'm a little worried about the clmbs on the tri bike.
Target: 6hr 45
Confidence Level: Medium

Run:
It's all about the run, right?
I'm not doing much on the running front..15-20km per outing, but I'm hoping that 2 marathons in the past 9 months will see me right.
However, this is where the mental strength needs to be at the fore...I've suffered in enough marathons over the years, but I'm sure this is a whole new world.
Target: 4hr 45
Confidence level: Who knows?:)

griffin100

Will have comfortably hit the time commitments in Fink's Intermediate Plan, but the "quality" leaves a lot to be desired.

Looking at your numbers which are way ahead of mine I'd say your well covered for the Fink intermediate plan and probably the competitive one.

I'd give you a few more minutes in the swim. If you're hitting sub 1.30 in the pool then you should easily hit under that on the day as long as you dont get knocked out in the washing machine at the start - I intend starting in a different time zone to the front runners on the day.

I wouldn't worry about the TT bike if you've gotten round Sally Gap. If you're really worried you could change out the rear cassette. I went from an 11/23 to an 11/25 just to give me that extra couple of teeth (it does make a difference). You could even go to a 27.

Looking forward to the 3 week taper myself.......2 more weeks until then.