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Run for your life.
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Friday:
Late start, 9.30pm when I got on the turbo, in front of the tv. Did a steady hour. Didnt go mad with pace or gearing, just stuck with 70-80 cadence at a level I felt was moderately hard. Sweat like a pig (not someone who does) so I mustve been doing something right. American Idol is sh!te this year tho.
Saturday:
6.5 miles, 54 mins, negative split by at least two mins. Felt like I was only really getting strong in the second half. Legs are tired now. Took a -retch- protein shake after the run, god they are hard to get down, you get very sick of them very quickly.0 -
Sunday:
Bike. Did 40 miles, an out and back. Was hilly on the way out, made me real slow, and god Im slow anyway. Took about 3 hours which yes, I know is terrible. Tried to run when I got back just to see what it felt like, and it was like having a coupla extra kilos tied to each ankle.. Not good! Yet another thing I didnt realise was gonna be so hard. But thats what the log is for.. So I can look back and see how much I sucked when I started. Ill get there, itll just hurt on the way.. 0 -
Did two hours of kayak training tonight. Instructor was great, very encouraging, but good god its hard. Looks dead easy, but for me it was like trying to control this boat that has a mind of its own. Steering was a nightmare. Couple that with the fact im out with two others who are elite athletes who take to it like they were born doin it, and it becomes a very demoralising affair. Its a great thing to learn, but it did make me swear when the kayak spun in a circle for the tenth time.. Am aching and blistered, but will be back for more! 0
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Monday I was pooped so I did nothing and went to bed early.
Tuesday:
Off kayaking again. Such a difference from last time, bigger, longer sea kayaks which were easier to steer made it a lot more enjoyable. Found it mostly no bother, even if my paddling is still a bit uneven and I tended to zig zag. Didnt even end up with a blister. Stayed out till after dark, which was really nice, the water was like glass and it was so peaceful and quiet. I could really get to like kayaking and will probably try and do a bit after war.0 -
Wednesday:
4.35mile run, 37mins. Horrible. Felt sick with tummy grumbles most of the way. Second time in a row, which is curious. Must be just fatigue or something.
Thursday:
Ran out of time so a short brick session was all I could manage. 5 mins turbo, 2 min run (including vaulting a gate.:)) x4 plus a few mins warm down on bike.0 -
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Friday:
Rest day, spent a good while in the evening using a foam roller on my legs, which were sore. Noticably better today.
Saturday:
Short run, tummy still iffy, but hey, the weather was soooo nice I really enjoyed the run. Out in shorts and a shirt and I wasnt cold, now thats a novelty. Hope WAR is as nice a day, would reduce the amount of kit I have to carry if nothing else!!
Winding down now. Plan a bike/run tomorrow, but not too far, and then a few easy training days till Thursday. Thurs and Friday will both be rest days when Ill just take time to stretch muscles and stuff. And pack, unpack, repack, change my mind, unpack, and pack my kit again.
Oh, and learn to change a tube on my bike, ha! 0 -
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Ha - I like your easy to remember instructions on how to ride a bike 'rubber bits down, metal bits up'
Massive weekend for you with WAR & Great Ireland Run (are you still doing this?)
Best of luck with both, I hope you've booked Monday off, cos you'll be in a fair jocker after them two I'd say.
Hard as nails you are, good luck0 -
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Well, I kept it upright.
'Adventure' race made this event sound fun, harmless even, like something the famous five would do.. Dont let em kid ya... I thought I was fit, I thought I was tough, but this was beyond what I ever expected. When it comes to mountain running, I am hopeless. War began with a run up the spink, except I hadnt a hope of running up it. I plodded and puffed my way up the 600 or so steps thinking 'oh god, this is just the start...' Running with a rucksack added a bit of extra weight Im not used to as well. The railway sleepers were neverending and the descent was an uncontrolled freefall. So thats what they mean by technical. I thought I was last at that stage, or lost, not another competitor in sight. Spink took 70 mins.
The first cycle was ok, not fast, and I cramped on the only hill, I had to walk, I thought it was steep. Little did I know. The downhill to the kayak was grand.
I teamed up with a lovely chap called Owen for the kayak. Poor Owen was hoping for some big strong guy to partner him, and he got me. Thems the breaks. We did it in 25 mins, and it gave me and my legs a break (I like kayaking and it was the only thing that just worked the arms).
Back on the bike, and uphill straightaway, but I stayed on, pumped it out till it levelled. Plain sailing till the 10% hill, which killed me. Legs were in bits, walked for a good bit of that. One of the times I was on the bike banging it out, half dying, a car pulled up alongside and asked what the event was. Do I look like I can chat?? Did answer, but wtf were they thinking.
And then the Djouce run. It cant be worse than the spink, I thought.. A good easy downhill run on a dirt road lulled you into thinking this was easy. But WAR is never easy. Off the road and through a moor to the biggest freaking mountain around. I thought nah... they wouldnt... then I saw the dots of other competitors at the top, miles away. Oh sh!t, they would. That climb was the worst. Uphill lung breaking agony. You just look at the ground and keep going. I did pass a few fellow sufferers though. Once I got to the top, and started running on the sleepers, I found my happy place and passed a good few. Took 75 mins to do that bugger.
The final cycle started hilly, but ok, then my legs cramped in earnest. Made me nearly fall off more than once. A gel and a lot of water eventually fixed it to a degree. Thank you to the marshall who gave me a push in the back and the dibbing point, so my legs wouldnt seize again. Some of the downhills coming back were legend though. I stopped traffic, literally, coming back into Glendalough, when confusion and cramp stranded me in the middle of the road. I was never as glad to see a finish line in my life. Finished in 5h 49m, as one of the backmarkers. But I finished. I didnt fall off.
Some observations, having now done WAR:
Wicklow is exceptionally, staggeringly beautiful, but thats hard to appreciate when you are in pain and struggling.
Gels really do stop cramp.
Mountain runners are some of the toughest dudes around. Respect.
I am not a cyclist. Yet. 0 -
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Nice report Oryx. We'll have to get you out on the hills more - it'll stand to you. You got through it - thats the important thing. If its any consolation - I wasn't taking part but I tried to run up the Spink to get ahead of the start to take some photos and I only managed to run a very small bit of it. Sometimes walking can be more efficient on the ups. Agree with you about Djouce. Its a dozzie. One of the Leinster League imra races is Djouce uphill only from Crone wood
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Turns out I came in with over a hundred behind me. Not last. Most would sniff at that but Im ecstatic.
Just did an easy swim yesterday, nothing yet today. I have never in my life had doms this bad.. Not even after the marathon. But thankfully its beginning to ease.0 -
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