Bliain Faoi Thrí

ronanmac

A beautiful morning to go running and loads of people out walking before 7am... a sign of spring!

No real purpose to the run other than get some miles back under the belt. I was taken aback last night when I noticed that the Connemara half is on the 10th of April :eek:. For some reason, I thought it was at the latter end of April and thought I had "loads" of time to get a few long runs under the belt. Oh oh! The 16th of February was my last longish run, and that was 10 miles.

Went to the chiropractor again today, he reckoned the hip flexor wouldn't be 100% by Connemara, but that I wouldn't do much damage by running it. Running seems to be ok, it's the cycling and swimming that's aggravating it.

I'm beginning to feel like my posts are moan-fests these days, but it's not all bad! The mornings are bright earlier, the cold is going out of the air and my back and hip are getting better by the day (find a happy place, find a happy place :D:D)

Route: Home to Trá an Dóilín, céibh an Dóilín, Caorán Beag, Tismeáin and home.
Distance: 6.4 miles
Time: 47:12
Average Pace: 7:22
Average/Max HR: 159/172
Perceived Exertion (out of 10): 6
Personal Satisfaction: 7 (hip flexor less restrictive)
Weather: Gorgeous morning

pgibbo

You have loads of time on your hands as Galway 70.3 is well off in the horizon. As someone said to me earlier today - relax & recover! :cool:

ronanmac

pgibbo wrote: »

You have loads of time on your hands as Galway 70.3 is well off in the horizon. As someone said to me earlier today - relax & recover! :cool:

Cheers, pgibbo, I know you're right, but sometimes it's difficult to see things for what they are! The Connemara half was never a high priority race anyway, and Galway is definitely the focus for the year. My 20 week plan for that starts on April 18, so I should be grand for that.

By the way, how did the GTC nutrition seminars go? I was really looking forward to it as I heard that yer man had a more natural slant to endurance nutrition than scoops of powder :rolleyes:... a funeral meant I couldn't go to either session though.

pgibbo

ronanmac wrote: »

By the way, how did the GTC nutrition seminars go? I was really looking forward to it as I heard that yer man had a more natural slant to endurance nutrition than scoops of powder :rolleyes:... a funeral meant I couldn't go to either session though.

I thought it was an excellent set of talks. Made me realise a couple of things. I think the talks were very successful and it sounds like he'll be returning in the near future to give them again. Keep an eye to the GTC site for them.

pgmcpq

ronanmac wrote: »

..... much damage by running it. Running seems to be ok, it's the cycling and swimming that's aggravating it.

... "much damage" ? Hummmm.

Connemara is not an "A" race for you IIRC ? With a few interconnected issues you might be as well to back off. You've got a fair amount of quality work in the bag already - that's not going to evaporate overnight. Take care.

ronanmac

pgmcpq wrote: »

... "much damage" ? Hummmm.

Connemara is not an "A" race for you IIRC ? With a few interconnected issues you might be as well to back off. You've got a fair amount of quality work in the bag already - that's not going to evaporate overnight. Take care.

70 euro man! 70 euro for a half marathon, I'm running it if it kills me!!!

pgibbo

ronanmac wrote: »

70 euro man! 70 euro for a half marathon, I'm running it if it kills me!!!

LOL...Is it not possible to defer to next year?

Not wishing any bad luck or anything, but that 70 might seem like small change if you get carried away on the day and require more physio / chiro visits! Your competitive streak will make it hard for you to hold back

ronanmac

pgibbo wrote: »

LOL...Is it not possible to defer to next year?

Not wishing any bad luck or anything, but that 70 might seem like small change if you get carried away on the day and require more physio / chiro visits! Your competitive streak will make it hard for you to hold back

Too late for deferral. If I'm not feeling up to it, I won't do it. I'm 100% confident, however, of my miraculous "night before the race recoveries", as Catweazle can attest to.
I can see it already, limping into race pickup, taking the lift as the stairs are too sore, crying as I forlornly put my race number on my singlet the night before in a feat of naive optimism... then waking the next morning to a inexplicable but incredible recovery and shaving an amazing 17 minutes of my HM PB, bounding over the Hell of the West and high-fiving sheep all the way into Maam Cross... it's going to be a good day.

pgmcpq

ronanmac wrote: »

Too late for deferral. If I'm not feeling up to it, I won't do it. I'm 100% confident, however, of my miraculous "night before the race recoveries", as Catweazle can attest to.
I can see it already, limping into race pickup, taking the lift as the stairs are too sore, crying as I forlornly put my race number on my singlet the night before in a feat of naive optimism... then waking the next morning to a inexplicable but incredible recovery and shaving an amazing 17 minutes of my HM PB, bounding over the Hell of the West and high-fiving sheep all the way into Maam Cross... it's going to be a good day.

Hold on I got Speilberg on the line ....:D

catweazle

Ha Ha I was looking at my watch alright - the moaning has started earlier than usual. God knows what you will be like for the 70.3 in September

You are right to be careful with the Pull Bouy......I love the pull bouy, found it very hard to wean myself off it this year. I still see the odd pull bouy set in Interested plans and it feels like my birthday to be packing it in the bag.

On another note I am hoping to do your Tour de Connemara, have you made a decision on what time your 160k route will go off at. I assume there will be a stop halfway, 90k in the saddle is as long as I have gone so far so my ass will need the break

ronanmac

catweazle wrote: »

the moaning has started earlier than usual.
my ass will need the break

WARNING:
This is what happens when you strip quotes of context

I'll get you the details on the Tour and will PM you when I have them.

Macanri

ronanmac wrote: »

Sunday


The run was a strange one though, as after about three miles, I started feeling cold and a bit weak. I stopped for a few minutes, and then took the straight road home rather than the few other boithrini I had in mind to stretch out the run. A strange one, but it's happened before and passed without incident.



Yesterday
More pull-buoy swimming. Using the legs again after this injury has cleared up is going to be quite a shock!
Done: 2000m with pull-buoy

On the feeling weak and cold on that run - when did you last eat before heading out on the run? I find I can feel cold (and sometimes weak) if I have eat say at lunchtime (~13:00), then don't eat anything after that and then do a run in the evening at around 8pm.

On the swimming with the pull bouy I understand where you are coming from but you are probably building great strength into you upper body and improving your catch and pull. When you later add legs to that you could be flying!

All the best, and get well soon.

ronanmac

After a month of little training due to injury, March has been rounded off with some sort of virus . On the plus side, I guess this gives me the opportunity to recover fully from injury!

Macanri wrote: »

On the feeling weak and cold on that run - when did you last eat before heading out on the run? I find I can feel cold (and sometimes weak) if I have eat say at lunchtime (~13:00), then don't eat anything after that and then do a run in the evening at around 8pm.

On the swimming with the pull bouy I understand where you are coming from but you are probably building great strength into you upper body and improving your catch and pull. When you later add legs to that you could be flying!

All the best, and get well soon.

Hi Macanri, sorry for the delayed reply. I had plenty eaten, it might have been the virus laying low until then? I'm really not sure. As for the swimming, I'm just glad you put the "could" in italics!

ronanmac

With the throat and general physical condition getting worse rather than better, I went to the doctor today, who prescribed antibiotics for a strep throat infection. So with my HIM training plan to start on the week of April 17, it's time for a bit of reassessment.

CORE:
Any recent injury has come for core weakness, I reckon, and so the only thing to do about it is some core strengthening exercises. I have weights out in the garage, but seeing as I'm pretty late coming home from work most evenings, I don't want to be heading out into the shed, so I'm looking to find a decent training plan that involves a stability ball so that my wife and kids can have a decent laugh and diversion if whatever is on the telly isn't particularily entertaining them!

NUTRITION:
Anytime I lose sight of healthy eating, my immune system suffers and I get ill. I'm usually pretty good with food, but have definitely not been recently. I know what affects me (wheat, dairy, deep-fried) so I intend on staying away from them until the HIM is over. The only exceptions will be an occasional pasta dish when I'm eating out (brown rice pasta at home) and a very occasional beer. The rule is, I guess, if I think it's bad for me, it probably is!

TRAINING:
Training this year hasn't been particularily consistent and my running is way down, mile-wise, but at the same time, I would imagine that my training volume is up on previous years, what with the inclusion of the swimming and cycling. Things that get in the way are getting to the pool (excuse to disappear when I get going on open water swimming), injury (see Core), work (just have to work around it on occasion), family (family is very understanding and flexible) and discipline. The discipline problem will be fixed by following a fixed training plan.

TRAINING PLAN:
I've attached a PDF of the first month of the HIM training plan for Galway. It's from Matt Fitzgerald's training plan book (level 4). I wouldn't mind a few opinions.

Looking forward to getting back training soon (and yes, I'm beginning to accept that the Connemarathon half is a no-no at this stage ).

pgibbo

Hope you get back training sooner rather than later.

With regard OW, I don't think that's going to solve your issues. In reality I think you'll need to go to the pool at least twice a week and then do 1 OW swim to give you 3 swims a week. I could be wrong there but I think the pool work will still be needed.

As for the plan - it boils down to 3 swims, 3 runs and 3 bikes a week. It looks decent enough but then again it depends what your goals are and your time availability. Add in time for core work, stretching and foam rolling and you'll easily be up to 12 plus hours a week I'd say. Did you pull the plan from the book?

Swim - Get feedback on your upcoming group sesison and adapt accordingly. 3 swims a week will be needed to get some consistancey and love for the water.
Bike - How are you going to gauge intensity? Might be worth doing a 30 minute TT to determine HR zones and use them for training. Your clubmate could provide more help here than most people on here.
Run - Why not adapt it so your runs are more FIRST based as you know that works for you?

My 2c

ronanmac

Cheers for the reply, pgibbo...

pgibbo wrote: »

With regard OW, I don't think that's going to solve your issues. In reality I think you'll need to go to the pool at least twice a week and then do 1 OW swim to give you 3 swims a week. I could be wrong there but I think the pool work will still be needed.

Doh! Had hoped to finish up with the drive in and out to Galway come slightly warmer water. Even invested in a new wetsuit to inspire me!

pgibbo wrote: »

As for the plan - it boils down to 3 swims, 3 runs and 3 bikes a week. It looks decent enough but then again it depends what your goals are and your time availability. Add in time for core work, stretching and foam rolling and you'll easily be up to 12 plus hours a week I'd say. Did you pull the plan from the book?

Yeah, pulled it from the book. The reason I wrote it out was because it's all in pretty indecipherable code otherwise.

pgibbo wrote: »

Bike - How are you going to gauge intensity? Might be worth doing a 30 minute TT to determine HR zones and use them for training. Your clubmate could provide more help here than most people on here.

I reckoned alright that I couldn't really rely on gauging intensity and had planned to convert the intensity guides to HR zones, and find out what my HR zones are first.

pgibbo wrote: »

Run - Why not adapt it so your runs are more FIRST based as you know that works for you?

I had thought about this, as FIRST definitely works for me, but was afraid that it would be too intense in a triathlon programme. I'll have a look at it again. Perhaps the way to handle it would be to train not at paces based on a standalone half-marathon time, but at a HIM half marathon time? So I wonder what's an expected HIM half marathon time off a regular 1:30 half?!

pgibbo

I was in a similar situation to you when I did Kenmare. It was my first season in triathlon and I couldn't swim for peanuts - some things never change!

Anyway, I used FIRST for my run sessions. Thing is though, in general I only managed 2 of the 3 weekly runs. I tended to skip the long run and as a result my quads were shot to bits with a mile or so to go. I think 10 miles was the longest I ran and that was a once off. I used my 5k and 10k times from a SD and OLY event to gauge my HM time using the paces in FIRST. Something similar might work for you. I'd suck it and see if I were you. You'll know in a few weeks if it's too intensive or not. You could use your 5k time from Loughrea last season to gauge your paces or alternatively add 5 minutes of so to your HM time.

catweazle

pgibbo wrote: »

You could use your 5k time from Loughrea last season to gauge your paces or alternatively add 5 minutes or so to your HM time.

That 5k time in Loughrea was a pathetic effort from Ronan, I nearly beat it myself....only for the cramps, stone in the shoe, severe doms etc etc;)

Although I remember some hint of a mysterious injury that day....was it ribs?

ronanmac

catweazle wrote: »

That 5k time in Loughrea was a pathetic effort from Ronan, I nearly beat it myself....only for the cramps, stone in the shoe, severe doms etc etc;)

Although I remember some hint of a mysterious injury that day....was it ribs?

Torn adductor, actually! I guess that that's what happens when you attempt to swim 750m for the first time in your life!

Good idea on using a triathlon 5k time, pgibbo. Might look at some of the duathlon times before I get a proper benchmark sprint distance 5k time (looking like Tri-Burgh as am away for the Spiddal tri).

catweazle

ronanmac wrote: »

(looking like Tri-Burgh as am away for the Spiddal tri).

Abhainn did that one last year, he was complimentary enough on it

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=66306092&postcount=163

ronanmac

catweazle wrote: »

Abhainn did that one last year, he was complimentary enough on it

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=66306092&postcount=163

They have a sprint distance this year, I'll hold off Olympic 'til a bit later. Hope they get the GPS fixed this year!

ronanmac

And the training lull continues...

Today is the last day of the antibiotics, and the first day that I don't feel totally zonked. Friday saw a club swim coach session, and between not feeling great and not having swum for a while, I felt wrecked after it (I actually felt like someone had taken a hurley to me the following day!). It was an interesting session, pretty much all of it was kicking-only drills, my favourite :rolleyes:

All the kicking didn't help the hip flexor, which is still refusing to heal. I hadn't had any treatment for a while due to illness but had hoped it would clear up while I wasn't doing anything. Anyway, had a session with the chiropractor yesterday, will try a light run later.
I think I can officially rule out the Connemara half at this stage!

Done:
800m

ronanmac

I went out for a run this morning, with no purpose other than to get running again. A bit difficult to get used to the notion of getting out the door in the mornings again! I could feel the hip flexor at the start, but encouragingly, it felt fine as the run went on. Looking forward to physio tomorrow to see how things are going.

Route: Home to Trá an Dóilín, céibh an Dóilín, an Rinn and back
Distance: 4.15 miles
Time: 34:02
Average Pace: 8:12
Perceived Exertion (out of 10): 5
Personal Satisfaction: 8 (head was about to explode from no training, feel better now )
Weather: Windy but dry

ronanmac

YESTERDAY
First ever core workout! Using a stability ball, it almost killed me!

TODAY
Another recovery run (injury recovery as opposed to post-tough workout recovery ).
I went to the chiro yesterday, groin definitely feeling better. Later in the day, I was testing a new tri bike and could feel the strain again, so it looks like it's being aggravated by the bike. Will try the road bike later today and see if it just gets aggravated by being low down on the aerobars.

This morning was such a beautiful morning to run, mist shrouding hills, dead calm sea, fantastic! A hilly route but took it nice and handy. A bit more tenderness in the hip flexor than after the last run but it's getting there eventually!

Route: Home to Trá an Dóilín, céibh an Dóilín, around Cuileán and back
Distance: 5.45 miles
Time: 42:49
Average Pace: 7:51
Average/Max HR: 159/176
Perceived Exertion (out of 10): 5
Personal Satisfaction: 7 (nice run, still a bit tender in injury, lungs definitely need reopening!)
Weather: A perfect morning, still and cool.

ronanmac

I picked up the new bike yesterday, and after throwing on the Garmin cadence sensor etc., I couldn't resist bringing her out for a spin. I gave a cousin of mine a shout and asked him if wanted to head out, nothing too long or strenuous, just a gentle meander!
I didn't expect that much of a difference between a tri bike and my road bike equipped with aerobars, but wow! Straight-line speed is fantastic, and being on the bars is much more comfortable than on the other bike.
I didn't do much, from a workout point of view, just a few runs to test her out but it's a huge difference, a bigger difference than I expected. Like every sucker in this game, I'd love to stick on a nice set of wheels but an occasionally borrowed set will be as far as I'll go for a while!
The other nice thing about all of this was reclaiming the other bike as a road bike... removing clip-on aerobars, turning the seat post around, lifting the headset with two spacers... ah, comfort again!

Route: Camas, Muiceanach
Distance: 16.27 miles (26.2km)
Average Speed: 13.6mph (21.9kph)
Average/Max HR: 127/189
Average Cadence: 74
Perceived Exertion (out of 10): 3 (and an occasional 7!)
Personal Satisfaction: 9 (satisfaction rating for the bike! Felt the injury a bit but didn't get worse, which is mighty!)
Weather: A beautiful evening of no wind and gentle warmth.

catweazle

Is this the Felt you mentioned to me the last day - between yourself and Pgibbos new wheels its a lonely life foraging along on my Giant.

I may buy that wetsuit today out of sheer depression

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

I could not believe the difference either. What did you go for in the end?

ronanmac

catweazle wrote: »

Is this the Felt you mentioned to me the last day - between yourself and Pgibbos new wheels its a lonely life foraging along on my Giant.

Selah Early Seller wrote: »

I could not believe the difference either. What did you go for in the end?

Went for the Felt B16 (because the green trim goes nicely with the club gear ). Really nice bike, a big difference, as you said Selah Early Seller.
Pgibbo, what kind of wheels did you go for? A financial bridge too far for me at the moment, although I'm coveting carbon in every magazine I pick up. Cycling the bike would be a start, though!

Had a nice day today with the two young lads, brought them past Maam Cross to cheer on the Connemarathon runners. Saw a rake of people I knew, some from the club, some who I knew and didn't realise they ran!, and a good few from boards... Micilín Muc, Yop, menoscemo (who was looking remarkably fresh for someone coming to the end of an ultra!), and a few boards ac singlets I didn't recognise.

My own training is just driving me daft, however. I went to mow the lawn yesterday morning, and had to stop after 10 minutes after being hit by a dizzy spell. I still felt very light-headed today and the plan to cycle out onto the Connemarathon course had to be abandoned. I'll have to go to the bloody doctor again, I'm beginning to think I'm a hypochondriac. The only thing I do know is that the symptoms aren't from overtraining!

pgibbo

Well wear on the Felt. It's a lovely bike. Best of luck with it.

I went for this but without the Zipps. I just got the TTR3 wheels as I don't have the money for a good set of wheels. Looking forward to picking it up but putting it off as I still have an injury that's preventing me from cycling! :mad:

ronanmac

pgibbo wrote: »

Well wear on the Felt. It's a lovely bike. Best of luck with it.

I went for this but without the Zipps. I just got the TTR3 wheels as I don't have the money for a good set of wheels. Looking forward to picking it up but putting it off as I still have an injury that's preventing me from cycling! :mad:

Nice bike, pgibbo, some fork! I hope you'll do those World Champion stripes credit! Pity the wheels don't come with alright, sets it off nicely.