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Bliain Faoi Thrí

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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    pgibbo wrote: »
    LOL...Thx, I'll take that as a compliment. My sister in law ran with my chip as I wasn't sure I'd make it as I was working. Her first ever race off little or no training. I was well impressed with her sub 39 finish.

    Have you decided what you're doing about pacing the bike on the HIM? After your result at the weekend I'd be inclined to say if it's not broken don't fix it! :cool:

    Yeah, I reckon I'm going with RPE and cadence, while keeping an eye on HR. RPE is my best bet at this stage though, it worked on Saturday. Big difference between a 40k to 10k and a 90k to 21k, as you know, but a case of taking it handier on the bike and hanging on for dear life on the run :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    A cycle this morning, cut short by the fact that it was 6:20 by the time I got out the door. 30 minute threshold (or what I imagine threshold to be :o) in the middle. The light is beginning to get a bit more scarce in the morning, I'm noticing...

    Route: Cor na Ron and back
    Distance: 36.68km
    Time: 1:11:05
    Ave/Max Speed: 31 kph/ 51.2kph
    Ave/Max HR: 150/168
    Ave Cadence: 85 (have to keep an eye on this, surprised to see it so low again)
    Weather: A beautiful, calm morning!


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,117 ✭✭✭El Director


    Well done Ronán on Saturday, terrific result. I sensed the nerves while chatting to you before hand but you handled it well. I would bet that you are a better swimmer than you give yourself credit for. You are just not confident and believe me there is only one thing for that, getting into the pool at least 3 times per week following a programme or instruction from a coach.

    Nothing wrong with that bike and run split however :o Glad the dropped chain tip helped you out!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    I would bet that you are a better swimmer than you give yourself credit for.

    Thanks El D, but I don't think the stats back this one up!

    Yesterday

    AM
    I couldn’t find the Furman book when I got up, so I had no clue what sort of interval session was prescribed. I decided I’d make up an interval session but the mental torture of that (plus the fact that the football pitch would be drenched wet) made me change my mind and I headed out for a five mile tempo run instead. It was lashing rain, along with a strong wind, and while the first half was run at a decent wind-assisted pace, the journey home into the weather was slowwww torrrrturrre.

    Route: Cladhnach and back
    Time: 36:09
    Distance: 8.05km
    Ave Pace: 4:29
    Ave/Max HR: 161/187
    Weather: Buckets of rain, buckets of tears…

    PM
    I f*ckin’ hate swimming :mad:. Some days are better than others, but yesterday was one of those sh*t sessions where being sh*t at swimming results in me wanting a world of only duathlons. The proper reaction would be to focus on getting better but all I want to do is run away from it (at least running away from the problem would be faster than swimming away from it ;)). The warm up was an effort, the moderate stuff was an effort, the threshold stuff was just a splashfest mess.
    I headed into town from work for the session and, mercifully, I had to get out of the pool with the session incomplete as I had to be back in the office by 5:30.

    Done:
    300m warm up
    8 x 25m drills
    8 x 100m moderate intensity
    4 x 100m threshold
    … remaining 800m's abandoned
    Total: 1700m


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    Wet miserable day but the wind has died down.

    Route: Work to past Maam Cross and back
    Distance: 60.32km
    Time: 2:00:12
    Ave/Max Speed: 30.1 kph/ 49kph
    Ave/Max HR: 142/159
    Ave Cadence: 87
    Weather: Wet, a mixture of weak and strong breezes, and very muggy anytime it dried up.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭pgibbo


    Don't be so disheartened about your swimming. I was having similar issues and was struggling through sessions in the pool. I was told by a few people that as your training load increases and you fatigue, your swim is the first top suffer and your technique can fall apart. Stick with it!


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭pgibbo


    I didn't realise your club had celebrity members. I spotted Sile Seoige on the SoG results and she's affiliate to your club.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    pgibbo wrote: »
    I didn't realise your club had celebrity members. I spotted Sile Seoige on the SoG results and she's affiliate to your club.

    A different Síle Seoige! All our celebrities are still in the employment of TG4 ;).


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    AM
    What the yanks call "recovery protocol" (aka sleep) was badly lacking last night. The eldest of the young lads woke at 3 and proceeded to come up with novel excuses to get up every time he was put back to bed, each more elaborate than the previous, and each time just as I was about to fall back to sleep.
    3:15am: "I need to go to the toilet." Fair enough.
    3:25am: "Will you check that the monitor is working." Will do (it's actually not been working for six months but he doesn't know that :o).
    3:40am: "I want to put on my pyjama trousers." Grrr...
    3:50am: "Put on the little light." After two years of not liking the orange light on the thermostat, he decides last night that he can't live without it.
    4:00am: "Scratch my back". Scratch my back?! I know he's only three but he's lucky that it was his mother that went to him when he requested that one!

    Anyway, at 5:30, he comes into the room declaring that it's bright. Fifteen minutes later, the alarm goes for the morning tempo run.

    3 x 2km tempo @ 3:48 pace with warm up and cool down, high heart rate right through...
    Route: Cladhnach and back
    Time: 42:22
    Distance: 9.25km
    Ave/Tempo Pace: 4:34 / 3:47, 3:49, 4:04
    Ave/Max HR: 172/237
    Weather: Drizzle to dry, warm.

    PM
    No chance of getting into the pool today, so went to the beach at lunch time. I haven't swum in rollers like that before, myself and my work colleague/club mate gave up eventually as it was a bit frickin' dangerous. That's two curtailed swim sessions this week. Wussiness!
    Done: 810m at Trá na Minna


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    A long spin today on the bike with one of the clubmates. We started in Spiddal and got onto the 70.3 course in Barna. It's a long way to Maam Cross against that wind...
    An awful lot of cyclists out on the course today, plenty down on the aerobars and plenty with aero helmets as well, presumably doing dry runs!


    Route: An Spidéal to Barna, a bit past Maam Cross and back
    Distance: 110.5km
    Time: 3:50:59
    Ave/Max Speed: 28.7kph/ 56.7kph
    Ave/Max HR: 143/167
    Ave Cadence: 77
    Weather: Windy (south-westerly) with some showers.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    If I’m to abandon one of the long swim or run workouts, it’s always the swim that’ll get the bullet, so I decided to get the water over and done with first on Sunday, instead of the run, as I can't afford to keep missing swim sessions. It was down as a 3000m swim, and I couldn’t bear the notion of going to the pool for a swim of that length. The tide and the weather conspired against a sea swim, so I headed down to the lake instead.
    My normal swim route at the lake is across and back, and it’s about 300 metres wide. I decided instead to swim the circumference of the lake three times and see where it would get me. The conditions were generally grand, except for the east side of the lake, where there were some waves built up from the westerly wind. Otherwise, the only obstructions were some weeds and rocks in the shallow bit, and no sign of the two swans and otter that sometimes hang out in Loch Chaladh Thadhg.
    Distance done was 3340m according to the Garmin, which is way past anything I’ve ever swum/swam/swimmed before, 1900m being done in 41 minutes according to Garmin, and which is about right judging by how I’ve been going of late.

    Done: 3340m in Loch Chaladh Thadhg

    I felt surprisingly fresh after the swim, and was delighted with myself, until about an hour later when I started feeling light-headed and had an annoying headache. I was in no mood for a LSR, so I had dinner and then headed down to Brendan to wish him good luck on his cross-country cycle trek (this is a man who I can’t remember cycling since primary school, and who bought a bike only two weeks ago!).
    Anyway, I was feeling better when I got home, and headed out for the run. I felt fresh enough starting out, and although the pace dropped a good bit over the last few miles, I’ve definitely had worse runs.

    Route: Eanach Mheáin bridge and back
    Time: 1:57:32
    Distance: 24.14km
    Ave Pace: 4:52
    Ave/Max HR: 150/179
    Weather: Warm with one heavy shower

    That has definitely been my biggest two days of training ever, my longest cycle and my longest swim. I don’t know how you Ironman folks do it! In other news, after two restful nights, the 3 year old decided last night to start waking up again in the middle of the night, but I can hardly blame him, the moon was so bright it was like daytime. He went back to sleep after a toilet visit at 4am, but for the life of me, I coulnd’t nod off. Today, I am zombified!


  • Registered Users Posts: 555 ✭✭✭backspacer


    Thats a crazy amount of training for a couple of days, i figured yesterday that i ran 28km this week, yet you nearly did that in one run, completely off the wall man.

    I take my hat off to you, an Ironman is something i'd never contemplate, more power to you.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    backspacer wrote: »
    Thats a crazy amount of training for a couple of days, i figured yesterday that i ran 28km this week, yet you nearly did that in one run, completely off the wall man.

    I take my hat off to you, an Ironman is something i'd never contemplate, more power to you.

    It's all relative, backspacer! Plenty of people on boards would have cause to laugh at my idea of that being a big weekend's training:o

    And as for contemplating an Ironman, I wouldn't either !:D


  • Registered Users Posts: 555 ✭✭✭backspacer


    ronanmac wrote: »
    It's all relative, backspacer! Plenty of people on boards would have cause to laugh at my idea of that being a big weekend's training:o

    And as for contemplating an Ironman, I wouldn't either !:D

    LOL a great piece of advice. Never a good sign when the man training for it tells you to avoid it. But then again, it takes a special breed of crazy to consider doing something like that (so you fit in nicely:D )

    As for it all been relative, its frightening to me if no one else :o


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    backspacer wrote: »
    LOL a great piece of advice. Never a good sign when the man training for it tells you to avoid it. But then again, it takes a special breed of crazy to consider doing something like that (so you fit in nicely:D )

    As for it all been relative, its frightening to me if no one else :o

    Just to be VERY clear, what I'm training for is a HALF Ironman (these things can be the cause of a surprising amount of tetchiness so it's best to be clear ;)).
    As for yourself, backspacer, the gains you've made in recent weeks are not to be sneezed at. It's not too long ago, as I recall, that a seven mile run would be an impossibility! I'll see on October 1 for the half marathon!


  • Registered Users Posts: 555 ✭✭✭backspacer


    Half or Full, its an achievement in itself.

    As for the 1st October, that will sneak up a lot too quick on me i imagine, but hopefully i'll be well sorted for it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,724 ✭✭✭kennyb3


    ronanmac wrote: »

    Route: An Spidéal to Barna, a bit past Maam Cross and back
    Distance: 110.5km
    Time: 3:50:59
    Ave/Max Speed: 28.7kph/ 56.7kph
    Ave/Max HR: 143/167
    Ave Cadence: 77
    Weather: Windy (south-westerly) with some showers.

    How did your quads feel after that? Thats a remarkably low cadence. Your cadence seems to go up or down with your speed which suggests your not making much use of your gears. I'd expect to see a higher than normal cadence on a windier day as you spin it out but it seems you ground it out into the wind. Just something to watch out for if its windy for the half, as doing a half marathon on trashed quads wont be fun!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    kennyb3 wrote: »
    How did your quads feel after that? Thats a remarkably low cadence. Your cadence seems to go up or down with your speed which suggests your not making much use of your gears. I'd expect to see a higher than normal cadence on a windier day as you spin it out but it seems you ground it out into the wind. Just something to watch out for if its windy for the half, as doing a half marathon on trashed quads wont be fun!

    Didn't really notice how low the cadence was until you pointed it out, kennyb3. Quads weren't too bad, the rest of me was a bit shagged though. I think the cadence is lower than what it should have been due to freewheeling down Barna hill and Furbo hill on the way home :o.
    Looking back at Garmin Connect, though, the average did seem pretty low right through. About 82 for the first half. The average for the last 20k was 68! It's something that I keep saying that I need to keep an eye on. It's time to start keeping an eye on it... Cheers for pointing it out.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭pgibbo


    Are there any studies to show that higher cadence leads to more efficient running? If you're finding you;re own natural cadence and are happy running off the bike with it then why change it?

    I see from this old study that it seems to be hoprses for courses.

    I believe there are ways of testing optimal cadence (for an individual) too but haven't had a chance to look in to it. It's something I plan to look at next season.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    Just looking back at my last few races this year and the cadence:
    Brian Boru: 83 (would have been higher but for two longish climbs and descents)
    Cope Triathlon: 99 (have only recorded 1st half of cycle due to my Garmin muppetry)
    TriBurgh: No cadence info recorded :confused:
    Boyle Duathlon: 94
    Clarinbridge Duathlon: 90

    So two things to notice...
    1. not a whole lot of consistency in my race day cadence but...
    2. cadence is usually over 90 on race day

    My concern for Galway is that my cadence drops as I tire. Seeing as I don't have a huge amount of long cycling in the legs, tiredness is a strong possibility on the day, and coming off the bike to run after a low cadence will be a different experience from what I'm usually used to on race day. It's definitely something to keep an eye on.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,724 ✭✭✭kennyb3


    pgibbo wrote: »
    Are there any studies to show that higher cadence leads to more efficient running? If you're finding you;re own natural cadence and are happy running off the bike with it then why change it?

    I see from this old study that it seems to be hoprses for courses.

    I believe there are ways of testing optimal cadence (for an individual) too but haven't had a chance to look in to it. It's something I plan to look at next season.
    Without opening a massive can of worms, because as we both know this is debated all over the internet, i ll say no more than there probably isnt that much difference between 90rpm and 95rpm for example and that everyone has their own natural cadence but from most articles i ve read there seems to be a bit of consensus (as much as you can have on teh internet) that there is too high and too low a cadence and that 77 seems very low. It just particularly struck me as it was windy, which always suggests to me mashing away into the wind trying to keep the av speed up but destroying the legs.

    Also trying to switch from a 77rpm cadence to circa 90 for the run will prove difficult


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    Heavy legs...

    Tuesday
    The most miserable of miserable runs in a while. It was supposed to be a tempo run but I gave up the pretence of tempo very quickly as I could barely get going at all. All I wanted to do after a mile was to stop, and sure enough, after about 3km, I turned down to Sruthán pier (out of view of passerbys :o) and stopped for a breather. I made it home eventually but that was one unenjoyable run.

    Route: Cladhnach and back
    Time: 40:25
    Distance: 8.85km
    Ave/Tempo Pace: 4:33
    Ave/Max HR: 161/202
    Weather: Windy

    Yesterday
    AM
    In a continuing theme, yesterday's bike spin was also pretty miserable :). Didn't get out until six as it was still pretty dark, and didn't do the full 1:25 prescribed due to having to get back to the house so my wife could head to work. I got a shock once I started going at how cold it was. It felt winter-cold, and by the time I was down in the village, my fingers and head were freezing. I turned back to stick the bike on the turbo, but by the time I was up the hill again, it wasn't so cold. Back down, and freezing again, with a mist around downtown An Cheathrú Rua! I kept going, gradually warming up, but had to put my hands inside my jacket a few times to get rid of the numbness :eek: In August :eek::eek:
    The spin was to be a 30 minute threshold effort, with warmup and cool down either side of it. It was no threshold effort, though. Didn't/couldn't get going at all.

    Route: An Caisleán and back
    Distance: 30.79km
    Time: 1:07:51
    Ave/Max Speed: 27.2kph/ 46.4kph
    Ave/Max HR: 133/158
    Ave Cadence: 72 (I kept noticing how low my cadence was, but didn't have the will to do anything about it!)
    Weather: Cold, absolutely zero wind!

    PM
    After work, I headed down to the closest beach, Trá na Minna, for a swim I'd been putting off all day. I've decided to abandon drills at this stage, and focus on longer repeats to try and get used to a pace that is not deathly slow. My warmup pace is the same as my race pace, which is the same as my threshold pace and recovery pace, so I think I may need to do something about this over winter ;).
    The last time I was swimming in Na Minna, the waves were so big, my cheeks stung every time I fell off a roller. Last evening, it was like a sandy-bottomed swimming pool. Beautiful.
    Done: 400m warm up with 4 x 400m
    Total: 2000m


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭pgibbo


    That's some cycling dude - 110.5km in 1:07:51 :cool:

    You feeling any better today or is a down week on the cards next week?


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,724 ✭✭✭kennyb3


    ronanmac wrote: »

    Route: Work to Scrib and back
    Distance: 36.82km
    Time: 1:10:13
    Ave/Max Speed: 31.5 kph/ 236kph! (I don't recall doing over 200kph, it must have been with a tailwind on one of the descents :))
    Ave/Max HR: 143/166
    Ave Cadence: 91
    Weather: Strongish breeze that helped me home

    Route: Work to past Maam Cross and back
    Distance: 60.32km
    Time: 2:00:12
    Ave/Max Speed: 30.1 kph/ 49kph
    Ave/Max HR: 142/159
    Ave Cadence: 87
    Weather: Wet, a mixture of weak and strong breezes, and very muggy anytime it dried up.

    Route: Lurgan near Maam Cross and back
    Distance: 58.76km
    Time: 1:57:01
    Ave/Max Speed: 30.1kph/56.8kph
    Ave/Max HR: 139/165
    Ave/ Max Cadence: 84/109
    Weather: Warm evening.

    Route: Roscahill and back
    Distance: 105.01km
    Time: 3:36:13
    Ave/Max Speed: 29.1kph/49.4kph
    Ave/Max HR: 136/159
    Ave/ Max Cadence: 83/220
    Weather: A warm morning, cooled down by a downpour about 3/4 ways through.


    Route: An Spidéal to Barna, a bit past Maam Cross and back
    Distance: 110.5km
    Time: 3:50:59
    Ave/Max Speed: 28.7kph/ 56.7kph
    Ave/Max HR: 143/167
    Ave Cadence: 77
    Weather: Windy (south-westerly) with some showers.


    Route: An Caisleán and back
    Distance: 30.79km
    Time: 1:07:51
    Ave/Max Speed: 27.2kph/ 46.4kph
    Ave/Max HR: 133/158
    Ave Cadence: 72 (I kept noticing how low my cadence was, but didn't have the will to do anything about it!)
    Weather: Cold, absolutely zero wind!

    Last comment on this i swear. But spot any trend? It's like your riding a fixie. do you use your samll chain ring at all?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    pgibbo wrote: »
    That's some cycling dude - 110.5km in 1:07:51 :cool:

    You feeling any better today or is a down week on the cards next week?

    Ha! Thanks for pointing that out (the dangers of cut and past :)).

    Didn't do anything yet today, hope to hit the beach at lunchtime, and a club run tonight. Not sure if I have the legs to keep with the faster folks but we'll see.
    Next week is what the program calls a half-taper! Proper taper for the last week, it'll be better than my old marathon tapers where I'd see the word taper and decide that it was a week off. Perfect preparation!

    How are you set? Are you going to set yourself up for the 70.3 with a gentle week beforehand, or just absorb the whole thing as part of your Ironman training?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭pgibbo


    It will be at the end of a big week for me so I'll just be absorbing it and enjoying the day out.

    Had I known when I entered that I would be doing Barca I wouldn't have entered Galway. If that makes sense! :confused:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,454 ✭✭✭hf4z6sqo7vjngi


    Hey Ro have to agree with KB and i know i mentioned it before you must be murdering the legs in too big a gear especially if you think it's having an impact on your running.
    When out on the bike drop down a gear heck even two to what you think is normal and see how it feels...it will probably feel like your legs are running around a hamster wheel. It is down to individual preference but that low a cadence is not normal unless you are freewheeling a lot:)


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    kennyb3 wrote: »
    Last comment on this i swear. But spot any trend? It's like your riding a fixie. do you use your samll chain ring at all?

    I missed this post until I was having a quick look at Boards Friday morning while waiting for it to get bright enough to head out on the bike. I looked at the trend, kennyb3, and I guess that sometimes, I really need to have stuff spelt out for me!
    Something I never thought about was the small chain ring. I actually don't use it at all, except for a steep climb. Basically, I just stay on the big ring all the time.
    With all this fresh in my mind while heading out on the bike Friday morning, I ignored speed and HR, and just focussed on cadence all the way through. I think you might be on to something ;)
    Friday:
    Route: Home to Furbo hill and back
    Distance: 61.75km
    Time: 2:00:18
    Ave/Max Speed: 30.8 kph/56.7kph
    Ave/Max HR: 147/162
    Ave Cadence: 91!
    Weather: Rain, strongish breeze, and more rain

    Saturday
    AM
    We headed up to Dublin on Friday to bring the eldest of the young lads to the zoo (he went on his first cinema outing later that day, talk about sensory overload!). My wife was doing the Frank Duffy 10m on Saturday, so I went for a run beforehand in Phoenix Park that morning. A continuation of a recent theme of miserable runs...
    Route: Phoenix Park (the novelty of it!)
    Time: 44:40
    Distance: 9.26km
    Ave/Tempo Pace: 4:49
    Ave/Max HR: 150/163
    Weather: A perfect morning, weather-wise. Sunny, warm, and no wind.

    PM
    Coming down from Dublin, we stopped off in Salthill and I met up with two of the lads for my second ever swim there. One of the lads was flying it, the other was pretty much, stroke for stroke, the same pace as me. We both have 40 minutes as our target on September 4. We swam from the Ladies Beach to Blackrock diving board and back.
    Done: 1460m

    Sunday
    A rare brick session. I went out on the bike with my cousin, and the company meant that the bike ride flew by. All the chatting resulted in a less than intense bike session :o

    Route: Home to Derroura bike trail and back
    Distance: 65.42km
    Time: 2:21:30
    Ave/Max Speed: 27.7 kph/43.5kph
    Ave/Max HR: 139/164
    Ave Cadence: 85 (wasn't concentrating on the cadence, or any other aspect of the cycle, so a lower cadence again)
    Weather: A mixture of heavy showers and bright sunshine

    The weather had really cleared up by the end of the bike and was pretty warm for the run. I headed out on the run way too quick as I often do off the bike, and a combination of hills and tiredness soon levelled off my pace.

    Route: Various loops around Rinn and Dóilín
    Time: 55:28
    Distance: 12.25km
    Ave/Tempo Pace: 4:31
    Ave/Max HR: 156/165
    Weather: Warm and dry


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭ronanmac


    I don’t know what it is, but any time I’ve ever approached a taper, I’ve always seemed to press a subconscious self-destruct button. This usually took the form of taking the taper too far and abandoning training altogether, abandoning any semblance of a balanced diet and eating every salt-encrusted, sugar-coated, deep-fried object that comes my way, or just decide that three months of alcoholic abstinence is about right and that abandoning that strategy two weeks out from an A-race is the perfect pre-race plan.
    So... after noticing last week that I had had a fry for breakfast for five mornings in a row, and after letting a world of excuses get in the way of doing any training on Tuesday (after Monday’s day off :eek:), I decided to cop myself on. I’ve really resisted this past week’s training, and that coupled with one night’s unbroken sleep in two weeks due to the changing sleeping patterns of a young boy who should know better :rolleyes:, has me not feeling too chipper during this taper period. Two mouth ulcers have also appeared from nowhere, but on the plus side, I’m definitely at race weight, weighing in the other morning at 70.4kg (70.3kg would have been the perfect weight, as my wife pointed out!).
    Anyway, I’ve a log to update!

    Tuesday 23 August
    Nothing. Buachaill dána...

    Wednesday 24 August
    I was working in town, so on the way out home, I parked the car in Barna to check out the hill. Delighted to come across road works in Roscahill, the worst of the bike route will be fixed for the big day. I felt good on the bike for a change, a result of the few days off perhaps.

    Route: Barna to Roscahill and back
    Time: 1:23:43 (with 2 x 16 min threshold)
    Distance: 45.27km
    Ave/Max Speed: 32.4 kph/57kph
    Ave/Max HR: No HR data
    Ave Cadence: 92
    Weather: Warm evening, slight cross-wind

    Thursday 25 August
    AM
    Intervals on the pitch. In a negative mood heading out the door, so unsurprisingly, didn’t enjoy them!

    Route: Páirc an Chathanaigh
    Time: 33:30
    Distance: 7.57km ( 4 x 1km tempo)
    Weather: Cool

    PM
    Swim at Trá na Minna
    2120m

    Friday 26 August
    Bike spin to Maam Cross

    Route: Maam Cross and back
    Time: 1:41:46
    Distance: 52.92km
    Ave/Max Speed: 31.2 kph/51.8kph
    Ave/Max HR: No HR data
    Ave Cadence: 90
    Weather: Can’t remember

    Saturday 27 August
    Miserable morning, so turbo it was. My brother and father arrived back later in the day from a month and a half sailing trip around Scotland in a Galway Hooker, so it bonfires, barbeques and a few cans of Carlsberg on Caladh Thadhg pier. Chinese for dinner that evening, and a few bottles of Becks non-alcoholic so as to stop the slide into debauchery!
    Route: Turbo
    Time: 2:12:04
    Distance: 90.07km
    Ave/Max Speed: 40.9 kph/50.6kph (my turbo sessions always look more impressive! Thinking of getting a decent ergo trainer for this winter)
    Ave/Max HR: 111/126
    Ave Cadence: 86
    Weather: Sh*te, hence the turbo!

    Sunday 28 August
    AM
    I had three targets for 2011, do a half-Ironman (yet to be done), run a half marathon under 1:30 (yet to be attempted or trained for :eek:), and swim across the local bay and back. My brother in law has just bought a kayak so I asked him to accompany me across Greatman’s Bay. It’s not a wide bay, but the current is pretty strong. We set off from Trá an Dóilín, aiming across for Trá Bháin, but at about 750m, it was a real struggle to make progress, with the incoming tide pushing me up the bay. I finally made it across, and swam along the shore, out of the current, until I was once again across from Trá an Dóilín. The swim across was more like rolling downhill. I was pointing forward, but moving sideways! In the end, I made across to Céibh an Dóilín, coming ashore there and walking up to the beach. Something I’ve always wanted to do since being a kid, and never thinking I’d able to swim it! Felt good.
    Done:2360 metres (I reckon it’s about 1600 metres across and back in a straight line, but the current doesn’t allow for straight lines!)

    PM
    Another unmotivated and unmotivating run

    Route: Rinn and Dóilín loops
    Time: 1:02:46
    Distance: 13.19km
    Pace: 4:45
    Weather: Warm

    Yesterday
    An hour on the turbo, with 2 x 14min threshold efforts
    Time: 1:00:02
    Distance: 41.97km
    Ave/Max Speed: 41.9 kph/57.2kph
    Ave/Max HR: 110/171
    Ave Cadence: 85
    Weather: Nice morning, but too dark to go out on the bike


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  • Registered Users Posts: 555 ✭✭✭backspacer


    Tá tú beagnach ann anois Rónán, tá tú thar a bheith crua ort fhéin, tárlaíonn sé le chuile traenáil go mbeidh droch seachtain agat anois agus arís.

    Ar fhaitíos nach bhfeicfidh mé thú, go n-eireoidh leat ar an Domhnach, triall mé a bheith ann má tá mé i mo shuí sách luath :D


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