Following Mr. Fink to Copenhagen

metal dog

As a long time lurker in these parts I felt I should finally play my part and start to post a log. The plan is to do the Copenhagen Challenge Ironman distance on August 15 next.

I am a confirmed mid packer wifth a respectable enough swimming background (although nothing as impressive as Mr. Interested) and with embarrassing bike times. Usually I would come out of the water in the top 5-10% but am hard pressed to hold 30kph over 20k. I started running two and a half years ago and have done a bunch of Olympic and Sprint tris and one 'dry' half ironman as well as half marathons and DCM for the last two years. Both marathons were done off the back of inadequate tri season training and ended up disappointingly enough with 3:57 and 3:58 (yes, I got slower - went out too fast and completely blew up). I was happier with a half marathon last summer at 1:41.

I know it is a cliché but three years into the sport I am going to try for a full IM. I am going to see if I can more or less follow Don Fink's 30 week 'competitive' programme, which i see a few others are following on here. And just to add to the clichés - I will be 40 at the end of the year.

Week one (w/ending 17/01)
Monday - 30 mins run
Tuesday - swim - 2,500m mainly at a handy enough pace comprised of pyramids of 100, 200, 300, 200, 100 etc;
Wednesday - turbo trainer 30 minutes ( just bought the turbo that pm was
supposed to do a run of 15 minutes off the bike but getting it home and setting it up out of the box was such a drag I didn't bother)
Thursday - 30 mints run at lunchtime, Evening swim set with tri club - 2100m ,
mainly 50m f/s drills and some sprints plus warmup
Friday - 60 minutes turbo trainer, high RPM ( well high for me anyway)
Saturday - Masters swim session, 2100m. Core was a fast almost sprint set
of 1x150, 2x100, 4x50, 6x25, 1x100, 2x75, 3x50, 4x25 with lots or rest
(e.g. 100s going off 2:00 ), Evening - run 45 minutes
Sunday - Cycling with club - 70-80k. Mainly steady pace but picked up a little bit in the final third. Was quite wrecked at the end, a combination of no real cycling since before Christmas and staying up drinking until 3:30 Sunday am (less ironman, more wineman) and general cycling inadequacy

Totals (time - Mr. Fink is all about the time) - 1:45 run, 3:00 swim,
4:30ish bike

Thoughts - according to the plan all of this is supposed to be at a lowish heart rate which suits me since I did very little over Christmas, as does the limited running so far. In fact it is less running than i would normally do but it picks up over the next few weeks so I am in no rush. More bike than in the Fink plan which is very much needed in my case. I am also pretty much doing my own swim set thing for the moment because I like the swim sessions I usually attend and will worry about more distance specific training later on.

catweazle

Good luck Metal Dog, Its great to see all the Ironman logs sprouting up

interested

very best of luck with the training ... Im fairly positive Ill see you at some of the sunday spins

metal dog

thanks - i will be at the back with my tongue hanging out

Abhainn

I'm aspiring to do an IM in 2011 and hope to follow Mr Fink also.
Will time management be vital to you i.e. fitting in sessions with many work & family commitments?
Looking forward to your log metal dog

metal dog

Yes time mgt seems to be a big part of it, and Fink pays a lot of attention to it how to squeeze time out of the day, with pre-work and lunchtime training in particular.

I used to swim a lot before work in the morning but since taking up running found it harder to get up and go to the pool the morning after having been for a run. This may have had more to do with me coasting along on 4/5 or so training sessions a week without really pushing myself and also staying up late watching Law and Order SVU (only the most heinous crimes for me thanks) rather than actually being tired. So I think the plan will be to be more honest about my priorities (do I want to be able to say in a year that I saw a lot of TV last year , or do I want to have done an ironman ?), and whether I am really actually tired and if not just suck it up and act on what my priorities are.

Just read that again and gagged on how po-faced it sounds, but you get the drift I think :rolleyes:.

pgibbo

Best of luck with your quest. Copenhagen is a beautiful city so that's a plus!

All these people doing IMs has me tempted to bite the bullet!

MCOS

metal dog wrote: »

.... found it harder to get up and go to the pool the morning after having been for a run. .

Tell me about it! Hard run late yetserday evening and early morning swim this morning was a real tests of willpower and motivation... not to mention the slacking...

Copenhagen is a lovely city and cool to see another IM log around these parts. Best of luck on the cliched quest

griffin100

Good luck Metal Dog. I'm following Mr Finks plan as well (with some tweaks) for IMUK. Doing my best to get as much of my training done before work as he suggests but its difficult.

Get yourself a box set of law and order SVU and watch it from the trainer, otherwise you'ill die of boredem. Lord Of The Rings and The Sopranos are my viewing of choice from the trainer:)

metal dog

[/QUOTE]Get yourself a box set of law and order SVU and watch it from the trainer, otherwise you'ill die of boredem. Lord Of The Rings and The Sopranos are my viewing of choice from the trainer:)[/QUOTE]


Been reading your log too - good to have a few people in the same mess.

As for distraction on the trainer - I am doing mine in the back yard so it is all ipod based I am afraid ( pity since I got the full wire box set at christmas) - have become converted to podcasts though. And I see the BBC have a new series call 'history of civilization through 1000 objects' or something like that which sounds about right...maybe one of those objects is in fact a turbo trainer (a strange object invented by late 20th century man the purpose of which remains unclear to this day)

metal dog

Into the second week of Don Fink's plan.

Just for info, this is the 30 week 'competitive'programme in his book 'be Iron Fit'. I am more or less following it but doing a bit more swimming (becuause I like it) and a bit more cycling (because I badly need to). There are three phases each of 10 weeks, a base, a build and a peak.

Sessions are denominated in the plan by time not distance and also target heart rate zones, which is a new thing for me. For the base period all the sessions are supposed to be in Z1-Z2 heart rate zones.


Week 2 (w/ending 24/01)

Monday - 45 minutes run, Along Clontarf seafront, Gangloads of people out running.
Tuesday - Masters swim session - 2300m set made up of shorter distances probably to take account of people getting back into things - 300m w/up, 16x25m off 30sec, 12x75m off 1:15, 100m easy, 9x50m IM order off 1:10, 6X25m on 1:00, 2 breaths max.
Wednesday - 30 minutes turbo, followed by 15 minutes run. These mini brick sessions are a feeature of the plan from the start but to be honest I found this to be a bit of a drag. At this duration and traget heart rate you might get as much exercise from a brisk walk around Howth Head. The idea, however, is to build your capacity to run off the bike gradually and it will get a lot harder so maybe I should just shut up for now.
Thursday- 45 minutes run at lunchtime which I had to do on a treadmill, which I hate. Quite apart from the bordeom I end up sweating like crazy when I exercise indoors, not pleasant for anyone. Swimming with the club in the evenining - 2400m total. Main set 6x100 on 2:00, 3x200 on 3:50, 6x100 on 2:00 - times quite generous so able to hold 1:30 on the 100s steadily enough. Three showers in one day - Dublin City Council will not be happy with me, never mind all the extra gear washing.
Friday - one hour turbo trainer
Saturday - am usual Saturday morning masters pace set - 2100 total. Evening - one hour run - outdoors thank god, although very foggy.
Sunday - bike with the club - 80k all in. Foggy and cold. Pace a bit faster than last week - I was seriously under pressure at a couple of points. Completely crashed for the rest of the day.

Totals (time) swim - 3:00, run 2:45, bike 4:30 ish

Thoughts - need to find some time to fit some more stretching and core exercises in - I found these very helpful last year when I started to increase the hours. Monday is a rest day so I will get some done then but need to build in two sessions a week somewhere.

griffin100

As for distraction on the trainer - I am doing mine in the back yard so it is all ipod based I am afraid

Look on the bright side, at least you wont cover the floor in front of the TV with pools of sweat! I had to change every item of clothing last week going from the turbo to a run.

Iron Enthusiast

Hey Metal Dog,

Great blog, so keep it up!

I'm also training for Copenhagen and it's my first IM as well! (nice to see others in the same boat!)

I can't help but notice that you don't seem to have a complete rest day in your week?
Are you finiding there's a build up of fatigue or are there rest days planned later in a cycle?

I'm averaging between 7 - 9 hours weekly training at the moment and definitely find the rest day a must, if only so i'm able to get more out of my other sessionsn during the week.

Would be interested to hear your take on the above?

(Get-Your-geek on was a IM sp[ecific podcast I found interesting? Might be worth a look if you run low on listening material!:))

metal dog

Iron Enthusiast wrote: »

I can't help but notice that you don't seem to have a complete rest day in your week?
Are you finiding there's a build up of fatigue or are there rest days planned later in a cycle?

I'm averaging between 7 - 9 hours weekly training at the moment and definitely find the rest day a must, if only so i'm able to get more out of my other sessionsn during the week.

Would be interested to hear your take on the above?

Thanks Irons Enthusiast - & good luck with it.

Also well spotted on the rest day angle - I kinda cheated for the first two weeks becuase it was logistically easier to do one session on multiple consecutive days that squeze two into one day & the durations werent that rough. But from this week I have been taking a rest day (Monday is the main plan, so as to recover after longer runs and bikes at the weekend, but I may have to more the day around). I suppose the reality is that there are going to be unplanned rest days as well arising from work and other commitments & I may end up needing even more rest as the number of hours picks up. & I need to get some more stretching and core, and probably sports massage in there as well if I am going to avoid energy.

Its exhausting just typing about this stuff ....:p

metal dog

Week 3 (w/e 31/01)


Monday - rest day - hadnt bothered so far but need to from now on. The
plan has one day of rest in each week. Was able to get a core and stretch session in.

Tuesday - 45 minute run treadmill lunctime. Evening -masters swimming 2200m - 300m w/up, 16x25m on 30sec, 4x100 off 1:35, 4x100 off 2:00 sprint, 4x100 off 1:50 half easy, half accelerarte, 100m easy, 8x25m off 45sec 2 breaths max. Good hard set, just about making the last of the the 1:35s.

Wed. Bleedin' brick - 30 minutes bikes , followed by 15 minutes run -
might swop the run next week for some stretching

Thursday - knew I was not going to be able to make regular swim session in the evening so went to masters session before work - 100 warm up, 10x25 off 30 sec, 12x75m off 1:20, 50 easy, 8x50m off 1:10 IM order, 6x50m off 55 sec, 50 easy - 2050 in total, this is basically a 45/50 minute set so if I am going to rely on these morning sesssions I need to get into the pool a bit earlier and add some distance. Lunchtime Run - 50 minutes - was supposed to be one hour but that is just not practical for me when I add in showering etc. So I am going to experiement with a run before work next week, although when I was up this morning going out for a swim it was a pretty miserable setting for a run.

Friday - one hour turbo - supposed to be all at low heart rate high rpm but couldnt help winding it up into Z4 at the end for 5 minutes. Much more fun - especially when you know the set is nearly over:)

Saturday - Usual masters pace sesssion 2050m. Plenty of rest but nearly flat out - 100s coming in on 1:23 or so. One hour run in the evening. I really like the sat. swim set but will probably have to give it a skip as the runs get longer at the weekends.

Sunday - bike club spin - we decided to stay in the Phoenix Park because some of the side roads looked a bit frosty. Did various drills and then 5 laps of the Khyber - about 35k all in.

Totals - Swim - 2:50, Run 2:50, Bike 3:30

Thoughts - next week is a step back week which I will mainly take on the
run end of things since that is where I am most likely to injure myself.
Also will try to get a massage. This is all amounting to far greater frequency that normally used to which is starting to take some juggling as
the sets lengthen. Other than that ok so far i guess. Would have liked to get some more bike but not the end of the world

metal dog

Week four of following mr fink - every fourth week is a step back with an hour less training than the week before. At this point the durations and intensity are still not that much. Main thing to manage is the frequency. I expect I will need the rest a whole lot more in week 8

week 4 (w/e 7/02)

Monday - rest & some core exercises and stretching

Tuesday - was supposed to run before work but took one look at the rain and said forget about it - did mean I had to run on a treadmill at lunchtime though - 45 minutes. Evening - masters swim set - 2300m - 300 wup, 12x25m off 30sec, 4x200 off 3:30, 100 easy, 8x50m sprints off 1:10, 50 easy, 10x25m off 45sec one breath per length, 100m cool down

Wednesday - mini brick - 30 mins turbo, 15 minutes run - I keep saying I am not going to do this because it seems so bloody pointless but I just know Mr. Fink would insist that i stik. vit. ze. plan.

Thursday - 45 min run lunchtime, swim pm with the tri club, 2800m - good bit of distance, 400 wup, 8x100 off 1:50, 3x200 off 3:40, 8x100 off 1:50 3x50 drills, 50mcool down

Friday - One hour turbo, high rpm

Saturday - Masters swimming in the morning, fast, 2100m, One hour run after the rugby in the evening

Sunday - Had some stuff on so could not head out on the bike with the club:(, managed to squeeze in one hour on the turbo, high rpm again

Totals (time) - Swim 3:00, Run 2:45, Bike 2:30

Thoughts Starting to feel a bit fitter but definitely need to get out more on the bike, although i think I am getting the hang of the high cadence thing. The running and turbo is still all at z1/z2 zones, which makes it all pretty manageable so far The sets really only start to get interesting after the bae 10 weeks. Getting a massage this pm which will try to build in every few weeks at least because I want to try to head off risk of injury

Ricepudding

Great thread... one questions: are you a week ahead of yourself for Aug 15th race day?

metal dog

Ricepudding wrote: »

one questions: are you a week ahead of yourself for Aug 15th race day?

Funnily enough I am in fact - started out as an oversight , now rationalising it as a free week to cover a week when I know I will be away during the summer.

You must be following a similar countdown yourself ?

Ricepudding

similar enough... though starting to doubt my sanity and this is supposed to be an easy week!!.... good luck and keep up the posts

metal dog

week five - half way through the base period.

week five (w/e 14/02)

Monday - rest - got a massage in which hurt like hell but general feedback was that legs were tired rather than injured, although I have a few niggles here and there and might talk to a physio about it over the next week or two.

Tuesday - went for a run before work in the morning - 45min. Bit of a breakthrough this. Well used to swimming in the morning, but never managed to get out for a run before. Found it a little hard to get warmed up. Lots of (non-metal) dogs around with owners, definite downside to dog ownership. Pm - masters swim -2300m all in, 300 wup, 10x25m off 30sec, 5x100 off 1:45, 6x75m off 1:20, 7x50 off 55sec, 8x25m off 30sec, 6x25 IM order 40 sec. 100 swim down

Wednesday - Usual Brick - 30mins bike, 15 minutes run. Ho hum. The bike on this set goes up next week to 45 mins.

Thursday - couldn't make swimming this pm so switched it for a run straight after work - One hr.

Friday - swim am - 2500m - 300 wup, 10x25 off 30sec, 5x150 off 2:20, 8x75 off 1:15, 10x50 off 50 sec, 100 cool down. Times a bit faster than I normally do so I was very pleased to be able to keep up. Especially on the 150s. Admittedly I was in the middle of the group so that makes it easier but i was pretty honest about leaving 5 seconds (and anyway there will be drafting in the ironman too ).
PM - One hour turbo, high cadence

Saturday - usual fast Saturday masters set, 2100m. The dilemma then was whether to go for planned one hour run before or after the rugby. I could have done with more rest after lunch but I knew that some stress relieving Heineken would probably be required during the game (how right I was) so went out beforehand. Noticeably higher average heart rate than for same run and same pace earlier in the week, presumably because I was a bit tired. although I felt ok.

Sunday - bike spin with club, pace mainly pretty manageable which suited me just fine. Our around batterstown, culmullin and then kilcock and home. Maybe 80+k all in.

Totals (time) Swim 2:50, Run 3:00, Bike 4:15

Thoughts - all going pretty much ok. I need to keep an eye on some leg niggles. Juggling the schedule is tricky enough. Taking advantage of the club spin on the Sunday is very handy but because it is the longest single set of the week and comes at the end of all of the other sessions (and after saturday night), it is hard to have much energy left at that point. Down the road I might switch the bike to Saturday and just do an easy run on the Sunday.

griffin100

Wednesday - Usual Brick - 30mins bike, 15 minutes run. Ho hum. The bike on this set goes up next week to 45 mins.

I've pretty much binned doing this session. I know Fink has his reasons but I've run enough races to know what its like running off the bike. When the sessions lengthen out then I'll start doing them.

metal dog

griffin100 wrote: »

I've pretty much binned doing this session. I know Fink has his reasons but I've run enough races to know what its like running off the bike. When the sessions lengthen out then I'll start doing them.

Yeah . Nobody i've spoken to has much time for this session, or at least not at this pace and duration. Can't say I am getting much out of it either.

shotgunmcos

metal dog wrote: »

Yeah . Nobody i've spoken to has much time for this session, or at least not at this pace and duration. Can't say I am getting much out of it either.

Maybe change the session a bit to get something specific out of it, short brick to work on 'transition feel'? Just an idea to keep it interesting maybe. Maybe 30mins bike with 10mins Z2 spin, 10mins Z3 spin, 10 mins biggest gear 60rpm and then run 10minZ4 and 5 mins easy...

150s off 2:20 is fair going in the pool :eek:

metal dog

week 6 (w/e 21/02)

Monday - rest day, core exercises and some stretching

Tuesday - am Run before work, One hour, Did not sleep very well so this was a bit of a slog, also a bit paranoid about frost on footpaths. PM - masters swim 2400m, - 300 wup, 10x50 off 1:00 wup, 4x200 off 3:20, 50 easy, 5x100 off 2:00, half sprint half recovery, 50 easy, 8x25 off 45 sec, 2 breaths max

Wed. - Brick - Bike turbo up to 45 mins this week followed by same 15 minute run. For a bit of diversion I cheekily upped the pace on the last 5 minutes of the bike and for all of the run (what thrills).

Thursday - Am - Run One hour before work, legs felt very heavy although heart rate fine- ran out along the Bull Wall. Tide was out and a bunch of guys were out digging away at the sand - presumably for whelks or cockles or something ? The stuff you see when you move out of your normal routine..
Pm- swim with club 2600 m total, 300 wup, 4x100 kick, 200 off 3:40, 400 off 7:20, 600 off 11:30, 400 off 7:20, 200 off 3:40, 100 easy. Happy with this, coming in on 3:00 for the 200s and 6:00 for the 400s.

Friday - One hour turbo, high revs.

Saturday - we had a friend visiting so did not get out for a swim in the am, One hour run in the pm.

Sunday - Did not like the look of the weather overnight so voted for staying in bed rather than heading out early on the bike. Went out in the afternoon instead and did two hours around the Park, including Khyber 6 times. It was still pretty bloody cold

Totals (time) Swim - 2:00, Run, 3:15, Bike, 3:45

Thoughts - Got less done this week than I would have liked but still as much as in
the Fink plan at this point. Also, went to a physio during the week just with a view to heading off problems that might be at the root cause of some niggles I have been having. No real cause for concern, but needless to say I came away with a whole bunch more exercises, mainly targeted at strengthening my hips (I will have to change the title of this thread to 'granny does ironman':o).

metal dog

week 7 (w/e 28/02)

Yikes - up to week seven already:eek:

Monday - rest - did new stretches and strengthening exercises based on physio advice

Tuesday - run in the am one hr. nasty headwind all the wall out to the Bull Wall. PM - masters swim - 2050m quite pacy. 300 wup, 16x25m off 30sec wup, 8x100 off 1:50 but fast, coming in around 1:25, 12x25 off 45 secs. 2 breaths max, 100 easy, 3x50m sprints in on 34/35sec.

Wed - usual brick 45 mins bike, 15 mins run. Lots of work stuff in my head so I didnt really have the enthusiasm for doing anything more novel that the basic Fink plan z2 on this

Thursday - Meant to get up for a swim but..... Run in the pm 1 hour and 15 minutes, runs starting to get longer in the plan now.

Friday - One hour turbo, high revs, over the past week or two I have increased the resistance on the turbo from level 2 of 7 to 3 of 7 and it definitely was harder to stay near 100 rpm. Now up to episode 26 of bbc radio's 'History of the World in 100 Objects' - nerd nirvana.

Sat. - am swim with masters 2200m total, - 400 wup, 16x25 IM order off 30sec, 1x150 off 3:00, 2x100 off 2:00, 4x50 off 1:00, 6x25 off 30sec, 100 easy, 1x100 off 2:00, 2x75off 1:30, 3x50 off 1:00, 4x25 off 30, 100 easy. This is the usual sat am set, you get a lost of rest but the pace is quite high.

Pm - run 1:15, timed to just coincide with start of match

Sun - bike spin with club, went with the intermediates so pace was not savage. About 80k plus to and from the park, roughly 90k all in. We went out towards mullagh(?) and then out near tara and back in by dunboyne, with a nasty little climb out of the strawberry beds at the end just to keep us on our toes. Felt quite good, maybe the turbo is starting to help.

Totals (time) Swim 2:00, Run 3:45, Bike 5:15

Thoughts - The running is really starting to build up, at least by the standards of what I am used to. The Fink plan still only has 4:15 of bike in it at this stage, which does not seem a lot really. At this low intensity, all of this is basically doable, looking ahead in the plan though, once the pacier work starts to kick in, well that is a different story...

catweazle

metal dog wrote: »

Now up to episode 26 of bbc radio's 'History of the World in 100 Objects' - nerd nirvana.

Is that podcast any good?? I have been looking at it myself to download for sundays LSR, the military history ones are getting a bit boring now

metal dog

catweazle wrote: »

Is that podcast any good?? I have been looking at it myself to download for sundays LSR, the military history ones are getting a bit boring now

I like it - but it is pretty damn geeky. Very 'improving' BBC stuff. Some of the objects are a bit less interestign than others (e.g. Japanese mud pot vs Parthenon marbles;))

metal dog

Week 8 - supposed to be a step back week in the plan, which was complicated slightly by the fact that our club had a training weekend on which involves two longish cycles

Week 8 (w/e 7/03)

Monday - rest day, stretches etc;

Tuesday - taking step back a bit too seriously, I failed to get out of bed to run this am. Just felt wrecked tired. Swim in the PM 2750m all in - 400 wup, 10x50 off 1:00, 2x(4x150 off 2:30 aerobic, 4x75 off 1:30 sprint), 50 easy.

Wed. Usual brick, 45 mins turbo, 15 mins run 123 and 141 hr respectively

Thursday - Run in the am before work - One hour, just under 12k ahr 144, Swim with the club in the pm 400 wup 2x(3x200m off 3:3), times were all over the place on the first three but kept it nice and steady 3 minutes on the second three. Then we practiced tumble turns, which i am really lazy and inept at. If it was the new year I would say it should be my new years resolution to actually tumble. But it isnt.

Friday - toyed with the idea of a quick run at lunchtime but decided it would be just junk miles (as in not very valuable, not running with junk food a la eddie izzard) and with the cyling to come over the weekend gave myself a break.

Sat. Phoenix Park to Courtown cycle, little over 100k, 4:30 hours. We went out through Enniskerry, Djouce, into Laragh and down through Arklow. Brilliant day to to be out on the bike. Wicklow was full of cyclists. I got in with a good group and we made good stready time. Short 5k run in the forest in the evening.

Sun. 750m time trial in am, wasnt really concentrating propely and ended up swimming 2 too many lenghts. But think I did about 11:40 for the 750, which is not too bad, but think I can go a bit faster. Then cycle back to Dublin, reverse of the Sat route, More traffic and some hairy descending after Djouce and then arrived back in the Park to find it packed with people brought out by the weather and the cross country champiosnhips. BBQs on the go, ice cream vans, people gettin narky about parking...It could almost have been summer. Brilliant

Totals: Swim 2:15, Run 1:40, Cycle : 9:45

Thoughts - totals pretty skewed by the cycling at the weekend but that is ok I think. Although I didnt brave any of the serious climbing options on the way down through wicklow I definitley felt more confident on the bike that I would have been this time last year so feel good about that.:)

metal dog

week 9 (w/e 14/03)

Monday - rest day, went for a massage.

Tuesday - run for one hour in the am before work. Very hard to get going,
had to slow down to keep heart rate down. ahr 143, distance 10.8k.
Probably tired after weekend cycling. By end of the run I was
feeling a good bit better. Evening swim with masters, 2400m Made heavy
work of this 300 wup, 10x25 off 30sed, 2x(6x50 off 0.55, 4x75 off 1:20,
2x100 off 1:45) 100 easy, 10x25 IM order off 40 sec. Very tired and times
ways off norm, 5+ seconds slower for each rep.

Wednesday - pm Usual brick 45 mins bike, 15 mins run - ahr 128 and 139
respectively

Thursday am - Run before work, still pretty slow, One hour, just under 11k,
ahr 143. PM swim with club, 2100m, mainly drills

Friday One hour high (100) cadence turbo, avg hr 122bpm

Saturday - Run 1 hour 15, bit better than earlier in the week avg hr 143, about 14.4k

Sunday - very few out for club cycle so no real hiding from the wind out on the road to trim, flew back in, 3 hrs, 80k or so

Totals Swim 2:00, Run 3:30, Bike 4:45

Thoughts Pretty unexciting week. Only one more base week before things start to get interesting. Hours seem low but in line with Fink plan.

metal dog

WEEK 10 (w/ending 21/3)

End of the 10 week based period. 10 week build to follow.

Monday - Rest day, stretching etc;

Tuesday Run for one hour before work , Swim in the PM 2200m - 300 wup,
10x50 off 1:00 wup, 4x200 off 3:30, 100 easy, 6x50 sprints off 1:30, 8x25
off 45sec, alt b/w 2 breath and one breath. Really weird set.

Wed. Since I had the day off decided to skip the usual boring brick
session and cycled to Howth instead and did 4 laps of Sutton to Howth
Summit Shop from the school/graveyard side. Much more satisfying than the turbo, 58k, 2:25 min , pretty slow but that was mainly down to the wind and the hill.

Thursday, Run, One hour, Garmin on the blink so dont know what speed or hr.
PM - swim with tri club. 2400m 400 wp, 9x200 off 3:35 - idea here was to
try to hold a steady time, but I went at it way too conservatively,coming
in 3:10 ish and ended up being able to pick up the pace to under 3:05 for
the last three, should have pushed it from the start, 3x50 drill, 50 easy

Friday Turbo high rev, 1:15, really felt tired at about one hour in but kept revs high (100ish). Ahr only 117

Saturday - very busy day so was pleased to manage to fit in masters swim in the am (usual sprint set, 2100m) and a 1:30 run in the afternoon, time just right to catch the start of the rugby - needn'thave bothered. Covered 17.5k in the run but hr too high 153

Sunday - Bike, went out on my own for 3:30 out toward Trim, 90k all in. Blustery (or maybe it just always seems like that when you are on your own).


Totals - Swim - 3:00, Run 3:30, Bike 7:15

Totals for Base Period

Swim - 57,000m
Bike - 50 hours (1250k ish)
Run 28:45 hours (310k ish)

Thoughts

This was all supposed to have (a) acclimatised me to the type of training
that is coming (b) built an aerobic base and (c) developed technique. Has
it done this ? (a) and (b) yes. I am getting pretty used to the frequency
of the training and have improved aerobically I think. Also have lost some
weight without really restricting food intake (although I am generally
eating a bit less crap). Still plenty of fat to burn off yet though. I
think it is unlikely that i will reach the classic ironman 'skeletor' look.
Not so sure about (c) - only real technique area I have been trying to work
on has been spinning high revs on the bike and pedalling fully through each
rev. I think I have got better at this but I still find that I need to
concentrate at it to keep it consistent.

My main concerns are that I have not being doing enough even though I have basically done what is in the plan and even a bit more here and there. I keep chatting with people who seem surprised that there are no 5 or 6 hours bikes yet, although that is partly because copenhangen is so late compared to some of the big name events in June/july. And also that is is ALL SO SLOW. My very slow bike base is going to be a problem especially as it increasingly seems to me that the ironman is basically a bike race with a swim at the start to warm everyone up and a shuffle along marathon (out on the bike I fantasise about an inverted event with a short bike at the start followed by a nice long swim, oh well);). It is hard to see how i can get my bike times up hugely over the next 20 weeks, but I can only do my best I guess.

So, Mr. Fink, you better know what you are doing...

Other than that is is good to have reached this stage with no big injury niggles and i am looking forward to the next phase, the weather is also picking up as well and it is great to be out and about.:)

griffin100

Totals for Base Period

Swim - 57,000m
Bike - 50 hours (1250k ish)
Run 28:45 hours (310k ish)

Thats a lot more than I've done in my base period so now you have me worried

My main concerns are that I have not being doing enough even though I have basically done what is in the plan and even a bit more here and there. I keep chatting with people who seem surprised that there are no 5 or 6 hours bikes yet,

I'm into week 12 and the longest I've run is around 10 miles and the longest I've cycled is 100kms so this worries me a little bit as well. There doesn't seem to be very many 2hr plus runs / 5hr plus rides in the training plan. I keep telling myself that Fink knows what he's talking about and that there's a method in his madness. What I can say is that I am much stronger now than I was this time last year at runs up to 10 miles / bike up to 100kms - so his plan is doing me some good.

Good luck with the next phase.............

metal dog

griffin100 wrote: »

Good luck with the next phase.............

thanks a lot - looking back at my post from yesterday I realise i was a bit wrecked writing it and lacking proper perspective. Things are basically on track and going well. And i am enjoying it (mainly).

interested

metal dog wrote: »

My main concerns are that I have not being doing enough even though I have basically done what is in the plan and even a bit more here and there.

These concerns are likely to stay with you all along the road so to speak. You've done a really good 10 weeks base period imho.

metal dog

WEEK 11 (w/e 28/3)

This the first week in the second 10 week phase in the Don Fink 'competitive' 30 week plan - The objective of this phase is to build power and speed as distances also gradually increase. In contrast to the first phase, which was all supposed to be done at lowish z1-z2 heart rate zones, this phase starts to introduce segments of higher pace training, mainly by injecting it as 'pick ups' into the middle of otherwise z2 sessions, so that you are into or approaching z4.

I am not exactly sure what the rationale for this approach is but I suppose it is an alternative to a single heavy interval session - which in my experience leaves me pretty wrecked for at least the next day and inclined not to do anything & certainly nothing else on the same day.

Monday - rest day, stretching and core exercises

Tuesday AM - run before work for one hour, with insertion after 12 minutes running of 5x(1 minute fast, 1 minute jog). After which back to steady z2 for the rest of the hour. Covered about 11k in total. Found the fast segment hard at first but got into the swing of it. Took a while to cool down but overall ahr still 143. Peaked at 163hr.

Swim in the PM - 2250m total, 250 wup, 12x25m off 30sec, 5x100 off 1:35 (yikes!), 50 easy, 10x50m sprints, off 1:15, 50 easy, 2x(6x25 off 40sec 2 breaths, 50m easy), 8x25m IM order easy. Lots of pace emphasis in this set again this week. Probably not what I am supposed to be doing in the pool at this stage but good nevertheless.

Wednesday One hour 15 on the turbo mainly at z2 but after 15 minutes 5x( 1minute fast, 1 minute spinning easy). Same idea as the run on Tuesday. Heart rate went up to 166bpm

Thursday

Left work a bit early and went for one hour run at z2 pace but with 5x(1 minute fast, 1 minute jog) - like earlier in the week at 30 minutes. Felt pretty good. Avg hr 145 - but got it up to 171.

Later that pm went for swim with club, long set - 2800m, 400 wup, 3x100 off 1:50, 3x200 off 3:40, 3x200 off 5:30, 3x200 off 3:40. Not great pace bu slogged it out, possibly a bit tired after the run.

Friday

Brick - 45min turbo, 30 minutes run, all pretty easy z2 pace. Felt good after this.

Saturday

Out on the bike for 9 laps of the phoenix park. Left it late getting out and this just seemed more appealing than the main roads on a saturday afternoon. Did 4 hours and about 106k there and back. I was glad to get the time done but speed was not great and the park is probably not ideal for this kind of thing, too many speed bumps, and I really felt the wind going up past the magazine fort.

Sunday

am - 2k Rush open water swim - FREEZING FOR FIRST FIVE MINUTES - almost thought i was going to have to get out my breathing was so all over the place.But once i settled down it was a nice swim, lovely set up out in Rush and all for a good cause - RNLI - which probably makes it the safest swim going, they are not gonna leave someone drown at their own charity event after all ! . Dont know how long it took , maybe 20-25 minutes ? Couple of people from the club there - including mr interested - who sped off into the distance from the start needless to say:eek:

Pm- run 1 hour 15 minutes, tired and ate too much after the swim - ahr 148bpm

Totals - Run 3:45, Bike 6:00, Swim 2:25

Thoughts - the small bits of pace made things a bit more interesting - as did swimming in the sea - i skipped a small second brick on the saturday and another 30 minutes high rev on the bike but dont feel too bad about it really. Looking forward to the longer evenings now and getting out for more time on the real bike....

metal dog

WEEK 12 (W/E 4/04)

Not a good week on the getting up early front, need to refocus on that.
Supposed to be a stepback week, but no need to get carried away.

Monday - rest - no stetching, nothing

Tuesday - swim pm - 2350m in total -400 wup, 10x25 off 30sec, 10x75 off 1:20, 50 easy, 16x25 IM order off 40sec, 8x50 off 55, 100 easy

Wednesday - stuck at home waiting for a gas guy to show up so ran at lunchtime - 45 min z2 with 5 minutes z4 after 12 minutes. PM - One hour bike turbo, z2, 5 minutes z4 at 15 minutes

Thursday -run One hour at z2 with 5 minutes z4 after 35 minutes. This went well. It averaged out at 5minute kms and ahr of 145.

PM - swim with tri club, good hard set, 400 wup, 3x200 off 3:30, 3x50m sprint off 1:15, 3x150 off 2:30, same sprints, 3x100 off 1:45, same sprints again. Kept the sprints in at 36 secs or so and good solid times on the other sets as well.

Friday - finally faced up to a straight 3000m swim, these feature in the fink plan but I have not really being doing them for logistical reasons, mainly because i prefer swimming witih a group. Was down in Galway for the weekend so went into the NUIG pool and did 3000 straight - came in on 46/47minutes which I was very happy with.

Saturday - cycled out to Maam Cross from Oranmore and back, about 105k, roughly 4 hours, windy and wet but felt pretty ok throughout.

Sunday - Run 1hour 15 minutes, nice quiet roads near Oranmore, ahr 145,bit over 14k

Totals Swim - 3:00, Run 3:00, Bike 5:00

Thoughts - step back week so a bit less overall and I have skipped a few brick sessions that are in the plan which i will remedy over the next few weeks. Other than that I am pretty happy that I am making steady progress.

griffin100

Friday - finally faced up to a straight 3000m swim, these feature in the fink plan but I have not really being doing them for logistical reasons, mainly because i prefer swimming witih a group. Was down in Galway for the weekend so went into the NUIG pool and did 3000 straight - came in on 46/47minutes which I was very happy with.

Well done, I got a huge confidence boost out of being able to swim 3,000m the first time, although it takes me around the same time to do 2,000m as it takes you to do 3,000m:D Do you have an IM swim time in mind?

metal dog

griffin100 wrote: »

Well done, I got a huge confidence boost out of being able to swim 3,000m the first time, although it takes me around the same time to do 2,000m as it takes you to do 3,000m:D Do you have an IM swim time in mind?

thanks - i suppose that somewhere between one hour and one hour and 5 should be doable, depending on the conditions but no point in killing myself on the swim just for the sake of 2 or 3 minutes.

whole weather situation is a bit of a drag at the moment

metal dog

WEEK 13 (w/ending 11/4)

The weeks are ticking off relentlessly now, starting to think about logisitics. Going to get a proper bike fitting at Irishfit during the week. The aim is to see if I can get a comfortable set up with tri bars. I have never really used them. I think the bike stem might be too long as well.


Monday - rest day, stretching

Tuesday - 45 minutes run at luncthime, z2 , with 4 x( 3 minutes z4, 3 minutes jog). Tuesday pm swim 2650m total - 400 wup, 10x25 off 30sec, 2x (6x50 off .55, 4x75m off 1:20, 2x100 off 1:45, 100 easy), 8x25 'B' stroke off 45 sec

Wed - Turbo brick in the pm - 45 minutes bike, 15 minutes run

Thursday - Had to miss my regular swim so went for a swim at lunchtime in Markiewicz pool. 2100m total, no real shape, just did 5x400m fairly steady with about 30 second rest bw each. 100 easy. Slightly aimless but better than missing a set in total.

PM - One hour run z2 but with 5 minutes z4 at 40 minutes. These little pick ups in pace compensate slightly for the fact that i am not doing any
proper run internval training - the only problem is that I end up sweating a bucket at the end of the 5 minutes or whatever and then have to finish
the run looking like i am not fit enought to be able to jog along at an
easy pace. Vanity thy name is middle age man.

Friday

PM - One hour turbo at z2 , after 15 minutes 2 x (5 minutes z4, 3 mins spin). Really enjoyed this.

Saturday - woke up with (a) a hangover and (b) a headcold. Pretty sure the headcold came from not wearing a coat to work on Friday ( i do this every year as soon as there is even a hint of summer). And certain the hangover came from heineken during and after watching leinster. Struggled to get to the pool to do usual master pace session. Fortunately a few of the others were in the same boat hangover wise and I felt ok afterwards.

PM - 1 hour 15 easy run, only felt tired towards the end, timed to get back for Munster game. Postponed alcohol until later in the evening though.

Sunday - 4 hours bike out to Trim and back 107k. Lovely weather but head cold not helping. Although average pace was only 27kph, for lots of this I was in or around 30kph. And I felt it, borderline bonking the whole time. In the Fink plan this should have been a 3hr cycle with a half hour run but I wanted to get the time in on the bike. I promise to do a proper brick next week, honest !

Totals Swim 2:50, Run 3:15, Bike 5:45

Thoughts

Once i had recoved from the bike on sunday, i was pretty happy that I seem to be picking up the pace a bit. I have postponed time targetting until I have enough training done to be realistic about what I can do on the bike. But pretty soon I am going to have to nail my colours to the mast bike wise.:eek:

And yes, i need to do some more bricks.

metal dog

WEEK 14 !! (w/e 18/04)


Logistics pushing ahead, flights and hotel booked. So we are going to Copenhagen on a 'holiday' one way or the other now !

Monday - rest day, still had a headcold from the weekend. Since it was only a head cold and not in my chest I just pressed on and packed up on berocca and neurofen cold and flu

Tuesday - run after work - one hour, just over 12k ahr too high at 148 but might also have been the cold. This was supposed have some z4 bits in it but i did not feel I would be up to it with the cold but ended up running an overall steady pace faster than I have done in a while without really feeling any pressure.

later that pm - masters swim - arrived late because of some messing with parking so didnt really get in a proper warm up 2100 total- 100 wup, 3x (2x200 off 3:30, 4x50 off 1:00 fast, 50 easy), 50 cool down. Did the 200s much too fast - some were on 2:50/2:55 so didn't really swim the 50s fast.

Wednesday - still had the cold, yawn. Brick 45 mins turbo, 30 mins run. pretty solid.

Thursday - went for a bike fitting - as i think i have always suspected, the stem on my bike is too short which is why i am so stretched, even when i am just on the hoods. Saddle height needed to go up as well. Also some
useful feedback on pedal stroke and some more stretches to do of course.

pm -swim - 2250 total. 450m wup, 3x(4x100) off 1:55, 1:45 and then 1:40 followed by 50 easy and then 4x100 off 1:35 and then 50 easy. Very please with this. Kept the 100s steady at 1:30 and under 1:30 for the last set. 4x25m sprints.

Missed a run today but not going to get stressed about it.

Friday

one hour bike turbo at z2 but after 15 minutes 3x(5 mins z4, 3min easy). I find it hard to really get up to z4 on the bike but still went flat out. I think i am wearing out the turbo tyre because there are bits of tyre falling all over the floor whenever i pick up the pace. This may have more to do with the turbo not being set up properly than a sign of extreme cycling strength

Saturday
Some of the other guys from the club doing copenhagen were meeting up to do a long brick so i headed out early to the NAC and we did a straight 3k swim (48/49mins - bit slower than last one of these but i was taking it pretty easy and 50m pool always takes longer anyway). Then we cycled out to Slane - road was in rag order all the way out, bit better on the return. Very solid pace - 86k, 27.6kph. Finally we did a 30 min run 'off the bike' - by which i mean, after stretching, rehydrating and nattering for a bit.

All in all a really great morning's training. Very good for confidence. Helped that the weather was good of course. Felt wonderfully self righteous for the rest of the day. So much endorphins i even found the Xfactor amusing ! Or maybe it was the Erdinger.

Sunday

30 mins turbo high rev. - these sessions are in the build phase of the Fink plan but i had not bothered so far. Not sure what the point is. They get longer over the weeks. Might be a quasi brick since the long run is on the same day.

In the pm - long steady run for 1 hour 30 - 17.6k

Totals Swim 2:50, Run 3:30, Bike 5:15

Thoughts

Writing this on Sunday evenining i feel pretty wrecked but think i have done an ok week, even though the hours are low. Headcold hung around for most of the week which was more annoying than anything else but still managed to get most of my sesssions done, and Saturday was definitely a success. Next priority is to get the bike sorted out with a new stem and down on the tri bars hopefully.

RedB

Well done metal dog - great to see it all coming together. Get your rest / sleep in and keep up the good work.

metal dog

WEEK 15 (w/ending 25/4)

Half way through the Fink programme, half way through the build phase and just under 4 months to the event. I have been reading ahead and it is starting to look pretty scary (maybe I should have done the reading first but i have generally just been reading one week at a time )

Monday - rest as usual, some stretching. Cold from last week total cleared up

Tuesday - Run in the am - One hour at z2, at 12 minutes 2x (4.5 mins z4, 1.5 mins jog).

In the PM swim 2350m - 400m wup, 10x25m off 30sec, 2x (5x100 off 2mins sprinting, 8x25 15bmins fast 10 easy, 100 easy). Hard set, probably totally inappropriate in terms of heart rate for what I am training for. Got some fast 100s in there - 1:20 and just under.

Wednesday - Brick, 45 minutes turbo, 30 minutes run. Even on the turbo I much prefer the new bike set up.

Thursday Ran after work - one hour, z2 , at 40 minutes 7.5 z4, then easy for rest of 60 minutes. Later that pm swim - 400 wup then a whole bunch of 50m drills, followed by 10 x 50 m off 50 sec and 6 x50 off 45 sec, i could
only make 4 of the last 50s.

Friday - swam at lunch 2800m - straight 7x400m with 30-40sec b/w each, fairly relaxed pace

Saturday - Out in the am for another long brick - 3:20 on the bike average 28.7kph, first two hours covered 60k fastest i have gone on the bike over a long distance. Could not have kept going at this pace though. Then 30 minutes run off the bike.

Sunday 45 minutes high (100 ish) rev on the turbo. Long run in the evening 1 hour 30.

Totals Swim 3:00, Run 4:30, Bike 5:50

Thoughts This is building up alright. This is the most running i have done in a long while. Starting to exhibit unusual food cravings - like those strawberry milk drink things. I am finding it hard to make time to sort out some basic bike stuff (including cleaning the chain properly and practicing tyre repair) but will have to fit it in somehow.:)

Izoard

I guess this is what proper adhering to the Fink plan looks like:)

Nice building going on here...!

metal dog

WEEK 16 (w/e 2/5)

Now that the race season has well and truly arrived it is a bit strange not to be traipsing around from event to event. But there is also something appealing about just focusing on the one event. I will do 2 Olympics I think - Athy & Galway probably just to shake out the cobwebs. Ideally I should also do a half but the best option (Sperrin) doesn't suit date wise from the point of view of travelling and overnighting & cost. The other half (Humbert) is too close to Copenhagen. I will probably do a 'simulation' half with some of the other guys at some point.

Monday - rest, stretching

Tuesday One hour run at z2 with 5x3 mins z4, this was a bit of a joke because all of the z4 bits were going into a headwind. It might have been
z4 but it didn't look like it ! Swim in the pm 2000m, 300m wup, 12x50m off
1:00, 5x150 of 2:30, 4x50m IM order, 3x50m sprints

Wednesday - One hour on the turbo, z2 - supposed to be a mini brick session but my legs had felt a bit strained the day before so i left it out

Thursday - One hour run at z2 with 8 mins z4 after 10 minutes - this went
well. Swim set with the club was 350 wup, 4 x100 kick (yuck) and then
sprints - 5 x50m which i was able to hold on 35 secs and under and then a 100 on 1:18. Completely wrecked - combination of the set and the run earlier.

Friday - went for a swim at lunchtime - did 3x400m with 30 or so seconds
rest, then the lane emptied out and myself and this other guy did some 200s - 8x200 off 3:30 so 2800m total

pm - supposed to do one hour on the turbo with some z4 bits thrown in but my turbo set up is the back yard and is started to lash rain which was annoying but then it got the turbo wheel so wet it was no longer engaging properly and i called it a night after 30 minutes

Saturday - cycled out to Slane again, this time straight from home. Did 4 hours about 108k. I like heading straight from home because it makes good use of time the only problem if that there is a lot of faffing about at traffic lights on the first and last 10-15 minutes of the ride, which brings down average speed. Also got completely saturated. Did a quick change and then 30 minutes run. Didnt feel wrecked at all, but that might have been because of the relatively slower pace on the bike. Also i have gotten some of the high 5 4:1 drink that they will have a copenhagen and concentrating on actually drinking more frequently on the bike, still not drinking enough but getting better at it.

Sunday - 45 minutes turbo high revs, long run in the pm - 1 hour 30

Totals - swim 3:00, bike 6:15, run 4:00

Thoughts This actually felt a bit easier this week, which might be a good sign but also suggests i need to push it on a bit on the bike especailly.

metal dog

WEEK 17 (w/e 9/5)


Monday - 'rest' day - took an opportunity to tackle some remedial garden maintenance issues, bloody stuff keeps growing;)

Tuesday - run in the pm - 1 hour z2, with 4x (6 mins z4, 3mins jog). Missed my usual swim cos i had a meeting.

Wed - swam at lunchtime -2400m total - 200 wup, 5x400m with 30 secs rest, 200 easy. Usual brick in the evening 45 mins turbo, 30 mins easy run.

Thursday - run -one hour was supposed to have some z4 in there but my legs were a bit niggly so held back. Swim with the club, 1950 total .400 wup, 6x75 kick, 5x200 pull off 3:40, 100 easy, 25m sprint. This was a bit short.

Friday - supposed to swim at lunchtime but pool closed. Turbo in the pm, 1 hour 15 with 4x5 mins z4ish.

Saturday am. Did a long brick from the NAC, 4 hours bike. Knew straight away that it was not gonna be my morning, maybe i had stayed up too late or it was the turbo the night before but i suffered all the way out the road to Slane. Very blustery. Almost chucked my bike in the ditch on the road to Ardee. The plan had been to try to work on the tri bars now that i have the stem and position sorted but it was so blustery i didnt feel confident enough. Better on the way back but still didnt have the confidence on the bars. Scumbags in souped up cars overtaking each other at accident blackspots didnt help. Then 30 mins off the bike which actually felt fine, i am feeling quite good about running off the bike at this stage.

Sunday - Cycled out to Howth in the am (1hour 15) - I took advantage of the bike path to try to build up confidence on the bars and felt a lot better for it after. Also managed to go up and down howth without getting out of the saddle which i know is not the fastest way to to do it and a bit sad but pretty sure i could not have done that 4 monhts ago:) I guess you have to take the small wins along the way.

Later on Mr. Fink took pity and only required a 1:15 run which was just as well as i left to too close to lunch and was pretty uncomfortable for the whole thing.

Totals - swim 2:00 Bike 7:15 Run 4:15

Thougths Need to watch the swim, no point in getting complacent about it. Also thinking about swopping some of the runs for more bike, partly to build up the bike but also as I am getting quite a few leg twinges. And i need to smooth out the setbacks with the positives and try to stay upbeat overall. Writing it all down at the end of the week helps.

metal dog

WEEK 18 (w/e 16/5)

This week was a bit restricted because I was helping out at the club tri (Fingal sprint)

Monday - rest

Tuesday - run one hour z2, masters swim 2350m total - 350wup, 16x25m off 30secs wup, 5x100 off 1:40 coming in under 1:30, 50 easy, 5x100 off 2:00 coming in under 1:25, 50 easy, 5x100 off 2:00 breathing every 2,4,6 strokes (this was quite hard)

Wed - if it is wed the it must be the usual turbo brick - 45 mins turbo, 30 mins run. tried to stay on the bars for most of this just to get used to the position (although my real problem is balance to be honest)

Thursday - run one hour at z2 - no z4, just a bit nervous about twinges in my legs.

Swim with the club later - 2500m 300wup,, 4x75 kick, then a pyramid of 2x100 off 1:45, 2x200 of 3:30, 2x300 off 5:15, and back down, 100 easy

Friday - swim at lunchtime - straight 3k - not so sure on the time, a bit under 50 mins anyway.

In the pm same problem as a forthnight ago with rain on the turbo outside - only got 30 mins and 5 mins z4 done instead of 1:15 and 5x5mins z4.

Saturday - little over 4 hours bike, 30 mins run. Went out over Howth and then did laps of Bayside, Malahide, Clare Hall - plenty of gusts of wind along the coast so maybe like Copenhagen, then rushed off to help set up for the club tri.

Sunday - up early at the tri until after lunchtime, I was dreading having to do a run after being on my feet all morning but in the end it wasnt too bad - 1.5 hour easy run

Totals swim 3:00, run 4:30, bike 5:15

Thoughts missed a second bike session at the weekend because of the tri but at least I got the main swim, bike and run session in and actually was quite pleased that i was able for the run after all the standing around, which probably suggests i am building up some endurance after all. Lots of comments on the weight loss now - my suits are getting pretty baggy. No point in buying any clothers this year, they probably wont fit in 12 months

griffin100

Lots of comments on the weight loss now - my suits are getting pretty baggy. No point in buying any clothers this year, they probably wont fit in 12 months

Ha tell me about it. I have a wardrobe full of suits that no longer fit me but I'm too scared to throw out because they costs too much and what will I do if I get fat again......:D

I actually have one suit that I bought at the start of IM training and a when I went to wear it for the first time a few weeks into IM training it no longer fit me:o

metal dog

WEEK 19 (w/e 23/5)

Starting to plan ahead now for the peak phase, and trying to figure out what combination of long rides, 100 mile rides, long bricks, 'big days/race simulations' etc; to do. To be honest I do not trust Fink entirely on this - he only has one 6hr bike, after a few 5hrs - so he works it up very gradually . That might be ok if you were confident of 30kph + but i am unlikely to hold anything like that over that length of time, so a 5 hour ride for me might at best only be 130/140 k, whereas I think i need to have done 160k or more in training. I have been looking at some other plans, blogs etc and think I need to get at least 3x100 mile bikes in. I do like that Fink follows all of the long bikes with a run. This has been working out for me and seems to be widely recommended. I also definitely want to get 2 big day/race simulations in i.e. long swim, long bike and long run, with each broken up by a decent rest and some food.

I would be interested in other people's experience of this.....

Monday - rest and went for a massage, my legs were really tired after the weekend

Tuesday - Run One hour , 4x4mins z4, easing back in some z4 after not doing any the week before. Master swim later on 2650m total - 350m wup, 12x50 off 1:00, 2x( 2x200 off 3:30, 4x50 fast off 1:15, 50 easy), 1x200 off 3:30, 4x1:15 fast off 1:15. I felt very tired at the start of this and backed off leading the lane but actually picked up toward the end and led a few of the 200s quite fast.

Wed - One hour high revs turbo, followed by 30 mins run, actually felt great on the run, really coasting along.

Thursday
Since it looked like it was going to be a nice day, I took a half day's leave and did two hours on the bike up and down Howth a few times. Later on went for an open water swim at the Bull Wall with the club, really nice evening for it, water pretty balmy. We did some sighting and drafting drills and a good bit of straight swimming - about an hour in total. Very happy with this.

Friday - bit of a write off training wise - drove down to Cork to go to a friend's 40th birthday party.

Saturday - couldn't find a pool with open lanes to swim in down in Cork so headed back up to Dublin and did 1:30 easy run.

Sunday - Long cycle, met up with one of the guys from the club in the park and did a long cycle out Dunboyne, Trim, Summerhill, Maynooth and then a little bit out to Dunboyne again. Including the bike to and from the park, i clocked 124k and 4:40, which is my longest cycle so far. I went too hard for about an hour before and after Trim and between that and not eating early enough and maybe the weather, i completely blew up for the last hour and limped home. Then I had to do a 30 minute run off the bike which was pretty hard going. Totally wrecked. - had to lie down for an hour or so and drank about a litre of cidona.:o

Totals Swim 2:00 Run 3:30 Bike 7:40

Thoughts Long bike and run on Sunday was pretty sobering and learned a few hard lessons, There is going to more of this for the next 8 or 9 weeks, and I just hope that it all comes together.

Iron Enthusiast

Great work MD, sounds like your getting into your stride now. I'm following the DF plan as well and did a 4 hour bike on Saturday followed by a run. Like you I was really feeling the heat by the end of the cycle, reckon it may have been down to just not replacing the electrolytes and water I was loosing fast enough. Also don;t forget that you have a full weeks training on your legs by the time you did your weekend LSR and Long bike. Keep up the goods work!:pac:

griffin100

Seems like you're pretty much spot on with Finks competitive plan - I on the other hand seem to be closer to the intermediate programme at the minute :rolleyes:

I think I've said it before but I agree that the single 6hr bike ride in the plan seems a bit light, but there are 4 or 5 5hr plus rides. I think the main thing is to get as many rides of 5hrs plus in that you can. From what I've read around 130kms seems to be the point when a lot of riders start to suffer so I want to get to this point a few times. I seem to be able to hold 30kph in training up to 4hrs at least so hopefully the 5hr rides will bring me close to 150kms. I am hoping to get the full distance done 2-3 times by race day. I am planning to do the W200 and hopefully 2 x 6hr rides in training.

On the brick thing I've never really done many of the short midweek ones and I've dropped them completely now. I think the runs off the long bike that Fink requires seem a bit light, no one is longer than 1hr. My plan is to try and get a few 'HIM bricks' done before IM day. I've done one HIM race, and earlier this week did a 100kms bike / 15kms run brick. Personally its important that I understand what my legs are going to feel like after 6+hrs on the bike and 2+hrs on the road. I am doing the runs in these sessions at a slow steady pace (9 min / mile) to minimise impact on my body and hopefull minimise the risk of injury. Another reason for the long runs is that Fink is short on the long (2+hrs) runs so I want to try and get a couple of extra runs in here too.

The good think about bonking on the bike is that you now know what it feels like and you wont let it happen again:D On my long bricks and bike sessions now I am trying to eat close to what I expect I will be eating on race day. I'm heavy so I go for a gel every 30-35 mins and 500 mls of energy drink every hr approx - makes long rides expensive at €2 per gel.

RedB

griffin100 wrote: »

I go for a gel every 30-35 mins and 500 mls of energy drink every hr approx - makes long rides expensive at €2 per gel.

Good thread going here lads - I've been respectfully lurking for a good while. Keep up the good work.

griffin100, do you find it any bother taking on the gels / energy drink that often or is it something you've trained yourself to do? I find it unpleasant to take on more than 1 gel or energy drink. I bought a box of gels on Wiggle so they work out cheaper that way but I can't get them down me that often

metal dog

griffin100 wrote: »

S
The good think about bonking on the bike is that you now know what it feels like and you wont let it happen again:D On my long bricks and bike sessions now I am trying to eat close to what I expect I will be eating on race day. I'm heavy so I go for a gel every 30-35 mins and 500 mls of energy drink every hr approx - makes long rides expensive at €2 per gel.

hope so - i have 5 hours scheduled for tomorrow on the bike, and still have to go out this evening and do a long run:(