Chasing the Kona dream and a Mai Tai cocktail

nomadic

It averaged 41 for the race. Nice to meet you. It was a cracking day for a race.

kennyb3

Dude totally get where you are coming from but i think its easier to step outside and look in.

Like why do one race and give yourself an itch to do more? I dont see what today would of added to your training? What i mean is sitting in a bunch on a flat course is generally handy enough (today excused) and unless your doing stints on the front you wont give you much of a workout (lumen did a show of watts for 29 km/ph on your own v's 39km/ph in a bunch and it was the same). Bunch racing involves short anaerobic 2-3 min bursts attempting breaks. All stuff that is the exact opposite of what you are trying to achieve - long steady paced effort. I'd suggest if you are going to race find a hilly course at least that might be a decent workout.

As it turns out you prob got that anyway on your own today. But again a long TT the day after your long bike???

Id be of the opinion though if you wanna race get the ironman done and race the second half of the season.

On the headwind thing - plenty of times dude but you just gotta gear down and spin and go on hr rather than cane yourself. I dont think it was particularly windy by irish standards yesterday though so i was thinking you were more struggling mentally more than anything. Over training doesnt have to be physical it can be mental too.

The other thing id ask you is what you see for the future? Do you wanna get into bike races or run fast marathons? or focus on tri? You seem to be doing trying to do everything and im sure plenty of lads will tell you you ll end up burnt out.

Definitely get your ironman in the bag and have some fun after.

Regards myself - managed an hour very easy cycle today - be another week before i can turn a big gear. More torture tuesday night from the physio.

Fair play on giving it a go today. Harsh lesson - happened me the first race i ever tried - club league race put in too high a group and dropped after 10k. You deffo need to be high up the group to survive or you ll end up sprinting out of every corner and killing yourself.

dare2be

Seems as though the race had A3 riders in it today as well JB which would have made the pace quite hot. A dedicated A4 race may have suited you more although it seems you have to learn the hard painful way in road races.

Kenny talks a lot of sense above. Quality over quantity

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

kennyb3 wrote: »

Dude totally get where you are coming from but i think its easier to step outside and look in.
As always KB appreciate comments positive/negative i take it all on board.

Like why do one race and give yourself an itch to do more? I dont see what today would of added to your training?
After today i don't have the itch to return to road racing this year any way, who knows for next year i will wait and see. I do not have that explosive speed to react to a break or make a break of my own but that comes with different training. I think i am a steady grinder at the longer distances which tbh is what my training is all about.....going long. In terms of what i got out of today a good workout but nothing relative to the pace i will be holding on IM race day.
This IM training lark can be and is at times a long road sometimes it is nice just to try something different once in a while. God forbid if something happened in IM and i DNF i would be pissed i have not enjoyed some weekends along the way. I think it was Gringo posting in MCOS log that got me thinking about it more.
What i mean is sitting in a bunch on a flat course is generally handy enough (today excused) and unless your doing stints on the front you wont give you much of a workout (lumen did a show of watts for 29 km/ph on your own v's 39km/ph in a bunch and it was the same). Bunch racing involves short anaerobic 2-3 min bursts attempting breaks. All stuff that is the exact opposite of what you are trying to achieve - long steady paced effort. I'd suggest if you are going to race find a hilly course at least that might be a decent workout.
Shocked to see the difference is so big i thought it would be more like 4/5kpmh, on that basis i avg 44kpmh today on my own:) I hear you on everything else it is the opposite on what i am training for but sometimes it is nice to step outside and try something different and support the local club in some way.

As it turns out you prob got that anyway on your own today. But again a long TT the day after your long bike??? Ah i was not all out tt for the whole spin KB i am not that mad otherwise the hr would be in the 160's. Short bursts sort of 10 mins off 10 mins on.

Id be of the opinion though if you wanna race get the ironman done and race the second half of the season.

On the headwind thing - plenty of times dude but you just gotta gear down and spin and go on hr rather than cane yourself. I dont think it was particularly windy by irish standards yesterday though so i was thinking you were more struggling mentally more than anything. Over training doesnt have to be physical it can be mental too.

The other thing id ask you is what you see for the future? Do you wanna get into bike races or run fast marathons? or focus on tri? You seem to be doing trying to do everything and im sure plenty of lads will tell you you ll end up burnt out.

Definitely get your ironman in the bag and have some fun after.
Ironman for this year although i do not think i would have the time year on year to commit the time involved for IM distance. I like running/cycling and hate swimming so i am not so sure on following tri although i think the half IM's may suit me given the swim is a relatively easy distance....i will let you know after the half in 6 weeks:) I am probably suffering from new found fitness a bit like a kid in a sweet shop trying everything out.

Regards myself - managed an hour very easy cycle today - be another week before i can turn a big gear. More torture tuesday night from the physio.
Good to hear you are on the mend do not come back too soon another few days off may do you the world of good.

Fair play on giving it a go today. Harsh lesson - happened me the first race i ever tried - club league race put in too high a group and dropped after 10k. You deffo need to be high up the group to survive or you ll end up sprinting out of every corner and killing yourself.
Darn right KB i was very niave, near impossible to get back on when the gap opens up.

Thanks KB for taking the time to post in detail i hope my reply does not come across as dismissing everything you say just trying to give my own spin on it. I know it is my first year and other IMers would probably frown upon my approach but i want to enjoy myself along the way otherwise what is the point.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

nomadic wrote: »

It averaged 41 for the race. Nice to meet you. It was a cracking day for a race.

How did you finish up? 41 is a pretty good average for a3/a4

nomadic

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

How did you finish up? 41 is a pretty good average for a3/a4

Just in the bunch. A break went clear with about a lap and a half left while i was hiding in the bunch. I tried a bit of work to get them back but the chase never got organised. I got my summer tan started though.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

nomadic wrote: »

Just in the bunch. A break went clear with about a lap and a half left while i was hiding in the bunch. I tried a bit of work to get them back but the chase never got organised. I got my summer tan started though.

Yeah the tan lines are unreal and only showing up the last few hours:) It was warm out there today could have done with the 2nd bottle cage on. Good to meet you.

Macanri

Hey JB, I have been following the log as always, and am glad to see you are getting some good training in.

This is not very articulate, but bear with me. I was going to post a few weeks ago when KB3 was advising about not doing some other race (can't remember what one (or ones!)). Anyway, I thought then that the advice you were given was solid advice - not just from KB3, but from others also (can't remember who). And you acted on that advice, which was good to see.

Ok, so why am I posting? Well, I felt like saying then - and still feel like saying now, that this general advice given in this and in most other logs is great and is a real benefit of having a training log here on Boards ART. People are posting their advice as they are trying to help their fellow sportsmen/women. Some times the advice is good, sometimes the advice is not so good and sometimes the advice is very good. How do you know what advice you're getting? Well, I'm not sure, but at the end of the day you have to take that advice on board and decide if it's the right advice for you.

I hear what you are saying about enjoying other things whilst still doing all the other training for the IM. My advice would be to look at where in the overall IM plan these 'other things' are fitting in; and also looking at where they are fitting in, in relation to a block of training and even a week of training. For example, I can see KBs point about doing a fairly heavy 'race' after doing a long bike the day before. Surely most plans would have something 'easier' the next day, or a different discipline. Maybe doing the race didn't take away from your recovery from the long bike, but it could do on a different day.

So, no real advice from me - I would not be the most experienced, but I just wanted to say what I think is a definite positive of these logs - advice.

I sincerely wish you all the best with the rest of your IM training (as I'm sure all posting in here do too), and I will continue to check in and see how its all going for you; and read on in amazement at the effort and time spent swimming, biking and running. The work has been astronomical so far, keep it up.

All the best,
Mac.

kennyb3

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

Thanks KB for taking the time to post in detail i hope my reply does not come across as dismissing everything you say just trying to give my own spin on it. I know it is my first year and other IMers would probably frown upon my approach but i want to enjoy myself along the way otherwise what is the point.

No worries dude, i hate to sound so negative esp when i know myself id never have the time or commitment to do what your doing. But i definitely think a plan is the way to go. Train smart and save time for the rest of your life - esp with a wife, kids and so on.

I think mac articulates well in paragraph 4 what im trying to say. And i do get the whole fun thing but i think there has to be a balance - we all wanna enjoy it but we also wanna achieve to the best we can.

Training itself should be fun. I dont know about others but i can honestly say there isnt a day i dont enjoy being on my bike - rain and headwind, 1hr or 5hrs and i still love it. As i said in that respect make sure your sleeping enough and not mentally burnt out.

As Mac says its good to try look out for each other. I hammer in and out of work too often myself and am well guilty of ignoring my own advice too.:D

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Cheers Mac/KB appreciate the feedback and you both raise some valid points. In particular no plan on earth would have a hard/threshold bike after a long bike the day before. I just find my recovery from the cycling is very quick, the running on the other hand:)

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Week 21 Summary
04th Apr - 10th April|# sessions|Time hh:mm|Distance kms
Total|14|19:27|428.25km
Swimming|3|3:12|8.85km
Cycling|6|12:52|390km
Running|4|2:23|29.4km
Conditioning|1|60:00|Strengthening Work/Core - Gym
Other|0|0:00|


Totals so far
15th Nov- 10th April|# sessions|Time hh:mm|Distance kms
Total|242|277:20|4848.95km
Swimming|49|46:51|136.45km
Cycling|75|126:24|3767.3km
Running|96|86:05|945.2km
Conditioning|16|14:30|Strengthening Work - Gym
Other|6|3:30|Swim coaching


Really happy with how the week went overall and that the body held up very well with the volume. Stand out session for me funnily enough ended up being the bike ride yesterday, happy with the workout and the weather was cracking.
I need to get the diet back on track a little as i put on 2kg over the last few weeks and i am back up to 69kg. Not so concerned as i was looking a bit gaunt looking at 66/67kg. I am probably building a bit more muscle as i still have a daily calorie defecit and i have noticed the leg muscles filling out with all the cycling i am doing.

All focus shifts towards the London Marathon this weekend. I feel stronger and fitter from Barca 5 weeks ago so looking to have a good race and another pb. The plan this week will be 2 easy swims (1 OW), 2 easy bikes (an hour or less) and 2 easy runs.
Once London is out of the way i will have 11 weeks training left for IM and a 4 week taper:eek:

Macanri

Open Water swim already, brrrr. Where are you going to do that?

Tip: wear 2 (maybe even 3) swim hats - it will be cold.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Macanri wrote: »

Open Water swim already, brrrr. Where are you going to do that?

Tip: wear 2 (maybe even 3) swim hats - it will be cold.

It cannot be much worse than the OW swim i done in Lahinch in Feb:eek: Now that was cold!! Not sure where i am going to do it but i heard there is a decent lake up around Ardee somewhere which may suit. Given the fact the IM is a lake swim i may as well mirror that in my training.

Brianderunner

Easy does it now this week, it would be an awful shame if you picked up a late injury and you had to give your London race number to someone else The charity money would find a good home don't worry.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Brianderunner wrote: »

Easy does it now this week, it would be an awful shame if you picked up a late injury and you had to give your London race number to someone else The charity money would find a good home don't worry.

Even worse it would be terrible if i could not have a good go at someones PB:p You better get that sniper rifle out:)

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Monday
Rest Day

Tuesday
Club Run - 30 min easy session on my own
Left the interval stuff alone tonight and did a handy 3km warm up, 2km at MP which felt very handy tbh and i had to pull the pace back a bit followed by a 1.1km wd to bring me up to 30 minutes.
Legs feel great and i cannot wait for the weekend. JB Junior finished 1st and 2nd in his races tonight:)
Distance: 6.1km
Time: 30 mins
Pace: 4.55km/7.54mile
HR: 160/173

shotgunmcos

Whats the plan for London JB? Well done giving the bike racing a go. Good stuff from JB junior too. Its all going on. Can be harder to keep the eye on the ball with the season opening up and so much going on eh!

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Whats the plan for London JB? Well done giving the bike racing a go. Good stuff from JB junior too. Its all going on. Can be harder to keep the eye on the ball with the season opening up and so much going on eh!

I plan to go out for a sub 3:10 attempt and head off at around 4:27km pace, essentially 14 secs per km quicker than Barcelona. I am feeling strong and given it is my B race for the year i want to do my best and get a GFA entry next year.
Barcelona caught me on the hop and gave me a huge confidence boost. Some may say aiming for 10 minutes off the PB could be to big an ask but i did finish strong in Barca along with a decent neg split and with a decent hr.
Junior is flying and it is great to see him getting involved at a young age. Your right about so much going on, i feel like i am spinning plates in the air between family/work/training. Sure i have the half IM in 6 weeks time after London...there is no letup:)
Well done again on Conn i was checking the results and i started from the top down knowing full well you would be close to the 3hr mark as the writing was on the wall with the training you are putting in.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Jeez you do not log any training in two days and you nearly find yourself on page 5:D

Wednesday
Lunchtime Swim
Decided to skip the early swim and get as much sleep in as possible. Quick session and was not really into to it tbh.
Distance: 1.8km
Time: 45 mins
Evening Bike
Skipped this, how could i resist an offer from my two eldest boys to go see Rio in the pictures:) A large bucket of popcorn was enjoyed and some jelly babies!!

Thursday
Lunchtime Bike
Bloody garmin died after a few minutes. Took it handy and i think the loop i took is around 25km. Legs felt very good.
Distance: 25km & 7km commute
Time: 50 minutes

Evening Club Run
Just took it easy on my own again tonight. 7km in total and had to keep looking at the watch to keep it at a sensible pace. Lots of well wishes and advice from some of the seasoned marathoners in the club.
Distance: 7:05km
Time: 34:20
Pace: 4:52km/7.50mile
HR: 164/180 slightly worried it is this high:eek:

Well that's me until after London apart from another easy swim tomorrow. Cannot wait for the weekend, flying out with Mrs JB on the Saturday morning, expo, nice dinner and an early night followed by a sub 3.10 marathon and then followed by some serious rehydration.......well that's the plan.

Abhainn

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

I plan to go out for a sub 3:10 attempt and head off at around 4:27km pace, essentially 14 secs per km quicker than Barcelona. I am feeling strong and given it is my B race for the year i want to do my best and get a GFA entry next year.
Barcelona caught me on the hop and gave me a huge confidence boost. Some may say aiming for 10 minutes off the PB could be to big an ask but i did finish strong in Barca along with a decent neg split and with a decent hr.

You might surprise yourself and do a MCOS on it:D
London is flat and fast and the crowds are supposed to be fantastic.
Ensure you drink at every water station, it may be warm towards the end.
See you after. Good luck

catweazle

best of luck Jacky

menoscemo

Best of luck on sunday JB. Very ballsy of you to announce a 3:10 attempt, but then that's poker players for you.

kennyb3

Best of luck Sunday dude

Izoard

Best of luck with it JB...set my PB in London many moons ago - great course.

As I was reading the other thread that popped up about "Can I do an IM after doing a marathon (on no training)", I was thinking about your efforts in prep for an IM as your first tri - it goes to show, if you have the raw materials and the right focus, you can nail the distance in a great time.

Inspiring.

shotgunmcos

Hope you have a great run in London JB. Looking forward to the report

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Abhainn wrote: »

You might surprise yourself and do a MCOS on it:D
London is flat and fast and the crowds are supposed to be fantastic.
Ensure you drink at every water station, it may be warm towards the end.
See you after. Good luck

I will stop you right there not a chance i will run a sub 3:p i will be hard pushed to do the 3.10.

menoscemo wrote: »

Best of luck on sunday JB. Very ballsy of you to announce a 3:10 attempt, but then that's poker players for you.

Just conditioning my mind to go out and do it as i think the fitness levels are up to it. Could go with the safer 3.15 attempt but whats the point. If i can get 3.10 i will seriously consider a proper marathon training plan next year for a good crack at a sub 3hr...never thought i would say those words:eek:
Sure where would i get the time to play poker now.....retired from the game at this stage.

Izoard wrote: »

Best of luck with it JB...set my PB in London many moons ago - great course.

As I was reading the other thread that popped up about "Can I do an IM after doing a marathon (on no training)", I was thinking about your efforts in prep for an IM as your first tri - it goes to show, if you have the raw materials and the right focus, you can nail the distance in a great time.

Inspiring.

Yeah i just cannot understand why someone would try do an IM without preparing for it or anything for that matter!! Suffering for the guts of 17 hours does not sound appealing and a bit pointless although everyone is different.

Father witnessed a horrible cycling fatality this morning in Belfast and is real shook up, not something i would ever like to experience. Be careful on your bikes lads and lassies as something like this brings home how dangerous and vunerable we can be on the bike at times.
News report

Brianderunner

Time until detonation; 48 hours and counting

I should be on the embankment at 24/25 miles to see the fireworks

Joking aside, best of luck Sunday and see you afterwards. Enjoy the experience.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Brianderunner wrote: »

Time until detonation; 48 hours and counting

I should be on the embankment at 24/25 miles to see the fireworks

Joking aside, best of luck Sunday and see you afterwards. Enjoy the experience.

Lol, the fireworks may have gone off at mile 22. If i get to 24/25 mile and i am on target only a sniper will stop me:p See you after the race Brian.

dermCu

Best of luck on Sunday. Nail it.
I was at the expo last night. Its a big old beast. It got the nerves going a little bit. Hopefully I'll see you afterwards.

griffin100

Best of luck the weekend JB.