140.6 deep breaths...

shotgunmcos

Goals should be a challenge, a stretch of your ability, a journey of self discovery rooted in your values. They must also be realistic and achievable with focus, discipline and hard work. For the most part and importantly, fun too! My 2011 goals encapsulate, for me, all of the above.

#1 Complete an Ironman Distance Triathlon – A Goal
Quelle Challenge Roth, Bavaria, Germany, July 10 2011 (entered)

This is the biggie. It is the horizon that my mind’s eye has gazed at since I started triathlon in 2009 I had learned to swim the previous winter and although the Iron Distance fascinated me, I really believed it was beyond me. Just finishing a 3.8km swim was a mountain to me let alone a 180km cycle and a Marathon afterwards! I’ve learned a lot in a short space of time, most importantly that you get out of this sport what you put in. This log will mainly concentrate on how I cope with the focus, discipline and hard work that is required to become an Ironman in a busy life.


#2 Run a Marathon in under 3 hours – B Goal
Berlin Marathon, Germany, September 25 2011 (not entered yet)

This one is a stretch. It would require knocking about half an hour off my 3:27 personal best. I’ll have a 10 week block of Marathon specific training and speed work to get me in shape to have a go at least :cool: Ambitious perhaps, but if I complete Goal #1, I won’t be too hard on myself if my best effort doesn’t cut it. First things first… the Ironman!


Going Long…
Going long a couple of years earlier than originally planned worried me enough to put it all under the scope in the last few weeks. Creating the plan was like swatting for an exam and it’s almost complete. I’ve based the pattern loosely on Don Fink’s competitive programme with my own tweaks. 20 weeks base training employing a progressive pattern and addressing my limiters early. 12 weeks of progressive IM specific training starting March 22nd and a 4 week taper block. It probably a long base period but my key limiters in both the bike and run is base fitness, extensive aerobic... whatever you want to call it.

Swimming
I’ve worked hard at it this year and feel generally happy with the progress. Building the distance won’t be the problem but staying efficient and maintaining stroke length for the distance is paramount. My training focus is on technique/drills and long sets with stroke focus.

Cycling
I’m confident with general strength. Good roads and long straights suit me but I need to work on power/weight ratio and maintaining a good cadence for hills. My main focus is on extensive endurance. I have rarely cycled for longer than 2 hours so like most training for an IM, the long bike is the key session of the whole programme. I’ll incorporate some progressive lower end FTP work too but building to a 5-6 hour bike without cardiac drift is fundamental.

Running
My biggest limiters are base endurance and cadence. Basically after 60-70 mins running I have significant cardiac drift or if I maintain a capped heart rate my pace can drop dramatically (up to 30sec per km). This is largely due to how I ran the 3 Marathons I did before I found Triathlon. Like many novices I had no experience of road races so all training consisted of predominantly chasing times in the dead zone between base and threshold. As a result I rely on my glycogen store all of the time and feed it with far too much sugar in my diet. The plan is to convert the sugar burning furnace into a fat burning efficient engine! In terms of cadence has been a case of plod, plod, at 150spm L Over striding and I expect my legs to hit a pace off the bike?! Speed work will not be a focus but developing my cadence will undoubtedly increase the speed I can hold for certain zones. Cadence checks will be a key feature of the 2 key run sessions each week. The LSR and the transition run.

The 36 week IM programme kicks off on Nov 01. I have the fun job of pacing the 4 hour group at the Dublin Marathon before then. I also promised myself after the horrid recent return to the pool that I’d never go more than 2 weeks without swimming again!

I started my first boards’ log the same day I started my Thursday night group swims. It was the start of my Tri journey then. As the Swim groups starts back this evening I figured it to be apt time for a new log. Last time the session kicked off with a TT to sort us into lanes. I presume more of the same tonight…

Deep Breath ... Roll on 2011

PS (just in case) 140.6 = 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run..

RayCun

Cool, should be an interesting thread... and I'll see you in the Dublin pace group.

catweazle

Jaysus you dont take much of a break Shotgun

Good luck with this, I will enjoy this log....no time goals written down I see but I would guess the mental time will be ambitious

mloc123

shotgunmcos wrote: »

In terms of cadence has been a case of plod, plod, at 150spm. Over striding and I expect my legs to hit a pace off the bike?!

This is something I worked on last winter, to track cadence I would cout steps for 20seconds every 5 minutes in my runs... problem I found was that I could easily 'cheat' for those 20 seconds and slack off in between. A footpod for your garmin might help keep this honest, but at €80 it seems like bad value to me.

Will be keeping an eye on this log, you have done a couple of HIMs already?

RedB

The sub3 will be a big target. Best of luck with the training and the log. No doubt it'll continue to be inspirational!

metamorphosis

THis is going to be a fun log. Best of luck.

MrCreosote

Dude, that wasn't much of a break!!

Great stuff though. I had an inkling you might be going long next year. I've heard Roth is fantastic too-sounds like a nice choice.

ronanmac

Some seriously impressive goals. Best of luck with them, and I look forward to keeping up to date with your progress.

PS Thanks for explaining the 140.6

asimonov

good stuff mcos...no better man to write down the goals. You have plenty of time to get to sub3 and after the intensity of the IM training it might come easier than you think. best of luck.

griffin100

#1 Complete an Ironman Distance Triathlon – A Goal

Quelle Challenge Roth, Bavaria, Germany, July 10 2011 (entered)

This is the biggie. It is the horizon that my mind’s eye has gazed at since I started triathlon in 2009 I had learned to swim the previous winter and although the Iron Distance fascinated me, I really believed it was beyond me. Just finishing a 3.8km swim was a mountain to me let alone a 180km cycle and a Marathon afterwards! I’ve learned a lot in a short space of time, most importantly that you get out of this sport what you put in. This log will mainly concentrate on how I cope with the focus, discipline and hard work that is required to become an Ironman in a busy life.

It's not enough to say you're gonna do it, you could probably get around now on your current fitness levels.........give us a predicted time:)

Looking forward to this log already.

Izoard

Quelle surprise!:D

Great stuff...as griffin says, you could complete an IM with your eyes closed at this stage..very interested to hear your "real" goal as you progress.

All the best with it.

shotgunmcos

Manu thanks all

mloc123 wrote: »

This is something I worked on last winter, to track cadence I would cout steps for 20seconds every 5 minutes in my runs... problem I found was that I could easily 'cheat' for those 20 seconds and slack off in between. A footpod for your garmin might help keep this honest, but at €80 it seems like bad value to me.

Will be keeping an eye on this log, you have done a couple of HIMs already?

I did Kenmare at the end of my rookie season and ended up in the back of the ambulance. Otherwise had fun! Nope, no other HIMs which was a worry. Life situations juct meant bringing the IM goal forward. I'm not done with OD distance by any means. The long one just had a greater appeal than targetting faster times next year.

I get what you mean about the cadence checks. Because you are suddenly counting you tend to speed it up a notch. I take a check for 30 secs 4 times on a long run. The best I've managed so far is holding 170 up to 75 mins but then along with my pace it dropps to 162-164 by 90 mins. I'll build it like everything else.

griffin100 wrote: »

It's not enough to say you're gonna do it, you could probably get around now on your current fitness levels.........give us a predicted time:)

Looking forward to this log already.

@Izoard too
Cheers, yeah I know you and others would expect me to have a time in mind but I really don't. I'm not letting myself get sucked into that for a while. Of course I'll have some target splits eventually but this is a venture into the unknown for me so I'll hold off a while to see how my body adapts to the longer stuff. I have a lot to learn about nutrition in particular. Right now I just want to finish!

shotgunmcos

Training

I took a couple of weeks off after the Budapest experience and except for a long jog it was nada... Catching up on social life! I've recently got the wheels in motion with running at least as I am one of the Pacers again at this year's Dublin Marathon. Myself and --amadeus-- had a blast doing this last year so I'm really looking forward to it now. I hit the pool on Monday morning and the Coach lobbed me into the fast lane. In short, I struggled and was lapped by the lot.

Tuesday PM: PMP run
I met a group of sub4 hopefuls at the Arena for a PMP (pacer pace) run. It was a lovely cool evening with no wind, super conditions for running. Leading 5 women around the city drew lots of attention also
The Plan
1:20 at 5:40/km (4 hour pace)
Actual
1:31 at 5:39/km (spot on 3:59 pace)

It was a little longer than anticipated as the girls elected unanimously for a more scenic route than the out and back I had planned. We covered 16.14 km and the chat made it fly by. 1 girl developed a blister early on and another needed a loo but in true pacer fashion I didn't slow down or stop for them. Yes I felt a bit bad for it but they knew the score from the off. Overall a very good medium length PMP run and a confidence boost for the girls. Average heart rate was 134 which I was happy about. Last year for the Marathon pacing my average heart rate was 150 for the first 90 mins. It must mean I'm fitter!


Wednesday PM: Easy Bike
The plan
1:00 easy on the turbo after work to spin the legs out
Actual
1:09 on the road. Average heart rate 141, pace 31.5kmh, distance 36.26km

I managed to get out of work early enough for once to enjoy the last hour of daylight on a lovely cool evening once again. It actually felt a little chilly so I put on a base layer, cycling top and jacket. The sweat was dripping off my helmet onto the tip of my nose! I like this course as it’s where I do my TT efforts during race season. No real hills but there are a few testing drags. I just wanted to pedal at 90spm but this even felt laboured on these drags. The legs felt a little heavy and lazy. It was well into dusk by the time I got home so this may have been my last evening spin on this course. It’s just too dangerous in the dark.

Eating

I’m starting to sport a little tyre around the mid section so it is indeed time to ease back into it. I have a serious sweet tooth and am a chocoholic. I’m not kidding. Last Monday I had 2 dark chocolate bounty bars at 4pm in work. When I got home around 6 I was peckish so had 2 bowls of cornflakes and later that night 16 digestives with nutella smeared on each! Multiply that kind of behaviour by 3 weeks and you get the idea of the tyre I mentioned Aha but by next summer I’ll be sporting toned abs instead. I just need to HTFU about diet discipline. I have made so many fruitless (excuse the pun) attempts. I’m giving myself until Nov 1 to wean myself of the excesses. Its not that I don’t eat well in general, in fact I eat enough protein, vegetables and fruit so that I don’t have to supplement the diet. It’s just dealing with the sugar cravings… The base training should help as the intense stuff demands the quick fixes much more.

Izoard

Man, I now have to go back and worry about the A/R/T challenge for 2010 again...:)

christeb

Nice intro - I'll see you under the balloon in 3+ weeks

misty floyd

Great stuff MCOS, I'll enjoy this one. Best of luck with everything.

Abhainn

Nice one. I knew it would be sooner rather than later when you would be signing up for the long one. Roth seems a great event.
Any B races lined up yet before the big one?

Aiming for sub 3 in 10 weeks after Roth would seem challenging. The fast course of Amsterdam in mid Oct would give you anb extra 3 weeks prep. Worth thinking about.

shotgunmcos

Izoard wrote: »

Man, I now have to go back and worry about the A/R/T challenge for 2010 again...:)

I reckon you have it sown up man, unless we get some mega update from someone.

Abhainn wrote: »

Any B races lined up yet before the big one?

Aiming for sub 3 in 10 weeks after Roth would seem challenging. The fast course of Amsterdam in mid Oct would give you anb extra 3 weeks prep. Worth thinking about.

Thanks Abhainn, I hadn't thought about A'dam. I guess Berlin is one I 've had on my mind for a while but that extra 3 weeks is worth thinking about for sure. Nice tip man As for B races. Waterford half Marathon in December just to replace an LSR but also to set a benchmark. I'll do another half then before the Autumn Marathon in 2011 with some speedwork behind it and see what progress I have made. I know I'll need to be in the ballpark of 1:25 for a half for a decent crack at sub 3... Gulp! The Waterford half will bne an indication as to the size of that particular Mountain. For Triathlon I'll do an early HIM and an Olympic this side of the IM. Oh and I've pencilled in the W200 too but I won't be stopping for tea and sandwiches this time

mitresize5

really looking forward to following this log

good luck with it

shotgunmcos

Thursday PM: Swim session in 25m
The TT was just a little sprinty 200m to sort us out. 450m either side warm up and cool down with some breast stroke thrown in. Its still awful but I'm getting there. 2:46 on the TT which is a personal best. Pace 1:23/100m and the stroke didn't fall apart. happy days Session 0:25, dist 1,100m

kennyb3

Great goals there, looking forward to reading the log throughout. How will you go about fitting the long spins in? Up very early? I hope you dont plan a 5 hour turbo

pgibbo

Nice to see that you're going long! Fair play. Best of look on the IM journey and going sub 3.

How will you be pacing / training on the bike? Will you invest in a PM or use HR?

shotgunmcos

kennyb3 wrote: »

Great goals there, looking forward to reading the log throughout. How will you go about fitting the long spins in? Up very early? I hope you dont plan a 5 hour turbo

Good Question kennyb3. This is one of my challenges. I don't have every weekend free so max twice a month I can get out withe the club or an IM training group. For the weekends I can't its turbo. I did one 3 hour turbo earlier this year and wanted to chuck it in the bin afterwards so right now I'm going to have to figure that one out.

pgibbo wrote: »

How will you be pacing / training on the bike? Will you invest in a PM or use HR?

Thanks gibbo. No major investments next year. I'm going to go with what I got. Maybe a new wetsuit but thats it. I definitely won't be shelling out for a PM so its capped HR zones all the way.

shotgunmcos

I went for a swim with the Masters group there at lunch. Its one of my favourite sessions. It conflicts with the keeping everything at base theme as it’s a short but tough session. 40 minutes in and out. Main set is usually about 1.6km and as with today we usually get through 2k with the warm up and cool down. I can't quite hang onto the group in the fast lane in the morning swims yet but this session is definitely the key to getting me there. As our esteemed uber swimmer Interested once advised me. Its sometimes better to suffer in a lane of faster swimmers than lead out a slower lane. Suffering it is too!

The main set was 100m*3, 150m*2, 200m, 100m*5, 150m*2. What’s the difference between swimmers and triathletes? While I was delighted to be hanging onto the their coat tails, hitting 1:25s for the 100s (SC), the girls were doing a mixture of backstroke and sometimes even fly in front of me :eek: They also tumble turn effortlessly without a splash and the efficiency of it takes seconds per length out of the rest of us. Ok, they may not be as quick (thankfully) as they were is their hay day but there is a sense of 'business' about the session that I like. Its always a quality swim. If my stroke can't handle the pace I back off and happily get lapped. What I try to do is swim as hard as I can while still being able to concentrate on my stroke. If I lose control and start just hammering the water chasing feet I A) die very quickly and just reinforce poor technique.

So, this will be the only session of intense effort during the 20 week base period. Its short enough, gives me something to look forward to in work and legs are still fresh for the weekend long sessions

Session 0:40, dist 2,000m

pgibbo

That's an impressive swim session. I know what you mean about ex-swimmers. There were a few of the Limerick Masters crew at the Swim Ireland event last weekend. Man, they're impressive swimmers. :eek:

shotgunmcos

Saturday AM: LSR Z2
The Plan
2:30 Z2 (hr 137 – 155)
Actual
2:31 Z2 average hr 150, max 205 (Garmin went nuts)

Awful run. Conditions were ok, dry and cool. Almost muggy. First 16km were ok and steady. The pace was around 4:40/km but my heart rate was in check so all good. At 20km I began to feel it. The wheels came off shortly after and pace dropped like a stone. Cadence was an encouraging, for me, 170 - 172spm up to 70 mins then dropped to a lazy 160 by 100 mins and I just could not turn over faster. The Garmin was spiking like mad also which was annoying and distracting as I was trying to keep to heart rate. Hamstrings locked up on me early (they had been tight from the start) and it was a real struggle to even get home. Had to stop and stretch them out a couple of times. By 25km I was down to 5:20+ pace. I went over on my ankle on O'Connell St too just to rub salt in. I shuffled up the last hill home like an 80 year old at 5:40 pace. In the end I was happy just to get it done.

Time 2:31
Dist 30.66km
avg pace 4:56/km

0:20 stretching planned for later, or on my lunch break.

The good

· I decided to eat a bagel before the run and brought water with me. I normally do long runs with nothing but that would have been a bad idea this morning..
· I dragged my butt out of bed at 5:30am for this to get it done before work
· First 75 mins were pleasant and had the roads to myself.

The bad

· Stupid Garmin was unreliable for the 2nd half when I needed it most :mad:
· The wheels really came off after 20km and it got progressively worse. My base fitness is terrible.
· Could only hold target cadence for 70 mins then it died dramatically
· The tightness of my hams and calves. Flexibility is shocking!
· 5 hours sleep didn’t help
· 3 LSRs in 2 weeks didn’t help, especially since I haven’t done any all year
· 1:30, 1:50, 2:10, 2:30 was building the long run too quickly but hey I have to stay on my feet for 4 hours in a couple of weeks.

After the DCM I have soooo much work to do on my running if I am to run a Marathon after 6 hours on a saddle!

nomadic

Nice one, best of luck with this.

Hopefully reading about your hard work over the winter will encourage me to do some.

catweazle

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Saturday AM: LSR Z2
The Plan
2:30 Z2 (hr 137 – 155)

What are you heart rate zones Mcos I dont know if I have mine done right at all. Resting is 40 and max I have got it up to is 193.

My garmin gives me Z3 for low 140s running, do I need to be running in the 130s then to be in Z2, christ that will have me out at over 11 minute miles I would guess

shotgunmcos

catweazle wrote: »

What are you heart rate zones Mcos I dont know if I have mine done right at all. Resting is 40 and max I have got it up to is 193.

My garmin gives me Z3 for low 140s running, do I need to be running in the 130s then to be in Z2, christ that will have me out at over 11 minute miles I would guess

Hey Catweazle, the Garmin default settings takes your rest and max to calculate the 5 zones as the simple Z1 50-60%, Z2 60-70%, Z3 70-80% etc...

I first got thinking about the when I read Don Finks book and he and Joe Friel generally agree on zones although Friel is much more scientific about it. Here's JF's Guide to heart rates. He uses LTHR and gives some ideas on how to establish it. This is also similar to LT2 or OBLA (onset of blood lactate), the point at which you are predominantly using the anaerobic system and burning glycogen. You use the aerobic system and anaerobic system togetehr but at lower heart rates the body prioritises the aerobic one and uses it to burn fat efficiently as fuel. As you go over the OBLA the energy demand is too high to burn fat at a quick enough rate for efficient energy needs and the body dives into blood sugar etc.. lots on this in books and articles.

How I established my zones without going to the lab
Running
3km track test all out. Avg heart rate was the benchmark, its also where I have hit my max heart rate outright (191)

Cycling
20 min Turbo all out. Avg heart rate also a benchmark and coincidently where I hit my max bike heart rate outright (183)

For both running and cycling my zones (based on ATHR) are about
Z1 65-70% Max HR
Z2 71-81% Max HR
Z3 82 -86/87%
Z4 86/87 - 90/91%
Z5 90/91% +

So, I'll largely avoid Z3 and Z5 for IM training. Most of the training will be Z1-Z2 for the base period and I'll do some reps at Z4 in the IM build period.

JF also goes into FTP ranges. Functional Threshold Power is the max sustainable power you can produce for an hour. I originally used the 20min avg watts and multiplied by 0.95 for the rough estimate of an hour. But later in the season I did a more sadistic hour all out on the turbo to establish my FTP.

Hope that helps

catweazle

Thanks for that, not a huge range in them between Z2 and Z4. I felt a bit more comfortable that I wasn't wasting my time out today at high 140's/low 150's so. Although I wasnt running in Z2 at 4.40 pace either :eek:

Macanri

Just catching up on the training logs.

Delighted to hear you are going long Mr MCOS, great stuff. I had an inkling after reading some of your posts re the IM distance over the last few months.

The very best wishes for it. You have a great work rate and commitment to training, and a great attitude to boot, and that will all stand to you over the next year.

PS See you in Waterford, please God. I'ld say El D, yourself and myself could end up chasing very similar times for the Half.

I'm going straight to you first log now to see how you ended up in the back of and ambulance after Kenmare, very interesting!

shotgunmcos

4-10 October|# sessions|Time hh:mm|Distance kms
Total|9*|8:26|104.86
Swimming|3|2:10|6.1
Cycling|2|1:39|51.96
Running|2|4:02|46.8
Conditioning|2|0:35|core/stretch

* lots of short easy sessions

Notes: Easing back into things but should be running more frequently. Just 2 weeks to DCM and I'm hoping residual fitness will see me through again.

Sunday was a recovery day, thankfully as I was feeling the effects of the LSR. Just 30 mins Z1 turbo spinning the legs out at 100rpm. Avg heart rate 125. Did some stretching and core afterwards. Hamstrings are like steel rods.

Izoard

Hey MCOS,

Did you get the Roth entry as a regular application or via a travel agent? - seems to be sold out at this point...

shotgunmcos

Izoard wrote: »

Hey MCOS,

Did you get the Roth entry as a regular application or via a travel agent? - seems to be sold out at this point...

I got it as a regular application. Speculative at the time but I figured that I could withdraw if it wasn't to be. There are 200 places going up for it in December too, details on the site and I'm sure you can get there with angencies also.

"...Athletes who have so far missed out have one more chance at an entry in the race—the Nikolaus-Action set for 6 December. At 10am (CEST), race organisers will open online entries for 200 entries for individual starters..."

link: http://www.challenge-roth.com/en/news/newsmeldungen/2010_08_25-1.html

shotgunmcos

Monday AM: Swim session 50m pool
50m*12 with fins and some single arm to warm up
Main set 3*(100m*4/200m) with the 100s off 1:40!!
50m*6 easy choice, 50m*6 fast
100m very easy cool down

One of my lofty ambitions for last season was to be in the Fast Lane by year end. Be careful what you wish for! The Coach lobbed a couple of us in again. The last time we did our own thing and were swallowed up. This time we thought we would try to hang on for the first set of 100s anyway. As it turned out I felt good and hung on to the back of the group, which was pretty strung out, for the whole session. It wasn’t easy though, almost constant swimming. My first time not getting lapped Woohoo I actually got out of bed 10 mins earlier and had a quick bite to eat before the swim. I wonder if that was the difference…
Time 1:06
Dist 3,200m


Monday PM: Easy run with Caz
The Plan
0:40 Z1
Actual
0:46 Z1

Caz has entered the Waterford Half Marathon also so I headed out with her on a smashing evening. Although the Garmin profile elevation makes it look virtually flat, it’s not!
Time 0:46 + 0:15 stretch
Dist 7.77km

--amadeus--

Hey hey!

So you'll be aiming for a Kona qualifying time in Roth then?

Sounds like a great year you have lined up and no time like now, as you say life can get in the way fairly quickly so you need to grab opportunities while you can and with your track record & dedication you'll blitz it, no worries.

I'd def recommend A'Dam as a race to consider for your B goal. It's flat, fast, well organised, not crowded and easy to get to. You only have a week between it and Dublin if you're pacing again but not a major issue I wouldn't have thought. And if you run sub 2:55 you qualify automatically for New York in 2012...

Anyway, best of luck (not that it's needed!)

shotgunmcos

@ --amadeus-- Thanks A, Roth is a Challenge event, Kona only associated with mdot events.

Tuesday PM: PMP Run
I met up with a few sub4 hopefuls again for a lovely run across Limerick bridges with the sun setting. It was a perfect evening albeit a little on the chilly side. The girls were full of beans and I had to constantly rein the enthusiasm back. Average pace was 5:36/km, a tad’ sharper than intended but still close enough to PMP. Encouragingly, my average heart rate was 129 which is much lower than running this pace last year.
Time: 1:21
Dist: 14.54km

Wednesday AM: Yoga
I was half asleep and a little early for the class so I watched the swim group doing their thing below. It’s amazing to watch actually. When you are in the pool you just feel the group are all doing the same thing since we follow each other up and down, however watching them this morning it’s amazing how many different forms the swimmers take. Some look awful, splashy and awkward and yet are zooming up and down the fast lane. Others look smooth and beautiful and are gliding along. It’s easy to pick the swimmers out though. Long powerful strokes are the way to go.

Anyway back to Yoga. The overly energetic for silly AM instructor, my mother, saw the grumpy look on my face and immediately pulled my mat up beside her. Groan. I was wishing I was in the pool waking myself up with a workout. 45 minutes later I was energised and loose. Yoga is great and I’m a fan. I was too asleep to be distracted by anyone else and thus had a single focus on core strength. I know I’m going to feel it tomorrow morning. I know the exercises now so it’s about pushing them and breathing correctly. I think I’m going to have to do a short jog before the class though to warm up the legs. They just would not straighten for me. Granted we were sitting on the mat with the 2 legs above our heads! I tried to push the tendons further but I was shaking so uncontrollably I almost kneed myself in the face. I gotta work on those hamstrings…
Time: 0:45

shotgunmcos

Wednesday PM: Turbo
The plan
1:00 Z2
Actual
1:00 Z2

The plan was to ride steady at no higher the Z2 and keep the cadence fresh. Overall I felt good, kept the cadence at 90; heart rate averaged 136 and output 236 watts. After 40 mins though the heart rate started rising significantly and by 56 mins I had to drop a gear to maintain the cadence and keep below the Z2 ceiling of 150. The central heating did come on half way through it so it turned into a sweat box. That wasn’t the only factor. Long day at work and ill disciplined comfort eating affected the energy levels. Beyond the excuses it’s just poor base fitness! I have lots to improve on…
Time 1:00
Dist 34.0km

I'm really looking forward to the Marathon now. I'm also feeling good and ready to start into the IM programme on Nov 1, fresh

shotgunmcos

There is thinking about your stoke and thinking critically about your stroke. What is the difference?

Thinking
Well, on Wednesday morning before Yoga I watched the group of swimmers below. The Coach from our Thursday night swim group was in the fast lane, leading it out with clear water behind him and really moving. I thought his stroke was very long and powerful. He just propelled himself forward with fewer strokes than all of the other ‘fast’ swimmers behind him. More impressive, given what I know of those other swimmers too. I also thought he looked very ‘tall’ in the water. I accepted what I saw as good swimming and got on with the Yoga.

Critical thinking
One definition puts it as… "Critical thinking is the identification and evaluation of evidence to guide decision making. A critical thinker uses broad in-depth analysis of evidence to make decisions and communicate his/her beliefs clearly and accurately."

Basically it’s more of an action-orientated thinking. Validating what you believed with evidence to support it. For some reason that stroke remained on my mind but as I never learned how to swim as a child, or have ever had 1-1 lessons, I lacked the tools to unlock a practical understanding of it.

Last night we started back with the Thursday night technical swim group with the same Coach. Usually he gives the instructions and humorous mid air demos and we head off for reps of the drill. One drill that stuck out last night was a distance per stroke one. Earlier on the set we did a set of 50s focusing on counting the strokes for the first 25m and doing one less for the return 25m. I was getting 17/16. That was about standard swimming for me. Later in the session, after several other drills, he challenged us to do the 25m in 10 strokes (without just kicking our way down there). As he demoed the mechanics of achieving this on the deck my mind drew back to watching him in the pool the other morning. Suddenly I was wide awake! The bit I was missing to understand his stroke was provided and I was mad to seek the evidence. I concentrated and really lengthened my stroke. First 12 strokes, then 11, 11, 11, 11. I couldn’t get there in 10 strokes. I was kind of getting it but not sustaining enough momentum. He told us to over exaggerate it. Then 10 strokes! For extra validation another 10 strokes on the return 25m! I was very pleased. However that was applying it in a controlled environment and swimming at snail pace.

What was the effect in the real world?

Today at lunchtime I headed down for the short sharp Masters set in the 25m pool. I hadn’t thought about it since last night but it was back on my mind. At a comfortable pace I’d be doing 16/17 strokes per length but swimming with this lot 20/21spl was more the norm. They don’t hang about!
The set
4*(100m/50m) 100s off 1:45, 50 easy
2*150m off 2:40
4*(100m/50m) same as above
200m sub3
4*50 all out
2*50 easy cool down

I missed the warm up due to traffic and got in behind the group as they started the main set. I immediately applied what I had learned and I was coasting at 13/14 spl. As we hit the 150s I moved up to 3rd in the line to try and bridge the gap to the 2 girls who usually roast us. I was working much harder but still at 15/16 spl. I was tiring as the 200 loomed but unbelievably I just focused on swimming as long as I could and managed to stay on the feet of the girls for it! Well chuffed. A sub 3 minute 200m to round off the main set was sweet, even more so that I didn’t have to swing my arms like the Tasmanian devil to keep up

So, I definitely made a little progress this week by just thinking critically about my stroke. The hard part is applying it over and over to embed it. My stroke rate in the 50m pool at cruise pace is 37-38 spl. I’ve given myself an immediate target to get that to 32 by Christmas.

Tech session
Time 0:50
Dist 1,800m

Masters
Time 0:37
Dist 2,000m

ronanmac

^^^^^^^^^

Really interesting post. I'm totally new to the swimming side of things and paid no interest to it to date, but will have to figure out a plan once DCM is over. The impact of technique seems pretty big, compared to running and cycling. I'll be reading your log with extra interest in 2011, MCOS!
If you don't mind, I might PM you some time after DCM to pick your brains on a few things. I don't know if you would have much advice for a total tri newbie, with HIM as the A goal for 2011?

shotgunmcos

Saturday AM: Bike with the club group
Lovely morning for a cycle and took the opportunity to get out. I aimed to keep heart rate below 150 which wasn’t a problem. Average for the spin 124bpm which is low Z1. I did allow myself into Z4 for about 6 mins on a climb which was around 7% gradient but resisted the urge to big gear the descent. Just spun at a nice high cadence all day and enjoyed the ride. Average speed 29.2kmh.
Time 2:34
Dist 75.16km

Sunday PM: LSR at DCM pacer pace
Conditions: Cool, windy and heavy drizzle.
The plan
2:15 at 5:40/km
Actual
2:23 at 5:39/km

I had no particular route in mind so just ran more or less aimlessly around the City. The only objective was to stay on my feet for 2 hours at planned pacer pace. I found the pace comfortable and happy with an average of 133 for the run. This time last year I would have been over 150. I took a gel at 17km too, not that it was required but just to practice ahead of the Marathon. It was a decent run apart from really needing the loo in the last 40 mins. The back of my arches and my calves were tight and sore afterwards but felt better after a stretch. I really need to book in for a massage as my body is in knots. I kept the pace in tight check and passed the half marathon point in about 1:59:40, spot on. I just need to do the very same next week, twice
Time 2:23 run
Time 0:15 stretch
Dist 25.31km

@ronanmac, no bother man, drop me a line anytime

shotgunmcos

10-17 October|# sessions|Time hh:mm|Distance kms
Total|9|11:51|163.87
Swimming|3|2:30|7.1
Cycling|2|3:34|109.16
Running|3|4:30|47.61
Conditioning|1|1:15|core/stretch


Decent week overall. Plenty of quality work. I really need to book in for a massage though my legs and shoulders are in knots. Should I get one this week or after the Marathon? 2 easy weeks ahead now before I kick off the IM programme. Flexibility is something I simply have to take more seriously too.

Although not exactly advocated by my bro and mum (both fitness professionals), I'm going off carbs for the next 3 days and then carbo loading for Monday. The Marathon is not an important race so I'm not worried about experimenting the weke before. I got the idea from donothoponpop's log and thought I'd just give it a go. More to kick start some mental diet discipline than anything else! I'm sure after all the eggs, nuts and chicken I'll be dreaming about porridge on thursday morning every night!

shotgunmcos

I thought I'd struggle even on day one but actually walked past an open tray of foxes selection at work. I'm actually longing for some fruit more than anything...

Meal #1 - Sausages, bacon, eggs, coffee
Meal #2 - A dozen BBQ chicken wings and cottage cheese, diet coke
Meal #3 - Will be angus beef, cheese, poached eggs, milk
Snacks - Nuts and more nuts.
Juice plus supplements, veg one and fruit one
Suprisingly thirsty so drinking lots of water

It will be more of the same for the next 2 days although I will have fresh salmon and spinach at some point to make it interesting.

No cravings but it doesn't feel right either for some reason.

Thankfully its a taper week so just one session this morning. The group swim in the 50m. It seems I am part of the fast lane family now after I managed to hold onto the group for the main set of 4*(200 steady/3*100 off 1:45). I felt pretty good in the pool. Maybe down to all the super high GI Carbs I ate last night before bed
Time 1:10
Dist 3,400m

Izoard

shotgunmcos wrote: »

I thought I'd struggle even on day one but actually walked past an open tray of foxes selection at work. I'm actually longing for some fruit more than anything...

Meal #1 - Sausages, bacon, eggs, coffee
Meal #2 - A dozen BBQ chicken wings and cottage cheese, diet coke
Meal #3 - Will be angus beef, cheese, poached eggs, milk
Snacks - Nuts and more nuts.

A few tweaks and you'll have the Michael Phelps diet nailed...check out his 4 * 200 times:D

shotgunmcos

Izoard wrote: »

A few tweaks and you'll have the Michael Phelps diet nailed...check out his 4 * 200 times:D

LOL he used to train more in a week that most of us do in months! It would be almost impossible to take all that in on a day without burning it all off rapidly!

Tuesday PM: Short PMP pacer run
The Plan
0:40 at 5:40/km
Actual
0:43 at 5:37/km

I met with the sub4 girls for the last PMP run before Monday. They are in great form and I reckon are ready to rock on to their targets. It was noticeably chilly, windy and wet. The pace felt very comfortable and we did a couple of strides at the end. My right ankle felt a bit stiff again whatever that is about. Day 2 almost down on the no carbs and I have not had any cravings. Evidence enough that the sugar cravings stem from sugar! On the high fat content of the diet my energy is good and constant but I’d imagine I’d burn up very quickly were we to introduce any real intensity. This is not a healthy long term diet. A distinct lack of mineral and vitamins and the source to absorb them, high cholesterol food and little fibre is probably a shorter route to a heart attack that a healthy way of life. Still, it’s only for 3 days and it will be interesting if I feel this ‘boost’ from the carbs on Thursday. It will be also interesting to compare Monday morning’s weigh in with Thursday morning...
Time 0:43 run
Time 0:15 stretch
Dist 7.77km

shotgunmcos

Wednesday AM: Group swim session (LC)
Day 3 of no carbs and it would be interesting to see how the body would respond to a bit of intensity. The warm up was fine, some drills and kicking with fins. The main set was 5*500m off 5:15 and 6*100m off 1:45. As usual the fast lane was pretty strung out but I managed to stay with the group for the 500s. It was solid work but comfortable higher end cruising speed. I made the RTs with time to get a sip of the bottle and was averaging 36/37spl. Not too bad. The 100s though were into the tempo zones properly and they hurt. The group shoved me up the line but I was feeling it after the 3rd rep and dropped back. We cooled down with some choice 50s which I tried in vain to do other strokes. I did do a couple of dps lengths very easy though and was happy to hit 32 on some. I was starving afterward sand the nuts and ‘dry fry’ just didn’t cut it. Felt sick of meat and eggs!
Time 1:05
Dist 3,100m

Wednesday PM: Turbo Z2
The plan
0:40 Z2
Actual
0:40 Z2

I struggled with motivation to even pull the turbo out. It was nearly 10pm by the time I hopped on. A long day at work with training session on either side on a no carb fuelled system was a test. I averaged 236 watts and my heart rate averaged 139 which is pretty high for this workout actually. The perceived effort was higher than last time. I aimed again to maintain a cadence of 90 at least which means holding roughly the same output. The cardiac drift is the factor of significance. He last time I did this for an hour and at 56min I had to drop a gear to keep the heart rate under the Z2 ceiling and also to maintain cadence. I got off after 40 mins this time but no doubt would have had to drop that same gear after less than 45 mins. It basically means I found the session tougher.
Time 0:40
Dist 23km

No Carbs.
By day 3 off carbs I was relying solely on fat for fuel. It yields great energy at very low intensity but clearly the intensity of the turbo was too much to burn it efficiently. My body went in search of the sugary glycogen store for a more immediate release of energy but it wasn’t there. After just 40 mins of turbo it felt as though I had done 2 hours! Instead of the peanut butter and jam bagel it wanted, I fed it with another ham and cheese omelette

Staying off the carbs was easier than I thought. The protein intake made me feel fuller for longer. I had great energy for meetings in work and the energy itself was pretty constant. No moods, no cravings, I ate loads and I lost weight.
Monday morning 78.2kg
Thursday morning 76.2kg (the lightest I’ve been since I was a teen)

So it’s all good then yes? Wrong. I had to supplement the lack of fruit and veg with Juice Plus capsules. My cholesterol would have hit 6-7 by next summer or sooner (on route to a heart attack!). I became sick of eggs and I really love eggs. If I had tried 10 mins of Z4 effort I’d have been left trembling for the lack of oxygen being transported quickly enough to the cells that demanded it. It’s a diet designed for Polar Bears who need the body fat to get through a long winter sleep ahead.

The Net effect?
Well we shall see as I reintroduce carbs to the system and use those primarily for the marathon on Monday. Although, since I’m pacing at a lower intensity, my lower heart rate may hold off on the carbs for longer, meaning I will have sufficient glycogen stores for the duration (no gels etc... needed). That would be one of the overall aims of the IM programme. 20 weeks of base training at lower intensity to get the body used to metabolising fats for energy. Ideally, you will develop both your endurance and your ability to burn fat for energy further up the zone. It’s critical for Ironman Distance really. The longer you can stay effectively fuelled, the better you will perform. I can say one thing, the bowl of porridge with soaked and fatten sultanas and cinnamon this morning was absolutely delicious!! I just have to introduce similar discipline to a more balanced and lower GI diet from now on

nomadic

interesting stuff. Do you plan on restricting carbs again for some of your IM training sessions?

shotgunmcos

Thursday PM: Z1-Z2 run with Caz
The plan
0:40 at Caz’s pace
Actual
0:53 mostly at Caz’s pace

It was a perfect evening for a run. Still, chilly and crisp. Caz is running a bit more consistently now and when our schedules coincide we head out together. My original plan was Z2 pace but I stayed at Z1 for 6km to enjoy some company. Average heart rate for that bit was 128 and we were trotting along at 5:50km pace, the upper end of Caz’s Z2. We just took different routes home for the last couple of kms and I upped the pace to Z2. About 4:40 – 4:50kms and 150bpm and with carbs back on board I had plenty of energy for it. Lots of people out, I suspect, keeping loose ahead of Monday. I felt good but the only minor concern is that my right ankle is a little sore/stiff again. Time was pressed so it was straight in the door, glass of water and over to the pool…
Time 0:53
Dist 9.93km

Thursday PM: Technical swim session (SC)
I found this session tough.
It’s pretty much all coached drills. It was very busy too with 7 per lane and in a 25m pool that’s a bit claustrophobic for me (I’m not good in elevators and shops like Pennys!). First we did a set of 100s with the last 25m kicking, hand by your side. I hate kicking drills and these suck the most, contorting ourselves trying to find air. I’m useless at them but I guess all the reason for more practice. I’m one of the fastest in the group in TTs but when it comes to kicking I literally got swam over last night (the norm) . After those it was another set of 50s kicking on your side, hands by your side and rotating with your torso. More gulps of pool water and panic breaths. More hell!

Next up; catch up drills. I used to hate these almost as much as the kicking drills but something has clicked with these lately. I used to sink after every stroke and found it impossible to sustain any momentum. The sets were 150/100/50. Swim the first 100 of the 150 and then catch up for the rest. The idea was to count your strokes for the last 50 of the 150 and maintain that for the rest of the set. Sounds a bit complex, well it was! It meant that while doing catch up we had to have a stroke target in mind also. By the second and third set it was getting increasingly tiring and difficult to do so. You had to really concentrate on maintaining a long accelerated stroke. After 600m of the 900m doing catch up my shoulders were burning! I was also cramping in my calves (due to the run beforehand). The lack of kick off the wall as a result of cramps meant I had to really concentrate on long strong strokes to maintain my target for each 50. I think it was the focus on dps that sustained the momentum for the catch up drill where I’d normally sink with each stroke. Progress We did some more drills afterward and I was only fit for my bed by the end of the session.
Time 0:50
Dist 1,750m

Friday: REST DAY...

In other news, I signed up for the Berlin Marathon next year so thats the 2 main goals firmly in the firing liine now

nomadic wrote: »

interesting stuff. Do you plan on restricting carbs again for some of your IM training sessions?

Doubtful nomadic. Its certainly not going to be a regular thing. I'll limit the high GI sugars as much as my discipline will let me but I wouldn't head out for a long bike with a few days of merely meat and fat on board.

shotgunmcos

18-24 October|# sessions|Time hh:mm|Distance kms
Total|7|6:21|63.95
Swimming|3|3:05|8.25
Cycling|2|1:10|38
Running|2|1:36|17.7
Conditioning|0|0:30|core/stretch


Plan for this week is very very little (except for yesterday). Lots of downtime before the IM programme kicks off on Monday.

Monday AM: Dublin City Marathon (Pacer)
The Plan
Pace the 4 hour group and hit approx 3:59:30
Actual
3:59:30!

Pretty pleased with the pacing result but it was more work than I anticipated. The crowds following us this year were vast as the pacer stand created more awareness. I did a short stint on the stand on Sunday evening and it was hard to exchange a word with the other guys due to the constant stream of questions. The day itself was perfect for running. Having a team of 4 pacers was better this year as we could manage the group better and also in the last 4 miles when it got hairy and the legs hurt we would take turns leading the charge. I got into the spirit of things as usual with lots of shouting and general banter. I felt a bit more ‘experienced’ this year so I coached the group a little on how to tackle the hills and take gels. Unfortunately my balloon took off skyward at about mile 12 much to the dismay of the MOB behind me! The initial mile markers were suspect and with Garmins going all over the shop 20-30 seconds ahead of the mile markers people were speeding up unnecessarily. Part of the pacing job was to rein it back and encourage everyone to trust us. Up to 16m it was fun and had settled. After the long drag through miles 19 and 20 my legs were starting to hurt and I was beginning to regret the promises I made about a guaranteed sub 4 earlier. 2 miles later my quads were torn up and I slipped on a water bottle, going over on my right ankle. As much as I felt it though, the hurt in the faces around us and the sheer numbers following us was the motivation I used to keep it steady. Greg, Ray and Brian all did a marvellous job for their first time pacing Dublin. Having the team of 4 meant we could flank the group towards the end of Merrion Road where the rapturous support had closed in. With such large numbers it was very difficult to remain as a unit and to keep any sort of line. I clocked 42.77 km altogether which meant I needed to run 5:36/km pace on average to get the job done. Some poor guy called Ugo fell face first onto the ground at mile 19 or so and I felt so sorry for him. Unbelievably he tore past me in front of Trinity and got his sub4. I met him afterwards and his face needed stitches. Courageous man! Like last year the gratitude at the finish was most humbling. For example one teary eyed gentleman had finally achieved his dream time after 9 attempts. I didn’t hang around though, my quads were torn up. I’m not sure why they tied up on me like that; perhaps I was just tired after a long season and haven’t had any physio (note to self). Pushing through it for over an hour yesterday has them in completed knots this morning and I am definitely not looking forward to the massage this week. I feel delighted and privileged to have helped so many achieve their goal yesterday

shotgunmcos

Just 4 more days until I begin the focus on Roth. I still have trouble walking down steps so doubtful there will be any form of running this week. I'll make do with some swimming and if the legs are up to it a cycle at the weekend. A few new books arrived too which was like an early xmas present. Racing Weight , The Paleo Diet for Athletes , Once a Runner and The Man who swam the Amazon. I've started with the latter. The guy swam 63 miles on day 1 :eek: Ok he had guys directing him to the fastest possible current but still, thats insane!

Wednesday AM: Swim group (LC)
Got into the slow lane initially for a warm up thinking I'd be wrecked after Monday. Despite the legs being sore however I felt fine so back into the fast lane. I avoided fins for the warm up and just swam easy. The main session then was 3 sets of
2*200m off 3:30
100m
4*50m
We had a minute between sets and I made the RTS comfortably. I tucked into a draft at the back of the group. I felt suprisingly good. Just avoided pushing hard off the wall. I'm the odd one out in the lane in that I seem to be the only one who doesn't tumble turn :rolleyes:
6*50 choice cool down.
I didn't hang around for any sprinty stuff. I didn't have time even if I wanted to anyway.
Time 1:05
Dist 3,200m

interested

thats seriously messed up

Racing Weight and The Paleo Diet for Athletes
both arrived in the post from me yesterday - hmm ... need to run anti-spyware software immediately.