140.6 deep breaths...

Abhainn

Great report MCOS and congrats on the 4th place. You showed great mental qualities in there

shotgunmcos

FYI

After reviewing the files I was at 58kmh when I crashed at the weekend :eek: My helmet was a Giro Atmos... worth every cent!

Also adrenalin will overide a lot of natural instinct to stop and check. When I looked at the results Its easy to focus on the minutes I lost. However those minutes to check both myself and the bike were more valuable than any race result outcome.

So...
1. Buy a good helmet.
2. If you fall off (and can get up), check that your bike and you are ok to continue before jumping back on

BennyMul

shotgunmcos wrote: »

2. If you fall off (and can get up), check that your bike and you are ok to continue before jumping back on

love the prioritisation here, check the bike first then you,

Izoard

Great report, Mike and congrats on the 4th place!

Sounds like you extracted full value for your entry fee..:)

pgibbo

Cracking report Mike. Congrats on 4th

shotgunmcos

Turbo Threshold session
It has been a while since I did one of these and it was the session I failed to complete a couple of weeks ago when my Demon caught me unawares.
75 minutes including 3 sets of 16 minutes FTP.
4 minutes under, 8 minutes over, 4 minutes under
I wasn't looking forward to it but I was determined to get through it. I just about did. I was wasted afterwards and the Utility was destroyed. I hadn't cleaned my bike down since the Adventure Race at the weekend so my 'warm down' consisted of sweeping and cleaning. I couldn't quite hold FTP output on the 3rd rep and it wasn't from the lack of trying. I was toasted and had to hang onto the rope for dear life. The planned easy transition run didn't materialise as I was done, recovery shake to hand and rooted to the couch.

Long Swim
I had a session in mind but my shoulder is still a bit sore fom the crash especially at the catch. I chose to slow down and do a simple 4*1km off 19 minutes. Even the easy pace felt like hard work as I was pulling harder with my left shoulder. If I can just get back to my mid Januay swim form before the first triathlon of the season I'll be pleased.

Still taking things with a degree of caution as my neck is still stiff. I lost my HRM strap after the race too which sucks.

shotgunmcos

Thursday turbo sweet spot session
I usually enjoy the sustained sweet spot effort, however my legs were still reeling from the pain cave session and I knew it would be tough. The good thing was that I have no HRM and as such no distraction of my HR redlining.
100 minutes including 2 sets of 8,10,12 minutes at 90% FTP
I found the control tough. I was hurting but not enough to quit. The instensity was above sweet spot but I was NOT dropping the session. O ploughed through it and finished a sweaty ragged mess. Done.

Friday Core
Its been a while and I felt it. I didn't do a lot as I didn't want to be stiff for the race. My core has gone to sh!t with neglegence and gluttony

Saturday Steady Turbo
A simple 2 hours at an extensive endurance level RPE. I held 75% for 90 minutes at 93spm and then 80% for a half hour at 90spm. The difference in just 3 spm was significant. I actually felt more comfortable at the higher power and lower cadence. Ultimately this was a mental challenge more than a physical one. Straight out of bed for an unfuelled 2 hours. Done.

Sunday run with intervals
Just a short run to wake the legs up to running again. I ran up to the local industrial estate and did 4*3 minute pushes with 2 minute jogging recoveries.
Reps at a consitant pace, 3:45, 3:40, 3:41, 3:45.
I felt good but the hard bits took more effort than I'd like. I knew there was no way I'd hold the pace for 16km so a crack at the hour was out of the question.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/159615137

Sunday Race
Mallow 10 mile Report.
Just a short note as its late. I finally did a 10 miler! After threatening to do so a few times I actually have a 10 mile race time to slot into my geeky record :rolleyes: I knew I could run better than 65 and knew also that I was no where near 60 so I figured 62-63 would be a fair return for where I am.
Result 62:27
I'm pleased with that. It was a good course and one for a PB attempt in the future for sure. A big turnout too of 1100 or so. Overall job well done to Mallow AC for putting on an excellent race. Lots of sambos and cake and tea afterwards. The t-shirt was a good'n and a mars bar and a bottle of water was spot on after the race

My plan was to hold the pace between 3:50 - 4:00. I hit the first 10 a tad' eager but I felt good and felt comfortable. the 3rd mile was a quickie downhill with a tailwind and gave an opportunity to settle into a groove. It was at this point I let the 60 pacers off. I was not going to hold that pace. I made a bargain with myself to set my average pace for this race as my target pace for the Limerick Half Marathon. I thus settled back to a more controlled effort at the target pace. I had no HR so it was running purely on feel.

From mile 4-6 we ran hit a long straight into the wind and I was isolated. Not ideal. My right hamstring was also tightening which was ominous. My splits were slowing and I was feeling it. The halfway clock shook me out of this state of mind though as I rationalised I had less than 5 miles left, or just a half hour or so. I zoned in on a group of 3 about 80m ahead and I closed the gap ever so slowly. I caught a slight 'breather' when I ran on their shoulder for a few minutes and pushed on again.

I hit 10k in 38:15 which is 30 seconds or so faster than the 10k race a couple of weeks ago. This was encouraging. I was also catching people and making good use of a quicker choppier stride up any inclines. I dabbled with a few Eagle AC runners for miles 7-9 and the cat and mouse feel to it distracted me from the tight hammers and general fatigue. I faded somewhat in the last mile. The garmin data doesn't say I faded as the pace didn't drop off but I mentally faded from the fight to pour myself into the last mile.

The overall average pace was 3:51 which was right on what I though I could do. Now I have to do the necessary training to hold it for a further 5k on a tougher course in 6 weeks!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/159615153

RacoonQueen

Good running, realised about two miles in that I'd forgotten to look out for you. You missed my cake, you'd probably have had to wrestle it out of shazs hands anyway.

shotgunmcos

Aerobic Tempo Turbo & Core
With the race still in the legs it was just a simple hour on the saddle below the sweet spot. An average 88% FTP output was a decent workout but I usually do this at 88-90 spm. It feels like a good rhythm and one I can sustain mentally. Even a few revs higher and I find it a challenge to control. This evening was at 95spm. My quads were positively yelling at me until they warmed up and settled into the work. It was steady but I constantly fought the urge to drop the cadence and push one gear higher. It was a exercise in concentration. 95 just feels like an odd cadence for some reason and harder to hold. Good session, tired but not wrecked for a finish.

The Core consisted of push ups, sit ups, planks, yoga sun salutations and stretching. It felt rough, suitably so. The lack of core work since the start of the year is telling. I must improve this for the half marathon.

shotgunmcos

I failed to get out of the scratcher AGAIN for the morning swim, despite DaveR1 reminding me in the car back from Mallow a half dozen times :rolleyes: I know its going to take a few sessions to get a feel for the water and a few more to get back up to speed and the thought of it feels like a chore. I can't wait to get the wetsuit on and get outdoors. I might dip my toe in after Easter. On the upside I'm sleeping loads

Reading "Born to Run" at the moment and enjoying it. Yes his 'empirical' research is rather loosely derived at times but overall the book is good fun and gets you thinking. I'm planning a few laps of the local rugby pitches in my bare feet some evening. It has so far brought back the memory of the "fastest I have ever felt running". I was about 10 years old and on beach in Kerry with compact wet sand. There was a howling wind and I lost my kite. It shot down the beach and I tore after it as fast I possibly could. I distinctly remember the feel of cool wet sand between my toes and how light I felt. I had the wind on my back pushing me and it felt like I was going to take off! For bringing that happy day back to me alone, the book was worth the price

shotgunmcos

The swimming
On Wednesday I took shotgunjunior to the pool. My neck was was/is still sore so I couldn't muck about with handstands, crocodile rolls, piggy back breast stroke etc.. as usual. Instead I let him off with his cousin and my Bro' and I tried some different strokes. None were comfortable. I'd imagine the sight of me doing a slashy butterfly in the middle of a smallheated pool on family hour was odd. I managed bout a km of bits, including swimming laps of the pool (around the deck) annd snaking around moms with babies, kids playing, you name it. All easy though, I can't swim any kind of tempo yet.

This morning I did a longer session with some 100s and 200s off very generous RTs. When my neck hurt I just flipped onto my back and kicked easy. First triathlon of the year is 4 weeks away so I hope I can get some quality sessions done and some speedwork too before then.

Running
Caz had decided to walk into work and I thought I'd do likewise. I only work 2km or so from home so it was no biggie. It was a lovely mild morning. I put my shoes on and trotted in easy and happy. 16 minutes to get into work as I didn't want to arrive sweating in my shirt, 12 minutes home. I went for a proper run at lunchtime.

The plan was to follow my work run buddy out. He gets the usual few minutes headstart using the changing room first. I got ambushed by my boss en route though and lost a few more minutes. I effected a superman transition and bolted out the door. A 19:20 5k and still no sign of him. It was windy and I felt the effort so I reined it back to a steady pace. I caught sight of him less than a km from base and tried to reel him in. I came within 20m and turned off for an extra 10 minutes to let him use the shower first. It feels a bit liberating to run without a HRM...
Overall 10.2km in 42:00, avg pace 4:06, 5km commuting

Turbo sweetspot session
I wasted no time when I got home. I had the TT bike ready for its first activity in 9 months I calibrated the Flow, stuck on some beats and got stuck in. My quads ached again until they warmed up. The smooth DA spec of the PX was notably quieter than the rusty roadie. The session was straighforward 72 minutes of sweating and concentration
10 mins 70% FTP
20 mins 93%
4 mins 80%
24 mins 93%
4 mins 80%
10 mins 70%
It was agin at the, odd for me, 95spm cadence. I did the 2 bits of work down on the bars and got through them fine. I build the last 6 minutes of the second rep to a hard finish. It took a strong steady effort to maintain 93%. Overall a very good session.

Pretty decent day's training put down. Best in a long while....

shotgunmcos

Intervals are a regular feature of the Runner's logs I follow and a necessary session to get faster it seems. Apart from just speed focus, you get to practice the distinction between easy and hard repetitively in the one short but high value session.

Running Intervals
I met with the club group just in time. I had to dash from work and dive into my gear en route. I would have cursed if I missed this session as I only have the opportunity to attend once a fortnight at best. I have got an option B Running partner for interval training who is faster than I as a backup.

The session was a simple 6*3 minutes at about 10k pace with 2 minute easy recoveries. The reps panned out as:
3 mins at 3:31 avg pace
3 mins at 3:42 avg pace
3 mins at 3:33 avg pace
3 mins at 3:36 avg pace
3 mins at 3:36 avg pace
3 mins at 3:37 avg pace

We ran around a car park and 3 minutes covered just over a lap. There was a stiff breeze for half of it. After the first rep I felt as though I had gone too hard with 5 more to come. The second rep was a little more conservative but not much. I just plugged away for the rest just about managing short sentences with my partner. I was feeling it on the last rep but also felt I could push out another one. We did a decent stretch down before trotting easily back to our cars. A short but good session

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

How is the neck/body after the crash?

shotgunmcos

Branson Limited Greengrocer wrote: »

How is the neck/body after the crash?

Hey JB, body is ok but my neck is still not right. I can't turn my head back to my right as far as usual. I can't make sudden movements and it hurts when I swim both when I turn to breathe and when I extend and catch with my right hand. It can be quite stiff after the turbo too. I put a heat pack on most nights but Caz keeps reminding me that I took a fair knock and it will just take time to heal like any muscle.

shotgunmcos

My legs were looking forward to relaxing after this one...

Long Run with a half marathon at steady state aerobic tempo
I built into a tempo over the first 10 minutes and basically worked at an RPE of 7 or so. It was warm, windy and muggy and I knew I'd have to stop at some point for water. I was even feeling thirsty after 20 minutes. Kms 2-8 were into a wind and without the HRM I was right in tune with how I felt. I kept the effort as steady as possible but I knew it would bite at some point. The reason for that is due to doing more running intensity this week than I've ever put down in a week.

I live on the half way mark of the GLR Half Marathon route so I planned to stop off to get a drink. I was parched by the time I got there. I also had to administer some vaseline as the insides of my thighs were chaffing and getting worse.

My plan was to keep the tempo up for the GLR HM route. My right hamstring was tight and became tighter as I turned the corner by the treaty stone and up a short sharp hill. The drag up past Thomond Park was a bit of work. I was really thirsty and my legs were feeling the intervals from last night for sure. I knew I was back into the wind for the long drag past the Gaelic Grounds and I suffered a little on this. It was warmer than when I started and my hamstrings in particular were very tight. I finished the half marathon tempo in 1:28:15 which was a decent return for the effort. If I can just do it 5 minutes faster on the day I'd be over the moon.

I took a couple of minutes of a break to stretch out and call into Caz at her work for some water. I was gasping. The work was done though. I turned off the thumping beats I had in my ears and switched to the slower, softer beat of Enigma for the 15 minutes easy home.
Overall 25.37km in 1:48, avg pace 4:16
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/160987421

Dory Dory

I remember a wise boardsie (whose name I won't reveal but his initials are shotgun) once gently scolded me about running an interval session and another key session back to back without a rest day in between. Eh hem. Consider the favor returned. But nice work there....especially being so parched.

shotgunmcos

Dory Dory wrote: »

I remember a wise boardsie (whose name I won't reveal but his initials are shotgun) once gently scolded me about running an interval session and another key session back to back without a rest day in between. Eh hem. Consider the favor returned. But nice work there....especially being so parched.

Indeed touche my lovely hoochiedoubledee. I do have a plausible reason. I have to fly to the UK tomorrow afternoon for work and didn't fancy a long run before a cramped plane seat. Instead I swapped out for bike session in the morning. Also While I held a solid aerobic tempo I was running at planned pace +15 secs. Lastly I didn't finish up with a niggle ! Seriously though you are right it was dangerous ground which is why I ran to RPE and listened to the body early on. Fair play for noticing

That was my first time posting from the phone... only took me the last 20 mins to tap it out!

Dory Dory

You're so brilliant.

shotgunmcos

Dory Dory wrote: »

You're so brilliant.

Now now, sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.. but then its a standard collquialism on the Emerald Isle so you fit in nicely

Re: Training

Sunday Bike approx 80km in 2.5hrs.
Headed out with the group to keep this easy. We took in a couple of hills that I used to consider hills but I cruised up them. Similarly the 30 minute hard wind up towards the end that finished with a sprint prime. Again it was a hard cruise. I held the front and dragged it along to keep the pace up and always had another gear to go. Having said that though if DaveR1 or another of the fast boys were out, that gear would have come into play. It was a smashing day to be out and about. The group was a bit jumpy at times so I either sat on front or 10m off the back.

Dory Dory

I wasn't being sarcastic...I was talking about you swapping out sessions and using the noggin.....

shotgunmcos

I was away with work all week and no free WIFI in the hotel meant I only had the odd fleeting galnce at Boards. It was a pretty unhealthy week with all the business brunching and eating out.

Monday: Easy Run & Swim
I couldn't wait to get out of the office and into my shorts. It was a laboured effort though and my hammers were giving me trouble. I didn't know the area so stuck to an urban canal. Packing a pair of running shoes is a great way to get to know your surroundings.
Overall 12.34km at 4:42 pace
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/163225103

The swim was 2k and about as much as I could handle in a short heated hotel pool. It was a frustrating session, navigating stubborn ould ones. Apart from that I was just swimming like a brick anyway. I had no feel for the water and all swimming form felt long forgotten.

Tuesday: Steady reverse Triathlon brick
Straight out the door again after a long day at the office to start the session. I found a park with a short man made trail running through it and did a couple of laps. I started out very easy and just gently progessed to a steady pace once my hammers began to warm up. I had originally planned some intervals but a niggle in my right hamstring warned me off intensity. It felt a bit looser than the previous day
Overall 11km at 4:33 pace.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/163225114

When I got back to the hotel I headed for the cramped gym and managed a very sweaty 50 minutes high cadence on a gym bike. Give me the turbo over the wide bouncy gym bikes any day. As I pedalled I noticed 4 young buff rugby messers heading to the pool. Great. I hoped the would just settle in the jaccuzzi. There simply would not have been room in the pool for any kind of laps.

Thankfully, they had chosen the hot bubbly option and the pool had just 2 floating breaststroking occupants. I did a slow 1.6km trying not to kick off the wall so I could actually take a few strokes per length.

Wednesday: Steady Run
I hooked up with my Coach for a longer steady run which included a decent hill. We just trotted along at chatting pace. The run flew by with company. We discussed the hamstring issue and settled on some intervals for the following day. Oddly, despite being rather heavy at the moment, I am feeling quicker running up hills. I think the inclines are just forcing me to shorten and thus quicken my stride.
Overall 15km at 4:35 pace
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/163225127

Thursday: Swim & Interval Running
I abstained from the cocktails the previous evening to ensure I got up for a swim. I was happy out when I had the whole pool to myself and put down apprx 2.4k of endless laps. I even tried a couple of tumble turns to suss out my neck. Its not 100% yet but I think I can return to the group swim sessions next week. Its going to feel rough.

I hit the park again for the intervals. The plan was to do 8*800m with 200m jog in between. The target pace was half marathon pace. The reps panned out as
800m in 3:08, avg 3:55 pace
800m in 3:06, avg 3:53 pace
800m in 3:04, avg 3:51 pace
800m in 3:01, avg 3:47 pace
800m in 3:02, avg 3:48 pace
800m in 3:01, avg 3:47 pace
800m in 2:56, avg 3:40 pace
800m in 2:49, avg 3:31 pace
I started off running a hard cruise pace and once I warmed into it I pushed a little harder. It was warm and felt maybe closer to 10k pace than half marathon. I chased another runner for the 7th rep and ran hard for the last rep. The 200m recoveries were typically 55-60secs. It was a decent session and I was happy to have the juice to run the last 2 reps hard after running composed for the first few.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/163225137

Friday: Easy Swim & Treadmill
This was an easy 1.6k swim and 6k treadmill before work as I knew It was my only chance to do anything for the day. After running in the warm evening sun for a few days, the treadmill felt like a complete chore.

El Director

kudos on keeping things ticking over while away dude. As you saw earlier - we did a very similar run session on Thurs/Friday Joey the next race for you Mike?

shotgunmcos

Turbo Sweetspot Session
It was a bread and butter 3*12 minutes at 90% FTP but it sucked the life out of me. I don't know what was up for this but my quads just didn't want to know about it. I stop started my way miserably through the first 2 reps before getting angry with myself and grinding out the 3rd rep. It took a whole lot more effort that sweetspot would usually do. I finished exhausted which was not the purpose of the session. Usually this king of session would be very sweaty but ultimately comfortable. It was the excalamation mak to the JUNK! week of training I've had...

Weekly numbers
Swimming
2.75 hours - 8k of junk swimming in a heated hotel bath :rolleyes:
Cycling
3.75 hours - crap gym bike, easy turbo, really crap sweet spot turbo
Running
4.5 hours - reasonably enjoyable running in the evening sunshine around Reading, especially the intervals
Core
0.5 hours

Races are going to start appearing more regularly now so I need to establish some consistency. I have another Adventure Race this weekend for fun and the main aims are to
A) Stay on the Bike
Not fall out of the Kayak
C) Run hard

I must must must get my ass down to the group swim sessions and start suffering to get some form back too. Suffering will be the key word too as I have hardly swam below 2:00/km pace in the last 3 weeks. I'm hoping the sweet spot turbo episode was just a matter of waking my legs up again after a week off the saddle. I'll find out soon enough as I have some VO2 reps to negotiate tomorrow...

El Director wrote: »

kudos on keeping things ticking over while away dude. As you saw earlier - we did a very similar run session on Thurs/Friday Joey the next race for you Mike?

Nope, heading up to see Cirque du Soleil with friends and won't wake it back in time. I'd like to PB at the Limerick Half Marathon the following week so I'd rather keep fresh for that.

Dory Dory

...love Cirque du Soleil. Which one are you seeing? In fact, my the shirt I'm wearing in my fb pic on Croagh Patrick is Alegria.

shotgunmcos

Dory Dory wrote: »

...love Cirque du Soleil. Which one are you seeing? In fact, my the shirt I'm wearing in my fb pic on Croagh Patrick is Alegria.

Alegria it is

Dory Dory

That's kind of freaky. Let's hope that magic carries over to your marathon time prediction for me.

shotgunmcos

Aerobic Run
Nothing special, just under an hour steady. After a few minutes I hooked up with a mate who was out for 6k. I ran that with him at an easy pace chatting, 4:40-4:50 pace. Once he peeled off for home I pushed onto a stronger aerobic pace for me at 4:10-4:15 pace for 5k. I felt reasonably good. There was some sort of burst pipe flooding stuation outside the Crescent Shopping Center which meant I got wet on a bone dry evening with Cars not bothering to slow down :rolleyes:

The difference with this run is that I did 10 minutes of a dynamic warm up in my driveway before I headed out. Flick kicks, lunges, high knees and fast feet. People out for their walks passing the driveway must have thought I was nuts. The result of the exercises was the best spring in my step I felt in ages. I positively floated along the pavement for the first few hundred meters before dropping back to auto pilot.

Once I parted ways with my partner my mind stated racing alongside me. Usually I run thought free. I started to imagine the trail run in the upcoming race (there is no route to study beforehand) and getting into a Kayak for the first time. I imagine myself coordinating it with some stranger. I imagined a breakaway on the bike. Before I knew it the 5k steady was up. I barely noticed it and it was hilly too
Overall 12.61km in 56mins, avg pace 4:26/km

I'm really buzzing about the weekend mainly because I entered it for the fun rather than a race. It sucks that I have to work Saturday but thats just life. Since returning from the work trip I've sharpened up the diet again and the energy is far better

shotgunmcos

Brick session: VO2 turbo reps & transition run
It was a short session, an hour, but it packed a punch. The turbo was 40 minutes with 6*2 minute VO2 intervals thrown in and 2 minutes easy in between. Just 12 minutes of work but it hurt. I hit them at 370-390w and after 3 I was in the pain cave. On the last rep my quads literally felt like they were on fire. I felt this sensation of heat moving from the belly of the muscle to the insertion points. It was a case of either quitting or embracing the pain. Its been a while since I did VO2 reps so it was a shock to the system.

I had a dry top on and was out on the road within 2 minutes. I was wobbly as hell. The cold air instantly clamped itself around me. I thought my sweat would freeze so I bolted off. My mission was to run a sub20 minute 5k. Happily I can do this comfortably enough with fresh legs at this stage but off the bike is a different matter. My quads were reeling from the bike but I got a good cadence going. I worked damn hard and posted 19:40 which I was pleased with Good session.

I did 30 minutes of core exercises afterwards but I think it took me another hour to stop sweating!

Swim Goup Session
I finally got my sorry ass out of bed for this. I knew it would be a case of suffering as I haven't swam more than a half hour of super easy mucking about in warm crowded pools. There was a large group down crowding the 2 lanes so I could have hidden in the slower lane if I wanted to take the easy option. Alas a second HTFU pill in 12 hours and I signed up for the 20*100 main set in the fast lane. Thankfully the Coach had mercy and sent us off the wall at 1:50 RTs.

I set off 5 seconds after my swim nemesis's feet. Normally I'd have her over 100m. Her smooth technique triumphs over longer distances. This morning however I had to work hard just to hold the pace and not get dropped. I got through the 20 reps but was rather breathless for a finish. Glancing at the clock I was hitting them in 1:40ish which was a cruise pace only 2 months ago :rolleyes: We did 8*50 kicking drills next. I then did 600 easy to find a feel for the water and becaue the kids are off school and roads would be quieter.
Total 3,800m good to be back at it

shotgunmcos

Plan this evening was interval running. Long long day ko'd the motivation. New plan is to get them done in the morning...

snack_ie

I hope that you are more successful than my pathetic attempt to get up early this morning... 4 days of easter penance is due for a lacklustre week of training...