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140.6 deep breaths...
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Kilkee Hell of the West Race Report
This is a great race. It’s a challenging course. It has a beautiful run course. It attracts a high standard. Its superbly organised and very well marshalled. Its designed and set up by athletes for athletes. Its generous. It has surprisingly good goodie bags. Quality swim caps. The atmosphere even in the rain was good. Brownies delicious.... etc.. Sure, it has some flaws. What race doesn’t? What race doesn’t have aspects that can be improved?
Pre Race
Training hadn’t been anywhere near consistent enough for me to expect too much out of this race. As such I didn’t have any pressure on myself to deliver a specific result. I planned to simply race smart and race by feel. Racing by feel was important has I wanted to learn something from this to take forward to the next mission, Ironman. Other than that I set out 4 potential scalps to keep it interesting. In order of most probable to a long shot...
Scalp #1 Post a better swim split than my swim nemesis
Scalp #2 Sub 40 off the Bike
Scalp #3 Beat a certain 3D guy whom I have never beaten
Scalp #4 Overall top 20
The logic being I’d need #1 and #2 to get #3 and at least #3 to get #4.
Entering transition I was greeted by a smiling swim nemesis, aka scalp #1. She had decided to drop out of the overall race and just do the swim. Great, that task just got more difficult. Shotgunjunior had his splash and dash number marked on his arm and leg and I was all excited about the first time we would be gearing up for a race together
It felt good to be racking up for Kilkee and there were no shortage of big names racking up too. As I trotted around with my wetsuit pulled up around my waist El Director wondered into transition as relaxed a man as I had met that morning. I couldn’t get over the weight loss since I last met him!
One of the things on my mind of course was cramps. Would they show up today and what havoc would they play if so? I was rested. I had a good breakfast. I had slept. I had been sipping electrolytes for 36 hours. I was hydrated. The other thing on my mind were tight hamstrings. Apart from these I felt good.
The Swim
As we stood in the holding pen the marshal told us about a buoy we couldn’t see beyond the pier that was the target. I knew the Bay. Last year training for Roth I had swam every part of it and right out to the reef. I knew the hidden buoy was to the right towards Burns Cove and I just had to stay right after the pier. I didn’t anticipate the sudden start. I was under the water when the gun, whistle or whatever it was went off. No warm up :rolleyes: This part can be addressed next year. Due to my delayed reaction I was well back the field and it was quite rough going to get through the thick of it. I basically swam hard to the pier and free from the pack. The swells were easily 3-4 feet at times and you had to time it to sight when you crested a wave. Often I’d get it wrong and look up to see some feet sticking clean out of the wall of water in front of me. I like rough and tumble though. I found space and pushed on to a group of 3-4 swimmers. My instinct had me veering right but the buoy loomed up to the left and everyone seemed to favour that one. I couldn’t see any other so I went along with it only to be told by the marshal that it was the next buoy that we had to reach. Damn. Most people I spoke to afterwards had done the same, except of course my nemesis :cool:
The swim was pretty uneventful after that. The field had thinned out and I felt I was swimming ok. I doubted my line at one point back to the beach and made an unnecessary brief detour. Apart from that I felt I took a decent line. I delayed standing up as long as I could and actually swam past two other wading through thigh deep water. I had my suit down to my waist by the arch and checked my watch. 26 and change, almost 27.. WTF?! Either the swim was long or I’d have been surprised to have that poor a swim. It turned out it was long. How long? I’m not sure but the Garmin clocked the swim and the run up the beach to transition at 1.84km so I’d safely assume 1600-1700. Apparently the furthest buoy took on a life of its own and drifted towards America. Shotgunjunior liked the idea that a shark got stuck in the line and was dragging it out to sea
In actual fact I had a good swim emerging in the top 15 but was completely unaware at the time. I thought I was miles behind and scalp #1 was just a pipe dream. I actually missed it by 37 seconds which wasn’t the worst.
Total 1.84km 15/570
The Bike
Transition was smooth and I was on the road without and drama. I saw 2 bike on the road ahead crawling up the steep climb out of Kilkee. I spun up it with the wind behind me and it felt short. I had passed the 2 by the top of the long drag to the ‘stones’. With the climb done I shifted to the big ring and hammered a 53/12-13 all the way to Doonbeg. I got a little roped into chasing down a 3rd guy and it took a while to reel him in just before Doonbeg. I didn’t have any HR data but knew I had to check the output a little. The rain started to come down as the bike jumped about on the atrocious section of road leaving the town. I sipped from the bottle, water with a H5 zero tab dissolved. At 14km I was passed by BmcC and duly dropped like a hot cake. He was seriously motoring. I began to wonder if my swim was not as bad as I thought then. I was passed again by Willie McCormack on the drag just after Doonbeg Golf Club. He pulled away on the hill and I let it happen but I closed the gap on the descent. My effort felt strong but steady as we both turned back toward Cree and into the rain and headwind. He pulled away slowly over a series of drags. I knew I had the bike legs to stay with him but I figured the cost would have been too much and there was still the climb back up to the ‘stones’ only with the headwind this time.
With 15km to go, as I washed down a PB caffeinated gel, Shane Scadding came past. Now I knew I had a decent swim. He didn’t pull away initially and I had to drop back the requisite distance. I was able to sustain his pace comfortably and passed an off form Mike Yelverton en route to Doonbeg. The headwind wasn’t as strong as I thought it would be but he started to pull away as soon as we hit the start of the drag. I didn’t chase and dropped through the gears to keep my effort in the steady zone I had going on. Part of me wanted to grind up the hill after him but again I weighed up the cost and it didn’t seem worth it. I was happy to get to the ‘stones’ without once looking behind me. I was unconcerned about who was around me and for once happy doing my own thing. The descent was quick into Kilkee and Gordon Thomson got a cool pic of the dismount
Overall I felt as though I paced the bike well and a 1:12 was a decent return. It had me in the top 12 bike splits without toasting myself. My legs felt fine getting off the bike and getting into my shoes. The average heart rate for the bike was 159 and exactly where I wanted it to be. Strange that I struggle to hit this in training but in a race situation it’s not a problem. In fact I red lined for about 90 seconds on the initial climb and touched the red line twice on the way to the stones. It took almost 20 minutes for me to settle into the correct zone. I had more control on the output climbing up to the ‘stones’ the second time around. I passed Caz and shotgunjunior on the way out of transition which was a great lift in miserable conditions. I promised him I’d be back soon and I’d get him a brownie.
Total 44.03km 12/570
The Run
My legs felt good and I honestly thought that scalp #2 and the sub 40 was on. Colm Sheahan passed me just before the turn off for Dunlicky and bolted off to one of the fastest run splits of the day. I had some daylight back to the next guy. As soon as I hit the gradient my quads felt heavy. It was tough going running uphill into the wind and I was struggling. I was willing them to fire but they went the other way. The first km was 4:16 which was about as slow as I wanted on the outbound 5k. My quads however felt like they were about to cramp. If I pushed the pace they wobbled so all I could do was drag myself up the hill. I had to dial the effort right back to keep them at bay. The next 4 km went by in 4:36/4:09/4:32/4:28. As I ran over the 4km mark I saw Bryan Keane and Shane Scully storming down the hill lifting. For a brief moment I really really wished I could run like that. I had all but resigned on scalp #2 as it was looking like 22-23 minutes just to reach the turnaround. I was preparing myself for the depression of watching the stream of bodies as they passed me out and left me behind.
I counted the bodies on their way back. 4 more back to DaveR1 and I shouted encouragement at him. 7, 8, 9.. 10...?? WTF, I was in 11th place! Also no sign of the 3D guy so scalp #3 and #4 were still in the game and my spirit lifted J I swallowed a gel just before the turnaround and washed it down with a gulp of water. It felt good to have the wind behind me but I still struggled up the initial hill. I lost another place on the first few hundred meters and running towards me was a slew of determined faces including El Director, a few lads from the club and scalp #3. Please legs, please fire!! I desperately wanted to kick into gear when suddenly the hill ended and I began to run down hill. I felt my hamstrings lengthen and my quads relax a bit. 4:04 was a better split but I had a tail and he was closing fast approx 80m behind me. I started to lift the pace ever so gradually for fear the quads would go and it felt good. 3:50. Finally a sub 4 minute split. I was determined to hang on at this stage. The next km had a small hill and came in 3:55. I was actually running now and my heart rate felt like it was rising to a racing one. With 2km to go I glanced back to see the gap was down to 50m. I dug in. 3:42, much more like it. Ok I was running mostly downhill so I could take these splits with a pinch of salt. I didn’t care I had been caught since the turnaround and I only had a km to go! In fact I was reeling in the lad who had passed me back then. It felt good to be running strongly after such a poor start. When I hit the strand I knew I wouldn’t be caught. Scalps #3 and 4 in the bag I high fived shotgunjunior on the run in and crossed the line a happy 12th in 2:22
Overall the run was a 41:43 so no scalp there but 2 out of 4 wasn’t bad and I surpassed my best expectation for Kilkee. Happy days. I grabbed shotgunjunior for a photo afterwards and got him the brownie he had been waiting for. He had been all ready to go for the splash and das but the heaven opened and a downpour put many of the smaller kids off it. High fiving him was my favourite part of the race and I was happy out.
Total 10.1km 49/570
To add icing to the cake, it turned out I won my AG! A prize at Kilkee is easily the most satisfying result of the year so far 0 -
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Thanks. Good question. The answer is no, I don't think so. If I ever cramp after the swim, its in T1 and its in the calves and usually because A) I was tired to begin with and/orKurt Godel wrote: »Great report, and what an awesome race! I'm curious, how many places do you reckon your killer swim bought you? If you had gone softer on the swim do you reckon a possible cramp-free run might have been any faster?
I was kicking from the knee.. I've learned not to kick too much for propulsion in the swim but to flutter kick for balance. Of course I will kick on to bridge the gap to some feet. For the swimming I believe its just consistent threshold work in the pool and the OW endurance swims that have my swim fitness up and its a constant focus on technique that keeps my stroke long. I reckon I have good upper body strength and endurance too. It means nothing however if you are thrashing the water senselessly. One of my flaws is that I can pull too hard at the front of the stroke rather than catch the water and use it as a fulcrum to lever myself past. My swim wasn't killer enough to get scalp #1 though :rolleyes: 0 -
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Super result, great report and fantastic scalps and times.
I think we all know who the 3d athlete is!
Epic swim stands out! Great work right there and consistent throughout to place high.
Nice racing and pacing from the sounds of it. Well done.
If you're not on marshal duty next year I plan on seeing you there!
Kilkee really is an epic race.
Here's hoping TI or other races don't clash too close.
In fact hey, I have the solution just give Kilkee the National Olympic Champs next year please TI!0 -
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OW Swim endurance
It wasn't surprising that there were precious few bodies out at World's End yesterday evening. The University Rowing Crews were out going through their paces and the driver of the launch was not bothered about slowing down much for the occasional solo swimmer. I suited up and wasted no time jumping in and getting on with it. After 500m I met a group of 4 coming the opposite direction. We had a quick Kilkee post mortem before parting ways. I glanced at the watch to see a average 1:27 pace :eek: Ok, I wasn't swimming that hard so there was clearly a flow. I continued to the wires and that was enough. The return was stickier. I'd glance to my left to breathe, take note of a tree and 6 strokes later breathing to that side again, see little progress. It took 90 seconds longer to return to the slip but felt five times that...
Total 3.13km in 49:35
I've a few easy days now before the fun of training for Barcelona Begins. There is not so small matter of the Beast before that and I'm hopefully meeting my Beast Team, the Celtic Warriors for a session this weekend. Our final member is another boardsie and a bit of a legend in the ART forum 0 -
Squad Swim
A lot of tired bodies down at the pool this morning. A few of the IMAT bound rookies yawning their way to the deck for the final dip before departure. I had good company in the shape of DaveR1, Waterpolo Boy, the tecnician and my nemesis for a 'steady' set... it never is with this lot.
800 various warm up
2 sets of 300, 2*150, 3*100
6*50 kick 25 swim 25
300 easy
Total 3,300m
'Steady' translated to coming in on 4:25 for the 300s, 2:10 for the 150s and 1:28 for the 100s :rolleyes: All faster than my CSS. I got through it better than expected but didn't have another gear, nor did I have energy for a long warm down. I avoided the lactate sprint too. My nemesis casually asked me how my swim went at the weekend and then stayed on my feet for the whole set.... "some day..." :cool:
So, with Kilkee done and dusted and no more short races planned its eyes forward to Barcelona. I see long bikes and long runs creeping into the routine The goal is sub10 and nothing less.
The Swim
Swim form is as good if not slightly better than last year. I got a half dozen OW long swims in for Roth but I'll have double that done for Barcelona. Its a different sswim though. Roth was a quiet Canal. Calella is a sea swim and prone to swells. Worst possible scenario would be 3.8km of what we had in Kilkee at the weekend. One big change from last year is that I'm not worried about the swim. I'd expect to be close to the hour with a steady effort. I won't freak out if it becomes a 65.
The Bike
Last year I only got a half dozen 4-5 hour bikes done but regular midweek 2-2.5 hour bikes. I should get a similar volume of biking done but more long rides than last year. More importantly specific work, feulling and hydration practice which I was a bit niave about for Roth. There was no wind in Roth but I know I spent too long out of my HR zone on hills. I almost redlined the first Solarerberg Climb out of sheer excitement. My average HR was mid 140s, too high. I plan to have much more control in Barcelona. There are no climbs to speak of which will suit me but on a windy day it could have a smilar effect. If I can get decent volume of work done over the next 12 weeks I'd expect to be in the ballpark of 5 hours possibly 5:15 keeping under control. I'm nowhere near that shape right now. 36kmh for 80km in Athy but it was HIM effort and I fell apart on the run. Got to start somewhere...
The Run
First thing first and I will have a prper race plan his time. I sort of winged it in Roth but learned that after 15 gels my stomach wants no more. I'll be taking on solid food on the bike early on so that I can take some gels on the run. Not having electrolytes on board also was stupid in sweltering unshaded sun. I'll change that too. I'll also get my long runs done and cap them at 2 hours or so. No silly Marathons. Basically I'll have the run work done and have a proper plan for the race discussed with the Coach. I really feel I should be able to run 3:30 - 3:40 off a 5 hour bike. I felt that way last year too. Perhaps adjusting a few small things will shave 20 minutes off my run and I'll be a happy happy man in Calella on September 30th.0 -
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Turbo: Aerobic Tempo
Its been a few weeks since I sat on the turbo so I figured this might be a struggle. I put the TT bike on it for a planned 90 minutes just below sweet spot. I had the Germany v Italy game for distraction. The first couple of minutes felt awful, like my legs had no life. I copped pretty quickly that I just had to recalibrate from the +6 seting, no wonder it felt like pulling teeth. With the Flow calibrated to zero I set off in earnest. 30 minutes down and Caz started to fix herself a bite to eat, 20 minutes later I'm smelling it and its properly distracting. The effort started to bite after the hour but the 90 minute mark coincided with the end of the match and I just pushed on to get it done. A very sweaty session but solid enough 84% FTP output for it.
Total 55.8km, avg 273w
Swim Squad
Well not much of a squad. Just me, my nemesis and the tecnician. Me sandwiched bewteen them. Life is not all bad
Main set was 4 sets of 200/3*100
In on 2:56-2:59 for the 200s
In on 1:26-1:29 for the 100s
1,100m steady cool down at 1:35 pace.
I meant to do a km but miscounted. The tecnician has a habit of asking me if the pace is ok, before upping the ante on the next rep :rolleyes: Generally she drops me but this morning I hung on for dear life Good session
Total 3,800m
Hey possibly a couple of hours steady endurance Sunday, I'll drop you a text.Hey, if you get bored and want company for them long rides give me a bell, I can sit on your wheel and shout encouragement.0 -
All the interesting sessions done this weekend, but key session missed...
Friday: Interval Run
It’s exactly the kind of session I signed up to the club for but I rarely get to go. A window opened up so I made haste to get there after work. We did a short jog and some warm up exercises before the main set of 6*3 minutes hard with 90 seconds easy jog recovery. Perhaps it was a week of no running or the fact that I have no consistency with interval running but I found these tough. I averaged between 3:36-3:42 pace and HR 165-174 for the lot. It was a decent workout but there was no one else there to push me along and I guess I just didn’t push myself. We did some more warm down exercises and jogged back to the car. I felt fine but the sweat was pouring off me...
Blood Results back too.
In general ok. Cholesterol not great overall but HDL is good. One thing did fall over the normal range and points to Kidneys so that’s something Caz is checking out
Saturday: Easy Run.
I was due to meet the Beast Team for a session so I got my own run down early. I woke up feeling odd and not too long after I started running my lower back felt off. It felt stiff like I had pulled something but I couldn’t remember overexerting it in any way. Caz reckons it could be sleeping with my back to an open window for a few nights and the draft causing the ache. I dialled the pace right back as a result and basically jogged for an hour. Again sweating a lot. I had a quick breakfast, got the gear ready, mountain bike onto the rack and set off to meet the Team.
Training for the Beast – Long Kayak on the Blackwater from Mallow to Fermoy
To say I was the Kayak newbie was an understatement. Pete and Jacqo are both experienced kayakers/canoeists and Enduro, well, he is Enduro. For my benefit I guess he sat in the Kayak on the grass for an in promptu lesson. The rainfall meant there was a decent flow in the river. We launched the Kayaks from Mallow with a goal to paddle to Fermoy, approximately 30km. I sat in front of Enduro initially listening to the tips that will make this more efficient on the day. After 20 minutes it was clear we had gelled well enough so we pulled into the bank to swap the combinations. Jacqo in front of Enduro and Pete steering behind me. After a half hour of paddling in this combination a tributary joined the Blackwater and whatever happened, we saw Jacqo and Enduro capsize into the water up ahead :eek: The strong flow immediately took them down river with Pete and I in pursuit until they perched on some extended fallen trees.
We paddled in close to try and hook the 2 vessels together which was tricky. We managed to get Enduro almost on board when Jacqo and her Kayak took off again. 3 lads on one sit on top was not ideal and one small movement later we had all fallen in. The 2 boys had grabbed onto the Kayak but I disengaged. I tried to swim back but it was pointless as I the flow was too strong. I let myself be swept down river towards Jacqo who was trapped against another tree, 2 paddles and kayak to hand. She is one tough cookie! I was never so glad to have learned to swim over the last few years when I had to swim about 30m hard meters to get out of the flow and over to her to trap myself between the tree stump and the boat. I could feel the power of the water rushing under my legs and with all my strength couldn’t push the boat far enough away for me to climb on top. The boys up river had got themselves back onto the Kayak but I had since seen one of their paddles flow right passed us along with my waterproof jacket and water bottle. Enduro had also lost his waterproof sack.
So, we were in a pickle but luckily we had all remained calm enough under pressure. It took a jaw clenching burst of strength to flip the Kayak back over without landing it on Jacqo’s head. We had to let go and drift with the current again. This time, we had Pete and Enduro on their Kayak helping to direct us to a cove with trees. As we flowed down the river we spotted the lost paddle and Enduro’s sack under some roots. The next 10 minutes involved Jacqo and I getting back into the Kayak and the lot of us tracking back up stream until we retrieved the missing paddle and bag. I even found my jacket. Jacqo and I were shivering and needed to start paddling which we duly did. We were blessed finding that paddle as it would have been a long day without it...
Thankfully the sun came out in spots to dry us off I now sat behind Jacqo and was happier following her rhythm and steering through any other rapids we encountered. It was about an hour and a half more easy paddling to reach Fermoy. We had a Herron and ducks accompany us a lot of the way, diving into the water ahead. Some parts of the route was beautiful in a way you could only appreciate form being on the river. In total we were on the water for over 3 hours, had a small adventure and tried out 3 different combos. Happy days! Jacqo and I sat in a car with the heater on trying to warm up as the lads packed up the Kayaks. My shoulders and arms ached. Proper newbie mistake of pulling with arms too much!
Training for the Beast - Doneraile to Ardpatrick via Ballyhoura Trails
We took a lift to Doneraile and unloaded the bikes. The sun came out long enough to dry some light gear, change and get some food into us. We set off towards the Mountains with Enduro navigating. He spent the next few hours entertaining us with stories of proper adventure races and those of the highest and most difficult level too. Mad stuff and a gentleman. I can only imagine what he is like with his game face on! We soon veered off road and began to climb some part of the mountain to meet the red trail. Over the next 2 hours Jacqo grew increasingly confident on the bike which was great and we paced this recce a good deal quicker than the spin in the dark a couple of weeks ago.
Enduro was gliding over the technical single track surfaces, or so it seemed. I was having great fun just following his lead, although my rawness would show its head quite often. I had a few close calls and came off twice. Once, falling into a stream and another trying to be brave and taking on a 7ft straight drop only to go over the bars. That one hurt a bit. Overall I loved the trails again and we got through a decent 25km section of them in good shape before biking back to Ardpatrick to call it a day. My back was still sore from early that morning so I was glad not to be trekking up a mountain. It was a good session with 3 solid hours kayaking and 3 hours mountain biking to help us gel a bit as a team. It is very reassuring having someone with Enduro’s experience as a navigator on the day and he sees no problem kicking back with 3 novices
A full on 36 hour AR is a nice ‘sprinty’ warm up for what he has in store this year. Again, mad stuff. Its 4 weeks to the Beast and I’m full sure we will meet our Demons that weekend. We are going to get to shoot guns! It’s going to be epic...:eek::D
Sunday: Missed Key Session.
I had a 4 hour steady endurance bike planned. However between helping my sister get a Tent up for a wedding party, my back hurting and hours upon hours following the Boards and LTC gangs in Austria, I got SFA done... It won’t happen again. I’m all stirred up and motivated after waiting for 16:52 on the tracker... Well proud of the Boarsies and Club mates I was!0 -
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Last Week
Swimming
Nothing. Nada. I tried a few lengths on Wednesday when I was at the pool with shotgunjunior but my back was not enjoying the rotation.
Total 0km
Biking
- 2 hour turbo including 5*5 minutes at 100% FTP
- 3 hour turbo including 1*60 minutes HIM intensity
Total 175.4km
Running
- 70 minute run including 6*5 minutes sweet spot intervals
- 90 minute easy hungover long run
Total 35km
S&C
- 30 minutes of general stretching
Summary
I got nothing done up to thursday due to a lower back strain. I basically took pain killers and anti infalmmatories and lay on the couch eating crap. The few session I got down were quality enough except for the long run. I was at a wedding on Friday and suffered my first proper hangover in a long long time. It was a horrible run. The turbos were solid and very sweaty. I learned that I don't take enough fluid to match my sweat loss.
The other learning this week was disciplining myself to back off if I am red lining when I shouldn't be. The interval run called for sweet spot reps which is a 160-170 HR range. I did the first 3 reps on RPE before I glanced at the watch to see 175 HR. I knew I was over the line as I was wheezing but I was focused on the end of the rep rather than being in the moment. The numbers for the first 3 rep were
5 mins at 3:52 pace, avg HR 165
5 mins at 3:48 pace, avg HR 166
5 mins at 3:45 pace, avg HR 167
When I noticed I was over the red line pulled back. It was actually hard to do as I was also working hard. I managed to cap the next 3 reps at 171 HR. The numbers for the last 3 were
5 mins at 3:48 pace, avg HR 169
5 mins at 3:55 pace, avg HR 170
5 mins at 3:58 pace, avg HR 170
The second set looks like I was working much harder for a poorer return but they actually felt more comfortable. It may have been at the top of the sweet spot zone but it was steady. What I learned from this session is that average HR is not a value I should be mostly concerned with. Yes an average HR may fall into the zone but I may have spent half of the rep burning matches I needed for later reps. In an Ironman marathon context, red lining even for a few minutes can mean game over... For the IM, control and comfort is everything. This I must practice.
Weigh in this morning was as depressing as expected. I literally couldn't spend too long in the TT position (which hasn't been chnged since Roth last year) due to the jelly roll...
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shotgunmcos wrote: »Weigh in this morning was as depressing as expected. I literally couldn't spend too long in the TT position (which hasn't been changed since Roth last year) due to the jelly roll...
MCOS hope things will improve soon. Still loads of weeks left.
I've put on 2kg since my London efforts when I was just under 70kg (11st)
I thought one lost weight during this IM training lark. 0 -
Yes the weight is supposed to come off with all the training :rolleyes: I watched the LTC IMAT crew dwindle away to skeletal versions of their former selves. Two interesting and entertaining reports on their excursions here
70kg :eek: I frickin' wish. I set myself a stupidly ambitious target of 73kg for Barcelona, however I A) have not been that weight since I was about 15 years old, Just wish I could run and am convinced it will help C) Cannot stop eating cake...
I hit the pool this morning, it wasn't pretty. 2 weeks away from it didn't help. Hard turbo this evenng and if I get through it I can confirm myself back on the horse.
Got to get some form together if I have any chance of holdng onto a quickly diminishing lead on you out of T2 0 -
shotgunmcos wrote: »Got to get some form together if I have any chance of holdng onto a quickly diminishing lead on you out of T2
No fear there. Though it'll be nice to have a target to chase, that is if I'm able:)0 -
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Back on the horse ... sort of
I feel as though I broke the mould of inconsistency in the last 2 sessions. There was nothing unusual or unique about them. Regular sessions. Work has been crazy the last month and I've arrived home late too many times to want to do something about it now. I have to make dinner and then convince myself I'll get up in the morning to do the session and push the morning session out to the evening. The problem with that ploy is that I'm not getting myself up for the morning session and the evening belongs to shotgunjunior and his activities. Invariably the 2 sessions get missed. I get p!ssed off about it, attempt to double up somewhere or do a key session tired.
Well last night was no different to begin with. Home late. Hungry. No motivation to train. Caz just wanting to chat. I had a brute of a turbo scheduled and it would have meant finishing up at 11pm, eating late, sleeping in, life events requiring a juggle of sessions blah blah.. :rolleyes:
I just dropped every thought and excuse I had going on, set up the turbo and hopped on. I admit that I did wimp out of the horrible set and swapped for Thursday's tamer option but got a session done. I also made it down to the pool to meet the gang this morning. Lots of IMAT sunburned shoulders and white IMAT caps about and stories to hear. I got stuck into the session with a bagful of motivation. It wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either
Its just a glimmer. Its a meaty week of training and the demon is trying to psych me out of the key sesssions. If I can just get through the rest of the week with a dose of HTFU I might have broken the back of it...
Waffle over and out!
"checks guns..." EhIf you lost the title of the biggest guns in triathlon you might be lighter... 0 -
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Long Run
Meeting up with the Beast Team on Saturday so I had to swap the long run. Thought about it last night but it was too late by the time shotgunjunior had finished rugby and I had run errands. Decided to get it out of the way this morning. Out the door for 0530hrs for 2 hours steady. There were different things about this run than other long runs..
1. The pace. Last year I did pretty much all of my long runs at 3:10-3:20 marathon pace and ended up running 3:59 at Roth. My best expectation at Roth was 3:35 so its obvious I simply did far too much running at the wrong pace. This year I reckon best expectation is 3:20-3:30 so my best case scenario IM marathon pace is 4:45-5:00 pace. I though about this over the last few days and figured it would require discipline. It did. The pace kept creeping up and I had to rein it back quite often.
2. The Intensity. Again this comes back to the point I made the other day about average heart rates. Last year I capped long runs at 155 HR and would often finish long runs with an average HR close to 155 and wrecked. All that mattered though was that I held a pleasing pace and kept most of it under the cap. Demon controlling things. This morning I capped it at 150 HR and wouldn't allow it to go over even on hills. This also required control and discipline. I had to accept that I'd be reduced to walking pace at times.
3. Self Belief. Last year toward the end of long run I'd be feeling it and wondering how I would be able to do a full 42.2. Again more concerned about holding an average pace for that run, than keeping the bigger picture in focus. Running this morning with the pace controlled, the heart rate controlled, I felt relaxed and able to visualise where I'd be. Breaking it down to 10k chunks, staying cool, having faith that I have reserves to hold the pace (with some fight) to the line.
4. Form. Something I've never bothered with much with running. I recently had to give a talk to a class off sports nutrition and performance students about all things triathlon and nutrition related (Like I have a clue). It went well and 1 thing that stood out on the barrage of questions was the role of strength and conditioning in maintaining form. Anyway it got me thinking about form in my long run this morning and thats a start.
First long run done, another tick... 0
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