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Tri-ing my best...
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elvis jones wrote: »How is the running coming along, you up to 13.1 yet ?
Not yet. But not miles away. (well 2-3 I suppose
) 17km due tomorrow and a decision as to whether it's the treadmill or run home. Gym is slight favourite at the moment. 0 -
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couerdelion wrote: »elvis jones wrote: »How is the running coming along, you up to 13.1 yet ?
Not yet. But not miles away. (well 2-3 I suppose) 17km due tomorrow and a decision as to whether it's the treadmill or run home. Gym is slight favourite at the moment.
Jebus I couldn't do that, I have to do roughly the same at the weekend and the idea of a thread mill would drive me batty. Remember it's long SLOW run !0 -
couerdelion wrote: »Wed 11th January 2012
Went to the gym at lunchtime for a slow recovery run. I forgot my top. Decision made that nobody would be wanting a sight of my belly and moobs so grabbed a bagel and went back to work.
I suppose that really depends on what gym you use
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Apologies for the long post, if you decide to read it you might want to get a cup of tea to help you through it...
“All men dream, but unequally. Those that dream at night in the dusty recesses of their minds awake the next day to find that their dreams were just vanity. But those who dream during the day with their eyes wide open are dangerous men; they act out their dreams to make them reality.” -T.E. Lawrence
I wrote a draft of this a while back and have been updating it and playing around with figures... anyway after seeing other loggers (El D, Catweazle, NeedsTraining, Bambaata, elvis Jones... everyone else basically) set themselves target(s) for the year and beyond I thought I would publish mine and be damned.
So just after completing my first ever triathlon event I sat down and set myself some targets for the rest of the year. Now this may seem a little bit wierd that I would go to this trouble bearing in mind I had only just completed a race and may never have raced again, but as anyone who knows me will tell you, when I commit to something there is no half way, I like to get involved, be fully committed and plot and plan and read and scheme.. you get the idea... the lads at work tell me I've got a mental problem
My aims were only for Sprint and Olympic length events and to be honest I am still only thinking of the HIM's as target events that force me to increase my training and build a bigger base. I honestly don't think I am built for the longer events and even think that the Sprint distance might be my best event.
So my aims for the end of my first season were:
Sprint
750m Swim 18 mins
20km Bike 38 mins
5km Run 25 mins
Total: 1hr 30 mins
Olympic
Swim 37
Bike 80
Run 55
Total: 3 hours 0 mins
I'm pretty happy with the targets I set and my achievements for this year. In the Sprint distance I beat all of those targets. The Olympic was a little different. I only did one Olympic so it was pretty much **** or bust. The swim target was met. The bike was almost fine but I missed it by 33 seconds but dehydration probably paid a part in that (i left my water bottles inthe car and didn't notice till I set off on the bike). The run was a disaster as I took 62:38 missing the target by 7:38, again I think I can put that down as being due to dehydration.. As I had ran a 10km in 52 mins earlier in the year I know this target was achievable for me and if I had planned better I was capable of it. So I am just going to put it down to a bad day and in my head be happy that I met all the targets near enough albeit not in the same race.There's no point dwelling on this year though and leaving those targets in place till I beat them in the same race. It's time to reassess, set new targets and move on to next year.Targets for end of 2012
Sprint
Swim 14.30
Bike 35
Run 22
Total: 1hr 15 mins
Olympic
Swim 30
Bike 75
Run 45
Total: 2hrs 40 mins
I think I have set myself pretty challenging targets for 2012. 15 mins off my Sprint time and 25 mins of my Olympic.
For the sprint distance I believe the swim is achievable. 14:30 is just a case of swimming 50m lengths in 58s. For 15 of them. I'm starting to increase my swim length so I consistently hit 2000m+ and this should help give me the fitness base to be able to add the speed into the shorter distance. Already in training this year I have hit 14:40 for 800m so that would suggest I am capable.
The bike I can already hit in training and when I'm racing I always seem to be able to find a little extra speed.
The run is a tricky one. 22 mins is 4min 24s kilometers. That's right at the top of my limit on a treadmill set to 0 incline at the moment. I beat that on a treadmill today so should be able to match it in a race situation. Again, a good base and losing a good few more kilos will help a lot and if I can hit it those targets in training then when I'm racing and fitter it's mine for the taking.
The Olympic targets I have set are a little more challenging. A 30 minute swim means I need to find 6 minutes + from somewhere over last year. If I'm honest I can probably subtract at least a minute from my Dublin time as I had cramp getting out of the water and needed to stretch and I started 50m behind the start line so that's another minute. So really 'just' 4 minutes to find. Could I swim 15% faster? I think I could have done, I was being conservative as I was worried I might not be able to swim the distance and for most of the swim was just gliding along. Add in last weeks time trial result and the added buyouncy of the wetsuit. I think it's well within reach.
75 mins for the bike should be easy enough. it's 5 mins less than this year but I feel already much faster and stronger and hopefully by the time Dublin comes round I will be even better. A 45 minute run though is going to really test me. If I can hit the 22 min mark for the 5km then Macmillan reckons I should be on for a 45:42 10k. Time will tell whether that's achievable and whether I can knock a the 42 seconds off that too. I guess that if I look at the fact that if I hit the target I will be ~18 minutes faster than the time I ran this year in the Dublin Triathlon, then it really puts into perspective the task ahead. I will be putting in the training effort and distance though in order to get down to this kind of speed but I realise the importance of making sure the training is about quality not just quantity.
Race plans for 2012 are:
18th March 2012 - Singapore 70.3 (C)
19th May - Fingal Sprint (B)
02nd Jun - TriAthy Oly (A)
10th Jun - Wicklow 200 ccyle (C)
30th Jun - TriAthlone Oly (C)
22nd Jul - Beast of the East Oly (C)
11th Aug - Caroline Kearney (B)
26th Aug - Dublin City Tri (A)
16th Sep - Challenge Henley IM (looking less likely by the day)
22nd Sep - BlackSod challenge Oly (C)
The aim is to peak for the TriAthy Oly and then again later in the year for the Dublin City Oly. The rest will still be raced rather than treated as a traingin session but they are not my 'A' races this year.
There will also be a fair few BHAA races in there to help with the running and at least one other sportive probably the An Post Meath
event. I'd like to do some bike racing but don't think I would be fast enough and am too old!
Now for the self reflection and a good hard look at myself. I am too fat at the moment. Likewise I don't want to be a skinny triathlete. I like to carry a bit of muscle mass even though I know it will slow me down. I had been enjoying getting back into the gym and lifting weights and seeing the effect it has on my body but I have knocked that back and am just trying to maintain what I have. The main point is though that there is a real need to lose the fat if I want to hit these targets I am setting. Today I'm 17st 5lb. For the first race of this year 20th May 2012 I want to be tipping the scales at 16st 0lb and be at 15st 0lb by the Dublin City Tri.
If the calculations I have read where by, all things being equal, you can run 2.4s per km quicker for every kg of weight you lose then if I lose the 15kg I should be able to hit < 20 mins for a 5km time trial. That's a challenge I look forward to especially as a friend has challenged me to beat his 19:55 time he set at the peak of his fitness a few years ago...
Now for the dreamer part. I wasn't going to put in my 2013 targets. I wasn't sure if it would look foolish to be aiming so high when I'm still so low but here goes... once they are in the public domain there's no turning back and I can use this to push me rather than allowing it to be come some thing to be laughed at in 2014.Targets for 2013
Sprint
Swim 13.00
Bike 33
Run 20
Total: 1hr 10 mins
Olympic
Swim 27
Bike 70
Run 41.30
Total: 2hr 25 mins
In 2013 I will be moving up to the 40-44 age group and, although I am talking about it in a whispered voice, I want to be in the kind of shape that will allow me to make a decent effort at qualifying for my age group for the Euros. I've mentioned this as my ultimate aim to my wife and she thinks I'm a dreamer (but I'm not the only one:) ) Perhaps it's bad luck to be even thinking this far ahead (and even more so on a public forum)but as I am already confident of beating my 2012 targets early enough in the season then at least I can look and see what I'm hoping for the following year and try and hit them.
The 13 min swim isn't earth shattering by any standard with a need to only average 52 seconds per 50m length. I'd like to think that with a little more endurance work I won't be far off that. I get an extra 2 secs per 50m for the Olympic. Again, I don't think I'm too far away.
The 33 min bike is an average of just over 36kmh ofr the 20km and the 70 min bike just over 34kmh. Tough yes, impossible no.
The 5k time of 20 mins is something I am already working towards and to be honest would like to hit before the end of the year. I know it's not always accurate but Macmillan would see me able to hit a 41:30 10k off that kind of pace.
It's a little hard for me to say yet whether they are achievable or not (I believe they are, but only time will tell) but if I do hit them I would be looking at the kind of speed that got a top 50 place at Dublin this year and around 3rd in the 40-44 age group:eek:. I would not expect it to be easy to get myself to that kind of level, but if I get the consistency in training and put the work in anything is possible. I reckon I would need to be down to around 14st by then too.
I started with a quote and I'll end with one.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're probably right.” - Henry Ford0 -
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Back training!
Although I wasn't sure I was 100% fit I went along to the swim as it was a new block starting. Wasn't sure I was going to make it half way through the warm up as I was felling the pace but it ended up ok although on my cool down I got cramp so bad in my calf that my toes were pointing straight down like a ballerina. :eek:
Set was
WU 2x (50m FC, 50m BS, 50m FCm, 50m Choice),
2 x (200m side kicking alternating leading arm every 25m, 300m FC)
8x25m Sprint race against rest of lane with scull start. Getting progessively faster, 200m BS, 100m CD. Total 1900m.0 -
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couerdelion wrote: »Withdrew from Singapore 70.3 too. I needed to make a decision pretty quick and with the situation at work I am not even sure if I will be in a job or in a position to travel next month. Pi$$ed off about it to be honest, but I'm going to continue the training and look for another HIM later in the year when I know what is happening.
Bummer
. I know the feeling. Its a crappy position to be in alright as motivation has to be hit. Maybe target Tri an Mhi instead but don't let the good work you've been doing go to waste. Its good for the sanity also! 0 -
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couerdelion wrote: »I looked at Tri an Mhi but it sold out pretty quickly. I'll keep the training up regardless and find something here or in the UK.
There's a waiting list available for this, chances of getting a spot might be slim but won't hurt to register (I did) 0
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