Eddie Rockets!

griffin100

Second in an NS race........off the back of a 'poor' training run in........and you give yourself an 8/10.........I think I'll retire my sorry lazy ass now :pac:

BTH

griffin100 wrote: »

Second in an NS race........off the back of a 'poor' training run in........and you give yourself an 8/10.........I think I'll retire my sorry lazy ass now :pac:

Bloody depressing aint it. And he's still the right side of 30, and he also calls himself fat :rolleyes:

Fantastic result Eddie, really impressive stuff.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Super racing Ed enjoyed reading the report. Not surprising really as you have heaps of ability and talent!!
You should take 3 weeks off/eat more from now on as it seems to work:)

Bambaata

griffin100 wrote: »

Second in an NS race........off the back of a 'poor' training run in........and you give yourself an 8/10.........I think I'll retire my sorry lazy ass now :pac:

Ah 8/10 is still 80% which if i got in an exam id be delighted with

Things that knocked it back - lost about 10/15seconds between the two transitions
Bike i didn't push enough, faffed with shoes for 1/1.5k and run i didnt hammer it from the off.
Run i didnt really open up until the second half

Aside from that i was delighted with the outcome. Even if those things were taken care of i wouldn't have been much faster and certainly wouldnt have challenged Con's time! I would love a sub hour someday though and Athy is the only spot ill get that close with the favourable swim. No way in hell id manage 10mins for a fair 750m.

El Director

Just had the pleasure of reading two race reports from you Ed (didn't realise you had posted up the HIM).

Reading your HIM report I felt gutted for you dude. Your talented and commitment deserve better. Now even you'll admit it was still a quality result, let's not forget that. Plus you are young....years and years of races ahead of you, bound to be some disappointing ones at first, especially at the longer distances.

Now Sunday was a serious performance. I really like that you can mix middle distance with sprint, I think that maybe the way I go in years to come as IM really hasn't caught my imagination yet. Ha, I thought I had a chance on Sunday at taking you on, mainly because you convinced me I had :rolleyes: but I know you are an honest guy and it surprised you the most that you would be so close to winning. Well done and a hell of a way to bounce back man.

Bambaata

Monday 4th June
Bike
Just got out for a few laps around the park. Had hoped to get a little loner in but id spent ages cleaning the road bike up to take it out for the first time in about a year! Enjoyed mixing it up a little
Time: 00:50:46, Ave HR 119BPM, Ave Cadance 88, Distance 25.15km, Ave speed 29.7km/hr

Tuesday 5th June
Nought

Wednesday 6th June
Nought

Thursday 7th June
Nought

Friday 8th June
Run
This was not a good week for me. I really lost interest in everything, work, training, everything. I was in bad humour all week for some reason with no motivation to do anything whatsoever. That and i had a college project due Wednesday which i got in late that evening. Finally got something together Friday lunchtime. Ran real easy, didnt feel comfortable bringing HR up at all and just forgot about it and just got some time in the legs. Didnt feel all that great which was inevitable and I was just happy once it was done.
Time: 00:38:21, Ave Pace: 04:23/km, Ave HR 131BPM, Distance: 8.77km

Swim
That evening i just went to the to pool for a splash to remind the body what swimming was. Just did 300sw, 300p, 100back, 100k, 4 x 50des 1-4 on 60 (48, 43, 41, 38) and 200sw just to get some time in the water
Time: 00:22:29, Distance 1200m

Saturday 9th June
Run
Just ran a detour to work. Wanted to get an hour but couldnt find my damn keys so got held up looking for them. Felt ok, better than earlier in the week. Seemed to run well enough. Enjoyed it far more than the previous few runs.
Time: 00:40:05, Ave Pace: 04:15/km, Ave HR 138BPM, Distance: 9.43km

Sunday 10th June
Bike
Wow wow wee waaa. I set out on the road bike again with the intention of doing 2hrs. Had fuel for that (1000mls 0kcal high5 Xtreme, 1 small cereal bar). Got to Saggart and decided to go a little further to find some hills. Next thing i was in Blessignton. There i said, flip i best get some water or something so with just 15k to the Sally Gap i thought i might intercept the W200 route and find an aid station. Got there, nothing. At this stage i was 2.5 hours in and praying for a stray gel dropped by the W200 gang. Damn the tidy bunch i thought as there was nothing to be found. I then decided to head for Laragh as i like that descent. On route there i thought my prayers were answered when i saw a can on the road. I thought it was Lucazade but it turned out to be an empty beer can! Arrived in Laragh and sat there for a wee while. Then I saw on twitter that a friend wasnt too far away on the W200 route so i decided id try intercept him. Got to Rathdrum but he wasnt around so then headed for Rathnew. At this point i realised there was going to be no bumping into him! Went to the W200 finish, nabbed a coffee, hung around a bit to see if there was anyone i knew and then set off home! Very very long day in the saddle but i really really enjoyed it. I dont know how i had energy for the entire spin! While i felt a little funny i still had some power in me although hills werent very welcome! Longest ride in years and really enjoyed it. Some more water (ie about 1.5-2ls more!) and some food would have been good but i got through it!
Time: 05:41:23, Ave HR 134BPM, Ave Cadance 84, Distance 167.04km, Ave speed 29.4km/hr

shotgunmcos

Intention 2 hours = Coach's instruction? If so you over shot that a little....:eek:


Enjoyed your Athy report, good racing feel to it. Well done, way to get mojo back

Bambaata

Ha, no that definitely wasn't coaches in instructions. I had 3hrs hilly on the plan but last week i was not in a good place and didn't follow anything (sorry coach), i was questioning going on at all. I dont know what was with me. It wasnt just training, i was in a foul humour all week. So yesterday's ride i just set out and kinda just kept going. I was enjoying the fact i was pushing beyond what should have been practicable but somehow i actually felt fine. Today i feel ok too, undercarriage a little tender alright on the cycle to work and a little tired but no more than id be if i had a decent effort long bike. I wont be repeating it though!

pgibbo

Feck me Ed, that's some spin. You ate in to all the reserves you so called piled on after Mallorca yesterday!

Bambaata

I did indeed! I weighed myself when i got back and i was 77.6kg. I was at least 80.6kg heading out! Thats a lot of water! I think of it as a purifying exercise :P

Thats said i wont ever be repeating that! I wouldn't recommend it

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Nice solid IM bike work if even a few years too early I have overun slightly on sessions before but nowhere near 4hrs:D

Bambaata

Good IM work alright :P Hilly too! Think im gona swap over the power meter to the roadie to give it a go for a few weeks. Needed to change things a little i think as i was loving the climbing and descending on it.

Bambaata

Monday 11th June
Coached Swim
Good old dose of drill work again. I find some quite easy and others not so. Balancing drills are the better ones while the doggie paddle, finger trail and sculling ones are my worst! Ive learned a bit though in the 3 sessions to date. Key are 1) i catch too wide with my right arm and 2) i dip my head when tired. We'd 3 x 100 on 01:45 fastish 100's to finish and i was delighted to hit 01:20 and then something like 01L24 and 01:23. It was commented though that almost everyone went back to old habits when pushing so while drills will be important its more important to actually bring the learnings from them to the overall swim stroke! I'm enjoying some company for the swims, pushes me a lot harder than i can push myself. While i haven't done f all in the water the past few days i found i still went ok.
Time: 00:45:00, Distance: ?? about 1500m? Not sure

Tuesday 12th June
Run
Some easy, not so easy and then mod effort to liven the old legs up. I was a little surprised t actually run well enough. First easy segment came in on 04:04 pace, the next level up was 03:50 and then mod came in on 03:45 pace. I was breathing pretty heavy for the first while and getting into easy at all felt like a bit of effort. I was a bit concerned how the later bits of effort would feel! Eased into it though and body seemed to come around. I put the early fatigue down to Sunday's expedition. Quads were pretty tight after Sunday and i could certainly still feel that cycle a little. Once warmed up though i seemed to roll well.
Time: 00:45:52, Ave Pace: 03:59/km, Ave HR 142BPM, Distance: 11.51km

Fazz

Gone a tad quiet in here you must be busy training!

So, you had a possible Tri Kilkenny or Lough Neagh in mind followed by Lost Sheep as next races I think?

I'd be pretty similar and have King of the Hill followed by Galway 70.3.
I've recently added in Groomsport National Champs.

Are you tempted sir?
Shall we battle?

Should be a stacked line up I'd say.
Any 70.3 nutrition advice you've dialled in? 4 gels on bike?
I must review your race report again for a look.

Bambaata

Yo Fazz, yeah sorry ive had a turbulent few weeks. I did the same last year where after first A race i badly lost focus. I was in a really bad way a few weeks back, even considering packing it in but i came around. Slowly but surely getting back but not to the extent id have liked. While ive had decent races since Mallorca for some reason i keep going through periods of in and out of interest in it all. I suppose ive had a very hectic few weeks at work and other stresses have taken their toll.

Im in for Lough Neagh. Ive raced it once before and loved the course so looking forward to it. Thats it then to Kenmare. Possibly an aquathon or two. Was supposed to do the Bull Wall one last Wednesday but i opened up a nasty big blister last week in Rosslare. Still not back running or swimming cos of it but not far off now thankfully.

I suppose t get me back on track here i'll start with the Rosslare Pikeman Oly Race Report. Ive one done for coach so ill dig it out now and tailor it for here

Ive gone gels only for all the 70.3's to date and will keep at that. I'll send you over my excel nutrition plans for some reflection. Not saying they're perfect now but they'll give you some food for thought

Bambaata

Rosslare Pikeman Olympic - Race Report
Pre-Race
I was looking forward to this one. Picked it mainly because Leisha has relatives in Rosslare, youngest of which is 5 and loves it when we visit. We arrived down around 8:45 Frioday evening after driving through constant heavy rain! At first i was in a queue for a cheile in the local hall but a quick glance at the others around me gave it away! I finally found the triathlon registration and off out to the house. The kids were busy making banners so pressure was on! I didn't get a great sleep as everyone bar me stayed up chatting til 2am so it was about 2:30 before i properly nodded off. Up at 07:15, showered, sorted gear into bags and had porridge mainly made with water, walnuts, cranberries and manuka honey with lots of coffee. Also began sipping the High5 zero xtreme and had about 750mls of that up to about 1 hr from the race.

Bike warmup - I headed off out for 15mins on the bike doing 5 easy checking gears, 5 x 30s above RP, 30s easy and then easy to transition. I arranged to meet Leisha with my gear at transition. Bike warmup went fine, i noticed speed was fairly decent on good surfaces. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/196853193
Run warmup - Felt ok again. I was carrying a blister on the side of my left foot from the 10k pace intervals the day before and the plaster on this began to come away near the end so after 4 easy, 3 x 20s fast/40s easy i just ran back to transition. Worked up a good sweat though. The sky was completely blue so a turnaround from the day before but the wind was still pretty fierce.

Around transition i picked up that the swim was in jeopardy but heard it was more likely to be 750m rather than 1500m. There was also talk of the run being cut short as an area about 10m long was flooded on the route. Thankfully they went ahead with it as the water was only just over ankle deep and they had checked for potholes so little chance of anyone having issues.

Took on a gel about 10mins before start (berry)

Swim 00:11:37 5/80
So on the 500m walk down to swim start i took the opportunity to do some little sprints on the beach and stretched the arms out. When i got to the swim start i swam in about 50m and did some pickups. While the sea was a little rough, i wasn't worried about it and lined up right at the front. With 60s to go i copped the faster swimmers were over the other side so made my way over to them. Hooter went and immediately i did 2 dives and sprinted off. I planned on racing hard to the buoy 100m out and then settling a bit. 1 guy got an extra dive in and got a few m's on me. I then saw 2 or 3 coming from the right and tried to draft these for a while. I drafted to the turn but then lost contact. I swam steady to mod, not suite sprint and not quite olympic pace. I seemed to switch off the kicking here and there but I wasn't too concerned as i knew there was a good 42k bike and 10k run to use them! Sighting was non-existent as the buoy 500/550m ahead wasn't visible in the swell even at the crest of them as it was blown flat onto the water with the wind. I used the boats on one side and beach on the other to roughly gauge my line and could identify 2 or 3 pink hats ahead too so i let them guide me to some extent. Id catch sight of the buoy every so often too and felt i actually swam a good line, better than some ahead as i caught them a little by the second turn. And so in toward the beach we went. It was actually hard to see where to go as people lined the beach. I kind of guessed where the end was and luckily I was right as i could see a marshal when about 30/40m out. I managed to catch a body surf here and there and flung the arms around trying to maintain it which seemed to work well.

T1 00:00:51 1/81
I knew i was well up there but wasnt sure exactly. I had a good transition and passed 1 or 2 in the process. Only minor issues with left ankle but quick non the less. I mounted next to a girl but lost her immediately.

Bike 01:04:01 1/79
I think i passed 1 more before passing the leader at about 2km. I saw a motorbike marshal and a Garda bike and was questioning was i now in the lead!?? I could see a good 500m up the road and couldn't see anyone so took it that i was. The initial 1-3kms were a little strong power wise with little climbs etc but i quickly relaxed and aimed for the 300W region. I started taking on about 50ml sips of High5 2:1 from 5 mins and repeated every 5 mins or so only skipping 1 or 2 right to about 10mins from finish. I took on a berry gel at 20mins (pushed it out from planned 15 after only a 750m swim) and 45mins. I felt very comfortable. The course consisted of about 1k out to a roundabout, then out towards another roundabout on the main Wexford road and then 9.5k to Wexford roundabout before turning back and repeating that loop and finally finishing the last 1k into transition. The wind was fairly strong but mainly from the side but slightly more headwind on the outward leg. It evened up the loop a little as the drags back in had more of a side/tailwind so i knew i was rolling well towards the 40km/hr average! At the first turnaround i saw id a nice lead to 2 guys with 1 in close pursuit to them. I knew i was cycling strong and that they'd have to be serious bikers to catch me now. I couldn't believe it to hit 20k around 00:30:07 despite not pushing myself and realised i was going to be close to the 40k in 60mins! I didn't go for this though. At the half way point i met the support crew (about 10 of them!) with the banners and all screaming their heads off. They were some sight and i was anxious to maintain that lead to transition. At the second turnaround i began passing some people on lap 1 and saw i had actually stretched out the lead by another 150m or so at the 30k or so point. I knew then it was going to be a cruise to the finish. I had visions of puncturing and did hit something with just 8k to go! I kept thinking i could hear hissing but i was just being stupid and id no issue into T2. I did take the foot off the gas slightly as i was concerned about running at all with the blister. The bandage id gotten in the pharmacy came off before i even got to the water! Note: Scholl blister bandages are crap, stick to compeed! HRM didnt work for the majority of the ride! It was in 140s when it did near halfway and end.

From watch: 01:04:03 - 41.87km - 39.2km/hr - 294W - 89rpm - 910XT multisport issues uploading to GC!!

T2 00:00:37 3/80 (2 relays ahead)
Id a lovely fast dismount and actually had a few comment on it later! Flew through T2 and then the moment of truth would come, how was the foot going to feel!

Run 00:37:41 1/82
I opened up relatively comfortably but with a little bit of a push. Id no HR data working and despite running slightly uphill and over a hump bridge i clocked the first km a little hot at 03:28! I met the 2nd and 3rd place guys towards the end of this km so i knew it was game over. Despite that i kept the pressure on for a few kms clocking 03:34, 03:45, 03:56 (uphill bits), 03:48, 03:49, 03:46, 03:55, 04:12 (uphill and nasty bridge and i knew race was over). Last km not accurate as there's an extra minute on it as i forgot to hit lap to stop it. Took a citrus isogel at 15mins. Nothing else for the remainder. On coming into the race HQ to start lap 2 i knew id a good lead. Id kids shouting that i was going to win which brought a smile to my face and i high5'd a few. I had to think twice before doing that as id still bloody 5k to go but i knew i was going fairly comfortably and if i needed to kick on i had another gear. The first 3km seemed to go on and on but from there the course flew by. Its a fairly lumpy route, nothing major but 2 hump railway bridges which really sting and a few more slight inclines. I ran fairly comfortably and even knowing i had it won i was still anxious to keep her lit for a bit. The flooded area was a bit of a novelty on on the second lap as it was a relief to cool off a little. We'd had nothing but pure sunshine all day and i was getting a bit warm! The marshal here told me id a 3minute lead so i pretty much eased up from there but still passing people on their first lap.

Overall
Great race and well organised. I'll hopefully be able to do it again next year. The course is deadly. Good fast 42k bike and a nice run route with some gradient changes to change things up but nothing of serious note. Very happy to win so well. Bike was the standout. I hope that change to the bike is the answer to why i seemed to be pushing big power for little return as it really felt comfortable. The 00:30:07 20k there which was in effect half the course so a fair judge of it felt far far easier than Athy and for 20w's less work or so! Its a pity the HRM wasnt working but when it did the HR was in the 140's as opposed to the 150s of Athy

Dory Dory

Solid racing! Well done once again!

Bambaata

Cheers.

So back to normal

Saturday 14th July
Easy bike
Really made sure to hold this one to easy. Felt good, time flew by. Was rolling along fairly well. Flat route but rough roads in parts. Felt like it took very very little from me which is good.
Time: 02:31:13, Ave Power 231W, Normalized Power 237W, Ave HR 120BPM, Ave Cadance 85, Distance 81.14km, Ave speed 32.2km/hr

Sunday 15th July
Its been a week of no running and only one swim as im letting the blister fully heal before getting fully back to normal. It was a recovery week anyway so today i did my 5th bike of the week. It was a beautiful morning out so spirits were high and thus i pushed little bits here and there a bit more than planned at the start but cooled the jets soon after. Enjoyable spin, legs feeling good. Normal service resumes tomorrow.
Time: 00:58:02, Ave Power 251W, Normalized Power 263W, Ave HR 130BPM, Ave Cadance 86, Distance 31.7km, Ave speed 32.8km/hr

Fazz

Bambaata wrote: »

Yo Fazz, yeah sorry ive had a turbulent few weeks. I did the same last year where after first A race i badly lost focus. I was in a really bad way a few weeks back, even considering packing it in but i came around. Slowly but surely getting back but not to the extent id have liked. While ive had decent races since Mallorca for some reason i keep going through periods of in and out of interest in it all. I suppose ive had a very hectic few weeks at work and other stresses have taken their toll.

Im in for Lough Neagh. Ive raced it once before and loved the course so looking forward to it. Thats it then to Kenmare. Possibly an aquathon or two. Was supposed to do the Bull Wall one last Wednesday but i opened up a nasty big blister last week in Rosslare. Still not back running or swimming cos of it but not far off now thankfully.

I suppose t get me back on track here i'll start with the Rosslare Pikeman Oly Race Report. Ive one done for coach so ill dig it out now and tailor it for here

Ive gone gels only for all the 70.3's to date and will keep at that. I'll send you over my excel nutrition plans for some reflection. Not saying they're perfect now but they'll give you some food for thought

Cheers.
Get back in the zone already and bang out another top result.

Yeah I've read your race reports with interest on nutrition and you seem pretty religious on say every 30 mins on the bike so this is something I need to train myself and test it before my first 70.3.
I've been poor at gel intake in races but have only done olympics this yr so need to get back into habit.

Bambaata

Sent you across my Galway one from last year in the excel doc. Should make it easy for you to tailor you own but as i said use that in training loads before the day itself. I had to think about that i was going to do in Rosslare as i hadnt done an Olympic in 2 yrs!! Have another Saturday week and i think ill go the same as i did in Rosslare with possibly minor changes.

Bambaata

Monday 16th July
Easy Run
This was a tester to see how the blister i picked up about 9 days ago was going to react. Its virtually healed so i was confident it wold be ok but put a plaster on just in case. Kept things very very easy. Its a hilly route back home and running downhill had some hot spots forming on both feet, right calf also felt tight but fortunately asll was ok by the end and nmothing developed into anything worrying. Felt fairly fat and sluggish and expected an average pace more towards 5min/km as i made sure to keep it controlled and easy but i was a little surprised to see iot finished at 04:27/km pace. It was short but good to get done and back to it.
Time: 00:27:36, Ave Pace: 04:27/km, Ave HR 129BPM, Distance: 6.19km

Tuesday 17th July
Bike
Bit of work here with two 15reps around FTP. Been working up to this the past few weeks. Went ok. I felt great in the first rep, it was hard enough but manageable and i was surprised how good i felt but for some reason rep 2 was total opposite! I was back into the wind for parts and it was wrecking my head as the gusts kept throwing me off gears. I had to constantly change gears and was weaving sideways at some points, so much so that i came out of the aerobars at times to steady it better to try work through it. Finished that rep ok but was a little disappointed that rep 2 didnt go as well. I also had to stop for 1 minute in each rep at the railway crossing at Sutton!
Time: 01:15:07, Normalized Power 277W, Ave HR 134BPM, Ave Cadance 83, Distance 41.14km, Ave speed 32.9km/hr

Swim
This was supposed to be done Monday but a visit to the folks and late back to Dublin pushed it out. I don't want to miss any swimming sessions so moved it to Tuesday. Seeing as it had a few drills etc and no kick set i figured it would be fine after the earlier bike. Felt good actually, far better than i should have seeing as i haven't swam on over a week (i tend to feel sloppy first session back after any absence)! Felt like id plenty of energy to the end. Tried to hurt a little in some mod 300's without going too hard and felt i did well enough (04:25/04:27). I had to sprint once in each for about 15m to pass someone so it was good to learn to recover while still pushing a bit. Enjoyed the swim. Id also some 50des on 60 after the drills early on which were surprisingly fast at 43, 42, 40, 38 and some fast 50s at the end on 37, 39, 39, 39.
Time: 00:43:30, Distance: 2200m, Avg Pace: 1:36 min/100m

Bambaata

Wednesday 18th July
Swim
Up before work for this, albiet via an unplanned 15/20 min snooze that had me cutting the session planned sloightly short. Id made a nice strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, grape, natural youghurt, milk, pineapple, protein powder shake to have half before and half after! Started with some drills (front balance, side balance, rock n'roll, front sculling, rear sculling, catchup etc) and then did 3 x 400 (wanted to do 4 originally but time was tight) steady. I just wanted these to come in fairly even and i accomplished that with 06:30, 06:32 & 06:31. I thought id flag in these as i felt fairly tired after a later night than id have liked with an early swim. Didnt though and enjoyed the swim
Time: 00:50:22, Distance: 2400m, Ave Pace: 1:45 min/100m

Run
Easy run at lunch and boy was it warm out! I was a sweaty mess on the run out along Clontarf strand despite an easy effort and low enough HR. I then realised why i was so warm when i turned to find i had had a slight tailwind and thus cooled off slightly back ionto the wind. Crazy day out, it was roasting at lunch and then pissing down as i left work! Thank feck i got it in at lunch!
Time: 00:39:46, Ave Pace: 04:23/km, Ave HR 140BPM, Distance: 9.08km

Bambaata

Thursday 19th July
Bike
Easy bike to flush out the legs a bit. As usual i was too egear at the start and in negioating traffic i had troo many pushes for that this session was about, really need to get a handle on that. Settled down though as i went on and found that the session flew by. Came across ElD in his pink gear and tried to catch back up to him once id gotten to the bottom of a hill but i went the wrong way and didnt come across him again. Not much to report from the spin, felt decent, nice evening, time flew by.
Time: 01:15:19, Normalized Power 235W, Ave HR 121BPM, Ave Cadance 86, Distance 38.91km, Ave speed 31km/hr

Friday 20th July
Swim
Again i overslept but with manager away i was ok being a little late for work - will make up the time anyway. Had drills to start as before and then some 100's sw and pull. Didnt go the best this morning, not woeful but not great. Need to sort the late nights out! Kills me the next morning so i'll just have to get on top of it. Drills went ok, made sure to be as rested as was possible for the balancing ones as i dont want to breathe too much through them. I also tried to really focus on using the bits from those drills right through the rest of the session. The 100's were a bit slower than id have liked and i felt a bit sloppy at times, had to have a word with myself to get motivated for the last few. Was able to post similar times after the first 2 (sw's generally 01:32, p's generally 01:39/40)
Time: 00:48:00, Distance 2300m: Average Pace: 01:39 min/100m

Lunchtime Run
First run in two weeks that had a bit of work and i really enjoyed that. It was only 20mins at steady but i was feeling good. Easy 20 to start came in on 04:07/km pace but this had a slight tailwind and then id 20 steady which came out at 04:05/km pace. Solid enough session considering i was tired this morning. Nice out too, was getting fairly warm until i turned into the breeze.
Time: 00:45:45, Ave Pace: 04:09/km, Ave HR 143BPM, Distance: 11.03km

3.5 hours in the Hills tomorrow morning and there's some room for pain but needs to be seated and even so looking forward to that. Feel like the legs could do with just that type of session

Bambaata

Saturday 21st July
Hilly bike (seated for all)
Went well enough, I felt a bit flat approaching Sally Gap but perked up a bit soon afterwards. Gave the hill out past Tallaght a good showing, stayed seated for every climb and was lowest i could go was 39/23 as the 25 wasn't working right. Tried to hold power level enough in whatever range it seemed to be averaging on each climb, generally 300's, some high 300's low 400s at times. Good descents down too. Tried to be a bit brave but surface was woeful in parts, particular off Sally Gap.
Time: 03:18:16, Normalized Power 250W, Ave HR 126BPM, Ave Cadance 80, Distance 96.48km, Ave speed 29.2km/hr

Sunday 22nd July
Long Run
I was supposed to find a rolling route and go between easy and steady here and there. It did not go to plan! HR was low but legs just didnt seem to have any energy, possibly didnt eat enough after yesterdays cycle. Tried to find some hills and push them a bit but even HR around top of easy was feeling hard. Was sweating buckets by 10mins too, very clammy and humid out! Tried a few times to pick it up but the legs didnt want to know about it! Was glad to get through it but not the best run ive ever had. I got up at 7 and had breakfast and let it settle before heading out, dont think that was the issue, legs just felt powerless from the off, normally they warm to it but just never picked up today. Im putting it down to refuelling after yesterdays ride despite having 2 dinners!
Time: 01:16:49, Ave Pace: 04:38/km, Ave HR 130 (below easy!)BPM, Distance: 16.57km

Bambaata

Monday 23rd July
Swim
I was not at yhe races this morning, woke at 7, next thing 7.20 again and when i got up i was really disorientated! Didnt know what i was at.In doing so i took the session down wrong, was supposed to have 15 x 100 alt sw/p on 02:00 coming in sub 01:35 but instead had taken it down as all sw! After some drills i was straight into it and fortunately i had woken uyp for these. All came in un der 01:35 and last one was 01:28. Actually did 16 too by mistake. Decent swim and felt good
Time: 01:05:00, Distance 3000m, Ave Pace 01:36/100m

Bike
I made sure today that i ate loads and that i was as ready as i could be for this one. Had FTP and 105% of FTP and knew it was going to hurt. To make sure i got the most out of the session i setup on the turbo out in the yard with the front wheel touching the wall - no distractions and total focus on this. I also didnt want to miss any bit of work as if i headed to the park there'd be bits of freewheeling here an there going around corners/roundabouts/avoiding idiots crossing the road around the zoo/passing cars who are going too slow! It was the hardest one of these type sessions in recent memory! Great session, was in pain in the last 7 to 8 mins of the FTP rep and grinded it out finishing it strongly and in pain for pretty much all the rep @ 105% but kept it going right through and pushed it out a little again in the last 2 mins or so of it. Happy with the session, took 2 High5 Xtreme zero tabs in 750mls water to get myself well up for the session.
Time: 01:02:22, Normalized Power 304W, Ave HR 137BPM, Ave Cadance 89, Distance 37.75km, Ave speed 36.3km/hr

Bambaata

Tuesday 24th July
Long Run
I was a little concerned about this one and how it would feel after some good work in the previous few days. I was even more anxious after Sundays horrible horrible run! To give myself every chance of feeling ok i took a recovery shake in the cooldown iof the bike the evening before and spent a good while with the roller and sliotar, particularly around the hip flexors and glutes. To my surprise i woke Tueasday feelign great so it must have worked! Id some easy then HM pace and then a cooldown in this and took my time getting warmed into it. I never forced anything and let HR do what it liked, more working off RPE. I was supposed to try find a rolling route and thus headed for St Annes Park. First easy rep went by fairly quickly by which time id gotten into and covered some of St Anne's Park. Not exactly hilly in there unfortunately but I did get some minor climbs in and a lot of running on trail and long enough grass which had me lifting the feet slightly higher than normal. Felt decent right through the HIM pace which went better than expected. I felt relatively good, possibly pushed it a little harder than I should near the end though. Last easy was taken very very easy but im almost sure hrm strap was spiking from being soaked. It was acting up a little in the HIM rep too. Enjoyed the run. Got a blister on the toe beside the blister that was bandaged! Was fine for the run but stinging a bit afterwards.
Time: 01:30:11, Ave Pace: 04:15/km, Ave HR 143BPM, Distance: 21.22km

Bambaata

Wednesday 25th July
Bike
Just an easy bike to sort out the legs after the work done in the previous few days. Headed out at lunch along Clontarf Strand to Sutton and back. Really made sure to keep the gas off. Spun out the legs. I could tell they have done a bit of work alright! Slight burn in them but the spin seemed to help.
Time: 00:52:19, Normalized Power 184W, Ave HR (Spiking!)BPM, Ave Cadance 87, Distance 25.07km, Ave speed 28.8km/hr

Thursday 26th July
Swim
Moved Wednesday's swim to Thursday to try let a nasty blister i have heal a little more before Saturday's race! Its the same spot where i got one last year which turned into me catching cellulitis so im keeping a close eye on it! Swim went really really well. Ive not had good consistency the past while and really dont deserve to be swimming well! The drills im doing must be helping. I always focus on bringiong the elements from the drills to the full stroke and it seems to be working. SOme things ive changed/modified/focus on are:

I use to look straight down and when i began to tire it was pointed out that i had a tendency to dip my head too far in. Im now focisuing on having the water line on the forehead, looking about 2 to 3m infront.

Im gliding out my stroke at the top more and brining my head closer in to the armpit, it seems to also help me roll better and strengthens/lengthens the stroke.

Im trying to generally roll more as i found i seemed to be fairly flat at times

Im pushing the shoulders more while maintaining the head slightly futrthr up than i had done which helps me keep on top of the water

So with all this in mind (and some other minor things) i set off to hiot <03:10 on 03:45 for some 200's sw and pull. The sw's came in on 02:58, 02:56, 03:01 and the pulls were 03:02 and 03:04 and best of all i wasnt gassed out at the end of any which id normally be. It put the effort around steady to mod or so. I was particularly happy with the pulls as i was a little anxious about hitting < 03:10 for them! Some fast 50s on 650 at the end all came in on 38s and my recovery between them seemed to be slightly better than usual. I put this down to focusing on a stronger pull rather than just increasing stroke rate.
Time: 00:33:00, Distance: 1700m, Ave Pace: 01:30/100m

Run
Ran much later than i usually would so i was a little anxious how the tummy would feel, particularly since id have a few sweet things not long beforehand! I just had some short reps at OLY pace with decent recovery. Still nice and warm out around 9pm. I was aiming for about 03:40/km for the OLY reps. I was really tring to play this one by feel rather than looking at the watch and didnt really guage too well what the pace was like. I hit 03:30, 03:48, 03:35, 03:34, 03:25 and HR was only moving towards mid to high steady. I felt i was recovering pretty well between them too. Normally id really slow up but all recoveries were done bwteen 04:12 and 04:23 pace. Good run
Time: 00:43:37, Ave Pace: 04:06/km, Ave HR 138BPM, Distance: 10.66km


So almost Lough Neagh time. Ive been nursing blister of late which have been a bit annoying. I opened the first one on the side of my left foot the day before the Rosslare race and gave it a good doing at the race with blood out the side of the runner. That ones 100% now but it meant i missed a full week of running and swimming. I then got a small one on the inside of the toe next to the big toe on my right foot. Not sure what the cause of that one was! I had plastered that up and got on with it but on Tuesdays long run the plaster gave me a nasty blister on the inside of the big toe! Fortunately its nothing like the size of the original and ive been able to manage it. Ive also been trialling different plaster combos as i know it wont be 100% for tomorrow. Ive settled on some padding from a plaster cut to the exact size of the blister and then a compeed over it. The compeed survived last nights run and its last test will be lunchtime swim.

Looking forward to tomorrow now up at Lough Neagh. I hadn't realised it isnt a NS race this year on entering so the field might not be as strong as i expected. I see no Brian Campbell anyway which is a relief. there's a few names i know i wont touch and i don't see any of them. Not being from the area though im sure to miss a few fast guys but id hope im at least in the reckoning for a top 5 tomorrow. Which reminds me i must write up my pre-race plan! Ive noticed the bike course is different to the time i did it which is unfortunate and the swim goes ion the opposite direction so i wont be able to track progress.

pgibbo

Best of luck tomorrow Ed

Dory Dory

Since you mention swimming technique - do you notice a difference in body position when swimming your 200 versus your 50s?? You should notice how much higher your body is in the water in the 50s...you can almost physically lift your body up on those short distances, practically elevating your body out of the water. Less resistance in the water equals faster times.

pgibbo

Dory Dory wrote: »

Since you mention swimming technique - do you notice a difference in body position when swimming your 200 versus your 50s?? You should notice how much higher your body is in the water in the 50s...you can almost physically lift your body up on those short distances, practically elevating your body out of the water. Less resistance in the water equals faster times.

I certainly notice that. Pity it can't be sustained for longer distances