Eddie Rockets!

El Director

Good luck tomorrow dude, you will smash it

Bambaata

Cheers all.

DD on the 50s v 200s i would probably feel that alright but cant say for sure. Id certainly kick a lot more so that should have that effect too

Dory Dory

And best to you at the weekend.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Good luck at the weekend Ed and hopefully blisters don't cause any bother. Text us after the race to let us know how you get on.

tunney

Third overall and went through ten km marker in 36 minutes (long run)

Well done ed, great result.

Bambaata

Cheer Dave. NOt long home after a detour via Giants Causeway! Will get things uploaded and report done tomorrow.

Bambaata

Friday 27th July
Swim
Short and snappy swim as its the day before Lough Neagh race. Some sculling, fist work and then a series of fast and easy 50s on 60. Fast ones came in on 38, 37, 38, 37.
Time: 00:31:20, Distance 1400m, Ave Pace 01:39/100m

Bambaata

Saturday 28th July

I did Lough Neagh two years ago and really enjoyed the course so figured id give it another bash. As it turned out the 3 legs were on different courses. the swim went the opposite direction and the bike and run were completely changed. It was still a good course though but id favour the old one. Bike was largely on rough enough roads and the run was a straight out and back with no turns. Minor hills hid parts of it but i dont like seeing so far off in the distance!

Pre-Race
I didnt get much sleep as i was in bed much later than id have liked on account of the Olympics opening ceremony. Only got about 4.5/5 hrs sleep as i was up early to drive up from Meath. Arrived just before 9, didn't get to warmup much but just took the bike out for 4 to 5 mins checking everything was ok. Managed just 1 or 2 surges but nothing longer than 10/15 seconds. Put the wetsuit on while listening to the briefing and took a citrus caffeine isogel 5 mins before the off (nearly forgot about it!)

Swim - 00:25:17 3/130 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/204223975 Pretty sure swim was at least 1.65km (others also commented on this)
Water start which was a fair bit in and used the swim out to the starting line to do some sprints and check the goggles. Beautiful lake, very calm. I moved to the shorter line on the left after spotting Paul Carroll there. I didn't really recognise anyone else so i just figured if there were useful swimmers they'd be around there. On the 3 count a guy next to me started going, i missed his jump but seeing as i didn't recognise him i didn't know if he was any use. The start was uneventful. I got comfortable very quick and looked for a draft. There were two guys that i decided to latch onto. Id some company left and right until near the first buoy but the 3 of us started moving off. I drafted fairly well. I was breathing to the left most of the time but very comfortable. I noticed my left shoulder was hurting a little though, not sure why still. I kept focusing on a good stroke as it got a little choppy after the first buoy. I sat in 3rd of our trio for the draft while the guy who jumped the gun slightly seemed to be storming off in front, barely in view! He turned out to be a very good swimmer and led it out by a long way! The leader of our trio seemed to be tiring and the 2nd place guy edged past about 700m into the swim. I followed him which proved a good move as we seemed to drop this guy before the second buoy (about 1.1k in). I lost feet a few times here and there but didn't do too much zig-zagging. Id to do a few spurts through the swim to get back on feet but never sprinted. Kept it strong to the end and kicked out the legs with some breast stroke kicks in the last few metres.

T1 00:00:44 1/130
Good transition, i happened to have a lot of space around the bike and held the rail as i kicked out both feet in one pull each. One of the marshalls was well impressed :P

Bike 01:00:30 2/130 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/204223978
Came out of T1 just behind the 2nd placed swimmer. I made sure not to storm off and kept it settled around the 300W mark. It was slow going in this first 4 to 5k, road surface not great, little lumpy and wind against me. I seemed to be pulling the guy ahead back on descents and losing him slightly on hills but he was going out of the saddle more while i didn't at all and tried to just use the gears. I passed him about 500m after we turned the first of 4 90 degree turns. We still had the wind to contend with but it was more level and i felt i was losing time behind him. I couldn't see first place anywhere though! Turned at the bottom of a fast hill and now wind was on the back. Surface was still pretty poor with a lot of bumps. Some of them were hit so hard that I was afraid of snapping the fork! There was no way of avoiding them though as the bumps were all over the place, i tried to just aim for the smoothest surface i could see. The surface was great after the last of the 3 90 degree turns and the wind was in my favour again. Probably could have gone much quicker overall had this part been the part with the headwind rather than cycling into it on the crap surfaces. I noticed cadence was a little low at times. Onto lap two and i still couldn't see 1st place! About 1.5k into lap two i could suddenly hear a disk coming behind. It was Paul Carroll! I hadn't been looking back at all so hadn't copped him creeping up behind. He passed but i decided id let him get the draft distance ahead and match his pace. I then found i was actually able to keep with him. I felt i may have switched off a small bit from about 20/25mins until he passed me but this got me going (WKO seems to back this up - 00:20:00 to about 00:31:00 normalized power is only 282W). I figured in keeping with Paul id lose those behind but i actually didn't look back to see if anyone was actually there. Paul got a gap of about 30m at one point but we were then held up by a tractor (he got held up slightly more than me) and we were back together again. He got a small bit ahead when we turned back away from the wind. Before the last 90 turn i noticed that we'd caught 1st place! I was happy to see him and as i rounded him i decided to keep focusing on the 300W range and not let up just yet. This worked and i got a slight gap. I let up ever so slightly in the last 2k and focused on bringing cadence up around 90 to spin out a little more. Got a bit of a kick back from the right hip flexor when i started this at first! Nutrition wise i had a berry Isogel at 15mins, citrus caffeine gel isogel at 00:45 and High5 2:1 every 5mins (missed 1 or 2) with nothing in last 5 to 6 mins.


T2 00:00:54 8/130
Had a good flying dismount and ran past Paul as he was putting his shoes on. Racked and tried to get feet into shoes. Missed left foot as it was so numb at the first attempt but no more issues after that. Excited not far behind Paul (maybe 10/15m)

Run 00:39:25 3/130 - 10.8k! Through 10k in 00:36:33, opening 5k 18:13, second 5k 18:20. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/204223983
I knew i wasn't going to beat Paul but wanted to still run strong and secure a podium. Rather than charging out and trying to get on his heels i had decided before the race that 03:40 was my pace and the opening few km's had to be around this so as to not fade too much near the end. I got slightly held up in the opening km as a marshall was about to actually stop me as i went to cross the road. Fortunately she copped i was moving faster than the bloody van so i only got held up slightly. Paul slowly started pulling away and i just focused on keeping it comfortable. I didn't have HR displaying as i preferred to just have ave lap pace and pace displaying, working off RPE. The run course had minor drags and was into the wind on the way out. I looked back and saw two chasing but 50/75m back. I decided that i would just hold pace and let them really have to work if they wanted to get to me. After the turn and seeing how far they were i decided i wasn't going to look back again. I was feeling good but didn't want to give them any encouragement, i kept a focused face as i passed them and made my way back to finish lap 1. With about 300m to go on lap 1 i suddenly heard footsteps behind. He seemed to try surge a little but i jumped in behind. I was having to work a fair bit harder now, not all that much harder but up a gear alright. I was hoping he was burning himself out in trying to lose me but this went on and on and on! I followed him as he crossed the road and just stared at the back of his head keeping tucked in behind as we hit the windy areas. He got 2 to 3m here and there over the next 2km but i bridged back each time making sure not to surge too much. Finally though with just 2k to go he got 5m then 10m. He stayed there though but i was beginning to suffer. I tried pushing on a few times as we hit 1k to go but was only making 1 or 2m and couldn't sustain it. We both hit the aid station on the final return leg, i tried some cold water down the back to pick me up but it didn't happen. In all the pushing i then started to stitch and had to accept it wasn't going to be coming down to a sprint finish. If i got his shoulder id have been confident of sprinting him as i feel I've a decent kick and can really bury myself then but i just couldn't get there. I realised at about 9.5k that the run was going to be long! We hit 10k and the stitch was building ever so slightly. I could maintain pace but not really push to 100% for fear it would cripple me. I looked back a few times worrying 4th place might not be far behind but fortunately he couldn't be seen and i just used the run to the line as a training hit out, pushing a decent clip and not letting up too much. I didn't bury myself completely but had already been hurting for a good while at this stage so 03:30 or so pace was good enough in my mind! I took a berry gel about 10mins into the run and half a citrus isogel at about 25mins.

Happy with the race finishing 3rd. I was very happy with the swim, felt like i paced it well. I was very very slightly disappointed with the bike, although that said normalized power was bang on 300W which was the aim. I felt i lost a tiny bit of focus coming to the end of lap 1 but i snapped out of it when i got passed. The run was good. Keeping it steady for the first 5k really helped in keeping it fast to the end. 36:33 for 10k is a great time for me and i think its probably one of my better runs to date. I might have lost out to second but at least i made him work. I set out hoping to run sub 37 and that was probably my main goal so delighted to do that and run it that well.

Overall 3rd, 02:06:48 (1.65k/38.5k/10.8k)

Fazz

Nice race and result there .
Great run too.

I was talking to 2nd place man Kris Muldoon at Athlone, he is a very good runner and looks like himself and Paul Carroll put in similar run performances as same gap 30 secs in run split.

Kris is more a middle distance man apparently so I may be seeing him again in Groomsport! Will have my work cut out to try get my revenge from Athlone!

Great result Bambaata.

Bambaata

Thanks Fazz. yeah i was chatting to Kris afterwards who mentioned he comes from a running background. Seeing his time so close to Paul Carrolls also puts it in perspective but id hope i at least made him sweat (which i think i did!).

Sunday 29th July
Recovery bike
Sat on thr turbo for this one. Legs were pretty trashed and any effort at all was making them burn so i kept it to high recovery/bottom of easy zone and spun away for 3/4 hour watching the olympics. Pretty sure the session did the legs good as they;ve been feeling fine since. A good strectch out afterwards also helped. Left leg was iffy after the event but back to normal now. Strange ache coming from the glutes down the hamstring. That leg is generally the one that gives the issues. Ive noticed with both races abroad last year that the left hamsrting was iffy after the flights despite wearing the recovery/travel tights so there must be something up with that leg. Ill need to book in with the man with the tan soon enough. Ive gotten a fair few groupon/living social massages the past few months but none have sorted the legs out like 1 30min session does with him! False economy or what!
Time: 00:46:10, Ave Power 231W, Normalized Power 172W, Ave HR 101BPM, Ave Cadance 90, Distance 23.08km, Ave speed 30km/hr


Monday 30th July
Swim
Good session. Had a series of 10x50p (25fist, 25p), some 100's alternating between swims and pulls and some fast 50's fast on 70 to finish. Id expected the legs to burn a bit but surprisingly they didn't. Id a Bit of traffic on a few of the 50p fist/pulls and the first of the 100's sw but other than that it went fine. Felt fairly strong, had a slight ache in the left shoulder during the opening swim and pull but went after the kick and never came back. The 100's were 01:32 (approx, got held up right at the end!), 01:33, 01:33, 01:33, 01:28. Was surprised the pulls were the same as the swims - putting it down to possibly a better position than i used to have with these drills etc. Fast 50s at the end were 36, 37, 37, 36. Legs felt surprisingly good despite still having slight aches from the race. They weren't burning like i had expected.
Time: 00:43:22 , Distance: 2000m, Ave Pace 01:34/100m

Tuesday 31st July
Swim
Almost forgot today was swim day agauin as im off to London Friday so things have been moved around. I got caught a bit for time so didnt quite get the full session in unfortunately. Id plenty of drill work for the majority of the session and then just a few 200's steady which came in around 03:12 - 03:14. Didnt quite have the zip i had yesterday evening but it was still decent enough.
Time: 00:40:0 , Distance: 1900m, Ave Pace Yet to upload

Bambaata

On my way to London init! Anyone else travelling over Im there il next Friday, just about to board now. I'll be in Hyde Park from the second the gates open Saturday and Tuesday! Anyone else planning same?

El Director

Great race in Lough NEagh dude, really enjoyed the report and the detail. Pity they changed that course, was also one of my favorites, perhaps they'd appreciate some feed back on it from a podium finisher Your consistency in training is coming through in consistently good results and podiums.

Enjoy London...unfortunately I won't be going

Bambaata

Well London was deadly, too deadly. I didnt train at all and kind of gave up on the lofty Lost Sheep goal. I'll be completing rather than competing it and will just enjoy it. Instead though ive decided to aim for the Dublin marathon. More time to train for it would be ideal but i should be able to still put in a decent performance. I know im capable of a certain time but i'll just aim to break the 3hr barrier first (maybe 02:55 depending on how the coming 2 to 3 weeks go. Run pace is well down and weight up to 81kg now so itll be interesting!

Bambaata

And so getting back on the wagon

Saturday 18th August
Short Bike
Went out with no real intention other than to enjoy myself. Pushed up some climbs and put in some short digs here and there. It went far better than i thought it would. I was surprised i had any power. I had to stay on a tight loop as there were car races going on elsewhere. Passed BTH at one point. Beautiful day out!
Time: 00:50:50, Normalized Power 288W, Ave HR 139BPM, Ave Cadance 83, Distance 27.47km, Ave speed 32.4km/hr

Sunday 19th August
Run
Easy Run
Easy still feeling slightly labored! Running legs will take a while to come back i feel. Pace is miles down on 3-4 weeks ago but im hoping another week to 10days and the pace should start coming back down. I kept this one a lot easier than Thursdays run but HR was climbing quite easy at times. I was glad to see average was still low but it did drift more and more as the session went on. Did this from bed so i was happy it didnt completly degrade to a slog.
Time: 00:45:40, Ave Pace: 04:32/km, Ave HR 142BPM, Distance: 10.06km

Monday 20th August
Swim
I was fairly tired getting up as id a long day on my feet at work after the run yesterday. It meant i almost drifted off after hitting the alarm but fortunately i woke just in time to be able to get something in. This was the first swim in a while and i did feel a little foreign in the water as a result. Times werent too far back but it will also take a week to 10 days to feel semi-right in the water again id say. Did lots of drill work and then just managed 3 100s to try put the skills into practice.
Time: 00:40:00, Distance: 1600m, Ave Pace 1:57 min/100m

Run
An easy one at lunch with some short bursts to waken up the body. It was warm out and i was sweating pretty heavily quick enough. I buried myself in the opening 3 fast bursts and flagged slightly in the last two. I was running a lot faster than i thought id be able for on the first 3 but then hit a headwind in the last 2 and didnt quite have the power to really push into them. HR wasnt coming down either and it was as high as ive ever seen it (177). Tried to keep to the easy zone at all times bar those fast bits and had to really slow down in the final stretch back after the short pacey bits.
Time: 00:47:20, Ave Pace: 4:41/km, Ave HR 144BPM, Distance: 10.11km

Tuesday 21st August
Run
I was a little anxious abiout how this one would go. It had 30mins at around the planned marathon pace of about 04:10. It'll take about 2 to 3 weeks id say to see if this is going to be sustainable so for now i need to trudge on and hope the run legs come back. I think they will, they have before but it makes the time in between a little difficult. It went well enough. Bit windy out and it really picked up in the last 5 mins of the 30. I started a little hard but let the pace slowly come back to 4:10 average. Held it there until i hit a slight headwind and let it drift slightly thinking the second half f the 30 with the tailwind would bring it back inline. It started getting harder to hold the pace though and the wind turned around and started blowing a bloody gale in the last 5 mins. Last 1 min was straight into it and lashing rain. Thr weather turned from a bright and sunny day to gale force wind and torrential rain. Enjoyed the run and felt fairly comfortable. Certainly not as comfortable as the pace would have felt a month ago and i did seem to flag a little despite the wind but happy enough with it as i thought it was going to go worse. HR was in 160's though into that wind! Seemed to be comfortably in the steady zone for the first 2/3's.
Time: 00:45:36, Ave Pace: 04:17/km, Ave HR 150BPM, Distance: 10.65km

El Director

Best of luck Ed with your marathon attempt, you will soon get your running legs back and when you do sure your ave easy pace should see you complete 42k in under 3hrs no problem. It's an exciting goal so hopefully that will motivate you. Looking forward to the progress.

Bambaata

Cheers ElD

Wednesday 22nd August
Run
Just an easy 30mins to loosen out and help back the running legs. I made sure to keep the pace well off here and seemed to do so well enough. Tried to stay away from 140's. Felt fine, legs werent heavy or anything.
Time: 00:32:09, Ave Pace: 04:35/km, Ave HR 136BPM, Distance: 7.02km

Swim
After work for this one. Was almost going to opyut it back to the morning as i was feeling fairly wrecked after work but i figured the pool would wake me up. Did a bunch of balancing drills and then 10x100 sw/p coming in as close to 01:30 as possible on 01:50, I didnt know how this was going to go but fortunately it went better than expected. I wasnt judging pace too well though and stormed out a bit hard in the opening 100 sw! The sw's were - 01:23, 01:29, 01:25, 01:30, 01:29 and pulls - 01:32, 01:32, 01:36, 01:35, 01:34. Fast 50s at the end were 37, 38, 40 (slightly held up) and 38. Felt decent right to the end and was happy i didnt seem to tire too much
Time: 00:50:15, Distance: 2400m, Ave Pace 1:32 min/100m

Thursday 23rd August
Run
Another long day at work! Plenty on right now as i was on leave two weeks back and out 2 days last week too. Slowly getting back on top of things now though and fortunately i could leave on time today! I was wrecked though and had to MTFU to get out and do thuis. So after putting on the dinner out i went for 5 x 1.5k reps at marathon pace with some recovery between. RPE to HR seemed a little out. Legs must have been a little tired. Went off RPE for easy parts rather than forcing HR up. The 5 reps went fine, tired a little towards the end but im pretty sure GPS signal also wasnt great as it kicked way out and i was under trees and had some u turns etc near the end. The 5 reps were 04:10, 04:11, 04:11, 04:09, 04:13. Kept it real easy between. Its amazing what a few weeks off does! Just 3 weeks or so ago that pace would all have been easy but i was in the steady for this. Seems to slowly be coming around though.
Time: 00:52:56, Ave Pace: 04:23/km, Ave HR 145BPM, Distance: 12.08km

pgibbo

You'll probably still blast around Kenmare in a cracking time!!!

Is DCM your first marathon? Best of luck with it

Bambaata

Oh i dont know about that. Hopefully still finish top 25 or so but we'll see.
Ive done two marathons before. They were in the days were id just go for occasional runs here and there. I wasnt doing anymore than 4 or 5 hours a week total then if even) but managed a 03:32 in DCM 2008 (i think) and 03:17 in Barcelona 2009 (i think). Should easily go quicker than those barring disaster. Aim is sub 3 and possibly slightly more but i wont confirm for another few weeks as the run legs arent back yet

Bambaata

Friday 24th August
Swim
Some sculling drill work and then some 100s on 01:50 alternating between sw and pull. The sw's were generally between 01:30 and 01:33 and the pulls 01:37 and 01:39. Was supposed to do some fast 50s on 50 after but only managed 2 which didnt go great at 40 and 44. I was wrecked by the end so cut it slightly short.
Time: 00:46:19, Distance: 2300m, Ave Pace: 1:43 min/100m

Run
Just a recovery 30mins and i was glad of it. Kept it real easy and felt ok. Just did a few loops around Fairview Park.
Time: 00:29:24, Ave Pace: 04:34/km, Ave HR 137BPM, Distance: 6.45km

Saturday 25th August
Run
First long run in a good while and i was a little anxious about it! I was happy to see pace at and below the 04:10/km for the opening 20/30mins of easy so confidence grew a little. It was pretty breezy out and the first part of the 04:10/km pace felt fairly comfortable with the wind on the back. I was actually a bit faster than planned too though. Whenever i turned into the wind though i had to dig in a bit. Happy though to get through it ok and finished on 04:06/km pace which was a little hot. HR was also a bit hot at 156! Ill have to diall myself back a bit on next weeks. Was happy though with how it went.
Time: 01:28:49, Ave Pace: 04:22/km, Ave HR 149BPM, Distance: 20.36km

All in all it was a good week. I didn't miss any sessions (did cut some swims a bit short though) and got over the worst of the "getting back into it" feelings! I knew the legs weren't going to be where they had been but they showed some decent signs at times. Just to build on that now and make that 04:10/km pace easy like it was not all that long ago!

Bambaata

Monday 27th August
Swim
A TT session! I had a 400TT, 100TT and 50TT. Times from December last were 05:52, 01:20 and 00:36. I really didnt know how this was going to go as i felt i was swimming well then. With the recent break i wasn't confident of breaking those times. In the 400 i went out at a fairly hot pace. By 150/200 the pain was really building. I got slightly panicky at 300m but was delighted to not let it build and kept pushing. At 380m i was gutted to have to stop momentarily to let a guy coming towards me pass the bloody granny who should have let me through but didn't. I stopped the watch dead for about 3/4 seconds and started from the standstill and blasted as hard as i could. I was fully expecting to see over 6ins but was very surprised to post a 05:48 and so a 4s improvement! Delighted! After that i went on to post a 01:19 100m and a 34s 50m. I felt i didn't get the 100m quite right and know there's another 2 or 3s there but overall the session went great.
Time: 00:34:59, Distance: 1750m, Ave Pace: 1:36 min/100m

Run
I thought i was going to miss this one after meeting a friend i havent seen in years in town. Shes now in NZ so it was great to see her. It was pretty klate and i had to just not think about it and get on with it. Fortunately i did as it was the first run where i really felt like the ld self is returning!! Had some short sprints and felt very strong in them. I also felt i was recovering fairly well and was delighted to feel good right to the end. It was only an easy session but it felt better than any easy last week.
Time: 00:41:48, Ave Pace: 04:15/km, Ave HR 144BPM, Distance: 9.83km

Tuesday 28th August
Run
40 at 04:10 today! It went ok. Felt a bit tired and was a little anxious how the 40 would go. Had a tailwind out and headwind back along the coast so i had to lift it slightly to keep it to the 04:10 average. Found it a bit tough from about 20/25mins on but was happy to push it out. Running legs definitely seem to be returning now. Legs and body pretty tired after!!
Time: 00:56:10, Ave Pace: 04:13/km, Ave HR 150BPM, Distance: 13.3km

shotgunmcos

Nice swimming!

Bambaata

Well its been a topsy turvey few weeks. Lost Sheep went well far better than i expected. I ended up with a cold though the week after so just got 1 short run in that week.

This week has been better but ive stayed out of the pool to give the cold every chance of clearing. For the first time in my life i lost my voice completely one day so i wasn't taking any chances. Fortunately the cold didnt get bad and im back to 100% health now.

So Lost Sheep!

Heres my report for it:

Pre Race
Getting to the race location early really helps and getting the driving done Wednesday made the lead in very relaxed. Id a good few days beforehand and took in part of the bike route and swam in the bay. As i hadnt done any real bike work in about a month i was a little curious to check what power might be feasible. It was a bit of guessing work but i settled on 265 on flats and 300 on climbs but some climbs would require more just to keep cadence in tune and stay seated as much as possible.

Race morning
8am is a great start time! I was up and had porridge at 5:45. Set out all nutrition again and filled bottles. I put some ice into the water bottles too in case the sun came out. It was a nice morning, a little cloudy but no real wind and thankfully no rain. I checked the bag again and set off to check over the gears on the bike etc and arranged to meet Leisha at the harbour at about 7:20. I got to transition nice and early (approx 06:45) and beat all the queues which formed later. Found my spot, eventually (numbers were a bit mixed up), plugged in the ear phones and set up my spot. I cleared out of there once done and headed for the harbour/swim start which was about 1km away hoping to find a quiet toilet as there was a big queue in transition. To my horror there wasn't any toilet down there and now i started trying to think of where id get one! I met Leisha at about 07:25 and decided to use a run back into the village as a warmup while finding a toilet. I knew the hotel would have to be open. Fortunately the race sponsor, Jam, were open and i got sorted there. I didnt let it panic me though and stayed calm and excited to be starting soon. Another run back with some bits of effort and i was feeling good.

I put on the wetsuit when i got back while listening to the swim briefing. I then left the spare runners at the swim spot to wear for the run back to transition (used an old pair with lock laces).

Swim 00:28:18 20th/270 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/221935131
I made my way to the 1st row which was about 50m out putting in some efforts and sprints and checking goggles etc were ok. Off we went and immediately i looked for some feet. I got some for a while but they were weaving a bit so ended up solo by about 200m. I then wished i had gone with them as despite their zig zagging they were still slightly quicker. I put in a little more effort but not quite red-lining it to try remake contact but it didnt happen and i went back to normal. At the first buoy a few were around and i grabbed some feet for about 50m before he also started zigzagging to the second buoy. After the second buoy i found it hard to sight, we were a good 850m or so out from the finish and there were no intermediate buoys so i just sighted to swimmers ahead. I was also swimming solo now as the guy who was zigzaggin continued to and was now a good bit to my right. I went slightly off route a few times here myself but corrected quickly each time, it seemed there was a slight current pushing me across. I didnt think i swam all that well but did try to focus on technique here and there and was pleasantly surprised to see 28mins on the watch when i got out!

T1 00:06:11 10th/268 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/221935132
So off with the wetsuit and on with the runners at the swim finish and off i went to the bike. It was a good 1k run in and was a little difficult holding the wetsuit which was now quite heavy from the water. I still think it was better to run out of the suit and i passed a few along this stretch.

Bike 02:29:02 24th/254 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/221935134
I started ok and made sure to hold back knowing the adrenaline could have me puishing over 300Ws feeling rosy! I passed two or three in the opening 1km and then came across two who were just going slightly too slow. I also had one guy on my tail and in shaking him passed these guys. I was adament that if i got into a to and froing id just hold power and stay out of trouble. I passed them but then they;d overtake afyter a little while despite me holding power. This happened a few times and eventually we got to the first decent climb and i let them off holding power back. They disappeared from sight after the descent and i was alone for a while. Into the second climb i had a bunch come from behind and they all went past, again i raced my own race and didn't think much of it. I was a little concerned i was slipping from top 20/25 though and still had a lot of the cycle to go. Towards the top of this climb Liam Dolan and a Cork tri guy came past with Liam's bike making an awful racket! I was about an hour into the race now. I tried to get to the final part of this climb and keep contact over the top so that i could use their line in the corners on the descent. The last kick here was really tough but we were helped on by people dressed as a devil and a banana ringing cowbells! they were a welcome surprise. I had lost contact by about 100/150m though with the lads ahead though. The descent off this climb is quite technical and the surface isn't great and with sheep along the edges i was a little nervous. I had lost some ground on the two ahead but came up behind them pretty quickly, they seemed to be taking no chances. I didn't feel comfortable passing though as we were constantly breaking hard into the corners. Two guys came around and did bully their way past the two ahead but i didn't mind. I stayed with Liam and the other guy for about 10mins on the flat section after the descent but they finally started rolling off and i didn't want to go into the red. At about 50k i began to feel it a little. I was a little anxious about how the last climb was going to go and began thinking of the run! I just made sure to keep the nutrition going and finally got to the base of the last climb, i took this very steady and didn't red-line at all. One guy came passed but again i let him off. Finally i got to the top but to my surprise i felt like i was going slower on the flat top. I dont know if there was a headwind or what but i was really struggling to get over 20km/hr here and was getting very concerned then that i had blown up! Another guy came up behind as we entered the tunnel just before the descent. I couldn't see a thing in here and was worried he'd crash into me from behind but fortunately he didn't. Th descent went ok. This guy came around a few times once we hit the flat but he would then slow up and id take him again and i just tried to keep the effort steady here again back to Kenmare. With about 300m to go a bunch suddenly came from behind and i lost some time as i had to really break to keep out of their draft zone as I took my feet from the shoes. In all on the bike i took in 600mls High5 2:1, 650mls water and gels at 00:15:00, 00:45:00, 01:15:00, 01:45:00 and 02:15:00. Drinks were as before, 5mins water, 10mins 2:1 and repeating all the way.

T2 00:00:59 49th/254 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/221935146
My feet were pretty numb now and a bit sore as i ran barefoot into T2. I almost forgot to put on the socks but grabbed my gels. I realised i had lost the two in the back pockets somewhere along the swim/bike so fortunately remembered to grab 1 spare from the bike bag. I was 1 short of what i wanted but still had 3 for the run.

Run 01:29:16 11th/248 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/221935148
I kept it very very comfortable now knowing there was a long way to go yet. I was hoping to run about 04:15/20 pace but with so many short sharp and gradual climbs/descent it was hard to track pace. The route never seemed to level out. Id a few around for company and reeled in the few id rolled into T2 with quickly enough. 1 guy came with me and guessed who i was. Turned out he was a neighbour of JB's and we stayed together, or close, for a while. He was slightly smaller and lighter so he'd gain ground on the climbs but id reel him back on the descents and flat bits. I was running well within myself here and noticed the difference in our efforts. I could hear him breathing hard enough whereas i was running pretty easy and was well able to keep the chat going. I think this helped a bit to keep me in check. I hadnt been using my HRM to monitor any part of the race as it wasn't working for the most part so went strictly to RPE. By 7 or 8k my companion was beginning to struggle as i decided to lift it slightly. I was anxious to see where i was position wise. I really had a clue. Lifting it slightly made it hurt a bit more but i figured i was still ok. Towards the turnaround i came across Shane Scully with a commanding lead, followed by Liam Dolan. I then thought oh to be in such shape! I counted back and saw i was about mid teens as people came past but saw some ahead were struggling. I on the other hand seemed to be holding up well. I was in pain alright but not in any trouble, yet. As i made my way back i passed a few more. I could see now though that i had a pursuer who seemed to be going well. He wasn't making ground up quickly though and as the race wore on i began to "hide" to try and dampen his spirits. I reckoned id a good 300-400m on him s any corner i went around id go for the cover asap and not let him see me. It seemed to work well as the further i went the safer my position seemed. This had me pushing a lot more though in the last 6-7k. In doing this though i suddenly realised i was catching the guy ahead with about 2-3k to go. Unfortunately though he was a good 400-500m up the road. I was really hurting in the now and the short sharp climbs were stinging like mad! I was not gong to give up though and seeing him walking up a sharp killer short climb with just 500m to go had me really pushing but as soon as i hit this climb i then knew why! It hurt like made and there was no way i could sprint up it! Unfortunately i didn't quite catch him but i was pleased with my pacing. Nutrition wise i took gels at 20mins, 40mins and 60mins and just sips of water at the aid stations. It seemed about right, i never felt like i bonked and was very surprised i ran so well considering how **** i felt on the bike!

Overall Thoughts
Im happy with how this went. I always knew i was going to suffer on the bike considering i hadn't done any bike work for about a month leading in. Considering the shape i was in i think i raced it very well and gt as much out of myself as i could. Holding back a bit on the bike and start of the run really was crucial and the swim was my best yet! I twas about 100m short though id say but id still have just been sub 30mins which is great considering i haven't been great at getting the swim sessions in either the past few weeks!

I may consider a proper stab at this event for 2013. Its a magnificent course, one of the best ive seen. The road surface might not be great but the course is deadly.

And so now im all about the marathon. Im slowly getting back on track. Sub 3 for DCM is the goal. Itll be difficult enough considering i havent run long in a long time but if i can take anything from Kenamre its that i do have some endurance. I was happy to be running close to the pace ill need after 3hrs of racing and particularly seeing how crap and dead i was feeling on the bike!

One final word, if anyone happens to be heading out in town tonight im playing at "X Marks the Spot - 10 years of Shoddytonic" @ Twisted Pepper. In a former life i use to play around a lot and was a resident for the guys in Pod and Twisted Pepper as well as for the Electric City guys. The Bodytonic lads (i actually got into triathlon in the first place cos of the Tayor who runs the show there) have been so kind as to ask me back to play for their anniversary and it should be a great night! More details on it are here - http://www.facebook.com/events/261479703970678/

pgibbo

Good read Ed. A very good result too. Fair play.

Hope you're over the cold and back running.

Bambaata

Hey P. thanks. yeah iver the cold now thank god. It never really took grip and i went on the cautious side to make sure it wouldnt. yeah back running, just in from my fav run in a long time. Gotta love that horrible weather for running. I generally enjoy those soaked to the bone runs more than sunny ones!

pgibbo

Good stuff. Forgot to ask the most important question - how did the gig go? :cool:

Bambaata

Yeah it went well. Always good to see old faces and id a good night of catching up. Oh how things change. I use to be out every week, i find it hard to get the energy for once every 4 to 5 months now

Ive been told i need to get back into it though ;-)

Dory Dory

I was just lurking on the DCM thread eyeing all the target times and noticed your name in the mix. (super!!) Hope training has been going well and that you're all ready to smash the 3 hour time barrier!!! Best to you!

Bambaata

Hey DD. Yeah am in for DCM alright. Kinda gave up on the logging here. All fingers will be crossed for the sub 3. Havent had much time to prepare but cant do anymore about it now. 1 week into taper now and just hoping the work i have done is enough. In summary the last two long runs or 2 hours each went well enough. Was supposed to have a bit easy then some PMP and then 15 easy at the end but both ended up being 01:45:00 PMP as the opening easy sections came out at PMP pace. Ran sub it the other day too so good to see easy pace back in the sub 04:10/km region!

shotgunmcos

Browsed that thread myself too. Best of luck Eddie

RacoonQueen

Best of luck tomorrow Eddie. Hope it goes to plan.