Reach for the sky...

woody1

those of you with small kids will get the title..

been hanging round this and the a/r forum for a while now , ask the odd question, answer the odd simple one..think its time to take part a bit more
so with that in mind i joined in with the s/b/r challenge and i can see that making a bit of a difference motivation wise already so following on from that im going to start a training log here as well..

background
past 3 years doing bits and pieces, multi-sport races, duathlons, bike and run in local triathlon as i cant swim properly..
last year tried to take the running a bit more seriously in terms of training more regularly and getting distance up a bit..(with one eye on a marathon in the future ) this year will be about improving on that in terms of structure and more distance..while trying to bring the cycling along a bit more and making some headway at the swimming..

before that i used to do a lot of hillwalking, used to play a little bit of gaa badly and a fair bit of soccer slightly less badly..but kids and old age put and end to that , around the same time the salmon run triathlon started locally and that sparked the interest, initialy different family members put teams in and ive done either the bike or bike run different years now..some of those team members have gone on to do the whole thing but im limited with the swimming, obviously the multisport races appeal because i cant swim.. but like i said im hoping to work on that and get it sorted if not this year then next..

goals..
salmon run triathlon.. hopefully this year but depends on how swimming goes
gaelforce well under 5 hours
humbert ..bike and run..wife can swim it

marathon..portumna probably, id like to, i did the 3/4 in athlone last year with no great problems, depends a lot on how the swimming goes, if it goes well i doubt il have time to take the running seriously enough to do it justice, if swimming doesnt go well then will prob divert attention to this
( there are time limitations which will probably become clear as the log goes on, i could get into them here but i think this post is long enough as it is, plus im just not dedicated enough to get up at 5am or sacrifice time with my family ) but cant even look into swimming lessons until mid february..

il be doing the carlingord off road half as i got an entry for christmas, hoping to do one of the sportsmans duathlon, probably 17th feb, as i can visit my family ( im from east, live in west ) and get race in at same time..
will probably do the local tri clubs ( liquid motions ) duathlons , id have to join the club but its probably about time i did that anyway...

woody1

so actual training
Jan 1st 8k run in the woods
Jan 2nd 8.5k run in the woods
Jan 4th 8k run
Jan 6th 13.5k run on the roads.. bit over the hour, didnt time the others but they were done with a mate thats a bit quicker than me naturally so they were a bit harder than id normally have done on my own, hoping to get a run in with this guy at least once a week and with any luck it will help with my lack of speed..
Jan 8th 6.6k run, woods
Jan 9th turbo ..30 K ? finally got the turbo back up after having to take it out of the guest room over christmas .. there is no try at about 80% effort just to get things started..
Jan 10th 11.5k run, round and hour..didnt time , night run in town with mate

planning to get back on turbo tonight as better half has drama rehearsals and kids will be in bed so feck all better to do anyway. and with any luck longish run on sunday..

question for anyone thats reading, my neck and shoulders have been a bit sore from the turbo on wed night, the bike feels like its a bit long for me, particularly when on the tri bars.. would that fit..im 6-1,all legs, will check bike size later and post more relevant details, might even put a photo up for ye to see it ( laugh at )

woody1

bike is cluad butler vicenza, 59cm frame, 10cm stem from centre of handlebars to centre of frame..

BTH

woody1 wrote: »

bike is cluad butler vicenza, 59cm frame, 10cm stem from centre of handlebars to centre of frame..

59 Claud Butler seems big for your size. I'm a similar height (all arms and legs) and my first bike when I got into this lark was a 56 Claud Butler, which I still do a little training on it. To use aerobars youd need the bars slightly closer, TT bikes fit smaller so you wouldnt have that stretched feeling.

Best of luck with the log and the swimming.

woody1

thanks ..wont be getting a tt bike, or indeed changing this bike for a while ..have a fast forward saddle post from trying to make the best of a hybrid bike before..suppose i could whack that on and see what happens..
usual craic ..bike was very good price... yer man in bike shop says yeah your tall frame will be grand for you.. anyway my own mistake, il know more next time..

BennyMul

Good luck Woody,
Where abouts is the pain in your neck,shoulders is the pain (middle or across?)

Is it only when on the Tri bars you get it, and is it straight away or after a period of time?

woody1

after..morning after, been stiff for most of today, right in at the joint of the base of neck and shoulders on both sides.. possibly i need to raise the tv that im looking at , although im only half looking at it anyway..

catweazle

I assume with the A/R racing you know Padraig Marrey, I would ask him to measure you up on the bike and run down to him in Ballinrobe, he spent a lot of time with me a few years back on my first road bike.

woody1

yeah i kind of know him to see ..... in the medium to long term a proper bike fit is needed and theres a very good cyclist just moved in down the road who im hoping will help with that when i get to know him better, if not i think theres a guy in sligo does it, ballinrobe is a long spin from ballina..

red face dave

Good luck with the log. Will be keeping a close eye as I am hoping to take part in salmon run triathlon also.

woody1

thanks dave..

Jan 12th.. turbo 1 hr ( very dark place )

thought this was going to be a disaster but i felt my way into it .. finished well

BennyMul

Hey Woody may be well off the mark, but it is possible that you are simply tense in the shoulders and this is causing the pain, try and relax everything especially from the butt up. dont even grip the bars (on the turbo) just let your hand sit there.

but the sooner your get a bike fit the better remove all variables

woody1

Jan 13th.. 10k ish 1 hour.. slow because i had to do it less than an hour after a massive 3 course dinner.. glad i went, was a battle with myself to get out the door ,

Dory Dory

Best to you!!! Keep working on swimming - the lessons will help!!

woody1

local tri clubs duathlon dates put up online last night, so ive gone ahead and joined, so thats a step forward, ti membership still to be done yet
bike fit booked as well..but its over a week away as i just dont have the time to get to him this week
wife in rehearsals and working late all this week so there wont be any running probably until the weekend its going to be a turbo week, which is no harm cos i need the time on the bike anyway ..

woody1

jan 16th turbo

will be giving blood later so if i do anything tonite itl be very easy
some building work going on in the house as well so kids set up in turbo room watching the dvd player, will have to see whether i get time to get it set up again later..

woody1

**** week.. (training wise )
was originaly going to call this log "adventures in procrastination" maybe i should have..
didnt do anything thursday, friday, i dont work either day but i do mind the small ones all day, which has 2 effects
1. spending all day doing mindless stuff with little movement and this time of year a lot of time in the house makes you really want to train when their off to bed, but
2. your mentally wrecked and all you want to do is chill...
easy to take option 2 and then you get seriously pissed off with yourself the next day..
birthday as well on thursday so i let meself off a bit easier and put it off til friday, then saturday ....

wife on call friday, so starts work friday morning and home sat morning and then off to bed til lunchtime.. so again i mind kids for this, and on call again today.. so me and kids again today til 8 ish.. there are variations on this theme but i effectively mind the kids thursday to sunday a fair few weekends in the year and obviously other weeknights as well..when you spend so much time without adult company its hard to run out the door ( or even get up on the turbo ) when the better half comes home..

anyway this is all pure excuses and im sure lots here have similar situations.. i have a turbo at the very least i shouldve got my arse up on it on friday again.. ( was hoping for every night from wed to sunday with varying degrees of effort ) ...

so back to the start tonight.. turbo and get some momentum going again..
bike fit next saturday... bike steering seems off ( notchy ? stiff ) so it will have to go to be sorted tomorrow but can use better halfs bike on turbo for the week..
duathlon next sunday.. il be grand for the run but will get eaten alive on the bike but sure have to start somewhere...

woody1

21 Jan
1 hr turbo

woody1

24th Jan 7k run morning, turbo 1 hr evening
26th Jan 5k run morning
27th Jan..duathlon 6k run, 14 k bike

thought i did something on 25th as well but dont have anything in the diary
have to ask better half later..

bike fit on saturday morning, i had saddle waaay too high, ( and i had let it down already ) .... moved it forward..adjusted cleats on shoes.. otherwise supposedly its ok.. time will tell..no pain in arms or shoulders or neck from duathlon.. so thats a good start..
duathlon went ok.. ran well within myself , bike went better than i expected i got passed by 3 i think, i pulled one of them back and wasnt awfully far back off the other 2..shouldve and couldve went faster on the second run but the fellas in front had a huge lead and i wouldnt have caught them so i took it handy enough and let 2 from behind pass me and then couldnt speed up enough to catch them but only seconds in it at the end.. transitions crap but thats a bad habit of mine and i know ive got to work on it...third from last ( out of 17 ) but with better transitions and a bit more honest effort i reckon i couldve been a bit further up..

woody1

Tuesday 29th Jan 10k run
thursday 31st Jan turbo 1hr ..put the resistance up on the turbo cos i felt i may have been fooling myself a bit after the duathlon at the weekend, whilst it went ok i expected the bit i had done to stand to me more.. so this was a tough hour....but stuck with it ...hard to know what resitance is equal to road cycling.. its not a lever with different settings ie 1,2,3,4 but just variable..so cant check what settings right ..anyway its set good and hard now..

saturday 2nd feb 20k run.. savage morning weather wise, sun shining no wind, just kept going, got to back to the house at 15k and felt like doing another bit so i did a little 5k loop that brings me back to the house.. legs stiff now but not too bad.. ( bugger that reminds me i left a rain jacket and a t-shirt tied to gates and never went back to get them, hope there there in the morning ):eek:

including the duathlon on sunday i suppose it wasnt a bad week, probably shouldve got another cycle in somewhere but im not panicking yet...
hopefully get out on the bike tomorrow for a decent spin and start the next week off well..


i was hoping to get my running up to 140k a month ( from 100 ) but just havent been organised enough this month to do it ( just managed 90 something i think , if i can swing one good long run at the weekends like today then that will go a long way...

woody1

Sun 3rd Feb.. 22k bike..meant to be a nice easy cycle but the lashing rain and the wind put paid to that.. but nice to get the bike outside again..
went to pick up the bits i had left tied to gates from saturday.. got the north face baselayer ( thank f*ck, it was a christmas present ) but some b*stard took my rainjacket which i didnt even have 6 months..anyway my own fault for leaving it there, even though i do it all the time and never had any bother before.. this is seriously middle of nowhere country.. i pass a total of 6 houses over 6k out and back (12k ) so its not like hanging it on a gate in a town or village and expecting it to be left there..there really are very few people about to take it...im half hoping to see someone i know wearing it

woody1

tuesday 5th feb turbo 1hr

wednesday 6th feb 10k run

friday 8th feb 30k bike 1k run

Saturday 9th Feb 12k run

Sunday 10th Feb 32k bike , meant to be long slow bike, turned out to be short slow bike cos i didnt get out of bed early enough, kids were being minded so we got a lie in..dont get many of them.. , cut short the run on saturday too as legs were stiff and tight so thought it better to cut it short than make things worse..
not planning anything tomorrow so will prob dig out foam roller and try to loosen out a bit..

swimming lessons start in ten days , so thats going to affect something, be it cycling or running but theres only so many hours and the swimming is what needs attention more than anything, probably going to have to try to cycle and run on the same days, keeping both short and sharp.. fine as far as triathlon is concerned but doesnt help with plans to do longer distance running, i think the idea to run ( walk / crawl ) the 50k in portumna will have to be re-assessed, not a hope of getting anywhere near the mileage in training..

setanta duathlon next weekend, which i was fairly ****e in 2 / 3 years ago so itl be interesting to see what progression theres been , or if theres been any

woody1

Rite so. Setamta duathlon today. Went pretty well all for me really. 15 mins faster than last time. Last time was 4th last. This time mid pack. Even the transitions were better. Good day overall.

Dory Dory

Congrats!!

woody1

Tuesday 12th feb turbo 1 hr
thursday 15th feb 6k run
friday 15th feb 8k run
saturday 16th feb 27k bike,
sunday 17th feb setanta duathlon , 6 and a bit run, 16 and a bit bike..

for some reason i had it in my head that the run in the duathlon was 4k instead of a bit over 3, i reckon i couldve done the first run a tiny bit faster, wouldnt have cycled or ran the 2nd run any faster though, ... no great drop off between the 2 runs though which is good, and cycled a nice bit faster which is nice to see given im doing way more cycling this year.. need to work on hills though, pulled away from people on the flat and downhill but was caught up going back up....only passed by one on the second run and passed a few myself and felt good.. swimming starts on wednesday.. see how that goes in terms of keeping everything going, theres spinning on 2 hours before in the same building, id be tempted to do the spinning, maybe go for a short run, shower and head for swimming.. leaves me leaving the house at 7 and not getting home til 11.. not hugely keen..but it gets a lot done in that 4 hours.. then again it might be better to attack the swimming completely fresh and just accept that im not going to get as much cycling or running done, given that i practically cant swim thats probably the more intelligent option..

woody1

took a break on monday
tuesday 19th feb turbo 1 hr
wednesday 20th feb 8k run + swimming lessons.

swimming went well considering 2 years ago i wouldnt have got into a pool for love nor money..
back at the basic lessons but got some good tips for me and made some headway..
will head in again tomorrow to try and push things on a bit..
dont think its worth counting the widths im doing for the sbr challenge during lessons, theres so many breaks i dont think it counts as training in a true sense..

BTH

woody1 wrote: »

dont think its worth counting the widths im doing for the sbr challenge during lessons, theres so many breaks i dont think it counts as training in a true sense..

If commuting counts then everything counts!!

woody1

fair point.. will try to keep a count so..

woody1

feb 22nd 1 hour swimming

20 + lenghts of 18m hotel pool, its an oval pool with steps cutting into it and i didnt get to go centre to centre all the time so im calling it 15m long
obviously not consecutively.. one at a time, tried to go straight into a second and nearly drowned.. but overall its huge progress for me..

woody1

Sat Feb 24th 1.15 run, was hoping for longer but after a tough week with youngest with ear infection and very little sleep for 3 nights i found this tough enough going..

Sun Feb 25th 50k bike..less than 2 hours, good enough going for me for a middling enough pace..

so swimming is affecting things, less running and less cycling, the cycling that was done, with the exception of the duathlon was fairly handy going pace wise and the running wasnt exactly hard going either, going to have to get organised enough to get at least one tough bike and run in along with the swimming and then try to tag whatever i can on when i see what free time is available.. but the swimming is going better than expected so im going to try to get in 3 if not 4 times this week and try to push it on a bit..

woody1

Monday 25th 1 hr swimming lessons..
Wednesday 27th 10k run and 1 hr swimming lessons

up to about 20m in the pool , i dont think theres a lot in it in terms of getting the full length, i shouldve done it on wed night hopefully will crack it soon.. anyone have any tips on treading water by the way im ****e at it

meant to be swimming again yesterday but landed down to hotel pool with kids and there were lessons on, couldnt go to public pool as it was adult lengths so couldnt bring the boys,consoling a 4 year old that discovered he couldnt go wasnt fun
going out tonight and minding kids today so cant do anything today, better half working tomorrow, so from 8 am to 8pm is out, so if its going to be anything it has to be turbo either early or late..probably late if it all....( its not very nice to jump up on a bike for an hour when your o.h. has just got home after 12 hours work ) we'll see so what started as a good week is now looking like finishing with 3 days doing nothing.. got a bad cramp doing backstroke and it still hasnt really worn off so logically its probably better to be resting but doesnt stop it p*ssing me off..
so its looking like back to it properly on sunday.. bike swim bike is the plan..
duathlon or 10k race next weekend, club havent confirmed duathlon is on so its one or other