The Good Mood Cookbook

Kurt_Godel

Oryx wrote: »

I did it before, (with an atrocious time) so I am kinda familiar with the course. I just wasnt sure if the tt would earn its keep. Suppose its time to actually race on the thing. Will practise my l/h 180s

You did it once with a roadie, and got an atrocious time? Ok, try the TT this time, just for the sake of experiment...

(that way we can quantify rider ability as the root cause...)

Oryx

Kurt_Godel wrote: »

You did it once with a roadie, and got an atrocious time? Ok, try the TT this time, just for the sake of experiment...

(that way we can quantify rider ability as the root cause...)

Rider ability IS the root cause.

RacoonQueen

Oryx you're up for DCT? Yay!! I won't look at you like you've ten heads if you come to me this time

Oryx

I was timekeeper for the club 20k tt last night, and it was hard to watch everyone ride well in perfect conditions and not get to do it myself. So this morning I went down to the route and did it on my own. At 2k into it I remembered that this stuff is hard. Its a while since I've done one. . At 7k I hit one of the drags on the route and my dicky ticker tried to escape through my mouth. Its a really horrible feeling but all I had to do was ease back a squeak, let it settle and all was good again once I got off the hill.

The wind had an effect. The halfway split was a depressing 19 mins. The turnaround was slow because of traffic, but I could smell the finish all the way back and I made much better time with the wind behind me. Gave out to my legs for the final bit, telling them to shut up. Stopped the clock at the end point in 35.23. Thats a good bit faster than the previous attempt and nearly 4 mins faster than the first time out. Hopefully if I do it again in a few weeks Ill get the elusive sub 35.

Did some 180 turns around the carpark (as mentioned above) and rode easy home. 37k total ride.

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joey100

Just to echo what Kurt said, definitely a TT course. One 180 turn and two turns at the bottom of pretty fast hills but other than that it's not technical at all really. Some decent enough stretches where you can stay aero too. Well done on the TT too, harder to push yourself doing it by yourself, if you had of done it with others last night I'd say you would have found the 23 seconds.

Oryx

I had a few training options today. Hill run. Hilly bike. Or swim run like last week. I opted for the swim run. It seemed like the most beneficial option and the weather was good. There will be drizzly autumn days I'll be crying out for the chance to swim in the sea and I wont get to.

The swim was short, and slow enough. We had a strong current against us for 500m but I cant blame that for the 10 min return leg. The water was warm and flat calm again though so bliss to swim in. There is a 'dip in the nip' organised tomorrow morning we heard, which probably won't be half as much fun as it sounds (no I'm not doing it ) 1k total.

Run after. It was cccold for a minute or two but only because I was soaking wet. 5k 24 mins. Neither of us enjoyed this much for some reason. Think we just wanted to go straight to coffee.

A very pleasant morning tho it felt like I hardly did anything. It was just a warmup.

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Dilbert75

Well Oryx - anything to report after the weekend?

Oryx

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Well Oryx - anything to report after the weekend?

I had a black dog week last week and kept my head down here. Still rocked up to DCT yesterday for my (now renamed) Argon's first race. I'm bad enough on it and the rain made it even more scary fun. So when a certain person text to ask how the tt bike went but typed truth bike instead... I thought that was apt. 'You can't handle the truth!' So she's now Truth. The truth will set me free... endless puns from this one.

I was unenthusiastic yesterday. Forgot my nose clip, cocked up T1, cycled the tricky bits too cautiously, and had no top run gear because I havent been out enough. But my swim was 30 mins, bike 1.26 and run 49. On the bike and run i was gaining speed on each lap. Thats the endurance training kicking in. Not built for short course at all. Finish time 2.51 which is not good, but a lesson in where I am right now and where I need to improve. I take a lot of positives from it. My first tri this year.

Im hoping I outran the black dog on that course and that I pick up now and start laying base for next year. Onwards!

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Dilbert75

Good for you Oryx. Grinding it out when you'd rather not - that's what success is built on. 7s are good, especially from a base of two 3s.

Oryx

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Good for you Oryx. Grinding it out when you'd rather not - that's what success is built on. 7s are good, especially from a base of two 3s.

When Id rather not... sitting in a car, already soaked from setting up transition, with rain pelting on the windscreen, I REALLY didnt want to race in foul weather 6 months on I still have post Race sh ite weather ptsd

Dilbert75

But you still did. That's what's so impressive.

RacoonQueen

Oryx wrote: »

Thats the endurance training kicking in. Not built for short course at all. Finish time 2.51 which is not good, but a lesson in where I am right now and where I need to improve. I take a lot of positives from it. My first tri this year.

Do you train to be fast over short distances? Consistently?

Well done yesterday, 2:51 in those conditions is actually good, despite what you may think. It's a tough enough bike course, technical and tricky at the best of times. I'd have had a completely sucky bike time on that course yesterday!

Sorry to have missed you, was out doing my long run taking in as much as I could of the course. Miserable weather.

Mr Tony Stark

Well Done especially on your bike split. I think your progress through this year should not be overlooked. This was a wet tricky twisty bike rout. That would be acceptable except for the fact you did it on the "TT beastie Truth Machine". So what you might say? So in March, Beastie had to be practically stopped to change gear!!!!!!!

Now thats progress.

Dory Dory

Nobody puts Oryx in a corner. I'm just damn impressed you got your keister out of bed to travel a distance to do this in such crap weather, especially given the health challenges you have faced this year. You're some crazy hoochie! Well done....and serious hoochie respect!

Oryx

Thanks C. Today has been a looong day. I am so sick. Sicker than a sick thing with a gastric upset. I dont know whether to blame the river or not, but plenty of others are suffering too. Still, you have to take the rough with the smooth, and Id prefer this to a spill off the bike.

RacoonQueen

Lots of sick people on my facebook feed and it's the same this time every year. It's a risk you take swimming in any river or lake I guess, liffey just seems worse, maybe because of the bigger numbers in this race.

Dilbert75

Gastric bugs going around work too - and nothing to do with swimming in the Liffey!

griffin100

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I guess, liffey just seems worse, maybe because of the bigger numbers in this race.

Yeah, all that wetsuit weeing that you have to swim through!!

RacoonQueen

griffin100 wrote: »

Yeah, all that wetsuit weeing that you have to swim through!!

I was thinking more of the law of averages. :pac:

Oryx

I didn't do much in the early part of last week, it was a bit of a fail because of the Liffey water making its way destructively through my gut.

Thursday: Not a clue what I did.

Friday: 12k run. Easy peasy. I had legs. It felt good.

Saturday: 1k sea swim followed by 5k run (23.23) The sea was bliss, I was alone, and I had new goggles compliments of uberhooch Dory. They are stupendously amazing. Always get a swimmer to choose your goggles for you.

Sunday: 2.5 hr tt ride compl. with tea break. I had no mojo.

Monday: Evening run, hill reps. 4 x 1.30min 4 x 1 min, 2 x 30 sec. 50 min total, 9k. I chose the only hour of the day when it pelted rain.

Tuesday: 1500m pool swim. I am not used to the pool. It felt way too warm! New goggles are epic.

If I were a beachball, I would be a deflated, abandoned on the beach, summer is over, beachball. No air, no bounce, these days. But I tend to train well over winter when races don't get in the way, so here's hoping I get my punctures repaired and someone blows into me over the next while so I can become the zippy bag of air I used to be.

pgibbo

What type of goggles were they?

Was DCT the last race of the season for you or have you more planned?

Oryx

Roka X1 goggles. These are their OW version but they do a range of them. So clear you can almost see behind you

Am hoping to do a few bits and pieces but will wait and see.

joey100

If your looking for something to do later in the season Slaney CC run a short end of season TT from Oylegate to Enniscorthy, around 9km. No licence needed usually (I've done it twice now without one). Nice short TT and a chance to give the argon a good proper go.

Oryx

Well... I know I ran and took a 'woo its cold' dip in the sea yesterday. Nowt friday. Ran thursday. Turbo Wednesday and swim Tuesday. I think. Im not keeping track these days because energy is fragile so its all a bit spontaneous. But today I went to Glendalough and did the 3.9k swim. Though I think I swam a bit off cos I measured 4.13. I need to work on my sighting. I also need to work on my speed. I was not happy with this. 1h 27* is not where I want to be. But I havent been training and you dont turn into a Ledekey by sitting on your butt. I am happy that I tolerated the cold well, and enjoyed the swim. Just have ten minutes to lose there somehow.

*1.26.53.

Dilbert75

By your own reckoning you swam about 11.5% slower than you'd have liked. But you also swam almost 6% further than you'd have liked and did it all from a situation of low energy. So maybe it's not as negative as it feels.

Oryx

Dilbert75 wrote: »

By your own reckoning you swam about 11.5% slower than you'd have liked. But you also swam almost 6% further than you'd have liked and did it all from a situation of low energy. So maybe it's not as negative as it feels.

Thank you. Im not sitting wringing my hands over it. I hadn't done the work, and it wasnt there. And im sore today which shows Im out of condition! I did enjoy it (though i did get fed up swimming lol) its a laid back event, you just rock up and swim. If Im not in Wales next year Ill definitely be back.

Oryx

I did kettlebells last night. You know alls good in the world when kettlebells are back in the routine

Oryx

Did the Reservoir Dog today. Roped Tony Stark in as well. I don't know if he is still speaking to me. Tough ride.

Oryx

I swam in the pool yesterday. Only just remembered how. My 1x 100 fc were are complete fail, times dropping off a cliff. A pal was gliding up and down the pool underwater, making it look eeeeasy. I tried. Got halfway. But it was a bit of a laugh and took my mind of my awful times.

1700m? Maybe?

Oryx

Turbo tonight with core afterwards. Group session with me leading (god help em). Overgearing, and it was tough. Legs felt fine, but overall I sweat like a pig and worked bloody hard. I suppose Im out of condition, but thats okay. Times approaching where I get it back.