I Am the Master of My Fate

Kurt_Godel

mossym wrote: »

On what are you basing that statement Kurt ?

Expected improvements in form- it would be hard not to have a better understanding of what works and what doesn't given the swim volume in this log.

Plus he's kind of, ah, driven so its a fairly safe hunch

zico10

Dory Dory wrote: »

Really, really nice report, zico....and quite informative too!! (note to self: don't f*ck with zico during a race! )

Thanks. Not to mention the fact you'd be 10 minutes ahead of me, but I'm sure you behave yourself in a race, you'd have nothing to worry about.

With less than 100m to go, the guy in question deliberately accelerated and knew exactly what he was doing. This wasn't some shark who was held up by poorly positioned breaststrokers at the start of the swim. He could very easily have gone by me without contact. There's a way to conduct yourself in the water and I wasn't going to let some ignoramus swim straight over me without defending my position.

A few questions pop into my head looking at your photos -
1) Did your goggles ever fog? I see you had an opportunity to fiddle with them at your Australian dismount (or whatever you called it), but did fog ever cause you any issue?

No, I know people say never try something new in a race, but they were brand new goggles. When goggles are brand new they don't tend to fog in my experience. The anti-fog properties seem to wear off after a couple of uses. I just tightened the straps on my googles then, no air got in. Fog wasn't an issue, they just didn't feel tight enough and I was paranoid about them all the way through.

2) What kind of helmet did you wear...and what kind of shorts are those you had on while on the bike? They are long...and it looks like you wore those on the run too? Not much leg showing there with your compression socks too!!!

This is the helmet; http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/giro-air-attack-road-helmet-2014/rp-prod94082

They're Castelli tri shorts, but I'm wearing Commpressport quad guards underneath, that's why they look so long. They were just calf sleeves I wore, not socks. I wore everything under the wetsuit and left it all on for the whole race.

I was worried about cramping, hence all the compression gear. I experienced cramps far more this year than ever before, so I did everything I could to lessen the risk. Plus with the injuries I was having in the run up to the race, the physio had strongly recommended wearing calf sleeves.

Not much leg showing alright, makes me wonder did I need to spend 20 minutes shaving them the day before.

3) How many bottles of water/drink did you carry on the bike? I see your aero bottle...and one in the cage. Was that it? Or did you carry another? I'm trying to decide on 2 or 3 bottles on my day...and it's the weight of them that is making me consider only 2.

I had a 750ml bottle between my tri bars and another on the down tube. The bottle cage on my seat tube carried a bottle container with tubes, a CO2 pump canisters and levers. I'm not sure I'd say I drank between 5-6L of fluid over the course of the bike. I think taking two bottles would be plenty to be honest. Just think about what you need to do first, whether this means holing a bottle between your teeth or temporarily shoving it down the back of your jersey, but it should be easy enough to grab two bottles at each aid station. Unless it's exceptionally warm, I think you'll have plenty to drink.

4) Good lord!! Clean shaven zico looks like he's only 12 years old!!! Did you have to show proof of age at the race???

P.S. Well done, and congratulations once again!

Thanks, you know I mean business when the beard comes off.

Dory Dory

Thanks for the answers - you're a gem. And I am SO glad to hear you say that you used new goggles as I agree with you on that. (However, I'd probably try them out once or twice before the race.) The anti-fog coating that goggles come with doesn't last very long at all...in fact, I read an article recently where one of the pros said basically you've got 10 swims in a pair of goggles before they lose their anti-fog properties, and I believe them!

joey100

I don't know if I've just been lucky or what but my goggles never fog! I've been using the same pair for around 3 years now, have bought spares of the exact same pair and they seem to go missing but never any issues with the pair I use, except they are getting a bit scratched now. These are the ones I use,

http://www.swimcyclerun.com/goggles/finis-energy-goggles.html

Nothing fancy but fit well and never seem to leak either.

pgibbo

Finally finished ready this report. Excellent report Zico.

One question - what flavour Ben & Jerrys? :pac:

zico10

joey100 wrote: »

I don't know if I've just been lucky or what but my goggles never fog! I've been using the same pair for around 3 years now, have bought spares of the exact same pair and they seem to go missing but never any issues with the pair I use, except they are getting a bit scratched now. These are the ones I use,

http://www.swimcyclerun.com/goggles/finis-energy-goggles.html

Nothing fancy but fit well and never seem to leak either.

Seeing as they're so cheap, I'll buy a pair and try them out. I'm expecting a miracle now.

zico10

pgibbo wrote: »

Finally finished ready this report. Excellent report Zico.

One question - what flavour Ben & Jerrys? :pac:

All of them.:pac:

peter kern

zico10 wrote: »

So you think I shouldn't try qualify for 2016 at a race over the summer?

It depends what you want ... its your fate
there is no right or wrong.
and you have gotten enough well meaning advice here i dont think you need one more useless advise or opinion.

as for his swim his swim technique and water position is better than mine it is pacing of the stroke and rythme thats wrong but this its also connected with why his bike handlinng is not the best.

he is almost over techniqued in the swim and dosnt focus enough on the power and trunover ( we all have limiters and its more a neuromuscular issue)
and of course for a guy like him he needs more open water swims.
at the same time 8 min improvement over 3.8 k in the pool in one year in one year is not bad at all in my books.
anyway this is the internet and yes he needs to spend tonnes of money on 1 2 1 classes ;-0
the thing is when i did the 3.8 k tt with him the longer the swim went the longer it took me to catch him and i know who is going to be fresher off the water...and i would say a good deal of his bike improvement comes from the swim fitness as i think his mid week bike training is only average and nowhere as good as his swim and run training .

zico10

An unusual request perhaps, but I'll make it anyway and hope for the best.

Hopefully somebody reading this might be able. I'm looking for a new place to live in Dublin. It's a case of the sooner the better really. Anybody know anybody who might be happy to rent a room to or share with a triathlete with three bicycles and twice as many wheels?

RacoonQueen

zico10 wrote: »

An unusual request perhaps, but I'll make it anyway and hope for the best.

Hopefully somebody reading this might be able. I'm looking for a new place to live in Dublin. It's a case of the sooner the better really. Anybody know anybody who might be happy to rent a room to or share with a triathlete with three bicycles and twice as many wheels?

Oh God...best of luck. I learnt quickly when I was looking for a place not to mention the bikes, crazy how many people are put off by the idea of bikes in the house.

No, I don't get it either...they didn't even want the outside, in the shed. (Not that I'd have left them outside, I mean they'd have been cold and lonely)

I'm sure you'll find a place no problem though.

Dory Dory

Hi zico!! Just checking for any sort of pulse here. Any more thoughts on which race(s) you might target in 2016?

BTH

Dory Dory wrote: »

Hi zico!! Just checking for any sort of pulse here. Any more thoughts on which race(s) you might target in 2016?

And have you found a place to live??

Dory Dory

BTH wrote: »

And have you found a place to live??

"Homeless zico" :eek: Scary thought. But we all know he does grow an impressive beard.

zico10

I'm still alive and still "training". When I feel like it's noteworthy enough to classify as proper training, I'll start logging it again.

Swimming: At the moment, I'm swimming with Interested twice a week and Peter Kern once. I think I'm improving, a long way to go though. I'll report on things by and by.

Cycling: I haven't been out on the bike since Mallorca, hopefully this weekend, but I've been saying that for a while.

Running: I was going to join the Movember run streak, but it seems to have turned into a sorority, so I stayed out. I have ran every day this month, so the streak is still going. I tagged along with Dunboyne running club on Tuesday and Thursday just gone, and these were my first proper 'sessions' in a while.

BTH, I've moved into a place outside Ratoath. It's very rural, as in cows right outside my back window rural. Very basic TV package and no WIFI in the place either, so it's pretty grim. Very little distractions though and when I motivate myself to train properly again, it could be great.

No decision made on what race I'll do next. Hawaii 2016 was the plan, now that that has been derailed, I'm sort of at a loss as what to do next. Some races are tempting, but I want to be sure I am 100% certain I am going to be 100% committed to the training, before I enter.

Dory Dory

No interest in trying to qualify for Australia in 2016? I have no idea even what kind of 70.3s are still open in your neck of the woods....but I suspect you aren't. Economics and future Hawaii hopes to consider.

zico10

Dory Dory wrote: »

No interest in trying to qualify for Australia in 2016? I have no idea even what kind of 70.3s are still open in your neck of the woods....but I suspect you aren't. Economics and future Hawaii hopes to consider.

No, the 70.3 WC just doesn't hold the same appeal to me as Kona does and certainly not when they are in Australia.
I wouldn't completely rule out a 70.3 event in Ireland, but with the cost involved even travelling for another European 70.3 is unlikely right now.

Dory Dory

HaPpY BiRTHdAy ZiCo!!!!!

zico10

Monday 28th December
Swim

400m fs
400m pull bouy & band
4*100m band
400m
400m pull bouy & band
8*50m band
200m
4*100m sprint
200m easy
8*50m sprint

Not having swam in a few days, I initially planned to just do 10 reps of 400 metres. I was getting bored with this though and midway through, I decided I'd throw in some sprints at the end. I wasn't looking at the clock for the sprints, and waited until I was fully recovered before I began the next effort.
I was struggling swimming with the band only and broke the 4*100m into 8*50m the second time they came up. I managed 4*100m comfortably in a 50m pool a few months ago, so something's up. I think I'm swimming better than ever though, so I won't stress too much about it. Might be a sign I've lost some body fat, which would be a good thing.
Totals: 1.5hrs - 3,600m

Run

16.80km with middle third at pace

I ran a 5.6km loop three times, a few hours after finishing the swim. I picked up the pace for the third loop, but didn't have a stopwatch running. Glancing at the time of day told me I did it in under 25 minutes. This would equate to a pace of about 4:20/km. Not breakneck by any means, but I didn't want to kill myself either.
Totals: 1.5hrs - 16.80km


Tuesday 29th December
Cycle

56.30km w. 6*1km efforts
1km Efforts;
1:23, 43.37km/hr
1:23, 43.37km/hr
1:41, 35.64km/hr
1:36, 37.50km/hr
1:35, 37.89km/hr
1:32, 39.13km/hr

I cycled a kilometre in between the efforts as recovery.
Storm Frank was on the way. This was an out and back cycle and there was a strong crosswind blowing throughout. I was far more sheltered from the wind during my first two efforts, and the gradient also had a big influence on my speed. I was running out of steam and losing power as the efforts progressed though, so can't solely blame the conditions for my drop off in speed. I hadn't done any hard work outside on the bike since September. I probably shouldn't have expected too much, but I was disappointed to fade the way I did. I finished before the storm force winds arrived and I avoided getting wet, which was something to be happy about.
Totals: 2.0hrs - 56.30km

Swim
25m pool

400m fs, 800m pull, 400m fs, 800m pull, 400m fs, 800m pull, 400m fs

Totals: 1.5hrs - 4,000m


Wednesday 30th December
Cycle

91km in approximately 3½ hours

I wasn't tracking distance or time for this and it was done at a very easy effort. I only took a bottle of water and drank less than half of it.
Totals: 3.5hrs - 91.0km

Run

11.20km easy

Even though I wasn't running fast, this turned it into something of a slog on account of not having consumed any calories on the bike. I wasn't keeping any eye on my pace, but it was well over 5:00/km.
Totals: 1.0hrs - 11.2km


Thursday 31st December
Swim
50m pool

20*50m off 65 seconds, every 4th 50 fast (I was doing the fast 50s in about 42-43 seconds)
100m easy
16*100m off 2:00 (1:35 average, 1:33 fastest, 1:38 slowest)
100m cool down

I drove back up to Dublin today and stopped off in the NAC to do this session. I had a 50m lane to myself when I started the 16*100m, so they went very smoothly. I don't think this would have been the case in Roscrea Leisure Centre, so it was the right call to leave them until evening time. I was generally holding consistent times for the 100s. The times drifted out for a few of them though, but I was getting lots of rest and was able to regroup and refocus for the next 100. I never had to go into the red to make the time and was able to gauge how I was doing by three pool clocks on deck.
I was happy how this went. The last time I did a similar set was back in September. Then I did 20*100m pull off 2:10. That day I swam 1:37-138 average. There was one anomaly of 1:35, so it's a sign of progress that today's average was 1:35.
Totals: 1.0hrs - 2,800m


Friday 1st January
Run
Race

2 miles in 10:55, 3:25/km

This was an annual in-club 2 mile road race, that Dunboyne AC traditionally hold on Christmas Day. It was moved to New Year's Day this year, which suited me, as it meant I would be able to race. I wasn't expecting much from it, but it served as a useful speed session if nothing else. My Garmin file tells me I ran much faster than 3:25/km, but it also says I ran the first kilometre in 2:46, something I've never came close to doing in my life, so I'll disregard everything else it tells me.
Totals(including warm up): 0.5hrs - 8.0km


Saturday 2nd January
Nothing


Sunday 3rd January
Run

36.34km in 2:39:50, 4:24km

After ridiculously over eating both New Year's Day and yesterday, I figured I had enough calories on board to get me through this. So after only two cups of black coffee and a glass of water for breakfast, I set out for a 2 hours 40 minute run. The plan was to run out my door for one hour and 20 minutes, before turning around. This would give me no option to cut short my run. I took no water or fuel with me. Nor money, to rule out stopping off at a shop. If I suffered for this, then so be it. It would be penance for the last week and a bit of overindulgence.
Apart from running for 80 minutes before turning, I had no other real plan about how to approach things. The first two kilometres were the slowest, until I ran out of steam near the end. I decided to increase the pace after 2km and just see how things went. After another few kilometres, I decided upon a strategy of attacking any hills, cruising the flat sections, and easing off on any downhill sections. Such was the effort I was putting into the harder sections, the kilometres that were predominantly uphill turned out to be the faster ones. Two kilometre splits recorded as 4:14, and that's as good as it got.
The strategy I had adopted was serving me well and it definitely broke up the drudgery of a long run. It became harder to maintain speed after 2 hours and I had to mentally start breaking the remaining distance down into smaller sections to get through it.
I suffered for not having fueled adequately, but I wouldn't say it was a mistake. Sometimes you need a kick up the arse such as this, and besides there's no better way to lose weight than to suffer through a long run without taking calories on board.
Totals: 2.5hrs - 36.34km



Weekly Totals;
Swim: 4.0hrs - 10,400m
Bike: 5.5hrs - 147.30km
Run: 5.5hrs - 72.34km
Other: 0.0hrs

Not a great week in terms of hours trained. I'm still well capable of significantly greater volume and there are a few different reasons for the low numbers, but I don't want to go it just now. Suffice to get the seven days' training logged and hopefully it will herald a return to my weekly updates.

peter kern

Totals: 1.0hrs - 56.30km

not bad for january ;-)

zico10

peter kern wrote: »

Totals: 1.0hrs - 56.30km

not bad for january ;-)

Indeed, will you let Bradley Wiggins know?








It should have read 2.0hrs, I'll go back and edit that now.

peter kern

pitty i was aobut to suggest wiggo10 as a new alias ;-)

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Have you landed on the IM target race yet or have i missed it? Must be soon or else you are very eager running 36k so early in the year:)

zico10

Ahmed Wide Ostrich wrote: »

Have you landed on the IM target race yet or have i missed it? Must be soon or else you are very eager running 36k so early in the year:)

Nothing picked out yet, but Kona is still the ambition. I'm undecided on whether I'll attempt to qualify for 2016 or 2017, but I'm leaning towards 2017. Barcelona is sold out, so Wales, Weymouth, or Mallorca are the only options I'll have for a 2017 qualifying race in Europe, this autumn. There'll be plenty of time to decide before these three sell out and I don't want to rush the decision.
I'll base build with long distance in mind and whatever I decide to do, I don't think I'll have gone too far wrong with this approach.

36k, because that's just what I do. It's an addiction.

zico10

Monday 4th January
My wrist had been bothering me for a while. It was quite sore after a swim on New Year’s Eve and it was very painful and swollen when I woke up on New Year’s Day. I started taking Nurofen at that point. The swelling went down, but it was still painful going to bed that night. I avoided swimming because of it. Even though I hadn’t had any accidents, it was so painful that I was worried I had somehow fractured my radius. I very seldom go to the doctor, but this prompted a visit.
No X-rays, but the doctor judged there was no fracture and the pain and swelling was likely caused by tendonitis. This was likely caused by the hours I spent on the bike over Christmas. I’d only been out on the road once in the previous two months, then started back with a 5 hour cycle on the Sunday after Christmas. I followed this up with a 2 hour and a 4½ hour cycle within a few days. This was too much too soon and I should have built up to it more gradually. Still I’m glad it wasn’t more serious than tendonitis and with a 10 day dose of prescription anti-inflammatories, I hope it won’t be bothering me for too long more. I’ll avoid swimming until the pain is gone and no more outdoor spins either. Despite my resolve to get out on the bike more in 2016, this suits the fair weather cyclist that’s always lurking within me.

Cycle
Turbo

1 hour moderate effort

Totals: 1.0hrs – 30.0km


Tuesday 5th January
Cylce

2 hours easy/moderate effort with 6*100 revs as fast as possible towards end of session

Totals: 2.0hrs – 56.0km

Run
Club Session

2km warm up
6*5:00 @ H.M.P. w. 1:00 recovery
5 minute efforts
1) 1km in 3:35, 680m in 2:27 (3:36/km),
2) 1km in 3:33, 670m in 2:24 (3:36/km)
battery died
3) ?
4) ?
5) ?
6) ?
1.6km cool down

My battery died after the first two efforts, which wasn’t ideal. When I got home, I was glad to see I managed to hold a quicker pace during the second 5 minute effort though. I was running laps of a track. I’ve only empirical evidence to go on, but I seemed to be covering four and the same fraction of a lap each time, so my pace appeared to be consistent for the last four efforts.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 15.5km


Wednesday 6th January
a.m.
Nothing
This was my first day back at work after the Christmas holidays. When my alarm went at 6 a.m., I couldn’t face the early start. I switched it off and took an extra 1½ in bed.

p.m.
Run
Medium long run w. 6*100m hill strides
Totals: 1.0hrs – 13.92km


Thursday 7th January
a.m.
Swim training with Peter Kern was starting back today after the Christmas break. My wrist was stll sore though and I decided to postpone my own return by abother week.

Cycle
Turbo

1 hour easy

I left my bike shoes at home. I’ve **** loads of bike shoes up in Dublin, but none with the cleats that go with the Shimano pedals on the bike I use for my tubo. Because of this I did the turbo in my runners. This will be the case for my turbos until I tell you otherwise.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 22.5km

p.m.
Run
Club Session – Intervals

8*800m @ 5k pace
1) 850m in 2:47, 3:17/km
2) messed up
3) 800m in 2:42, 3:23/km
4) 820m in 2:42, 3:19/km
5) 800m in 2:41, 3:21/km
6) 800m in 2:41, 3:21/km
7) 810m in 2:43, 3:22/km (1 lap recovery in 1:45)
8) 800m in 2:39, 3:20/km (1 lap recovery in 1:55)

This was a session with Dunboyne AC and we were doing it on their 400m track. I missed the start of the first one and was a good bit back from the starting point when the whistle went. I’d to weave my way through a good few bodies for the first 200m. I’m not sure if it added an extra 50m to the 2 laps I was supposed to run, but I would still think it was the quickest I ran all night.
After this initital lap, the way was clear for me. There were two much faster runners ahead of me and I found myself on my own. It was hard to decide how to approach the two laps. Sometimes I went out hard for the first 400m, then others I held something back for the second lap. I never managed a negative split though. Maybe it will happen for me on another day.
Total: 1.0hrs – 10.82km


Friday 8th January
a.m.
Nothing

p.m.
Swim
25m pool, Coached session

300m warm up
{50m kick & 50m swim} x 8

My wrist was still sore and even before I started, I didn’t think I was going to last the hour. I got 300m of a 400m warm up done and my wrist just didn’t feel up to any hard work. I said this to the coach and he advised I just do 50m kick/50m easy swimming instead of the planned session.
A bit of a waste of a day, but when I get back into a regular training routine, Friday is going to be an easy day, so at least I accomplished that.
Totals: 0.5hrs – 1,100m


Saturday 9th January
Brick

{10 minutes turbo steady & 2km run @ pace} x 6
Runs;
1) 1.99km in 7:50, 3:51/km
2) 1.99km in 7:48, 3:56/km
3) 2.00km in 7:46, 3:53/km
4) 2.01km in 7:50, 3:54/km
5) 2.01km in 7:44, 3:51/km
6) 2.00km in 7:50, 3:56/km

With my focus on Ironman for the last two years, it’s been a long while since I’ve done a brick session as a series of shorts cycles followed by short runs. I’d like to give a good account of myself at some duathlons this spring, so I’d like to get some speed into my legs. I procrastinated all morning before beginning this after 2 p.m. I did the turbo in room, then straight out the door and onto country roads to run a 2km loop from my new lodgings. It’s very rural where I’m living and there’s a lot of things about the location I could find fault with, but I’ve never lived such an ideal place for turbo/run bricks. I certainly plan to do more of them.
Totals;
Bike: 1.0hrs – 30.0km
Run: 1.0hrs – 12.0km


Cycle
Turbo

1 hour easy

Totals: 1.0hrs – 25.0km


Sunday 11th January
Run
Long Run

23.61km in 1:51:45, then about 10km more to get home

It was a lovely day for a run, with clear skies and not a hint of rain. I haven’t ran much around Ratoath since I moved out here. I was running on unfamiliar, practicaly traffic free roads for the first hour. Abigail, Barney et al seemed a million miles away. I was enjoying myself early on. My battery died after 23.61km point and I had approximately 10km left to get home. This wasn’t an out and back run, but like last week I was aiming to run for around 2 hours 40 minutes. I wanted to run it at a slower pace than last Sunday though and I got 17km covered in just under 1 hour 20 minutes. This is a pace I would have been happy to hold for the whole run, but I was slowing from about an hour onwards. It got slower and slower from there and in some ways, it was a good thing that my had Garmin died, as it would have been fairly pitiful to be able to see the pace I was running come the end. It was one of the tougher long runs I’ve done in a while. I didn’t take any water or fuel with me and I hadn’t hydrated properly in advance either. Neither of these things would have helped, but I’ve coped with similar runs much better before.
Totals: 2.5hrs – 33.61km



Weekly Totals;
Swim: 0.5hrs – 1,100m
Bike: 6.0hrs – 163.5km
Run: 7.0hrs – 85.25km
Other: 0.0hrs

Low hours once. Not swimming didn’t help. The two run sessions were okay I guess, but I’m not happy with the week’s training overall. I’m not happy with my attitude either when it comes to that. I won’t say anything else on things for the moment. First full week back at work next week, when I hope to rediscover my mojo.

Dory Dory

I remember someone remarking once that Wales would suit you.

zico10

Dory Dory wrote: »

I remember someone remarking once that Wales would suit you.

I think that was before we determined I'm a sh!t bike handler.

Plus, two long swims I've done in the Irish Sea have ended disastrously.

We'll see, but there's many reasons I shouldn't go there.

Dory Dory

zico10 wrote: »

I think that was before we determined I'm a sh!t bike handler.

Plus, two long swims I've done in the Irish Sea have ended disastrously.

We'll see, but there's many reasons I shouldn't go there.

Lol!!! Okay....well, no doubt you will do your homework and hopefully pick the winning venue!

RacoonQueen

Tendonitis sounds like a totally bizarre diagnosis just because you hopped back on the bike. Hope it's settled down for you, if not, I'd be seeking a second opinion.

joey100

I've had tendinitis from Kayaking. Had to change paddles in the end because of it, used to happen because of the angle my wrist would be at when I was holding them. Basically, in kayaking, you want the wrist as straight as possible, any kinks or twists in it and it can cause it to flare up. Might be something combined with the road vibration that led to yours.

zico10

I know very, very little about paddles and less about kayaking, but how would a different paddle cause you to have straighter wrists?

My own wrist has settled down. I'd finished the course of prescription anti-inflammatories I was on and the pain was still there. Then I was in Holland and Barrett buying my monthly supply of Meridian Peanut Butter and I saw Arnica tablets beside the till. Last August, a physio had told me to take these for bruised ribs. I followed their advice, but I wasn't sure if they made any difference.
I thought it was worth a shot once more. I bought the tablets and started taking them. The pain has eased a lot since. It could be the Arnica tablets, or it could be I'd have recovered anyway. I managed 4 hours on the bike on Sunday without issue, so either go me or go Arnica!