I Am the Master of My Fate

zico10

Dory Dory wrote: »

the most focused, disciplined and determined person I have ever met

That could be my epitaph.

RacoonQueen

Dory Dory wrote: »

Honest to god - listen up all you single ladies out there, mark your calendar for next October - zico may be on the market. I'd get in line if I were you, he's a man of pure class.

Only if he wins, no one wants a second placer.

zico10

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Only if he wins, no one wants a second placer.

I've a long list of criteria myself.:)

zico10

'Proper' training started on Monday and I should be back with a training update next week. There's been nothing too taxing just yet and it has mostly just been about getting back into the routine of structured training.

Looking ahead to next year, my A goal is Hawaii, my B goal is Hawaii and my C goal is Hawaii. I'll enter races along the way, but they'll all be just stepping stones on the road to Kona.

One race I've already committed to is Rotterdam Marathon on April 9th. The best season of running I ever had in triathlon was in 2014 and came on the back of my preparations for Connemarathon that April. How I'll get on in the marathon itself is hard to know. I won't be giving it as much time as I did when I set my PB of 2:35:51 in Connemara. But on a far easier course, I'd like to think I have a chance of breaking 2:35. It's not a goal as such though and I'm mainly hoping the training for Rotterdam sets me up nicely for the triathlon season that follows.

zico10

Monday 24th October
a.m.
Run

13.09km in 1:00:94, 4:35/km

Any pace below 4:48/km would have done me this morning, but in what I regarded as the first step on the road to Kona 2017, I wanted to make sure of nailing it. I pushed harder than I needed to and finished with an overall average pace of 4:35/km. Which is nothing hectic, but at 78.9kg, it took a lot more effort to hit than it would have only a few weeks ago.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 13.09km

p.m.
Swim

25m pool, coached session

400m warm up,
12*100m w. last 25m fast off 1:45 (1:37 approximately)
50m easy
20*50m off 60”, every 4th one fast (46”-47”)
50m easy

I was drafting somebody for the 100s of the main set until the final two. By this stage, the other guy was bunched and he let me take over. I felt okay tonight, the extra body fat I’m carrying probably helping with buoyancy. At the end of the end of the session, the coach told us to expect harder work in the weeks ahead. An ominous warning that I’ll hardly finish every Monday night swim feeling okay.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,700m


Tuesday 25th October
a.m.
Swim
50m pool

3*400m off 7:30 (7:18, 7:17, 7:17)
12*100m; as 4 sets of {3*100m off 1:50, desc. 1-3}, 50m easy between sets,
150m easy

I was planning to swim the 400s off 7:20, but after seeing this would only give me 2 seconds rest on the first 400, I thought 'Fnck that!' and did them off 7:30 instead.
My times for the first two sets of 100s were roughly 1:45, 1:43 & 1:40. I thought I definitely had things under control, but then completely ****ed up the third set getting slower instead of faster. After this happened, I knew there was no possibility of me descending the 100s in the fourth set. I stuck a pull buoy between my legs and pushed off for the final set with no great expectation of hitting my target times. I came in on 1:45 & 1:45 for the first two, and then angry with myself for letting my times trail off so badly, I hit 1:37 for the final 100. This probably shows I didn’t use my energy too wisely, but it felt like I salvaged something from a lousy hour in the water.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,650m

p.m.
S & C

40 minutes

Totals: 0.5hrs – n/a

Cycle
Turbo

10:00 warm up,
{15:00 IM effort & 5:00 recovery) x 3

This felt tougher than it should have done, but I was holding a consistent cadence of 86-88rpm any time I checked. This was better than I would have expected, especially after the first effort when I just wasn’t feeling it.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 37.0km


Wednesday 26th October
a.m.
Swim
50m pool

400m warm up,
4*100m pull desc. off 2:05 (Approx.; 1:45, 1:40, 1:38, 1:35)
50m easy,
4*100m fs desc. off 2:10, (Approx.; 1:50, 1:47, 1:44, 1:42)
50m easy,
4*100m pull desc. off 2:05, (Approx.; 1:45, 1:39, 1:37, 1:34)
50m easy,
4*100m fs desc. off 2:10, (Approx.; 1:50, 1:47, 1:45, 1:42)
8*50m kick w. fins

I was supposed to do an extra 600m, but I was late starting and I also underestimated how much longer it would take to do the kick sets. I ran out of time and had to bail on the session. I was comfortably managing to descend through the sets of 100s. With push off time of 2:10 & 2:05, I was getting plenty of rest, but at the same time, I felt like I was moving well; what a difference 24 hours can make. I was due to do some 50m sprints in the 600m I missed. It would have been interesting to see how I would have got on with these.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,550m

p.m.
Run
Hill reps 2 x {3x (100m hill sprints & walk back recovery)}

13.51km in 1:09:39
35 minute warm up,
Efforts; 1) 100m in 20.0seconds, 3:20/km, 2) 100m in 20.1seconds, 3:21/km, 3) 100m in 20.4seconds, 3:24/km,
10:00 easy,
Efforts; 1) 100m in 19.4seconds, 3:14/km, 2) 100m in 18.8seconds, 3:08km, 3) 100m in 19.4seconds, 3:14/km,
20 minutes cool down

I’m glad the efforts were short, as any longer and I think I’d have gone too far into the red. They were short enough that being a fat b@stard didn’t seem to slow me down.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 13.51km


Thursday 27th October
a.m.
Swim

This was the group’s first Thursday morning swim session with Peter Kern since August, so the timing was perfect for me. Most of the session was spent doing technique work and drills under Peter’s watchful eye.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 2,050m

p.m.
Cycle
Turbo

90 minutes steady

I wanted to get outside for this, but I had things on in the evening and instead ended up spending an hour and a half on the turbo. My legs found the whole thing taxing, but I was holding a consistent cadence any time I checked.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 45.0km


Friday 28th October
a.m.
Rest

p.m.
Swim
25m pool, coached session

200m easy,
20*100m as 5 sets* of {4*100m},
100m easy,
12*50m off 60”, desc. 1-3, 4-6, 7-9 & 10-12 (50”, 46”, 43” approximately)
50m easy

*Sets 1, 2 & 3 were off 1:45, which was reduced to 1:40 for the fourth and fifth sets. I was coming in on around 1:37 for the 100s off 1:45 and about 1:34 for the final two sets. There were two of us in the lane tonight and I led out for the first four 100s. My times got progressively slower, even though I upped the effort and I thought I was going to seriously struggle for the rest of the session. Thankfully, the other lad took over for the second and third sets and the energy I saved by drafting him proved hugely beneficial come the end. 30 seconds was the scheduled rest between the sets, but we were given an extra 60 before starting the faster 100s. I was still drafting for the penultimate set and only resumed lead out duties for the fifth and final set. I was fully recovered by this stage and was happily able to swim at the required intensity.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,950m


Saturday 29th October
Run
90 minutes steady

19.38km in 1:30:01, 4:39/km

My target pace setting out on this run was 4:36-4:48/km. Despite the extra weight I’m carrying, it never felt like hard work and I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it felt.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 19.38km


Sunday 30th October
Cycle
4 hours w. some random efforts

112.18km in 4:12:31, 26.7km/hr, 566m elev. gain

I was keeping a cap on the overall intensity, but I’d occasionally put the power down for 10/20 seconds at a time. I spread three of these efforts out over a 20 minute period, take a 20 minute rest, and go again.
Totals: 4.0hrs – 112.18km



Weekly Totals;
Swim: 5.5hrs – 12,900m
Cycle: 6.5hrs – 194.18km
Run: 3.5hrs – 45.9km
Other: 0.5hrs


I bounced out of bed on Monday morning full of vigour for the week ahead. I enjoyed that run and I thought a switch in my head been flicked on. This enthusiasm waned over the course of the week and there was a lot of procrastination before I got out for both the run on Saturday and the cycle on Sunday. Perhaps the fact they were the only things I had to do those days, meant that I knew I could postpone them. And the longer I let them slide, the harder they became to do.
I got one S & C session done and scrapped my plans to do a second one over the weekend. I got all the sessions my coach prescribed done though, and I hope I’ve established a routine of regular training. For a first week back in ‘proper’ training, that’s something positive.

zico10

Monday 31st October
a.m.
nothing

p.m.
Run
63 minutes steady

13.75km in 1:03:12, 4:36/km

This was meant to be an a.m. run, but I was on holidays and in no rush to get out the door. Hence it was 12:10 when I started. To add a bit of variety to the run, I went out a road I’ve never ran on before. The change of scenery made the run seem like less of a chore.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 13.75km

Swim
50m Pool

1,000m SKPS,
24*50m off 65”, every 4th one fast
200m cool down

I messed up the swim/kick/pull/swim sequence and I’m not exactly sure what the 1,000m warm up consisted of.
I was coming in between 50” and 52” for the first three 50s in the sets of 4, then hitting about 45”/45” for the fast ones. I managed to swim the very last one in 44 seconds, which makes me wonder were there reserves of energy I was not tapping into during the rest of the swim.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,400m


Tuesday 1st November
a.m.
Swim
50m Pool

400m fs easy,
400m kick w. fins,
400m pull.
400m fs steady
12*100m off 2:10, every 4th one fast (1:39, 1:41, 1:38)
100m cool down

I felt okay. I was getting plenty of rest for the 100s though, so it should have been expected. It would have been nice to go sub 1:40 for all the fast 100s and with a bit more concentration, I probably would have.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,900m

p.m.
Cycle
Turbo

10:00 warm up,
3 x {15:00 IM effort & 5:00 recovery}

I did this in the utility room down home in Roscrea. It was pretty chilly starting off, but I wasn’t long warming up. I didn’t have a fan, which might be ideal prep for Kona, but it turned this into a real sweat fest. My rpm dropped by one or two revs midway through the final effort, but I was able to get it back up to the same cadence I held throughout the first and second efforts.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 37.0km


Wednesday 2nd November
a.m.
Cycle
3 hours easy

69.65km in 3:08:50, 21.9km/hr, 451m elev. gain

I kept this nice and easy to save my legs for the hill sprints in the evening.
Totals: 3.0hrs – 68.65km

p.m.
Run
Hill reps 2 x {3x (100m hill sprints & walk back recovery)}

11.91km in 59:09, 4:48/km
32 minute warm up,
Efforts; 1) 100m in 21.4seconds, 3:34/km, 2) 100m in 20.9seconds, 3:29/km, 3) 100m in 19.8seconds, 3:18/km,
9 minutes easy,
Efforts; 1) 100m in 20.3econds, 3:23/km, 2) 100m in 19.9seconds, 3:19km, 3) 100m in 18.9seconds, 3:09/km,
15 minutes cool down

This was the exact same session I did last Wednesday, only that time I was in Dublin, and today I was in Roscrea. The hill I was running up was obviously different, so it’s hard to draw direct comparisons between the two. I’d say today’s hill was slightly steeper and I also made a conscious decision to push harder today. I focussed on form and really driving my arms. It seemed to do the trick and I’m looking at the progressively faster times I managed to run in each set of 100s as a positive thing.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 11.91km


Thursday 3rd November
a.m.
Swim
25m pool

400m warm up as (100 pull/100 fs) x 2,
10*200m off 3:40,
50m cool down

I had to come back up to Dublin to do an NCT and managed to fit in a quick splash in the NAC while I was up. I’d a choice of three sessions emailed out by Friday’s swim coach. Ideally I should have done all three sessions in the order they were given, but it’s likely I’m only going to get one of the sessions done, so I opted for the easiest one to remember and this is the one I chose. It should have been 12*100m in the main set, but I didn’t want to be late for my NCT, so I cut the session short.
I was happy with the session and especially the consistency I showed over what was a longish enough main set. I got faster over the 100s if anything. I saw 3:19/3:20 on the clock for the first few, then I was consistently 2/3 seconds under 3:20 from then until #8, which drifted back out to 3:20. I didn’t panic though and managed to bring my times back under 3:20 for numbers 9 & 10. I could always the pool clock when swimming and this definitely helped me swim consistent times, but one other thing I was focussing on was simply working hard by maintaining a high turnover and strong finish. I know I swim a lot in comparison to most triathletes, but I’m starting to wonder if I work as hard as others when actually I’m swimming. I never go as far into the red I do when running and I need to figure out why and it was a sensation I was looking for today.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,450m

p.m.
Run
60 minutes easy

11.34km in 1:01:06, 5:23/km

I was back down in Roscrea after my short jaunt up to Dublin. There was nothing fancy about this, just two loops of a circuit I regularly run when I’m down home. I found it cold yesterday night when I was out running in shorts, so I wore tights for the first time since tri season ended, got well wrapped up and wore hat and gloves. It wasn’t cold enough for all this and I dropped off the hat and gloves when I passed my home after completing the first loop. I was also having digestive problems and needed to use the toilet. I don’t remember this happening for a while, but I’m trying to shed weight right now and what I’ve been eating for the last few days wouldn’t be my typical diet.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 11.34km


Friday 4th November
a.m.
Morning off
With the week off work and quite frankly not training all that hard, I didn’t really feel like I needed the morning off. Still my coach strongly advised I take the rest, so that’s what I did.

p.m.
Swim
25m pool, coached session

200m warm up,
12*200m off 3:40†, (1-10; 3:15 approx, 11 & 12; 3:20 approx.)
15*50m off 60”, every 3rd one fast (I was struggling to hit 45” for these.)

† The guy I was sharing a lane wasn’t sure what time we were meant to be swimming these off and I’m certain three of the earlier ones were done off 3:20. I tried to say something, but he was gone before I could and I’d no choice but to follow. I missed out on minute’s rest and I think this caught up with me by the end of the session. Still, it’s no harm in being taken out of your comfort zone once in a while.
It’s not too often I swim 3,350m in a one hour session is was the toughest workout I’ve done since my Ironman. I was wrecked getting out of the pool.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 3,350m


Saturday 5th November
Run
96 minutes steady

21.66km in 1:36:02, 4:26/km

I paced this pretty well. It was hard, but not as easy as it should have been either. I’m hoping this will change as I continue to shed weight over the next few weeks.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 21.66km


Sunday 6th November
Cycle
4 hours steady w. two sets of (5 x 10” max efforts & 50” recovery)

93.04km in 3:47:38, 24.5km/hr, 540m elev. gain

Totals: 4.0hrs – 93.04km

Swim
25m pool

400m warm up,
16*100m pull off 1:45,
50m easy,
9*50m off 60”, desc. 1-3, 5-6 & 7-9, 30” rest between each set of 3
50m easy

After the cycle earlier, it was with a lot of reluctance I got into my car to drive to the NAC to do this swim. I was thinking of excuses not to go, but eventually made a deal with myself that I could use a pull buoy for the set of 16*100s. It was easy convince myself I needed to give my legs a break and 1,600m pull was surely better than not swimming at all.
I was coming in on around 1:30 for the first six 100s, and then I was asked to switch pools and was thrown off my rhythm. I could no longer see the lap clock in the middle of my lengths and my times drifted out to 1:32/1:33. At my slowest, I came in on 1:35. Even though I was using a pull buoy, I was breathing every second stroke and burning way more oxygen than necessary. Things were starting to fall apart and I was regretting my decision to come. After the 10th rep, I thought about how ridiculous this was and after some stern self-talk I managed to swim all the rest of them under 1:35. I never got close to the times I swam the first six 100s in, but at least I had arrested the slide.
The 50s that followed were better than I expected. Not having used my legs since the warm up undoubtedly contributed to this, but I was happy to be able to descend them all.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,550m


Weekly Totals;
Swim: 5.0hrs – 13,650m
Cycle: 8.0hrs – 198.69km
Run: 4.5hrs – 58.66km
Other: 0.0hrs

I’d the week off work which made things slightly easier and ensured I got plenty of rest. Nothing has been too taxing so far, but that won’t last forever.

zico10

Monday 7th November
a.m.
Run
60 minutes steady

12.82km in 1:00:00, 4:41/km

This was slower than last week, but I wasn’t looking to break any records.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 12.82km

p.m.
Swim
25m pool – Coached Session

32*50m off 60”, every 4th one fast (42”-43”),
100m easy,
12*100m as 4 sets of {3*100m off 1:45, desc. 1-3}, extra 30” rest between sets, Times for descending 100s; 1:40, 1:35, 1:30 slipping to 1:42, 1:40, 1:37

Although my times were slipping during the main set, I still managed to descend through each set of 100s. I was trying to utilise my kick to hit the faster times and the other swimmer in the lane, who’s swam with me a lot over the last year or two, commented on how well I was kicking tonight. I’ll take this as a sign that concentrating on my kick was working.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,900m


Tuesday 8th November
a.m.
Swim
50m pool

12*100m off 2:05, done as four sets of 3*100m, desc. 1-3, straight through,
(Times; 1:50, 1:45, 1:45 down to 1:47, 1:42, 1:35)
100m easy,
32*50m off 65” as 4 sets of {8*50m desc. 1-4}, each alternate set was done as pull,
100m easy

I was particularly pleased how the set of 12*100m went. Admittedly, the times I swam them off could have been more challenging, but still the instructions were to swim them off 2:00 in a 25m pool. Ordinarily, I allow myself an extra 5 seconds per 50m in a LC pool and would have felt justified had I swam them off 2:10. So ‘Chapeau me’.
I couldn’t be 100% sure my times fell during every single set of 50s during the descending sets of 32*50m, but I put in the required effort and unless they had been a complete and total disaster, they weren’t going to take away the feeling of satisfaction I had after the earlier set of hundreds.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 3,000m

p.m.
Cycle
Turbo

10:00 warm up,
4 sets of {6 seconds max & 1 minute recovery},
2:00 steady,
10 sets of {6 seconds max & 24 seconds recovery},
5:00 steady,
4 sets of {15 seconds max & 45 seconds recovery},
5:00 steady,
2 sets of {30 seconds max & 2:30 recovery},
5:00 steady,
1 minute max effort,
10:00 cool down

This was a bloody tough session and I was flagging during the 30 seconds efforts, before going to complete pot for the final one minute hard. I don’t think I can blame being fat for this. My gearing wasn’t the smartest though and I’ll be doing the session again next week when hopefully I’ll make a better fist of things.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 30.0km


Wednesday 9th November
a.m.
Swim
50m pool

400m fs,
400m pull,
12*50m kick w. fins,
6*200m off 4:00, (3:45 approx.)
4*50m off 65", desc. 1-4, (55”, 50”, 47”, 42”)

I wasn’t trying to swim fast during the main set of 6*200s, but at the same time I thought they were slow and I find it somewhat concerning. Then I never worry when my steady run pace is slow and maybe I’m over analysing things.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,800m

p.m.
Run
60 minutes w. 2 sets of {3 x 100m hill sprints}

40 minute warm up @ 4:55/km,
Efforts; 1) 100m in 19.4, 3:14/km, 2) 100m in 18.5, 3:05/km, 3) 100m in 18.8, 3:08/km,
10 minutes @ 5:20/km
Efforts; 4) 100m in 19.2, 3:12/km, 5) 100m in 19.0, 3:10/km, 3) 100m in 18.8, 3:05/km,
14 minutes cool down @ 5:24/km
13.48km in 1:07:13, 4:59/km

This was the same session I’ve done for the last few weeks. The efforts are so short and over so quickly they aren’t a reliable indication of progress. I was getting lots of recovery between them as well. Looking back on the stats, I feel the middle 10 minutes and cool down should have been quicker though and I’ll be focussing on these when I do the same session again next week.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 13.48km


Thursday 10th November
a.m.
Swim
25m pool, coached session

It was more drills and easy swimming this week. I usually prefer a swim session where I feel like I’ve worked hard. But swimming for the fourth day of five consecutive swim days, I was glad of an easy session for a change.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,000m

p.m.
Cycle
Turbo

1 hour, steady effort

I was working relatively hard for the hour and holding a consistent cadence. Besides this, there’s not else much I can say about the session.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 30.0km


Friday 11th November
a.m.
Rest

p.m.
Swim

200m warm up,
16*25m off 40”, every 4th one fast (18” approx.)
6 sets of {4*50m off 45” & 100m off 2:00} (straight through, no rest)
100m easy,
5*100m off 2:00, desc. 1-5 (1:45, 1:40, 1:35, 1:33, 1:31)

I was moved into a faster lane tonight and was given the toughest swim set I can remember doing in a long time. The middle sets of 4*50 & 1*100m had me absolutely fncked. I’m sure I made the 50s in the first two sets, perhaps even three, but I barely had time to look at the clock on the 3rd set and it was impossible to process anything. Although I was making the times for easy 100s, they weren’t serving their purpose as recovery. I think I made the very first 50 in the penultimate set, but missed the times for all of them from there on out.
After all this, I was happy with how the final set of descending 100s went. I busted my balls to try break 1:30 for the very last one, but it proved elusive.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 3,000m


Saturday 12th November
Run
1 hour 40 minutes w. final 5km @ IM pace (<4:12/km)

23.28km in 1:40:30, 4:19/km
Final five 1km splits:4:02, 4:08, 4:09, 4:04 & 4:06

I skipped breakfast today because I felt too fat to deserve it. Two cups of coffee had to suffice. I didn’t take any fuel with me either, as the more body fat I burn over the next few weeks, the better. This seemed like an ideal time to start.
Still being well above racing weight, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this run. The plan was to run the last 20 minutes at IM pace, which on paper seemed daunting. (Scary to think I’ll have to run at a goal marathon pace of sub 3:40/km for far, far longer in only a few months.) I thought the best way of getting primed for it was to run the first 1 hour 20 minutes of the run as close to this pace as was comfortable. This was actually easier than I had anticipated and I finished these opening 80 minutes with an average pace of 4:23/km.
After this I upped the effort to hit a new IM pace of <4:12/km that my marathon in Mallorca deemed I should be running at. The resultant five kilometres were ran in times of 4:02, 4:08, 4:09, 4:04 & 4:06, for an average pace of 4:06/km. This was 5 seconds per kilometre quicker than I needed, but I’d sooner be 5 seconds too quick than 5 seconds too slow.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 23.28km


Sunday 13th November
Cycle
Turbo

2 hours moderate effort

3D had their annual awards night last night. Needless to say, beer was flowing freely and the amount of it I consumed, meant I was in no fit state for any strenuous training today. It was after 6 p.m. by the time I started and I did it as much to prove a point to myself as anything else.
Totals: 2.0hrs – 55.0km



Weekly Totals:
Swim: 5.5hrs – 13,700m
Cycle: 4.0hrs – 115.0km
Run: 3.5hrs – 49.58km
Other: 0.0hrs

I’m a few days late getting this posted and I forget what was going through my mind at the end of the week, so this reflection will be pretty short. This was the first week I felt like I was given any challenging biking or running to do. I made a balls of the power set on Tuesday, then I was happy with my long run on Saturday. The fact I didn’t get a long cycle in on Sunday annoys me, but this early into a base build, it hardly matters.

pgibbo

I see your shorts got a bit of stick here

Dory Dory

"I skipped breakfast today because I felt too fat to deserve it."

Best line I've heard in a long time. Brilliant! Kind of like the zico version of Kate Moss's "nothing takes as good as skinny feels."

zico10

pgibbo, fashion was never my strong point and my budget for casual clothing is so tight, I might still be wearing those shorts in Kona.

Dory, I have that Kate Moss quote as the wallpaper on my phone, no kidding.

rodneyr1981

Hi zico,

If ok can i get your views on races during an IM season.
I did CPH this year. Beat my target but not happy with the run. I've gone and signed up for Barca to try address that. Didn't pick barca based on course suitability more an opportunity to bring herself away for a few days for some sun.
The one thing i regret from this season is not racing enough. I did the odd short road race and a few sprints but nothing longer such as HIM etc.
I'm half tempted to try get in an early season marathon. I see from your log you are running Amsterdam in April. Do you thing this will impact your other 2 disciplines? My worry is that to get a time which would satisfy me my swim and bike would suffer.
I had also planned on targeting a few NS duathlons which would also be impacted.
Whats your thoughts? You ok with letting them suffer a bit knowing that you have enough time to get to where you need to be for Kona?

Thanks

zico10

It's Rotterdam, not Amsterdam. And no, I'm not worried. There'll be over 6 months between the marathon and Kona. Most people racing in Kona will be going there with less recovery time from whenever their qualifying race was. And I'll recover far quicker from a marathon than they will from an Ironman.

Will it hamper the Kona prep? I don't think so. I'll still cycle and run and even if both activities are curtailed the closer I get to the marathon, the fitness gains will transfer between the three disciplines. My cycling will likely suffer a small bit in the short term, but I've no big plans early season and come October, I'd be confident it'll be where it needs to be. I still see myself swimming as regularly as I am right now up until 2/3 weeks out from the race, but I'll see what my coach says. This marathon isn't as important to me as when I ran my PB, but I'm going to Rotterdam hoping to better that time, so it's not going to be a half arsed approached either.

I've handed over all my training decisions to my coach and I cleared the marathon idea with him before committing to it. He thought it was a good idea and that it would work well.

I'm not sure how long you've been posting on boards, but I've a log here detailing my training for Connemarathon 2014 (also in April). It was a high volume approach to the marathon (higher I'm sure than the next 5 months will be). Bar a single duathlon in Limerick, I did absolutely no cycling from November through to April. That September, I ****ed things up in my Ironman race, but I was well able to cycle; 180km in under 4:50 on the N11 that August. The long timeout from cycling wasn't to blame for me ****ing up that Ironman race and I never ran as strong in triathlons as I did that summer.

That's how things worked for me and horses for courses I guess, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work for somebody else who's prepared to put the work in. No doubt some people would disagree, but I say go for it. It's very satisfying to run a marathon PB and getting through the training for one will galvanise you for the run training you'll have to do for the Ironman. There'll be a reduction in volume and the risk of picking up a running injury is significantly reduced.

You might have to give up in your hopes to podium in the duathlon series though. Besides everything else, the races you have to do for it will distract from the main goal of a marathon. Pick one thing, focus on it and when you've that done, move onto the next target. That's my attitude to racing and I think it serves me well. As far as I can see it, a lot of people try to juggle too many targets and end up never doing themselves justice in any of their 'goal' races.

I'm not sure how to advise on other races post marathon, but I wouldn't jump to conclusions that you didn't race often enough or long enough last year. My coach didn't initially want me to race Kenmare and advised I do a sprint instead. It was at my insistence that I raced the half distance in the end. His plan would have just had me do one Olympic and one sprint from the start of July onwards. I was injured for a lot of that time though, so maybe he would have had originally planned for me to do more, but I don't think it would have been too much.

Dory Dory

zico10 wrote: »

pgibbo, fashion was never my strong point and my budget for casual clothing is so tight, I might still be wearing those shorts in Kona.

I love those shorts!! And I will be looking for them in your Kona shot!

zico10 wrote: »

Dory, I have that Kate Moss quote as the wallpaper on my phone, no kidding.

We're an interesting lot, aren't we? I've often wondered if some of us were analysed, what that analysis would disclose. Might be a bit scary. :eek:

zico10

Dory Dory wrote: »

We're an interesting log, aren't we? I've often wondered if some of us were analysed, what that analysis would disclose. Might be a bit scary. :eek:

Probably best not to go down that rabbit hole.

zico10

Monday 14th November
a.m.
Run
60 minutes steady

13.28km in 1:00:02, 4:31/km

I got well wrapped up for this, but it wasn’t as cold as I was expecting and I ended up being overdressed. Apart from this, I felt fine and assuming GPS was working, my average pace was a lot faster for the same effort than it was for the last two Mondays. Positive signs, I hope.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 13.28km

p.m.
Swim
25m pool, coached session

400m easy,
21*100m as 7 sets of {3*100m off 3:40} (extra 60” rest after sets #1, 2, 5 & 6, 30” after #3),
100m easy,
6*50m desc. 1-3 (pull) & 4-6 (fs),
25m easy

I came in on 1:35 or thereabouts for each of the 100s in the first three sets, but it was hard work. It became harder and harder, but I still made the times for all of the reps in sets 4 and 5. I was knackered at this stage though and failed to make any of the times in set 6, made the very first one in set 7, but that was all.
I succeeded in descending the subsequent 50s, but the speed was never there.
I was sharing the lane with someone else. She was leading out and I left a 5 second gap between us. I’m slower than here, but there must have been some benefit to going second. I never really felt it though.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,925m


Tuesday 15th November
a.m.
Swim
50m pool

400m w. last 100m @ 80% RPE,
9*200m as 3 sets of {3*200m}, extra 30” rest between sets,
{1, 2 & 3 pull off 3:40, (3:28-3:29)},
{4, 5 & 6 fs off 3:45, (3:37-3:40)},
{7, 8 & 9 pull off 3:45, (3:28, 3:32 & 3:32)},
12*50m off 65”, desc. 1-3, 4-6 & 7-8 (57”, 55”, 52”, (very last 50m in on 48”))

I was tired for this and consequently, even starting with a very slow 57 seconds per length, there wasn’t any significant improvement in the descending sets of 50s. But I managed what I had planned to do, so it wasn’t a failed session.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,800m

p.m.
Cycle
Turbo

10:00 warm up,
4 sets of {6 seconds max & 1 minute recovery},
2:00 steady,
10 sets of {6 seconds max & 24 seconds recovery},
5:00 steady,
4 sets of {15 seconds max & 45 seconds recovery},
5:00 steady,
2 sets of {30 seconds max & 2:30 recovery},
5:00 steady,
1 minute max effort,
10:00 cool down

This was the same power set as last week. I changed down a gear for the longer efforts and managed the intensity a bit better. This was until the minute long effort when there was just a complete drop off in power after only 30 seconds. I had to change into an easier to get revs back up, but needless to say there was a huge difference in the power I was generating.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 30.0hrs


Wednesday 16th November
a.m.
Swim
50m pool

200m pull easy,
10*50m off 1:30 w. last 25 of every 2nd length max effort,
50m pull easy,
16*100m done as 4 sets of {4*100m off 1:55},
50m pull easy

I took an extra 60 seconds rest between the four sets of 4*100m. My times for the first two sets were 1:45, but this started to slip out to 1:50 during the 3rd and 4th sets. I wasn’t tired as such and part of me thinks had I reduced the push off time to 1:50 from the start, I might have dialled into 1:45 pace by necessity and swam them better.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,400m

p.m.
Run
75 minutes steady w. hill sprints

16.10km in 1:15:24, 4:41/km
53 minutes @ 4:43/km,
Efforts;
1) 100m in 18.9”, 3:09/km,
2) 100m in 20.0”, 3:20/km,
3) 100m in 18.7”, 3:07/km,
10 minutes @ 4:48/km
4) 100m in 19.8”, 3:18/km,
5) 100m in 18.6”, 3:06/km,
6) 100m in 18.3”, 3:03/km,
10 minutes @ 4:49/km

This was the fourth week in a row doing the same session. It’s getting a little bit boring, but such is the way with building a base.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 16.10km


Thursday 17th November
a.m.
Swim

25m pool, coached session
100m warm up,
10*50m off 70” alternating steady/fast,
150m drills,
8*50m off 70” alternating steady/fast,
200m drills,
8*50m off 70” alternating steady/fast,
200m drills,
8*50m sprints,
200m cool down

Overall distance was still pretty low, but it was the first Thursday morning session with Peter in which we had some fast stuff to do.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 2,400m

p.m.
Cycle
Turbo

90 minutes steady effort

I was out in a shed for this and it was bloody cold.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 42.0km


Friday 18th November
a.m.
Rest

p.m.
Swim
50m pool

1,200m SKPS,
5*200m pull off 3:40 (<3:20),
2*200m fs off 3:40 (3:25 & 3:30),
200m easy

I wasn’t able to make my club session tonight, so went to the NAC earlier in the evening instead. The session wasn’t overly taxing and I’m sure I would have suffered more at the club swim, but I’d checked the work with the coach first and the stuff I did is what he recommended.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,800m


Saturday 18th November
Run
1 hour 45 minutes w. last 5km @ IM pace (<4:12/km)

24.60km in 1:45:22, 4:17/km
Final five kilometre splits; 1) 4:01, 2) 4:07, 3) 4:08, 4) 4:03, 5) 4:06, Avg. pace = 4:05/km

This was similar to the long run of last weekend. I just extended it by 5 minutes. Pace was slightly quicker, perhaps because I’m a tiny bit lighter. I was still too fat to deserve breakfast and like last Saturday I did this run unfuelled as well. It was half 2 by the time I was finished and past 3 in the evening by the time I first ate today. This is way longer than I’d normally deprive myself of food, but I haven’t let myself get so heavy in a long time, so it’s a necessary hardship. When my weight is back to more normal levels, I’ll change the approach.
Totals: 2.0hrs – 24.60km


Sunday 20th November
Cycle

107.28km in about 4:10:00

I accidentally restarted my Garmin after I got back home and only realised halfway through the latest ‘Planet Earth’ episode. So the time and average speed it’s telling me are way off. I could investigate and come up with a more accurate time, but it’s not important enough.
I cycled well past sunset and it was a cold day. My toes and fingers were numb long before I finished, so I’ll be using the thickest gloves I have and cling film on my feet next weekend.
Totals: 4.0hrs – 107.28km



Weekly Totals;
Swim: 5.5hrs – 13,325m
Cycle: 6.5hrs – 179.28km
Run: 4.5hrs – 53.98km

I felt tired for a lot of the sessions this week. More attributable to lack of sleep than any overly taxing training I did. I’ve the routine of training going at least, and now the wheels are in motion, I think I’m unlikely to miss too many sessions between now and next October. I need to start living more like a Kona qualifier though. This starts with going to bed early instead of watching reruns of any old sh!t on E4.

Dory Dory

HaPpY BiRtHdAy ZiCo!!!!!!!

pgibbo

Happy birthday. Hope it's a good one

RacoonQueen

Do you think not eating for long periods of time is the best way to tackle weight gain? How much have you gained?

And belated happy cake day wishes, hope you allowed your fat self to a nice big piece of chocolate fudge cake

zico10

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Do you think not eating for long periods of time is the best way to tackle weight gain? How much have you gained?

And belated happy cake day wishes, hope you allowed your fat self to a nice big piece of chocolate fudge cake

You should never ask a man his weight.

Suffice to say though, I'm much heavier than I need to be to run a sub 2:35 marathon. I've no doubt I'll get to my racing weight in time for Rotterdam, but every extra gram I am carrying right now makes the training that bit harder and I worry that my performance in Rotterdam will be impacted bcause of this sub standard training. For the 3 to 4 months prior to Connemarathon 2014, I was a good bit lighter than I am now. I wanted to be heavier for the three Ironman races I did since then and I was. But now, my weight in spring 2014 is what I need to get back to. My strategy is trim down for the next few weeks, indulge over Christmas and then lead a very stoic life for the first three months of 2017. It's not intended as advice for anyone else and I seriously doubt it's how a dietician would recommend one goes about losing weight, but when you've a poor body image and are filled with self loathing, such self-flaggelation is unavoidable.

Having said all that, I did treat myself for my birthday by binging on Ben & Jerry's. Then I skipped breakfast yesterday and an unappetising grapefruit for breakfast today, it's a juggling act. :pac:

pgibbo

I'm a Phish Food man. You?

zico10

pgibbo wrote: »

I'm a Phish Food man. You?

Probably Peanut Butter Cup, but they're all good.

RacoonQueen

pgibbo wrote: »

I'm a Phish Food man. You?

zico10 wrote: »

Probably Peanut Butter Cup, but they're all good.

Lidls knockoff strawberry shortcake is the biz. I'm a cheap date.

Dory Dory

I love the adrenaline rush I get from downing mass quantities of solid milk chocolate (preferably Dairymilk from the motherland ) very quickly. It's a delicious buzz. Which reminds me, I actually skipped breakfast Sunday morning beause I felt too fat to deserve it. Which brings me to this - if you ever need a buddy to talk you down off the peanut butter cup ledge, or if you want to do a diet/weight/food challenge come January 1st, let me know. I don't like to lose.

Dory Dory

Dory Dory wrote: »

I love the adrenaline rush I get from downing mass quantities of solid milk chocolate (preferably Dairymilk from the motherland ) very quickly. It's a delicious buzz. Which reminds me, I actually skipped breakfast Sunday morning beause I felt too fat to deserve it. Which brings me to this - if you ever need a buddy to talk you down off the peanut butter cup ledge, or if you want to do a diet/weight/food challenge come January 1st, let me know. I don't like to lose.

Well, unless it's weight!!!

Kurt.Godel

zico10 wrote: »

Suffice to say though, I'm much heavier than I need to be to run a sub 2:35 marathon. I've no doubt I'll get to my racing weight in time for Rotterdam, but every extra gram I am carrying right now makes the training that bit harder and I worry that my performance in Rotterdam will be impacted bcause of this sub standard training. For the 3 to 4 months prior to Connemarathon 2014, I was a good bit lighter than I am now.

Rotterdam is seriously flat, I'd imagine carrying weight during it would have far less impact than running the hills of Connemara. Using the same leg muscle groups for the flat 2:3x will have a bigger impact IMO. In fact, training for Rotterdam now with a bit of weight, and Kona the real goal, will surely be more beneficial? (resistance)

zico10

Kurt.Godel wrote: »

Rotterdam is seriously flat, I'd imagine carrying weight during it would have far less impact than running the hills of Connemara. Using the same leg muscle groups for the flat 2:3x will have a bigger impact IMO. In fact, training for Rotterdam now with a bit of weight, and Kona the real goal, will surely be more beneficial? (resistance)

Running is a weight bearing activity whether you're running uphill or on a dead flat. No matter how light you are, your weight is always going to be slowing you down.

There's a huge, huge difference in body weight of the world's top marathon runners and the top long distance triathletes. Kona is of course the main goal, but I want to do well in Rotterdam. The plan is to go to Kona heavier than I will be in Rotterdam and I think this is crucial for good performances in both races.

Rather than a long and detailed reply, here's a something I posted nearly 2 years ago on the same topic;
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=94193047&postcount=33
I haven't changed my mind much since.

MojoMaker

That was a good post first time around and just as good reading it again.

zico10

My coach set up account for me on Training Peaks. This was my first week using it. I found it good and easy to follow. The sessions are nicely laid out and recording how the sessions went on the site should be helpful to both of us.

Monday 21st November
a.m.
Run
Treadmill, 0% incline

36 minutes increasing speed from 4:45-4:24/km,
Final 20 minutes increasing speed from 4:24-4:03/km,

Effort was always under control and I felt fine throughout.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 12.80km

p.m.
Swim

450m warm up,
32*50m off 60", (desc. 1-4) x 8, {50", 48", 45", 43"},
50m easy,
6*100m off 2:00, desc. 1-3 & 4-6, {1:43, 1:38, 1:34 & 1:43, 1:39, 1:35},
100m cool down

I was back in the same lane with my KQ club mate tonight. As usual, he was leading out. Although I never touched his toes, there was a big benefit to going second. I got out of the pool feeling that not too much had been taken out of me.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,800m


Tuesday 22nd November
a.m.
Swim
50m pool

20*50m off 65", every 4th one fast (Approximately 54" for 1, 2 &3 in each set of 4 & 47" for 4th 50)
4 sets of {4*100m off 1:50, alt. pull/fs, (pull = 1:40, fs = 1:45)}, Extra 40" rest between sets

Doing multiple reps of 100m off 1:50 in a LC pool has me just about at my limits. I wasn’t looking for anything overly challenging, so I used a pull buoy for half of the sets. This worked well and kept me fresh enough for the fs sets and as a result, I was able to get adequate rest for all of those 100s.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,600m

p.m.
Cycle
Turbo

10 minutes mixed warm up including spin ups and short race pace effort,
20 minutes IM effort,
5 minutes recovery,
15 minutes IM effort,
5 minutes recovery,
10 minutes IM effort,
10 minutes cool down

I did this in a cold shed not wearing many layers, but I was still sweating buckets. My rpm dropped by 1-2 revs towards end of 20 minute effort and midway through the 15 and 10 minute efforts. I was able to get it back up, but I had to work harder to hit the same rpm that I was holding at the start of the session.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 41.0km


Wednesday 23rd November
a.m.
Nothing

I’d parent teacher meetings on today and with very little prepared for them, I decided to skip my usual swim and spend the morning getting ready. Swim is moved to Saturday, which thankfully is not all that busy.

p.m.
Run
60 minutes w. 2 sets of {4x110m hill sprints & walk back down recovery}

10 minutes warm up at 4:39/km,
Hill reps;
1) 110m in 22.8”, 3:27/km,
2) 110m in 20.3”, 3:05/km,
3) 110m in 21.5”, 3:05/km,
4) 110m in 20.3”, 3:05/km,
5 minutes easy @ 5:04/km
5) 110m in 22.6”, 3:25/km,
6) 110m in 21.7”, 3:17/km,
7) 110m in 21.3”, 3:13/km,
8) 110m in 18.7”, 2:50/km, (I’m not too sure about, the Garmin seemed to auto-lap earlier than all the other efforts and big jump up in speed is also a bit dubious.)
40 minutes at 4:36/km
Totals; 13.16km in 1:00:01, 4:34/km

These were supposed to be 20 second efforts, but as I couldn’t set my watch to auto-lap on time, I used a distance of 110m instead. I was a good bit longer than 20 seconds running most of them, but I wouldn’t have been running for long enough had I only set it to auto-lap on 100m.
Thanks to the finer details on Training Peaks, this was slightly different to the structure of the hill rep sessions I did for the last few weeks, in that I ran much longer after the reps than before them. (I probably should have been running them in such fashion all along, but I know now.) I was running well within myself and the 4:34/km pace I held for 40 minutes afterwards felt remarkably comfortable.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 13.16km


Thursday 24th November
a.m.
Swim
25m pool coached session,

300m warm up,
10*75m off 1:40 alternating fast/easy,
50m easy,
200m drills,
10*50m off 70” alternating fast/easy,
300m drills,
10*50m off 60”,
250m cool down

More drills and a bit of fast stuff. Peter commented after the session that I looked tired, but I didn’t think I was any worse than I usually am. It’s not that I find the parent/teacher meetings particularly stressful, but they’re not part of my typical working week and perhaps unknown to myself they took a toll.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 2,850m

p.m.
Cycle
Turbo

2 hours steady effort

I never fancy starting off a cycle in the dark and it’s even less appealing when temperatures are close to freezing as they were tonight. So it was into the shed and onto my turbo for a monotonous two hours of spinning.
I managed to hold a consistent cadence of 92-93 rpm over the session. If anything holding my cadence got even easier as the 2 hours progressed. Happy Days!
Totals: 2.0hrs – 60.0km


Friday 25th November
a.m.
Rest

p.m.
S & C

30 minutes strength work

This consisted of some very basic and easy moves. There was nothing at all that strenuous about any of them and the benefits can’t have been huge, but I’m glad I did the session all the same. I’ve let S & C slip since Mallorca and there’s really no excuse for it. It’s a bad habit to be getting into and right now I can easily fit it in on a Monday and Friday evenings, before my club swims later on. All going to plan, this is what you’ll see me doing for the next couple of months.
Totals: 0.5hrs – n/a

Swim
25m pool, coached session

450m warm up,
32*25m off 30", every 4th one fast (18"-19"),
16*50m off 60", every 4th one fast (42"-43"),
4*100m off 1:40 (1:32, 1:33, 1:33, 1:33),
50m easy,
4*25m, #2 & #4 fast

This wasn’t as tough as most other Friday nights in the pool. The lead out provided by one of my regular lane partners seemed to be more beneficial to me tonight than it normally is. Whether she slowed down to help me or I was swimming faster and better able to keep up, I don’t, but I’m happy with the times I held for the four hundreds off 1:40, and however I managed them, it’s a positive. I started to cramp during the second 100m of this set, but I increased my turnover and thankfully it went away the next time I pushed off the wall. Satisfied getting out of the water.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,600m


Saturday 26th November
Run
90 minutes progressive run,

20.50km in 1:30:03, 4:24/km
1) 30 minutes at 4:32/km (Target pace: 4:30-4:40/km),
2) 30 minutes at 4:22/km (Target pace: 4:20-4:30/km),
3) 30 minutes at 4:17/km (Target pace: 4:12-4:20/km)

This was a more eventful run than usual with one long interruption after 30 minutes and a shorter one after an hour. For the latter hold up, I had to run back to my house to get a head torch and some high-vis clothing because the former hold up had scuppered my perfectly timed plan to be finished by sundown.
Totals: 1.5hrs – 20.50km

Swim
50m pool

12*50m off 65”, every 4th one fast (47”-48”)
4 sets of 400m pull off 7:30 (7:04, 7:03, 7:02, 7:04)
6*50m off 1:30 w. final 25m of every second length flat out

Ideally I would have done this swim in the morning, but I deliberately didn’t set an alarm and the morning that followed meant it didn’t get done. At 17:30, I sat down to watch the first half of Ireland v Australia and was seriously thinking of bailing on the swim altogether. My conscience got the better of me though and at half time, I got into my car and drove to the NAC.
The main set being all pull, made it an easy hour, but I felt like I was moving well all the same.
Totals: 1.0hrs – 2,500m


Sunday 27th November
Cycle
3 hours steady

81.11km in 3:02:52, 26.6km/hr

This was another messy weekend session. After the swim last night, I drove down to Roscrea with both bike and cycling gear in the back of my car. I’d forgotten my bike shoes though and as a result I had to do this spin with regular runners and clipless pedals. I was happy enough with the average speed I held, considering the predicament I was in, but I’ll look for a pair of shoes with stiffer soles if I find myself in such a situation again. Nothing about this was ideal, but in triathlon, it’s always good to just get on with things whatever hand you’re dealt.
Totals: 3.0hrs – 81.11km


Weekly Totals;
Swim: 5.5hrs – 13,350m
Cycle: 6.5hrs – 182.11km
Run: 3.5hrs – 46.4km
Other: 0.5hrs

Dory Dory

I used to use Training Peaks....and I thought it was very user friendly. Even uploading Garmin data was easy!

mossym

Looks like you banished the ghost of Mallorca just in time. Race is no more