Keen to see what the future may hold!

Well didn't get around to this when I thought I might, I'm sure none of you are surprised!

Thursday 9th

Had a half day in school but to be honest I was only there in body. My trisuit was supposed to be in my hands this morning, but as there would be nobody at the house to sign for it I got myself to the sorting office as soon as they were open 7am. Alas no sign of it. Rang the printing company in Athlone and they said they posted it at 1pm on Weds....but by regular post. I told them to register post it. Anyway. long story short......I flew Thurs afternoon without the kit, my sister located it the next morning in the sorting office and got it to the airport where Simon Moore met her and he brought it to Budapest. Address and name were wrong on the package. So thanks to An Post, my sister, Simon and Amanda Mannix!

Friday 10th

Up early and assembled my bike. Cycled down to register where I met my mate PB. It was lashing down, and it did not stop for two days Almost had a bad crash on the bike in the city, my carbon brake pads do not work well in the wet! I was lucky. Cancelled the planned meet and spin with Bambatta (too dangerous) and went for a run with 60m strides thrown in instead. Got 3 sets of gear soaked wet, horrible day and felt very sorry for the GF.

At 4.30 I went for a practice swim on the course. Straight away I just thought my stroke felt really good, felt at home in the water. Actually took a taxi to the swim location in an attempt to stay dry, 3k from the race centre the taxi had a puncture-had to run the rest of the way with a big bag on my back. Wet on the outside, dripping with sweat on the inside (not nice getting back into those clothes after the swim). At that stage I was beyond caring.

Saturday 11th

Got up to go to the sprint race, but one look out the window and it was back to bed. No way was I getting wet today! So back to bed and watched the event on the laptop, well the finishing line cam anyway. You could also view live splits, sorry nomadic I was there but I was supporting you from my hotel room :rolleyes: No training today, just too wet and the work was done now anyway. So racked my bike at 5, taxi back and after being ripped off by the driver I forgot my beloved iPhone Between buckled wheels, holes in my wetsuit, trisuit going missing and the phone...i was having a horrible week of bad luck. Myself and PB were not the best company at dinner that night. Both of us just wanted to get started, we were ready and fed up waiting.

Sunday 12th Race Day - Report

As I woke at 4ish-am (3hrs sleep) I felt I was turning the corner regarding the bad luck. I set my GF's alarm but forgot that it was on home time, just lucky i woke at 4:13, really lucky! I like to eat 3 hours before the hooter goes. It was pitch dark outside but it was dry....no rain....:) At last.

Transition was lit by floodlight and busy with final prep. It was so wet in transition, I got lots of funny looks and yanks commenting "wow that guy has the right idea...." as they glanced down at the plastic bags over my shoes. Didn't want them to get wet as they were my 'dancing shoes' :cool:

As I was readying my area the sun came up, just seemed to creep up and it was bright all of a sudden. Then into the trisuit and a quick warm up consisting of barefoot sprints. I didn't notice that I was nervous or anything, even in the holding area where I met Bambatta. We were then called to the pontoon were we sat for 3 min. I had to go all the way down to the left most part of it, I was second last on that side-not were I really had intended but feck it.

Swim

"On your marks....BANG" just like Athlone. Not as rough as in Ire. Felt I was being left behind by everybody at first but I just kept going and concentrating on a high cadence with long strokes. It was pretty much uneventful and getting out of the water a glance at my watch says 24:xx :eek: I can't believe it, usually a 27/28 min man. I got a few good drafts which helped I guess.

Time 24:57 - 83rd out of 107

T1 Long enough, in and out 2:19.

Bike

What fun I had on this course Completely flat, this suited the likes of me, no hills where strong climbers can pull away. Really I was thinking that this is a "time trialist" wet dream. Kept a nice cadence and never rode so aggressively, right over the tri bars and on the tip of the seat. Almost went flying over the bars when I hit a bump that wasn't marked, so so lucky, I just grabbed the shifters before I went flying. Had a battle with an Italian all the way on the bike. He was strong and at one stage we had words and a laugh. He left me behind on the run. It was annoying that it was 5k short, no excuses for this at a world champs....plus I just wanted to keep going on the bike as I was enjoying it so much. 38.9km/h average speed.

Time 54:21 - 62nd out of 107

T2 Did well here, 2:20.

Run

It was a lovely flat 10k, but I really found the going tough. Passed many, a lot of them had M25 on their calves so at least I knew I was picking off competitors in my own category. It was so nice to run in the historic city with all the beautiful buildings and crossing the 200 year old Chain Bridge 3 times. I was really suffering for the last 3k but the support all around the course for the Irish was unreal! Just as I was crossing the bridge for the second time my head started to dropped when a bunch of Irish lads burst into "Ole, ole, ole..." really picked me up. My GF and PB's GF were terrific, they were everywhere giving us support. With 600m left or so I tried my hardest to catch some more on the run, I was spent. Then onto the blue shoot and I saw my GF with a tri color. I grabbed it and I just filled up with pride. Before I knew it I was sprinting with "Ole, ole..." ringing in my ears.

Time 41:57 - 83rd out of 107

Overall 2:05:54 76th out of 107 in AG, 412/961 overall

I was relieved and just so happy that things on the day clicked. It was a little emotional actually after all the bad luck and injuries and stuff. I feel it was my best race of the year and it needed to be as the standard was very very high.

DCT was a pb for me, 2:25:xx, so this was a new pb....however it cannot really be counted. It's such a pitty. Still I have to be happy, making a 7/8 min adjustment for the 5k means that I still would have an 11 min or so pb.

We had some night at the closing cermony, it was great craic. Conor Murphy getting the loudest cheer of the night. Monday night we went on until 5am, the journey home was so depressing but got home eventually at 12am, up for work at 7.

So thats it....almost, still Blacksod to do (I want 6 NS races this year so last chance). Thanks again to all for the best wishes....actually the last message I got on my phone was from P Gibbo....thanks P, lost the phone before I could reply.

Nice to meet the boardies too, Nomadic for the first time, hope he is feeling better after his unfortunate sickness. I have a good pic with Bambatta/Shotgun/Myself and a huge Irish flag too.

I will upload the pic alright if the lads don't mind. My plans after Blacksod are roughly as follows: no biking or swiming for 4-6 weeks; concentrate on building up the left hammer/calves; then it's the cross country season for the winter; back to bike/swim in mid/late Oct.

Forgot to say how great and exciting it was to watch the mens elite race.

Friday 17th Sept

So I reluctantly ventured out after school today for my first session (training) since the race on Sunday. After such a brill weekend in Budapest I was left feeling a little depressed Glad to say I feel a raise in my mood today. Never been so un-motivated for a race in my life than tomorrow's Blacksod. I will be glad when it is done and I can rest up a bit. Will be leaving Dublin at 6 so it will be 11ish before I get there, then straight to bed.

I must remember though that I did prioritise the National Series this year and tomorrow will be my 6th race (best 6 being counted, so I need this one), this is the last NS of the season and if I can sort my head out I should be in for a good placing, a strong finish to the season and a top 10 spot in my AG in the rankings, was aiming for top 20 this year. So I am telling myself - "job not done just yet, still a lot to play for, one final push....." Either way season number two will be done this time tomorrow.

Swim

Warm Up 300m
Drills single arm; finger tip; kick
50m Descend 4 - 1
100m Descend 3 - 1
Cool Down 300m

Run

4k with 1k pick up
6 x 100m strides.

The Log

Well I have finally got around to writing up my summary. A very important part of the log IMO. This was my first log, indeed it was the first time I self trained for anything as I was a soccer/basketball man up till 18 mionths ago.
I found the advive, encouragement, crictal analysis, friendship and craic her on the log invaluable. Indeed when people ask me for advice as they start their tri journey I tell them the 3 three things I found most beneficial were, a turbo trainer/friel’s bible/a training log on boards. So overall I loved keeping the log, it held me accountable in a way and I will be doing it again for sure, it has turned out to be a great source of information too. I also loved reading others reports.

The Season Overall

Well the season overall went very well. I had a decent winters training and that base fitness got me through some races as I was returning from illness/injury. I found this time last season that my biggest limiter was my endurance, particularly muscle endurance. Did this improve over this year? Yes for sure. My other limiter was my mental strength, did this improve? Yes, actually I now think I could list it as a massive asset. What lead to this big change? IMO it was the early morning starts during the winter, when most were tucked up in bed I was getting out in the cold and dark at 5:30am. Also the mountain running during the winter.
Results wise I had 1 top 10 finish, 2 top 20, 1 top 25 overall and also 3 top ten AG finishes in NS races. This is huge improvement and I can still see loads of room for improvement, better than that I know where and how that improvement can be made.
My biking proved to be my best discipline this year, swimminng my weakest. Deligted that this year instead of going backwards on the run I was passing much more than were passing me. My preperation for each race really improved, I now have a well established routine before races.
I must say that I learnt that I was most happy when racing, I mean I actually enjoyed it, sometimes during a race I found myself actually smiling ☺

My Goals/Objectives

Right here were my Goals as set in January:

1) Obtain 650 points-Top 20 in Age Groups
2) Finish in the top 30% in Hell of the West 2010
3) Finish in the top 30% in the Euro Champs Age Group

When I got a World Champ place I also added:

4) Finish in the Top 50% in the World Champs Age Group

So, here is how I did….

1) Goal obtained. Sort of. I obtained 626 points and came 10th in the NS. So missed the 650 points I wanted but I based my goal on last years calculation of point. They changed that this year, if it was based on last years system I would have made it. Getting top 10 in my AG means that this goal was met.

2) Goal obtained. Finished 68th out of 550, top 12%. The year before I was 459th out of 580, bottom 20%. So needless to say this was very very satisfying ☺

3) Goal obtained. Finished 69th out of 260, top 26%.

4) Goal Obtained. Finished 413th out of 965, top 43%.

Ok the training objectives as of Jan 2010:

Here are my Training Objectives:

1) Do a 20k TT in under 32 mins
2) Feel stronger climbing hills by May
3) Run a 90 min half marathon
4) Run a 45 min 10k in a triathlon

So here is how I did….

1) Did this in the Euro Champs in Athlone ☺
2) I most certainly did.
3) Not yet, 92min 35sec in Larne in March, the plan was always to do this in the later part of the year. Roll on Waterford Half in 7/8 weeks.
4) Did this first in Kilkee and a few times more throughout the season.

I then did something silly. As I was ticking off the objectives I started adding more and more. Needless to say I haven’t meet any of those new ones. I should be happy and stick, otherwise I’ll never satisfy all objectives. So those new ones will form part of my objectives for 2011.

Progression

Swim My swim improved quite a bit this year. Especially towards the end of the season. I think this was because I introduced lots of drill sessions and different types of session when I was injured and couldn’t bike/run. My pool TT for 1500m came down from 29min xxsec to 26min xxsec.

Bike My bike performance baffled me in a way. It was my strongest discipline, in the top 10-5% on a regular basis. This is weird as my millage is very low compared to others. I felt very comfotable on the bike this year, almost effortless at times. Really worked on cadence and I comfortably hold 90+rpm. Still I feel there is more room for improvement.

Run This was my weakest discipline last year, this year it was my most improved. With consistant hard work my running really came on. Since my achilles injury in August however it hasn’t been the same but I am currently working on it. Last year it really felt at times like I was going backwards, not this year, it was common that only 1 or 2 would pass me and indeed none in some races.

Best Races/Worst Races

Best My best was Kilkee or Budapest. If I had to pick one then it would have to be Budapest. My fav however was actually Mullaghmore.

Worst Athy or DCT. Both races were my first after injury/illness, cramping coming out of the water and then through out the rest of the race made it difficult. Athy being the worst and least fav because of the rediculous run course.

Lessons Learned

Where to begin!
a) need to keep myself healthy, I now feel I have that figured out. Started a ‘steps do you take to keep healthy’ thread and stated what I now do there.
b) Need to race a bit less especially cming up to A races. Racing too much meant I kept missing my LSR’s and my long bike sessions. I also noticed how fresh I was in Budapest because of the injury 8 weeks prior. I know lads that did Groomsport HIM, DCT and Lough Key in the 3 weeks leading up to Budapest. All 3 did not perform to their usual standard where as I felt so fresh and lively. So lesson learned without having to go through the process
c) When preparing for an A race try to keep off your feet as much as possible in the lead up.
d) Keep listening to others. People advived me here and I listened and took it on board.
e) Trust your training plan. Even during the winter/base period where you don’t have races to gauge your progress and even if you do you may be tired from training through them.
f) Consistant training is the key.
g) Rest is just as important as key sessions.

Between Now And Next Log

Well between now and Jan I will….

• Run with my club and compete in the winter league and XC races.
• One LSR per week
• Run off the bike once/twice a week, nothing major just to get the body used to it

• 2/3 turbo sessions, nice and easy 1-1.5 hour sessions

• One 70k+ spin on relatively flat roads.

• 3 early morning swims per week with club

• Consistency the key here

• I think having interested joining the group will help me get out of bed in the morning…you can be hard on me for missing sessions dude that way I will do it less and less!

Ok before I sign off a couple of last questions

1) Should I start a new log in Jan or just continue this one?
2) If I start a new will this one always be here to refer to?
3) Any advice on what I should do in my turbo sessions between now and Jan? I’m thinking no interval work just concentrate on nice high cadence (90-110rpm)

Thanks again to all for ye’re help. Excuse my spelling, I’m tired and rushing. Had a busy day with Cathrina Mckiernan and the Chi/pose running course.

Cheers lads for all that!

Macanri wrote: »

Are you going to continue with the separate coaches/clubs for each discipline this year?




1. Totally up to you. Some like to start a new season on a clean sheet, others like to keep it all together.
2. AFAIK, This log will always be available for you to refer to.
3. No, sorry no advice here - except throw it out the window and get out in the cold and HTFU:D:p From reading others here (MCOS) keeping cadence high whilst keeping HR below a certain level would be the way to go - totally stand to be corrected on this - not a turbo owner.

See you in Waterford.

I am going to stick with the seperate clubs/coaches Mac. Maybe a coach would be a better idea but I can't really afford that. A tri club? Well I have been thinking about it, and I don't really know what to do. I would rarely ever be able to make group training sessions so it would only be for the gear and stuff. My running/swimming sessions suit now so I think I will stick with that. I plan to do most of my cycling myself, sticking with Swords for the summer league and perhaps sportives.

See you in Waterford man.

pgibbo wrote: »

What did you think of the Chi Running course? I'm not sure Catherina would be happy to hear you calling it a Chi/Pose running course....;)

Breakthrough season P? I think not but thank you! I really enjoyed the course P, made sense and I really intend making a go of it i.e practice the drills. Ya maybe Cathrina wouldn't be happy but I'm just not into the chi thing...I just want to run faster and I hope this 'pose' helps. A lovely down to earth girl she is too

shotgunmcos wrote: »

1) up to you mate. some of the mega logs (KC et al) have still got their old log names even. I'm sure Woddle would chnge the name of it for you if you wanted to keep it and yet freshen it up. I chose a new log as I had completely different goals.
2)Yes. I often dip back into my previous 2 logs.
3) If you are getting out for a long spin at the weekend 1-2 midweek turbos is loads. About 40-60 mins each. All lower zone stuff unless you want to blast out of the blocks for duathlons. All depends on the A goal. If its Galway then you have loads and loads of time so build your base. Test your FTP output. Do some single legs drills and high gear work. Hi cadence drills. I did plenty of that stuff last winter and it definitely added to my bike. Personally I'm on a mission but it involves sticking regimentaly to base for the next 20 weeks. I'll do one short steady turbo with a short run off and another more specific. 90rpm and maintaining Z2 even ef I ghave to spin the granny ring. I'll throw on teh bigger gear for some progressive FTP reps but at 75-80%. Loads of time to do 90% reps in the spring.

Thanks MCOS, great stuff as usual and just what I wanted and I know others appreciate it too. Mac was spot on too, and thats the kind of stuff I plan doing. I have 7.5 weeks now until christmas and I plan an MCOS style 60 min turbo session to attain my FTP on the Weds just before christmas Day, maybe come May I will even test it again Not concerned about duathlons at all, only use them as a tool, training through them.

I will have two A races as of this year. One in June and one in September. Pretty sure already what ones they are.

Thanks very much again lads, take care and happy training :cool: