Half Iron Elvis

10k at 5:33 pace at lunch, no crazy fast but felt good !

The heat was really bad and i didn't have enough fliuds on me. I had to stop at 7k to cool down for 30 sec, legs and chest were fine but i was just overheating.

Good strong finish and its nice to do a 55 min 10k on a monday lunchtime, i'm happy that my running is coming on as well seeing as this time last year 60 min 10k was the norm for me.

Dory Dory wrote: »

Well done on cracking the swim!! You've obviously broken the code and there's no stopping you now!! Congratulations!!

Thanks, i have no idea what i did but something clicked !

Long brick yesterday and i used it to work out my fuel for Lost Sheep.

99k on the bike with one serious climb at 45k to 52k. It went well and i kept my average speed at 26k which is roughly what i'd like to do at Lost Sheep. I don't want to attack the bike too fast and have nothing left in the tank for the run. The wind was tough and i felt strong after the climb so i think my bike is ready for what i want to do.

I had a bag of wine gums, 2 energy bars, 500ml of water and 750ml of energy drink on the bike..........it wasn't enough, i needed more fluids from 75k onwards and another energy bar.

Off the bike and i felt ok, 400ml of chilled water and off we went ( another guy from the club came who is a much stronger runner than me ) we had decided to go out at half marathon pace but ended up just below 10k pace.

I we a 6k loop and i was amazed that i could do 10k pace off that distance of bike, i actually had to slow us down a few times. I slowed down for the last k and treated it as a warm down. 6k in 34 odd min which was ok and would have led to a 57 min 10k.

No food on the run but i'll need to have a bar when i get off the bike, some more energy drink and some jellies on the run.


Overall a really good session and i know when i get out of the water the cycle and run is well within my reach.

Cycle will be at yesterdays pace but run will be slower.

Just to add i had choc milk after i was finished and within 45 min i was back to normal, a small hypo but feel fine today.

No training today, i'm working tonight so busy busy.

Pool tomorrow and club test tri on sat morning and i'm looking for that magic sub 50 min !

Crazy busy week or so with 7 gigs in 9 days with training, working, commuting and the kids i'm wrecked.

I got one long session in last week with a 65k cycle and 10k run. I got soaked and destroyed on the bike with the rain/wind. I only put in a few short hills but they are getting easier and easier.

The 65k was done at an average speed of 32.7k and i could have pushed it harder but stayed off.

With the run i got into a nice rhythm from the off but i went off too fast, i wanted to do it at the pace i'm hoping for this weekend but was too fast.The 1st 5k i did in 28:40 and i needed to do that in about 33 as there is a tough up hill section in the 1st half on sat. My 2nd half was in 30:30 which was a little slower but i was getting tired as well.

I went with wine gums, energy bars and energy drink. All went well !

For sat i think i'll addd the energy jellies for the run as they are easy to carry, no gels for me.

I did another few 5k runs but nothing too special.

Final long swim tongiht and i hope it goes well as i need the confidence.

I know if i get the swim out of the way i'll get to the finish line, i'm enjoying the cycling and the run is in my legs ( evne if it is slow )

I have a sore left groin so i'm going to keep an eye on it. I changed my car and i think my body has to get used to the new seating position !

Got a visor to soak up the sweat as it looks like its gonna be warm, also getting a short sleeved cycle top as it might not be very warm at 9am.

No swim this evening as i have to get all my gear together, i'm working a half day tomorrow.

I think i'll grab a sneaky 60 min nap before registration as well:)

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Best of luck at the weekend elvis.

Thanks !

My wife will have FB updates going on my own page and Up and Over.

Once i get the swim done my race starts, i hope she gets a pic of the smile on my face getting out of the water !

So i suppose i should do a report of some sort !

Arrived down on Friday evening where we had a house rented between some club members. We brought down our own dinner and had that before heading to registration/briefing.

Got that out of the way and it was back to the house to set up all our equipment etc.

Race Day

Up at 5:50 and did some porridge, sat down with the other lads and had a chat while listening to some music.

6:20 and off we went to transition which was lovely going through an empty Kenmare. Bike/helmet check and in we went.

A lot of our club members were racked together which really helped with the nerves as i spent a lot of time just talking etc.

I got some fluids into me and set up all my cycle/run gear along with food and drink.

10 min warning came and on went the wetsuit. Then it was time for the 1.3km walk down to the pier to start.

Swim

Most will know this is my weakness and the sad thing is i had to retire from the swim but it wasn't for the reasons in the past:(

Down to the pier and we have to bring footwear with us for the run back to transition. I went with my crocs as i love wearing them any chance and lets face it i wasn't going to be sprinting back.

Into the water and the 1st thing i thought was, wow the temp is great.

I put on my goggles and got the head under the water, all was good.

The horn went off and i stayed at the back, into a nice slow rhthym and stroke but my goggles started to let in water so i stopped and fixed them. Off i went again and lot long later it happened again........stop, fix, off !

The 3rd time it happened a jet ski came over and i rested an arm on him while i fixed them. I pushed off too hard and went under swallowing a few gallons of water:o i thought i was ok but soon after........PUKE. I kept going but once again.......PUKE and my nose clip went this time so it was a rather large burst !

I stopped and was asked was i ok. I had to think and made the decision to get out as if i had kept going i would have ( and did ) puke again.

All in all i hadn't even made it to the 1st buoy so not even half way done on the swim.

It was a hard decision but i wanted to do the cycle/run and if i had kept that up i would have been lucky to get even the swim finished.

When i got back to the pier the guys from Cork Tri club were straight over and were so nice to me.

I had to wait until the last person was out of the water before i could grab my gear and head for transition.

As i did i get clapped by the crowd and felt like stopping to say, hey i don't deserve that keep it for those who actually did 1.9k

Back to transition and with my chip gone i had to time myself. I still got through as fast as i could as there was still the matter of 80k bike and 21k run to do.


Cycle

I opted for tri suit and cycle top over it as my gear. Out of transition and yikes.........nothing in my legs at all. I was pushing and doing a nice pace but for a change it was taking a lot of effort for the 1st 15k and then i got a good feeling for it.

In the 1st 10k i met at least 5 guys coming back in who seemed to have given up on the cycle which i found strange.

Reached the 1st climb of the day which was about 3k long and had a few twists on it (1st energy bar here ) Girl i passed thought it was the Healy Pass, she almost cried when i told her were hadn't reached it yet. I got into a comfortable position and just worked the legs the whole way up and at a pace i knew my body was used to. Soon enough the 1st climb was done and we were decending which i enjoyed and passed a few on the way down.

Some wine gums before i hit the Healy.

Next it was the Healy for real and this will live with me as long as i do. The climb was good but when you think your at the top and you go around a corner to see another 2k ahead of you:).

My pace stayed roughly the same and i just kept plugging away, a few passed me but i didn't mind as i was racing myself and not them. So finally i reach the pinch at the top and fair play to the guy from Waterford Tri Club who were there dressed up as bananas and the devil getting people over it ( i swear next yr i'll bring down a dj rig and set it up there:D )

The decent from there was just wow, wow is all i can say. I felt blessed to be there on such a lovely day and to be able to do it.

Another energy bar at the bottom and wine gums before i hit the Caha.

Between that and the Caha pass there is one long drag on a main rd that goes on for ages but as a short fast decent that i hit 72km/hr on which is my fastest ever time.

Not soon after i picked up some energy drink and the Caha started. Just at the bottom i got cramp in my hamstring and had to stop for 5 sec to stretch.

The Caha was just long and boring if i'm honest, around another corner and another small climb. It was a lot easier than the Healy but went on for so long and legs were tired from the climbing.

I had a bag of Power Bar energy shots going up the Caha.
Finally i seen it...........the tunnel and that meant doooooooooooooown hill !!!! I enjoyed this with wide turns and speed until i hit the bad surface which shook me senseless and i passed out another 5 or 10 frok here back to Kenmare as i got down in the bars ans stretched out the legs.

Bike time was 3:17, amazing my said my mate i'd be happy with 3:16 which was his 1st year time.

As i got off the bike my hamstring cramped and i lost a min.

I limped/ran back to transition trying to stretch it out and it seemed to work. Cycle top off ( sun was coming out ), visor on and some energy drink before i headed out on the run.

Run

All i can say is holy $hit that was a tough half marathon. I started off at a nice pace and two guys who came out with me quit within 1k with cramp problems in the hamstrings as well.

The 1st 5k was fine, a steady pace and some climbs that i said wow it will be great to come down them on the way back ( more of that later ). I walked through the 1st water station and took on some fluids slowly. After that the energy begun to drop, i had eaten some more Power Bar shots before i left transition but the loss of my breakfast etc via the puking was coming back to haunt me as i needed more food that i didn't have. I just kept saying 1k more and i walked up hills and ran down them.

I made it to the turnaround point and that seemed to give me some energy and i ran for 3k constantly. But from then on it was a struggle. My calves were starting to feel bad and if i tried to push it at all they were getting ready to cramp. This was made worse when i tried to go down hill at any sort of speed and they said noooooo !!! I was to tip toe down the hills after walking up them so i was left with no energy, no calves but a will to get to the end.

There i was with 6k to go and it was a run/walk/tip toe to the end ! I kept it up and rounded the corner with 1.5k to go. I said right your running this no matter what happens and i did. I pushed and pushed until i was guided to the end line where Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy,Hey Girl was playing which was fitting if you know it !

My half marathon was about 2:32 ( i forgot to press stop on my garmin ) which was slow but i did it.

The clock at the end said 6:46 which tells me if my swim had gone as planned i would have been very close to that, i was hoping for under 7 with it being such a tough course.

Afterwards

Looking back today i'm not on the finish list, i have no time, i am a DNF. But i'm not alone, some quit during the cycle, some at the end of the cycle, some during the run.

I'm happy with what i did overall. I've gone from this time 3 yrs ago not being able to run 50 metres non stop to crossing the end line in one of Europes toughest half iron races ( is it one i've been told it is ?? ).

I might not be Half Iron Elvis yet, but i'm not far off it:)

Today i feel fine, i remember starting my journey and after a 5k run i couldn't exercise for 4 days after it. Yet tomorrow 3 days after 700m (ish) swim, 80k cycle with 2 mountain climbs and a half marathon...........i'll be doing 6k at lunch.

Finally before i forget thanks to all who have replied to and follow this thread, those i had met and those i haven't, those i like and one i honestly can't stand anymore;), You've really helped me over the last 6 to 8 months as i worked towards Sept 8th so thank you so so much.

My journey will go on and for 2013 Up and Over is my main aim...........BUT..........I am going to do Tri An Mhi Half Iron at the start of May !

I'd rather spend one day living like a Lion than 100 years living like a sheep.

Oryx wrote: »

Hats off to you for the mental strength to get on the bike like you did. That takes guts when you know you won't have an official time. So, the swim did not go well, but you havent had much practice in open water, and you were just unlucky on the day. Massive kudos to you for completing the race. You are Half Iron Elvis.

Na i have to see my name on the finishers list, i'm not far off it and just glad it wasn't panic etc that finished my swim. I wouldn't mind but i wore the aqua sphere goggles as they are normally stuck to my face:o

Still it was an amazing experience and i think i like these long distances races, mad as it sounds.

Oryx wrote: »

Sounds like a potential Iron Elvis talking

2014 in Frankfurt has been mentioned and so has divorce:D

d4r3n wrote: »

Fair play for continuing when you were pulled from the water, I'd imagine most would have packed it in.

Thanks,

No i had spent months getting ready for it and when i was on my way back in i was actually laughing as i i knew the swim was my problem but before this it was panic attacks and just not being able to do it..........to be taken out for another ready was just ironic.

The only bit i didn't like was being clapped from the pier to T1 as i hadn't earned that.

Had to post to say i got the job in Laois and start on Oct 1. So my commuting days are over, gone are my 20 hrs a week commuting and it will be about an hour in total:)

Still haven´t done anything in Lanzarote but i do intend to do so in the morning, i´m sick of beer:o

Finished work at 16:15:D and went for a quick 6.5k at 5:50 pace, legs were fine but chest played up in the middle. Felt good at the end and nice to do a post work run and be showered and finished by 17:30 !!

I met with a big sponsor for up and over this evening. They are providing full sports science and biomechanics for us.

I'm getting new orthotics, biomechanic profiling, nutrition, hydration, physio. They are going to help me and focus on weight loss with my training by working on my fat burning zone.

I'm going to start wearing the HR monitor on runs and keeping some info for them.

I'm also getting the V02 max test done in Nov.

I'm chuffed to get all this, it will really help long term and not only with Up & Over !!!

5.5k today at lunch. I'm still trying to find different options on routes etc. I have a good 5.5, 6.5 and hope to put some of them together to make a nice 8k and 10k.

Anyway i took off at a slow pace today kept it at that for the full lap. Enjoyed it and finally getting some feeling back in my legs after a few weeks off.

Plan is to run tomorrow and swim on friday because of timing at work !

Signed up for waterford half marathon on Dec 1, anything for some focus for the next while.

1st proper pool session since the start of Sept after work. I finished at 16:30, swam 1k, did 7 min in the sauna and was still home at 17:45.

Swim was hard starting off but found my stroke after about 200 and settled into it after that.

Swim tomorrow at lunch ( 1 to 1.5k ) and run after work 7k

couerdelion wrote: »

I bet you don't know what to with yourself now you don't have a huge chunk of your life taken up with commuting!

Ya its great and really helping the energy levels. But i won't get the full benefits until next spring and i can cycle/run to work

Today was work til lunch and then off to dub to do an afternoon gig. Nothing done but i hadn't planned to anyway.

Early gig tomorrow in the Dublin, back down to swim etc and then back up for my normal sat night gig.

Sunday up early to grab a quick 30k on the bike, off to Longford to see my parents and then off to Dublin sunday night for a gig.

Monday i hope to get in LSR, i need to start building long distances at the weekends.

Crimbo gigs have started coming in so i need to get in an much training in as i can in Nov as i'll be rather busy !

I need to build to 5 swim sessions a week with 4 week days and 1 weekend.

1k
2k
1k
2k
1.5k

Another lunch and another swim session !

125m warm up
750m core
125 warm down

1st timed 750m in while and i did it on 21:05, its the fastest i've ever done it. Remember in April 2011 i was clocking 33 min for that distance is its a major improvement. I have set myself a mini goal of sub 20 min by christmas.

More swimming tomorrow ! I think i'll do a slow 1500, with 100m warm up and down so 1700m in total.

And today it was.......swimming !!!!

When i'm feeling good about it and enjoying it i'm keeping it up.

Total session of 1600m.

1st 750m were at a fast pace and then i slowed it down just to teach myself to relax and recover while still moving and making ground in the water.

really enjoyed the session and only stopped to go back to work.

I'll do another session tomorrow after work that can be a bit longer and i can hit that 2k mark and keep at that.

Another day, another swim session !

It was a big day as i finally did a sub 20 min 750m, my fingers tipped the wall in 19:40 which was a BIG deal for me as 18 months ago i couldn't swim and in July i was still struggling will doing more than 25m at a time.

I know i've had some set backs but this week has been an eye opener, my stroke is feeling natural, my breathing is normal and more than anything i'm not thinking about it as i do it. Today i was thinking about dinner, what to watch on tv, this weekends work and a nice bum in my new job:p

After the 750m i slowed the pace down and just kept going, i finally hit the 2k mark in 57 min. I only stopped because time was against me !

I'm really enjoying it and 3k is the now target with a sub 40min 1500m

Another swim session today, simple 1hr pull buoy working on stroke and breathing.

200m warm up with no pull buoy and then 2200m with the pull buoy. Nice solid pace and breathing was good.

I feel over the last few weeks i'm making good progress and i really want to be at 2500m front crawl in an hr so 2k an hr is a solid pace for Up and Over.

Major session tomorrow night so a quick light swim and sauna before an indian and hitting the beer:D

New challenge.........new log

Thanks to everyone who followed me on this journey and please come with me on the next one !

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