project 40/41

MojoMaker wrote: »

Nice one Peter and zico. Did ye car-pool?

yes we did car pool ( thanks again Alan ) and iam at least not the only one that much rather would get some money for spare tubes than a trophy that goes into the bin.

almost 12 hours from door to door but at the same time I would not have done a solid training session without it.

great no frills race and you could go very fast there if you wanted on this course.
looks like a great tri community up there.

MojoMaker wrote: »

As a matter of interest why didn't you both go for DCT as a training session / marker race etc? I'm guessing this was a last minute entry kinda thing?

it was a last minute thing but also while i personally do not have a problem to swim in the liffey I dodnt have to do it the week before an A race, if i do a d race . also i would not have raced in those weather conditons the week before an A race ( so in a way i got lucky there).
its about risk managment
besides i also like to support flexible races. and 40 euro is very good value for an oly race ( especially since i really dont need a branded bag ;-)
i only decided friday night that I thought the body was in ok shape ( thursday s run session really hurt me and i needed to be sure to have recovered form it and it was a close call)

but yes it would have been smarter to meet zico at sat 7 am and do a good swim bike run brick, starting in greystones. given there was no swimmer I could work off

race report zell am see

unless something special happens in barcelona its now project 42.


race


approx 1500 m of good swimming (slowed down too much after 40 m and woke up at 400)

and 1hour of good cycling

result

clear fail.
it does not suffice for a good race . i know i was better than it looks like and there was some things i liked , but still with no race in 2015 to back this up ... the reality is not a single decent race...
at the same time I know what i did in the last 8 weeks and that was good and while i think this will do me well for halfs next year it wont be enough for hawaii.

back to race

I fell going uphill at an aidstation dealing with a water bottle - a feak mistake i have never done before and iam pretty sure will never happen again...not a big problem in itself as iam pretty sure i was back on the bike within a minute and then another 25 sec stop later to adjust rear wheel , but enough to cause some issues afterwards ( many of them due due the fact that by trying to save 20 sec in not putting on a 2nd water bottle I lost a lot more since the one i had half broke in the fall and then later on, came of completely
at this stage the race was over.

positive
- i finsihed and i was in peace with myself after the race as I kept going even after i knew it was game over
-kept calm after fall did not give up after i cramped on the bike in the downhill after the fall.
-I paced well on the bike.
-worked well in the swim clawing time back not drafting
i am still more pissed of aobut the swim blunder than the fall
-first race without any backproblem of the bike
- I camped at a fantastic place being away from all the hustle while being close to the race start.
I was much calmer than before sant polten ( see bad)
-drank well during the run

bad
-not quite in the zone ( also positive as the plan was to be focusing on the 2nd half but also part of the slow start as i was not sharp enough at start)
-did not swim immediatley pre race which was a mistake.
-committed the worst mistake one can make to not stop for lost bottle after already having lost one ( it was close to 7 hours after the race until I peed and not once during the race )
-pre race massage too late and should have left ireland 1 day -earlier ( both little factors but and i was aware of that and that was how the dice roled

was i competitive ?

hard to say and i keep the time i think i could have done to myslef .

our age group swam slowish ( which makes my swim mistake even worse) and in times my swim was 40 -60 sec to slow (am sure i had them but on race day there is only one thing that counts ... and i did not perform
at the same time I felt really great swimmining the 2 days before the race and was very confident about the swim

on the bike pure speculation but the guys i was with in the climb did 2.22 and i am fairly sure i was holding back nicely at the climb
so all i can say I think until then i did well raced within myself.

-I cycled with a 4.33 IM cyclist on friday and I was pleased how that went ( it was not a fast session in fact more a talking session but still it went well)

the run i have not done a single proper run of the bike and so the fact that i run well in training means nothing and to be fair the run did not feel great ( it never does before a race anyways ) but i guess the problem i had after the fall could come at least partly from the fact that there was a small issue before the race and I will defo modify the tue run session. at the same time given how dehydrated i was there was no way i could have run anyway.

the end of the storry is that i have tightened my criteria what i would need to do in barcelona had i raced well last weeekend i would not have cared much for the barecleona result but i would not want to spend the 700 or so euro on a kona slot without a good race
sub 8.50 h ( depending on weather conditons )is my hawaii qualy norm ,

i do not expect this to happen but id rather wait 1 more year to go to hawaii .I have improved quite a bit this year have been close to injury free since july ( which is really great as running form october till june was often agony or at least very unplesant.

unfortunatley the black and white speaks very clear... no real good performance this year ... and if i cant perform in a half i wont perform in a full. not a big suprise but i am a bit behind scedule where i wanted to be at this stage.
at the same time iam confident to enter t2 in 5.40h in barcelona.
but also know that under normal circumstances at this stage the max would be a 3,15h run

its such a clown circus and all the people ( walking) pushing up their 6000 euro plus bikes at a world champ did really not much to reduce the IM bs factor. but the race itself was class
( it will have to be draft legal one day they had top draft marshalls there but 20 % of what would be required to have a fair race)

i see it like this first its about getting back into training
shoulder was good for 80% swim on wed
and hip is also getting better.
if i do the best in every session the rest will take care of itself ( and as it happened i did my first good long run this year today)
but its really my first ironman and it never hurts to ad 20 min to what you think you can do. and honestly the goal for this year is a to enter t2 sub 5.40 ( wind normalized) with a well paced bike I would be happy with that.

However I would not be writing off a good performance in Barcelona just yet. I would have said best case there is a possibility of a 53 swim, 2min T1 (it can be quick) and a 4.40 bike, bike is super fast and roads roll lovely. Leaving you at 5.35 entering T2. You should be capable of a 3.10 run, no?[/QUOTE]

Barcelona IM reflection

I don't go to race expos avoid triathlete at race week as I can't deal well with the pre race BS, I guess like everybody that has done a few races.

At the same time . I also oversaw the ironman finish transition from my campsite. I have to say they prepare very thoroghly and there is a lot more time invloved than I would have thought. I have to say was amazed how much time they spend into sound check
And light effects checks.
Etc
I don't care for that stuff but still I respect the effort they put in.
I would prefer they put more effort in the after race food:) ( which was the 2 nd worst after dublin and only zell am see is what I would call adequate for the entrance fees charged.
I mean apart from zell am see you get better food at Some Irish races that charge a fraction of re price .

Anyway
I could not be bothered to prepare for the race on sat Saturday .I was much more interested at the swim camps I could watch from my campsite overlooking a 50 m pool with swim clubs from all over Europe And relax,but as soon as I entered transition sat evening the switch turned. Here I was... last year I did not want to do an half ironman and here I was reasonably prepared for a full one ... My second over 160 bike ride was on race Monday with 190 k from narbonne to girona and my first one the week before:) like wise the first 2 runs over 30 k happened in the last 2 weeks before the race )
At the same time I had almost 1 year of solid training under my belt and Mondays long ride was one of the most enjoyable training sessions of the year .

I had too choices go for the swim or wait until 6 or so minutes after the start and then come out with the 58- 60 min group and go for a group ride. I chose to go for the race and likely giving up 10min of time.
A clear mistake..
At the same time I guess I feel better about myself and learned more about stuff I need to work on .

There was only 2 interesting things in the race and one before the race . The rest is was a typical race nothing to write home nothing really bad .
It was what I would call and solid race day.

race morning when I pumped up the front tire the valve blow.( apart from the fact that I had to replace a latex tube with a normal tube no issue and good for some much needed adrenaline )

I forgot my race number in the t1 bag and had to get back for it ,being almost at the exit and lost a bit focus
And did not eat enough in the first hour on the bike as a consequence.
I did not deal well with that mishap
And the more I think about it the more I get annoyed about it

after 145 -150 k on the bike the race became easier ... I was still racing mostly fair but it was like a different race in a group of 10 . Before that it was me ,an super positive 48 year old lady ,that also weighs 48 kg -I guess -and a lot of time a draft Marshall that was responsible for the top 5 females .
I guess his job was to deal with pros but he did a very poor job when the group formed after 145k he saw one guy very clearly drafting twice and gave not even a stop an go penalty.
at the same time why should this guy get a penalty if there is a pack of 60 ish guys behind in a group spin ? So maybe it was fair marshelling??????

Anyway To sum it up as I said a solid day .

Swim 7 out of 10 maybe my easiest swim for the last2 k ever
Bike 7 out of 10 There is still a lot missing for going faster but solid at 4.40 pace.
Run 7 out of 10 almost an 8 as I finally seem to work out to break the run down in little segments and while there is a lot of work to do on the bike the run was not bad on Sunday .
Nutrition 8.9 out of 10 timming a bit off ( to little in fist 50 k but overall calorie intake v good on the bike and the increase in carbs worked well.
Satisfaction 7 .8 out of 10 not good enough to be happy not bad enough to be frustrated

Yes I failed every goal I had set last year apart from the min goal of sub 9 but it's the first race this year I am ok with and that's a fair end of the season
( well we will see as I would be interested doing another full or half or maybe dub marathon.as after 2 weeks holidays I am refreshed again.
Edit .Looked into it and it's not going to happen as there seems only 1 left this year and it would be to dear . So maybe dublin marathon as a C race

I guess I have some 30 messages now asking why I did not take the Hawaii slot I had already decided after 90 k on the bike to wait another year as this was not good enough .

I have a good bit to improve before I want to go to Hawaii. it's a patience game unfortunately ( but since I started with project kona I rather make it project 42 )
one of my goals is a sub3 marathon and while this might never happen it certainly is nowhere near to happen in2016.
It will take time
and I prefer to iron those issues out
That bothered me more than I would have thought .to be honest

yes sub 9 for what in a way was my first ironman is not bad at all after a good break and I take a good few positive things away. some stuff I did in the last 3 month had the desired effect and i think Iam finally on track again .and I did built a very good base this year I can built on

It was an interesting 12 month ( I have no idea but I guess it's close to12 month I decided to train again)
I know that I was closer to achieve my goals than it looks like but at the end the black and white is the only thing that counts and I have to make sure next year I bring it down on paper.


Big thanks to my motivation master Gordo
also toJoe lynch who had me smiling for 2 weeks before the race after a short" joe lynch message "
And mr frommage An75 year old or so town planner that had worked around the globe .who I met in carcassone 2 weeks ago and was hands down one of the most impressive people I have met in a long time
And of course Momo


For all those people that now think Barcelona is so fast . Had the race been on Wednesday it would have been brutal had it been on Monday it would have been a good bit slower
Its certainly a fast course and no real hill to break up packs. But I guess since the distances seem to be more accurate it's no real faster than Roth or Austria which are both short .If you take an average over the last 5 years
It was a fast day at the same time joyce Wolf came nowhere near her pb in the two Barcelona races she did a few years ago .


Where to go now?
it's never the best time to think about that so close after an ironman
Triathlon is only my 2 nd love after traveling at the same time the window to achieve my goal in tri is closing now and its defo now or never...
I had enough time over the last 3 month to deal with the fact that it looks like Hawaii 2017 and in the bigger picture one more year is not much .( and of course 1 year is also v long but I did enjoy 70% of my training )


I am thinking embrunman next year and Hardman
And another iron distance race close to Barcelona or podersdorf or cologne
And then an Hawaii qualifier end of the year or lanzarotte.


I guess apart for the next 3 month where I will go back to the basics to get back some flexibility which i bellow par and strenght I won't change much next year apart from racing kilkee and the lost sheep


Iam a bit over blogged ( I am suprised I lasted that long)
And I better focus on getting 20 min faster than blogging.


On another note barcelona used to be one of my favorite cities but seems to turn into the rip of capital in Europe

Ps respect to the fingal guy I lapped towards the end on the bike and told him " race with passion "( as it says on their suit)
he then sprinted past the group and dropped us . Pure class . And this showes how many easy excuses we make when we say we can't break a group that guy showed it and he was being lapped ... Was it smart I don't know but still my respect .
I d love to know how he got on .

jingle bellls "race" report

the gun goes off, I run effortless passing people continiously, after 1 k i was in 5th postion and i felt like there is nothing nicer in the world than running , I pushed it bit more runing effortless like a gazelle.
Just before I pass the leader I am woken up by the wind an rain...
Maybe i should not have watched this haile gebreselasie docomentary last night.
Anyway needless to say i did not want to leave the house and answered as many emails as possible until i really had to go.
the only upside , the wind wasnt as strong as last week when i left the house and broke my rear derailer i had just fixed ( well i thought i had fixed it )in a gust of wind, consequently, missing what was meant to be a warm up 5 k race for today.

I was hidding as long as possible in the club house enjoying a few slices of their nice fruit cake and then we run up to the start.
the plan was to use the tail wind as much as i could and this worked quite well and after a slow start after 800 or so meters i cought up with the 2nd lead group ....then we turned around and very quickly i was spit out from there.
so while i enjoed the first 2.45 min it took another 15 min until I was happy again an that was when i reached the finishe line. I am sure i was one of the happiest people after i crossed the finish line so happy that it ws over

the only splits i rember are 3.10 for first k ( which was prob 30 m short) 6.45 for 2k and then i never wanted to look at the watch again.

a few times i thought to stop but i knew it was much more my mind that did not want to hurt and my body didnt really know what was going on
i did not feel as bad as i thought i did .

after 3 k Zico passed me and i was holding on to his group till almost 4 k (3,7 k more relistic ) and then i finally died and i was lucky that the last k was a slight downhill.
A mentioned before after 30 seconds after i reached the finish i was very happy to have done the race and felt this was actually great to be out there until zico said that he was tired and needs to turn around to finish our cool down.

today increased my sub 4 ks since october by anything between 200 and 500 % and thats a good start , all I need to do is to start to train but I did my first long run last wednesday.
as usual a brilliantly organiced race and a fun day and i hope enough of a kick into the nether regions to start to proper run now .

I had cling foil arond my belly alan

zico10 wrote: »

Ah, he had his belly tucked in.

I wasn't so much tired Peter, more that I wanted coffee and cake. Also, I knew we were gong to be turning back into a brutal headwind, and seeing as I put 24 seconds into you over the final kilometer of the race, I was worried how you were going to fare on this return leg.

good training active training over x mas few weeks ago i scored a super cheap flight to portugal. no real training but since i was travelling on the bike, had the wetsuit and runners with me , it was great and while the air was just aobut nice , the water was great. most of the time there was surferes around who where great to indicate currents and stuff and i had the pleasure to swim to a few nice islands and saw some of the geourges rock formations from the sea , running in some nature reserves was great and
the algarve is perfect for camping .
like with the costa brava the ugly and the stunning can be so close.but there is some fantastic gravel roads at the algarve . Those days i tend to get bored to be on the same roads all the time so going away ( and i spend 10 days at 10 different places) is always a nice. and was a good change to the not really inspired training off the last 8 weeks.

i think i have decedid that i want to try to go for sub 8.30 ( despite knowing it means not much it is still something that intrests me) and if i get 8.35-37 which i think is more realisitc in fair condtions so be it. I dont really think i get the run sub 3.08 this year.
swim and bike wise iam pretty ok with last year and iam confident to go 4.30- 4.32 ish this year . the run and the weight are the issue currently . the good thing right now the body is pretty pain free unlike last year.
At the same time I am also ok to do a less serious year and I will play it by the ear what will happen . the overall goal is hawaii 2017 and as long as i improve my running off the bike this year i am not to worried.

zico10 wrote: »

Have you given any thought to the qualifying race?

zico10 wrote: »

Have you given any thought to the qualifying race?

there is 3 ironman distances races i like to do at some stage
hardman embrunman and lanzarotte
so lanzarotte looks like the qualyfying race
if slots for barcelona came up it would obviouly be a good 2nd chance to go fast but i wont do anything in this direction before march
both options have pros and cons and with lanza being quite early in the season i think it is less as a con than the pro which is that this one race i really want to do.
barelona dosnt realy fit in my plan as i dodnt really want 3 fulls in 8 weeks at the same time it would also be managable and it would be of course a good back up 2 have a 2nd race to go fast if the first dosnt work out and bin it in the 2nd half of the run.

zico10 wrote: »

How would you have three fulls in 8 weeks?

by doing the 2 im distance races before barcelona i have planned which are within 8 week before barcelona ( and even there i still have 3 races to choce from first ;-) anyway i dodnt really want think aobut it before march.
.

did some active holiday in morroco as the first feeler what to do 2016

Massively enjoyed it

all goals where almost all achieved ( apart from the goal totally getting rid of that cough I have now for 4 weeks,but almost there now ,and luckily i just got well enough before i left)

i got mental stimuly, physical stimuly , and taste buds stimuly ie good food as well as losing weight.

mental stimuly was that I got the training in while cycling and running around and through, desert, snow (in the high atlas which was my favorite day as the white mountains and the green backdrop was just stunning ) fantastic rock formations in the anti atlas and gazing at stars at night whcih you can only find cleaner in the chlilean argentinian border also important sometimes enough nothingness to reflect and just focus on the task of moving and getting in the zone.
visiting some cool cities towns and kasbas is something i love and generally just taking in the atmosphere is just great
off the 1500k there was about 500k i had never cycled on before and its always great to mix what you have seen before with new stuff.

physical stimuly was also good some good intensity on the bike ( short and long) and certainly the first 7days were close to 10 out of 10 what i wanted to get out of this.

running while the miles were a bit more as losely planed and i got in good hill running , I did not do one key session i had planned.
and rather than 165 k off runing I would have prefered to run a bit less and get this session in but thats sometimes how it goes ( ie my travel partner having so many punctures that we often cycled into night and then its not that easy to get that one high qualiy run in that was planned but tempo runs were good ( once i met a morrocan runner and a few times got nicely paced by cyclists ) and strenght wise iam also v happy . so still 9 out off 10

swim I only swam once but totally loved it as there was a great surf and found 2 new swimming pools which i will incorporate the next time )
food as usual stunning and i lost in between 1,5 and 2 kg which was prob my main goal to devolpd the dicipline to lose weight ( the scale said 2.6kg) I was quite diciplined 2 cokes in and 3 tinny slices of cakes in 10 days the rest all good quality stuff with loads of beans fish lentils advocados dates olives etc . overall I ate fantasically well and was every day very satisfied never going empty but also finishing the days with a decent calorine intake deficit .

I spend 70 euro overall in morroco in 10 days and ate like a king and had some fantastic spots to sleep .

concorde (bike ) after giving me grieve on the way to work on the day of the departure andconsequnrtly in need of a pacemaker ( rear dereilur) as usually did not miss a beat ( only 1 puncture but that was off the road and the fault off the dumb owner to park the bike in a place with 100s of thorns)


overall very pleased but I am a good bit behind scedule especially on the run and to get where i want to get i need not only 10 good days i need i need 5 good month ....at the same time the bike and swim i would get on track v quickly. and for the run the basics are there too,i just need to turn on the intensity screw( which so far i wasnt willing to do despite it was planned ) only the weight which obioulsy influneces the run is still in the red zone

there is no shortcuts .... and i have not done enough consitency yet but it was a first step and we are still hanging in there.

I guess my packing varies very much on duration and location
when i cycled 2 years in south america i had 4 panniers ( usually some 6 books that i would exchanges from time to time and a few times i had to carry food for 2 weeks )
to 2-4 dasy trips were i would fit all the gear on the bike and a small back pack not using paniiers ( the softride was a great bike for that the p3 less so)

so the bellow list would be for 7 -14 days trip


for the concorde ( gear ratio for morroco was 53 39 and 12-31 and 11- 28 would be also a very good ratio if you are a solid cyclsit. i never used the 31) i used one of those carriers with a seat post clamp
and used two big ortlieb panniers. ( one should use a a handlebar bag to keep the bike more balanced.but i did not)
the ortlieb paniers is the only thing i never change if i use panniers its always ortlieb.
its one of the very few brands ( and thermarest) i am 100% loyal too as they relly stand behind their product Thermarest send me once a matrace to south america when it was not a warranty case and
and ortlieb repacled my first generation paniiers with new ones as they felt the first generation velcrot wast good enough ( i only asked them to repair it which was a minor issue)
I would at least make sure panniers are waterproof.


-duct tape and cable ties are never missing either and are in a way the backbone of everything
-as a a few pairs of shoelaces etc to tie stuff togheter or fix on the bike .
- basic bike tool set
( chain opener, spokey, crank opener, pliers and alan keys and adjustable wrench
-1-2 spare tubes puncture repair kit and a little pump ( for longer tour 2 pumps as it is very anoying if one pump stops to work )
-chain oil and
-a bit of grease
( when i was in south america i used three chains which i would replace every 1500k or so and you get so much more live out of the drive train , never ha to change it in 2 years )
an repalcement spokes should never be msiiing
-a break and gear cable for longer tours
-very light cycle lock ( you hardly ever use it but its still useful


-I had the flysheet of a tent in morroco ( but never had to use it -i dodnt really lke to sleep in a tent and travelled 2 years in south america without a tent)
-2 thermarest matraces ( i value my sleep confort ;-)
-a light 3 season sleeping ( bag is the best compromise for me ussualy i like 600 grams of solide downy ( solid downy is 600-650 cum ) and idealy as skin that is water repelant. I prefer downy as it improves my sleep quality and packs small - the downpart is that when downy gets wet insulation is poor but i have done many winter tours and never had a prolbem with it .



checklist ( as it should be) note this can be very different for differetn people for temperature range from -5 -30 and usuallly 3-25 degree

passport
pen and paper
sun screem
tooth brush past
soap
degenerable washing powder
vaseline
sunglasses
bandana
a hut
world receiver radio
earplugs
ortlieb 2 liter water bag ( great cushion)

map
and guidebook
another book
and chess figuress ( not even used in morrocco ...)

2 cycle shorts
2 cycle jerseys
4 pair of socks
arm warmer
leg warmer
rain jacket
pair of running shorts
1 running top
3 underpants
1 long top
1 light rain jackest
1 jacket perefeably downy
one city shirt
and a light city short
and often i bring a wetsuit

-1 pair of cyling shoes
-pair of runners and
- flip flops

always too much closes see bellow that i think it should be ( someting that never has changed in 25 years I know people that have bacically 2 cycle shorts and 1 t shirt 2 pair of socks and 2 underpants as gear )
usually cooking gear for trips over a week ( always a petrol stove as the easiest fuel to find )
but for morroco i decided not to bring it its has pros and cons. ( it is nice to cook in the evening and in the sommer when days are longer for lunch but you do add quite a bit of volume ( especially myself who does not use "astronout food")


I am usualy very fast with packing but i always forget one or two of the minor things like sun screem and always pack to many cloth
iam usualy not a light packer and when i travell for longer i have most of the time 5-6 books with me and in 25 year of travelling i have run out of food twice


cooking gear ( if i bring it )
stove
petrol bottle
pots
knive spoon
salt peper oregano paprika garlic ginger soy sauce
oil

for morroco i had 4 gels and used 1
and used 1.5 zero tablets a day on average.
a knive and spoon
salt and peper.





to pack the bike
i use the Poul buoy or 2 1.5 literes waterbottle to protect the fork and rear deraileur
I use the 2 matraces for protection for the bike I usually use black plastic foil to put around the bike
and cling foil to fix the matraces and cling foil outside (the cling foil outside a bit lose so the luggage handler thinks the package is about too fall apart ;-) .
for me its so much simpler to cycle to the airport and then from the airport at arival. if i fly back form the same airport i either hide the stuff close to the airport or it costs aobut 7 euro to buy again.



quite a few people have asked me if i was worried aoubt radical muslims . the numbers here are very very clear their is more radical right wing pople in germany right now than radical muslims in africa and morroco is the most moderate of any muslim country.
**** can happen anywere but the risk would be higher in cities like berlin or munich than in morroco right now.
most peole are very friendly.
it is overall a save country and there is approx 50 000 retired french people with their campervans over their winter and they all seem to be happy ...

of course in terms of equality morroco leaves a lot to be desired, at the same time if you are lucky enough to be invited into a house you see that it can be better than it appears to be

travelling as a sole female can be a bit tricky but south of the atlas it would be ok as well and i know quite a few females that have travelled alone in morroco ,and liked it a lot if you are a bit smart like a ( fake ) wedding ring and dress a bit conservative.


its always good to aske to agree on the price for anything before you buy or order food.

towns with absolute 0 hassle facorts are essauira and taraudant ( both fantastic places).
the only 2 places that have become wore over the years are marrakesh ( way too many tourists ) and suprisingly tafroute which has fantastic landscape around but has also become a major sport for retried french and while 8 years ago it was one of my favorite villages i did not enjoy it this time . Agadir or as coach gord calles it torremolinos you can happily miss ( apart from the beach which is quite good )

you can travell on as little as 5 euro a day but you can also travell at european standart close to european prices ( if that takes your fancy ( in smaller villages european standrd accomondation is sparse but maybe in 10 days you would not find 1 night a hotel of european standard . In bigget towns their is many upmarket hotels

for whom would morrocco be a good destination ?

I guess if you have done some backacking in asia etc and liked it you would like it. especially if you have been too many times at the canary islands than it might be a good change. yes at times it can get a bit tiresome at times , and it even takes me a day to get adapted , but overall its a very refreshing country and it will stimullate your mind even if you go their mainly for training and the food even in cheap places uses usually ingrediants that taste better than what you will find in ireland in the most expensive shops.

when in mooroco you could often be in arizona the andees or himalaya ( in fact Martin scoresses kundun was partly filmed in the atlas) a european canyon
the landscape changes every approx 200k . I guess many people epxect the south of morroco to be sand dunnes but the sahara especiall in morroco is very little sand dunnes.neverthelass sunsests are pretty stunning .
And the old markets are pretty cool ( the one on marrakesh is quite fake though now and traudant would be a much better alternative)

I hopes that helps a bit

another good week
first good swim week ( with a short wed swim as i manged to trick my chief whip cracker with a sub 33 sec for 50 m ;-) i had not broken 38 sec this year but did some fast stuff on tue and felt good on wed and said if i swim sub 33 i leave the pool... i think he was sure this would not happen ...and i was quicker out of the pool than bolt out of the starting blocks;-)

400+ k on the bike with 2 good intensity sessions and a nice trip to the giant causeaway
and my first fast run !!!!

but the best i managed to achieve my weekly main goal and be first in the pool friday morning in rathmines.
some good work before we fell apart - too early ...