Finding Shotgun

Neady83 wrote: »

..... it wasn't me to spilled water on the tiles!!!
.

mmm hmmm!! Can you prove where you were on Saturday evening at approx. 8pm?!

I have a pair of Innov8 Mudclaws I've only worn a few times and last probably back in 2015. Perfect for crunching fresh dawn undisturbed snow.... I hope we get some over here in the West!

Yoga and Paddle Erg Sunday night. Yoga and Rowing erg last night and a swim this morning. My shoulders, neck, traps, lats and arms are in bits..

Good pain though. Hopefully it snows again later and I can put on trail shoes for a small run

Week 8
Mon (1): Paddle erg 50mins 8.9km
Mon (2): Yoga 50mins
Tue (1): Yoga 30mins
Tue (2): Row 30 mins, 7,722m pace 1:56.5
Wed (1): Swim session 3,400m main set pyramids
Thurs: Yoga 40mins
Fri: Run 6.62km in the snow on the last snowfall
Sat: Row C2 Erg Z2 60mins 14,483m pace 2:04.2
Sun: Cake day :-) Apparently I have joined a new club!


5.5hours overall. Took it easy last week with a bit of a head cold. Grand by Friday and that run in the snow with the Innov8 Mudclaws at 11pm on fresh snow was memorable. Not quite my last run in snow up and down a mountain in 2010 but almost as enjoyable and rare.


Just 1 swim last week as UL was closed on Friday. The pyramid main set was 2x(200m/150/100m/50m/50m/100m/150m/200m) all just at or slightly under 1:40 pace. I got to lead out too with just a few down. 400m steady in 7:00 with Rio after the session which felt good.

Back to normal life this week and keen to build some hours now.

Neady83 wrote: »

Fancy a 42kmish run around Connemara on March 24th? Kick off from Joe Keans pub in Maam at 8am and take the Western Way West, pass the Holy Well, do the stations of the cross, down to the road on the other side, follow the Western Way around the base of the Turks, into Leenane, glass of fizzy orange and jog the road back to Joe Keans for a ham and cheese toasted sandwich?

Had planned the 90km Ballyhoura Way in a Day starting at 12am on the 24th with precision planning but not enough takers for this time of the year so it's on ice.

Sounds great and nice route. Its not flat. I'm just back running and my average run is 7km so 42km in Connemara in less than 3 weeks sounds a bit ambitious! Are you running or trekking?

Week 10
Mon: Yoga 40 mins and commute 32 mins
Tue: Row erg 30 mins 7,482 pace 2:00.2
Wed: Paddle erg 30 mins 4.4km and swim session 3,100m
Thu: Run 8.1km 40 mins
Fri: Run 6.4km 31:30 in new shoes!
Sat: Run 9km in 44mins and Paddle erg 45 mins easy before the Rugby
Sun: n/a very hungover

Overall 6.5 hours. I had planned 8 hours but missed a run and Fridays swim (I was up and ready but the kids got up before I got out the door.. Life!)

Highlights
I joined a new club on Wednesday and one of the presents was new shoes. New Balance 880v7. Took them for a run on Thursday and felt good. Its been over 3 years since I ran in new shoes so happy days.

The erg on Tuesday: It was just 30 mins and 7,482m. But it was capped at Z2 and nearly at the benchmark of <2:00 pace or 7,500m for me to bring in some intervals. I started the capped 30 mins in January at 2:05 pace and its down to 2:00.2 for the same effort. Numbers don't lie, that's improved fitness.

Lowlight
Great night Saturday night but as it was Mothers Day yesterday I got up at 6:30 with the kids and it was rough. At one point I was focused on Evan, my 1.5 year old, when I turned around to suddenly get a tin whistle blasted in my face and Zoe smiling. I thought I was going to curl up and die. It took me until the afternoon before I could stomach some food and that was after some fresh air and shouting at a crunch match for Alex's rugby.... Life!

Finding Shotgun
I'm working on it and one thing is guaranteed. The next log will be more focused. One thing I do know is that of the training I didn't do last week, the Friday swim is what I missed most.

Thanks Neady, sounds like a date!

Swim this morning. Numbers in the weekly update but main thing was my easy 400m after the session, I thought I was alone and attempted a very tired tumble turn. Very poor effort but I didn't realize Rio was on my feet, swimming all ninja like. I clattered into her awkwardly. Mortified!

Week 11
12-18 March

8.5 hours overall. It was going well but I had to pull back. I've learned...
Mon
(1) Short run 6.24km recce of starting up run group route. 4:38 pace which is essentially threshold pace for my current state. 30 mins commuting too
(2) Erg - Rowing intervals 8x1km with 2 minutes active recovery. Grand for the first 6 at 1:51.5 pace but couldn't push into the red zone and crashed on the last 2 reps. 13,443m overall
Tue
35 mins commute and Interval run. 5x800m with 2 minutes active recovery. Reps on 3:20, 3:14, 3:14, 3:11, 3:09 all some 20-30 secs slower than last time I did this session over 6 years ago. I can't believe how time has flown. Pretty poor form, posture and cadence. I need to work on corfe and just build running fitness to layer some threshold and red sets upon.
Wed
(1) Swim session 3,100m with a basic main set of 24x100m. Split the lead up between 3 of us and held all reps between 1:38 - 1:40 pace. Felt good but boring set.
(2) First run with the work run group. Just 4 of us but nice company for an easy 6.08km at 5:42 pace.
Thurs
Not feeling the best. Thought is was a head cold at first.
(1) Run 8km easy in the pouring rain and 32 minutes commute
(2) Erg - paddle 1 hour at 39spm. 8.8km. felt jaded.
Fri
Turns out its a sinus infection - taking drugs
(1) Swim session 3,000m with 4x200m CSS, 4x100m max effort and 8x50m max. I left a big gap and went for it on the first 100m to clock 1:21. Surprised and will take that! The 50s were solid on 42-43secs but my efficiency dwindled over the reps. Due to the sinus I was a bit all over the place breathing
Sat
Nothing - woke up feeling awful. Pretty much a migraine all night despite drugs. Woeful sleep and to make it worse I had vertigo also. The Rugby sure did lift the spirits but I went to bed at 8pm after putting the kids down and slept for 11 hours straight.
Sun
Woke up feeling much better and didn't even think about training. I've learned to heed the warning signs the body gives me. A good day with the family and the vertigo wore off, drug assisted, by the afternoon.

Despite missing my planned 2 longer weekend sessions I weighed in at 82.4kg. Lowest this year and on track.

Right off the waiting list in for the Maamturk Challenge! (As long as Caz canm swap her Saturdays with work)

Can't wait although with trepidation
No trekking since Carrauntoohill last September
Last time I was on the Turks with a map was 12 months ago
Hope to get out on the Silvermines dashed by work travel next week so I'll be as rusty with the map as possible. Still, I'm in, and happy about that.

Its only 25k with 2,300m ascent. But add a fog and that is a different animal!

Training has been crap the last week. Wedding, Easter, Life... and I strained my forearm. Some day I'll be fit and fresh for something again!

To be fit to hike/run up and down mountains, you need to hike/run up and down mountains! There is no substitute.

Doing the Maamturk Challenge was a great idea, I've wanted to do it for years.
Starting the Maamturk Challenge with no training done and hooking up with Mountain fit ultra running types (Neady, Lonan and John), was maybe not the best idea!

Still it beat an entire day of wondering in the mountains alone with map and compass. And while John is the more silent type, Lonan and Neady are chatty and make fun of any suffering.

My prep during the week was a couple of short rowing sessions, a 7km run and 2 hours hiking in the Silvermines more to reacquaint myself with map reading than anything else.

I sat crushed beside 2 lads on the bus, kitted to the nines and showing me tips on their GPS route planner thingy. They had each done this 7 times and thought I was ambitious heading out on my own with a paper map! The Bus driver decided to crank the heat up full blast on a windy road at 5am. The chatty lads must have thought me very rude in the last 10 minutes. Truth was I had vomited and in the situation held it in my mouth, cheeks bulging for those 10 minutes nodding along to their chatter. It seems to take an age for everyone ahead of me to get off the bus. When I got off I promptly puked on the ground right beside the volunteers feet. He was checking people off the bus and got quite the surprise. Obviously asked if I was ok to do the Challenge. I think I mumbled something about sour hostel milk and stuffy hot bus. An auspicious start!

Next up was about 40 minutes of standing around waiting to register and get a route card to be stamped at each checkpoint. Meanwhile 150-200 runners/walkers had started meandering up the first climb Corcóg. As dawn tried in vain to peel away the clouds Neady and the lads rocked up smiling. They looked fit!

The Challenge is effectively up and down a rough (literally and figuratively) 5 climbs and 8 Checkpoints. 5 Peaks, a col and 2 lakes and just shy of 2,400m ascent. (I clocked 2,360m). The guys set a good pace and it was lunacy on my part really to go with them but it was challenging to take a map bearing on the move. I ignored the fact that Lonan was using GPS as all the runners seemed to do. By the time we got the first cloudy section done and hit the Lake by the Western Way, we had effectively passed all but 10 ahead of us. I was really in 2 minds to either break off and meander at my own unfit walking pace or press up the steep climbs and trot along the very uneven rocky boggy ridges. By the time we were well over half way heading up the start of Letterbreckaun in a fog I gave up the ghost. We were nearly 4 hours in and my quads had been cramping for an hour. The only thing I could do to not hurt myself was to stubbornly stop and stretch out while Neady and the lads disappeared up the mountain in the fog.

I became a little disorientated when I looked up after stretching a few minutes to see the fog had engulfed everything. It was moving quickly though so I knew there would be a break in it. Sure enough the spur at the end of Letterbreckaun appeared beneath the fog down a cliff to my left and I found exactly where I was on the map. From there it was easy to get the spot height and drop down to a more sheltered (less windy) corner to a couple of friendly volunteers in a tent who stamped my card.

Happily that fog was the last cloud to pass over the Maamturks for the day. As I trekked on my merry way, alone down a steep Maamturk More and back up another steep climb to the next tent the views of the whole of Connemara emerged and it was simply brilliant to be up on the hills. I was passed by a couple of lads running but that was it. I had to take ascent very slowly as my quads cramped viscously if I pushed to hard. The marshall at the Col of despondency were brilliant. We did some yoga (which they figured would help cramping quads) and laughed heartily. They told me I was the first Hiker as the rest that had passed had been runners. That was mainly down to hanging onto Lonan and Neady's coat tails for the first half.

It took over 7.5 hours to finish but I was delighted to get through it. There was nobody but volunteers at the finish and they handed me a cert and a pink rice krispie ball. Nom Nom.

No sign of Neady and the boys and the runners who legged it across the peaks like mountain goats had since departed. Just me and the soup, which I passed up in favor of a burger and chips. Non Nom. The Volunteer, who's hairy student face I recognized from the Large NUIG Mountain Club banner at the finish told me I was top 10 in (despite this not being a race!). Obviously some of the runners ahead of me were not registered.

Since there was nobody around I hopped in my car and drove home. I have to hand it to the NUIG Mountain Climbing Club and the volunteers. This was a really great event and I understand why people come back year after year. Not I. I loved it but its done now.

My quads are in bits still after the guts of 3 hours cramping. Besides the DOMS I feel I disrespected the event a little by not training for it. Lonan and Neady were clearly out training and I slowed them down tagging along and Caz rightly gave out to me for complaining about being unfit rather than just enjoying the opportunity I had to spend a day out in the mountains. She was right. As always. That is strictly the last event I do unfit.

carbonceiling wrote: »

You write very well, i enjoyed reading that with my morning coffee.

Cheers. If I didn't spill it out this morning before meetings I'd never get it done. I had to dive back in and correct messy typos. Always an eyesore when I read back over. Race/Event reports are quite rare in this log of late :-(