The difficult second album

joey100 · 11-12-2018 4:49pm

haha, not so much a race really, Portmarnock tri club were running a training duathlon, so only a few of their club members there and me. Run up wasn't great to it, still getting over being sick and work schedule has been a bit mad the last while getting stuff in for the end of the year, stuff I've never really had to worry about before.

Day went well enough though, tough run around 3.3km, first 1km or so uphill and into a headwind and you loop back around and do about half of it again. Just ran on the shoulder of another lad for the first run, he would pull away on the downhills but could keep up everywhere else. He pulled away towards the end but knew he was on a road bike and I was on TT so was hoping to make time here. Settled well, 2 laps of just over 9km, headwind for a fair bit of each lap along the coast and when we moved inland never really seemed to have a tail wind, course was pretty sheltered apart for the coastal route. Didn't start too hard and gradually made time, about 6km in we got to a fast section so put the head down and pulled away. Put an effort in to make a gap, knew he would outrun me the second run, my run isn't where it needs to be at all and even though I stuck with him for a good bit of the first run I was working an awful lot harder than him! Worked hard enough on the bike, really happy with the bike though, they are conditions I'd normally struggle in but the bike felt very stable and planted, I'd be a chicken at fast speeds but felt very comfortable for the course. 1 or 2 very fast km's averaging over 50kmph and felt great, brakes are much better too. Still some tweaking on position but getting there. Hoped for a good lead and when I started the run I was struggling, first km was around 30 seconds slower the second time than the first, but coming around for the second loop I could see where he was so reckoned I had done enough. Done what I needed to do but work needed, especially the run, really struggled on the second one. Nice to come home first but it's more because I had a TT bike than being the best on the day, long enough head wind and then one or two faster sections on the back of the course meant it was made for a TT bike.

joey100 · 18-12-2018 2:21pm

So another quick update. Done that training race with Portmarnock, nice to get out on the new bike and a good run out. Fitness not were I'd like it to be but on the other hand it's not too bad for this time of the year. Bike going well, starting to feel stronger and will look at raising the FTP. Done some sweet spot sessions (3x12, 3 rest) and didn't feel bad at all, held around 5% higher than target so will retest around Christmas. Run coming on too, easy pace dropping and starting to feel easy and like I'm running. Swim non existent really. New year, new me and all that. Hoping to race a 5km over Christmas just to see were I am, 19 min or so a month or two ago, hoping for mid 18's this time but we see. Normally end of Jan I'm running around 18,45 for it so be nice to be a little bit ahead of that this year.

joey100 · 07-01-2019 4:39pm

Training has gone well since the duathlon. Still haven't swam but that was by choice rather than by putting it off or making excuses. I'm happy enough to be starting back in the water this week.

Bike and run coming along nicely. Consistent training in both. Some nice run sessions done, feel the legs are coming back, maybe lacking a little bit of long running at the moment but even they are getting easier. Bike going well too, done the new trainer road ramp test over the break, FTP of 235 going into the new year. Was around March last year I hit that number so very happy. The sessions feel right, not struggling to finish them so don't think it's too high. I think for me it might be more accurate than the 20 min one. I was usually able to tough out a good one of them tests but would struggle with some of the sessions after but these seem to be about right.

Christmas break went well, didn't plan too much, have made that mistake in previous years but this year I was more flexible in the training and ended up getting a lot more done. Plenty done on the bike and got outside for a few spins too. First spin for me with tritanium club and put in an effort home from the spin, hit some new pb's along the section so good signs.

Weight was around 63kg for the FTP test, I'm lucky though and once the training has started a bit more regularly I've lost some of that and am now around 61kg without changing my eating at all really. Once it gets closer to the racing I'll cut out some more of the rubbish and try and race around what I raced outlaw at, 58kg. Felt good on the bike and light and fast on the run at that weight so will go for it again. Won't kill myself to get there tho.

Signed up for tri limits in tyrone at end of July as my main race this year, looking forward to it, bike seems to be rolling and not technical so should suit me and then a fast enough flat run. That and triathy olympic are the two goals at the moment. Nice to have these down on paper and have started putting together my plan for the year, I always work better once something is down, I can change as I go but helps me train.

Doing a run lactate test hopefully next Wednesday to try and find out my running zones so that will be good and have booked a homemade training camp with 2 lads in the club in Sardinia in April so looking forward to that. Plenty of biking and running in some good weather, might even get in the pool!

joey100 · 21-01-2019 10:14am

End of another block. So back swimming, averaging 2 swims a week consistently, haven't done anything too hard yet, mainly short enough intervals with decent rest. Pace isn't too bad but work is needed, first hard-ish bit of swimming the other day, could feel form fall apart a bit towards the end of them. Good to be back though and the consistency has been there.

Bike has gone well too. Hitting decent sessions pretty well, sweet spot sessions working well and feeling strong. Have been lacking any real long stuff on the bike so this weekend to try and make up for it I loaded up the bike a bit. Saturday was a double day, 2.5hrs in morning and then 1.5 in evening, nothing too hard, all endurance based but felt strong and even the evening wasn't too bad. Sunday then started with a tough 45 that had 4x5mins@105%, 3ez. Pleased with how I held the power, never under any huge pressure and was well able. Bit of a confidence booster this session, done on tired legs. Straight after was into 75 mins between 55-65% of FTP. Again felt grand. a good week on the bike done.

Run has been decent too. Intervals have been done at 3.40min/km pace, done off short enough rests and have been ok at them, won't say they have been great but they have been done. Bit like the bike, probably lacking the proper long stuff but they are back in the plan and 3 have been done this block. At times I'm feeling like I'm running again. Done a lactate test with Emmett Dunleavy (perfectpacing.com). Found it very good, done it on the track at Irishtown stadium. I've been working off HR ranges that were set a few years ago, have lowered the easy one myself, just based on me always aiming for the top limit and it's been working well. So for the lactate test, I ran at set paces and then had my blood taken at the end. I'm not 100% sure of all the science and terms but found out that my easy range goes higher than I expected, but he did advise to keep the easy were it is now, good balance between training affect and recovery. Got a HR range for my Lactate threshold too so rather than running intervals to pace I'll base them off this hr zone instead. Looking at it after it matches very closely to what I done last year for the full, and by mistake rather than planning really. Wasn't able to do any really hard running because of a foot niggle so a lot was done steady and not quite flat out, turns out the not quite flat out HR is bang on lactate threshold (but I was running to pace, just happened to match up). Explains a bit, felt I recovered from running sessions very well last year and was running really well. Hoping that using this zones properly now will help with my training and give it a bit more focus.

Raheny 5mile this Sunday, no real plans or goals for it. Signed up cos Laura was doing it but now she's injured so just be myself. After that it's into the plan proper, looking forward to getting going and seeing what I can do. I hope to FTP test and 5km test towards end of Feb and with the way I'm feeling on the bike now I'd be hoping for a bit of a jump.

joey100 · 12-02-2019 10:49am

So a long break since the last update and to be honest not much as happened. I pulled a muscle in my back moving stuff around in the house so missed the raheny 5 mile and a few days training, then I got sick, then I got a lower leg niggle then I got sick again and then the niggle flared up again! Hasn't been the best month, some short enough turbo's and few shorter runs but nothing too long really. Swim is only positive (not often I say that!), still just aiming for the 2 a week but hitting them nearly every week, missed one with the pulled muscle but just moved them around to fit around the sickness. Still not fast and a way off where I need to be but I've taken about 6 seconds off my 100m repeats and shortened the rest by 5 seconds from Jan so good signs.

Only other thing out of the ordinary is I got a new bike fit. I've changed bike twice since my last one so thought it was about time. Went with base2race, they know the bike inside out and had fit me before and I was happy with the fit. Enjoyed the whole process, they took their time, got there early and ended up staying later than planned too. Tried a few different positions and stack and bar positions to get it right. Found out I sit very far forward, saddle had to come right back to get me in the right position but feels good. Also seen I had an aggressive enough position, enough that I could raise the pads by 15mm and still be aggressive enough. Tried a few different helmets too for my position and none really worked, but that's as much about how I hold my head as anything else. Need to work on getting it lower and tucked. Before the fit I haven't been in aero for more than 15 mins on the new bike, after I done a 2.5hr session with around 95% in aero and it felt good, legs need work in it but it's a start and hopefully mean I'm more comfortable overall on the bike and getting off it.

joey100 · 22-02-2019 12:59pm

So another quick enough update. New bike position is going well, power is building in it and last night I done a good 3x20mins@210w, 5 ez. No issues at all and felt strong for this so will look at retesting FTP soon, was my third session in 3 days on the bike so was epxecting it to be tougher but very pleased with how it felt.

Swim coming on well too, most weeks it's the 2 sessions, some weeks it's been three but never less than 2. Times slowly coming down and feeling fitter and stronger. Done a test 100 and 200 the other day at the end of my session and was 1.30 for the 100 comfortably enough, and then 3.02 for the 200, but working a little harder. Pleased with where I am on both the swim and bike at the moment.

Run hasn't been great. I haven't run in about 7 days and will be another 5/6 before I run again. Few issues with the right leg so I've decided to just completely stay off it for a while and see how it goes. Already feels an awful lot better but I'd committed at the start to not running until next Wednesday so I'll stick to that, better coming back a few days late than a few days early.

Weight going the right direction, still around 61kg on average but the lack of running and no really long stuff on the bike means I'm happy with it at the moment, it will drop a little once the longer stuff comes into play.

The difficult second album

Comments