The Abyss Gazes Also

Only a few short swims done this week- no real matter, busy elsewhere and there's not a lot to focus on beyond the next few days.

Speaking of, a very welcome 10k swim box to be ticked next Saturday, a friend of mine is organising and has generously invited me along, will throw up the link with zero pressure. https://www.facebook.com/AtaxiaFoundationIreland/

Valentia Hardman Sprint

May as well throw up a report on this race which bookended the 2020 triathlon "season". Got down the day before and did a scout of the bike course... immediately noticing the lack of recent training as going uphill was heavy work. Raceday itself was a glorious sunny day, the most perfect weather one could expect from late September in Kerry. Everyone seemed happy and there was a friendly air about, people delighted to be getting a race in such fantastic conditions. After a very entertaining race briefing from Alan we were counted onto the ferry to race start at Renard point.

Swim 10:37 (9th/141)
Water was perfect, I had a good start and was swimming strongly. Some good battles throughout the swim, its only a matter of seconds at the end but these battles are the factors in keeping a good stroke and effort. Probably the perfect swim in terms of balancing enjoyment and exhaustion... which is very much what I wanted from the day, so I was very happy exiting at the lifeboat ramp.

Bike 36:52 (55th/141)
The bike was always going to be my downfall... very little training done recently, in fact the last time I was on the bike was the Hardman ROK. I was passed by many on the initial uphill, fewer along the high road traversing the top of the island, and managed to grab back a couple of spots on the flatter return. Overall about 4 mins slower than what I might have done fit, so I can't really complain. It is embarrassing having one of the flashiest bikes on the course and being passed by so many, although that should give me incentive for next season.

Running 22:54 (28th/141)
My knee was aching from the bike, allowing the entertaining thought of pulling out in T2- thankfully the better half of my brain fought this thought, and I started out up the hill. Its a steady climb for 2.5k until turnaround, and as tough mentally as it is physically. Fighting with the brain again, I lied that I could walk if I just made it to the top of the hill out of Knightstown, then to 1km point, then just try and run another 500m... by that time there's only 1km to turnaround and your brain is half convinced the race ends there as its all downhill after.
Felt like I was running within myself rather than at my limit going up, but going down I pushed harder and in fact thais was the hardest part of the run for me. Everyone ahead had a target on their back, and after I passed one I targeted the next, just opening up the legs and upping the effort. This paid dividends as I took 4 or 5 going down, just ran out of distance to a bunch of three just at the finish, but very happy at the end with how the run went.

Overall 1:13:00 (24th/141)
As ever, Hardman events put on a fantastic race, with the usual lack of stress and high enjoyment. The TO official at the start said they had given zero penalties in their races for 2020, imploring that this record be maintained, and I think it was. There's always a good atmosphere at Valentia, but this year even more so I think. Very happy I made the journey, and will be back again next year (with a bit more training under the belt!).

Speaking of training, I had high hopes for racing at the start of the year, but motivation waned as Covid lockdowns and race cancellations took effect. I'm very happy to have finished the year on a high point, that will feed into winter miles over the next few months, and lets see what 2021 brings.

Tue 7*200m step test

Just logging here as its been a marker over the past few years. The idea is you do 7 200's off 5mins, each one 7 seconds faster than the last. My goal was to get just under 3mins for the last one, but I messed up the proceeding maths and in any case wasn't pacing any of them correctly.
3:31
3:26
3:23
3:19
3:08
3:03
2:59
Started off too quick for the first one, rookie error. Breathing was a bit tight towards the end but happy enough with downward progression and I was glad the last one dipped just under 3mins.

Feb

Bit of a mixed bag this month, things were going fine for the first couple of weeks, upping the distance slightly (and keeping the intensity low). I ran through slush and sleet for 90mins for one run, and although I kept the pace down and felt good during the activity, by evening I was shivering and felt like death warmed up. Took a few days off and then back on the horse (mule).

Recovery from this virus is weird, plodding is fine but any exertion soon tips over the edge and sends the HR rocketing. On the positive side, I managed a couple of very short sea dips, a couple of enjoyable hill runs, and swimming in the fastlane is becoming a habit. More of the same for March I think, slow and steady.

tunney wrote: »

So you should be fine for racing then? ��

Glad to here you are on the mend.

Cheers Dave

I actually joined one of the TI Strava races during the week... started off good but the HR soon rocketed and I bailed. A very familiar raceday scene for a good swimmer; getting passed by a succession of bikes after halfway

March 8th-14th 11hrs total (3.6k swim, 145k bike, 30k run)

A ramp up in hours this week, although everything was low intensity. My HR is still too high for the perceived effort, but that's just going to be the way it goes for a while. In the meantime I'm enjoying the spins, the runs, and will hopefully get into the sea this week.

March 22nd-28th 9hrs (6.1k swim, 142k bike, 18.5k run)

This was a better week as the consistency starts to pay dividends. HR is moving in the right direction, sense of smell is coming back (lustily inhaled from my sweat towel during todays turbo), generally moving in the right direction. I'm happy to keep the effort low for another week at least, and just enjoy any benefits. There was a good long run on Wednesday alongside crashing waves on a deserted beach, which was a tonic for the soul but left me with a tight calf after running on sand. Swapped out the weekends long run for an extra turbo, but hopefully will be back jogging this week.

Mon 5th April 1,500m Fastlane
10 mins easy warm up
20 x 50 swim - 15' between
(1st 10 with pull buoy, 2nd 10 without)
These short sets are a useful way to get more out of the Fastlane, where form can dissipate due to turbulence. The generous rest allows you to reset each time.

Tue 1,000m Fastlane; 45min run
Swim: 5min ez, 10*100 progressive
Run: Easy enough pace- I had twinged my back somehow a few days past. Felt good during except the calf started to get tight after 30mins. Back felt much better after doing the run though.

Wed 1,000 Fastlane easy; 40min turbo
Min turbo set was 5*(1min 8/9PE, 2min ez)- felt like the first real intensity in a while.

Thurs 30min easy run
The "goal" of these runs is to keep HR low, and in that regard it was successful, if slow by default.

Fri 1,500m Fastlane
10 mins easy warm up
20 x 50 swim - 15' between
(1st 10 with pull buoy, 2nd 10 without)

Sat 15k easy run
Kept it easy, calf was niggling throughout but not enough to hinder the run. Nice to do an LSR around new routes, New Ross is pretty hilly in places!

Sun 65min turbo
Min set:
3 times {
10 mins at 6 out of 10 effort staying aerobic
2 mins effort 8 or 9 out of 10
2 mins recovery
30 seconds effort 8 or 9 out of 10
30 seconds recovery
}
Found this as tough as its meant to be.

Overall a decent week, hit all the sessions (or more a matter of ticking off each session really). I'm still suffering from overall lethargy and fatigue, but not so much that I can't train at current levels.

Day|Session|Comment
Mon 19th April|1,500m Fastlane (20*50); 5k easy run|Easy run along Annagh hill
Tue|70min turbo|4*(8 mins 7-8 PE, 2 mins EZ)
Wed|1,000m Fastlane (10*100pb); 53min easy run|Hilly run around Askamore trails
Thurs|1,700m Fastlane (12*100); 38min easy run|
Fri|957m OW swim|early swim at Cahore
Sat|16.7k hill run|Kyle loop at a comfortable pace
Sun|1,010m OW swim; 65min turbo|3*(10min 260W, 2min 360W, 2min 160W, 30s 410W, 30s 160W)
Swim total 6,167m|Bike total 68.5k|Run total 37.4k


Things are starting to click, helped no doubt by a return to the hills and to the sea. I'm starting to get fitter, although had a shock during the week from the first weigh-in in 6 months or more... a hefty 97kg, about 10kg overweight. That should start to shed if this training consistency continues. Otherwise breathing has improved, HR seems better, and sense of smell almost fully returned.

I've started to venture into the hills again, you can't beat the trail running for lifting spirits. Ditto splashing around in the cold sea; some lovely swells at this mornings fun. Effort is still easy for the runs and swims, any intensity kept for the turbo, and I'm going to keep things at that level for a while longer.

Day|Session|Comment
Mon 3rd May| 110min easy turbo|this was after the long drive back from Kerry so kept things easy
Tue|1,500m Fastlane (20*50); 75min easy run|Forest run
Wed|1,500m Fastlane (5*200); 30min very easy run|
Thurs|1,500m Fastlane (15*100); 70min Turbo| 4*(8min 270W, 2min EZ)
Fri|1.7k OW swim|Camped overnight at Cahore, calm this evening with wetsuit
Sat|500m OW swim; 80min easy turbo|20min skins in choppy waters
Sun|1,500m Fastlane (15*100); 120min easy run|Tinahely loop at a comfortable pace
Swim total 8,445m|Bike total 136k|Run total 38.6k


This was the best week for a while, things are progressing in the right direction. The highlight was a fantastic 20min early morning swim in very choppy seas at Cahore- no wetsuit and it felt brilliant, the sort of waves that have you swimming up them and then falling out the top. Magic.
Biking volume has gone up, and effort is there if needed on the turbo sessions.
Did my longest run in a while to round out the week, kept the pace down and the run unfurled, it felt fine and only started to pinch over the last few k. Happy with the overall week, need to just keep things going and keep stretching the distances.