[peter kern]

Summery
Very simple i am turning 40 next year and the world 70.3 world champs are for the first time in europe and i need some intermediate goal to get ready for the real goal.... i want to go to hawaii 2016 (and certainly not just to fill up the numbers for both events other wise i am not going to wast my money)

Reality

When i started to train a bit more serious last april - apart from staying fit and keep the weight down - It was maninly becasue teat there is still a little matter... I one day decided to break 9 hour in an ironman when i had not even done a swim bike or run race . To cut a long story short despite many travel interuptions cycling around the world. in 2005 i did break the 9 hours but I never got any satisfaction from it as it wasnt a good race . So I would like to rectify this and be happy about the perofmance with a good race .
Since then i have realiced that times and ironman really dont matter much, so it would be about placing in copmetetive races but much more importantly as I said i want to be happy about my performance.

ANyway, to be fair I do not know if I will be able to push myself CONSISTANTLY and while 'back inthe day' I was happy to train on my own ,its a fact that i dodnt have this motivation anymore. So i will have to built a structure to recognize that. At the same time I have much more experience...
So the CONSISTENCY will be my biggest struggle and there is a very high chance that it will fail. At the same time in the last few weeks I have started to become a bit more serious ( its tough really tough right now) and last nights run i giess for the first time in 3 years a serious run session ,and loved it .
I also have to admit I loved every second this year the hour before and during the race at the hell of the west. Its was absolute torcher but I was totally in the Zone and under the race day circumstances I could not have gone faster ( bare a small lapsus of coencetration for 1 min or so at the 4 k mark in the run) .
I wasnt really in shape ( dodnt get me wrong i wasnt unfit either but I have done one swim and bike and run session in the last 2 weeks that i rate the best quality sessions of the year and they were not that great either )


Fortunately I do understand that I dodnt really want to train its more I want to fisnish something I started long time ago i am not to sure if thats enough at the same time but I aslo know i can take more rest than i did back then . So there is pors and cons as always in live ;-)

the other issue....
a few weeks ago i was on a race entry side and i could not get myslef to enter. i mean i spend about the same ammount of money including the flight for travelling 3,5 weeks in turkey than 1 race wants me to charge jsut for the entry ) ........So that will be something i need to work on ;-)

The structure ( a very lose one as it will change anyways)

1 i will have to suround myslef with a few people to train with.
the swim I have already kind of sorted out by swiming with tango friday morning.
for the run iam planning to run every 2nd week with one of my athletes and find a lunch time running session ( is trintiy still on ?) .
the bike intervals will be in a way the hardest as i have to do them during the day and it will be the hardest to set up .At the same time the most crucial session as this is were i feel short 10 years ago
(up to here its non negotiable if i dont get that done it will not work)

I selfcoached myself to sub 9 ironman and i have always said if i was to do it again I would want to work with a coach or the very least with an advisor for a 2nd opinion . (when one gets motivated than one makes mistakes and while most of the times i wont be motivated enough, there will be key blocks i have to be in the zone and for those I will need an smart advisor ( one of my ex atheltes would be brilliant for it and i losely asked a while ago) or an coach. Anyway its something that I should have in place by now ...


At the same time right now the most impotant thing is to get myself into the right frame of mind to train again and built a routine and a set up to do that. as it would not be fair on coach/ advisor to start only to realice that I dodnt have it what it takes. (its bllod frustrating whne that happens and ii would not prefer it to somebody else )

Apart from one small niggle I do think that i could get myself in the best overall shape ever for october 2016.

I tend to train best in places i dodnt know by heart ( travelling was always my no 1 passion so this is something i have to try to incorparate into this i and will want to do 2 weeks abroad to keep me stimulated .

RACES
As for races I would like to qualfiy for the 70.3 world in an early 70.3 race than do tri an mhi, built in 8 or so local races mostly wednesday races as training sessions like last year
i love the the fact i can do a duathlon in the phoenix park where i arrive 15-20 min before race start warm up done cycling there and then race ) FIngal was also a great race and the wicklow aquathon are supperbly orgniced and so was belparks new aquathon.
kilkee and tri an mhi as a serious races. than 70.3 worlds or the lost sheep and an fall ironman most likely barcelona to qualify for hawaai. this year for the first time ever thought i want to go to hawaii. my exceitment for the 70.3 worlds went already a bit back as expaliand earlier so we will see

conclusion

I have never written a blog and i am sure there is people better suited to write blogs than myslef . Part of the reason i would like as i want to show beginner atheltes what is really important to become good.
It not an unkonw fact that i think that most boarides focus too much on the noise and not enough on what really matters to actually train.
please dodnt be offended if this goes against your principles you dodnt have to read this .....

its not that much about talent ( of cours it helps)
its not so much aobut gear ( and of course that can help too)
and to be fair its not even so much aobut training (dodnt get me wrong here structure of training is important, but what i really try to say here , when i had no idea about training but had my heart in it , i was faster than now)

why
first its aobut being willing to start being hungry to improve and challenge yourself there has to be a mission.
and you do not get into this if you feel a new gamrin 920 will make you train ( that usually works for a few weeks and then ....)

its important to set up a structure that is challenging yet manageble ( iam totaly ok that i chant even train the way i want right now i just dont have it but every week it will get a bit better )
then do it again and again and again . of course vary it but ironman racing is boring so you need to be able to deal with boring training.


and later on it will be aobut the icing of the cake ( in my case a power meter i consider to use 3 times a fornight ) and potentially a new (2nd hand ) bike. and ther e might be a few other things i might try.


though even though iam not sure if I will be able to do what I say I will at least try and by march i have to make a decison where iam am and how i feel when the training will really start .
so maybe this blog will 'shame' me a bit more into training and maybe some people can learn something and if somebody has constructive feed back than I could learn something.
or maybe it will be very soon stopped... but at least i will have given it a shot.

[sconhome]

Excellent Peter, best of luck and a blog I'll be following with interest.

[pgibbo]

Love your honesty Peter. Best of luck and stay motivated!

[Bambaata]

Best of luck Peter, will certainly be adding this to the followed threads ;-)

[tunney]

Could be an enjoyable thread!

[Dory Dory]

I would love to see Tunney coach you.

Seriously, bravo to you for tossing yourself in here. If you have heart and desire, then anything's possible.

[zico10]

This should be an interesting thread, Peter.

You should do Mallorca though, and if you wanted a running buddy I'd go slow enough to allow you catch up.

[peter kern]

did not want to get to the pool this morning....
anyway arrived at the same time as tango and with a speedy transiton ,before he entered the pool, i had already done 200m ;-) ( just to make sure the girl that complained that i let tango to all the work would not give out again )

love those sessions no bull **** went straight into the set when tango arrived ( same as usual but faster and less rest)

after each set we had a quick chat how it went and and how much faster when can go next week and after 60 maybe 61 min in the pool I had done 3.8 k ( which is about right 1600 in 23.45 min including rest and 10 x200 off 3.10 and maybe 2 min between the sets )
then we had a chat with another triathlete who might join in next week and then a bit off a cool down ( 300) .
arms fell seriously off in the last 2x200 ... grit my theath and was holding on for dear live and for last one i had to use paddle and pb to not get dropped. ( defo character building )
arms where so tired after session i found it hard to get dressed ( apart form effort , a bit dehydration played part into this as i did not drink before the session and enough after work last night. ( my key point for next friday)
but i guess there is nothing nicer than when you see progress so left the pool a happy camper.

[MojoMaker]

Subscribed

Best of luck with this Peter. You could develop a really positive network on the way to these goals.

[Jared Fluffy Sorcery]

Should be interesting to follow.

When are you getting the power meter

[peter kern]

Originally Posted by Jared Fluffy Sorcery

Should be interesting to follow.

When are you getting the power meter

i have 2 powermeter ... they are not very important to me but i have them.

ps and i also have a garmin 610 ....

[Dory Dory]

Originally Posted by peter kern

i have 2 powermeter ... they are not very important to me but i have them.

ps and i also have a garmin 610 ....

Looks like I am in good company then.

[peter kern]

sat
21 k run 10 k 38 min flat (rpe and brathing suprisingly low) 2 k easy 5k at 3.45 pace the rest easy home ( well easy home.... hr low ,muscular not so easy , longest run of the year but a good test to see were iam 21 k in 1.24 would should have stuck to my plan to only run 7 solid at the begining but it was nice to run with other people
I d like to run 1.14 for an half in march depending on weight ( weight costs me approx 4 min right now ) .... but overall looking more for 5 miler races


pm approx 3.2 k swim legs were very happy in water and it was enjoyable i have no idea what i was swimmig to be honest could have been 2.5 or 3.5 k of decent long 600 -800 intervals .

sunday nada 2 hour bike planned but mind and body said no ( but had to promise myslef to do a good turbo session this week )

mon am brill session mind defo improving and i pushed myself in the water the first time alone since since the hell of the west , starting to enjoy swimming and for the first time this year decent times on my own no idea about distance ( but the less idea i have usualy the better the session as it means i enjoy it and i got in a groove . and when i get totally lost in my thoughts time passes by faster . only time i focused on time was 2 sets of 10 fast 50s and making sure that the easy bits around that are really easy so i could push myself for the faster stuf ( i was seriously pleased with my times and effort )

a was asked to do the bike leg in a relay for the 70 3 race (mtl nobody is going to miss you ;-) .i have to say iam getting briliant value from this race 50 euro from tunney and a free t shirt.

[peter kern]

mon pm finally forced my self onto the turbo after setting it up on friday...
its was 10 pm so just did an nice consitent our on it getting used to it listening to the news. was actually quite enjoyable and specially for me living kind of city cetre there is nothing better than a turbo trainer (its just honest training )

decided that my newly accuired pink coob saddle has to go and i want to get back the same 35 euro bbb saddle that just worked perfectly . SInce it wore out 2013 i have tried 4 different sadlles some of them almost 5 times the retail value of the bbb and all i dodnt like)


tue missed the planned turbo session
only did an easy run .

wed am tried to copy the session this morning . epic fail . did actually try hard but could not even get close to the times of the boys ,this morning. adapted the session so i could get something out of it ( easy fastish mix ) . Its still some miles and few fair efforts in the bank and its my least important swim of the week prop 2,8-3.2 k and i have done a few good sessions lately so now need to kill myself on a day like this and i have a run session plande this evening that is more important .
will need a good warm up for it but i hope it will work and i have to make a call weather it will be ok before i start intervals and if in doubt just do an easy run . the main run this week will be a hard 5 k session on sat jingel bells run ( to support the donnor harriers as they are a running club I really like ,and also have to make sure i win my 50 euro bet )

should have had my weigh in this morning but totally forgot it ;-0 ( i know why but that cheese fondue was delicious ;-)

[Jared Fluffy Sorcery]

Originally Posted by peter kern

there is nothing better than a turbo trainer (its just honest training)

+1, I was out on the road this morning doing threshold efforts and it's just not the same as the turbo, you need a wider power range to work within with dodging cars, freewheeling etc.

What sort of turbo sessions will you be doing?