Well i'm here. All the training is for this for this year. Not much i can do now.
We arrived yesterday and did some getting to know the place. Wandered about, found food, put the bikes together and generally just got used to the weather. Its warm. Not bad warm but warm.
Having to watch my water intake to try and balance between being too much and too little. Doing ok so far. Massive thunderstorm last night but not so bad today although it was threatening it all day.
Went for a quick spin last night and got back just before the sky opened up for about 2 hours. We got a bit lost but sure it was fine!
Today we got out on the bikes after breakfast. Did a nice 31km on the bike course, although we missed the biggest climb. We did get the evil one in which is supposed to be quite steep. It is. Happy enough with the course, nice and fast and not a huge amount of climbing on it.
After lunch we went and got registered. Quick and painless. Lots of free stuffs! When i say free we paid for them months ago so they feel free :)
Went for a quick swim tonight before dinner, water is cold, warmer than home, but the visibility is fantastic! 10m no problem. Quite looking forward to the swim now! Run course looks peachy too!
Pauline and Louise arrive tomorrow. Pretty much going to spend the day off my feet and just chill out. Get water and food in, and early to bed. Need to do a few bits and pieces, but other than that. Just need to rest :) Full day off is going to be sweet. Although i am vaugly thinking of a 10 minute run in the morning....
I feel good.
Friday, May 30
Wednesday, May 28
Bags, bike and Greg Packed
Not much left too do but just sit about and wait!
Flight tomorrow at 11:15, arrive in Zurich for 2:30pm. Not much planned for the day bar sitting and trying to find where we are in the place!
GOing to go for a light run tomorrow too i reckon!
When i find out more things i'll let you know!
Flight tomorrow at 11:15, arrive in Zurich for 2:30pm. Not much planned for the day bar sitting and trying to find where we are in the place!
GOing to go for a light run tomorrow too i reckon!
When i find out more things i'll let you know!
Sunday, May 25
Fingal Triathlon - a day of suckage
3 years ago this was my first race. Did it as a relay, and we won! I love this race, nice bike nice run. Just a nice day all in all.
However last weekend wasn't. Didn't have a great week coming into the race, work was tiring me out, as any first week in a new job will, and other stuff going on in my head was just not putting me in a racetastic mood. However i was in the mood to try things out for the last time. Normal race breakfast, normal prep, normal music. Actualy had a great race morning. May have been a bit anti-social but thats just the way.
Got in the pool and found out most of my lane were aiming for 16/18 mins. I reckoned on a 15. So took the front. Went out hard for the first 1oom felt good, nice and strong. About 200m in started to cramp in my legs a little so backed off. 400m in pain both physical and mental. I need to stop thinking when i swim and just switch off!! Next 250m were hell on earth, got passed twice (pulled one back) and just felt like shite. FOr the last 100m i just sucked it up and went for it, hard and fast, push out you idiot!! Screw the plan. Got the place back but my time was well down. 15:56, not happy. Should have been 15, or sub 15.
Bike was good, nice T1, quick but not superquick. Good bike section, slightly windy, so took it easy, not to fast. 35min split put me in the top 50 and i wasn't actually going out as hard as i can. So one plus to the day! Then the run, had a great T2, fast serious fast like. Hammered out onto the run felt great, best i have off a bike. Was looking at a 22 or 21 mins run the way i was feeling. Then about 2 km in it hit, my left leg started to tingle and then the front of my leg just cramped. All i can describe it is pain like i have never experienced, had to stop, couldn't move for nearly 2 mins. Such pain. God it hurt. Started to walk and it wouldnt go away. COuldnt push off my leg at all. So ended up running off my right fore foot and left heel. Not nice, and not fast. Finished the run, only cause i would have killed myself if i got a DNF. 26:39 for the run. 5mins extra no problem, and about 2 mins extra between T1 and the Swim. yeah i did a better time than last year :1:20:19 (4.5 mins faster infact) but i should have been sub 1:15. ANGRY.
I've put it behind me, use the anger, use it this day week. I'll need it on the run.
However last weekend wasn't. Didn't have a great week coming into the race, work was tiring me out, as any first week in a new job will, and other stuff going on in my head was just not putting me in a racetastic mood. However i was in the mood to try things out for the last time. Normal race breakfast, normal prep, normal music. Actualy had a great race morning. May have been a bit anti-social but thats just the way.
Got in the pool and found out most of my lane were aiming for 16/18 mins. I reckoned on a 15. So took the front. Went out hard for the first 1oom felt good, nice and strong. About 200m in started to cramp in my legs a little so backed off. 400m in pain both physical and mental. I need to stop thinking when i swim and just switch off!! Next 250m were hell on earth, got passed twice (pulled one back) and just felt like shite. FOr the last 100m i just sucked it up and went for it, hard and fast, push out you idiot!! Screw the plan. Got the place back but my time was well down. 15:56, not happy. Should have been 15, or sub 15.
Bike was good, nice T1, quick but not superquick. Good bike section, slightly windy, so took it easy, not to fast. 35min split put me in the top 50 and i wasn't actually going out as hard as i can. So one plus to the day! Then the run, had a great T2, fast serious fast like. Hammered out onto the run felt great, best i have off a bike. Was looking at a 22 or 21 mins run the way i was feeling. Then about 2 km in it hit, my left leg started to tingle and then the front of my leg just cramped. All i can describe it is pain like i have never experienced, had to stop, couldn't move for nearly 2 mins. Such pain. God it hurt. Started to walk and it wouldnt go away. COuldnt push off my leg at all. So ended up running off my right fore foot and left heel. Not nice, and not fast. Finished the run, only cause i would have killed myself if i got a DNF. 26:39 for the run. 5mins extra no problem, and about 2 mins extra between T1 and the Swim. yeah i did a better time than last year :1:20:19 (4.5 mins faster infact) but i should have been sub 1:15. ANGRY.
I've put it behind me, use the anger, use it this day week. I'll need it on the run.
Races
Well in the last few weeks my two training races came up before the big race.
First race was over in Manchester , my first international triathlon! Flew over on the thursday without my final year project fully finished. THis was not a good thing. i had hoped to have had it done and dusted and handed in but things changed. Not my fault, just the project took on a life of its own.
Spent most of the Friday working on the project except for a break to go to dinner in the Gurka Grill. Pauline was away in college so it worked out! Mike had arrived over, and Odile and Maura went too so it was nice to head out with the 5 of us for dinner. All day Friday the sun was splitting the sky. Such a bad day to be inside but nothing i could do. I have pretty much the entire thing done bar a few corrections and a last proof read. So i was happy to say the least.
Saturday morning up early, finish the damn thing, then into town to watch the Para-Olympic wheelchair basket ball finals. It was hot seriously hot, made sure i kept drinking, but man i did not expect it too be this warm. It was measuring over 26C and no wind. Started getting to me later on the day, usual stomach cramps. Going to need to watch my salt intake during the race me thinks. Saturday was early to bed after a simple simple dinner. Just how it should be.
Sunday, 6am. Wake up. UUGh, should have been waking up earlier the weeks before. Damn it, change that for next race. Just made my wave start, wouldn't have made it if it wasn't delayed. Stupid stupid mistake. Beginners mistake. Warm does not even start to describe the pool, it was 32C in the water, i felt so uncomfortable, it was like swimming in a bath. Uughh couldnt cool down, my HR was going mad when i got out of the pool. However i did get out of the pool 1st in my wave! Time of 7:21 for 400m, felt good and cold have held it for longer. Bike, so so warm, such a nice fast course. Little longer than usual 25km, but felt good for the whole thing, nice and strong, kept to IM pace and held back for the whole thing, needed to keep it steady. last 10 mins pounded out on the way too T2 and hit transition running. Super fast CX dismount and sprinted in, felt great out onto the run, had to hold back, mental pressure to keep the pace down!!! About 3km into the run my legs opened out and i could push again. Kept an even pace all the way nice and fast but one i can hold indefinitely. Felt good. Finished in 1:22:37. For a longer bike and run i was well happy.
Was good after the race, not tired not sore, happy with that. Tweeked my ankle a bit.... more on that later. Spent the rest of the day working on my project, until 6 when it was finished, sent away to get printed, and then i could relax. Had a pretty easy night in after dinner, but didn't get up to much, Off to bed, up the next morning and off to the airporto with Mike.
Back into college on the Tuesday for a presentation for special populations, then a second interview for the same projcet. COuldnt ahve cared less about it cause at that stage it was the least of my worries! My ankle was in bits , no idea why but i reckon i tweeked it doing the CX dismount barefoot :/
Oh i started my new Job that Wed too :) out in Dun Laoighre.
First race was over in Manchester , my first international triathlon! Flew over on the thursday without my final year project fully finished. THis was not a good thing. i had hoped to have had it done and dusted and handed in but things changed. Not my fault, just the project took on a life of its own.
Spent most of the Friday working on the project except for a break to go to dinner in the Gurka Grill. Pauline was away in college so it worked out! Mike had arrived over, and Odile and Maura went too so it was nice to head out with the 5 of us for dinner. All day Friday the sun was splitting the sky. Such a bad day to be inside but nothing i could do. I have pretty much the entire thing done bar a few corrections and a last proof read. So i was happy to say the least.
Saturday morning up early, finish the damn thing, then into town to watch the Para-Olympic wheelchair basket ball finals. It was hot seriously hot, made sure i kept drinking, but man i did not expect it too be this warm. It was measuring over 26C and no wind. Started getting to me later on the day, usual stomach cramps. Going to need to watch my salt intake during the race me thinks. Saturday was early to bed after a simple simple dinner. Just how it should be.
Sunday, 6am. Wake up. UUGh, should have been waking up earlier the weeks before. Damn it, change that for next race. Just made my wave start, wouldn't have made it if it wasn't delayed. Stupid stupid mistake. Beginners mistake. Warm does not even start to describe the pool, it was 32C in the water, i felt so uncomfortable, it was like swimming in a bath. Uughh couldnt cool down, my HR was going mad when i got out of the pool. However i did get out of the pool 1st in my wave! Time of 7:21 for 400m, felt good and cold have held it for longer. Bike, so so warm, such a nice fast course. Little longer than usual 25km, but felt good for the whole thing, nice and strong, kept to IM pace and held back for the whole thing, needed to keep it steady. last 10 mins pounded out on the way too T2 and hit transition running. Super fast CX dismount and sprinted in, felt great out onto the run, had to hold back, mental pressure to keep the pace down!!! About 3km into the run my legs opened out and i could push again. Kept an even pace all the way nice and fast but one i can hold indefinitely. Felt good. Finished in 1:22:37. For a longer bike and run i was well happy.
Was good after the race, not tired not sore, happy with that. Tweeked my ankle a bit.... more on that later. Spent the rest of the day working on my project, until 6 when it was finished, sent away to get printed, and then i could relax. Had a pretty easy night in after dinner, but didn't get up to much, Off to bed, up the next morning and off to the airporto with Mike.
Back into college on the Tuesday for a presentation for special populations, then a second interview for the same projcet. COuldnt ahve cared less about it cause at that stage it was the least of my worries! My ankle was in bits , no idea why but i reckon i tweeked it doing the CX dismount barefoot :/
Oh i started my new Job that Wed too :) out in Dun Laoighre.
Friday, May 23
OK ok its been ages.
21 days. Wow. I think i broke my record.
Yeah so i havent written in a while. I've been busy so shoot me.
Many many things have happend in my life, most memorable being i now have finsihed my undergraduate degree. About bloody time in my opinion.
So what do i feel now that i am finished ....well confused. I have no idea what im doing, just working away in the office and doing my job. Things will work out.
SO back to training and racing.
Yeah so i havent written in a while. I've been busy so shoot me.
Many many things have happend in my life, most memorable being i now have finsihed my undergraduate degree. About bloody time in my opinion.
So what do i feel now that i am finished ....well confused. I have no idea what im doing, just working away in the office and doing my job. Things will work out.
SO back to training and racing.
Friday, May 2
Man i love my TT bike
Went out for a spin this evening for an hour after sitting at the computer all day doing my dissertation.
Man i love my bike, was a windy day and the wind was coming at all angles on the way out and in my face on the way back. Only got 30km done in the hour but with the wind i was pretty happy with that as an average speed. Felt good to get teh bike in some windy conditions to remember what it feels like when its trying to jump all over the place.
Need to do some fiddling to get it set up in the right position for the race. Need to tilt the bars up a wee bit (read a paper that this is actually faster with s-bends!) and i need to cut the extensions down by about 3cm i think.
Going to change the shifters that i'm using and stick some bar tape on the extensions, hands were slipping a bit too much. Pretty much just going to ride the TT bike from now until the race.
Coaching session in the morning for local tri club, then working in the afternoon. Going to take tmrw off college work totally and just relax a bit. May even have a beer or two!
Man i love my bike, was a windy day and the wind was coming at all angles on the way out and in my face on the way back. Only got 30km done in the hour but with the wind i was pretty happy with that as an average speed. Felt good to get teh bike in some windy conditions to remember what it feels like when its trying to jump all over the place.
Need to do some fiddling to get it set up in the right position for the race. Need to tilt the bars up a wee bit (read a paper that this is actually faster with s-bends!) and i need to cut the extensions down by about 3cm i think.
Going to change the shifters that i'm using and stick some bar tape on the extensions, hands were slipping a bit too much. Pretty much just going to ride the TT bike from now until the race.
Coaching session in the morning for local tri club, then working in the afternoon. Going to take tmrw off college work totally and just relax a bit. May even have a beer or two!
Thursday, May 1
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