Great day training yesterday.
Woke up and the legs were still tired from the hour run the night before. Hopped on the bike and had a nice high cadence spin into work.
Spin home was part commute and part training session. Started off nice and easy, as warm ups do. Then 3x10 mins in a HUGE gear with slow cadence into a headwind. Pain pain pain. 5mins off between sets were heaven on earth. What followed just made it worse, 15 second full on sprints with 45 seconds off between in the same gear. UUGHGGHHG pain.
Legs hurt like hell but it was a good session. came home and made a curry that tried to kill me. Madras does not need chili's in it. So so tasty but such evil pain.
Rest of the night was spent on the couch watching Buffy season 1. 5 episodes down, 7 to go. Nice to just chill in a half slumber on the couch while my legs and tongue burn.
Thursday, July 31
Tuesday, July 29
Cyclocross in the dry? Odd
Fantastic weather over the last few days. Cycled into work yesterday nice and easy and sat inside looking at the outside world wondering when this office hell will end.
4 O'clock out the door, spun it home nice and easy and enjoyed the feeling of warmth on my arms. Changed the wheels on the bike and straight back out the door again to the loop in the park.
Strangest sensation, dry trails and not a bit of grip in the corners due to the layer of leaves! So dusty and fast. Came home layered in sweat and dust. Harder to shift than normal mud! But clean bike!! Fantastic.
Tired today even though i only spent an hour on the CX bike. All the efforts were full on for the 3 training laps. Off the bike today, but have a 45 min run later. Nice steady state effort. Hope the weather holds!
4 O'clock out the door, spun it home nice and easy and enjoyed the feeling of warmth on my arms. Changed the wheels on the bike and straight back out the door again to the loop in the park.
Strangest sensation, dry trails and not a bit of grip in the corners due to the layer of leaves! So dusty and fast. Came home layered in sweat and dust. Harder to shift than normal mud! But clean bike!! Fantastic.
Tired today even though i only spent an hour on the CX bike. All the efforts were full on for the 3 training laps. Off the bike today, but have a 45 min run later. Nice steady state effort. Hope the weather holds!
Monday, July 28
Final Working week and nationals
Oh what a good feeling it is to be in my final week of work. August is due to be a hard month physically but it will be good to get some time to get hard training and racing in again.
I know i need to work to survive, and i have enjoyed my time here, but i need to get back into the research groove and the training motion.
Was quite tired all last week, didn't quite recover fully from the Beast of the East Triathlon. Too many commuting miles at to high a pace left me wasted by Friday. Thankfully i had the day off work to do some drug testing and just crashed in front of the telly and watched the tour. First proper night working as a DCO and wanted to be on form/not asleep for it!
Woke up on Saturday and was just shattered. Decided the better option was sleep rather than the track and went back to bed for a while. Hopped out on the MTB's with Wags for 2hrs up in the Wicklow hills and covered just over 22km in the time. Nice high average speed and what we are looking to try and hold for the whole race in Wales. Came back the evening, ate and just relaxed. Early to bed after getting my kit sorted for the next day.
Woke up on Sunday and felt good. Ate, drank and left to go to the track. Nice easy 15km spin out just ticking the legs over. Had a bit to wait until my slot in the Kilo so just chilled out after my warm-up and went through the normal pre-race prep.
Felt good for the first 200m of the kilo then realised i had put too big a gear on. Managed a decent time with 1:18.9 (8th overall) but felt the pain over the last 200 when i just couldn't hold any sort of form or even spin the gear. Usual horrible cramps and near vomiting after the kilo. I hate that bit. Freekin lactate!!
Rest of the day was spent marshaling and just enjoying the sun and the racing. Nice to be at the track, but my finals definitely did not help me this year :/ Always next year. Had a few beers when i got home and watched the tour. Focus for the next few weeks is long MTB miles and base run miles for the Trans Wales and the 3 Peaks.
Bring it on Rich!
I know i need to work to survive, and i have enjoyed my time here, but i need to get back into the research groove and the training motion.
Was quite tired all last week, didn't quite recover fully from the Beast of the East Triathlon. Too many commuting miles at to high a pace left me wasted by Friday. Thankfully i had the day off work to do some drug testing and just crashed in front of the telly and watched the tour. First proper night working as a DCO and wanted to be on form/not asleep for it!
Woke up on Saturday and was just shattered. Decided the better option was sleep rather than the track and went back to bed for a while. Hopped out on the MTB's with Wags for 2hrs up in the Wicklow hills and covered just over 22km in the time. Nice high average speed and what we are looking to try and hold for the whole race in Wales. Came back the evening, ate and just relaxed. Early to bed after getting my kit sorted for the next day.
Woke up on Sunday and felt good. Ate, drank and left to go to the track. Nice easy 15km spin out just ticking the legs over. Had a bit to wait until my slot in the Kilo so just chilled out after my warm-up and went through the normal pre-race prep.
Felt good for the first 200m of the kilo then realised i had put too big a gear on. Managed a decent time with 1:18.9 (8th overall) but felt the pain over the last 200 when i just couldn't hold any sort of form or even spin the gear. Usual horrible cramps and near vomiting after the kilo. I hate that bit. Freekin lactate!!
Rest of the day was spent marshaling and just enjoying the sun and the racing. Nice to be at the track, but my finals definitely did not help me this year :/ Always next year. Had a few beers when i got home and watched the tour. Focus for the next few weeks is long MTB miles and base run miles for the Trans Wales and the 3 Peaks.
Bring it on Rich!
Tuesday, July 22
Beast of the east, and other such fun.
So first full week of training with Rich. Mostly just sessions to get me ready to race again and to not stress the system too much. Nice to have some structure after practically a month off tri training.
Saturday saw the first even Beast of the East Triathlon in Lough Dan Adventure centre. It was designed by Wicklow Tri club to be a challenger to the Hell of the West in Kilkee. By god did it succeed. Great great event. One of the hardest days i have ever had in the Wicklow hills. Bloody fantastic.
Swim was good; 700m into a headwind and a current pulling you back all the time. Hit the turn and a little side ways fighting then down river and down wind all the way. Out of the water and a quick run to T1. Came in 87th from the water out of the whole race , but was within the top 50 out of the water.
Bike was tough; normally by far my strongest part of the race it simply did not suit me. Was nice and rolly but i should probably have rode my road bike rather than my TT bike. Might have been faster with it. Still came in 20th off the bike overall with a very good time, but still not good enough by my own standards. Was a hard course and very rolly, but in such a way that you just could not get going. Kept the power nice and high and averaged 219W for the 40km with a few sections of freewheeling.
Run was evil; 2km of practically vertical climbing started the run. Followed by another kilometer of ok ascending and a little respite on some flat for 2km, then an evil decent that started the ruination of my quads, followed by a sharp kilometer of up and then 2km back down a near vertical slope. Pure agonising pain in my legs but the shock was when i saw i was only 95th fastest. Dude i suck on hills. Not even funny.
The food and sunshine after were much welcomed as was the lift home :) Got home ate more food than was reasonable then went for a snooze. Followed by a trip to Craigs for a BBQ and a few brews. Was wrecked when we left at about 11:30 and second my head hit the pillow i was out like a light.
Nationals week this week at the track so taking it easy ans just psyching up. Few sessions with Rich, but the real training starts on Monday week.
Saturday saw the first even Beast of the East Triathlon in Lough Dan Adventure centre. It was designed by Wicklow Tri club to be a challenger to the Hell of the West in Kilkee. By god did it succeed. Great great event. One of the hardest days i have ever had in the Wicklow hills. Bloody fantastic.
Swim was good; 700m into a headwind and a current pulling you back all the time. Hit the turn and a little side ways fighting then down river and down wind all the way. Out of the water and a quick run to T1. Came in 87th from the water out of the whole race , but was within the top 50 out of the water.
Bike was tough; normally by far my strongest part of the race it simply did not suit me. Was nice and rolly but i should probably have rode my road bike rather than my TT bike. Might have been faster with it. Still came in 20th off the bike overall with a very good time, but still not good enough by my own standards. Was a hard course and very rolly, but in such a way that you just could not get going. Kept the power nice and high and averaged 219W for the 40km with a few sections of freewheeling.
Run was evil; 2km of practically vertical climbing started the run. Followed by another kilometer of ok ascending and a little respite on some flat for 2km, then an evil decent that started the ruination of my quads, followed by a sharp kilometer of up and then 2km back down a near vertical slope. Pure agonising pain in my legs but the shock was when i saw i was only 95th fastest. Dude i suck on hills. Not even funny.
The food and sunshine after were much welcomed as was the lift home :) Got home ate more food than was reasonable then went for a snooze. Followed by a trip to Craigs for a BBQ and a few brews. Was wrecked when we left at about 11:30 and second my head hit the pillow i was out like a light.
Nationals week this week at the track so taking it easy ans just psyching up. Few sessions with Rich, but the real training starts on Monday week.
Wednesday, July 16
Nearly finished work! Back in training....
Its alll good.
Back in the game now and back to training. have my first two weeks training sorted with Rich, and a nice Olympic distance race this weekend to get me started :)
Had the International race at the track last weekend. Felt slow in the scratch and endurance races but thats mostly just due to the fact i haven't been training for the track since the winter. felt good in the sprint races but could feel my power dropping off in the final 300m of the kilo distance races. Came 7th overall in the omnium and was happy with that considdering i was beaten by two Olympians and 2 national champs.
Got my new cyclocross bike at the weekend too....dear god it is sweet. Need to get it out for some propper practice over the next few days, but feel that i will have to work a bit over the next few weeks on the old MTB so it may just have to be happy with some quick blasts in the evenings. Had it out in St Annes on the course, then took it out to Howth for a spin on the quarry trails. Felt great, so much better response than the old flanders under speed, and feels great when climbing.
Looking forward to the next few weeks. Hard training, hard racing, and some good down time after!
Back in the game now and back to training. have my first two weeks training sorted with Rich, and a nice Olympic distance race this weekend to get me started :)
Had the International race at the track last weekend. Felt slow in the scratch and endurance races but thats mostly just due to the fact i haven't been training for the track since the winter. felt good in the sprint races but could feel my power dropping off in the final 300m of the kilo distance races. Came 7th overall in the omnium and was happy with that considdering i was beaten by two Olympians and 2 national champs.
Got my new cyclocross bike at the weekend too....dear god it is sweet. Need to get it out for some propper practice over the next few days, but feel that i will have to work a bit over the next few weeks on the old MTB so it may just have to be happy with some quick blasts in the evenings. Had it out in St Annes on the course, then took it out to Howth for a spin on the quarry trails. Felt great, so much better response than the old flanders under speed, and feels great when climbing.
Looking forward to the next few weeks. Hard training, hard racing, and some good down time after!
Friday, July 4
Busy busy busy
Its been an odd week
Was suppposed to start back to some erious training this week, but a monir twinge in my leg, followed by a more serious finger incident (thanks Connie) has lead to just pushing back a few days. It's given me some time to think but has also allowed me some time to think about things.
New coach, new life style and end of a college era has left me pondering, and finding ways to hide from it too.
On the plus side; i do have a coach! I managed to get an entry for the 3 peaks Cyclocross race; and i also managed to get on the entry list for Ireman! A second middle distance this year. Happy about this now and looking forward to it allot.
Need to get my training mojo back now, time to move on up and out into the world.
On another note, looks like i;m starting a PHD in September :)
Was suppposed to start back to some erious training this week, but a monir twinge in my leg, followed by a more serious finger incident (thanks Connie) has lead to just pushing back a few days. It's given me some time to think but has also allowed me some time to think about things.
New coach, new life style and end of a college era has left me pondering, and finding ways to hide from it too.
On the plus side; i do have a coach! I managed to get an entry for the 3 peaks Cyclocross race; and i also managed to get on the entry list for Ireman! A second middle distance this year. Happy about this now and looking forward to it allot.
Need to get my training mojo back now, time to move on up and out into the world.
On another note, looks like i;m starting a PHD in September :)
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