30 May 2009

Athy Olympic Triathlon 2:29:40 [Certificate] [Results]

Swim - 26:53 (435th)
T1 - 2:15
Bike - 1:14:44 (381st)
T2 - 1:22
Run - 44:23 (288th)

Total: 326th out of 812
M40-44: 44th out of 117

WOW! What an event. Over 1,000 participants in the Olympic race and almost 1,500 in the Sprint. First open-water race in a river which was quite hectic at the start. Last 400m upstream were tough, but no general problems. Bike course was mildly undulating and wind was kind for once. Got very warm (25 degrees) on the run (which was approx. 400-600m short), but apart from sunburn no complaints whatsoever!





Great slideshow in the Irish Times:
http://www.irishtimes.com/indepth/slideshows/triathy-triathlon

28 May 2009

Swim: 1200m

Last open-water swim before the big day. This time in the sea which was much better than expected. There were 13 (!) of us...

Pre-Olympic Body Composition

Weight	87.8kg
Body Fat	18.8% (LA 17.7 RA 15.3 RL 15.1 LL 16.1, Body 21.1)
Total Body Water	56.7%
Muscle Mass	67.7kg (LA 3.9 RA 4.1 RL 11.4 LL 11.0, Body 37.3, 5)
Physique Rating	7
Basal Metabolic Rate	2074 KJ
Metabolism Age	31
Bone Mass	3.5kg
Resting Heart Rate	56

27 May 2009

Running:
11.3km - 1:02

Easy tapering run. Raining, of course.

26 May 2009

Swim: 1200m

Good open-water swim in Lough Neagh.

Bike: 34km - 1:23

Slow bike ride. Very cold, very wet and very windy - getting fed up with this weather.

24 May 2009

Liam Ball Sprint Triathlon 1:19:34 [Results]

Swim - 14:00 (50th)
T1 - 1:08
Bike - 40:24 (75th)
T2 - 1:42
Run - 22:22 (92nd)

Total: 83rd out of 138
M40-44: 11th out of 17

Second triathlon a slightly better conditions. Easy pool swim with very long run to T1. Bike course was relatively flat, but strongs winds made it a challange again. Also, course was approx. 1,2km too long. T2 a bit better but still far too slow. Run ok. Took it easy this week given that it is only 6 days until Athy.

23 May 2009

Swim: 500m

First really good open-water swim in Lough Neagh. Starting to get the hang of it I think.

22 May 2009

Bike:
44km - 1:40

Nice ride after a much needed massage.

21 May 2009

Swim: 1600m (1000, 10 * 50, 100)

(Very) early morning swim in fantastic pool in Stirling Sports Village. Ended up training with the local triathlon club... Feeling better again.

Running:
12km - 1:05

Late evening easy run, except 10 minutes fast. Needed to get yesterday's nonsense out of my system...

20 May 2009

Running:

Running from a hotel in Sterling, Scotland. Had to stop after less than 15 minutes because I kept getting dizzy every time I ran for a bit. No idea what happened - felt that sugar levels were low after a very hectic day.

19 May 2009

Running: 26.2km - 58:00

Easyish cycle with a few small hills. First outing in new tri-suit (Descente Aero XT Triathlon Suit).

18 May 2009

Running:
10.6km - 60:00

Very easy recovery run. The knee pain has now moved sideways - almost certain that it is the ITB. It didn't get any worse while running, so let's hope it is just too much acid that built up at the race.

17 May 2009

Open Water Swim

Another attempt to swim in open water, this time in Lough Neagh. Slightly surreal conditions to swim outside: freezing cold (less than 10C) and very strong winds. Not only had we to content with the cold, but the waves as well.

Had planned to go for a run in the evening, but decided to skip it since back of left knee feels a bit funny. Did some core work instead.

16 May 2009

Roe Valley Sprint Triathlon 1:19:21 [Results]

Swim - 13:04 (34th)
T1 - 1:28
Bike - 40:39 (62nd)
T2 - 1:54
Run - 22:19 (75th)

Total: 61st out of 134
M40-44: 11th out of 16

First triathlon in bizarre conditions. Swim was very good - got in Lane 1 and was much faster than anticipated. T1 was slow, because I decided to wear an extra layer. Bike was horrendous - Gale force winds (over 60 km/h) and torrential rain on a hilly course. T2 was a nightmare. My hands and feet were freezing and I stupidly left my box open, so everything was soaked. It took me forever to put my shoes on. Run was good, once I felt my feet again. Fantastic experience; can't wait for the next one.

14 May 2009

Bike:
25km - 55:00

Easy ride to loosen the legs. Cold and wet...

13 May 2009

Running:
12.8km - 1:14

Easy recovery run.

Open Water Swim

First Open Water swim. Better than expected, but still a bit scary... Only spent 10 minutes in the water to see what it is like

09 May 2009

Mannheim Half-marathon - 1:39:53 [Certificate] [Results]

km 1: 4:48
km 2: 4:45
km 3: 4:47
km 4: 4:49
km 5: 4:46
km 6: 4:44
km 7: 4:49
km 8: 4:47
km 9: 4:45
km 10: 4:47
km 11: 4:36
km 12: 4:36
km 13: 4:42
km 14: 4:39
km 15: 4:41
km 16: 4:42
km 17: 4:47
km 18: 4:36
km 19: 4:46
km 20: 4:45
km 21.1: 5:14

Wow, that was tough. Very warm and humid at start. Perfect timing, but real struggle on the last 3km. Big PB - now time to tackle the first triathlons. 300th out of over 2600 runners!

08 May 2009

Swim: 2000m
1600m (27:50), 400m easy

First proper swim in wet suit. Arms much better and no panic at all. Speed very good and consistent (52 secs for each length). Open water next... ;(-

07 May 2009

Running:
11.5km - 1:03

Easy run in very warm conditions.

Rudy Project Zuma

Finally replaced my 12 year old cycling helmet with something a bit more up-to-date

06 May 2009

Swim: 1600m
1500m (27:12), 100m easy

Much more promising swim today in wet suit. Really need to go into the water slowly, otherwise panic sets in until I am used to the cold. Swam 1500m non-stop in an outdoor 50m pool and it felt much better this time.

I then tried another 100m with my eyes closed under water. Was ok, but navigation is a nightmare - was all over the place. Good that noone else was in the pool...

05 May 2009

Running:

3.6 km Warm-up
6 Yasso 800s - 3:26 / 3:27 / 3:27 / 3:30 / 3:28 / 3:23 -> 3:27
4.4 km Cool-down

Legs still a bit tired from the weekend race.

04 May 2009

Swim: 1000m

First swim in full-body wet suit with plenty of stops for adjustments. I had the entire 50m outdoor pool to myself which wasn't surprising given the water temperature of 21 degrees.

Feel very constraint when wearing the suit. A bit of panic at the beginning which hampered my breathing. it improved once I floated for a bit and put my head under the water a few times. Arm movement seems very limited which is irritating. On a positive note, the buoyancy really increases speed. Need another pool session before heading in the open water.

03 May 2009

St. Leon-Rot Half-marathon - 1:48:27 [Results]

km 1: 5:20
km 2: 5:11
km 3: 5:41 (pee stop!)
km 4: 5:08
km 5: 5:29
km 6: 5:16
km 7: 5:25
km 8: 5:21
km 9: 5:09
km 10: 5:25
km 11: 5:15
km 12: 4:53
km 13: 5:00
km 14: 5:00
km 15: 4:57
km 16: 4:57
km 17: 4:54
km 18: 4:56
km 19: 4:53
km 20: 4:53
km 21.1: 5:17

Very good preparation race for next week. Took first hour easy and ran last 10km in sub 50:00 as planned. Flat course and mostly through forrests. Got very warm towards the end.

02 May 2009

Swim 1600m (1000, 200, 200, 200)

First swim in 50m outdoor pool. Still a long way to go.