Is the off season a chance to move backwards or forwards?

So the off season has begun.  And not without a little trepidation. There was me thinking that the off season meant kicking back and munching on Tayto’s in front of a fire with a pint of Guinness in my hand. My bad!

Apparently the off season simply means training continues, maybe not as intensively (but I can’t say I trained too intensively during the season anyway) but with no races to break up the monotony.  However, rather than put a realistic training plan together, I have actually spent more time creating a completely unrealistic wish list. What gadget will shave 4 seconds off my run, what helmet/bike/wheel (delete as relevant) will increase my speed from slow to slight less slow?

But worst of all is that the mornings have closed in and it is dark now when I hop on the train to go swimming twice a week. While there will be a bit of a let up on this in a month’s time, it is an easy excuse to use to simply turn over and reset the alarm for a Godly hour! While I have my targets written now for 2013, I am still not 100% sure quite how I will get there. Swimming was the focus for 2012.  The key benefit was a better understanding of the mechanics of a swim stroke – as complex as a golf swing as far as I’m concerned – and while I can’t yet properly auto-correct, and am getting advice on a weekly basis, I know that I am improving, getting more efficient and ultimately getting faster.

So with that in mind, I think running has to be the focus for 2013 and I have signed up for a chi running course with Irish distance legend Catherina McKiernan.

However, running has always been the one tri discipline that I have avoided when it comes to training.  Having ruptured my Achilles tendon more than 10 years ago, I have always been a reluctant runner. And in a previous life I never raced more than 110 metres, and two warm up laps of any pitch or track filled me with dread.  So a few years ago, any thoughts of taking on a triathlon with a 5km, 10km, let alone 21.1km run always cast a shadow over any race.  PBs of approx 22, 49 and 119 minutes respectively are testament to that shadow. Never sure to push, never sure to trust my ability. And ultimately getting passed by so many on the run to be almost demotivating.

So, much as our swimming training has gone back to basics, I am hoping that the chi running course will do likewise and I will get a better understanding of my running mechanics and how to improve them. Then, I might hope to be able to compete, rather than simply finish, one or two triathlons next year.

Catherina, it's over to you.

So that's the season ended. Isn't it?

So that’s that then.  Season over.

And I managed to get it all finished in less than the 1 hour 20 minutes I had predicted.  I had quietly been aiming a 1:16, but a 1:17 is nothing to be disappointed by, and finished with a PB on the run.  Happy days.

Again I finished in the middle of the pack, just outside the top 50%, on a par with my other races this year. So again no overall complaints.

Time to wind down and take a break. 2012 was the year of the swim.   I spent more time in the pool than the combined amount of time on the or running.  And it has paid off, where I am now more confident than ever in the water.  There is still lots of room for improvement (isn’t there always), but the base is much stronger now!

So no better time than now to break down my swim stroke and build it back up again.  That’s what our coach intends doing over the next few months. ‘Off season’ deleted!  Today, we spent 45 minutes gliding up and down the pool.  In the coach we must trust.

But already my thoughts are moving to next year.  While my gear wish list has reached ridiculous proportions (doesn’t everyone’s?), it is more the times, races, national championship targets that have been on my mind ever since I finished the Pulse sprint a couple of weeks ago.

The CK triathlon earlier during the summer was my first national series race. The first time I was fully compared against other triathletes (besides on the clock), and it didn’t make for totally ridiculous reading.  After the Pulse tri a couple of weeks ago, I showed I was nothing if not consistent over both sprint and standard distance. And yes, ‘fast’ is not the word I can properly use. Yet.

Being a very competitive male (shock horror!), and now that I am on a league table, a finishing position higher, much higher next year is the basis for the targets.  All of this is of course based on improved times, which will have to be consistent, will have to be faster, and will have to be very competitive.

So while the sun has not yet fully set on the 2012 season, here are the targets for 2013. Set in stone.

1. Complete a national championship (min. 5 championship races.)
2. Break 1:10 for a sprint race. (PB 1:17)
3. Break 2:30 for a standard race. (PB 2:45)
4. Finish in the Top 30 of my age group (35 – 39. This year #238.)

These are quite lofty aims, but ones that I feel are competitive enough to make it a challenge to get there. And if nothing else, provide you with a stick to beat me with this time next year.

2012 is dead. Long live 2013.

Time for the Fat Lady to sing

“Two years,” Tadhg said. 

Two years. Those simple two words deflated my triathlon balloon for quite a while at the start of this season. 

The question posed by another of the newbies in Piranha triathlon club was, “how long does it take to get good at triathlons?”

Bloody hell was it disheartening. And chatting about it with other newbies afterwards they weren't overly enamoured either.

In 2011 I trained largely on my own and raced wit one of my mates. Badly. We had our usual head to heads over a few races (it ended 2-2) but no times were great and the main aim was survival. Each triathlon was an endurance race. Our main aim was the Ironman 70.3 in Galway last September, when survival really was the main aim.

So heading into 2012, with some races under my belt - I couldn’t quite say a year’s training, and I was carrying a few too many Christmas pound – I was hopeful to be able to make some serious inroads into the world of triathlons. And a few weeks training Tadhg’s kernel was put to the back of my mind.

The aim again this year was the Ironman 70.3 race, and this weekend I will race my fifth and last race of the season. Prior to this have been Galway, one sprint and two Olympic races.

Before each race I have set myself targets. Time targets. Something just that little bit out of reach but if everything went well, attainable. And to date I have managed to just get inside my target time bracket albeit at the wrong end. For each of the races, I have improved on my times.

Last year in my three Olympic races (it the two I finished) I didn't break three hours. This year I have been under 2:45 both times. My second race better than my first. And while my realistic target for the year was to try to get below 2:30, at least by knocking 24 minutes off my 2011 time I have to be happy.

My Ironman time this year didn't quite render the same difference on he clock. As you may have seen from my last post it was a mere 27 seconds. But with an improved swim (double last year's distance) and excellent bike times, I left Galway very heartened with my performance and it showed the work put in during the year really paid off.

Having only done one sprint, it was hard to properly give myself a target, but match one I did. But with the one under my belt (last May), I want to knock four or five minutes off that time tomorrow. Target time set.

So one last race, one hour 20 minutes before the fat lady sings, and the season can officially be called closed. So what have I learnt about this year? Stroke. Drafting. T1. Cadence. Power. T2. Nutrition. Reverse splits. Pacing. Endurance.

What can I improve on? Yes you guessed, all of it. And as for Tadhg’s two years? I’m going to need every single last day of it to become a better (hopefully good) triathlete. Target set for 2013.

What a difference a year makes.

One day makes such a difference. One year makes such a difference.  As I left registration on Saturday afternoon, Memories of last year's Ironman Ireland 70.3 were coming back to haunt me. The wind was picking up, the waves were high in Galway Bay, and the thoughts of another wind and rain swept cycle were causing me no end of angst. And judging by various threads online, I wasn't the only one.

This angst led to an in-depth search for good forecasts online. The first said it was to be warm with a slight breeze. As did the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth.

Angst reduced somewhat.

On leaving the house on Sunday morning there was a deathly calm. No wind. No rain. A calm that was most certainly not seen on the day before nor at IM 70.3 2011.

With a 'no excuses' forecast I started well and reached the first buoy in relatively good shape. With a 1km swim parallel to the beach and a supporting current, I managed to get into an excellent drafting position which maintained for almost the entire straight (Elena, Tadhg and Chris would have been very proud).  For the final 600 metres I was then able to push on. So having set myself a 40 minute, getting out of the water after 38 minutes have me a huge boost of confidence. (I have since found out that I made it into the top 20% of all swimmers! When I joined Piranha TC at the start of the year i was in the beginners lane. And while there have been some slight improvements, if at the start of the race if you had said I could get that time, I would have openly laughed in your face and booked you in for a psychiatric assessment!)

After a (very) long run to transition, I hopped on the bike for the 90km spin. Target: 3 hours. Last year on my road bike I lost count of the number of TT bikes that passed me. So this year on my own TT I was more confident. While I didn't pass a huge number of people, I was at least passed by a lot less than last year.  But the one person I most noticed passing me was fellow club-mate Jen Duffy. To say she passed me at the speed of a train would be an understatement. And she was cruising, while I was panting and just trying to maintain a rhythm.  But coming into the last 10kms I realised I was on track to beat my target. Happy days. I was even more surprised as I reached T2 and had clocked 2:52, putting me in an excellent position to meet or beat my target time.

Last year, with the gales and rough waters, the swim was shortened to 1000m and my finishing time was 5:44:40. This year, conscious of the likely longer swim, I set my target time as 5:30 - 5:45. Ambitious, but still something I felt was just about in reach to provide enough of a carrot for me throughout the race.

So leaving T2 my watch said 3:41:04, and I knew that if I matched last year's run time of 1:58 I would be a full seven minutes inside my target time. And having done some more running this year, I was very hopeful.

The course was a 7km loop, and I felt strong on lap one and hit my 5 minute kilometre target. But then the trouble started. A niggle I picked up 10 days ago cropped up just after the end of lap one. My Achilles and calf tightened up badly. Stretching, walking and stopping weren't helping. The encouragement of fellow competitors got me back trotting but at a struggle.

Mid-way through lap two my wife, Alice, shouted great encouragement at me, which gave me a boost I needed.  "It's mind over matter," she said. So that helped to clear my head and focus on finishing as well as I could.  But much as I tried, I continued to struggle for the rest of the second lap.

My target had now firmly changed. Just beat last year's time.  So I became obsessed with my stopwatch and guessing where each kilometre was, trying to up my tempo throughout the final painful lap. All was going okay until about 3 kilometres from the end my calf  cramped. After a few minutes stretching it passed, but time was very quickly ticking away.  I no longer heard any more cheers of encouragement from my fellow Piranhas - Anne, Petrina, Ciara, Frank or Tim - as the head was put down. Focus on finishing. Focus on finishing.

The final drinks station was ignored as I tried my hardest to push to the limit for the final kilometre, hoping my body would hold out.  A 2:03 run was not what I wanted but a finish time of 5:44:13 was very satisfactory. 27 seconds are even more satisfactory as I set the new IM 70.3 personal best.

So having been anxious on Saturday, and rain drenched in 2011, a day does indeed make a big difference. A year makes an even bigger difference.

In at the deep end.

“What time do you think you’ll do?” asked the boss as I left on Friday evening.

“I’m aiming for 2 hours 40 to 45 minutes,” I replied.

“Best of luck,” he said as he left.

There. The bar has been set.

After a good 6 week’s training under my belt, I wanted to gauge my progress before the Club Championships at the Caroline Kearney triathlon (CK) in August. Not to compete, but more to not embarrass myself. So I entered the Lough Neagh Olympic triathlon.

The only thing about my target time though, is that having raced three Olympic races last year, my best time was only 3 hours 11 minutes. My training has been punctuated so far this year, so I wasn’t 100% sure quite how I was going to save at least 20 minutes.  Rough targets based on training, or lack of it, and previous races wasn’t giving much change out of three hours (estimates: 35 minute swim, 85 minute cycle, 45-48 minute run).

Arriving to Lough Neagh, the calm surface of the water surprised, almost unnerved me. I had never has such calm conditions.  The 130 entrants started together just after 10am, and quickly I got left behind. And despite many attempts, simply couldn’t get a draft off anyone. So approaching the end of the swim I wasn’t looking forward to seeing my time.  

A quick glance a the watch nearly floored me. 32 minutes. Happy days (only later did I learn that the course was actually more than 1650 metres, and that I was in the top 35% - no-one was more shocked than me!). Anything approaching my previous bike times, and my estimations might not be too far off.

Huffing and puffing out of T1, the two lap bike route started with a steady 8km incline, but I simply couldn’t find any rhythm. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Then just after 7kms my bike clock went. A small pot-hole shot my front wheel sensor.  So there was no point in worrying any more about average speed or time, just get on with cycling.

This lack of worry in a sense took a weight of my shoulders, and I had to race to what I felt I could, and what I felt I was able for. 76 minutes.  I almost couldn’t believe the times. A highly un-rhythmical cycle should not have allowed that. (It was definitely nothing to write home about, but I wasn’t complaining!)

Leaving T2 on 1hour 52 minutes, my target was very much in hand, and at the better end of my target times. Like the bike, the run was a 2 lap course, out and back. The out, though was a 2.5kms steady climb that nearly took the legs from me. The first out took me almost 18 minutes. This wasn’t good. Targets moving. A long way. In the wrong direction. All but disappearing. But turning at 5kms at 28 minutes, while an abysmal time, provided a modicum of hope.

A ‘sprinted’ last 1km led to a significant second 5km, and the all important reverse split of 24 minutes. I crossed the line with a very satisfactory finishing time of 2:46:47.  While I only finished 76^th out of 130, and didn’t hit my target times, I cut almost 25 minutes off my personal best, and got another race under my belt.

I can approach the Caroline Kearney (CK) triathlon in two weeks time with much more confidence. And after that, only three weeks to go until Ironman 70.3 Ireland.

So in a couple of week’s time just before CK when the boss asks, “What time are you aiming for,” I will be answering: “two hours 35 to 40 minutes.”

The bar has now been raised.

Back in the zone. I think.

I am back in the zone. For now at least.

In the last two weeks I have managed five swims, have also struggled out on the bike twice and huffed and puffed for a thirty minute run.   Now nothing will be put down in the records for the distances covered but at least it's a start and it’s great to be back.  But fitting training in as a new Dad is going to take some getting used to.

After Fingal tri at the end of May, and the arrival of my gorgeous daughter, Eve, I had given myself June 'off' with the idea of getting back training in July, and no races booked in until the club championship race at Caroline Kearney in August.

I got back into training a bit sooner than expected at the end of June, but it was definitely a struggle. While I was getting more sleep than expected, the increased tempo of the mid-season swimming sessions took their toll. 

Having said that, the swimming sessions has been the easier part of training. The early mornings, when Alice and Eve are both asleep, provide the ideal time to sneak out to the pool.  The running and cycling conundrums have yet to be resolved.  Evenings of nappies, feeds and cuddles don’t allow much time for either. Not that I’m complaining.

So timing is of the essence.  The lunch time run is being explored.  Commuting to work on the bike and extended routes on the way home are being mapped out (but in this weather, seriously?).

So a few weeks back into training and I’m feeling much the better for it. So while I try to get training done before and during work, the next focus will be on races to up my fitness levels.  Time to up the ante, identify a few races between now and Caroline Kearney.

In the meantime I’m back in the zone. For now at least. Or until my daughter Eve lets me know otherwise.

Taking inspiration from Brownlee & Keane

It is always frustrating coming back from a lay off, whether chosen or forced. So coming back from a month off is again trying.

The struggle for motivation or the frustration at how your breath is lost far more easily than you remembered is hard to break. The feeling of going backwards during a swim session is not a pleasant one, no matter how much I expected it.

This all came to mind as I watched latest round of the ITU World Series in Kitzbuhl last weekend, and in particular the astounding performance of Ali Brownlee. This was his first race back having spent four months on the sidelines with an acute Achilles tendon tear. The initial prognosis of the injury was such that Brownlee considered his future in the sport.

Nonetheless, Ali took on the field as only he knows how; from the front. In the previous round, his younger brother, Johnny, was imperious in taking victory in Madrid. But even he didn't have an answer for Ali's sheer determination and power. Less than 1km into the run the older Brownlee was already clear and over the next 9kms the gap only grew. His final winning victory of almost one minute was emphatic.

Four months off and Ali comes back as strong as that! That’s definitely a way to make a return.

Then on Sunday as I looked up Hell of the West results, another top triathlete was back on the circuit having been off with injury.  Brian Keane, one of Ireland’s professional triathletes, was making his season’s debut and his victory was as emphatic as Brownlee’s.  And having had a long year of injury problems in 2011, his return was great to see.

So what is it we can take from all this?  Don’t rush back after injury. You are no good to anyone, least of all yourself and frustrations are guaranteed. So I’m going to shut my mouth, endure the tough swim sessions, extend my cycles and get out running some more.

If I do go racing before fully fit and ready, I’ll have to manage my own expectations. I can’t expect brilliant times. It will merely be a step towards getting it right.

Time to put those frustrations in check and just get on with it.