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.

Is Armstrong good for triathlon?

So Lance Armstrong's Ironman career is over almost before it even started following the latest drug charges brought against him by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Why should that really matter to me, a weekend warrior?

There are two sides to this, one that Armstrong's return to a sport the sport he first competed in professionally as a 16 year old was only going to increase the profile of the sport. The other that with the ever-present cloud of allegations hanging over him, would triathlon look like a sport that was trying to cash in on a tarnished star.

Following the latest charges laid at his door, the seven times Tour de France winner has, as ever, come out fighting and again sought the advice of a large team lawyers to rebuff the USADA charges.

So why does this matter to me?

When the American came back into the Tour De France and began establishing him as one of the world's top cyclists, as an avid sports fan and supporter and as a lover of the 'against all odds' sports story, I was delighted to see Armstrong atop the podium.

His charity foundation, and the yellow bracelets connected with it were a must have. But as searching questions were asked of him, his team, his coaches and his doctors about his possible drug use, his continued defence against mounting evidence became more and more difficult to believe. 

The former Radio Shack cyclist’s ultra aggressive defense strategy - sue the journalists, threaten team mates and counter-accuse others - was not pretty to watch and quickly he became a picture of bitterness.  And as almost every other top cyclist he beat to his record number of titles were found guilty of a range of doping charges, Armstrong's claims of innocence ran more and more hollow.

My support for him waned.

I watched with interest as he announced his Ironman plans late last year and he began the year steadily with a  couple of podium finishes before making his mark at his home 70.3 event (half-Ironman), winning in Texas.  His impending full Ironman debut due in France this weekend would also be watched eagerly by a wide audience.

But the approach and attitude Armstrong brought to Ironman is not one that befits the sport. Nike and several other manufacturers have produced uniquely specced gear for him, unlikely to ever be available to any other competitors, let alone the ordinary triathlete. He has an extensive support team both for training and on race day.  For many of Armstrong’s opponents involved in Ironman their support team consists of me, myself and I.  The training squads are made up of other like-minded athletes who are training in the same town, or share the same coach..  And while their sponsors will help with a lot if expenses, quite simply Armstrong's support team is on a different level.

His subsequent disrespect for other athletes also grates. No acknowledgement when beaten (on the line), Twitter spats over drafting and doping checks (sic) shows a lack of interest in improving the sport of triathlon and simply another sporting box to tick.

So while it might be interesting to see how Armstrong would get on in Ironman and in Kona, it should not be to the detriment of the sport which he may eventually being into disrepute.

So as a weekend warrior I only want triathlon in the news for all the right reasons, not the Armstrong reasons.

A busy summer's viewing ahead

EURO 2012. Ireland Vs New Zealand. The Olympics. Wimbledon. The British Open. This is quite a summer for sports fans.

What am I most looking forward to? It has to be The Olympics.  The idea of all of the above events though, is that Irish athletes and sports people will compete valiantly and nobly but more than likely in defeat. And many will be told they have failed.

Other though are truly world-class. They can and do compete with the best, and some of the above were Olympic sports, Ireland would be very much competing for medals.  Brian O'Driscoll, Paul O'Connell and Rory McIlroy all fight well above their weight in their sports.

In the run up to previous Olympics the weight of a nation rested on Sonia O'Sullivan's shoulders. And now this weight has been transferred to the small shoulders of Katie Taylor, which until lately she may have thought she would have to take care of on her own. But the emergence of triathlete Aileen Morrison has shown that Taylor will not be our only female medal hope in London.

Morrison has recently brought the profile of triathlon nearer the surface of mainstream sport coverage, and the reporting of her recent 2^nd place in Spain by all media can only be looked at as very positive. But how likely is it that the sport can remain there is another question. Two things will largely stand against it happening. Female sports, to a great extent, don't get mainstream coverage, and then at the moment triathlon is still a minority sport.

Much was made of the outstanding Chrissie Wellington not making the BBC sports personality of the year short list last December. Indeed, the case for her inclusion far outweighed her exclusion, and her achievements in a very short time are mind-boggling. However, Ironman is not a live TV friendly format, so mainstream coverage for the sport is always going to be difficult.  While the recent appearance of Lance Armstrong in Ironman events has raised the level of the coverage to a certain extent, the long form distance of the sport may always fight an ongoing battle.

With Morrison riding high in the ITU World Series, and an increased interest in the shorter triathlon races, it must be a hope that The Olympics could change that.

Roll on London 2012.

Watching from a distance

With the arrival of my darling daughter I have not had a chance to keep up my training. Surprise surprise!  What I have had time to though is to see how much triathlon has consumed so many other things in recent months. 

Despite having started doing a few triathlons last year my involvement in the sport has gone to a new level this year. While I obsessed over my results (much like Darren in his recent race report - http://www.piranhatri.com/news/reports/997-triathy-race-report), this year it is up again. Average time. Percentage location per discipline. Discipline splits. Any hope of a reverse split (I didn't even know what that meant 9 months ago). And all of this to try to find something positive out of very average results. That search for progress. 

Then there has been the vocabulary. 2011 - wheels; 2012 - Clincher Vs tubular. 2011 - gears; 2012 - groupset. 2011 - bike; 2012 - TT. You know I could go on. Fartlek anyone? So between the nods, agreements and unknown approvals in the midst of a tri conversation, I have slowly begun to get some sort of understanding of what all this means. That, unfortunately does not mean that it has made me a better triathlete. 

To further get involved with the sport I have been following various pro triathletes on twitter. Lance Armstrong is now on the IM (Sorry, that's Ironman) circuit, but who the hell are Craig Alexander, Simon Whitfield and Christ McCormack? As for these Brownlee brothers cracking the ITU circuit - I still don't know which is which! - it's also great to follow the Irish pro exploits of Gavin Noble and the ever improving Aileen Morrison.  I even now have the ITU world series on series record... 

As for the Irish scene, and the club scene, this is a truly new level. Mariusz Olejniczak, Bjorn Ludick, Russell White, Con Murphy are all names that are becoming more familiar. And over the weekend I was poring over TriAthy results to see how all from Piranha Tri Club got on. First timers, ever improvers and the top advanced girls and guys. With a few tris under my belt I now have people to compare myself against as well as trying to emulate in the coming months. 

In the meantime, while I eagerly await the delivery of my next issue of 220 Triathlon magazine - that's normal, right? - and try to learn more about the insides, the outs and the transitions of triathlons, watching the sport from a slightly further distance than normal, I have a nappy to change.