Well first up, I forgot my sisters birthday until quite late in the day, apologies for that sis!!
Second thing, even more disastrously, my headphones broke while I was out running!
I’m not really sure which is worse!
On the up side though, a 7km felt very short and very easy. Very happy with that. Come the weekend I’ll try and get in two 15k+ runs in, just to convince myself I’ll definitely manage this half marathon. Still a bit concerned about it. More concerned about my shoulder, the rotation still isn’t right. Going to knock any idea of swimming on the head for the week and do plenty of recovery work with it. Then hopefully, very hopefully, on Monday I’ll be in a position to go back swimming, really need to get back in the pool!!
Think I may try a brick session tomorrow, just to see what kind of shape I am, or am not, in.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Day Ten - Tuesday April 20th
Still flushed with yesterday’s success, on a beautiful April afternoon, I decided it was time to conquer Howth head again. The right way round this time though!! A 20km cycle past Dublin Airport to Sutton cross completed my journey to the head. The 5km steady climb, while difficult, was not as bad as I expected at all. The 3km downhill probably did my brakes no favours whatsoever though, I could nearly see the pads being worn out as I descended what felt like a cliff face!! 15km along the sunny seafront back in to Clontarf was quite an enjoyable way to finish off the loop. 44km again, not too shabby.
So, time to evaluate my last ten days training. Well I seem to have a half decent base to work from anyway. While tired after my sessions I am not exhausted to the point I could not possibly exercise any more. So I reckon it may not be a bad idea to extend the distances I aim to cover. Once I reach the end of this week's program I intend to do just that.
So, time to evaluate my last ten days training. Well I seem to have a half decent base to work from anyway. While tired after my sessions I am not exhausted to the point I could not possibly exercise any more. So I reckon it may not be a bad idea to extend the distances I aim to cover. Once I reach the end of this week's program I intend to do just that.
Day Nine – Monday, April 19th, 2010
I decided to get to Dublin as early as possible today, in part to make up for yesterday’s inactivity. And it was a superb decision on my part. By the time I got to Dublin around 10, having booked the day off work, I felt entitled to go back to bed for an hour. Waking up around eleven feeling refreshed I decided it was time I got to work on updating my iPod with suitably uplifting music to get me through my training sessions. Classic 90s dance from Sash!, DJ Quicksilver and Darude were quickly acquired (legally might I add!) and transferred on to where I am now in the enviable position that I have four hours worth of classic dance tracks to accompany me.
Of course, the polite thing to do after my afternoon’s work was to ‘test-drive’ my new playlists. My training plan told me I would be running for half an hour today, I should have been swimming too but my injured arm just isn’t right. However, with the upcoming half marathon in the back of my mind, I decided to run for longer than the required distance. Quite a bit longer. 12km were covered in what feels now like the blink of an eye. In reality it was almost bang on an hour, a pace that I would happily carry in to the half marathon the weekend after next. I feel much less apprehensive about the whole thing now I have to say.
Of course, the polite thing to do after my afternoon’s work was to ‘test-drive’ my new playlists. My training plan told me I would be running for half an hour today, I should have been swimming too but my injured arm just isn’t right. However, with the upcoming half marathon in the back of my mind, I decided to run for longer than the required distance. Quite a bit longer. 12km were covered in what feels now like the blink of an eye. In reality it was almost bang on an hour, a pace that I would happily carry in to the half marathon the weekend after next. I feel much less apprehensive about the whole thing now I have to say.
Day Eight – Sunday, April 18th, 2010
And I was right, I woke up this morning with a headache that felt like it should register on the Richter Scale. Think training will be given a miss today again, I’ll pick it up in Dublin tomorrow. I’ll just go and watch some rugby instead. Yeah, that’s a much better idea.
Day Seven – Saturday, April 17th, 2010
The less said about that match the better. 21-0 down after 15 minutes and things didn’t really improve, in the end we got an absolute pasting. My feelings on the game were not helped in the slightest by my having to retire early having injured my shoulder in a tackle quite early on in the match. I’ve a feeling my elbow may be more injured than my shoulder, both are causing me a bit of trouble. Could put an end to my swimming plans for the week!
There is some consolation however, with six hours to travel home on the bus, there’s only one thing to do really, break out the beers and chill out after a long, hard, rugby season. Tomorrow may be painful!
There is some consolation however, with six hours to travel home on the bus, there’s only one thing to do really, break out the beers and chill out after a long, hard, rugby season. Tomorrow may be painful!
Day Six – Friday, April 16th, 2010
After a long weeks training and with the final rugby match of the season in mind tomorrow, I have decided to take a break from training today. Instead, I have a six hour bus journey to Donegal to negotiate. Not exactly ideal preparation for a match but however I'm sure I'll cope somehow. I've a couple of books to read at the very least!
Day Five – Thursday, April 15, 2010
Today it was time to run again. Not far mind you, but run nonetheless. To be brutally honest about things it was completely uneventful, not really much to be said. Finished the 8km in a half decent time so I suppose I’m getting somewhere on that front!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Day four – April 14, 2010
It seems the long winter of technique work in the pool has paid off, I finally seem to have a relatively efficient swimming stroke. Or at least it feels like I do, which I hope is half the battle. Though I can’t really tell for sure at the moment, the 15m pool I’m training in at the moment isn’t exactly the greatest gauge for things I reckon. But all that will change Friday. A few lengths in the 50m pool in UL should prove to me whether my improvement is just a figment of my imagination or something worthwhile.
But back to today, 100 lengths broken down in to 10, 20, 30 and 40 lengths at a time. Not a colossal distance by any means, manageable really but it’s a start. Hope to up it in the next couple of weeks. The time constraints of having a lunch hour-and-a-quarter to get a good swim session in are a bit a hindrance to that but I’ll have to find my way around them.
The only complaint I have about the pool I’m training in is it seems to be over filled. Any more than two people in the pool and Archimedes’ principle really gets a thorough proving! The water tends to slosh somewhat, not to mention there’s quite a bit of a current towards the shallow end!!
With the weather so good I’m half tempted to go for a run as I write this... But half a temptation just won’t be enough to convince me this evening.
But back to today, 100 lengths broken down in to 10, 20, 30 and 40 lengths at a time. Not a colossal distance by any means, manageable really but it’s a start. Hope to up it in the next couple of weeks. The time constraints of having a lunch hour-and-a-quarter to get a good swim session in are a bit a hindrance to that but I’ll have to find my way around them.
The only complaint I have about the pool I’m training in is it seems to be over filled. Any more than two people in the pool and Archimedes’ principle really gets a thorough proving! The water tends to slosh somewhat, not to mention there’s quite a bit of a current towards the shallow end!!
With the weather so good I’m half tempted to go for a run as I write this... But half a temptation just won’t be enough to convince me this evening.
Day three – Tuesday April 13, 2010
Having struggled through yesterday, there was a degree of trepidation about today’s effort, a 30k plus cycle. That unease was misplaced however. After a couple of kilometres any heaviness in my legs disappeared and, in spite of the wind in my face, the cycling became a breeze (if you’ll pardon the pun!). Even as I got to the end of my loop I was beginning to think about going further but, based on yesterday’s tiredness I decided to just stick to the program.
As someone said to me last weekend, if Ireland was a sunny country, the entire country would be as fit as the proverbial butcher’s dog. I lost count of the amount of people, of all ages, shapes and sizes who were out doing some form of exercise along the coast in Clontarf. It was just plain extraordinary. It was, I can say without fear of contradicting myself, the first day that I have been out there that there was a real danger of overcrowding on the cycle path that runs along by the sea. Long may this weather continue!
Swimimng tomorrow, first session of the week, already looking forward to it.
As someone said to me last weekend, if Ireland was a sunny country, the entire country would be as fit as the proverbial butcher’s dog. I lost count of the amount of people, of all ages, shapes and sizes who were out doing some form of exercise along the coast in Clontarf. It was just plain extraordinary. It was, I can say without fear of contradicting myself, the first day that I have been out there that there was a real danger of overcrowding on the cycle path that runs along by the sea. Long may this weather continue!
Swimimng tomorrow, first session of the week, already looking forward to it.
Day two – Monday April 12, 2010
Two days in and its already tough going! I don’t really know what happened today but I was completely wiped out by the time I got home from work.
I spent the best part of two hours on the couch when I got home hugging a pillow hoping I would nod off for a power nap. No such luck. The thought that at some point in the evening I would have to go for a run was enough to keep me wide awake. So as the clock ticked past eight o clock it was apparent that it was now or never, and this early in a training program I decided never wasn’t really an option.
So on a beautiful summery evening I embarked on my usual run route. In spite of the eminently favourable conditions, the going was, to say the least, tough. If ever there was a case of mind over body then this was it. My legs just would not respond to the demands I was making of them. Thankfully, my body eventually relented, clearly realising that there was only going to be one winner in the battle. The ease in covering the last few kilometres of the route really did make a mockery of the amount of work I had to put in the the first few!
However, after my stunning victory in the Battle of Not Bothering to go For a Run at All, it seems my esteemed foe may have won the war. Its now half nine and I’m exhausted and off to bed, hopefully now that guilty conscience that was keeping me awake earlier will let me get some shut-eye now!
I spent the best part of two hours on the couch when I got home hugging a pillow hoping I would nod off for a power nap. No such luck. The thought that at some point in the evening I would have to go for a run was enough to keep me wide awake. So as the clock ticked past eight o clock it was apparent that it was now or never, and this early in a training program I decided never wasn’t really an option.
So on a beautiful summery evening I embarked on my usual run route. In spite of the eminently favourable conditions, the going was, to say the least, tough. If ever there was a case of mind over body then this was it. My legs just would not respond to the demands I was making of them. Thankfully, my body eventually relented, clearly realising that there was only going to be one winner in the battle. The ease in covering the last few kilometres of the route really did make a mockery of the amount of work I had to put in the the first few!
However, after my stunning victory in the Battle of Not Bothering to go For a Run at All, it seems my esteemed foe may have won the war. Its now half nine and I’m exhausted and off to bed, hopefully now that guilty conscience that was keeping me awake earlier will let me get some shut-eye now!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Day one – Sunday, April 11, 2010
So I got up early this morning. Well, ten o’clock, which, for a Sunday, is early. With the sun absolutely beating down outside, I felt that to stay longer in bed would appear ungrateful! Day one of the training program decreed that today I would be cycling. Influenced by both the weather and an unfortunate desire to see how hard it is to actually cycle up the famed ‘Howth Head’ as I set out I pointed my bike in the direction of the coast of north county Dublin. Having had a major crash smack in the middle of the village a while back I can’t say that I was looking forward to facing the stretch of road outside the Findlater again. But being emboldened by, well, actually nothing, I managed to steel myself through it. Of course, the road is now smoothly surfaced, bit late for that lads, though I like to think I influenced the decision of the council on this!!
Now, it being the first time I had really taken on the hill, I feel I may have done it backwards. I reached this conclusion as I careered headlong down the hill after summiting and passing roughly 27 times as many cyclists on the way down as I encountered on the way up. Think I’ll be doing it the ‘correct’ way round the next time. I crawled, sinews strained and calves burning, up what seemed like a sheer cliff. I know it cannot have been that bad but while I was going through it, I can assure you it was worse!
But when I reached the top, well, it was all worth it. I can safely say it was the view of the year so far, and it continued to be stunning all the way down my descent. This I feel may have been slightly dangerous however. So enraptured was I by the view at various times, I completely forgot that I was actually moving down a hill at speeds of over 40km an hour and on more than one occasion I nearly became closely acquainted with the tarmac.
Part two of the cycle was much less glamorous. As I came back in to Sutton Village, I hung a right and headed in the general direction of the airport. The picturesque countryside of Howth and its surroundings quickly gave way to the industrial landscape of the airport. I suppose you can’t have it all good, all the time!
Run tomorrow… Let the hard yards begin!!
Now, it being the first time I had really taken on the hill, I feel I may have done it backwards. I reached this conclusion as I careered headlong down the hill after summiting and passing roughly 27 times as many cyclists on the way down as I encountered on the way up. Think I’ll be doing it the ‘correct’ way round the next time. I crawled, sinews strained and calves burning, up what seemed like a sheer cliff. I know it cannot have been that bad but while I was going through it, I can assure you it was worse!
But when I reached the top, well, it was all worth it. I can safely say it was the view of the year so far, and it continued to be stunning all the way down my descent. This I feel may have been slightly dangerous however. So enraptured was I by the view at various times, I completely forgot that I was actually moving down a hill at speeds of over 40km an hour and on more than one occasion I nearly became closely acquainted with the tarmac.
Part two of the cycle was much less glamorous. As I came back in to Sutton Village, I hung a right and headed in the general direction of the airport. The picturesque countryside of Howth and its surroundings quickly gave way to the industrial landscape of the airport. I suppose you can’t have it all good, all the time!
Run tomorrow… Let the hard yards begin!!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
A New Departure For Jodytheblog
Here goes nothing. Last year I did 3 sprint distance triathlons (750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run for the uninitiated amongst you) just to see would I enjoy them. And guess what, I did, more than I thought I would. I was, to borrow a phrase, bitten by the bug.
So in the spirit of not resting on my laurels, I've decided to 'go long' and complete an Ironman. This endurance test consists of a 3.8km swim followed by a 180km cycle, all topped off with a marathon within a 17 hour time limit.
Now obviously turning myself from a rugby player in to a lean, rangy endurance athlete is not going to be an easy, or a short process. But I'm sure I'll eventually be able for it, or at least I hope I will be. It is 12 months away after all!
The plan is this... I am hoping, injury permitting, to complete a half Ironman this August or September then complete an Ironman proper in May 2011.
I started training for the various disciplines a while back, well as much as is possible in a wintry rainy Ireland. However only on Sunday did I begin the training program for the half Ironman. And right here sportsfans, is where I plan on blogging about my efforts and experiences, including any races or triathlons I do in between, in the hope of giving you a flavour of what being an Ironman is all about.
Enjoy, I'm sure I will!
So in the spirit of not resting on my laurels, I've decided to 'go long' and complete an Ironman. This endurance test consists of a 3.8km swim followed by a 180km cycle, all topped off with a marathon within a 17 hour time limit.
Now obviously turning myself from a rugby player in to a lean, rangy endurance athlete is not going to be an easy, or a short process. But I'm sure I'll eventually be able for it, or at least I hope I will be. It is 12 months away after all!
The plan is this... I am hoping, injury permitting, to complete a half Ironman this August or September then complete an Ironman proper in May 2011.
I started training for the various disciplines a while back, well as much as is possible in a wintry rainy Ireland. However only on Sunday did I begin the training program for the half Ironman. And right here sportsfans, is where I plan on blogging about my efforts and experiences, including any races or triathlons I do in between, in the hope of giving you a flavour of what being an Ironman is all about.
Enjoy, I'm sure I will!
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