Category: Ironman Training

Robs Blog: Ironman training: May 2017. Week 4

06
Jun
2017

I got to the pool with a rough idea of what I was doing. I’d brought the paddles, pull buoy and band and was going to do a strength session. Until that was I saw Patrick come out on deck and he came over and offered to pace me through a set.
Not wanting to lose face I of course told him to jump in but I quickly qualified the invitation by telling him how slowly I’m swimming hoping he’d go easy in me.
I jumped on Patrick’s feet for the 2×200 “easy” warm up. I was coming in with splits that were faster than I’ve managed for my hard efforts.

This was not going to end well.

Click on through for the full blog but be warned there’s some swearing… Read More

1 Comment Ironman TrainingQualifying for KonaRobs Training DiaryTraining

Robs Blog: Ironman training: May 2017. Week 3

28
May
2017

Ais and Grace are away so that means myself and Cillian are home alone. Well aside from the dogs that is. I’m also working a lot at the moment. I’ll be working 21 days straight through now after Lanza. So if I want to get any training done it will mean getting really disciplined and organised with general planning and food preparation.
Planning my own weeks training.

I’m not usually allowed do this but seeing as Ais is away I thought I’d take over my own training planning. I started to write out a plan on the flight back from Lanza after I planned out all of the logistics of the week. Work, commute, walking the dogs, shopping and food prep.

I’d just managed a 26 hour training week so figured that 15 hours would be an appropriate starting point. I wrote up all the sessions, read through it and happy that it would be a good weeks work I closed the computer.

As I sat there thinking about the plan I had the feeling that I’d better not tell Ais that I was planning a 15 hour week as my second week back training, especially as I’m working every day as well.

She’d start me back much more conservatively. I then asked myself what would I do if the plan I was writing was for someone else, would it have 15 hours and hard sessions?

The answer was no so I reluctantly opened the computer and deleted three sessions and shortened another two. I was down to 11 hours. That looks ok I thought. Click on through for the weeks update.. Read More

No Comments Ironman TrainingProject Kona 3.0Qualifying for KonaRobs Training DiaryTraining

Robs Blog: Ironman Training: Lanzarote Training camp

25
May
2017

Two thoughts for the week while on training camp in Lanza with John Rogers.

  1. 1. Don’t waste belly space on less than excellent food while eating at a 4 star buffet.
  2. That and I think I know why they don’t have weighing scales in hotel rooms with as you can eat buffets.

Read More

2 Comments Ironman TrainingProject Kona 3.0Qualifying for KonaRobs Training DiaryTraining

Robs Blog: Week 1: May ’17

22
May
2017

I don’t think 3.5 hours can be called a training week. In fact I don’t really think it can be called training, but it is a start. I was going to skip over this week and start next week when I have some decent training numbers but that wouldn’t be honest.

I think we just have to start where we are, whether that’s at 3 hours a week or 13. From a motivation point of view I’ve found it quite difficult to get going after the Boston marathon. Another disappointing race after a pretty good build up seemed to just knock the stuffing out of me a bit.

Work has been really busy so the easy and I’ve been really tempted to use it as an excuse fir why I can’t train properly. But in reality all that would be is an excuse and looking for an easy way out just because things are difficult.

So I’ve decided that I’ll go back to basics and just aim to rebuild the training routine. I’m not putting pressure on myself to do anything other than get each session done.

So with that in mind the aim for May is to try to train regularly again, to make swim, bike and run a proper part of each week.and just enjoy the training.

There won’t be any big volume at this stage because…

  1. I’m not fit enough and
  2. Big volume won’t work and isn’t sustainable when paired with my current work hours.

This week I worked 6 days and 63 hours. I reckon that I might get the work hours down to between 55-60 hours a week for the rest of May.

If I can manage to fit in 10-12 hours of training on top of that and more importantly if the body can absorb that without falling apart then I’ll be satisfied.

Read More

No Comments Ironman TrainingRobs Training DiaryTraining

Becoming An Ironman Triathlete

04
May
2017

I was listening to a podcast by a guy called Seth Godin when I got to thinking about at what point do we “become” a triathlete. Godin is something of an internet and business Guru and the recording was made while he was talking to a bunch of aspiring entrepreneurs.

He started by saying that if they wanted to become a neurosurgeon it would take something like fifteen years of study before you would ever be allowed open up someone’s skull. Quite rightly too. Brain surgery isn’t really something that you want an apprentice or beginner practicing on your noggin. Wondering where I’m going with this? Click on through to find out…

Read More

No Comments Ironman TrainingQualifying for Kona

How to Cope with low training motivation

27
Apr
2017

I remember when Aisling was training for her first Ironman in 2008 each time she met with her coach he would ask about her training motivation. She would say it was fine and move on. Later on she said to me that she had no idea what he was talking about. If she had training to do she just did it. Motivation didn’t enter into it. She could either train or she couldn’t and unless there was a physical reason not to train then she did everything she was told. Click on through for more…

Read More

No Comments Ironman TrainingMotivationTraining

Robs Blog: Week 13 2017

14
Apr
2017

This week is the last weeks training before starting a two week taper for the Boston marathon. The training load is light as work is getting increasingly busy but the sessions I get done go really well. I think this is our fourth week back doing a weekly strength and conditioning session with John Belton and I’m really feeling the benefits of them. I think it’s increasingly important to incorporate S&C work almost all year round. I went and got a very specific S&C plan prescribed by a specialist physio in the Santry sports clinic last year and then worked on that and nothing else with John for half a year. Eamonn in the Sports Clinic identified what had caused my back problems and instead of working on the symptoms he gave me a program of really specific work to fix the cause.
John took the plan and we worked on it gradually increasing the difficulty as I adapted to the load and as a result my back is in the best condition it’s been in in ten years or more. I think this is the best way to incorporate S&C work into a plan. Identify the weak areas that are likely to break down or cause an imbalance or injury and fix them, not just treating the symptoms. This requires working with a really specialist sports specific physio like Cillian Moffat who you can find here as opposed to just going into the gym and lifting weights or doing basic core work. When I went in for back surgery in 2014 I had, for the first time in my life, a somewhat proper six pack and my core was in the best shape of my life. Despite this my back failed and I ended up having surgery and spent two months in bed recovering. If I had identified why my back was going instead of assuming that a strong core would protect it I would probably never have needed surgery.

Anyway lets get on with the weeks training which actually includes TWO swims if you can believe it. I almost feel like a triathlete again… Read More

No Comments Ironman TrainingRobs Training DiaryTraining

Ironman training: Robs Blog: Week 12 2017

12
Apr
2017

We are only three weeks out from Boston marathon at this stage and I’m looking forward to my first attempt to run a quick time in a marathon in probably four or five years. In fact I can’t remember the last time I trained for and ran a hard, stand alone marathon. All of the ones I’ve done in recent years have been run easy as long training days or have come at the back end on an Ironman. Physically I’m feeling good and am confident that I’m in reasonably decent shape but I’m aiming for a time that’s going to be right at the edge of my current fitness.

Read More

No Comments Ironman TrainingProject Kona 3.0Robs Training DiaryTraining
1 2 3 4 … 6
Facebook
%d bloggers like this: