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| My Teeth Were Actually Chattering |
Its been another busy month on the journey to completing IRONMAN 1 but one which I have thoroughly enjoyed. Having created a nice platform with a decent run in the Frank Duffy 10Mile in the Phoenix Park I have been upping the ante on my training. This week I have started doing 12k as my routine training runs (3 days per week)and a 1K swim and 50K bike once weekly. For my long run I have peaked so far at 18K and this will rise steadily in the coming weeks till I compete in the Athlone 3/4 Marathon on the 6th of October. And on the 7th day....I rest!!!
While preparation for the D.C.M.on the 28th of Oct is my main focus for the coming weeks I have retained my Swim/Bike elements, mainly for the sake of variety however all research would suggest that they are good to provide a more holistic training regime than that which might be achieved by running alone.
The fact that I had continued swimming and biking also told in my performance in my last triathlon of the season. Watching the weather forecast in the few days leading up to Tri an Mhi on the 7th of September I was not too hopeful for a dry event but nothing could have prepared Mary and I for just how wet the day was when we set off at 6.30am.....and not only was it wet but the car told me the air temp had dropped to 6deg...wet and cold....brrrr!
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| Flashing a smile!! |
Transition set up was a bit more challenging than usual and any thoughts of having dry anything, including trainers went out the window. The spirit of Triathlon is an amazing thing however and there is still a palpable buzz of excitement and anticipation in transition despite the weather. During the time between getting the wet suit on and entering Lough Lene I got absolutely freezing and while anyone who has done a triathlon before probably won't believe me I am not joking when I tell you that the water in the lake was bath like compared to the air temperature and it actually warmed me up. The lake was fairly choppy as the winds were also getting up a bit but after the usual early scuffling at the start I settled into a decent rhythm and exited the water about 20 minutes later..... to a very unusual sight for me...there were still bikes in transition !!!
I had a fairly speedy transition by my standards and probably one of my most enjoyable 20k cycles followed. One problem I had in transition 2 was that I could not feel my feet and really struggled just to get my trainers on however less than 2 minutes later I was out on the road. I took on a gel for a bit of a boost but for the first couple of KM's I was not running comfortably . However by 2 and a 1/2 KM I had settled into a rhythm enjoying the fact that on my way back towards the finish there was still a decent number of people coming to meet me. I crossed the line in a PB of 1.36.41 and immediately looked for my adoring fans... well fan...!! with whom to share my personal victory and she was no where to be seen ...... She says that such was my good time that she miscalculated when to be at the finish line...mmmm... I just think she had no intention of standing out in the wind and rain....couldn't really blame her it was atrocious for spectators. Weather aside it was a great day and another triumph for Tri an Mhi in terms of organisation. Oh! ... and I discovered why I was so uncomfortable for the first couple of KM on the run.. I ran the whole 5 k with my socks crumpled up in the toes of my trainers .!!!
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| No Smile Now !! |
The decision about which IRONMAN I would do as the pinnacle for this journey I am on was one, which in the end, I pondered over long and hard. I had done a lot of research and in the end thanks to an article forwarded to me by my friend Ken Kearney I realized that if my goal is to get to the finish line within the 17 hour time limit I needed to play to my strengths.....well at least minimise the impact of my worst weakness out of the three disciplines... which in my case is most definitely the bike. Now there is no easy IRONMAN but in some the bike discipline can have less climbing and therefore might be considered 'easier'.The one which in the end was jumping out at me, was still open for registration and could be traveled to with relative ease was .....
IRONMAN SWITZERLAND, July 27th 2014. The total bike climbing on this 180km course is about 1200m compared to IRONMAN UK which is about 1600m - so a piece of cake then !!! With two hills which they have actually christened '
THE BEAST' and '
HEARTBREAK HILL' to be taken on twice in the two lap course and the fact that I have to it complete in 16 hours...not the 17 hours I had always been banking on means it isn't going to be a 'Picnic in Zurich'. So my friends that's where me and my fans....well fan.. are heading. The one thing I'll know for sure....the time will be right!
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Audrey Jones
Head of Fundraising LauraLynn House |
My blogging month finished beautifully on the 11th of September when Mary and I visited LauraLynnn House to introduce ourselves, tell Audrey Jones, Head of Fundraising, a little bit about what I am doing and have a tour of their wonderful facilities. For a place which touches peoples lives at times of much pain, suffering and sadness you find it has a most uplifting energy. With its bright and colourful reception areas, vibrant multisensory playground and peaceful Butterfly Suite I can only imagine the sense of reassurance that it must provide to the families who have to cross its door. As you can imagine it costs millions to run a facility such as this and the fact that amazes me is that NOT ONE CENT for this service is state funded....its all done with fundraising efforts. I am all the more motivated by my visit to at least reach the modest fundraising target set and extremely proud to be associated with this fabulous organisation.
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Laura and Lynn's Pictures Framed Top Left
..........and yes that is Mary's finger !!! |
Well thats it for another month everyone. I hope you've enjoyed the read and that if you have you might decide to share it with some of your friends.
Remember comment, tweet etc at will and take care untill next time.
John
