What a year of competing and training, i started the year struggling to run 10km, but i kept at it and trained so hard over the summer without competing, when i did come back , i was flying, taking 3rd in timoleague duathlon and 2nd in the southcoast adventure race in skibbereen, my 2011 races were,
2 off road duathlons , clashnacrona woods
Mealagh Valley 10 mile road run,
Wild west run,Kenmare, off road half marathon,
Ballycotton 10 mile
Ballydehob 10km
Monster Mac adventure race, milstreet
Coast2coast Adventure race, Sligo to Down
Killarney mountain bike race
Shannonvale 10km
Westcork Crosscountry Championships, Clonakilty
Timoleague Duathlon
2time trials and 1 hill climb,Drinagh
Liffey Descent Kayak marathon, Dublin
Southcoast Adventure race, Skibbereen
The raid, 24 hour adventure race Co Tyrone
Clonakilty Marathon
What a fucking year, i could not have guessed that it would have been half as good.Not that there was not some lows, being injured for 7 weeks in march april, meant i could not really go hell for leather at monster mac, although i still finished 5th and again in august sept, i had a left shin problem that really curtailed my running training, this did mean that my cycling endurance was balanced through out the year and The highlights were, Ballycotton for the sheer size of the event and the prestige, coast 2 coast cause it was a cool, varied 2 day event, southcoast, cause i was flying! the raid cause i have been waiting for that for so long and clon marathon cause i have always wanted to feel that good after running 26.2 miles.
The 15 or 20 nights of basketball in ballinacarriga with the lads were also sooooo good.
Major thank you to Eoin Ward and Mike Flanagan, mentors, listeners, movivators and friends. And of course my wife and 4 kids for letting me away, i think i always came back better!
Roll on 2012, i can hardly wait.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
2011 a look back.
In late 2010 the weather went nasty and this was a picture i took on one ride up in the Mealagh valley, mad day out,
Around this time i also was reduced to running laps of the park, like alot of laps, i have in the past done 20 miles of laps (80 laps!!) during this spell the most i did was 'only' 36, i persevered and with the help of basketball really taking off on the monday nights, got a good fitness going, i had really hurt my ankle in sept 2010 and it changed things, most notably i went to a phsyio and finally started trying to sort out my groin problems of 4 years, and she recommended running as as therapy (to balance my one side leg muscle's from all the hard cycling!) well that really caught on and in nov of 2010 i headed to westport for the innaugural sea 2 summit, in a hope to salvage something from the year and it was a great experience, really setting me up for a great and varied 2011, thats why i include it in the 2011 review,
Dubbed as the last race of the season, the inaugural sea 2 summit race held 2 weeks ago in beautiful Westport was a tough but beautiful race. Consisting of a 4.5km run, then a flat 8km, then an all out effort up and down the famous Pilgrim Mountain of Croagh Patrick, then onto the bikes again for a 35km jaunt back around the mountain and up the infamous Maum climb with the aptly named “ramps of hell” ! and a final 4 km run which included an obstacle course for good measure. Course designer Padraig Marrey was even on hand to roar encouragement on the last energy sapping section.
2 members of the mountain bike team from the EDGE traveled up, new signing Anthony Cornforth and myself Donncha O Brien.
The gods were on side as the day was clear and dry albeit very cold, but considering the weather that we had in the 36 hours before the event it was a small miracle that the day turned out as pleasant as it did. All assembled at the Castle court hotel for a briefing and away we raced at 9.15 am to rapturous applause from a good sized crowd for that time of the morning. There were 2 races the supreme event as described above and a sprint event which would be half the distance approx. The initial run was along the excellent new green path (the old railway line) and it was a lovely experience to be trotting along with 600 hundred other competitors for company.
Onto the bikes for what was a sprint to the foot of Croagh Patrick, as i started the run up i could see former World Hill running Champion Robin Bryson in the lead up ahead, and my team mate Anthony flying up not far behind behind him. As i hit the shoulder ridge on the mountain i glanced back and it was some sight to see hundreds of ‘ants’ crawling up behind me. I dibbed at the top and turned to go back down the same route conscious that i better be cautious with my ankle only out of plaster 4 weeks. One man that certainly was not having these thoughts was Mr. Cornforth the flying Man from Kealkil, Westcork, recorded the fastest time down the mountain, top to bottom in 18 min flat!!
At this stage we were all strung out all over the course and the cycle was tough but coming from the heartland of hilly cycling we faired very well on the hilly bike leg. I sank 2 gels near the end of this phase as we were 3 hours in and the energy levels were dwindling, these perked me up a little but i still found the last 4 km shore run very difficult, i am a mountain biker after all, (something to work on over the winter) anyway i soldiered on and crossed the finish line in 3hours 28 mins for 14th one minute behind my teammate Anthony in 13th.
The legs were sore for a couple days after this one but the happy endorphines it released in me lasted for days, this was due to the race itself and also the excellent meal and after party in Westport that night. Full marks to the organizers, truly a brilliant weekend, looking forward to next year already.
Anthony Cornforth Powers up Croagh Patrick.
Donncha O Brien spinning up the Maum Climb
After sea 2 summit i kept tipping away at the running, just bit by bit and by early 2011 5 or 6 miles was still a good run for me, i had done very little cycling so in an effort to address this and include a bit of craic and community into my training i came up with the idea of an off road duathlon series, no entry, no fuss, short type events. The numbers were small but enthusiastic, making a great 3 race series.The 2012 series is starting in january (on a flatter,faster and more fun course) so get training, here is a look back at what i wrote about the very first one, almost a year ago!
Around this time i also was reduced to running laps of the park, like alot of laps, i have in the past done 20 miles of laps (80 laps!!) during this spell the most i did was 'only' 36, i persevered and with the help of basketball really taking off on the monday nights, got a good fitness going, i had really hurt my ankle in sept 2010 and it changed things, most notably i went to a phsyio and finally started trying to sort out my groin problems of 4 years, and she recommended running as as therapy (to balance my one side leg muscle's from all the hard cycling!) well that really caught on and in nov of 2010 i headed to westport for the innaugural sea 2 summit, in a hope to salvage something from the year and it was a great experience, really setting me up for a great and varied 2011, thats why i include it in the 2011 review,
Sea 2 Summit Adventure Race
November 23rd, 2010Dubbed as the last race of the season, the inaugural sea 2 summit race held 2 weeks ago in beautiful Westport was a tough but beautiful race. Consisting of a 4.5km run, then a flat 8km, then an all out effort up and down the famous Pilgrim Mountain of Croagh Patrick, then onto the bikes again for a 35km jaunt back around the mountain and up the infamous Maum climb with the aptly named “ramps of hell” ! and a final 4 km run which included an obstacle course for good measure. Course designer Padraig Marrey was even on hand to roar encouragement on the last energy sapping section.
2 members of the mountain bike team from the EDGE traveled up, new signing Anthony Cornforth and myself Donncha O Brien.
The gods were on side as the day was clear and dry albeit very cold, but considering the weather that we had in the 36 hours before the event it was a small miracle that the day turned out as pleasant as it did. All assembled at the Castle court hotel for a briefing and away we raced at 9.15 am to rapturous applause from a good sized crowd for that time of the morning. There were 2 races the supreme event as described above and a sprint event which would be half the distance approx. The initial run was along the excellent new green path (the old railway line) and it was a lovely experience to be trotting along with 600 hundred other competitors for company.
Start line
Eventual winner Colm Staunton (3hr3mins) mastering the Cargo Net.
The top section of Croagh Patrick
Anthony Cornforth Powers up Croagh Patrick.
Donncha O Brien spinning up the Maum Climb
After sea 2 summit i kept tipping away at the running, just bit by bit and by early 2011 5 or 6 miles was still a good run for me, i had done very little cycling so in an effort to address this and include a bit of craic and community into my training i came up with the idea of an off road duathlon series, no entry, no fuss, short type events. The numbers were small but enthusiastic, making a great 3 race series.The 2012 series is starting in january (on a flatter,faster and more fun course) so get training, here is a look back at what i wrote about the very first one, almost a year ago!
Off road duathlon, Westcork, 29th jan 2011
January 30th, 2011A big well done to all who competed in the duathlon this morning, it was cold but the course was in immaculate condition, so despite the pain! it was excellent.
The winter cobwebs were there in abundance but at least the first hard effort of the year is out of the way, the next event in 4 weeks time should be a little easier! Time to start picking up the training as the days hopefully will be a little warmer and the evenings are already stretching out noticably.
As all triathletes and multi sport competitors know, the transtion from the bike to the run can be tough but today having to do it 2 times was brutal, i for one had a tough time getting the legs moving quickly for the last leg, the heart rate was soaring and i was only going a little faster than walking pace! I guess thats the way it should be in January! Close racing is the goal of most event organisers as it makes for great excitment and the athletes usually push a little harder as a result. Podge and Adrian had fairly close racing and if podge works on the bike , it will be much closer in 4 weeks time.
Here is what Adrian had to say after,
“Well ya could say its a great way to start the weekend but I’m sure I am now fucked for the rest of the weekend! I must say there is no way I would ever do a work out like that for the sake of a work out but the bit of competition really makes the difference, It was good crack and I’m looking forward to the next one for some sick reason, Need a while to recover though, Ouch”
James and i were, basically clung to each other from start to finish, i pulled out a 40 second lead on the last run but he managed to speed his single speed along the single track to cause a sprint finish, which i barely managed to win by half a wheel! Super racing to be fair. Anthony pushed hard for 3rd with adrian in 4th, podge a close 5th and a anti-biotic taking Ken in 6th. Tom P took the photos and a stomach sick Alex turned up to do the timing, fair play.
All round it was fun and a great workout, in short the perfect saturday morning in January!
Results Off -Road Duathlon 29th Jan 2011,
Off road Duo Run 1 Bike 1 Run 2 Bike 2 Total
1st Donncha 7.58 11.41 9.01 12.43 41.07
2nd James 8.27 11.32 9.48 11.22 41.07
3rd Anthony 8.29 13.36 9.09 13.54 45.08
4th Adrian 11.15 13.33 12.31 13.04 50.20
5th Podge 9.55 15.53 12.12 17.43 55.43
6th Ken 11.49 17.36 13.00 17.30 59.55
The winter cobwebs were there in abundance but at least the first hard effort of the year is out of the way, the next event in 4 weeks time should be a little easier! Time to start picking up the training as the days hopefully will be a little warmer and the evenings are already stretching out noticably.
As all triathletes and multi sport competitors know, the transtion from the bike to the run can be tough but today having to do it 2 times was brutal, i for one had a tough time getting the legs moving quickly for the last leg, the heart rate was soaring and i was only going a little faster than walking pace! I guess thats the way it should be in January! Close racing is the goal of most event organisers as it makes for great excitment and the athletes usually push a little harder as a result. Podge and Adrian had fairly close racing and if podge works on the bike , it will be much closer in 4 weeks time.
Here is what Adrian had to say after,
“Well ya could say its a great way to start the weekend but I’m sure I am now fucked for the rest of the weekend! I must say there is no way I would ever do a work out like that for the sake of a work out but the bit of competition really makes the difference, It was good crack and I’m looking forward to the next one for some sick reason, Need a while to recover though, Ouch”
James and i were, basically clung to each other from start to finish, i pulled out a 40 second lead on the last run but he managed to speed his single speed along the single track to cause a sprint finish, which i barely managed to win by half a wheel! Super racing to be fair. Anthony pushed hard for 3rd with adrian in 4th, podge a close 5th and a anti-biotic taking Ken in 6th. Tom P took the photos and a stomach sick Alex turned up to do the timing, fair play.
All round it was fun and a great workout, in short the perfect saturday morning in January!
Results Off -Road Duathlon 29th Jan 2011,
Off road Duo Run 1 Bike 1 Run 2 Bike 2 Total
1st Donncha 7.58 11.41 9.01 12.43 41.07
2nd James 8.27 11.32 9.48 11.22 41.07
3rd Anthony 8.29 13.36 9.09 13.54 45.08
4th Adrian 11.15 13.33 12.31 13.04 50.20
5th Podge 9.55 15.53 12.12 17.43 55.43
6th Ken 11.49 17.36 13.00 17.30 59.55
More Archiving!
Putting the Mountain back in biking!
April 29th, 2011 Nietzsche once wrote that ‘in the mountains the shortest way is from peak to peak, but for this you need long legs’ ! well on Sunday last the legs of all the Edge Mountain bike team riders were extended fully as we went from peak to peak in the second round of the National Mountain bike series in the rugged Nagle Mountains, in Ballyhooly, Co Cork.The Race was run by the Local MBCC club and they did a very good job, although the course was not to everyone’s liking. Course design is a subjective affair of course and the rocky, rough and almost brutal nature of this race meant a record number of DNF’s for all sorts of reasons, from punctures to pure exhaustion.
Above James shows the glamour! and effort of Mountain Bike racing.
Above James on the long tiring rocky descent.
National Mountain Bike Series
April 5th, 2011 Pictured below is Edge team rider and part time employee Rory McLiam ripping on his new Scott Scale 10 in the brilliant Bellurgan Estate, Co. Louth last Sunday where he finished a fine 12th.
History!
It all never really happened as the edge sports shop proved very hard to work with and ended up backing out of promises they made and we wont even talk about the despicable way they treated Rory. I did get alot of free gear from them for which i am very thankful, just a pity they did not follow through on there 'we are committed to yee' talk, they gave us. I also see that the road team they sponsored (the road team won an amazing amount of serious races in their jersys) have left and have a different bike shop sponsor this year) i dont know the story but i am sure they were just as fed up at being used as we were. Anyway i took all the stuff down that i put up from their website and have recorded it here for posterity. I really like the promo film and think this stuff will be nice to look back on in years to come. To quote Alannis, 'you live, you learn' :)
Mike winning the Bally houra Blitz Adventure race and being part of history when he was on the record setting Mizen to Malin team. Mike rode as part of this elite group which set a new team record of just over 18 hours non stop, for this famous route, not bad for just under 600kms!! day ‘n’ nite riding. Mike confessed to having one or two mid summers dreams whilst setting this record in the middle of June last year. A remarkable feat from a Mountain Biker no less
Below is a picture of James winning the Sheeps Head Raid MTB Marathon, which attracted a big field and was designed and run by Donncha.
Rory had wins and podiums at every National points series race he went to and won the national Champs race in his category so will move up to Expert level in 2010 following a great first year racing. Mike had an excellent top ten in the fiercely competitive classic MTB race that is the Cooley thriller as well as becoming National singlespeed champion taking the title from 2008 winner Donncha.
2010 seen Donncha step back from competition as his family size increased (again) but he still managed 3 top 8 finishes in the Manic masters category at national points series races, as well as winning a Munster league race organizing one and making the podium in Dundalk in a very difficult Leinster league race. Donncha also was in the top 10 at the national marathon champs along side Mike Flanagan when he washed on a corner and had to be ambulanced to hospital, receiving 7 stitches on his knee and breaking his ankle! He recovered from this and recently was back competing near the head of affairs in the sea2summit adventure race. He also is guiding MTBers through beautiful, lesser known trails in West Cork (for a modest fee), and actually building MTB trails.
Michael Flanagan had an excellent end of season finishing 3rd in the Elite National Marathon Champs, having stepped up from a very good 5th in the short course Nationals at Expert Level. A 3rd (with a mechanical, he had only one big gear for 75% of the race!) in the Sheepshead Raid Marathon 2010. He also had a top 10 in the cooley thriller this year and a close 2nd in the Connacht champs behind french ex pro Anthony Testa. Mike heads to another team for 2011 and we wish him all the best as he continues to rise to the top of the Irish Mountain Bike scene.
James and Rory were back competing and had a good start to the season in 2010. The first race of the season was in Kilarney on the 7th of March. Here’s a short note from James (who is snowed under with Uni work currently so excuse the short one) on the first race of the season:
“Race was really good, unreal new track. excellent climbs and tecnical decents, rory rode expert and came in 5th. I rode elite and came in second, was 1st for 3 laps but got caught on last climb. Good turn out and well organised.”
James and Rory both raced another couple of Munster races again finishing in the top 3. After this they rode 2 National Points races in late spring and recorded solid top 5 results in these races in Dublin and Killarney in the Expert category including an excellent 3rd for James in that Dublin race. They then headed to the USA for the summer where they also did some raciing. They are currently back in Ireland and training hard in preparation for the upcoming spring 2011 Munster MTB race series due to start in late January and like all the team are really looking forward to 2011.
Promo film we made, link; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmZu-N_uRdI
Edge Mountain Bike Team 2011
November 23rd, 2010The sponsored riders on the Edge Sports Shop Mountain Bike team for 2011 has just been announced it will be,
Donncha O Brien
Rory Mcliam Oir
James Pittam
These athletes will be riding a variety of Mountain Bike and some Adventure Race events in 2011, locally, nationally and one or two abroad.
They will give regular updates on the blog on their training, events and happenings in the Mountain Bike world in Ireland.
The team are also always open to any questions or queries anyone may have on all things Mountain biking and Adventure racing.
With the the dawning of a new era of Locally based Mountain bike races, on courses that cater for all abilities, there has never been a time better to try the exciting sport of Mountain Biking in the south of Ireland.
In 2009 the edge sports sponsored 3 superb Mountain Bikers from Cork and 1 from Galway - Donnacha O’Brien, James Pittam, Rory Macliam and Mike Flanagan. They had a great season overall, notching up wins and high finishes all over the country included in this were,Donncha O Brien
Rory Mcliam Oir
James Pittam
These athletes will be riding a variety of Mountain Bike and some Adventure Race events in 2011, locally, nationally and one or two abroad.
They will give regular updates on the blog on their training, events and happenings in the Mountain Bike world in Ireland.
The team are also always open to any questions or queries anyone may have on all things Mountain biking and Adventure racing.
With the the dawning of a new era of Locally based Mountain bike races, on courses that cater for all abilities, there has never been a time better to try the exciting sport of Mountain Biking in the south of Ireland.
Edge MTB team 2010
Mike winning the Bally houra Blitz Adventure race and being part of history when he was on the record setting Mizen to Malin team. Mike rode as part of this elite group which set a new team record of just over 18 hours non stop, for this famous route, not bad for just under 600kms!! day ‘n’ nite riding. Mike confessed to having one or two mid summers dreams whilst setting this record in the middle of June last year. A remarkable feat from a Mountain Biker no less
Below is a picture of James winning the Sheeps Head Raid MTB Marathon, which attracted a big field and was designed and run by Donncha.
Michael Flanagan had an excellent end of season finishing 3rd in the Elite National Marathon Champs, having stepped up from a very good 5th in the short course Nationals at Expert Level. A 3rd (with a mechanical, he had only one big gear for 75% of the race!) in the Sheepshead Raid Marathon 2010. He also had a top 10 in the cooley thriller this year and a close 2nd in the Connacht champs behind french ex pro Anthony Testa. Mike heads to another team for 2011 and we wish him all the best as he continues to rise to the top of the Irish Mountain Bike scene.
“Race was really good, unreal new track. excellent climbs and tecnical decents, rory rode expert and came in 5th. I rode elite and came in second, was 1st for 3 laps but got caught on last climb. Good turn out and well organised.”
James and Rory both raced another couple of Munster races again finishing in the top 3. After this they rode 2 National Points races in late spring and recorded solid top 5 results in these races in Dublin and Killarney in the Expert category including an excellent 3rd for James in that Dublin race. They then headed to the USA for the summer where they also did some raciing. They are currently back in Ireland and training hard in preparation for the upcoming spring 2011 Munster MTB race series due to start in late January and like all the team are really looking forward to 2011.
Promo film we made, link; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmZu-N_uRdI
Friday, December 16, 2011
Week, Post marathon
Well i have been very tired but i got loads of naps and sleep so by wednesday i felt grand, i had been sore on the outside of my quads until tuesday but the game on Monday night of basketball got a nice sweat going and helped with the recovery, nothing like draining a few 3's to get the happy endorphines going! Then on wednesday evening i was getting a bit twitchy and rang Ken, who was up for some swimming and off we went,i took it very easy but still managed a 1000meters, then on thursday i was hungry for more and off iw ent and did about 1500, trying once again to do some front crawl which i am not good at, at all.
Then i did my local hill run on lough hyne today, 45 mins nice and steady, i felt nice and springy on this and had a couple mins of real flow where the running felt effortless, what a lovely feeling, i was a little tired at the end but then again its only 6 days since i ran a marathon PB and i am hill running, so i aint complaining, far from it, i am smiling from ear to ear actually.
Then i did my local hill run on lough hyne today, 45 mins nice and steady, i felt nice and springy on this and had a couple mins of real flow where the running felt effortless, what a lovely feeling, i was a little tired at the end but then again its only 6 days since i ran a marathon PB and i am hill running, so i aint complaining, far from it, i am smiling from ear to ear actually.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Clon Marathon
3.26.23................Result! 1.44.17 first half, 1.42.09 second half..............
boo-yach-a sha! :)
boo-yach-a sha! :)
43.13 for the last 10km, felt fine injury and muscle ache wise in the days that followed, even managed to play my usual Basketball game on Monday night. There must be something in the 'drink 1/3 of a bottle of whiskey and stay out dancing til 4am' recovery plan i followed the night of the race!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Stay in the zone!
Below is a picture of my arm and on it is the zones and miles that i want to be in for the Clonakilty Marathon that i am doing in the morning, 26.2 miles of ? i am looking do it as something between a long run and a race, i want to break my PB from Dublin in 2006, the last Marathon i did (3hrs 35 mins) but mostly i want to do it well and recover fast and be in ok shape for basketball on monday night! and keep running in the week coming. I am well rested, the last 4 days i have sat on my ass, bar an easy 90 min walk on thursday, checking out local trail potential in the hills. I feel good and knowing the route and the weather, (cold but sunny) it will be very cold starting, i am really looking forward to it, the bit in rathbarry and along the long strand and red strand are stunning as is the bit by inchadoney strand and dunmore. I hope to be in good form at the end and not struggling like in the last 3 marathons that i have done, i am in great shape and strong so i am optimistic that i can get under 3 and a half hours but regardless i will be sticking to my self made heart rate plan. I plan to drink at all the water stations, every 3 miles and eat a gel 20 mins before and at the 5 mile, 10 mile 15 mile, 19 mile and 22 miles points and maybe take some carb drink late on in the race at the stations. Hopefully this should do the trick, this is largely based on Eoin wards advice, which i think is spot on.
It will be interesting and surely will be an indicator as to whether my ultra ideas for 2012 are pie in the sky!
It will be interesting and surely will be an indicator as to whether my ultra ideas for 2012 are pie in the sky!
South Coast Adventure Race 22nd October 2011
A picture paints a thousand words! but just in case it does not! (added new, 9-12-2011)
- The 2011 south coast race was one that i had been targeting all year, and thankfully i had trained hard over the summer, done the speed work and long stuff, i had done 3 or 4 races prior to it with the sole purpose of sharpening up and getting used to race pace again. The evening before i signed on and i was a ball of nerves to be honest, i had tapered really well before hand and rested up for 2 weeks, i was bursting at the seams with energy and excitment!
- Anyway we dropped the bikes in the middle of no where and then the kayak to the rowing club and i headed home, i had a nap during the day and did not feel tired, so it was 1 am before i was in bed, the norm for me before a big event, i slept well and got up and had 2 fryed eggs on toast with some ketchup, was down with a pint and a half of vit c fizzy up as we call it in our house, the drove on down to skibb on my own and had a cereal bar and coffee an hour before the start, i got to the pavillion in skibb and met Sean Murran running around looking for his shorts, his wife save dthe day but he ended up in the 3rd wave when he misplaced his chip! I had decided to use a mix (with water that Gill had given me in April and brought it with me on the bus and sipped it away, it was called megapower i think and is actually made in shannon, ireland, i dont really know what is in the stuff but good god i really felt it worked, must get more of it especially for events under 2.5 hours, it might send you out to fast for ones longer than that.
- I was off in the 2nd wave, i was a little dissapointed with this but decided to give it my all and if i was on a good day well then it should not matter what wave i was in. As it turned out i think i could have held the winner on the first run and for a long portion of the bike, but ultimately he would still have beat me, looking at his splits, so it made no real difference in the end. I started with acouple guys i recognised and thought i would have some good competition on the run but after 1 km i simply floated away form the 80 other people i started with, i was in disbelief as i felt the pace was very comfortable.
- Later i would guesstimate that i was doing sub 4 min/km pace on the very muddy paths, that had large holes of water every half mile, basically i was in my element and flew down any tricky bits. I hit the bike, making a 10 sec error in judging where it was! no matter, but still, i was a full min ahead of the guy behind me, but in the actual real scheme of things i had no idea where i was although i did suspect that i was well up there.
- I hit the bike hard for a couple miles making sure i was out of sight of the second place guy, then i settled into a steady pace, it was pissing rain for lots of it and the wind seemed to be head on, no matter what way we turned. The cycle was hard ish but i made sure not to go into the red, i was probably operating in the high 150's low 160's for all of it, so comfortably hard, i wanted an even effort so no surging or sillyness. The coombe hill, i walked or actually jogged most of it and this was to avoid the 180 plus heart rate that i would need to hit to cycle up it. With the hill run on lough hyne coming only 15 mins later i would be in that zone soon enough.
- I knew starting the hill i was flying and but i still hit the hill conservatively and aimed to run it all and have no walking, i did manage that, just the tops steps were hard, and i did my patented 'come on, Donncha' roaring at myself, which works so well i find, i did scare the crap out of a few people though, as usual!
- At the top i knew it was time to move it into top gear and i flew down the hill, only slowed by having to urinate on the run! the first time i have managed to do that after many attemps! I got to the bike and drove as hard as i could up the hill out of lough hyne, it hurt like hell and i had to change down to a fairly easy gear a spin my way through the pain, i hit the transtion at the kayak and took a 4 min time out, which was available to everyone, then after my wife had lined up the kayak with the marshals i powered the kayak around the short course, beating all by 2 mins, if only the kayak was 4 or 5 kms ??
- The last bike is short and i was trying so hard on it, driving for home, the cramping started here and when i hit the final 400metre obstacle course i was drawing on all my mental strenghts and only when i crossed the finish line did the cramping take over, i was freezing and Billy my cousin tok me to the massage tent and after 10 mins of rubbing and shivering i could walk. No showers working but to be honest i am not sure could i have managed one with out help! Why the cramping? well the liuids were minimal and i only had one gel, dropping the other on the first bike! it was taped onto my top bar and simply fell off with the rain and wind. This probably wouldf have helped but the effort was such that over 2 hours 30 mins that it was always going to hurt, especially with the terrible weather.
- I went home ate , drank and kinda slept and then in the evening was in great form and well ready for pints, we had a great night out in skibb with alot of the competitors especially Sean and Janet, it was great to find out i had finished second, a real buzz, and a few mins later it was dissapointing to receive no trophy to commemerate it. I did get a free entry for next year though. Overall . super, tough race for me, a few people went wrong but mostly i thought the oragnization was good. The lough hyne transition needs to be changed if the event gets bigger, it was chaotic with the numbers we had. And more prizes, its 65 euro to enter for god sake! Looking forward to next years event, which i know a few locals will be out to get me, as for my own goals, keep progressing like i have been, get leaner, put in some longer hard efforts on the bike, e.g 1 hour TT efforts and get in the first wave and try my best to hang onto Trevor woods, (winner the last 2 years) 7 mins behind him this year, its a lot and its not, it will be interesting trying my best anyway :)
- This will go down as one of my best perfomances ever, up there with my 5th in Gaelforce,winning the Connacht Mountian Bike Championship, comfortably completing the 24 hour Raid, getting 5th in the Galway criterium and my 2 all Ireland titles in Road Bowling.
Monday, December 5, 2011
First Ride in Ages.
Easy!
:)
So i went for a spin on the 'new' mountain bike,(a 3rd hand 2007 genisis IO) after Mike flan brought it down, the bike has a Ti color paint job and i think the tubing and detailing are beautiful,giving a bespoke look. At first glance it gives the impression of ' this bike looks expensive'. I changed the stem,bars (it made an unbelievable difference, immediately, as i thought it would) and the brakes to the ones i know and love which i have been riding for 2 years now (yeah, no riding in over 6 months) and the brakes which i have since spring 2007, they have had countless bleeds and both hoses have been changed along with a lot of pads worn out, i still love my mini mono's though. Also i had a crossmax st front wheel on borrowed from mike, cause i could not change out the 180 mm disc to the mono 160 due to some funky bolts, i just need more time to figure that out. I was happy with the set up, but the 2.35 UST tyre on the back did bug me a bit cause its over kill and would drag like hell on the climbs, i did run it at 20psi which no doubt helped on the slippy tricky descents. I also swapped out the fire flamed saddle as i had one lieing around that did not look so naff!
The trails were sloppy from the incessant rain we have had for a month now! And straight away i could feel the rust of having not ridden in mud since the spring! last wet ride! however after only 20 mins riding i felt the bike and i were at one, which is amazing as usually i would expect it to take a min of 10 hours riding to figure out the subtle t's of a new bike.
We rode down a couple of our local very testing 'XC' trails, (all mountain with bits of DH) and i had only one tiny dab, the bike made me just go for it, i did err on the side of caution and rode slower than i might normally but over all i was expecting to be bucked off a few times, in what were about as testing conditions you will get up there, but i stayed right side up and absolutely had a ball, whooping and hollering on parts. Jeez , what a sport!
The frame fit is as good as the xtc carbon was. It did help of course that i knew the trails but that did not stop me from feeling nervous thinking about them as we rode up, i guess my mental attitude was spot on, just go for it, without being mental. It worked. The gears on my bike were ok, i think they just need a little tinkering or possibly a new cable, the hub is working fine just the cable is probably old and stretched/dirty. The silent shifting is a bit weird and i don't have a full grasp of the ratio's yet but that is just time to get used of them. Also the weight seemed ok, noticable on the climbs but then again i had a tractor tyre on the back wheel, which is getting the road asap. When i put on a 2.1 and run it at 30 psi i will then be able to say what the weight of the hub feels like, but i am guessing it will be grand, better than i expected actually and with the bangladesh type climate we have at the mo' i think it will more than compensate for its weight with consistent, trouble free shifting in the mud.
Overall, great buy, (for the money, amazing actually) but more importantly great to be back mountain biking :)
:)
So i went for a spin on the 'new' mountain bike,(a 3rd hand 2007 genisis IO) after Mike flan brought it down, the bike has a Ti color paint job and i think the tubing and detailing are beautiful,giving a bespoke look. At first glance it gives the impression of ' this bike looks expensive'. I changed the stem,bars (it made an unbelievable difference, immediately, as i thought it would) and the brakes to the ones i know and love which i have been riding for 2 years now (yeah, no riding in over 6 months) and the brakes which i have since spring 2007, they have had countless bleeds and both hoses have been changed along with a lot of pads worn out, i still love my mini mono's though. Also i had a crossmax st front wheel on borrowed from mike, cause i could not change out the 180 mm disc to the mono 160 due to some funky bolts, i just need more time to figure that out. I was happy with the set up, but the 2.35 UST tyre on the back did bug me a bit cause its over kill and would drag like hell on the climbs, i did run it at 20psi which no doubt helped on the slippy tricky descents. I also swapped out the fire flamed saddle as i had one lieing around that did not look so naff!
The trails were sloppy from the incessant rain we have had for a month now! And straight away i could feel the rust of having not ridden in mud since the spring! last wet ride! however after only 20 mins riding i felt the bike and i were at one, which is amazing as usually i would expect it to take a min of 10 hours riding to figure out the subtle t's of a new bike.
We rode down a couple of our local very testing 'XC' trails, (all mountain with bits of DH) and i had only one tiny dab, the bike made me just go for it, i did err on the side of caution and rode slower than i might normally but over all i was expecting to be bucked off a few times, in what were about as testing conditions you will get up there, but i stayed right side up and absolutely had a ball, whooping and hollering on parts. Jeez , what a sport!
The frame fit is as good as the xtc carbon was. It did help of course that i knew the trails but that did not stop me from feeling nervous thinking about them as we rode up, i guess my mental attitude was spot on, just go for it, without being mental. It worked. The gears on my bike were ok, i think they just need a little tinkering or possibly a new cable, the hub is working fine just the cable is probably old and stretched/dirty. The silent shifting is a bit weird and i don't have a full grasp of the ratio's yet but that is just time to get used of them. Also the weight seemed ok, noticable on the climbs but then again i had a tractor tyre on the back wheel, which is getting the road asap. When i put on a 2.1 and run it at 30 psi i will then be able to say what the weight of the hub feels like, but i am guessing it will be grand, better than i expected actually and with the bangladesh type climate we have at the mo' i think it will more than compensate for its weight with consistent, trouble free shifting in the mud.
Overall, great buy, (for the money, amazing actually) but more importantly great to be back mountain biking :)
What have i been doing the last few weeks
Well, after the raid and the Southcoast race , which i peaked for and went very well, (still kinda buzzing when i think of them!) i took a full week off (5 days), i drank beer every day and did nothing, i felt tired and chilled, then the following saturday i did 3mile run, (ran very slowly on trails, felt tired) and in the afternoon i did 2 hrs steady on the road bike, the following day i did 4 mils run on the road, again i felt tired but i said i would man up and get back to training and take rest as i felt i needed it, no plan just excercising based on feel and what i wanted to do,
MOnday7th nov, 8 miles road run followed by an hour of hard basketball
tuesday 8th nov, 5 miles easy roadrun
wednesday9th, nov, 1 hour easy roadbike, caha pass
thurday 10th nov, 20 mins barefoot grass
friday 11th nov, 17.1 miles road run easy pace, lots of hills (2.20hr)
saturday 12th nov, 2hrs road bike
sun 13th nov, 40 mins easy trail run
mon,14th nov, 8 miles roadrun followed by an hour of hard basketball
tuesaday 15th nov,REST
wed, 16th nov, 20 barefooting grass
thurs, 17th novREST
friday, 18th nov, REST (felt very tired, slept loads during these few days)
saturday, 19th nov, 80 mins hard trail run, lots of steep hills
Sun, 20th nov, 3.5 hour trail run/walk
Monday 21st nov, 1 hour hard basketball
Tue, 22nd nov, 20 miles road run, in 2.43, lots of hills
Wed,23rdnov, REST
Thursday,24th nov, 20 mins barefoot grass
FRi, nov 25th,REST
sat, nov 26th,1 hour trail run
sun, nov 27th REST
Mon, nov 28th 1 hour basketball
Tuesday 29th nov, 2.05 hrs sheeps head trail run (1/4 of ultra)
wednesday 30th nov, 30 mins run ,incl 2 by 1 mile @5.55 with 90 secs rec
Thursday, 1st dec, 1.15hrs trail run (in the dark) with alex in clashnacrona semi hard.
Friday 2nd nov, 1.35hrs trail run sheeps head with mike and ken
Sat 3rd dec (my birthday!) 2 hours mountain bike, clashnacrona, semi hard.
Sun, 4TH dec, REST
Mon, 5th Dec, 1 hour basketball hard
Tues, 6th Dec, REST
Wed, 7th Dec, REST
So even with the first week off i did, 16 runs in nov and as of today i have done 99 runs in 2011, not bad a s i had a total of 3 months of no running or very limited running cause of injury. Wonder what run i will do for my 100th, something tells me it will be in the hills!
MOnday7th nov, 8 miles road run followed by an hour of hard basketball
tuesday 8th nov, 5 miles easy roadrun
wednesday9th, nov, 1 hour easy roadbike, caha pass
thurday 10th nov, 20 mins barefoot grass
friday 11th nov, 17.1 miles road run easy pace, lots of hills (2.20hr)
saturday 12th nov, 2hrs road bike
sun 13th nov, 40 mins easy trail run
mon,14th nov, 8 miles roadrun followed by an hour of hard basketball
tuesaday 15th nov,REST
wed, 16th nov, 20 barefooting grass
thurs, 17th novREST
friday, 18th nov, REST (felt very tired, slept loads during these few days)
saturday, 19th nov, 80 mins hard trail run, lots of steep hills
Sun, 20th nov, 3.5 hour trail run/walk
Monday 21st nov, 1 hour hard basketball
Tue, 22nd nov, 20 miles road run, in 2.43, lots of hills
Wed,23rdnov, REST
Thursday,24th nov, 20 mins barefoot grass
FRi, nov 25th,REST
sat, nov 26th,1 hour trail run
sun, nov 27th REST
Mon, nov 28th 1 hour basketball
Tuesday 29th nov, 2.05 hrs sheeps head trail run (1/4 of ultra)
wednesday 30th nov, 30 mins run ,incl 2 by 1 mile @5.55 with 90 secs rec
Thursday, 1st dec, 1.15hrs trail run (in the dark) with alex in clashnacrona semi hard.
Friday 2nd nov, 1.35hrs trail run sheeps head with mike and ken
Sat 3rd dec (my birthday!) 2 hours mountain bike, clashnacrona, semi hard.
Sun, 4TH dec, REST
Mon, 5th Dec, 1 hour basketball hard
Tues, 6th Dec, REST
Wed, 7th Dec, REST
So even with the first week off i did, 16 runs in nov and as of today i have done 99 runs in 2011, not bad a s i had a total of 3 months of no running or very limited running cause of injury. Wonder what run i will do for my 100th, something tells me it will be in the hills!
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