Training Log Archive: Dooby

Castleisland Day Care Cycle, 80km
Route - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/47696428

The pace at the start was slow, nice and handy to get warmed up. Things increased a bit heading towards Currow and beyond Currow. Still part of a group though, with a bit of increase in speed every now and again to catch up. When I turned onto the Castleisland Rd at Coolnageragh Cross they first group was miles down the road! No idea how that happened, and then a pack of Chain Gang Cyclists went past me. They weren't going fast enough so I pushed it on, then they caught me again so I increased my speed once again and they didn't catch me until the first feeding stop at Garveys.

Stopped here for a few minutes, my one dislike of group cycling. Then we headed out the Tralee Road. Big group at this stage after a bit broken up for the first km or so out the road. Nice pace going too, 30kph plus, and there was a tailwind to help matters. Into Tralee I made a move to be close to the front of the pack, wanted to see if there would be any fun going up the hill towards Castlemaine. As it turned out I was too far back to be at the very front and ended up doing a lot of chasing. The first group of 5-8 riders summited ahead of me, a few hundred metres back, I was on my own at this stage having burned everyone else off. At the forest on the descent I was caught by a group of around 6 riders so I hung on until Castlemaine, but it did get broken up a bit on the straight stretch. Then it was another food/water stop in the village, filled up water bottle.

Then after the break it was onto small roads heading west. Group was nice and compact and I was at the back, again! Pace was steady enough all the way across until the main Tralee-Farranfore Rd. Started chatting to the guy I rode the Conor Pass challenge with last year, he's a nice new Boardman bike! Once onto the old road the pace increased and then onto the new road things kicked off seriously. The speeds just rocketed, and again I was caught out. We're talking 40kph plus heading back towards Tralee. Pushed it on when the road narrowed and ended up on my own chasing the small leading group. There were a couple of single riders also ahead of me which I noticed after passing the roundabout.

This is when things really started to hurt. There was a 20kph plus I reckon headwind all the way back to Castleisland, and there I was stuck on my own trying to bridge a gap. Caught 2 riders and cycled with them for a while. I then tried to bridge the gap to the group ahead with no success. Things were going ok but anytime the wind speed increased I started going no where. Tried hard, put a lot of effort in, HR over 175 for a good bit at this stage trying to catch up. After a few minutes I started to cruise until a group of 5 riders caught me, so I tucked in behind them for a few km. Legs were feeling very dodgy at this stage, some cramp like feelings were surfacing. Really need to figure out why I cramp on the bike? Started to drop off this group but it got broken up a bit close to Castleisland with one lad in a Killarney top really dropping off, someone was suffering more than me. So finished around 20m back on the group of 4.

Pleased with the effort I put in today, but for a lot of the time it didn't feel like the leisure cycle that it was advertised as! The body started to hurt near the end but no cramp yet.

Today has definitely been a rest day. Most calories were burned either eating or walking around a supermarket. Did 0 today:-) But that was the plan.

Early start tomorrow for an 80km cycle out in Castleisland.

Glanageenty, Long Loop

Out with James M this evening for a run. He's in training for a 5k race in October with another colleague from work, they aren't the fastest 2 guys i'd say in the world. Felt better than expected this evening, James held me back a bit, he even sat down on a seat for a rest half way up the 2nd climb! Getting to like this run, got 2 horrific climbs with nice recovery in between plus a few more up and down bits. May bring the torch out here in the winter.

No pain in the right calf afterwards which is a plus.

Out and back the big track to warm down afterwards. Pace was slow and James needed to rest at the turning point!

Tralee-Fenit-Ardfert-Tralee

Due to a 20kph+ wind from the SE I decided to go to Fenit first, so that it'd be downhill into the wind to finish from Ardfert rather than into a headwind coming along the coast. Body wasn't that tired but took a while for the HR to go up. It really stayed low enough this evening, even when effort was required into the wind. Early on I saw 2 bikes in front of me and on the way up the hill towards Ballyroe I saw another bike on the road in front. On both occasions I increased my effort to get past them, but not much effort was required based on what I was passing!

Day off tomorrow, soccer on telly, although may change my plans and go running after the match and then rest on Saturday instead, hmmm.

Glanageenty

Did a lap of each of the two marked loops. Tough little runs, both of them. The forest (or what's left of it) is in a valley, with very steep sides. The path goes in on a big forest road to start, and then goes onto smaller paths. They run along the river to start, but the long loop then climbs up the far side of the valley, contours along and then descends again. All small paths and different to what i'm usually used to. The descent is nice then along a path through a felled area, with the last section in an older section of wood.

The long lap is 5.22km and the shorter one is 3.56km.

Definitely will run here again. Felt tired this evening though so parts of the run were a struggle. Also hadn't run in a week and a half.

Tralee-Reanagowan Cross-Castleisland-Tralee

Windier this evening but sun was out. Struggled to come up with a route. Wind was again from the SE. Decided that this route would be nice, uphill into the wind and then home from Castleisland i'd have the wind at my back which I was looking forward to.

HR went high fast heading up Dump Road, up into the 160s. Was pushing hard but didn't feel like I was going anywhere in a hurry. Despite the wind which was good/bad depending on how open things were, I felt like I was making progress. Got nice speed past the dump heading towards Reanagowan Cross. In the back of my mind I knew that the road from Reanagowan to Castleisland was going to present some difficulties, open and running in a SE/NW direction, so wind was going to hit me head on.

That section of road that I'd been dreading turned out to be tough enough, dropped down the gears a lot to try and make life easier, but it was only bad for around 1km. Then it was downhill all the way to Castleisland.

I must remember for next time, since I forgot since last night, that there is gravel in the hard shoulder at O'Riadas pub. Only remembered it was there when I heard the crunching sound as I cruised over it! Stayed upright though. Didn't push as hard this evening as I did last night but had no intention of doing so. Did cruise nicely all the way back to Tralee though.

Going to try running again tomorrow after work, calf feeling better. Better do some stretching this evening and will do more at work tomorrow. I'm thinking Gleannageanty, saw a signpost for the looped walk while out cycling this evening. Will take a quick spin out in the car at lunch time to check what the story with the felling is, whether it's ok to enter the forest or not. If not i'll head for one of my usual haunts, although ground will be hard!

Tralee-Farranfore-Castleisland-Tralee

I think this is a new PB for the route, maybe 2 mins faster than before, which includes going through town. No way my speed on the main roads has been this high before so extremely pleased with my efforts this evening. Body feels like its back to normal after 2 weeks of trouble.

I checked the wind this afternoon and it said it was from the SE, and I felt it heading out towards Ballyseede, but not so much after that. This was the hardest bit of the cycle apart from the last few km when I upped the effort to combat tiredness. Once onto the Farranfore Rd the pace was good and then when on the big road after the narrow section after the roundabout I spotted a bike ahead of me. Lad was wearing an Earl of Desmond jersey so must be serious! But I was catching him kinda fast, flew past him, an old guy, but some of them can be fast. Kept pushing all the way to Farranfore and felt that despite the wind I was doing well.

Kept on the big ring all the way to Castleisland which is something I don't normally end up doing. So another positive indicator. A few sweets on the way into Castleisland and then out the other side. I'd say I was 30kph plus all the way back to Tralee, and did increase it on the downhills, to use them. A couple of more cycles this week, Tuesday and Thursday with a run on Wednesday.

For the lap outside town it was 38.5km at an avg speed of 32.7kph :-)