Bike Spill

So training had been going ok. I'd eased off the swimming a good bit and got out on the bike a bit this week with the good weather. Was going to round it off on Sunday with a long cycle with Wicklow Tri getting over the two gaps (sally and Wicklow). I was a bit late getting up so instead of adding 40 k to the 116k cycle I was just going to be doing the 114k spin. 

Felt pretty comfortable for most of the climbs then got to the top of the sally gap. I was descending the gap at a pretty fast pace. Was doing 47kph according to the garmin, when I went over a bit of  gravel and lost control of the bike. The bike literally went from underneath me and for those few seconds I knew I was coming off the bike. There was a car coming the other direction and I remember seeing a big rock at the ditch that was closer to me. As I was coming down I made a bit of a dive for the ditch to my left which seemed softer. Luckily it was softer and I bounced around the bog a bit and then landed in a small pool of water. The initial contact was with my head so think I was out of it for a little while. For what seemed like minutes I sat up and checked everything. I remember looking at my hand and thinking it was going to be broken as it was all discoloured (thought it was early bruising). It turned out it was a bit of floral I had hit on the way down and it brushed off. Amazing I stood up with just a sore neck. My bike is pretty wrecked the gears and brakes are broken right off and I think the frame is cracked.

It wouldn't be an Ironman for me if there wasn't some drama!!

My neck and now my knee is a bit too sore to do any training at the moment. I'll gauge it through the week and see how I feel.

So four weeks out from the Race of the century and people keep asking me " how's Liamo going?". Well I'm about to tell you how everyone is going. Everyone I know going from Ireland except the Girls. It's too close a race to call with the girls so going to hold off on that one, well that and I don't really understand women so not sure if they'll take offence if I write something.

So first off we'll have the non runners.

Ronan O'Bric

Ronan did this event back in 2007 and had a storming event. He has since concentrated on Crossfit where he is hoping to represent Ireland in the under 20 stone category he's another 2 stone to shift before he can get down to his category.

Rob Moran

Rob Signed up for this event back in August 2013 and swore he was going to do a better time than last year. He trained hard over the winter and got the winter miles in but when he arrived on the Island and was reminded of the pain from last year he decided after 3 weeks of warm weather training that he hadn't done enough. It's a massive blow to the Southern Irish team and the Northern Irish team, as a huge rift has now developed between the two as to who is going to fund the free bar in route 66 this year.

The actual runners.

Adam Kelly

Odds 2/1 favourite.

Don't be fooled by the belly in this photo. This was taken back in December he's since shaved off the weight and is the pride of the southern team. A strong swimmer and great biker he has no real weakness. It'll be hard to see the nordies deal with his pace.

Kevin Healy and kids.

Odds 3/1. 

Kevin has already gone the distance on this course in an impressive Ironman debut. He's the southern teams wild card. He's a teacher so he'll be out training all Easter break for 2 weeks it'll be like a warm weather training camp for Kevin. Question marks over his Commitment to the team as he hasn't been on any of the team spins. The nordies have been looking for a granny or something to get him onto their team.

John Connaghton

Odds 5/1

There have been fights over who John should be representing as he's been living on some Island off Donegal coastline no one is really sure what jurisdiction it falls under. He's an endurance animal and only completed his first Ironman last year where I think he finished in top 3 places. Although to be fair it was up north where the competition is known to be weak. He knows the island better than anyone as himself and Rose train there the whole time. 

Damian McKeever been led away be police.

10/1

Damian McKeever

It's been a very busy year for Damian. He was heavily involved in the McDonalds campagin trying to bring it to the people of Kilcoole. His sponsors have pulled the plug on him this year and he is going with the happy pear as nutritional sponsors. This is taking his body time to adjust to the hippy food. However thankfully he's still got Coca cola on board so there is still good posion going into this body. Not expected to feature in the main bunch but his race will be against McGowan and Dillon.

Liam Dillon missing a finishers t-shirt last year.

10/1

Liam Dillon had to return to the Marshall islands with nothing. Not even a finishers t-shirt to give to one of the kids. Last year was a heartbreaking experience for him, he was delighted when the Marshall islands spend their last 400 euros to send him back to compete this year. He's due a big performance and has got Fernando fuentes back on board. In the fuentes stable Dillon has always produced his best form. They'll have the blinkers on him going up haria this year that was identified as a mistake last year. The other major mistake was the nutrional sponsorship of Ma Baker. I can report that Ma Baker has been given the boot this year. He's bringing in the more traditional sponsor of Powerbar. His swimming has come on leaps and bounds but is still struggling on the bike. 

If he can climb Haria this year.

If he gets his nutrition right this year.

If he gets enough hours in on the bike.

If he gets off the bike within an hour of McKeever or McGowan.

If all this happens he might just have a chance.

Conor struggling again on the run.

Conor McGowan 10/1

He's put the training in this year and has lost weight to get down and compete, but has he lost enough. A very strong swimmer he'll look to get out of the water ahead of McKeever and Dillon and drive his lead home on the bike. The run is where it could unravel. Had a good time out in France in 2010 where he got the better of McKeever. He's also beaten Dillon before in the Brittas Bay clash of the titans in 2012. It's going to be close out there heat might be a factor for the fair Red head.

It's going to be close but we think we can get the better of whatever McGale and his nordies can come up with!

Entering the home stretch 6 weeks out to Ironman lanza.

So we are getting there slowly but surely. I've a tough 4 weeks ahead of me and then two weeks of taking it fairly handy and then Race.........well take part.

My training partner Liam Dillon has put a big emphasis on this 4 week, himself and his coach Fernando Feuntes are going with a new training plan called zero to hero in 4 weeks. I would like to take this oppurtunity to wish him the very best of luck with that.

I've been very losely following a plan. To be honest I think you'd have to be unemployed to follow it to the letter there just isn't enough time in the day. I have been pretty consistent with my long bikes though getting out the last three sunday mornings for at least 4 hours. I've missed one or two long runs on the Saturday just with the shop been busy it hasn't always been possible to get out.

Swimming- Is down on last year big time. I was looking at my training log and last year I averaged about 8-12k a week in the pool at the moment i'm hovering around 6-8k a week. It doesn't seem to have made that much of a difference though to my times. I still seem to be able to hit close to the same times in the pool which is good and I feel like i'm the same as last year. It might all catch up on me.

Bike- I've been doing a similar amount of biking to last year. In fact in March 2013 I did 820k on the bike March just gone I did 860k on the bike so very close. My only worry on the bike is that since I've come off the turbo I seem to be struggling getting my average power high during a ride. Last year 200 watts was the figure I kept. So I'd let it go 20 watts up or down of that and usually averaged out at 200 by the end of the cycle. Now it's only at about 180 watts even on the shorter ones. My average speed is also a bit lower on some of the same loops as last year. So I have to conclude that the bike is in a worse state even though the training has been more specific and same volume.

Run- Last year my run like every year in the Ironman I was reduced to a walk. I'm still not sure if this is due to my biking ability or my running ability. I have jumped up the run mileage this year getting out three times a week (only ran long once a week last year). So I'm hoping to knock a bit of time off the marathon leg. I'd be happy if I could hold the swim at the same time as last year and the bike and to be able to knock an hour off my run I'd be coming back from lanza a happy man.