Theres nothing quite like the self-inflicted suffering of racing! After Lough Cutra Middle Distance Triathlon, I was even more motivated to get stuck back into training and to continue building on the fitness I had banked so far this year as I make my return to triathlon. We all have those thoughts of wanting or needing to train more, to train harder, but in reality - those that get to the top in this sport are the ones that show up consistently week in and week out. You dont have to do massive amounts of training, you dont have to do hero sessions all the time, but you have to put the work in. You have to find out what works best for you, what you can work with to integrate Triathlon into your life, so that you can get the best out of yourself each day, while still living your life to the fullest - whatever that may be for you.

So I got back into my routine that I found has been working for where I am at right now: 2 swims a week, 4 bikes/turbos, 3 runs. Thats the minimum or the core of the week that can be done and will be done. Anything extra is a bonus.

This was to prep for Tri tyrone 70.3 - a race I have only done once before, and it is my only DNF - Did Not Finish - which is something I dont take lightly. I raced here in 2022 when I was fit and preparing for Ironman Cork, but after the swim I felt sick/unwell on the bike, tried to suck it up and keep racing, but after 10km on the run ( 1 lap) I decided it would only set me back in training to dig too deep on a day where I wasnt well, as I wanted to recover quickly and get straight back into training for my priority race in Cork. My race wasnt going too bad either - I was off the bike and on the run inside the top 10 overall - but it just wasnt to be.

I was really looking forward to racing here again - knowing Im not back to my fittest yet, but excited to test my swim bike and run over the distance again and see what progress has been made in the 9 weeks since the last race at Lough Cutra.

I got the green light to drive up the night before and booked a cheap air bnb ~15mins away from race venue ( a cosy bed above an off license!) but a nice sleep on my own with no kids to worry about for the night! Race morning was a bit wet, but I dont mind racing in any conditions - Ive trained and raced in all sorts and have no problem just getting stuck in and adapting on the day to the demands of the course or conditions.

Swim: Its a lake swim, and this year was in a different location from previously, but same lake and same conditions. 2 Loop clockwise swim with a deep water start. The water was actually colder than I expected, but you forget about the temperature as soon as you get going. I positioned myself up near the front (not the very front - not back there yet!) and when the gun went off I got stuck in. The aim was the same as last time: swim strong but steady and controlled. I managed to increase my avg weekly swims from 1 per week to 2 swims per week since Lough Cutra - still not nearly enough, but better! Yet that feeling in a race / open water has to be learned and experienced through racing. I worked a little bit harder than the swim in Lough Cutra, but still swam within myself, for fear of burning matches and for fear of feeling panicky. Confidence grows each time you race. I ended up in familiar territory - no mans land! Faster swimmers swam away, and I was on my own for the majority. Fine by me, I was just doing my own thing anyway. Sighting was good and I swam consistent. 2 laps and out we go.

Time: 33:49

Distance: My gps was all over the place, but on avg it looks like ~ 1950m

Avg pace: 1:44/100m

Happy enough for where things are at right now, still a long way off where they used to be, but cant expect too much for little swimming so far this year. 2secs/100m faster than the swim at Lough Cutra, and just 3 secs slower overall compared to my swim here in 2022!

Bike: When it comes to bike courses, this one is pretty straight forward, and relatively flat/fast. Its a 3 loop out and back course on open roads (so you have to keep an eye on cars/traffic around you and obey rules of the road!). Before the race at Lough Cutra I had only been outside on the road maybe a max of 3 times this year! Since Lough Cutra, all my bike training was done indoors on the turbo - simply for time efficiency: hop on/hop off, maximising actual riding time, no faffing or free wheeling or stop/starting at traffic lights, safety, and pure quality of training. So when it came to race day I was buzzing to get stuck into the course and be riding outside "in the real world!". Right from the start my legs felt good. As per the last race, target 70.3 power was ~265w on my pedals (which is ~ 280w on the turbo that I train on). Its great to have a plan for your race, but its also just as important to tap into how you are feeling, your perceived effort level. I felt good and was pushing ~ 280w on the first lap - steady, controlled, strong. I started to pick off some of those who had come out of the water ahead of me. And I could see where the guys in the lead were on the out and back sections. TT position course through and through - something that the turbo is great for: spending a lot of time in TT with no movement, makes it easier then out on the road! For me the bike course was pretty uneventful, but I felt really strong and had some glimpses of where I used to be on the bike - it being my stronger discipline from before, so it felt great to be getting back there. I was only passed by 1 rider - Paul Carroll -  he may be in his 50's, but he is possibly the fittest man in his 50's in the country! In Lough Cutra I couldnt hold this power, and fade in the second half. But today I felt strong throughout, and rode steady from start to finish, if even I rode a bit stronger towards the end, as I ended up over taking Paul and coming into T2 ahead of him. Really good honest effort - I do prefer more lumpy/hilly courses as they are a bit more challenging, but happy with this one.

Time: 2:15:39

Distance: 88.5km

Avg Speed: 39.2km/hr

Avg Cadence: 77rpm

Avg Power: 275w

Normalised Power: 280w

Fuelling: I upgraded my bottles on the bike from 750ml to 950ml (heavy sweater so need plenty of fluids). I had 2 x 950ml bottles with 94g carbs in each (High 5) and 750mg sodium in each (Precision Hydration). I also filled up the integrated BTA bottle on the Trek Speed Concept, but noticed that it leaks quite heavily - I even used black tape to try and fix it but it didnt work, so there should have been ~700ml in there but with the leakage a lot less I would say. I though I kept on top of things well, but by the time I got off the bike, I still had the guts of 3/4 of a 950ml bottle left. So by my calculations:

Fuel: ~85g carbs per hour

Fluids: ~800ml per hour

Electrolytes: ~700mg sodium per hour

Fuelling not too bad, fluids okay but would like to have a bit more on board due to my sweat rate, and sodium: WAY less then Lough Cutra, and I think this worked much better.

One big difference between this performance and the bike performance at Lough Cutra - I chose to ride at a lower cadence: 77rpm here versus 86rpm at Lough Cutra. Why? It helps to keep HR lower, and I have been working more on pushing a big gear. This was my best power so far this year, and only ~20w lower than my all time best 70.3 power - pretty chuffed with that as Im only touching the surface of getting back up there!

Run: I headed into T2 in 4th place. Getting off the bike and onto the run felt a lot different this time around versus Lough Cutra. I could actually run to start with! The goal again was to keep steady, try to hold composure as best as possible and run steady. Goal pace was ~ 4:30min/km, but I didnt really look at my watch as I was dialled into how I was feeling and controlling my effort as best as I could. I raced in the Nike Vaporfly, but to be honest, I never really feel that comfortable running off the bike in them. I wear barefoot minimalist shoes daily (have done for the past 4-5 years) and have found huge improvement in my strength and mobility in my feet, ankles, calves. You get to really feel your foot contact with the ground, and strengthen all the muscles and ligements by using them, versus wearing heavily cushioned and high heel shoes takes this away completely. So when I was running in the vaporfly's off the bike I felt uncomfortable and was missing that "feel" for the ground. I will contemplate using one my Altra Runners next time around - neutral zero drop brand of runners with a wide toe box. Anyway, I was running at around 4:15-4:30 pace for the first 5km or so, then could feel it slipping away from me. Effort level was pretty comfortable, I just didnt have the energy to push or "race" the run - it just felt like surviving the run again. Better than last time, but still feeling like I didnt have anything to give. I kept on top of gels and fluids as I raced with my NerdBelt, and took on coke at the aid stations, but it just kept me ticking along. Those who were able to "race" the run and push on eventually started passing me out and I didnt have anything to respond. So 4th place was eventually wittled down to 11th by the finish line. Happy to have finished this race this time around, good swim solid bike, and survived the run again. Faster than last time, but still without being able to push!

Fuel: Maurten gels at the start, km 4, km 8, km 12, km 16. 

Fluids: 400ml water 

Sips of coke at aid stations

Time: 1:38:36

Distance: 20.9km

Avg Pace: 4:43min/km

Avg Power: 302w

Overall Position: 11th

Age Group: 3rd

Progress over Perfection! Overall still way off the mark of where I know I can get to. But when I look back on the progress made since the last race: The swim was ~ 1 minute faster. On the bike I held 20w more. On the run I ran 11 minutes faster / held 20w more. So this was definitely a good step forward and was proof that I built some good fitness in training over the period between the two races!

Each race is such a good learning curve and its also a great way to boost fitness when you recover from then and absorb the work that was done. So there are many good reasons to race!

If you got this far - Thanks for reading!

Stay tuned for the next one :)

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Cillian Moffat

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