Thursday, December 24, 2009

Seasons greetings...


Merry Christmass and happy new year from Sligo City Triathlon Club; club activities start back early in January, some dates to keep in mind:

Running training will resume again on 20th January (meet at the IT car park at 6pm). Club cycle training continues on Saturday mornings from Markievicz Park –meet at 9am.

Pool training will continue in January with an additional Tuesday night coaching session; anyone interested in taking part in this, or the Friday session should contact sligocitytriathlon@gmail.com.

And for anyone looking to join in the new year the club will be holding an information evening on Monday 11th January at 8pm in Connollys on Markievicz Road.

New year lung buster...

A (very) early season race to kick things off in 2010...
Sunday 3rd January 2010@12 NOON -CALRY AC Trolley Dash
Registration from 11am at Marian Hall.
"Run a scenic 6k in Calry and guess your time- closest times win Shopping Vouchers…..Every little bit helps!!"
NO WATCHES ALLOWED!!!
Entry €10.00 with Tea/Coffee and refreshments provided
SPOT PRIZES ON THE DAY……

CONTACT: ZOLA FLYNN 071 9143046 or JOHN ELLIOTT 086 6286860

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Rosses Point Christmas swim

For all the hardy triathletes out there this years Christmass day swim commences at 12 noon at Rossespoint Yacht Club -Sligo Athletic Club are running beforehand; for anyone who thinks freezing water just won't be enough of a session(meet at 10.15 at entrance to golf club).

Sunday, December 20, 2009

ATTENTION ALL SWIMMERS...

December saw the club run our second Pool Video Analysis Session. This time we had an underwater as well as a dry land camera. This meant we were able to get footage silultaneously from the front and the side of each swimmer both above and below the water. This is an invaluable tool since it allows for identification of good and bad stroke techniques and correction if required.
This is something the club will aim to run every six weeks or so in the new year and with the extra swim session on Tuesday night helping this.


For anyone who took part in the session please contact Swim Co Ordinator Shane O'Doherty at sligo.city.try@gmail.com for access to your clips.
Take some time to look through your video from all angles above and below water. We're going to try and set up an analysis session of all the video more details to follow but let me know if anyone has any specific questions on their clips

Thanks go to Colm Casey and Mark Capillitan for their help in running the session

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Additional info on the 2010 cycle season...

Thanks got to Sligo City Tri Club cycling officer Colm Casey for the following advice to anyone who is tempted to give bike racing a go in 2010...

Cycle racing is a great opportunity to get quality fast road miles in a non boring way from March right through the summer.

Racing is great for building endurance/speed and most importantly bike skills. Anyone who is training regularly on Saturdays/Sundays will be well able to race in the coming year and racing will improve your bike splits.

Cycle races are great for preparation for the triathlon season. Category A4/A3 races will most likely be between 50-70k in the early season. The average speed usually ends up around 23- 25 MPH. You wont get that in training.

Combined races or Open races will usually be a 70k-120k. In 2010 it looks like category 4 races will be run separately or with a handicap from category A3/2. The majority of races will be either categorised (separate races or they are handicapped).

The Eire Og club races are on the weekend of the 20th of March and would be something for members to aim for in the early season. The connacht league races are well handicapped according to category and there is one a month all season. There are plenty of races in connacht this year so travelling long distances will be a thing of the past.

If you want to race you will need a racing licence. A racing licence will cost approx €100 for the year. A one day licence fee is approximately €10 per race and you can enter on the day (These are limited depending on the size of the entry to a race). A race usually costs around €10 to enter on the day. A stage race will cost a little higher but this is for 3 days of racing.

Note: In 2010 Cycling Ireland are going to be strict on club gear/ trade gear. The simplest explanation is you either race with a registered club and in their teams gear and colours or you race as a unattached racer with plain shorts/Jersey (you cannot turn up as lance armstrong or in any other trade teams jersy/shorts).
Anyone interested in cycle racing for the coming season or might be interested in racing with Eire Og give me a call (0876811197) or email (casey.colm@gmail.com). The Eire og club are currently registering riders and ordering new club gear for 2010. There is no membership subscription for the club.

See the 2010 Cycling Ireland race calendar for more details of upcoming races.

2010 SLIGO CITY TRIATHLON ANNOUNCED


Sligo City Tri Club's flagship race is to be held on SATURDAY, 31st JULY 2010. The race is the latest in a long tradition of trisport races held in the Rosses Point venue. This years event will be over the international 'sprint' distance, ie. 750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run. Any non-members interested in competing in this (or any of the events in what will be a busy 2010 local trisport calendar) can come along to a club open evening set for 11th of January in Connollys bar on Markevicz road for advice on training etc... only 224 training days left!

Monday, December 14, 2009

New Cycling Ireland Category for 2010

A new novice/ beginner category has been introduced into cycle racing in Ireland for the 2010 season. Known as A4 it may suit tri-athletes looking to give bicycle road racing a try. Cycling Ireland intend to run races on this category as standalone events, or handicapped from the higher A3 category. It may give an opportunity to race for people travelling to a race “for a bit of fun” and not looking to mix it with an experienced pack of competitive riders. More details can be found at irishcycling.com, see also the local bike club websites: Eire Og CC, Innisfree Wheelers CC

See below for the latest on Sligo City Tri Club bike training. The club is also planning a two day bicycle coaching course for mid January. Details will be announced shortly.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Saturday Spin

After the past few weekends of swim coaching and driving wind and rain it was a welcome change for club members to get back on their bikes for the Saturday spin in what were beautiful sunny and dry conditions. There was a group of eight riders with five from Sligo Triathlon along with the usual heads from the Eire Og cycling club.
The route took us out to Strandhill from our starting point of Markievicz Park, then around to Ballisodare, Coolooney, Ballintogher and then into Dromahair when we headed back to town.
It was a nice steady spin with the terrain remaining pretty flat apart from the few hills along the stretch from Dromahair back ot town.
The group were out for two and a half hours at this stage when some riders headed for home with the last few heading in the direction of Rosses Point to finish of the session.
The next group cycle is leaves from Markievicz Park on Saturday at 9am sharp.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

St.Stephens day run

For any triathletes looking to get some holiday season running in there is another festive run being held nearby -this one is a 5k, and is in south Sligo, details are;
Cloonacool GAA 5km Road Race
Cloonacool, Co. Sligo
St. Stephen’s Day 11am
Start: Community Pitch Cloonacool
Entry: On the day from 10:15 at pitch
Fee: €10
Runners, Joggers, Walkers all welcome
Changing and shower facilities available
Refreshments afterwards
Prizes
1st 3 men
1st 3 women
Spot Prizes

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

CLUB MEETING

There is a club meeting this Friday December 11th in the GAA room of Sligo Sports Complex at 6pm . All members are encouraged to attend.

Agenda:
  • All Ireland Metalman 2009
  • Club aims and Objectives 2010
  • Club Events 2010
  • Membership supscriptions 2010
  • Swim Training 2010
  • AOB

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Bundoran New Years Day 8k road race

For anyone looking to cure a new years eve hangover Tír Chonaill AC are running an 8k road race in Bundoran on New Years Day.

Entry is €10 for seniors, €5 for juniors and €3 for kids, and includes t-shirt and goody bag. Proceeds go to St.Vincent de Paul.

The course records are; Men 26:18, Women 29:27. Meet at Bundoran GAA grounds at 10am.
Phone 0871411227 (Paddy Donoghue) or check out the link above for more details.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

New Club Board Elected


Following the AGM a new board has been elected to run Sligo City Triathlon Club.

This board will continue to build on what was a sucessfull year for the club, the highlights of which included the re-introduction of the All Ireland Metalman triathlon to Sligo, a summer Metalman swim series and a bike TT league run with the Eire Og Cycling Club.

Thanks go the previous board and club members who helped develop the sport in town over the last year.

The new board consists of:

Chairman: Colm Casey
Assistant Chair: Neil Walton

Secretary: Cecilia Mc Guinness
Assistant Secretary: Wayne McNulty

Treasurer: Stephen Carty
Assistant Treasurer: Roy Kelly

Swim training officer: Shane O'Doherty
Cycle training officer: Colm Casey
Run training officer: Damien McSharry

Public relations officer: Brian Sexton

Social officer: Jason McMorrow

Next year promises to be a busy one for the sport of triathlon in Sligo town with two sprint events, the continuation of the Metalman swim series and TT league, a couple of aquathlons and the annual 'try' on the proposed menu for anyone looking to compete in the sport. The club is also looking to expand the swim coaching to another session in order to accomodate new members.

The next club meeting will take place in the Regional Sports Centre at 6pm on Friday 11th December (next Friday). This time should suit anyone who takes part in the club swim coaching. The meeting will discuss upcoming events and will be a good opportunity for anyone who missed the AGM to have some input.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Calry AC 'Turkey Trot' Cancelled

Due to the death of Michael Cunningham the Calry Turkey Trot scheduled for next Saturday at 12 noon has been cancelled. Michael, who had been living in Limerick, had been Associated with local Athletics in the past. Condolence are passed to his Family.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Winter Swim Coaching Review


Thanks to Wayne McNulty for the following review of last weekends intensive swimming course, looks like there could be some fast swim times posted next season...

Last weekend saw seventeen members of the club attend the first triathlon swimming specific workshop in the region. London based outfit Swimfortri.com made the trip from across the pond to give the three day training course.
The weekend kicked off in the Regional Sports Centre with introductions from Dan and the team, along with instructions on what participants could hope to expect over the weekend. Into the pool and it was time for drills with a taster of all the technique specific drills that would crop up over the following days. A review from Dan followed the evening session and left the group looking forward to the following two days in Avena leisure centre.
Saturday morning saw club members gather shortly before 7am for a bit of dynamic stretching pool side warming up the muscles, which was definitely something that is neglected by most swimmers in the usual rush for the pool.
Into the 20 metre pool and the group was split into two with Dan concentrating on one half while the other got the attention of assistant coaches Keely and Fabiola. Again the emphasis was put on quality drills trying to break bad swim techniques and encourage new, more efficient stroke patterns. Among these were drills to improve every aspect of the stroke from efficient breathing, extension, rotation, good leg kick with all of these aspects combined working toward good streamline body position in the water. Next on the agenda was the video recording of everybody’s front-crawl stroke from the front and, again, from the side.
After lunchtime grub the group met in studio 3 for playback and analysis of their techniques by the Swimfortri team. This was possibly the highlight for most club members as the opportunity to view their swim footage along with an expert opinion made for a much clearer picture of areas to concentrate on in order to improve their technique further.

The day was wrapped up with Keely showing us some dry land exercises to help improve flexibility, core strength and overall conditioning which aim to enable a swimmer maintain a good body position in the water for longer without loosing good form.

The coaching returned back to the pool again on Sunday morning for more drills, where there was more emphasis on the on the “catch”. The session consisted of individual and paired drills to help improve timing, hand placement, hand entry and recovery and pull through the water, while in effect reducing our stroke count for a length. Another bit of filming followed, this time from above along with ‘torpedo’ drill, and a rerun of yesterdays filming to see if we made any improvements from the previous day.
The weekend finished in Studio 3 of the Avena centre for the last hour or two, where participants got to see the footage. There was a visible improvement in many members technique from the first day with everybody taking a lot of positives from their new technique; along with knowledge of areas they can make more gains in order to shave seconds or even minutes off their swim times.
The improvements don’t stop there though as all participants are awaiting their swim footage along with a personal program which they can incorporate into their training over the rest of the winter. Note: There is a DVD containing all the swimfortri drills with this months Triathlon 220 magazine.

Overall it was a very enjoyable weekend with a great balance of pool time and swim theory. It was great to get people of that calibre over on our door step which would otherwise mean having to travel to Dublin or abroad to partake in such a professional training camp. Congratulations must go to Colm Casey who did all the graft, booking and organisation for the Swimfortri team, and made the weekend possible for the club.

***AGM THIS FRIDAY @ 9pm in the Glasshouse***


The reconvened club AGM for Sligo City Tri Club will take place this Friday (4th Dec) at 9pm in the Glasshouse. All members are asked to attend. Drinks afterwards in Connollys.


The agenda:


-Treasurers Report - Final Club Account 2009
-Treasurers Report - All Ireland Metalman Final Account 2009
-Members Secretary report
-Training officers Report
-Election of New board
-AOB