Cycling Training Camp

This weekends training camp is going ahead. The final programme is below. There are around 20 club members registered and a few cyclists. The majority of participants that have registered are beginners and first year triathletes therefore the focus will be on these categories for the weekend. There are a limited number of places available so please contact : connachtcycling@gmail.com

Training Camp 27th & 28th November- Teeling Centre (Colloney)


Saturday. Coach Jay Daly

9.30 -10.00 - Sign on
10.15 - Turbo session 1, Warm up & Base Training Programmes (Possible Cycle Skills, depending on weather)
1.45 – Core strength workout
12.45 – Lunch
13.45 – Bike maintenance
14.30 – Diet for training & recovery
15.00 - Aerodynamics
15.30 – Turbo session 2, Strength training for TT (or bike skills)
16.30 – Finish

Sunday. Coach Padraig Marrey
9.30 -10.00 - Sign on
10.00 - Camp Briefing 15mins
10.15 - Spin split into 2 groups with coaches (or turbo, weather depending)
13.30 – Shower & Lunch
14.30 – Training preparation and program
15.30 – Q & A
16.00 – Injury prevention with Mark Foley
16.30 - Finish

Showers and lunch are available both days.
Road spins may vary depending on weather conditions.
Cost for the camp for 2 days is €50 or €30 for a single day.

Cycling training update

It’s the time of year again to dust off the bike and head out for a few damp miles. This year the club is organizing coached routes for all levels. You may have noticed the numbered “STC” arrows that have been appearing on junctions around the county –they are not part of a secret invasion plan (well, maybe sort of) but indicate the routes the club will be using. Thanks go to Ronan McNamara for putting in the hard work in getting the bike program ready. If anyone found the summer Thursday night sessions a bit intensive do not be put off theses ones as they will include specific beginner, intermediate and advanced groups with coaches for each. Of all three triathlon disciplines bike racing is covered by a huge array of (often expensive) equipment and gizmos, which can make it look as if you need to have a ton of gear to get involved. All you need to bring is a spare tube, pump, rain jacket (the kind you can stuff in a back pocket), mobile phone (use a jiffy bag to protect it from the elements) and water –as Sean Kelly once said “don’t buy upgrades –just go out and ride up grades”.

Details of the routes are on the link below and to the top left of the blog, meet at 9am on Saturday mornings at the Summerhill College roundabout –Ronan has also put together a printable description of the routes which can be downloaded here (.pdf).

Bike training routes.

New Training Timetable

Thanks to club coach Ronan McNamara for putting together the winter training schedule -it can also be downloaded as a .pdf file in the top left corner of this blog:

SLIGO TRIATHLON CLUB WINTER TRAINING SCHEDULE

Monday 0700 to 0800
Where: Sports Complex
What: Club swimming session during public hours
Cost: €4 or monthly membership
Tuesday 2000 to 2100
Where: Sports Complex
What: Running Session by club members
Cost: €F.O.C.
Tuesday: 2150 to 2240
Where: Sports Complex
What: Club swimming session with club coaches Shane and Colm
Cost: €Coaching fee applies
Wednesday:0700 to 0800
Where: Sports Complex
What: Club swimming session during public hours
Cost: €4 or monthly membership
Wednesday:1900 to 2000
Where: Smiths Toys (IT track from January)
What: Running drills and light conditioning session with Club coaches Sean and Ronan
Cost: €F.O.C.
Wednesday:2150 to 2240
Where: Sports Complex
What: Club swimming session with club coaches Shane and Colm
Cost: €Coaching fee applies
Thursday: 1845 to 2015
Where: Sligo Grammar School
What: Turbo training and conditioning session with club coaches Sean and Ronan
Cost: €Coaching fee applies
Friday: 0700 to 0800
Where: Sports Complex
What: Club swimming session during public hours
Cost: €4 or monthly membership
Friday:1900 to 2000
Where: Sports Complex
What: Club swimming session with club coaches Shane and Colm
Cost: €Coaching fee applies
Saturday: 0900 to 1200
Where: Summerhill College
What: Beginners and improvers bike skills and group cycle with club coach
Cost: €F.O.C.
Saturday:0900 to 1030
Where: Summerhill College
What: Intermediate (16-18mph) and Advanced (18-20mph) group cycle
Cost: €F.O.C.
Sunday: 0800 to 0900
Where: Avena Leisure
What: Club swimming session with club coaches Shane and Colm
Cost: €Coaching fee applies
Sunday:0930 to 1100
Where: Union Wood @ gate
What: Long Run for all abilities with club coaches and experienced runners.
Cost: €F.O.C.
Sunday:0900 to 1300
Where: Sligo IT
What: Monthly advanced club cycle and short run off the bike by club members
Cost: €F.O.C.

Sea2Summit –the race that kept on giving… pain

Four club members made the trip down to Westport last Saturday for the first running of the Sea2Summit adventure race (Conal Sexton, Leo Donlan, Gary Higgins and Brian Sexton) with Gary Higgins taking a well deserved sixth place on the day. The event involved a 4.5k run (hilly!), 8k bike, mountain run, 38k hilly bike and 4k run/obstacle course to wrap it up. Details are on the race website and a short Tv3 magazine piece is up on their website. Thanks to Brian for the race report:

“I remember an interview from a few years back where one of the top British cyclists was asked about the number of triathletes taking part in the national races –he dismissed them as ‘a bunch of fitness nutters who happily flog themselves at the front of the bunch all day just to get a workout’. Replace the words front of the bunch with mountain range and that is how I used to view adventure racers, and after last Saturdays race I stand by that opinion. Not to put anyone off doing the event, which was very well run with enthusiastic crowds lining the route and there is a short course option, but it is as tough as I’ve seen.
We headed down on the Friday night and after a runner nerd healthy tea and early to bed in the b&b we were set for the 9am kick off. A word of advice to anyone doing the event next year –stash a spare pair of runners, grub and a jacket at the foot of Croagh Patrick. The first run was steady with Conal, Leo and myself settling into the race in a pack of what looked to be experienced runners –Gary took off and that would be the last we saw of him all day! Adventure racing is draft legal so the first bike section was just a matter of sitting into a group for the spin.

The mountain itself is severe and makes the Warriors run seem easy, the high point was seeing Conal barrel down the thing in a cloud of dust and shingle –all those mountain rescues paid off in skill. The sting of the day was the bike route which was as severe as it gets with a one in four gradient to contend with. The final run and obstacle course seemed easy after this slog but Leo cramped up in the tunnel of tyres (bringing back memories of the first Father Ted episode ‘can we get a nurse to the obstacle course, a man has become lodged in the tunnel of tyres…’). In the end we all managed to finish inside the top half of the field –despite what I’ve written at the start of this report the race is a good way of keeping fitness up during the off season and is definitely unique.”

New Swim Session - Weds 24th Nov

We're very happy to announce that we're starting a new coached swim session next week. The sessions will be from 9:50pm to 10:40pm on Wednesday nights in the sports complex.

We will have club coaches Colm and Shane running the classes so there will be good coach to athlete ratios. As with the other sessions all abilities will be catered for whether you are shaving a few seconds off your times or trying to string a few lengths together.

Time in the complex is hard to come by but we will continue to push the complex in the new year to get the best slots we can.

This will be a short term of 4 weeks to take us up to christmas and will cost €25 which is very competitive when compared to other swim lessons/coaching.

If things go well we will continue this session into the new year.

This session is open to all club members even if you're already in one of the coached sessions and if it's you second coached session it allows us get some fitness/endurance/strength work done to compliment the technique work we're already doing.

A lot of people have already been in touch with me to reserve places, if you'd like to go email me shane_odoherty@yahoo.co.uk

You can register and pay the term fee on the night from 9:20pm in the public gallery in the complex. In the event of over subscription (all the other nights filled immediately) it will be first come first serve on weds night for registration so please come on time.

Centre Snorkels

The club coaches are introducing the centre snorkel as part of the tools we use in our coached swim sessions. There are lots of benefits to using this which apply to our newest swimmers all the way up to our quickest ones. The snorkel allows you to swim without needing to turn to breathe meaning you can develop other elements of the stroke without breathing getting in the way. I've been using one and find it very useful.

Barton Smiths are doing a 10% discount for club members on these snorkels meaning a cost of €25, cheapest i could find on the internet was €32 so it's a good deal and keeping the money local too. We will be beginning sets with these the week after next to allow people time to get them.

Any questions to shane_odoherty@yahoo.co.uk

Swim Video Analysis - Review

A review of the swim footage will take place on Tuesday 16th November at 8pm in Carraroe Community Hall (beside church at roundabout). The 10pm swim will go ahead as normal so we will finish by 9:45pm at the latest.

The review will be carried out in two groups by the coaches where each swimmers strengths and weaknesses will be explained used the video footage and drills or changes recommened to address faults.
We will be using overhead projectors for the footage but if anyone would prefer to have their footage reviewed one to one at the end, that's no problem just let us know on the night.

Everyone will get a CD with their footage (4 camera angles) on it to keep and to look at in more detail. This is all inclusive of the term fee for the swimming, there is no additional cost or for any other club members taking part.

Any questions to shane_odoherty@yahoo.co.uk