Triathlone - Excercise Tiger

On April 28, 1944, in south Devon on the English coast, Allied forces rehearsed their roles for the Utah Beach landings of the D-Day invasion months in advance. These practice landing exercises were referred to as Exercise Tiger.

So here I am 44 Days before my own personal D-Day on the shores of Lake Michigan and I'm facing an exercise of tigerish proportions in less than 34 hours time. My first ever Triathlon event is taking place in the midlands town of Athlone and is known as TriAthlone. It is one for which I have trained extremely hard for but am extremely nervous about.

In preparation for the event I've been doing some research and I found out that Setanta did a documentary about the 07 TriAthlone event.

TriAthlone 07 - The Sprint Race - Setanta documentary

Part 1


Part2


Part3


Having watched the documentary I must admit that whatever fear or nerves I had before watching this was fear in ignorance. Now its just plain old terror.

To Shave or not to Shave?

To shave or not to shave is there really a question? It seems actually that there is. I rented my wetsuit at the weekend (I’ll deal with that one later) and I was sitting at home that evening doing some research on open water swimming. I was looking for tips and tricks on getting the best performance when I found some very interesting info. I also stumbled across a rather strange triathlon phenomenon. While surfing on one of the better triathlon sites http://www.trinewbies.com I discovered a topic called Tips on Shaving.

Most recently this area has been spoken about in relation to Gavin Henson the Welsh Rugby Player. Aside from the Hair Gel and fake tan, Gavin is famous for shaving his legs. Now while I can’t speak for the fake tan I could entertain the idea that shaving your legs may have very minor benefits for a rugby player. One could argue that there is less friction in a rugby tackle as the legs are smoother there is also the possibility of less wind resistance when running. Now while I don’t personally believe this has any merit to this practice for rugby players does this translate to Triathlete’s?

In a section called The Real Reasons Tri-Guys Shave Their Legs I discovered that shaving can help a tri athlete in 4 main ways. And I quote

1. Aerodynamics – With regards to cycling, this is one reason I have a hard time believing. Shaving to become “aero” applies to swimmers primarily and we will touch on that in a moment.
2. The Bike Crash – There’s an old adage that applies to cyclists and it goes something like this - “there are two types of cyclists, those that have fallen (wiped out) and those that will.” If you have never experienced the pure joy of feeling your elbow, hip or the palms of your hand become one with the asphalt, then be patient…you will! Especially, if you plan on sticking with this sport. The more mileage you put on your bike, the higher the odds of you being inaugurated into this unfortunate club. So, the shaved legs, I am told, helps the healing process – no hair to contribute to infection and Band-Aids peel off much easier.
3. The Rub-Down. I have heard that rubdowns and/or massages, are more affective when applied to a hairless leg.
4. Keeps You Cooler. Finally shaved legs are much cooler than hairy legs in the hot summer.

Even armed with this information I was still not convinced. There must be some valid scientifc reason why a hair less body is more beneficial in a race of this type, there must be more to this than pure vanity. So I continued my research.

I like many of you love to watch the Olympics and eagerly await the Bejing games this year. Ever since Michelle Smiths win in the Olympics in 2000 I have kept an eye on the world of Swimming and one thing I have never seen at these events is a swimmer with body hair. Seriously now do a search on google or live.com and find me a picture of a swimmer with hairy arms and legs. If you do try and find out if he has ever won a race. Arms's, legs, back and chest all as bare as the day they were born. I wondered was there seriously something to this......then I found out why.

Now I'm not an overly hairy person. Ok maybe a bit but I'm certainly no Chewbacca like wookie-man. But when I bought my Triathlon Wetsuit (10 days ago) I discovered that body hair is not condusive to a comfortable experience in a wetsuit. If you can picture sitting in a body encompassing Sauna, with the heat on maximum but your hands feet and head on the outside, than that is what it felt like. Barry was standing there in front of me cracking himself up laughing at me, because I'm loosing half my body weight in sweat and I've only been in the thing for less than 2 minutes.

So now I have dilema. For comfort, for speed, to be one of the triathlete gang or simply to not pass out from the heat of the wetsuit before I can get onto the water. Maybe this small bit of sacrifice will help me reach my ultimate goal of finishing the race in second last place or above. So To Shave or not to Shave. There really is no question.

Show me the Money

The training is going well, the bikes have been serviced and the wet suits have been ordered. Barry and I are booked to partake in the TriAthlone http://www.triathlone.com/ on the 12^th July so as to give us an idea of how much more work is needed before the big one in August.

What is not going well however is our Fundraising efforts. Being the shy unassuming blokes that we are, we have not exactly been actively asking people for sponsorship until now. In the upcoming month we have a few events organised to help in our efforts to raise money. First on the Calendar is our Table Quiz night. This event has been booked for 19:30 Wednesday 23^rd of July in the R McSorley's In Ranelagh http://www.dublinpubscene.com/thepubs/rmcsorley.html.
There will be teams of 4 at €40 per table.

On the night there will be Craic agus Ceol, Questions and Answers as well as a draw for a Raffle. Tickets for the Raffle will be on sale from Monday 30^th June at €5 each and the prizes include the following:

• An Xbox 360 + Games
• 5 Day Return Stenna Line Voucher for a Car and 4 Passengers
• A Mountain Bike

Please contact Shane Galligan, Barry O’Sullivan or myself John O’Brien if you would like to attend or would like to purchase a ticket in the raffle.

On behalf of Barry, Shane and myself a big THANKS to everyone for your support to date and over the coming weeks. If you need a reminder of the good cause your support goes towards, click on the picture below for more details.

Athy Triathlon

Here is an update on a sprint triathlon which I took part in last weekend. The race was in Athy and this would be my second event of this type, since I had starting training 6 weeks ago for the Children’s Hospital triathlon. And while looking forward to it, I was apprehensive about the river swim (750m), as this would be my first real experience outside the safe confines of a heated swimming pool.

The sunshine was beaming down and upon arriving and seeing two fields full of parked cars, I quickly realised that this was a bigger event, than I had anticipated. Actually over a thousand people were taking part from a variety of countries. After registration, we made our way down to the transition zone to leave our bicycles and running gear before starting the swim. The event had been organised that groups started at different times, so as to help spread out the large number of participants. As we were setting up, the first group had just finished their swim and were entering the transition zone. One man from this group, started to change beside me for the cycle stage. With a look of exhaustion from the swim, he started to wrestle the wet suit off himself. Unfortunately for him, the wetsuit was the stronger and in the process he ended up falling flat on his back, with the jeers of the crowd to help make getting up all the more difficult. I thought to myself, maybe I was right to be concerned about the swim.

Our group was called and we hurriedly put on our wetsuits and made our way to the swim starting point. The heat from the summer sun and a 5mm thick wetsuit made me feel like a mobile sauna. That was soon rectified when I jumped in the River Barrow. It seems that Irish water is invincible from the sun's heat. A hundred of us swam over to the starting point and waited for the signal. Thankfully it came quite soon and we sprung into action. There was a huge surge at the start, as the group jostled for position. Arms and legs were flying everywhere and the skill seemed to be in dodging this ‘kung-fu’ styled swimming. Quickly the field did spread out and the focus was now on getting up river. I remembered John telling me the day previous about practising being able to look both sides when swimming. And although I had tried to start doing this, I still could only look & breath to my right. This deficit quickly became apparent as I noticed half way up the river, that I had started swimming at a right angle to the oncoming swimmers. Luckily I didn’t cause a pile up in the river and quickly steered myself back into the moving traffic.

Upon finishing the swim, I staggered over to the transition zone to start the cycle. The cycle was an area that I really wanted to make progress on since the last event. I made it around the 20km of cycle course and was happy that I had managed to keep a constant speed. With the cycle complete, I had two events down and just the run to complete. The run started off by running along the canal and although not appreciated at the time, it was a nice setting. When I got about two km out into the run, I could feel my ears popping, due to the swim which I had completed almost an hour ago. As strange a sensation as it was at the time, I now had the benefit of being able to hear my dog-like panting and my weakening heart pound again, which was a real comfort as it had been a while since I had heard either. Continuing into the run I did feel as if I was making really good progress, as I could see the finishing point in the town up ahead. I could feel the recovery & satisfaction of crossing that line. As I neared, the race marshals were ahead and pointing to the left back towards the canal. My emotions quickly changed as they started telling the runners that we had to do another loop of the canal route (2km), before heading onto the finish. So much for breaking any records.

As a neared the finish line for the second time, I pushed my tired legs on and finally got across it. On the day itself, I was happy with my progress. I had improved since the first event, and the training was starting to show. However this race was only half the distance of what John, Barry & I will need to cover in the charity triathlon in late August and from the tiredness I felt after this event, it is a clear sign that there is a lot more training which needs to be done. We are working hard at both the fitness levels and the fund-raising and between the two, there will be very little spare time between now and late August. But the sacrifices made will easily be justified by the gains we all will be offering to such a worthy cause as Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital.

All Quiet on the Western Front

As I'm sure you have all noticed its been a quiet few weeks on the blogging front. The reason for this is that I am currently sitting in a hotel room in Bellevue about 20mins drive from downtown Seattle in the Evergreen State of Washington on the West coast of the US. I've just finished my 3rd week and am 2 days away from going on Holiday to Lost Wages, Nevada.

So what have I been up to? How has my training been going? I can answer both question in 2 answers. Working and Badly. I have managed to do alot of swimming while I've been here but not as much as I had hoped for.

Today however I am very proud of myself. I managed to swim 1500m this morning in just over an hour and 15mins. It is the longest swim I have managed since my training began back in April. It is a measure for me that I am definitely getting fitter because once finished I felt like I could have continued for a few more laps.

How did I do it? I worked out that the 1500m required 70 laps of the hotel pool. So I broke the swim into 18 (17.5) reps of 4 laps each. Once I got the breathing right I managed 12 laps in a row without stopping.

While I am sitting here very proud of myself I am in more pain than I have been in a very very long time. My shoulders, arms, legs, neck and back are burning up. I haven't felt this sore since I got sunburnt in the south of Spain when I was 10 years old. I can only imagine how sore I will be tomorrow.

A mad few days in Las Vegas is awaiting me from Wednesday morning. It begins with the Champions League Final which kicks off an hour after my plane lands in LV. It concludes with an 21 hour plane and car trip to the Home of Irish Rugby starting Friday morning to see if Munster can repeat the heroics of 2006.

So with all that excitement only days away and severe muscle pain ahead of me tomorrow, 2 more days of quietness of the western front is just what i need.

Full Circle

My name is Barry O’Sullivan, I’m 6’4” and while my time for the 100 metres (on land) has not been officially clocked, I’m definitely faster than JOB... FACT! I put my hand up from the start because it was I who first put the idea of a taking part in the Chicago Triathlon to John and Shane, the most athletic, competitive and motivated men I have ever met ...FACT!

My first encounter with the notion of a triathlon occurred while spending a J1 summer in the Windy City. On one particular drunken Sunday morning a group of us happened to be stumbling home from another late bar to discover that our normal route was closed due to the “Chicago Triathlon”. Overburdened with the hassle of trying to find another way home we sat and watched these “mental people” cycling up and down the lakeshore. During the course of “shouting encouragement” at the competitors, I quite naively suggested how hard would it really be to do a triathlon?! Now the aspiration to become a “mental” person is in full motion! Hence, a return to the scene of the crime is imminent and I have no doubt there will a new crop of J1er’s heckling from the sidelines!

In global terms, the Accenture Chicago triathlon is not only the largest but definitely one of the most competitive! Its popularity continues to grow year on year and it’s a must on the circuit for elite tri-athletes. It’s about to get a whole lot more competitive... the 3 fat men will be flying the Limerick, Kildare and the Meath flags respectively and taking into account that most Olympians will be in Beijing this August, we’re quietly confident of taking the bookies to the cleaners J please bet early and bet often: http://www.cmrf.org/SponsorshipManager/Usr_EventDonation.asp?EventId=75

In real terms, this event is all about the betting and this is one bet you’re guaranteed to win! The trials and tribulations we will experience and document for your entertainment, pales into insignificance in comparison to the daily miracles performed in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin. To echo John’s sentiments this event is much greater than any of us... we are doing this to raise awareness, to generate funds, to help the staff and patients, to bring a smile and to give children a future. We now need your help!

Nobody Calls me Chicken.

OK so there I was. 2 sessions into my training plan. Feeling pretty good about myself after finishing my first proper swim. Doing the crawl with my goggles, hat, with the breathing and the kicking of the legs. Basically the whole shebang.

So I'm driving home afterwards trying to figure out what I'd have for a healthy tea when I decided to get a chicken sandwich from a local (unnamed) shop. Good I thought to myself a nice plate of pasta for lunch and a sandwich for tea. How healthy am I? Now I know everyone says that loads of different foods taste like chicken. Well let me tell you now. It all tastes the same in reverse :(.

5 days later and 7 pounds lighter let me just say I have never experienced anything like the dose of food poisoning I've just survived. I still don't feel right. If this is God testing me for this triathlon then he has started with a whopper. While my resolve remains steadfast my training plan has taken a hit. 7 days in and only 2 days training completed. I do hope to get back on the saddle (I mean this literally) tomorrow morning and try to make up for my missing days this week.

1 thing I can confirm for all you good people is that I'm never eating chicken again. I realise that I use the words "I'm never (insert word) again" a lot. Generally they can be heard muttered around 6 nations Mondays or Heineken Cup Sunday mornings but this time I mean it. Its been added to my list of Tequila, Jack Daniels and Brussels Sprouts as my Kryptonite.

Triathlon - What was I thinking....

"A triathlon is an endurance sports event consisting of swimming, cycling and running over various distances. "

Standard race distances
The International Triathlon Union (ITU) accepts a 5% margin of error in the cycle and run course distances.

Name: Sprint
Swim: 750 m(0.5 mi)
Bicycle: 20 km(12.4 mi)
Run: 5 km(3.1 mi)
Notes: A 500 m swim is also common. The Sprint Distance is the fastest growing triathlon race distance in the United States

Name: Olympic
Swim: 1.5 km(0.93 mi)
Bicycle: 40 km(24.8 mi)
Run: 10 km(6.2 mi)
Notes: Also known as "international distance", "standard course", or "short course".

Name: Full
Swim: 3.8 km(2.4 mi)
Bicycle: 180 km(112 mi)
Run: 42.2 km(26.2 mi) marathon
Notes: Also known as "long distance" or "Ironman triathlon".[2]

The Chicago Triathlon is an Olympic standard.

Training Session 1

Week 1 Day 1.
Weight 15stone 6pounds

My training plan for the first 4 weeks provided by my local gym consists of a 4 day weekday
schedule and a weekend cycle.

Monday: 1 Hour Run 30min Swim
Tuesday: 1 Hour Run 30min Swim
Thursday: 1 Hour Run 30min Swim
Friday: 1 Hour Run 30min Swim
Saturday: Open Road Cycle

To build up to this routine it was recommended for the 1st 2days to do 30minutes on the bike followed by a 30min Swim. My times and distances can be seen in the Workout Results link located in the links section on the right of the page.

I just about completed both 30 minute routines.

• 17km Cycle in 30Min's.
• 14laps of a 25M pool.

One way to look at it is that I can only improve from here :)

You only Lose if you Quit

Firstly let me welcome you to the 3 Fat Men and a Lady Blog spot.

My name is John O'Brien, I am 6foot tall, dark hair, I can run 100m in 12.2seconds and I have a six pack. If you have ever played the game 4 truths and a lie you will have guessed that only 1 of the above is true. My name is John O'Brien, I am 5f 11", its about 10 years (more say some) since I had dark hair and the only 6 pack I saw lately was in an off license.

I am a huge rugby and soccer supporter in layman's terms what is commonly referred to as an armchair supporter. I talk a good game, shout at the players when they do what I perceive to be wrong but if I had a football at my feet or a rugby ball in my hands I would struggle to actually dribble around or sidestep my armchair.

About a month or so ago Barry (who will introduce himself to you all soon) asked me if I wanted to get fit. Excellent I thought; Barry has discovered a new way to get fit and loose weight without actually exercising. "Sure" I said "What do you have in mind". Barry suggested we do a Triathlon. For some reason before my brain actually processed what he had said my mouth had replied "Ya that would be fun". It is because of this that I am here writing for you all on this the first day of my training program.

To understand what exactly this event means to me you need to know something about me. I am as lazy as anyone you will ever meet. If the battery's were gone in the TV remote control I could end up watching Judge Judy for hours rather than get off the couch and change the channel. My boss said to me in my last review that I wasn't a finisher. I have great intentions, spirit and drive in starting things up. It was the closing them out where I let myself down. This was possibly the first time anyone described me so perfectly in such a short sentence since my 1st year Irish teacher told me my digestive system was quicker than my brain.

Now don't get me wrong I'm not a selfish person. If a friend asked me to give him a kidney it would be done without hesitation. It is generally things for myself I fail to finish. If Barry had said to me about joining a running team or a cycling club I would have joined, gone a few times and then my "dodgy" knee injury would have flared up.

This event however is much bigger then me. The training, the effort, the fund raising the 1500m Swim, the 40K cycle, the 10K run, its not about getting fit. Its about the kids. Its about the charity, the hospital, the lives that are saved and the families that are reunited. Anybody can give 10Euro not everyone gives their time.

I'm putting this blog up for all to witness:

• I will raise this money.
• I will finish this race.
• Getting fit is just a bonus.

"You only lose if you quit" is my motto for this event and I am not going to lose this one.