The cycling is real, the jogs are real but the scenery is totally on the screen, facing my turbo trainer, while we patiently wait for lockdown to ease. I have since last September completed the Camino, LEJOG, the Cabot Trail, the Ring of Kerry, Malin to Mizen, the St. Francis’ Way in Italy and , currently, am doing the Appalachian Trail.
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LEJOG ( virtually!)
As Covid continues to revish our world as we knew it, I continue to try and find a new reality. I can’t see much of the world reverting to the old norms. Crowds will threaten our peace of mind, airport tunnels , packed corridors, anything where the airspace is shared and potentially anyone could cough, sneeze, hyperventilate and the virus would be airborn. I think we will remember our Wordsworth and his sad but sharp statement that “shades of the prison house begin to close upon the growing boy” as gradually our horizons are lowered. I think we are heading that way.
My November 2020 challenge was Land’s End to John O’Groats. I was going to do 50 kilometres a day, seven days a week, no rest days mostly on a turbo trainer with a little swimming and running. I finished on November 29th!
With My Mission the route is a given – and it is a strange but wonderful ramble around England and Scotland where incredible names appear on your journey . Stonehenge, Stratford upon Avon, Oxford, Gretna Green, Hadrian’s Wall, Birnam Wood, Cawdor … names which combine to tell a history of Great Britain.
Stating at Land’s End and heading east as far as Bournemouth, turning north towards Oxford and Banbury (you don’t see the Cross) then Stratford and Coventry which is near enough to being 40% of the journey. All along the postcards keep coming , dated and giving the mileage completed and the mileage to do.
I used youtube and watched videos of people cycling LEJOG, watched Morse as I went through Oxford, listened to Gilbert and Sullivan going along the south coast.
You can look at Google Maps.
You can wear out or rust out …. as my dad used to say!
Waiting for MY Way – an Adventure!
Waiting for the Midelton Youghal Greenway to open I thought I would offer a little adventure – which could still work well when MY Way is open! This involves a little cycling and a walk through Glenbower Woods and then some more cycling.
So, what might we see? Well, we are going the back road to Killeagh via Clonpriest and Fanisk. If you like , you could stray a little off that road and visit Inchiquin Castle. This is one of the very few round tower castles and it was the home of a very remarkable widow – the Olde Countess of Desmond. She was called “olde’ because of her alleged great age – some say she was 140 when she died, others have higher and lower figures and some people even say she did not really exist all that time, and that imposters replaced her to keep the land. I am one of those who think she was real and very olde … maybe 104 years old, not more and probably not less.
The castle is deteriorating rapidly between the sea eating into the land and the lack of care. You can read more about it and her by clicking here
The backroad to Killeagh is not very complicated. You start on the main road out of Youghal towards Cork. After about a kilometre you turn left onto the R633 , the signpost says BALLYMACODA but you are going only a little part of that road. At the first crossroads you turn right. the signpost says YOUGHAL NURSING HOME. Cycle along this gentle country road, past the Nursing Home, past Clonpriest National School and Church.
About 2 kilometres later, on the same road, there is a sign CUL DE SAC – veer back on that road and you are at Inchiquin Castle ( it is not possible to visit).
Come back onto the road and carry on. There are two Y junctions, in both cases veer right. You are heading into Killeagh, passing the Killeagh stop of the MY WAY Greenway.
Now for the next part of the adventure. Turn right to head into the town of Killeagh and stop at the Old Thatch. behind the pub is a most beautiful woodland – Glenbower Woods where you could discover an old medieval roadway, an early Christian baptismal area, traces of the Great Famine, the basin of a dried up lake which fed the watermill below and lots more.
There are a number of colour coded routes to follow within the woods.
Getting back to Youghal… You could go on the main N25, it is wide and there is a good margin. You could go back the way you came, or …
You could go up the hill next to the Old Thatch. It isa bit of a drag but not too bad. Now when you get to the top of the hill, look for a sign that says INCH and head down that road and it brings you back to Youghal… it is part of the Ironman route.
A Virtual Challenge – the Camino
Have you ever tried a virtual challenge? A website called “The Conqueror Virtual Challenges” invite you to do just that. There are several challenges on various continents but you dint have to leave your own country.
The idea is you walk, run, cycle or swim and each activity is totted up. You can decide how much or how little you do each day. If you have a Smart Watch it will do it for you as will a Smart Phone. Or you do it manually but be careful not to duplicate!
On your challenge you will “virtually” pass through towns and villages – and you get a postcard telling you that you’ve arrived. I enjoyed at the most card and read about the town, watched it on Youtube. Every 10% of your journey you get an email saying how far your have come.
In my case I thought I would try some swimming, some cycling and some jogging. Initially I opted for 42 kilometres a week jogging, 6 kilometres a week swimming, add a few days cycling. I thought about 100 km a week would be good exercise. The Camino was my choice of challenge. There is no fixed distance for the Camino. There is a French route, a German route and Portuguese routes but all routes lead to Santiago.
“Iago” is Spanish for James. So Santiago is Saint James. I read a little about the story. Apparently a skull was found in Spain some thousand years after the execution of St. James. There is some story about cockle shells. It then got mislaid again and a few hundred years later we were told the skull was located again. And it was , we are told, the same skull! Pilgrims flocked to see and venerate the skull. They still do.
I won’t examine the legend of St. James in any detail but the suggestion is that the head of St. James is buried in the Cathedral of Santiago. It may be. I wondered why James was revered so much by people that the legend, true or not, gave people a focus for their desire to remember this man. Simply put the basic belief is that James was the brother of Jesus.
James, the person, is mentioned many times in the Bible. The precise analysis of the story is too much for a blog like this. We can say James was executed in the year 62. He was at the time the most senior figure in the fledgling church of Jesus. He was the “Bishop of Bishops” in the Jerusalem Assembly. Rome was not the centre then, Jerusalem was.
If James was the brother of Jesus that would explain why there is so much importance attached to him and to his head. Robert Eisenman has a fine book called “James, the brother of Jesus”, published by Watkins of London in 2002. You don’t have to believe all of this but it suggests a reason why James is remembered today, are than most other apostles, and why taking a lot of trouble to make your way (Camino) to Santiago is a profound Christian experience. Thousands of people over the centuries have taken this path. For many it was transformative. Perhaps spending time thinking to yourself is transformative.
I set out to do the Camino as a physical exercise. I really could not see myself doing the real thing. For me “l’enfer , c’est les autres”. Hell is other people. The thought of sharing a dormitory with a whole crowd of strangers, me trying to sleep while people are scratching and farting, snoring and groaning all around me is not my idea of a highway to heaven. No thanks! So doing a virtual Camino was wonderful, especially with Covid restrictions on travel and meeting people.
I had my plan – I would do some exercise each day, then at night watch some of the many Youtube videos on the Camino, watch Martin Sheen’s film “the Way”, read a little about the Camino, see where the next stage was going to bring me. I read Eisenman’s book and a few others. Like “Roads t Santiago” by Cees Nooteboom. The research and preparation is always exciting, like Christmas. Over and over I was driven to read bits about the lost books of the Bible, the stories behind the stories, the attempt to present a coherent image of Jesus.
I got hooked ! I did do the 42 km a week jogging and a little over 6 km a week swimming but the cycling went haywire and I did over 30 km a day for 16 days … my average was just over, in total, 48 km a day for 16 days between walking my dog, jogging, cycling and swimming. I was given 84 days to do the Camino, it took 16 but I was tired afterwards.
I have the t-shirt ! I’m now planning another challenge, maybe to do it not as intensely, maybe sticking to my 100 km a week of exercise average. And of course, no foreign travel, no fixed minimum distances per day.
Sunday 18th October … I am “virtually exploring the Cabot Trail” in Nova Scotia… tell you about it later!
The New Reality!
After lockdown, for the first week or so, I was dazed. My routine was gone . Usually I would go to the gym at before 6.30, do some workout , then have a swim. Gone! With the gym closed, the pool closed my routine was gone. Worse still there was a recommendation from the cycling clubs to not go out training. The triathlon clubs were saying much the same thing.
I began to plan a new routine … I could do my run indoors if I wanted , I could cycle indoors if I wanted! I pulled out my turbo trainer which I always found boring, hooked it to an old television in the den, where the children play, which then I connected with my iPhone to Youtube, there were “virtual cycles” and suddenly I had a new routine! I could cycle around Paris, London, the Alps, Turkey – anywhere.
The toys around gave a feeling of relaxed cycling but 40 minutes on the turbo trainer is great!
The indoor run is slower but I will get outdoors! Anyway for someone who cycles for pleasure not competition, I am starting to accept and even enjoy the new reality. But I miss the swim!
Lockdown !
The lockdown begins, most cycling events are now cancelled. In France , our club is suggesting we take a hard look at our need to be out on the road cycling – maybe we could train in a garage on the turbo.
The logic is clear – if you go out on the road you might be involved in an accident which could take badly needed resources away from somewhere else. Ant for what? did you really need to be on the road?
Makes sense ?
Training 11 – my first “try” Tri
Well, it has happened – yesterday I got an email from Vinnie Dowling, Race Director for TriLaois – the event is cancelled. In fact all events seem to be cancelled at the moment, all cycling club events in Ireland and France are off. Two options were offered for the TriLaois – defer the entry or get a refund.
I sort of expected this. I have a route planned from Youghal – it is 21 km not 20 km but the rest is the same. If I base myself at the Quality Hotel at Redbarn, Youghal then I can do the 400 swim in the pool there, then get on my bike and cycle to Killeagh and back (21 km) then put on the running shoes and do the run ( out to the cross roads and go straight through nearly to the Nursing Home. Just before it there is a large two storey house on your left, and a really large double roofed farmer’s shed . That is 2.50 km, turn around and come back to the Quality.
I did it this morning. (Sunday 15th March) On my own. The swim was slow (17 minutes) . I was doing to much with the pull buoy and had not “weaned” myself off! There was a lot of “sinking legs” and very little rhythm. An extra few weeks would have helped me a lot. But needs must!
The cycle was fine ( 54 minutes) – a bit windy, some drizzle, a bit cold ( 2 degrees at the start). The run was slow, 34 minutes . It was my first real effort at doing all three sections one after the other. More tiring than I expected. The total of 105 minutes plus some transition time brought it all in at under two hours.
I could save three minutes if the cycle was 20 km not 21, I could save a little if my swimming was better, I could save a lot if my transition area allowed me to lay out my gear, especially the bike. I was clumsy today.
Basically I left everything in the car and took it out as needed and afterwards put it back. On a good note I tried the sealskin socks – incredible, waterproof, warm – I used them for the cycle and left them on for the run. Yes they are a crazy price but worth it!
I don’t know if there will be other events this calendar year. I hope so.
A few conclusions :
I did not anticipate the effort needed to do all three disciplines immediately one after another. I was able to do the swim alone in 16 minutes, the run in 29 minutes, the cycle in 46 minutes but putting all three together was tough. I had little left in the tank at the end but not actually tired enough to give up – just no kick in the legs. Maybe the final three weeks of training would have made some of this easier. Especially the swimming.
I had not enough road running done – it takes more out of the legs than park runs or treadmill running. The road has lumps and bumps that effect your rhythm.
I was more tired after the event than I imagined – a second night in Portlaoise would make driving home a lot safer – ( once after the Race Around Ireland, I actually fell asleep at the wheel but an alert team mate caught the wheel in time!).
I think I should do better if my sights are set higher – In order words have something in reserve all the time – train for a slow 8 or 10 km run, or a 500 to 1000 metre swim or a 40 to 50 km cycle – when you start to do these together, the 5km run and the 400 metre swim will seem easy!
One thing I now realise – I did not use a single gel, energy bar – nothing! Let’s be realistic – it is only a 5 km run, only a 21 km cycle – the whole business is over in less than two hours. I had a water bottle for my bike , I usually put a little apple juice in mine ( maybe one sixth) which gives a little sugar, or sometimes if it is a long cycle I might put some coffee ! For my triathlon I did not use any gels or bars. Those gels almost freak me out – you get the impression you need one over 15 minutes, if you were doing a long cycle that is a lot of gel in your mouth, on your teeth, if you really do not need it. You could end up with seriously rotten teeth unless you rinse your mouth after taking the gel. That is where the second water bottle slot would come in handy.
Anyway I will persevere ! It has done me well to be training even if only to come last. It is great to be taking part. Vive la lanterne rouge! Wear out not rust out! That was what my dad used to say – he had lots of interesting sayings – “there is no point in having a brain unless you have a bit of neck to go with it”….. here are a few more :
- a tortoise can only move forward if he sticks his neck out
- To be successful in life you work only half days, and it does not matter which 12 hours you work
- It is better to wear out than rust out
- Never catch the eye of a drunk ( I grew up in a bar in a small hotel)
- Never look up or down at anyone
End of Try a TRI …. I did it !
Covid 19- a shuddering stop!
My event in Portlaoise has been cancelled and even though I half expected it, I am still disappointed. I am not sure howling the hotel will stay open so I am going to do my triathlon in Youghal but earlier than planned.
Training No 10 ..Contingency Plans!
The news about the Coronavirus is getting more alarming each day. A lot of events are being cancelled. All the Patrick’s Day parades in Ireland , some of the Rugby internationals, all Ireland Bridge finals – gone. I am worried the Triathlon will also be cancelled so I have a contingency plan ready – I will do it Youghal!
How do I manage it … Well I think I start in exactly the same way and do the swim in the hotel pool, 400 metres or 20 lengths and all of it will be timed from start to finish.
Ideally I will inveigle someone to keep the times and witness the event.
Then I go to my bike and cycle to Killeagh – this is 22 kilometres from the hotel but I am OK with that.
When I return I change into my running shoes and run on the road until I meet the cross roads for the Bog Road, run straight through the intersection in the same direction until I come to a large double green shed ( on my left hand side). This is 2.5 kilometres from the hotel, I turn around and run back. 5 km running!
Job done, shower waiting and jacuzzi . If I manage the times should be similar to what I am doing in training. I think I will do this as a training exercise anyway the week before Portlaoise. Plan B is ready !
Training No.9 – A Cycle
Every year about this time there is a Charity Cycle for Africa Direct. It is a lovely little cycle – just 40 kilometres, down one side of the harbour and up the other. I try to do it each year if I can. It used to be in January but the weather caused cancellations. At one point people referred to it as the 7 island cycle – because you cross Little Island, Jacob’s Island, Great Island, Fota Island, Hop Island…. you get the idea! I tend to leave early to avoid the crowds. This year they had the “feeding station” on the western side, before you cross on the ferry. That worked for me!
It is mainly flattish but there is one lump which you reach after you cross on the ferry , cross over the N25 and into Glounthane where you have a little hill to take you up and over and down into Glanmire. At its worst it is 12% but only for seconds. Then it is all downhill into Glanmire and you head up the dual carriageway into Cork. This is the hill, the graph is condensed so it looks worse than it is!
I timed myself to get some idea of how long it would take me to do 20 km. This morning it was 51 minutes – you cannot go very fast on the west bank. It is mostly a cycle path shared by walkers, joggers, runners and cyclists, in both directions. But it is scenic, past Blackrock Castle, down along the river bank, over in the car ferry.
I was pleased because I now have some more fixed targets in my head . Maybe 30 minutes for the run, maybe 50 minutes for the cycle,maybe 16 minutes for the swim plus a few minutes transition…. might I manage it all in 100 minutes ???? I have four weeks to go. Bring it on!
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