Italy 2005 Trip Report

Wednesday, February 01 2006 @ 09:28 PM GMT

For those of you who just can't decide whether or not to go on the warm weather training trip to Italy this year, here's a taster. The following is a trip report by Paj taken from the Triathlon Ireland rookies diaries. Don't forget to check out the photos from last year too.

Wednesday 27th May
Woke to fine italian sunshine! We arrived last night in Bologna and bussed to Cesenatico - home of the late Marco Pantani, Tour de France winner in 1998. There we settled into the very comfortable Hotel Beau Soleil, everyone excited and eagerly anticipating the week. After a buffet breakfast (I had a large one!) we hit the pool. An hour and a bit later, Lisa (our excellent, excellent, slightly evil swim coach) had sorted us into lanes and planned her torture for the week with us...

Session 1 over and we headed back to our rooms to get ready for our first cycle. 28 of us span out towards the hills through the lovely countryside and until the first hill things were going grand for me! Then I realised that I'm not a climber...everyone span up past me on the first hill while I laboured for air, my heart trying its best to liberate itself from my chest! But, sure enough, I got up it and then we started on the next, even steeper, hill. I was prepared and made a much better effort of it.

28 people are hard to hold in a group though so we split for the ride home, and unfortunately I ended up a fast bunch. Barely hanging on, I was dropped off by 200 yards, sprinted to catch the group only for another hill to arrive and I ended up 300 yards off now! Next thing I knew I was totally lost as the group had turned off somewhere. It was almost inevitable that I ended up getting lost. To be honest, I get lost all the time. I remember when I was a kid i got lost in the frozen food section of Dunnes stores and cried...anyway, I'm getting off subject. After finding an information booth I got a map and found my way home.

The guys had done 70 odd K. I don't know if I had more or not, but lets say i did 100 for arguments sake. I was out for about 4 hours!! After a big lunch and another change of clothes we headed for our first run session. John "DANGEROUS" Davis, the run coach, took pity on us after our long day and we did a 1 hour technique session which was very beneficial. The man has so much knowledge. If only I had a bone-saw and an ice cream scoop i could just scoop it all out of his head!

Thursday 28th May
Got Up, tired, ate another monster brekkie. on the way to the pool I could feel a stitch coming on - what a wuss! But Lisa had a good session planned for us. I wish I could remember how far we swam, but all I remember is actually swimming, stitchy, swimming, stitchy, swimming.

Out of the pool and change again for a cycle. Trevor Woods was the bike coach and we were doing 6 individual time trials of 3 mins, flat out fast as we could, along a straight, traffic-less road. It was savage, but after my 4th blast I was in need of juice so i stopped outside a Spar and the Red Baron who had come over unscathed on the plane took a tumble and hurt its side. Boo. 48K done.

After the time trialling, Dangerous Davis took us for another run session. Feeling good at the running is a new experience for me! after dinner I was shattered, so bed was on the cards!

Friday 29th May
Had a much smaller brekkie this morning to avoid stitches and we switched to a run first thing. About an hour and fifteen mins of good quality running, followed by a nice cycle again. This time two laps of a 16km circuit in a 4 person team at about 75% effort.

Evening swim was good. Another hour or so in the pool and even though I was getting tired I really enjoyed it. After dinner we all had a meeting and a Q & A with Trevor, John and Ciaran Cassidy about Nutrition. Turns out my curry diet wasn't all it's cracked up to be. Ciaran, it has to be said, is "The Man". Another person you could listen to for hours on end, learning from. The Yoda of Triathlon.

Saturday 30th May
Easy day today. Well, easier at least. Had a run in the morning, no problems there. Our running sessions took place in a pine forest beside the hotel and the trees served to keep things cool while the pine needles were a nice cushion to run on.

In the afternoon I decided to head with the good cyclists to Cesena for a bit of shopping. We averaged about 32kph on the way out only to find the shop closed! We ended up in a cafe while literally hundreds of local cyclists went spinning on their club runs. Great to see so many cyclists! On the way home the guys kicked it up a notch. I couldn't stick with their pace. It was over 40kph and I couldnt keep up, so Gav stayed with me as I was dropped for the 2nd time in a week and we span home at about 35kph.

Straight off the bike into the pool, put on my wetsuit and swam 400 yards, then took it off and joined the group. I was knackered and swam like a dead fish when i took the suit off!

Sunday 1st June
Up again for a swim, and this time I really was rubbish. I got out after maybe 600 or 800 meters and flaked out on a sun lounger. Turned out to be a good call as after the swim we mounted up and headed to our brick session. 2 back to back duathlons - 1K 5K 1K 1K 5K 1K. It was the hottest day yet and we set off around midday. Still, it was for me the most beneficial session yet and I learned loads about racing and transition.

In the first race Dermo set off running like a kid after the ice cream van, but i kept going at my pace and caught him as he tired. Then Jim, who overtook me on the bike, headed off in the wrong direction about 50 yards after passing me! Excellent! Mwaaahahahahaaaa! As we headed into transition I was already out of my shoes and into the run. Felt great to get out of T1 quickly.

The second race though, I left my shoes on the bike and had trouble getting into the left shoe. Damn shoes have ratchets on them, not velcro straps. This cost me, but the lesson was learned and tri specific cycle shoes are a must for me now. After the dua's we took the rest of the day off, which really meant we ended up messing about in the pool!

Monday 2nd June
Really good swim session in the morning. 400m warm up and then into an aerobic 1200m set. Lisa kept pushing me all the way and I'm glad she did as I wanted to stop! After the cool down, we were put into seeded lanes for a 6 person relay race, everyone doing 4 X 50 meters sprint. I've never swam so fast in my life! I think everyone busted a gut and I'm not sure if anyone knows which lane was the fastest cos we were all too wrecked to care!

In the afternoon some people headed for a cycle to Ronco Fredo, a hill town we visited on the first day. I wisely chilled out by the pool with Dermo. Lisa, the swim coach, was training by herself. She's planning to swim the channel. She's got a sore left arm from all the training. While we lazed by the pool she trained by herself. She swam 10,000 meters. Unbelievably, she swam the first 7500 meters with just kicking!

7500 meters of kicks. My GOD! The mental strength to do that just blows the mind! In the evening we had a track session with John. I felt great after the days rest and felt very very strong on the runs, ending the day very happy despite not having put a cycle in.

Tuesday 3rd June
Time to go home, but before that we had to go shopping for cycle gear! We did the same cycle as saturday, with the same guys. I was struggling again trying to keep up on the way out, but Eimhin gave me some tips about my gearing and cadence and soon i was fine. We got to the shop and had a funny incident. The shopkeeper was showing the boys the new super-light Look Keo pedals, so light they're deadly. But he pointed at my belly and then the pedals to say "He needs those pedals with his big fat gut!". Oh, how he laughed.....I got him back by leaving a used snot-rag in the changing room. Revenge is a dish best served cold...

On the way back I was determined not to be dropped as before, so i stayed with the big boys and again I was feeling good. Going through one section we were at 27 miles per hour - the fastest i've gone on the flat. Felt great until they upped it to 50 kph or so in the last K before home when again I was left behind, but 27mph made me a happy man!

Wednesday 4th June
Got home last night at about 11 and slept like a log. Feels weird today not doing any training, but I defo need the rest. The week away was so excellent - I wish i could properly express how much stronger I feel for it. Also the tips and knowledge that you acquire on such a trip make it so worthwile. All in, the hotel was measley 370 quid and that included dinner and breakfast for the week and the flights a measley 124 euro. If you get the chance to go on a training week I would say take it. It's a super trip, you get much fitter, get to know so much about tri and the social aspect is the cherry on top.

Related Links
Club Photos from Italy 2005
Warm Weather Training plans for 2006

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