Past GFW Competitor
Welcome to Gaelforce West 2010!
**Important notice on cycle route change. Please click here to read**
We are delighted to welcome you back to Gaelforce West and hope we can offer you an even better experience in 2010. This year see a couple of changes to the race which we hope will make to race an even better experience than before. Killary Adventure Co. where the Gaelforce West idea originated from will be running the race this year.
Obviously those who registered last year had a rather muddy start to the experience and that was before the race even started! This year registration will be in the village of Leenane and bikes will be dropped off at Delphi.
There will be a few track changes also but expect the timing to be a little different from last year. We are using an alternative route to the base of Croagh Patrick to eliminate the two way cycle section on the way to and from the base, click on the link above for details.
This may increase the off road section but working with the council we will be attempting to make sure you can still use road bikes but maybe slightly bigger tires than last year. Splits will be increased so there will be timing for all the sections (top of Croagh Patrick, end of kayak etc) Results will also be instantaneously produced at the finish line.
There will be a “real time race” for the elites but you need to be a proven elite before you can register for this (see elite section). We hope these changes will add to the experience and remember to book early as not to be disappointed.
Read through these training tips compiled by Peter O Farrell, who has won Gaelforce West three times!!
Part 1 - A starting point, to get you thinking in the right direction.
Know what works for you.
First and foremost for a one day race is to know what works for you in terms of nutrition, hydration and clothing. Assuming you have done the physical training the on the day preparation will make the difference to finishing with a smile or a death stare grimace of inhuman suffering. It’s worth spending time trying different combinations of foods, liquids and clothing until you find the best one for you.
Training
The training is relatively simple, get out for long spins and runs as often as possible; ideally a 4 hour road bike spin on Saturday and a 2 hour run on Sunday with shorter sessions during the week. Try to have some training sessions where you switch from running to biking and back to running to get used to the weird feeling where your legs suddenly turn to mush. Don’t worry about the kayak stage (once you can get the boat to go in a straight line!!! ), it’s very short, find a local hill and go hill-running instead, the stage up holy Croagh Patrick tends to encourage both prayer and blasphemy!
The week of the event.
In the three days before the race eat as much pasta and carbohydrate rich foods as you can fit into yourself. Stay off the beer, get good sleep and ensure you are well hydrated all the time. Clear and copious is what we’re looking for and for a change salt is our friend as it helps us to avoid cramping up.
Too busy to train???
If you are too busy at the weekends try to fit training into your commute – cycle/run to work or else drive home in your running gear and go for a run straight from the car and before you succumb to the warm charms of the home.
The race itself.
The race will take between 4 and 10 hours depending on your fitness and the prevailing wind so you should be getting long runs and cycles in as much as possible.
The run up the holy mountain will be the toughest section of the race so practice some hill running if you can. Www.imra.ie and http://www.nimra.org.uk/ have good races in the summer.
Bike selection?
The best bike is a cyclocross bike, the second best is a roadbike (racer) with knobbly tyres and the third choice is a mountain bike with slick tyres. Ensure you have two full bottles of energy liquid on your bike and make sure to drink them before you get to the mountain run.
Part 2 - Running training.
If you only have time to train for one discipline it should be the running. You will more time on your feet in this race then biking and kayaking combined. A 12km run, a 3km run, a 5 km hillrun and a short assault course sprint at the finish will combine to leave your legs in a jellylike state unless you have toughened them up with training.
It's hard to advise exactly what you should be doing but in general terms you should be running at a low intensity for 5~10 hours per week, at a moderate intensity for 2~4 hours per week and also fit in one speed session and one hill session per week.
These two sessions are the key components as they stress your legs in unusual ways and hopefully you will adapt and grow stronger as a result. The speed could be Tuesday evening and the hill Saturday morning before your 4 hour cycle :)
A hillclimb session could be;
- 20 minute warm up
- 10 x 2minutes hard up a steep road/path with 2 minutes recovery jog between
- each hard 2 minutes
- 20 minutes cool down
Or
- 20 minute warm up
- 3 x 8 minute hard-steady uphill efforts with 10 minutes easy jogging between
- each one
- 20 minute cool down
- (obviously you need a hill that's 8 minutes long for this one)
Speed sessions are myriad and my advice is join a running club or talk to a runner about speed training!
In terms of the race you should be moving at a pace that feels nearly too easy for the first stage or you WILL find the pace too hard by the final stage.
For instance if you can run a 10km race in 45minutes you should be doing the first 12km run a pace that would take you 60minutes to finish 10km. The hill run up Croagh Patrick is simply too steep to run up so practice fast walking uphill, it's a skill in itself...
Part 3 - Choosing a Bike
A cyclocross bike is best with fast rolling semi slick cyclocross tyres.
If you cannot get a cyclocross bike it depends upon how fast and how much risk you are prepared to take.
Speedy risky - Road Bike (racer) with high volume tyres
Less risk and less speed - MTB bike with semi-slick tyres.
Worst of all - cheap MTB bike with knobbly tyres.
Liquids for your bike: 2 big bottles on the bike full of energy liquid, and some salts, and another bottle to drink whilst transitioning that you can leave in transition.
If you have found any training plans helpful in your training and would like to share, please contact the office at info@gaelforcewest.ie.
Ask questions and share your knowledge on our forum here.
Here are a few training plans and sites that we thought may be helpful:
and finally good luck and remember;
'It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves - in finding themselves'
Andre Gide
French critic, essayist, & novelist (1869 - 1951)
