A winner of races in his 48th year, a coach of top riders and an elite international in his day, Martin O'Loughlin's tips and training diary are well worth reading. Pictured winning the Tommy Sheehan Memorial in his native Carrick on St Patrick’s Day (Photo courtesy Damien Jackson)
A former national vets' road race champion and elite international in his slightly younger days, Martin O’Loughlin has won a number of hard fought open races in recent seasons. Having reached 47 years he is not slowing down.
His ability to stay in race-winning shape coupled with the fact he has coached national squads and some of the best individuals in the country makes his 'training week diary' compulsory reading.
He has chosen to focus on what he did last week rather than what he typically does every week at this time of year. His workload as a PE teacher last week was added to with a number of special education seminars to attend.
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It's interesting to note that he has training load targets at this time of year and there are some nice little 'rules' he has set for himself - contained at the bottom of this piece. His routine is governed by structure but it must bend to suit his needs as a working father of four.
And his use of even a 25-minute window to grab some turbo training really underlines the fact that older riders need not be afraid of short sharp efforts at this time of year. Indeed, they should be embraced.
- Name: Martin O'Loughlin
- Age: 47 years
- Height & weight: 182cm, 78kg
- Club: Iverk Produce Carrick Wheelers
General goals for next year
I won three races this year and had another half dozen podiums. I'd be happy enough to achieve the same in 2015. Most of my goals nowadays are centred on the riders I coach.
My first aim is to get up Puig Major in Mallorca in the top six with the Irish junior squad in February. It’s the highest point on the island; 1,445metres. If I'm fit enough to do that, the rest of the season will fall into place.
In the early part of the season I’ll ride the Tour of the North or maybe the Gorey Three Day.
Training goals right now
I'm probably one of the only cyclists in Ireland trying to gain weight at the moment. Normally I put on a few kilos of love handles from August to December. As I'm away coaching, my season ends at the Vets‘ Champs which are usually in June, so the weight creeps up.
This year, I put up 4kilos. But that only tells half the story. I actually lost 1.5kg of muscle and gained 5.5kilosof fat; middle-age spread.
The four ribs I broke in the Kanturk Three Day only fully healed in October, so I did no core work for five months. I'm lucky that the weight comes off easily once I get my Christmas block done, and I ditch the sweets, biscuits, wine ...
Typical Weekly Routine
Monday
My spare time is spent coaching today. My riders email me on Sunday night with information, giving me a few hours to mull over what they should be doing in training. Training Peaks has really changed the way we do things.
I have eight hours of quality training done over the weekend, so I'm glad to be sitting down.
At 4pm, I go for a brisk 20-minute walk to clear the cobwebs before another two hours at the computer. I do around 20 minutes of core work after reading the kids' bedtime stories.
Tuesday
Today is one of those days. I'm absolutely shattered. If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's to stop digging when you’re in a hole.
So, my training plan is amended to just one hour on the turbo while I read one of the prescribed Leaving Cert novels on my tablet. I do some power stomps on a big gear.
This engages the fast twitch muscles without raising the heart rate too much. This is followed by a 20-minute core and stretching routine.
You can only go really fast by going really slow some of the time. Recovery is so important. I choose my moments to go against what my body is telling me. Today's not the day.
The overall aim of this week is to maintain fitness gains rather than step up a level, so I'm unconcerned at my lethargy.
Wednesday
Today's my Rocky Balboa day. I sharpen up the chainsaw and attack a fallen tree. Literally. An hour and a half cutting and chopping firewood.
With darkness descending, it's done at a rapid rate. It's a good workout. No need for any core work tonight.
Thursday
Today is dominated by a dirty four letter word; work. I rush home from school and jump on the turbo.
A 7½ minute warm-up followed by 10 minutes aiming to stay over 300W. I'm fresh, so it's easier than I expected. In the end my average for the 10 minutes is well up on last month's identical session at the same average heart rate.
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I make a note of the time at which uncoupling took place – when my heart rate shot up as my power stayed constant. I have only a 7½ minute cool-down – for a total session of just 25 minutes – because I’m rushing out to give a seminar that evening.
I'd never have done a session like that so early in the winter in my thirties. But for old guys, it's a case of 'use it or lose it'. It's amazing what you can do in 25 minutes.
Friday
Another long day with work; this time involving a round trip to Limerick for another special education seminar.
The traffic back to Carrick-on-Suir is okay for a Friday. I rack up brownie points by collecting a mattress for one of the kids’ beds.
This is as close to a rest day as I'll get. I light the fire and start to burn Wednesday's training.
No bedtime stories on a Friday in lieu of an extra 30 minutes TV. I'm delighted to find there's a bottle of Rasteau on the wine shelf. Not for long...
Saturday
Wall's Bar at 9:30am is our meeting spot; right under the picture of Lance Armstrong on the outside wall. There's a good group out; Rory Wyley, Sean Hahessy, Michael O'Loughlin, Sam Bennett, Lenny Foley, Cathal Purcell, Aaron Kearney, Conor' Spuds' Hennebry, Gizmo and Nana. Carrick is a great place for nicknames.
The pleasant description for today's route is ‘undulating’. There are plenty of other names for it too.
Sam is doing intervals. We crack him by speeding up when he goes up the road. He looks around after his effort expecting to see us in the distance. I suppose 20 meters is a distance...
Overall, the pace is steady though; 29kph average.
We're back in Carrick after 3½ hours. I need to hit my target of 11 hours for the week, so I head out to Lemybrien with Rory and do a total of 4¾ hours - or 135 on tough roads. That'll do. As usual, I do my 15 minute stretching and core routine after my shower.
Sunday
We split the group up last week in Carrick, with the racers leaving 15 minutes later on a different route.
Some guys bash themselves at spinning classes twice a week and are on top form. So, the pace is like a see saw, depending who's at the front.
We average 30kph all the same. The big difference with the racing group is that the fourth hour is faster than the first.
A certain young rider with the same initials as mine blows out a tire.
The emergency Hi-5 gel that's been in my pocket since October is called into action. The wrapper makes an excellent barrier between the tube and the hole in the side wall. Having an old guy around can be okay sometimes.
When riding today I concentrate on the basics; arms relaxed, no upper body movement, high cadence, fluid pedalling action.
I do five minutes of power per work hour and five minutes in the drops. It doesn’t come too naturally at this time of year.
Give it a few weeks and my flexibility will be back. The guy who stays in the breakaway move in March will be the one who can save watts by cheating the wind.
I have to ride 300 metres past my house and the 145km marker to get five hours done exactly. I love round numbers; 11 hours 10 minutes done for the week. That’s mission accomplished.
I generally look at the month as a whole. Working people with families have to adapt to circumstance. My November rule is not to miss three days in a row.
For December, I try not to miss consecutive days. But I don’t beat myself up if I don’t achieve that because it’ll be a long season.
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