Training Review - Week 4 - Jan 23 to 29

I come in to this week already ahead of my end of week targets for biking and running so those are just chasing weekly numbers and stretch targets. By the end of Monday night's swim set I was within 300m of my base swim target as well. Everything else for the rest of the week is just putting me up towards stretch targets and beyond. 

Tuesday I ran in to the office, but a great deal slower than last week as I had a lot of tightness in my back and shoulders. In the evening I started yoga session 18 but wasn't enjoying it so bailed on it after 12 minutes. Instead I got the roller out to try and fix some of the worst of the tightness in my back and iron out some of the lurks in my calves.

Wednesday I moved back to the road bike for a commute as the weather had warmed up to 8 degrees. That gave me a chance to test out my new aero helmet. I could have tested it on the mountain bike but there is eventually a limit as to how stupid I am willing to look on my commute. I had a couple of minor mechanicals as I have not done a very good job of maintaining my road bike whenever I am not using it. 

In the evening I went to bucksburn for a swim set. 30 mins of 100m reps starting every 2:30. Target was to match or better my pace from the same set on January 2nd where I did 1:39-1:48. After the first 4 were all under 1:30 I started to pay the price and slowed to 1:35-1:38 for the rest of the session. Still a huge improvement in 3 weeks and the first 4 reps all in at 100m PB pace. 

Thursday I had a planned cinema trip in the evening but Hacksaw Ridge wasn't on her list so I was going on my own. That meant I had a chance to get in a second run between work and film. So on my run in to work in the morning I purposefully tried to rein in my effort levels and yet somehow still came in quicker than Tuesday. My jog in the evening was also at a much better pace despite having to detour through the city centre and some congested pavements.

Friday was just a pair of easy rides to work and then almost an hour on the roller in the evening to try and ease off the accumulation of aches from through the week. I skipped yet another yoga session leaving me very short this week. 

Saturday I rose early to jog to the pool, swim and easy 30 mins and then jog home again. Having crushed all my miles for the week again I did finally manage to get in another yoga session in the evening. 

Sunday I decided to stick with most of a rest day and avoid any major miles. I did my core and weights sessions in the morning and a yoga session in the evening. 

Slightly less yoga this week than I would ideally like but that is partly because I am not enjoying this years sessions as much, and partly that I am just piling in sessions elsewhere and the extra recovery time in the evenings is more valuable than the 30 mins a day of yoga. 

Everything else is still going at a ridiculous rate. Having taken Sunday as a mostly recovery day I miss out on a marathon of running again, but still smash even my stretch target for the week again. Similarly on the bike, my commuting miles continue to be way above my targets and with the surprisingly mild winter I am getting more road bike commutes than I expected as well. 

Swimming I am over my weekly miles and just at the stretch target but since the targets are set over 50% higher than any previous swim year it is fantastic to be anywhere near the stretch numbers. For comparison, in my biggest previous swim year I didn't reach my current total of 12.9 miles until Feb 22nd. 

 
Target totals - Swim 3.0 miles. Bike 30.0 miles. Run 18.0 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 20 mins of yoga.

Monday - Ride to office mtb 7.1 miles in 34 mins.
Ride from office mtb 7.2 miles in 38 mins.
Swim with TPT 2,250m in 52 mins.

Tuesday - Commute run 6.9 miles in 63 mins. 
A bit of yoga.
Stretching and rollering session.

Wednesday - Ride to office 7.1 miles in 38 mins.
Ride from office 7.0 miles in 34 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 1,600m in 41 mins. 

Thursday - Commute run 6.8 miles in 61 mins.

Extra run 4.4 miles in 35 mins. 

Friday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 29 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.3 miles in 38 mins. 
Rollering session. 

Saturday - Jog to bucksburn 2.4 miles in 24 mins. 
Easy 30min swim, 1,650m.
Jog from bucksburn 2.5 miles in 23 mins.
Yoga session - Yoga Revolution Day 19

Sunday - Core and weights sessions. 
Yoga session - Yoga Revolution Day 20


Actuals - Swim 3.4 miles (5,500 m). Bike 42.8 miles. Run 23.0 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 stretching / rollering session. 67 mins of yoga. 

Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 12.9 (11.0) [12.7], 
B 138.7 (110.0) [132.0], 
R 104.0 (77.0) [87.0].