Another strange week as I recover from Bratislava.
Also my post-Bratislava training plan for the remainder of the year kicks in here so the weekly totals are slightly different from now on.
Depending on when our flight gets in and how I feel in the afternoon I have an option to go to the DTCC 25-mile TT on Tuesday evening. If it had been a shorter route I would have grabbed it but 25 is a big ask after nearly 4 hours in the air and 3 sitting around Heathrow.
Having really enjoyed the International trip I am also going to spend some time this week looking at the next set of qualifying races for next year.
Target totals - Swim 3.0 miles. Bike 32.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles.
1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.
Monday, 29 May 2017
Training Review - Week 21 - May 22 to 28
Monday I still had to go to work. I pedalled both ways just for something to do, and in the evening I went to swimming but just paddled up and down in lane 2 while everyone worked on their open water drills.
Tuesday was lost to travelling. The red-eye to Heathrow, a flight to Vienna without my bag making the connection (although Tamarah's identical bag made it?!) and a drive through the 30 degree blazing sun with no sunglasses to get to our hotel in Bratislava. My bag did arrive about an hour later as the BA driver took the toll road while we meandered along the scenic route by the Danube. We did manage to make it out in to the city in the evening to see the Presidential palace and get some dinner before crashing out.
Wednesday morning I went out for an easy 20 minute jog before we headed out to do touristy things for the rest of the day. The temperature was much cooler, almost like home. Visiting the castle and the old town with a couple of cafe stops filled out our day nicely. If you can get past the abundant gravity and the general lack of repair of some parts of Bratislava the rest is actually up there with any other city in Europe. If the amount of ongoing building work is any sign of the future, Bratislava will be a fantastic place to visit in about 5-10 years time. it isn't bad now, but it could still do with a bit of work and an influx of some Americanised customer service.
Thursday I took another easy jog in the morning before another day of serious touristing, with the temperatures at home soaring into the mid-20s we were left wandering around in the high-teens. Starting with a visit to the Slavin, a huge monument on the hill dedicated to fallen Soviet soldiers, then back into town and through the Bratislava city museum. Racking up 24,000 steps in a day was not really in my tapering plan, but it was another proper holiday day.
Friday I finally had to get a bit more serious about racing. In the morning I did some yoga and stretching before a less touristy day. The hotel room was a bit small but I managed to get some done. The afternoon was registration, briefing and swim familiarisation. Nice water, could easily swim without the wetsuit but the general chat is that the suit is faster so I will be wearing it. After another nice meal in town and a nearly 20k step 'rest' day we had an evening of giggles trying to apply the number transfers and watching Facebook posts of some of the other efforts.
Saturday was ETU Bratislava Aquathon, which will get a post to itself. And then a drive to Vienna for the last couple of days of our holiday.
Sunday I decided to take a rest day rather than a recovery run. That still turned into >25k step day as we walked down to Schonbrunn Palace. This also resulted in my first sunburn of the week as the temperature finally broke through 30 degrees.
Target totals - Swim 1.5 miles. Bike 14.0 miles. Run 3.0 miles.
1 short core, 0 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 40 mins of yoga.
Monday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 29 mins.
Commute ride from office 6.9 miles in 30 mins.
Swim with TPT 1,200m in 50 mins.
Tuesday - Travel day.
Wednesday - Easy jog 1.6 miles in 16 mins.
Thursday - Easy jog 2.0 miles in 22 mins.
Friday - Swim familiarisation 500m in 10 mins.
Stretching session.
Yoga session 10 mins.
Saturday - ETU Bratislava.
1,000m swim in 17:31.
5,000m run in 20:48.
Sunday - Rest day
Actuals - Swim 1.7 miles (1,700 m). Bike 14.0 miles. Run 6.7 miles. 0 short core, 0 short light weights and 1 stretching / rollering session. 10 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 66.6 (62.0) [71.3],
B 829.3 (620.0) [744.0],
R 424.6 (375.0) [423.8].
Stretching session.
Yoga session 10 mins.
Saturday - ETU Bratislava.
1,000m swim in 17:31.
5,000m run in 20:48.
Sunday - Rest day
Actuals - Swim 1.7 miles (1,700 m). Bike 14.0 miles. Run 6.7 miles. 0 short core, 0 short light weights and 1 stretching / rollering session. 10 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 66.6 (62.0) [71.3],
B 829.3 (620.0) [744.0],
R 424.6 (375.0) [423.8].
Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Race Preview - ETU Bratislava
We have arrived in Bratislava. It is currently a toasty 29 degrees. The water temperature was up to 18.2degrees today with the wetsuit-prohibiting-22 looming large.
BA managed to transfer Tamarah's bag between flights at Heathrow but mine didn't make it. Being BA though, they had it on the next flight and delivered to the hotel less than an hour after we arrived.
So the main point of coming all this way is to race the ETU European Aquathlon Championships. A 1,000m swim followed by a 5,000m run and my first outing in a GB age-group select team. I have already succeeded in my main goal which was to qualify for a race at this level and earn the GB try-suit with my name on it.
If I was to have the race of my life then I would be looking at a 16 minute swim, about a minute through transition, and a 19 minute 5K. That will get me home in 36 minutes. That would put me in the middle of the field for my age-group, hopefully well inside the top-10.
A safe conservative target would be 17+1+20 = 38 mins. That might still sneak me in to the top-10 depending on other athletes. That would still be a minute or two under what I had predicted at the start of the year.
I am predicting those times without having seen the course. The map looks dead flat so the run should be fast. The course manual says 5X1km laps, there is apparently some ongoing discussion about it changing to 3x1-mile laps instead. The lake looks to be a simple, single lap route and with 100+ younger, international swimmers towing me along I should be out of the water in a decent time. I might come back and amend this entire post once I have seen the course.
And you can add a minute to all those swim predictions if, as is looking ever more likely, the water gets to a temperature where I can't wear my wetsuit. That hurts me more than the pure swimmers but less than the pure runners so might make no difference at all to my eventual placing.
Anyway, I am here, I am in as good a shape as I could have hoped for, and I am ready to go on Saturday morning.
BA managed to transfer Tamarah's bag between flights at Heathrow but mine didn't make it. Being BA though, they had it on the next flight and delivered to the hotel less than an hour after we arrived.
So the main point of coming all this way is to race the ETU European Aquathlon Championships. A 1,000m swim followed by a 5,000m run and my first outing in a GB age-group select team. I have already succeeded in my main goal which was to qualify for a race at this level and earn the GB try-suit with my name on it.
If I was to have the race of my life then I would be looking at a 16 minute swim, about a minute through transition, and a 19 minute 5K. That will get me home in 36 minutes. That would put me in the middle of the field for my age-group, hopefully well inside the top-10.
A safe conservative target would be 17+1+20 = 38 mins. That might still sneak me in to the top-10 depending on other athletes. That would still be a minute or two under what I had predicted at the start of the year.
I am predicting those times without having seen the course. The map looks dead flat so the run should be fast. The course manual says 5X1km laps, there is apparently some ongoing discussion about it changing to 3x1-mile laps instead. The lake looks to be a simple, single lap route and with 100+ younger, international swimmers towing me along I should be out of the water in a decent time. I might come back and amend this entire post once I have seen the course.
And you can add a minute to all those swim predictions if, as is looking ever more likely, the water gets to a temperature where I can't wear my wetsuit. That hurts me more than the pure swimmers but less than the pure runners so might make no difference at all to my eventual placing.
Anyway, I am here, I am in as good a shape as I could have hoped for, and I am ready to go on Saturday morning.
Monday, 22 May 2017
Training Plan - Week 21 - May 22 to 28
A completely unique week. I have no prescribed training plan. I want to keep my taper as light as possible going in to Bratislava.
Monday I am going to do a commute on the bike and go to the TPT swim session at night.
Then Tuesday we fly out to Vienna and then on to Bratislava. The rest of the week is holiday and tapering and preparing for Saturday's race. Hopefully with some extra yoga and stretching through the week and possibly an open water swim recce and a few easy runs.
Target totals - Swim 1.5 miles. Bike 14.0 miles. Run 3.0 miles.
1 short core, 0 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 40 mins of yoga.
Training Review - Week 20 - May 15 to 21
Monday was a perfectly standard commuting day and a trip to TPT swimming at night. Then after some shocking traffic on the way home I did a short core session before bed.
Tuesday I went to Drumoak for the next Deeside Time Trial. I planned to take it fairly easy. Once the headwind for the first half became obvious I decided to definitely just take it comfortably. No risks, and don't do anything that I can't recover from in time to swim on Wednesday.
I put some effort in to the first half but came through the 5 mile mark in about 14:38. The basic maths put me on course for about 29 minutes and a pretty terrible ride. The wind had other ideas though. The reason I was a minute down was the early headwind, which then turned into a tailwind as the horseshoe-shaped course sent us back along the opposite side of the rive. I managed to cover the next 5 miles in a very wind-assisted 11:48. Total time 26:26. A completely accidental, and majorly weather-induced, 10-mile PB.
Then home for another core session.
Wednesday morning I started with the core session as I was driving in to work. In the evening I went for a jog round the block and then to bucksburn for a steady swim. I finished the day with a stretching and rollering session.
Thursday I decided to take the bike to commute, just to spin my legs out. In the evening I did another core session and some yoga.
Friday I took an easy jog in to work. Trying to take it as easily as I could, I stopped regularly to catch Pokemon and ended up safely putting in one of my slowest commute runs. In the evening I put in a core session again.
Saturday I decided on a trip to Knockburn for a swim, and to add a transition and a short run around the loch as well. It was pretty cold but I did manage to get out of my suit and in to my running shoes without too much bother and took most of the 1km lap to get my toes warm enough to feel.
In the evening I did another core session.
Sunday I took a rest day from any serious sessions. I did put in a light weights session, and finished off my core session binge with an eighth day of core in a row. And I did do some yoga to finish off the week.
Another solid week as I try to taper without stopping completely. There is nothing that I can do at this stage to get faster for Bratislava, only a risk of picking up a silly injury, so everything has been done with one eye on playing safe. Despite that I still managed a 10-mile TT PB on Tuesday night, a good outdoor swim with a transition practice and a short race-pace run and plenty of sensible prep work.
Target totals - Swim 3.0 miles. Bike 30.0 miles. Run 18.0 miles. 7 short core, 1 short light weights and 3 short stretching sessions. 80 mins of yoga.
Monday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 30 mins.
Commute ride from office 6.9 miles in 38 mins.
Swim with TPT 2,100m in 55 mins.
Core session.
Tuesday - DTCC Drumoak TT 10-mile in 26:22.
Warm-up / cool down 6.8 miles in 29 mins.
Core session.
Wednesday - Core session.
Dyce jog 3.3 miles in 31 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 1,000m in 17mins.
Stretching and rollering session.
Thursday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 25 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.0 miles in 34 mins.
Core session.
Yoga session 15 mins.
Tuesday I went to Drumoak for the next Deeside Time Trial. I planned to take it fairly easy. Once the headwind for the first half became obvious I decided to definitely just take it comfortably. No risks, and don't do anything that I can't recover from in time to swim on Wednesday.
I put some effort in to the first half but came through the 5 mile mark in about 14:38. The basic maths put me on course for about 29 minutes and a pretty terrible ride. The wind had other ideas though. The reason I was a minute down was the early headwind, which then turned into a tailwind as the horseshoe-shaped course sent us back along the opposite side of the rive. I managed to cover the next 5 miles in a very wind-assisted 11:48. Total time 26:26. A completely accidental, and majorly weather-induced, 10-mile PB.
Then home for another core session.
Wednesday morning I started with the core session as I was driving in to work. In the evening I went for a jog round the block and then to bucksburn for a steady swim. I finished the day with a stretching and rollering session.
Thursday I decided to take the bike to commute, just to spin my legs out. In the evening I did another core session and some yoga.
Friday I took an easy jog in to work. Trying to take it as easily as I could, I stopped regularly to catch Pokemon and ended up safely putting in one of my slowest commute runs. In the evening I put in a core session again.
Saturday I decided on a trip to Knockburn for a swim, and to add a transition and a short run around the loch as well. It was pretty cold but I did manage to get out of my suit and in to my running shoes without too much bother and took most of the 1km lap to get my toes warm enough to feel.
In the evening I did another core session.
Sunday I took a rest day from any serious sessions. I did put in a light weights session, and finished off my core session binge with an eighth day of core in a row. And I did do some yoga to finish off the week.
Another solid week as I try to taper without stopping completely. There is nothing that I can do at this stage to get faster for Bratislava, only a risk of picking up a silly injury, so everything has been done with one eye on playing safe. Despite that I still managed a 10-mile TT PB on Tuesday night, a good outdoor swim with a transition practice and a short race-pace run and plenty of sensible prep work.
Target totals - Swim 3.0 miles. Bike 30.0 miles. Run 18.0 miles. 7 short core, 1 short light weights and 3 short stretching sessions. 80 mins of yoga.
Monday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 30 mins.
Commute ride from office 6.9 miles in 38 mins.
Swim with TPT 2,100m in 55 mins.
Core session.
Tuesday - DTCC Drumoak TT 10-mile in 26:22.
Warm-up / cool down 6.8 miles in 29 mins.
Core session.
Wednesday - Core session.
Dyce jog 3.3 miles in 31 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 1,000m in 17mins.
Stretching and rollering session.
Thursday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 25 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.0 miles in 34 mins.
Core session.
Yoga session 15 mins.
Friday - Commute run to office 6.9 miles in 69 mins.
Core session.
Stretching and rollering session.
Saturday - Swim at Knockburn 2 laps (1,500m) in 29 mins.
Run at Knockburn 0.6 miles in 4 mins.
Core session.
Sunday - Core session.
Weights session.
Yoga session 25 mins
Actuals - Swim 2.8 miles (4,600 m). Bike 44.9 miles. Run 10.8 miles. 7 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 stretching / rollering session. 40 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 64.9 (59.0) [67.9],
B 815.3 (590.0) [708.0],
R 418.5 (359.0) [405.7].
Core session.
Stretching and rollering session.
Saturday - Swim at Knockburn 2 laps (1,500m) in 29 mins.
Run at Knockburn 0.6 miles in 4 mins.
Core session.
Sunday - Core session.
Weights session.
Yoga session 25 mins
Actuals - Swim 2.8 miles (4,600 m). Bike 44.9 miles. Run 10.8 miles. 7 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 stretching / rollering session. 40 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 64.9 (59.0) [67.9],
B 815.3 (590.0) [708.0],
R 418.5 (359.0) [405.7].
Monday, 15 May 2017
Race Review - North District Championships
Another trip to Inverness to defend my North Championships hurdles title. Last year I thought was my 24th Championship, so this year I think is my 25th. And 21 years of holding either (or both) hurdles title, which will now be 22 years. No spoiler there, the entire North District continues to fail to find any Senior athlete willing to even take part in the hurdles against me. The point is approaching where I am going to be unable to get over the big hurdles safely and I may have to shift back to the 400mH if I want to extend my streak, but we are not quite there yet. The time wasn't great but considering I only even see hurdles once a year it wasn't actually that bad either.
More importantly I took part in the 5,000m. That gave me a chance to test out my GB suit in a proper race. I wanted to run close to, and possibly under, 19 minutes. That works out at 3:48 / km.
Garmin splits by kilometer were 3:30, 3:45, 3:51, 4:00, 3:54, 0:32. You might notice the strange 32 seconds at the end which appear to be beyond the 5,000m mark. This is apparently the amount of garmin error that you get on a running track and did seem to spread pretty evenly through the race so more accurate splits would be around 3:36, 3:51, 3:57, 4:06, 4:00. So, a bit too fast for the first kilometer, about right for the next one and almost spot on target through 3k, and then a bit of a drift as I ran out of gas and realised that two rest days hadn't been enough to get me out of the hole I have dug over the last 6 months.
That fast first kilometer was due to having a group in front of me giving me a bit of shelter from the wind, and giving me a nice pace to follow. Once they started to stretch away and left me working in to the wind on my own that was when the pace started to slip away.
Still my fastest time for 5k ever, and I think there was a chunk more in me if I had other people to run with, a bit less wind, had taken a better taper or even if I had just paced it slightly better. Three of those should be better at Bratislava. The pace judgement could easily be worse.
I would have been a bit happier if the garmin kilometer splits had been accurate and I had clocked inside 19 minutes as garmin and Strava think, but still happy enough with a PB and a decent solo effort.
5000m - 19:31.03.
110mH - 22.90 secs.
Training Plan - Week 20 - May 15 to 21
Another week of ignoring the numbers beckons as I taper towards Bratislava.
Monday I will take easy pedals to and from work, then swimming. Tuesday I am going to Drumoak for the next TT in the series. The rest of the week is as little as I can get away with. Plenty of stretching and yoga, maybe some easy jogging and an outdoor swim if I can fit them in.
I need to do more core work, stretching and yoga, so they are down for much larger numbers this week.
I am not going to race at Peterhead.
Target totals - Swim 3.0 miles. Bike 30.0 miles. Run 18.0 miles.
7 short core, 1 short light weights and 3 short stretching sessions. 80 mins of yoga.
Monday I will take easy pedals to and from work, then swimming. Tuesday I am going to Drumoak for the next TT in the series. The rest of the week is as little as I can get away with. Plenty of stretching and yoga, maybe some easy jogging and an outdoor swim if I can fit them in.
I need to do more core work, stretching and yoga, so they are down for much larger numbers this week.
I am not going to race at Peterhead.
Target totals - Swim 3.0 miles. Bike 30.0 miles. Run 18.0 miles.
7 short core, 1 short light weights and 3 short stretching sessions. 80 mins of yoga.
Training Review - Week 19 - May 8 to 14
Monday I added a lunch time run to my normal start to the week. I also over-egged both rides. This combined to put me in a hole by the time I got to swimming. I got through the session but forgot my garmin so I have little idea as to how it actually went. I do know I was exhausted coming out of it and the energy crash triggered a wave of depression.
Tuesday I went to the DTCC Time Trial on the basis of just completing the event and getting a chance to ride in my TT position for a while. I was still empty from Monday and I knew I wasn't working flat out but I was putting a sensible level of effort in. I was nearly a minute slower than last year on the same course but my heart rate never went above 153bpm for the entire 35 minute ride. It was enough to feel like a hard training day, but not flat out race speed. Considering how little bike riding I have done other than commuting I am pretty pleased to be anywhere near this level.
Wednesday I finally hit absolutely empty. I went to the park to do a planned set of 6x1km with 60 sec recovery. Aiming for my 5k pace as prep for the North Champs at the weekend. I couldn't even hit my 10k pace for the first two reps. I bailed at that point and jogged around a bit of a cool-down to take me past half an hour. I got home and swapped my planned swim set for soaking in the bath for an hour.
I had hoped to get through this week and properly into my taper without quite running into this level of empty. Having cut a reps session in half, missed a single swim and dropping a couple of bike commutes is about as close to perfect as I could have hoped for. It actually works out well for this week as I get a two day taper into racing on Saturday.
Thursday I had already decided to skip my bike rides and treat as a recovery day. I went for my massage after work. In the evening I did some yoga but nothing too strenuous. Friday I had a similarly restful day with a trip to the cinema and another short yoga session and stretching session.
Saturday was a trip to Inverness for the North District Championships. That will get a post to itself.
Sunday I decided to jog to the pool for an easy swim set. Both the jog and the swim were terrible. I was far beyond empty and spent a lot of both journeys walking and managed less than 20 minutes in the pool. In the evening I did core and weights sessions.
I said in my plan for this week that the numbers don't matter. I stand by that and I am going to try and not care about all the red numbers that show up this week. I had a decent 5k in Inverness. Not quite what I hoped for but not a bad time.
Target totals - Swim 3.0 miles. Bike 30.0 miles. Run 18.0 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 40 mins of yoga.
Monday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 25 mins.
Lunchtime run 3.1 miles in 23 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.2 miles in 30 mins.
Swim with TPT 1,850m in 60 mins.
Tuesday - DTCC Garlogie TT 12-mile in 35 mins.
Warm-up / cool down 3.6 miles in 19 mins.
Wednesday - Running reps session (abandoned) 3.2 miles in 36 mins.
Stretching and rollering session.
Thursday - Rest day.
Massage.
Yoga session 10 mins.
Friday - Rest day.
Yoga session 10 mins.
Stretching and rollering.
Saturday - North District Championships 5,000m in 19:30
110m Hurdles in 22.90s.
Warm-ups and cool-downs - 1.6 miles in 13 mins
Sunday - Jog to bucksburn 2.4 miles in 33 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 600m in 19 mins.
Jog from bucksburn 2.4 miles in 53 mins.
Core session.
Weights session.
Actuals - Swim 1.5 miles (2,450 m). Bike 29.9 miles. Run 15.8 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 stretching / rollering session. 20 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 62.1 (56.0) [64.4],
B 770.4 (560.0) [672.0],
R 407.1 (343.0) [387.6].
Yoga session 10 mins.
Stretching and rollering.
Saturday - North District Championships 5,000m in 19:30
110m Hurdles in 22.90s.
Warm-ups and cool-downs - 1.6 miles in 13 mins
Sunday - Jog to bucksburn 2.4 miles in 33 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 600m in 19 mins.
Jog from bucksburn 2.4 miles in 53 mins.
Core session.
Weights session.
Actuals - Swim 1.5 miles (2,450 m). Bike 29.9 miles. Run 15.8 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 stretching / rollering session. 20 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 62.1 (56.0) [64.4],
B 770.4 (560.0) [672.0],
R 407.1 (343.0) [387.6].
Monday, 8 May 2017
Training Plan - Week 19 - May 8 to 14
Double races this week with the Deeside TT series continuing on Tuesday night and the North of Scotland Championships on Saturday. Again I am taking the TT as complete and as a fast bike training session rather than compete.
The North Champs on Saturday is more serious though, the 5,000m gives me a proper chance to test my running legs before Bratislava. I have also entered the 110m Hurdles to defend my title again. Common sense says not to touch that event a fortnight from a European Championship having not touched the hurdles since this time last year but I am too stubborn to let the title go until someone takes it off me.
The numbers are here again but they are just guides for the next few weeks. I couldn't care less if I get nowhere near them as long as I am not getting injured and still fitting in some good sessions.
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. 40 mins of yoga.
The North Champs on Saturday is more serious though, the 5,000m gives me a proper chance to test my running legs before Bratislava. I have also entered the 110m Hurdles to defend my title again. Common sense says not to touch that event a fortnight from a European Championship having not touched the hurdles since this time last year but I am too stubborn to let the title go until someone takes it off me.
The numbers are here again but they are just guides for the next few weeks. I couldn't care less if I get nowhere near them as long as I am not getting injured and still fitting in some good sessions.
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. 40 mins of yoga.
Training Review - Week 18 - May 1 to 7
Monday I rode to work and back. My hamstring felt fine on the bike but was uncomfortable the rest of the day as I walked around the office. In the evening I was in two minds about going to swimming but decided to go and to intentionally take it easy to try and reduce the risk of aggravating it. I swam pretty slowly but the set was mostly 25m reps so it was hard to tell.
Tuesday, I rode in to work in the morning and then took the train home in the evening. My bike target just passed 500 miles. My bike stretch target just passed 600 miles. My actual bike mileage just passed 700 miles. But I am still shit on the bike.
As confirmation of that I did my first 10-mile TT of the year at Garlogie. It was wind-assisted on the way out and I was on for a great time at the turn. Then into the headwind on the way back was a complete disaster and I gave up a couple of places, all my time gains, and more from the way out. My finishing time of 27:44 was slightly better than last year's similar performance but still a minute slower than the equivalent 2015 event.
Wednesday I had a shit day. My run to work came with several stops as my hamstring injury from the weekend is not completely fixed yet. I then had to ride home in the evening which was hard work. In the evening I went to the pool planning a set of 100m reps on 2mins. I was utterly shattered, shifted to 2:30s and still was almost empty. After 8 reps I called it on the grounds that it wasn't doing me any good and was just going to leave me in worse state for the rest of the week.
Thursday I was planning to ride in and then go for a massage in the evening but my masseuse had to cancel. That meant I switched to riding home as well. Piling on the bike miles this week and setting my longest ride week so far this year.
Friday I ran in to work. That is my last long run before Bratislava done. My hamstring gave me a couple of minor twinges but nothing notable. I have three weeks left to do some faster work. In the evening I did my weights session for the week.
Saturday morning I went to Knockburn for the first time this year. I started with a short run just to test my hamstring at a slightly harder pace and over some uneven ground. It was a decent run given the conditions. Very short, but sticking with my plan to run faster for the next few weeks. Then I went in to the loch for a couple of laps. It was pretty chilly and my sighting was terrible. Good to get in the wetsuit and get some outdoor swim practice and to have half a transition practice as I tried to fight my way out of the suit.
In the afternoon I finally managed to get the Mrs out on the bike by promising to take her for a pub lunch in Newmachar. We tootled out along the old railway line and back in the afternoon.
Sunday was a second trip to Knockburn. I did 3 laps. Amazing consistency at 14:45, 14:42, 14:49. And very similar to Saturday's 14:23, 15:01. Just 2 minutes a lap down on where I really should be. Some of that was from the cold, some from being in the last few days of my heavy training block, and some from my terrible sighting. I do need another outdoor swim before flying out to Bratislava. If I can't fit it in next weekend then i definitely have to give up Peterhead Triathlon in favour of a swim.
I did also did a slightly better, but still terrible transition practice.
In the afternoon I did half a yoga session and then went out for a run round Dyce. In the evening I did the other half of the yoga session and a core session. Despite my plan to ignore the numbers this week I wanted to close them out when everything else had gone above and beyond the plan.
Longest bike week of the year, and by a long way. First TT of the year. First (and second) outdoor swim of the year. Caught up half of my swim stretch target backlog. First aquathlon transition practice of the year. First bike ride with the wife. Longest week of the year in miles and in time. Ignoring the slightly sucky time trial, another successful week all round.
Target totals - Swim 3.0 miles. Bike 30.0 miles. Run 18.0 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 40 mins of yoga.
Monday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 30 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.3 miles in 39 mins.
Swim with TPT 1,900m in 41 mins.
Tuesday - Commute ride 7.1 miles in 30 mins.
DTCC TT 10-mile in 27:28.
Warm-up / Cool-down 5.2 miles in 26 mins.
Wednesday - Commute run 6.9 miles in 65 mins.
Commute ride 7.0 miles in 39 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 800m in 19mins.
Stretching and rollering session.
Thursday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 31 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.6 miles in 49 mins.
Tuesday, I rode in to work in the morning and then took the train home in the evening. My bike target just passed 500 miles. My bike stretch target just passed 600 miles. My actual bike mileage just passed 700 miles. But I am still shit on the bike.
As confirmation of that I did my first 10-mile TT of the year at Garlogie. It was wind-assisted on the way out and I was on for a great time at the turn. Then into the headwind on the way back was a complete disaster and I gave up a couple of places, all my time gains, and more from the way out. My finishing time of 27:44 was slightly better than last year's similar performance but still a minute slower than the equivalent 2015 event.
Wednesday I had a shit day. My run to work came with several stops as my hamstring injury from the weekend is not completely fixed yet. I then had to ride home in the evening which was hard work. In the evening I went to the pool planning a set of 100m reps on 2mins. I was utterly shattered, shifted to 2:30s and still was almost empty. After 8 reps I called it on the grounds that it wasn't doing me any good and was just going to leave me in worse state for the rest of the week.
Thursday I was planning to ride in and then go for a massage in the evening but my masseuse had to cancel. That meant I switched to riding home as well. Piling on the bike miles this week and setting my longest ride week so far this year.
Friday I ran in to work. That is my last long run before Bratislava done. My hamstring gave me a couple of minor twinges but nothing notable. I have three weeks left to do some faster work. In the evening I did my weights session for the week.
Saturday morning I went to Knockburn for the first time this year. I started with a short run just to test my hamstring at a slightly harder pace and over some uneven ground. It was a decent run given the conditions. Very short, but sticking with my plan to run faster for the next few weeks. Then I went in to the loch for a couple of laps. It was pretty chilly and my sighting was terrible. Good to get in the wetsuit and get some outdoor swim practice and to have half a transition practice as I tried to fight my way out of the suit.
In the afternoon I finally managed to get the Mrs out on the bike by promising to take her for a pub lunch in Newmachar. We tootled out along the old railway line and back in the afternoon.
Sunday was a second trip to Knockburn. I did 3 laps. Amazing consistency at 14:45, 14:42, 14:49. And very similar to Saturday's 14:23, 15:01. Just 2 minutes a lap down on where I really should be. Some of that was from the cold, some from being in the last few days of my heavy training block, and some from my terrible sighting. I do need another outdoor swim before flying out to Bratislava. If I can't fit it in next weekend then i definitely have to give up Peterhead Triathlon in favour of a swim.
I did also did a slightly better, but still terrible transition practice.
In the afternoon I did half a yoga session and then went out for a run round Dyce. In the evening I did the other half of the yoga session and a core session. Despite my plan to ignore the numbers this week I wanted to close them out when everything else had gone above and beyond the plan.
Longest bike week of the year, and by a long way. First TT of the year. First (and second) outdoor swim of the year. Caught up half of my swim stretch target backlog. First aquathlon transition practice of the year. First bike ride with the wife. Longest week of the year in miles and in time. Ignoring the slightly sucky time trial, another successful week all round.
Target totals - Swim 3.0 miles. Bike 30.0 miles. Run 18.0 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 40 mins of yoga.
Monday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 30 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.3 miles in 39 mins.
Swim with TPT 1,900m in 41 mins.
Tuesday - Commute ride 7.1 miles in 30 mins.
DTCC TT 10-mile in 27:28.
Warm-up / Cool-down 5.2 miles in 26 mins.
Wednesday - Commute run 6.9 miles in 65 mins.
Commute ride 7.0 miles in 39 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 800m in 19mins.
Stretching and rollering session.
Thursday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 31 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.6 miles in 49 mins.
Friday - Commute run 6.9 miles in 62 mins.
Light weights session.
Saturday - Run at Knockburn 1.8 miles in 14 mins.
Swim at Knockburn 1,600m in 30 mins.
MTB ride to Newmachar 6.2 miles in 62 mins.
MTB ride from Newmachar 6.6 miles in 56 mins.
Sunday - Swim at Knockburn 2,300m in 45 mins.
Yoga session 15 mins.
Dyce run 3.2 miles in 24 mins.
Core session.
Actuals - Swim 4.1 miles (6,600 m). Bike 71.2 miles. Run 18.8 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 stretching / rollering session. 40 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 60.6 (53.0) [61.0],
B 740.5 (530.0) [636.0],
R 391.3 (327.0) [369.5].
Light weights session.
Saturday - Run at Knockburn 1.8 miles in 14 mins.
Swim at Knockburn 1,600m in 30 mins.
MTB ride to Newmachar 6.2 miles in 62 mins.
MTB ride from Newmachar 6.6 miles in 56 mins.
Sunday - Swim at Knockburn 2,300m in 45 mins.
Yoga session 15 mins.
Dyce run 3.2 miles in 24 mins.
Core session.
Actuals - Swim 4.1 miles (6,600 m). Bike 71.2 miles. Run 18.8 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 stretching / rollering session. 40 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 60.6 (53.0) [61.0],
B 740.5 (530.0) [636.0],
R 391.3 (327.0) [369.5].
Monday, 1 May 2017
Training Plan - Week 18 - May 1 to 7
TT season starts on Tuesday evening. I am going to take part this week but with no intention other than to get round and score some points. I have reshuffled my week slightly but I am still going to ride in to work that morning and then take the train home in the evening before driving across to the TT.
I still need to do a bit of work on my running speed though. With less than a month to Bratislava I am going to rip up my commuting schedule for the next three weeks so that I can do some 'proper' running sessions in the evenings instead.
I also have to get at least a couple of visits to Knockburn to swim in my wet suit. These almost certainly fall in to weekends just from the difficulty of getting to Knockburn from town during the week. I have pencilled in for both days this weekend but will see how that fits in.
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. 40 mins of yoga.
I still need to do a bit of work on my running speed though. With less than a month to Bratislava I am going to rip up my commuting schedule for the next three weeks so that I can do some 'proper' running sessions in the evenings instead.
I also have to get at least a couple of visits to Knockburn to swim in my wet suit. These almost certainly fall in to weekends just from the difficulty of getting to Knockburn from town during the week. I have pencilled in for both days this weekend but will see how that fits in.
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. 40 mins of yoga.
Training Review - Week 17 - April 24 to 30
Monday I chose the mountain bike for my commutes to try and cope with the predicted rain and snow. On the way to work that seemed like a bit of an over reaction as the damp roads and light drizzle were well within the scope of my summer road bike. The trip home was another matter as I had to battle through a full force snow storm.
In the evening I went to swimming which included 4x400m with 45 secs recovery. All 4 of them were done in 6:38-6:45.
Tuesday was a slog to work through a hail storm and a core session late in the evening.
Wednesday I was expecting snow again so I had the mountain bike out for my commutes again. It actually turned out to be a nice day so when I got home I spent some time finishing the repairs to the winter road bike so that I can get back on it until some decent dry weather returns. I took an evening trip to bucksburn planning a session of 6 x 200m again, but with the rest down to 40 secs this time. Another 10 seconds cut from the recovery last time I tried this session but I managed to hold the same pace for the reps.
Thursday I took the repaired winter road bike to work. That required a couple of stops for running repairs to make the rear brakes actually work and to get the front derailleur and chain to behave after having a month of sitting in the garage seizing up.
In the evening I went to the pool again to grab the session that I am going to miss on Saturday. I decided on a set of 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m with reducing recoveries and increasing speeds. I started with the 400m pace similar to Monday with a 6:43, and followed that with a 300m in 4:56. Then somehow I managed a PB of 3:07 for the 200m and followed that up with another PB of 1:26 for the 100m. I then paddled 300m easy to finish off my week. I added a stretching and rollering session before bed time.
Friday I took an easy ride to work and then a short jog at lunchtime to do something but try and take it easy before racing on Saturday. For the most part that worked well. It wasn't a full taper but it also seemed to be fairly relaxing.
Saturday I went through to Elgin for a Moray inter-club track and field event between Moray Roadrunners, Elgin AC and Forres Harriers. I managed to get a non-counting run in the 100m and a counting run in the 200m just for fun. Then came the real reason I went through, a 2.5km trail race. I planned to use it as a tester before the North Champs 5k in a fortnights time and to see what I have in the way of speed over the distance. The first two laps were pretty good. I led through the first 1,000m in 3:41 but coming to the end of the second lap I had a cramp in my hamstring (maybe the sprints beforehand weren't the smartest idea). I was so far out in the lead of the Men's race that I could still win it so I walked a few steps to check that it was nothing more serious and then eased in to a jog for the third lap. I was on 11-minute for 3k, 18:20 for 5k pace when I had my cramp attack. I am pretty happy with that.
Sunday I had a rest day. I planned to do stretching and yoga and rollering to try and help my recovery but was so lazy about it I waited until after dinner time. That was a stupid decision as I spent the whole day limping around with aches and pains that half an hour of work managed to clear out.
I also squeezed in my weights session just to save me from explaining it in my end of month review. Slightly short on run miles this week but the faster Saturday and the tester lunchtime run makes up for that. Short on yoga again, I should really do something about that so I am going to change next week's target to try and force myself to fit in a second session and at least get to the 30minutes.
Target totals - Swim 3.0 miles. Bike 30.0 miles. Run 18.0 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.
Monday - Commute ride to office mtb 7.1 miles in 31 mins.
Commute ride from office mtb 7.0 miles in 42 mins.
Swim with TPT 2,450m in 54 mins.
Tuesday - Commute run 6.9 miles in 59 mins.
Core session.
Wednesday - Commute ride to office mtb 7.1 miles in 30 mins.
Commute ride from office mtb 7.0 miles in 41 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 1,600m in 33 mins.
Thursday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 29 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.1 miles in 40 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 1,300m in 28 mins.
Stretching session.
In the evening I went to swimming which included 4x400m with 45 secs recovery. All 4 of them were done in 6:38-6:45.
Tuesday was a slog to work through a hail storm and a core session late in the evening.
Wednesday I was expecting snow again so I had the mountain bike out for my commutes again. It actually turned out to be a nice day so when I got home I spent some time finishing the repairs to the winter road bike so that I can get back on it until some decent dry weather returns. I took an evening trip to bucksburn planning a session of 6 x 200m again, but with the rest down to 40 secs this time. Another 10 seconds cut from the recovery last time I tried this session but I managed to hold the same pace for the reps.
Thursday I took the repaired winter road bike to work. That required a couple of stops for running repairs to make the rear brakes actually work and to get the front derailleur and chain to behave after having a month of sitting in the garage seizing up.
In the evening I went to the pool again to grab the session that I am going to miss on Saturday. I decided on a set of 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m with reducing recoveries and increasing speeds. I started with the 400m pace similar to Monday with a 6:43, and followed that with a 300m in 4:56. Then somehow I managed a PB of 3:07 for the 200m and followed that up with another PB of 1:26 for the 100m. I then paddled 300m easy to finish off my week. I added a stretching and rollering session before bed time.
Friday I took an easy ride to work and then a short jog at lunchtime to do something but try and take it easy before racing on Saturday. For the most part that worked well. It wasn't a full taper but it also seemed to be fairly relaxing.
Saturday I went through to Elgin for a Moray inter-club track and field event between Moray Roadrunners, Elgin AC and Forres Harriers. I managed to get a non-counting run in the 100m and a counting run in the 200m just for fun. Then came the real reason I went through, a 2.5km trail race. I planned to use it as a tester before the North Champs 5k in a fortnights time and to see what I have in the way of speed over the distance. The first two laps were pretty good. I led through the first 1,000m in 3:41 but coming to the end of the second lap I had a cramp in my hamstring (maybe the sprints beforehand weren't the smartest idea). I was so far out in the lead of the Men's race that I could still win it so I walked a few steps to check that it was nothing more serious and then eased in to a jog for the third lap. I was on 11-minute for 3k, 18:20 for 5k pace when I had my cramp attack. I am pretty happy with that.
Sunday I had a rest day. I planned to do stretching and yoga and rollering to try and help my recovery but was so lazy about it I waited until after dinner time. That was a stupid decision as I spent the whole day limping around with aches and pains that half an hour of work managed to clear out.
I also squeezed in my weights session just to save me from explaining it in my end of month review. Slightly short on run miles this week but the faster Saturday and the tester lunchtime run makes up for that. Short on yoga again, I should really do something about that so I am going to change next week's target to try and force myself to fit in a second session and at least get to the 30minutes.
Target totals - Swim 3.0 miles. Bike 30.0 miles. Run 18.0 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.
Monday - Commute ride to office mtb 7.1 miles in 31 mins.
Commute ride from office mtb 7.0 miles in 42 mins.
Swim with TPT 2,450m in 54 mins.
Tuesday - Commute run 6.9 miles in 59 mins.
Core session.
Wednesday - Commute ride to office mtb 7.1 miles in 30 mins.
Commute ride from office mtb 7.0 miles in 41 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 1,600m in 33 mins.
Thursday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 29 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.1 miles in 40 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 1,300m in 28 mins.
Stretching session.
Friday - Commute ride 7.1 miles in 29 mins.
Run at Duthie Park 3.3 miles in 35 mins.
Saturday - Moray Interclub meeting.
100m 13.4 (not terrible on clay track and old legs).
200m 28.5 (not convinced about the timing / distance).
2,500m 10:55.
High Jump 1.40m.
Warm-ups / stretching etc.
Sunday - Rest day.
Stretching session.
Yoga session 20 mins.
Weights session.
Actuals - Swim 3.3 miles (5,350 m). Bike 49.5 miles. Run 13.8 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 3 stretching / rollering session. 20 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 56.5 (50.0) [57.5],
B 669.2 (500.0) [600.0],
R 372.4 (311.0) [351.4].
Run at Duthie Park 3.3 miles in 35 mins.
Saturday - Moray Interclub meeting.
100m 13.4 (not terrible on clay track and old legs).
200m 28.5 (not convinced about the timing / distance).
2,500m 10:55.
High Jump 1.40m.
Warm-ups / stretching etc.
Sunday - Rest day.
Stretching session.
Yoga session 20 mins.
Weights session.
Actuals - Swim 3.3 miles (5,350 m). Bike 49.5 miles. Run 13.8 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 3 stretching / rollering session. 20 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 56.5 (50.0) [57.5],
B 669.2 (500.0) [600.0],
R 372.4 (311.0) [351.4].
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