Training Plan - Week 50 - Dec 11 to 17

Xmas holidays are really arriving now. Monday and Tuesday we are in Inverness, I will do a bit of a jog on Monday and maybe squeeze something in when we get back to Aberdeen. I have a Wednesday commute and a drive to work on Thursday before another long weekend from Friday. 

Dexter is coming to visit next week and I have more holidays to use up so I should get some more running in then.  


Target totals - Swim 2.0 miles. Bike 56.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 

1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga. 

Training Review - Week 49 - Dec 4 to 10

I wasn't sure how I would get to work on Monday after my groin issues on Sunday. I decided to take the bike but that was dumb. I got a lift home so that I could go to the doctor and collect a week of antibiotics to fight whatever lymphatic infection I have picked up. They came with instructions not to run, and definitely don't sit on a bike. I am allowed to swim but I was running such a temperature that I decided to stay at home instead. 

Only 30 minutes exercise in 5 days messed up my body chemistry, hormone levels and the like. Even more so than the side-effects of the antibiotics and painkillers. The combined effect has also upset my mental health. By Tuesday evening my depression was becoming problematic. 

Thursday I was given a change of antibiotics and I felt a bit better. In the evening I dragged myself to the pool and did half a swim set. 

Friday we spent the morning on the train to Inverness for our long weekend holiday. Turns out the new antibiotics and the infection combined to completely wipe me out. I had to stop in the afternoon for a nap. 

Saturday morning I felt a bit better, but not enough to go to the Parkrun that I had planned. We went in to town for a bit of shopping but mostly I had a rest day. 

Sunday I dragged myself out for a jog and some Pokemon in the morning. Trudging through the snow did nothing to improve my groin issues, but it did at least make me feel better about doing something this week. 

In a normal week I do a bout 8-10 hours of training. This week I totalled out at 94 minutes. I have replaced that, and more, with sleep. Fitbit reckons I have slept an extra 13 hours this week. I think Fitbit has missed several naps.

Getting sick this late in the year has put an impossibly large dent in my chances of making my stretch swim target. I am going to try and be sensible, accept the losses, and just do my same planned sessions for the remaining weeks, rather than try and pile on the miles for the 3 weeks to try and catch up.


Target totals -  Swim 2.0 miles. Bike 56.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 
1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga. 

Monday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 32 mins.

Tuesday - Sick day.

Wednesday - Sick day.

Thursday - Sick day.
'Swim' at bucksburn 850m in 24 mins. 

Friday - Travel day. Sick day.

Saturday - Rest day.

Sunday - Jog in Inverness 2.8 miles in 36 mins.


Actuals - Swim 0.5 miles (850 m). Bike 7.1 miles. Run 2.8 miles. 
0 short core, 0 short light weights and 0 stretching / rollering session. 0 mins of yoga.

Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 130.5 (119.0) [136.9], 
B 2,301.8 (2,164.0) [2,596.8], 
R 798.4 (767.0) [866.7].

Training Plan - Week 49 - December 4 to 10

We are going away for a long weekend in Inverness from Friday. I am going to take in my first Parkrun while we are there. 

Apart from that it is commuting all week and swimming when I can. 


Target totals - Swim 2.0 miles. Bike 56.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 

1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga. 

Training Review - Week 48 - Nov 27 to Dec 3

A messy week of commutes. I missed Wednesday for a business breakfast that I had to drive to. Then Saturday was lost to a hangover and Sunday I woke up with a lump in my groin that made any attempt at running or cycling impossible. Those resulted in weekend full of heavy doses of painkillers and lazy days.

I ran and swam plenty this week despite 3 off days.


Target totals -  Swim 2.0 miles. Bike 56.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 
1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga. 

Monday - Commute ride mtb to office 7.1 miles in 28 mins.
Commute ride mtb from office 7.1 miles in 42 mins.
Swim with TPT 1,850m in 46 mins. 

Tuesday - Commute run 7.2 miles in 71 mins.

Wednesday - Rest Day.

Thursday - Commute run 6.8 miles in 64 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 2,400m in 57 mins. 

Friday - Commute ride mtb to office 7.1 miles in 35 mins.
Ride to bucksburn mtb 5.2 miles in 34 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 1,100, in 21 mins.
Ride from bucksburn mtb 2.4 miles in 14 mins.

Saturday - Hangover.

Sunday - Groin injury.


Actuals - Swim 3.3 miles (5,350 m). Bike 28.9 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 
0 short core, 0 short light weights and 0 stretching / rollering session. 0 mins of yoga.

Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 130.0 (117.0) [134.6], 
B 2,294.7 (2,108.0) [2,529.6], 
R 795.6 (753.0) [850.9].

Training Plan - Week 48 - Nov 27 to Dec 3

Another exciting week. I miss Wednesday's commute as I have to take the car to a business breakfast on the way instead. 

The rest of the week is entirely standard, for the last time this year before I start using up my holidays in bigger chunks.

Target totals - Swim 2.0 miles. Bike 56.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 

1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga. 

Training Review - Week 47 - November 20 to 26

Monday was shocking weather for my commute and I had to resort to the mountain bike purely for safety through the puddles and potholes. Despite 5 layers, two of which were supposedly waterproof, I arrived at work drenched. I had to wring out most of my clothes and even hanging them for 8 hours made no difference and they were still soaked through and freezing cold when it came time to ride home. Neither ride was particularly enjoyable but I survived both.

Then I went to swimming, which was crap. 

Tuesday I had a strange day at work which meant it was easier to work from home in the morning. That removed my commute. I did a jog round the block instead just to do something in the morning. 

Wednesday the morning weather was less ridiculous so I took the winter road bike for my commute in. By 4pm it was back to full autumn conditions and a near drowning on the ride home. 

Thursday the forecast was for snow in the morning so I planned to run instead of cycling. The forecast was wrong, again. It was chilly but dry, but I still struggled to run. In the evening I went to bucksburn with the simple plan to swim for an hour. I did just over 2 miles for my longest swim session of the year. 

Friday morning I went for another swim. Struggled to 1,300m in 200m blocks in 40 mins. Less than 12 hours between sessions wasn't the brightest idea. 

Saturday I was beyond exhausted but about lunchtime I dragged myself away from my Punisher binge-watching for an hour to go and collect some pokemon. After watching a bit of the Scotland-Australia rugby (I gave up when it got silly after the red card) I managed to force myself into a stretching session. I also went through a chunk of building my plan for next year.

Sunday I went for an easy early morning swim. Then did a lazy day with a couple of DIY jobs and a bit of yoga. 

Through my end of year swim target with 5 weeks to go. And making huge progress towards catching my swim stretch target. I am also through last year's final run total, so this is now my second longest running year ever. 



Target totals -  Swim 2.0 miles. Bike 56.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 
1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga. 

Monday - Commute ride mtb to office  7.1 miles in 36 mins.
Commute ride mtb from office 7.1 miles in 42 mins.
Swim with TPT 1,300m in 54 mins. 

Tuesday - Dyce jog 2.6 miles in 24 mins.

Wednesday - Commute ride to office  7.1 miles in 30 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.1 miles in 40 mins.

Thursday - Commute run to office 6.9 miles in 72 mins. 
Swim at bucksburn 3,250m in 60 mins. 

Friday - Swim at bucksburn 1,300m in 40 mins.

Saturday - Dyce jog 5.2 miles in 60 mins.
Stretching session.

Sunday - Swim at bucksburn 1,250m in 30 mins. 
Yoga session 15 mins.


Actuals - Swim 4.4 miles (7,100 m). Bike 28.4 miles. Run 14.7 miles. 
0 short core, 0 short light weights and 1 stretching / rollering session. 15 mins of yoga.

Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 126.7 (115.0) [132.3], 
B 2,266.0 (2,052.0) [2,462.4], 
R 781.6 (739.0) [835.1].

Training Plan - Week 47 - Nov 20 to 26

Nothing exciting planned for this week.

Friday is reshuffled again, so an early swim to fit around a dentist appointment but other than that I match the last couple of weeks with 4 commute days and then a three day weekend.

I have started looking at 2018 and started writing my targets for next year. That reminded me of my plan for this year to carry any of the smaller sessions from weeks where I miss them. I started this year so well, and by the time I started missing them I had forgotten completely about that. If I had been following it the numbers below would be a bit silly. 

Target totals - Swim 2.0 miles. Bike 56.0 miles. Run 14.0 miles. 

1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.