It’s been a couple of weeks since my last blog, in fairness not much has happened…..as such….
Since Barcelona I’ve not really had a training schedule, reading several articles and listening to a few podcasts (and my experience as a coach) it’s always good to have very little structure after your “A Race” as it refreshes the mind and body. It’s disconcerting when you look at your fitness stats dropping by the hour but there’s a lot to be said for losing fitness and gaining a few pounds during the winter months. One pro-triathlete said he would gain over 10kgs in October & November and he was ok with that. He would use his new bodyweight to gain strength in the gym and when he started his run/bike/swim training he would have this new-found strength to work from. He would naturally lose the winter pounds through training intensity & volume and (hopefully) keep some of the strength he gained in the gym. This extra 22lbs he has gained makes me feel a hell of a lot better about the 11lbs I gained in Majorca on that all-inclusive holiday!
Last weekend I was at the DAP CC celebration evening at a local restaurant, this was mainly down to the team winning the Easter Road Race League at their first attempt. The food was amazing and the company was good. As well as main goal achieved the boss – Clive, did comment on the achievements of others in the room other than the ERRL win which I thought was thoughtful. There was banter as you’d expect and a few cheap shots (I knew that was coming) from certain people to be popular but on the whole I left happy to have caught up with some great friends and team mates. Although I laughed off a few comments it was clear to the boss that the comments were cutting and he made sure I was ok before we all left after the food – again a nice gesture which I really appreciated. I decided long before this evening that I was going to head home after the food as I knew others were intending to carry on with the celebrations into the early hours in Beccles – not my thing these days, I’d prefer to get up in the morning without a sore head.
A couple of days later I ran with Suzy and the Beccles Triathlon Club at Framlingham Castle for the first round of the cross country winter series. The last time I did anything like this I think I was about 12 years old so I set out from the back as to not get in anyone’s way. It looks like I started in about 500th position and gained 250 places to just scrape in the top-half of the field throughout the 9-kilometre course. My heart rate went pretty high as well due to the undulating nature of the course but I enjoyed it and that’s the main point of the day – have a giggle and keep fit in the winter time. One thing is for sure – I may need to get some fell running shoes as I was slipping quite a few times with my normal trainers. I also wrung my ankle a few times so I may need to work on some ankle strength in the gym.
My recent experiences in Majorca, on both sides of the island, were for fun and as it turned out has given me focus for the 2019 season. I’ve entered Majorca 70.3 in May – apparently the biggest 70.3 in the world. I’ve ridden that bike course so many times over my countless visits to the island in training camps over the years. It’ll be good to take on those roads as part of a race. To hit Fermenia climb at 300w+, to race down Batalla and to fly into Muro, Sa Pobla and Alcudia in full race “aero” mode sounds like great fun – I can’t wait!
3 weeks later there’s The Championships in Samorin in Slovakia where we qualified in the mixed relay. My bike training over the next few months will be geared towards a full-on 56 mile effort and my relegation to a 3rd cat racer in 2019 will help that goal as the races in this category are around 50-60 miles. Great training and a great opportunity to help my clubmates within the race as a workhorse – my intention is not to gain points and be promoted as a 2nd cat as that means a similar 2018 racing season again – only racing local flat races which doesn’t really justify my racing licence fee. But as a 3rd I can enter a few more races and use this as training.
I haven’t really planned anything further than that – maybe Challenge Almere in September but there’s a gaping hole in June/July & August so I may well throw a few Road Races, Time Trials and Olympic Tri’s in there to keep me busy! Suzy (and I am in agreement here) said that my racing each weekend, although it desensitised me to the racing environment, didn’t help me with doing distance training for my Ironman. With my focus on halfs there is less of a need to go out for 5-6hrs on the bike each weekend. There’s still a need for some distance but not 112 miles!
My first week of training for Majorca in May is complete, I have set myself a full bike program for this date and my run training is complete until Feb 10th where I’ll go down to London to run the Olympic Park Half Marathon. I did Great Yarmouth Half Marathon in August in 1:43 so I wouldn’t mind getting close to that time. From there I can fine-tune my running for the next 3 months to get me to Majorca in the best shape I can be. My swim training has taken a turn, for the better hopefully where I’ll do a set workout each Monday evening and hopefully notice improvements each week/month, a random workout on Wednesday evening where I have a pool (no pun intended) of 64 workouts ranging from Olympic Distance to Ironman and I use a random number generator on my phone ON THE DAY to tell me which one to do. Then on Friday I go with a club at a local pool and swim with them and follow their sets. This extra swim per week will hopefully bring this on a bit as I do suffer with the swim. I’ve always said it – two sessions per week maintain, three sessions improve.
So week 1….
Monday saw me do a CSS test, I had never done this before so I was in the hands of those who knew how to do it. I was advised to just swim for about 400 metres as a warm up and then smash a 400 as hard as I could – this is someone who doesn’t know how to pace himself in the pool so I tried my best and will obviously use this as a reference point in the future. I then eased off for about 400 metres trying to recover full and then hit a 200 as hard as I could. The results were “ok” but as I’m constantly reminded I’ve come a long way from not being able to swim at all so I shouldn’t be so hard on myself.
Tuesday was time for my bike version of the test – the FTP. This was surprising to say the least. I warmed up and my heart rate was through the roof – I wasn’t sure if it was a few weeks of inactivity that made it high or the remnants of the chest infection I had from Majorca. Nonetheless I set off on my 20-min adventure and although the highest heart rate was scored I actually went a few watts up!
Wednesday was a full day. I had prescribed an easy run on Tuesday morning but because of the FTP test I didn’t do it. Instead I had planned to do it today. My first weights session for several months was completed at 6am and I then went to work. An easy 30 min bike on the wattbike and then a 45 min easy run and then a 3200m swim (random number generated) meant for an early bed as I was ever so slightly tired.
Thursday was my brick session – a 1hr tempo bike set followed by a 3x1k progressive run on the treadmill which I managed quite well considering the previous day.
Friday was Tri Masters at the local pool at 6am, a set which involved kick drills which I had never done before, let’s just say as everyone was climbing out of the water at 7am I was still mid-set! I got out happy I’d tried something new and looking forwards to the following week’s new drills and perhaps completing them in the set time.
Saturday was good old park run – this one I had wanted to run hard but my weights session and the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) meant I could barely touch my toes or walk straight let alone run at any speed. I set off trying to hold a speed but had to ease off a bit and recorded a 23:01 which I’m kinda happy with considering. That afternoon I did a 80-min turbo session with some steady/tempo efforts thrown in.
Sunday was a turbo set again, this time at 90-min with some threshold sets thrown in which was pretty difficult considering yesterdays 80-min session was still felt in my legs. The turbo was the option as weather outside was sunny one minute and torrential rain the next so I didn’t want to chance it. It was remembrance Sunday so I stood beside my turbo for the 2 minutes’ silence mid-set. A welcomed relief to be fair but a poignant moment to remember. Later that day was my 2nd weights session of the week – I direct copy of Wednesday’s session with no issues this time….well not yet anyway!
Training Peaks Geeks Time….
96 Fitness, 93 Fatigue, +5 Form.
12:13hrs and 768TSS.
6000m swimming. 220km cycling. 17km running. 2 weights sessions.
Next week sees more of the same with probably a little more intensity. Beccles Tri Club has organised a Mountain Bike Session next Sunday so I might do that too – nothing quite like mixing it up a bit over the winter time.