Week 14 - The Week in Review

"Nothing in life ever just happens. Calculated progression insures your strength."

The end of week 14, end of the bike build! Recovery week ahead then to in to 12 weeks of focused training. Bring it on!

This week has been a good period on the bike. It has allowed a certain focus that has been required for me to bring my bike up to scratch. Back at work this week. It has been a challenge to find that balance in work, training and life.

Monday:
Another solid core strength session. Still working on the usual routine, however, this week I decided to move to higher resistant band.

Tuesday:
This morning was a 3km run TT at squad. Ended up with a time of 11m30s which is the second best time I have done over this distance and only 15s short of my PB of 11m15s.

Pm session was back in the pool...not the best session...in fact just didn't finish.....the voice got the better of me...and honestly I just needed to harden up.

Wednesday:
Happy AUSTRALIA DAY!!
The morning consisted a 4 hr ride on the bike....119km...starting to feel the strength return to the pedals!

Thursday:
Work got the better of me and there had to be a commitment to this and getting prepared for the weeks ahead.

Friday:
Windtrainer session....its becoming a favourite....did I say that!
But what was a big revelation was the way I was running off the bike.....impressive...strong...but it did hurt....no pain no gain! The head was back in the game!!!
Saturday:
Another 4hr ride (in fact 4h45m) with 123km......
Great resistance training the wind from Redcliffe back home was so incredibly strong.
Again the legs were building strength again.

Lunch was a massage.

PM was 1hr core with 30min core/run......great stuff...loving this stuff!

Sunday:
110min run through the hills......happy with the effort....just under 19km.
NICE!!!

Weekly Stats:

Swim: 2.2km (50min)
Bike: 243km (10h6m)
Run: 25km (3h)
Core & Strength: 2h10min
Maintenance: 1h

TOTAL: 16hr8min

Monthly Stats:


Swim: 33km (11h37min)
Bike: 701km (30h3m)
Run: 130km (11h36m)
Core & Strength: 8h39min
Maintenance: 4h10m

TOTAL: 66hr28min

Week 17 - The Week in Review

"Triathlon, from the outside looking in you can't understand it, and from the inside looking out you can't explain it."

How true!

Week 17, the end of 3 weeks of hard work, but fulfilling work in the pool.

Monday:
With a busy Monday morning planned the unusual morning swim didn't happen and the plan was to transfer it to later on in the week. I was really disappointed to miss this swim, and I mean that sincerely.

Monday afternoon back into the core same routine and surprisingly it is slowly getting a little easier. But in the humidity it is hard work.

Tuesday:
In the early daylight hours it was off to BTS run session. It was the normal warm up but then......
approx. 25min of fartlek on a not so flat loop course. I am sure that every time I got the recovery it was going up the hill....can't complain...it was character building. I felt good this morning the legs were moving well and I was powering through the hard parts of the fartlek. Got a little fatigued to the end but gritted the teeth and carried on, no giving up here. Some feedback from the session was that as I fatigued I began to splay out my feet a little during this time. More work on the core and greater focus on my posture, specifically hip position.

Back in the pool for the evening. A solid 3km session. The body is feeling good in the water.

Wednesday:
Solo Brendale/Petrie/Redcliffe/Sandgate Loop.
80k just under 3hrs.
The legs were a little fatigued and did struggle at the end some of the longer gradual hills.

Wednesday PM back into the pool, for a tough upper body 3.3km workout. Great session John! Nothing like a solid pull and paddle set.

Thursday:
Thursday....IT'S Double swim DAY!
The morning set...the usual 100m's with 5 push ups but today it was ramped up to 25 x 100m. Really good session got through the whole session in approx. 50min and there wasn't a lot of fatigue in the arms towards the end of the session.

Evening session was a cool 4km in the pool. I was in early and got 1300m completed before the squad session. This pre workout was pull and paddle and it was feeling good....and it was with tumble turns!!!

Friday:
You guessed it....back in the pool.
3.5km endurance set.....feeling so good...feeling strong....added an extra 500m for good measure...total workout 4km.
PM session back to the core...and again I am enjoying the challenge of this. Same routine. The abs and core are starting to feel it and have been working hard. This is a real focus for this campaign.

Saturday:
The morning was a bit of variety. Down to New Farm park for the BTS Session which composed 40min core and then a 60min aerobic run. Not too sure its was exactly aerobic but its was a great run! Thanks boys! The average pace was around the 4:45min/km covering just over 12km in the 60min. A good negative split of around 30sec. The running is feeling good and I'm feeling strong, however, in saying that I did struggle with the last 2km, but even then I was going at a 4:30min/km pace.

Off for a massage at lunch, worked on a painful spot just behind the left calf and the upper hamstring.

The afternoon session was another 60min run. Got through another 12km at a pace round the 5min/km, felt strong but knew I was a little fatigued from the run in the morning but still achieved a consistent pace. 30m05sec out and 30m10sec back. A solid day of running - 24km.

Sunday:
ah...yes Sunday ride...10 BTS lads set off from Kedron....rode out to Dayboro and back to Petrie.
The legs were feeling the 24km of running from the Saturday but still work as hard as I could up the hills and was satisfied with this part of the ride. It was fairly ordinary conditions on this part of the ride but this was nothing compared to what I was to encounter for the last part of the ride. Once the group got back to Petrie we had only been going for 2hrs and I had a 4hr ride. I continued on out to Redcliffe...it was from there the conditions became a lot worse....in fact crossing the bridge I would say that the conditions were 'cyclonic' a 'very nice' head wind that was gusting at times and with 60mm rims on the bike was a particularly challenge. The rain was coming down...I could only see about 5m in front of me...a great resistance workout! All the way home it was torrential rain, I got home and was so wet...was worse then GCHIM!!
Total time 4h23m and 118km

Weekly Stats:




Swim: 16.8km (5h53m)
Cycle: 198km (7h20m)
Run: 35km (3h07m)
Core: 2h25m
Maintenance: 1hr

Total: 19h45m

Week 18 - The Week in Review

Endurance training is exactly like turning a Styrofoam cup inside out. So long as you take it slowly you'll be able to do it. Try to rush things and - rip - you'll tear the cup. You are the cup. -Gordo

I had to smile this afternoon, I noticed the tan lines returning. It must mean that I must be out there in whatever sun has been about over the last 2 weeks. A good thing but a reminder to put that sunscreen on when I'm out there training.
 
This week was another focus on swimming. The 'forced' focus has allowed to find the love and appreciation for the pool once again. I have found that I have had real attitude shift towards improving my swimming performance. There is no other way to achieve this but to harden up, endure the hurt and push through the discomfort to achieve my goals. I know that there will be an improvement if the program and session are complete to what has been detailed.
 
The 5 commandments are being followed to the letter. After week 2 all sessions have been completed to some extent. Given the time a year I am very happy with this achievement.
 
Session Reflections:
Monday:
Monday morning was a bit of a sneaky wind trainer session. The weather at the moment is not really conducive for cycling. This was an hour session 20min @ a cadence of 90-95rpm and then 10min @ a cadence of 60rpm. A nice bit of strength work and conditioning of the legs on the bike, something in the bank for the cycle build.
 
PM Monday core and conditioning session for 45min which consisted of 15 x 50sec (with 10sec rest) exercises using the resistance tubes. The next 15min are working through 5 x 50sec (with 10sec rest) exercises repeating them 3 times = 15min. These include; prone hold, push ups, squat, bicycle crunches, and leg raises. Then for the last 15min I repeat the 1st resistance tube set again.

Tuesday:
Went to explore the hills on foot this morning. A solid run 1h6min/12km. Leg held up well fatigued a little toward the end of the run.

It was to the pool in the afternoon for a 3.5km strength set. It looked a Little like this:

• 3 x 300m pull 10 sec rest btwn 300’s breathing every 4 and changing sides each 50
• 10 x 25m front scull with pull/25m swim 5 sec res after each 50
• 200 build into fast last 50
• 15 x 100m pull/paddles 10 sec rest @ moderate pace
• 400m pull w/d

A good workout with some strength coming back into the arms and shoulders. With the 15 x 100m kept a good pace of about 1m33sec for each 100m.

Wednesday:
Out on the bike for the morning session a solid 2h50m completing about 80k. The ride was with a number of the IM athletes from the squad and at times I found it hard work. There was a number of times, particularly off the end of long gradual hills I was finding it tough. But boys, it did tell me something to get my butt back on the bike more consistently. Thanks for that reminder.

The afternoon session was one back in the pool. This time round it was an endurance set that looked like this:

• 500m swim/500m pull/500m fins breathing every 3 strokes
• 5 x 100m swim 10 sec rest@ easy pace
• 5 x 100m pull 10 sec rest @ moderate pace
• 5 x 100m fins 10 sec rest @ hard pace
• 10 x 50m of 25m kick with fins/25m swim 10 rest btwn 50’s

Another 3.5k completed and the swimming isn't really a bad thing. This set is a good one and one that I found that I can develop and work on things like using my legs a little more with the fins. I am finding it is assisting in my kick engaging the legs a little more with my 'normal' swimming.

Thursday:
Thursday was a double swim, plus there was a bit extra.
The 1st swim in the morning was 20 x 100m with 5 push ups and I then also decided to ride into the pool and back.
The pushups are coming along the fatigue in the arms didn't really kick in until about the 19th and 20th 100m. After the 5 pushups it's always so nice the jump back in the pool to allow the cool water to sooth the arms.
The second session was the strength set again from early on in the week. By this stage in the week the arms were fatigued but not beyond getting in a solid session and working through the fatigue and completing the 3.5km without too much hurt. It was this session that I decided to run to and from. Round trip was 12km. The run there was about 2pm and it was a hot and humid afternoon the run home was a little cooler. It was an easy run and was good to do a couple of multiple discipline sessions.

Friday:
Back in the pool in the morning for a speed set. This was a good session particularly on fatigued arms...a good test of where my swimming was at.
The session went like this:

• 25m one arm/25m swim/25m one arm 5 sec rest x 12
• 12 x 25m on 30 sec, with last 12.5m no breathing
• 8 x 25m on 30 sec every second one hard
• 6 x 50m 10 sec rest every third 50m is hard, others easy stroke count, 200m pull x 3
• 6 x 25m on 60 sec with dive start and hard effort
• 8 x 25m fingertip drag/25m swim

A good 3.5km workout. Arms were feeling fatigued but enjoying the challenge. I was able to keep the 50m on 50sec throughout the 6 x 50m 10 sec rest every third 50m is hard, others easy stroke count, 200m pull x 3.

Friday afternoon was to be a core workout but due to New Years Eve arrangements it didn't happen. I had now planned it for Sunday afternoon.

Saturday:
Nothing in the morning, an opportunity for a sleep in.

In the afternoon it was meeting up with Rich and doing a solid 75min run from Sandgate out to the end of the bridge.

This was a very satisfying run, the goal with many of these types of run in average a pace between 5 and 5m30s pace. This was one run where this was achieved and that I was able to push the pace a little harder on the way home and the legs were still feeling relatively good.

Sunday:

In the morning it was out on the bike with Rich. 3h12min ride, approx. 85km. A solid ride with legs feeling the run the previous afternoon.

Afternoon session was 55min core session. It was the same workout as Monday's session. Then a good 15min stretch session

Weekly Stats:

Swim: 16km (5h25m)

Cycle: 185km (8hr20m)
Run: 38km (3hr29m)
Core: 1hr40min
Maintenance: 0hr15m

Total: 19hr 10min