Easy Week & Swimming in Knots!

My easy recovery week has progressed well. I have been training very easy! I did, however, race a Lincs Services Cross Country League race at RAF Wittering on Wednesday. It was wet, muddy and tough going – complete with stampeding horses! I managed to grab 3rd place but it should have been 4th because Al Turnbull eased up and allowed me to finish ahead of him. He was taking it easy but as he belongs to the same team as me I suppose he must have felt sorry for me when he looked back and saw the pain I was in from my exertions! I really had to push hard to catch 2 guys in the last 2 miles and the up hill finish ended up being a sprint for me. Consequently, I am still a tadge sore today. So, it was just an easy swim today.

Talking of swimming, my drills are still going well. However, I have been trying to include more full stroke swimming during January, and it feels terrible! I have another Swimshack coached session planned for 20 Feb. I hope to work on transition from drill to swim during the session. After all the work I have put in over the winter I will be disappointed not to improve my swimming times during 2009.

The club ride on Sunday may see me bag 70 miles on the bike but the weather forecast is not good. Snow is expected. I am banking on the snow moving in during the afternoon. Whatever the weather, I hope to ride stronger than last week!

New Training Phase and Stuff!

As the end of Jan approaches, so begins a new phase in the training experiment. Up to now, I suppose you could loosely call my training block strength based. Now, it is time to start ramping the effort up. I will continue to build my bike functional threshold power by alternating short and long reps on the turbo. Long reps are at 275W and short reps at 310W. I was running off this session, which is quite hard to do! That said, the run efforts were at a decent pace. I may still run off the bike but reduce the intensity because I will start track sessions with the local athletics club. These run sessions are hard and comprise more reps than I was doing off the bike. My conditioning sessions will change from using progressively heavier weights for squats to employing single leg squats and core work (but maintaining the tabata intervals or hill simulations). The club long ride will remain but I will have more scope to ride as I feel – if I am strong, I will go for a hard ride; if I am weak, the ride will become an easy spin. The cross country races that I was doing on Wednesdays will cease because I would rather focus on the track work.

Overall, the routine commencing in Feb is as follows:

Sun: Long club bike ride
Mon: Swim. Easy long(ish) run. Conditioning.
Tues: Turbo bike intervals with steady run or strides off the bike
Wed: Swim. Easy recover spin.
Thurs: Easy spin. Run track session
Fri: Swim. Easy recovery spin. Conditioning.
Sat: Rest or easy swim drill session.

The change of routine should do me good – hopefully, it will stimulate some new adaptation! I will follow this basic outline until April. With 3 duathlons planned as training races and the local bike time trial commencing, April is when the intensity really ramps up to hit May in good condition.

I hope that we get some decent weather this summer, especially when we race the Dambuster in June! If I can bag splits near to 24 min swim, 1:06 bike and 36 min run, I hope to grab a pb on the Rutland course – a sub 2:10 would be fantastic for me!

My first bike TT is set to be 15 Feb!! EEK! I have entered the Ely Hardriders 25 mile TT. This event is held deep in the flat but very windy Fenlands. The weather is traditionally pants; hence the ‘hardriders’ tag. The other year riders were abandoning after a few miles! I am not one to be put off by weather but I am bothered about riding in icy conditions. The course is quite technical in places and ice would make the course stupidly dangerous. It is not really worth shooting for a specific time but past results show that if you ride under 1:10 you are doing well (unless your name is Michael Hutchinson). That sort of tells a tale really! I have a pb of 1:00:07 for 25 miles so let’s see what the weather does!

The pic above is of St Ives CC Chairman, John batchelor, looking to be enjoying a cold and wet fenland day at the Ely hardriders!

Anybody out there watched the Tour De France and cringed as a cyclist gets spat out of the back of the peleton? That was me on the club ride yesterday. After the good session on Friday I knew that I had good legs, but maybe I had over done things? By Sunday, I just could not pedal properly and for the first time since I started riding with the club, I was dropped. The guys did ease up and wait for me but I told them to continue without me as I would only hold them back. I eased off and linked up with someone else who had been dropped and completed the ride to the coffee stop as a duo. Still enjoyable but I didn’t really feel good at any point of the ride. After the coffee stop we regrouped. However, on the return leg, I was dropped again. I just couldn’t hold the pace. I am not too worried, as I had had quite a hard week and you don’t turn into a bad cyclist over night. However, I do feel the need to prove to myself that it was just an off day; hence I may test myself next Sunday, after I am sure that I have recovered properly. I am having a long over due easy week now – would sure appreciate you bloggers reminding me that I am supposed to be having an easy week!

What do you reckon to this as a solution to my bad ride?!

Yes it does have a motor on it.

Comfortably Uncomfortable - Nice Phrase!

After a couple of easy days following my strength session on Monday, today I completed my normal bike/run session. It was long intervals this week and the aim was 2 x 15 mins at 270W on the turbo, followed by 3 x 1 mile run with 90 sec recoveries on the road. These sessions are always hard and, as the power gradually rises, they are getting harder! As a reminder to you bloggers, my aim for the race season is 2 x 20 mins at 305W and 4 - 6 x 6 mins at 350W. I sometimes wonder how I will ever get near those levels, but to improve I must try! Interestingly, there is a training article in Cycling Weekly today that is almost identical to the session that I did today (well, minus the run of course!). There was a great phrase used - 'the session should be comfortably uncomfortable..' What a nice explanation that is! What exactly is comfortably uncomfortable?!!

Anyway, I hit my target today on the turbo. . . feeling comfortably uncomfortable, of course! I then staggered into my trainers and went straight into the first mile effort on the road. I remained 'comfortably uncomfortable' as I hobbled along! My aim for the mile efforts was 6:20 for each rep, though I really knew that I would be faster. First rep: 6:07. Second rep:5:49 (a 400m downhill stretch helped!). the third rep included a 700m uphill at the end and I slipped to 6:27. I use a Garmin Forerunner to measure these reps and, as I crested the hill (feeling decidedly uncomfortably uncomfortable!), I desperately tried to make up the lost time before the mile was completed. As the time depicts, I did not make it under 6:20. However, the route that I ran lends itself to a challenge: run the first 2 reps quick enough to get sufficiently along the route to make it up the hill with sufficient time to make up time to get under 6:20 for the last mile rep. Does that make sense? It will be fun and a test to see if my running improves.

The weekend approaches and I am getting revved up for the Sunday club ride. . . I must ride easy. . . I must ride easy. . . I must ride easy. . . I may ride easy. . . I may ride easy. . . I may ride hard. . . I may ride hard. . . I will ride hard. . . I will ride hard. . . Ah! Too late! I am riding hard!

The Long Ride - What Fun!

Health warning!! I am about to fall into detailed description of a long bike ride. Boring for some – sorry!

Busy busy; it’s been a busy week. After the club ride last Sunday my Monday training turned out to be an easy swim only as I had a slight reaction to my TB jab. Tuesday was easy also and I ended up missing my weekly strength session. On Wed travelled to Lincoln to race in the Linc Services League Cross Country League. The course, set by Lincs Police is a real mud route! I managed to get 4th place but didn’t feel too strong. Thursday and Friday were easy days as I was stiff from the cross country! It seemed to be taking longer than normal to recover. Maybe it’s age! Saturday is normally my rest day but I intended to train easy. However, we had to travel to Stoke so I ended up resting – although it was a tiring day with a late night.

So, I was non too happy with the week’s training. As I rolled out for the club ride today I decided I had best make up for my ‘relaxed’ week. This club ride thing is becoming the focus of my training I suppose! The thing is, I enjoy it so much! There is always someone to race against or push the pace. Some would say that the intensity is too high but to be honest, I would rather go for the enjoyment than get tangled up in the schedule/preparation thing. I guess I will never reach my potential with this attitude but I have been to the ‘I must take on the world and be the best’ place when I was younger (in my running days). The pressure that I used to lump on myself only served to bring frustration and disappointment. We rarely perform as we think we should and we sometimes set unattainable goals for ourselves. Anyway, in my Triathlon life, enjoyment is key. If my race performance suffers, it matters not! Check this pic out from 1984! Back in the days when I thought I would be a decent runner! hey, I look exactly the same as I do now. . .

The ride today saw warmer weather, and even some sunshine! The wind did blow but it was fun! There was a big turn out with maybe 30 riders. Jackie Wren was riding today and seemed to have rediscovered her enthusiasm. Maybe the rest will have recharged her batteries. We chatted and agreed on a duathlon plan for April! Watch this space. Pete Russell was also out (former RAF Triathlete, now a civilian). We formed 2 groups to begin with but the spread of abilities was too big and a ‘faster’ group was requested (not by me!). I moved into this group as I knew I wanted to ride hard. Pete refused my invitation to join me – so very weak, Pete! I was a little surprised to see only 5 riders form this group. Oh well, I needed to warm myself up so I put in a little dig over some bumps to put daylight between the 2 groups. The guys I ride with are friendly and a joy to pedal with. We did some through and off and I was happy to do some big turns on the front and push the hills. I like my coffee breaks and at 30 miles we stopped at the planned cafe – jaffa cake over load for me. . . Again!

The ride back saw some long stretches with a tail wind and the pace was high. Some of the other group swelled our numbers as we headed back to St Ives. I put in some more big digs, including a 53/12 2 mile stretch on the aero bars that really blew the group apart. I knew that if I wanted to put daylight between the other strong riders that I would have to hit the front at full pelt. Hence, to begin with I lurked at the back of the group. As the front riders picked up the pace (this stretch of road always causes guys to race!), I dropped to the aero bars and went full bore. I passed the front riders at some speed. After 30 seconds or so I glanced under my arm to see if I had someone on my wheel. The gap was there but they were chasing. I focused on keeping the power smooth. With me on my aero bars and a gap, the roadies would find it difficult to bridge across – oh yes! For 2 miles I was Fabian Cancellara riding the last mile of Milan – San Remo! Great fun. The final 5 miles home saw yet more efforts from riders and I was happy enough to recover quickly and be able to challenge again. As I said at the start; this training may not benefit my summer riding but I am happy.

Sorry to go on a bit!

A Good Week

This week has been a good week of training. I have felt strong on most sessions and hit the numbers I set myself on the turbo efforts. After the long hard ride last Sunday I had an easy day on Monday. I then hit the gym on Tuesday and did my conditioning session. The squats went well but the tabata intervals were down on speed. I put this down to the increased weight of the squats. 20 rep squats with a weight exceeding bodyweight are hard and leave the legs dead. The good thing is that i completed each 20 rep set with more strength to spare (don't get me wrong, they were hard but I could have done heavier). I was sensible and saved increasing the weight further until next time. Friday was the next hard session. I completed my 6 min turbo efforts with an average power of nearer 310W. My target was 305W so this is good. I then did 400m run efforts with 1 min recovery. These were far faster than previously for no extra effort. It is good to feel strong and after the good long ride last week I started to wonder why I was feeling stronger. Could it be my increased consumption of For Goodness Shakes? It certainly feels good to get regular recovery drinks after training. Normally, it's just more Jaffa Cake! Not much protein in those though! However, the turbo followed by a run interval session is hard . Even after a day off on Sat, I felt tired today as I started the St Ives CC Club Ride.

The wind was smack in the face for 30 miles. It was ok whilst in a group riding through and off. However, I stopped for a comfort break and the group didn't wait for me. This is not a problem as I didn't expect them to wait. I even suspected they might stick the boot in for revenge for all the times I have stuck the boot in! It took me 4 miles to catch the group and my legs were jelly! A lovely feeling. Soon after that we hit the coffee stop and I was ready for that. With the wind behind us on the return section the pace was high and some of the hills split the group. My legs recovered quickly and I started to 'feel the bike' more. Before i knew it, it was me sticking the boot in. my easy ride was out the window. oh well, if it not going to be easy, it may as well be hard! It was most enjoyable but tiring by the time we finished.

Here is my advertisement for FGS! Thanks for the recovery. I whack a spoon full of creatine in and warm up the choc malt in the microwave - lovely!

I had a restful day yesterday with my youngest daughter, CJ. It was her birthday last Wed and on Sat we did the movies and Frankie & Bennies for nosh. She had a great time and I can't believe that she is 8 years old already. I must be getting old! Here she is enjoying her meal with her friends. Guess which one is mine!

Train well Bloggers

Training Update

The days seem to be going quickly at the moment. Life is so full with one thing or another and there are quite a few missed training sessions. That said, when I do train, I make the sessions count! Yesterday was the weekly St Ives CC ride. I covered about 60 miles but as I had missed my run session the day before I decided to forgo the usual coffee stop. The rest of the riders piled into the coffee shop in Oundle for various snacks on drinks whilst I whipped my trainers out of my back pockets and completed some 800m efforts with 1 min recovery. I finished just in time to rejoin the others as they set off for home. I felt quite perky and put in some big efforts on the bike too. My club mates graciously allowed me to stay on the front for the last 10 or 12 miles! It was an enjoyable ride and shows that my bike legs are ok.

I am still doing strength sessions in the gym and am up to 70kg for my 20 rep squats. This is beyond my body weight and things are getting hard! I am unable to hold he same power on the tabata intervals after the squats now; I am hoping that this is just because the squats are heavier and so the legs are more fatigued. Last season I binned the strength work around January. This year I intend to carry it through much longer.

I do feel that my running is taking a back seat this winter, especially as I did loads of running last year to prepare for the London Marathon. Oh well, there is not enough hours in the day to fit everything in!

My swim technique drills are going very well. However, I still have doubts whether I can turn the drill technique into a changed full swim stroke - time will tell!

I have been tinkering with my bikes too and attempted a front wheel hub bearing clean up and adjustment. All seemed ok and I ventured out with the club on New Years' Day for a 60 miler. After the coffee stop my wheel started to seize up! It seems that I had not got the adjustment quite right. the result was a very hard 25 miles back home. It was like riding a 25 mile hill simulation. . . Grinding away at low cadence. I have also discovered that my race bike has 10 speed components on it - after 2 years of riding 9 speed!! I shall now install a 10 speed cassette with a 11/25 spread. This should negate the need to install a 55 tooth front chain ring!

Well that's enough idle chat. I am home alone with my daughters and ready for bed! Look forward to hearing the training exploits of everyone in blog land. . . .