Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Dos and don'ts of Training



A timely reminder of some of the Dos and Don't s in Triathlon training.

I have been getting weekly massages and the masseur has been reminding me to stretch every week as all my muscles are really tight . It is a slow and long road of trying to unravel some of the important but often forgotten habits needed to remain fit , injury free and performing at my optimum level.

Like rest we tend to not rate eating well , stretching and resting with the same importance as training. I continue to play catch up but I am trying my best to change a few bad habits .

In a past post I did find a short piece about Meredith Kessler  and how she took 7 years to change and adapt her training habits into the champion she is now.

And recently on firstoffthebike Blog there was a good piece on the Dos and Don't of training .I break lots of the rules but I think if I can get a few of these habits right I will improve.

Make It Work for You

Take a cue from Meredith Kessler and turn her experience into your competitive edge.
Create a long-term vision: A long-term plan opens the door of progression, which leads to constant evolution and improvement.
Be patient: It is easy to build a long-term vision, but much tougher to execute it daily and always maintain the vision throughout multiple seasons. Stick with it, and you’ll be rewarded.
Build a plan custom-tailored to you: It is Meredith’s willingness and ability to think outside the box and develop an approach that suits her that has delivered results. Do all the stated truths in triathlon training really apply to you? Are they truths, or simply unchallenged norms?
Think beyond endurance: Swimming, biking and running is the most specific training you can do. But to truly evolve your performance, you also need to focus on the supporting elements of nutrition, recovery, functional strength, psychology, skills and equipment.
Be consistent: Performance evolution is a result of many days, weeks, months and years of consistent training load. In fact, the reason we focus so much on specificity in training, as well as recovery, is to achieve training consistency.
Stay balanced: Without a tremendous amount of resilience and emotional balance, Meredith could not have succeeded. The triathlon lifestyle doesn’t promote life balance, but if you make it a priority and dedicated focus, you can achieve it.
Work hard: This sport isn’t easy. Meredith could not have evolved to her level without massive amounts of grit, determination, sacrifice and hard work. There is no easy way, but there sure is a smart way.

Read more at http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2012/11/23/the-journey-of-meredith-kessler#OruOuhUM02z6AhbR.99


Dos and Don'ts of Triathlon from First off the bike
by Jen Brown on the, firstoffthebike.com’s website.


i

WEEK 15




Molly Chasing Seagulls after her run.View from Applecross towards City


The weather has certainly improved although I have continued to avoid the rain and have rested when I have felt lethargic. Still a tinge of guilt when I miss sessions but the realization is that Ironman training is an endurance sport and one session doesn't make the athlete.many small steps do. What I cannot make up for is the lack of rest and the sedentary nature of work and hours or sitting . The ideal training regime is really a part time work load and spare hours to rest , have multiple massages and specific coaching sessions.

the next best thing is to work round these obstacles and train smart . sometimes it is harder with motivation and the lack of similar level athletes to work with. but it is a journey of discovery and mixing up the sessions get the right mix.

The week started :

Monday

I had the option of swim/run but took a rest day .

Tuesday

Ran in the afternoon , easy  8km and in the evening rode on my own after work instead of going to  Cross Fit. It was suppose to be a morning session but with rain I opted to avoid any chance of getting wet. The evening ride was a 40plus minute on high cadence and riding around Nedlands then on to Kings Park and doing 5 rides up and down Lovekin Drive trying desperately to keep at the 70rpm on the big ring. As I progressed down a cog each minute. The legs were screaming and I was struggling by climb 5. A good 39km session.

Wednesday

A rare swim in the morning . The water was nice and warm and I had a 200m free start in PB , 400m in fins and then 200m drills swimming with one arm breathing in the  opposite side , 100 m kicking and then 100 free followed by the main set of 600m with 100 at the start and final 100 at threshold and the rest medium and 2 x 400 m at sub threshold and 200m threshold and 100 recovery .a total 2.7km.

In the afternoon I ran with 5 x 1km efforts at about 4.45 pace and kept it consistent with the rest @6 minute plus pace. Total run 8 km. In the evening a slow 5km.

Thursday

With the rain I stayed away and was planning my cycle in the evening but the rain continued and I was toying with the idea of doing it as a wind trainer session but spent far too long setting up the bike and gave up for another no work out day.

Friday.

Ran in the afternoon with an easy 8km and had a massage at Lunch time . In the evening I swam alone doing 2.4km.A similar set with 200m free , 2 x 400m free and then 800m  and 500m before a 100m recovery for a total of 2.4km .

Saturday
Fight Gone Wrong

A late start for the bike cycling alone and did the river and Shelley loop before riding home. it was hard trying to cycle consistently as the legs were probably a little sore from the massage . (it always hurts) Completed 90km and sat on the back of the South Perth Garland cycle group along Curtin University for a few kilometres of respite in an otherwise  lonely ride.I ran with Molly off the bike for about 4km very easy .

In the afternoon with did Fight Gone Bad (we called it Wrong) . Just 15 minutes but the hardest 15 minutes ever. I improved my score using the same weight of 25kg for the Push Press and the 7kg ball for the wall-balls. (despite the bike ride)

Something is working I hope. I did have an early night as I was dead tired.

Sunday

thankfully was not an early start although I had breakfast with Tim and Trevor and Les at East Perth before starting my bike /run brick session. Not the usual plan but decided to do Thursday's session  to at least try and pick up some speed work. There were a few cyclist about and managed 2.5 loops around Birwood beside the warm up and cool down  from Kings Park to Nedlands. Total 40km and then ran a short 4km easy run . In the afternoon I did a further 5km easy with Molly and decided against a longer run. The legs were feeling reasonably good.

Total:
Swim: 5.1km or 2 hrs
Run: 42km or 4.20hrs
Bike: 6.5hrs or 170kms
Crossfit : 0.5 hrs
Total: 13.2hrs





Monday, August 18, 2014

Week 14

 



Irondog trying out the Lazer Helmet

The advantage of designing my own training programme is that I also know that it has an inbuilt flexibility.I was not meant to do all the sessions in it.

Particularly as the sessions get longer and tougher .

Monday

A good case in point as I had a run and swimming but the soreness from the weekend made it hard and I decided to sacrifice the sessions and have a rest.

Tuesday

It was a late start and I ran 7km at Lunch and then did my cycle workout in the evening in lieu of my Cross fit.
It was 40 minutes of high cadence and then hill repeats along Lovekin Drive in Kings Park with 5 repeats till my leg was sore and then an easy ride round the Park. here were a few cyclist and cars about and  little else in the quiet darkness . Legs really felt that workout as I struggled to keep at 70rpms in the big chain ring until I could shift a few cogs down .

Wednesday

I did my interval work out today but just 4 x 1km at Threshold or higher.Maintained my heart rate at about 150 to 159 and had a pace of 4.34 to 5.08 minutes per km. still slow but a real improvement.In the evening I ran a further 5km and then swam with the Exceed squad.
The session was a 400m free, 3 x 100medley and 3 x 500m with 400 @threshold and 100m easy and a 100m cool down for a total of 2.3km

Got a real bad cramp in the left leg at the end . The muscles are slowly trying to get strong and used to the overload.

Thursday

As I was sore I skipped the ride session. In the arvo I ran 7km easy and then went to Cross fit

A good hard session:


Friday

I ran at Lunch time another easy 6km on a really nice warm day. Not too many runners  today.Strange that on a Friday. In the evening I swam by myself at the Terry Tyzarks Pool.Did very much a similar set with 400m free warm up , 4 x 100 with 50 hard and 50 easy , 3 x 500 at threshold and 100m cool down.

Saturday

I was supposed to be riding a long 3-4 hour ride but did not get much sleep during the night so decided to just rest up and ride long on Sunday. had a massage on Saturday before Cross fit. The legs were tight and sore before and after the session they were just sore.The calf's especially had taken a pounding. i was reminded to stretch more.

Saturday's Session




Sunday


Trail Riding today


Whilst still sore in the legs especially the quads after the Cross fit session , I managed to do an easy 5km run as a warm up for my ATTA 20km Time trial which was on in the morning out a champion lakes . It was great morning with not too much wind about. First time in a while I had been at an ATTA Time trial. It was just 20km but the legs were going to hurt. I had my TT Bike and Zipp wheels. It was 4 laps of 5kms each and I managed a consistent pace with the last lap at 8.37 being my best and only 5 secs between the 4 laps . My average for the 20km was 34.49kph.HR was just above threshold.

After the TT , I did a MTB ride on the Heritage trail for 2.5 hrs with the first 27kms riding up to Mundaring then a fast return for a total of 45kms. I met a number of North Coasters running the trail including Paul , Mez and (Bill training for Kona) It was a good day for it. Not too many riders out on the trail and the legs were pretty done by the end of that ride. Stopped at Mt Helena for a coke as I  had finished my Bidon of drink .

Week

A little erratic but getting there.

Bike: 100km or 4.5hrs with (45km on the MTB)
Run: 38km or 4.5 hrs
Cross Fit : 2hrs
Swim: 4.7km or 2 hrs
Total: 13 hrs





Monday, August 11, 2014

Week 13

Sunday's easy run with Molly along the river followed by a swim for Irondog

With Training Partner


Ironman Busselton Training Programme August 2014

Start of Ironman Training begins with a 16 week plan .The first 4 weeks or August have been drawn up and the training begins in earnest.

the past few months have been a general preparation and keeping fit . It is a long build with a few races and adventures to add some variety and spice to training.


Monday:

Swim in the evening .First swim in several weeks . I followed a Sara McLarty plan with a 400m warm up and then 400 with breathing every 3 strokes (could not do 5 just yet) , 16x 25m with one fast and one easy , 125 x 4 with the last 25m fast , 75m x 4 focus on swim stroke , then 300m recovery and 100m any stroke .total 2.4km . Slowly finding my swim legs but it felt tough getting back into the water.

Tuesday:

A long day with morning bike at Birwood Avenue , riding with Exceed. Did a 30 minute session at threshold.I got dropped at the turn around and then joined the group of riders on the second lap and then got dropped again catching up after a 10 minute recovery . Did another 10 minute threshold and a five minute recovery before a 5 minute effort . The HR was definitely high and I was gasping for air. Not quite the session on the programme but it was close. The data on the Garmin will show the efforts and the HR and the effort expended. In the afternoon I ran an easy 7km along the river in East Fremantle. It was actually a really nice and surprisingly warm day for a Perth Winter . In the evening it was cross fit with max weights for the bench Press and Dead lift. I managed to do a PB for the bench press at 60kgs. That was a tiring day.

Wednesday

The legs were very sore and I skipped swimming. I ran at Lunchtime with a hard session of interval running. A 1.3km warm up and then 4 x 1km @4.30 to 5.00 minute pace and 2 x 500m at similar pace. i managed the first two kms at 4.30 and 4.45 pace and the third at 4.49 and the last at 4.57 so I kept within the range. The legs were still tired from the Tuesday ride. Did about 8.3km


Thursday

It was raining in the morning so I skipped riding. I ran at lunch with an easy 7km @ 6.30 pace and in the evening instead of Cross fit opted for my bike session. I did a 40 plus minutes with high cadence and then rode up Lovekin drive in the big ring trying to keep 70rpms , doing 5 repeats before the darkness , drizzle and pain got the better of me. kings park is a scary place after dark . no cyclist about a few runners with torches and a few cars driving through .

Friday
Just too tired for a swim session in the morning and the right hip was sore. I had a massge in the late morning which whilst painful was I presume good for me.In the evening I ran an easy 6km . I was going to do the evening swim session but decided to just have a rest.
Saturday's Session

Saturday
I was going to ride this morning but with a sore right hip decided to run in the morning and do my ride on Sunday. I took Molly for a 5km run and then ran a further 12km for a total of 17km 9just under) .Then in the afternoon , I did my Cross fit .It turned out to be the Walsh ...and it was a hard session especially 4 rounds of 22 burpee Pull-ups. I slept well that night.

Sunday

Very sore from the previous days work out but managed to get on the bike. rode to Tim's house an then rode to roe Highway and came back through the Freeway Bike path and South perth with coffee at a Cafe on the way back . It was a slow small chain ring ride and I felt it but managed to finish with 80 kms.

In the evening I ran a short 4kms with Molly and JJ.

Week
Cross fit 2 hrs
Run: 50 km (including 800meters with the15kg plate at cross fit)  or approx 5.15 hrs
Bike: 164 km or  6.5 hrs
swim: 2.4 km or 1 hr

Total: 14.75 hrs

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Weeks 8 to 12 Where have all the Training Days Gone



A long overdue summary of the past few weeks of training or lack of. 

What was supposed to be the preparation for IM Busselton Training descended into 2 weeks of not being able to do much and a further week of travel and a week of rain. But the lessons learnt in campaigns past is that it is early days and flexibility is key to great preparation.

It isn't great getting sick and thankfully I managed some cross fit and did not have a really bad dose of the flu. It was just enough to know it would not be good to aggravate the condition. The freezing temperatures in Perth in July did not help.

Hot and Humid Rides in Singapore

View from Mount Faber looking out to Sentosa

Breakfast at the Food court at Adam Road after a ride , Prata and Curry $2

 
 My Bike for the week in Singapore

The 3rd week of July was spent in Singapore and I did manage a number of runs and rides accumulating about 230km on the bike grinding out rides around the island with lots of traffic and heat and humidity so it was a good block even though I did not do any specific training rides.
The runs in the forest around Bukit Timah were oppressive for me and I was pretty much just slow .
Enjoying the Evening run by the Beach

Run with Molly Burns beach

The return to Perth meant for the last week trying to get back into a proper block of training. The rain ended that idea. I was not prepared to ride in wet weather having learnt how long it takes to recover from a fall was not worth the risk.  I did manage my crossfit sessions and a few runs which set me up in the past month for the base training starting in August.

Week 12

In the week of 28 July , I managed to get my Watt bike fitness testing which showed some improvement in my VO2 testing. The week was:

Monday : Run at Lunch 7km and in the evening Watt bike session 20km (45 minutes) and a short run of the bike of 3-4km

Tuesday : Run at Lunch 7.5km with intervals of 4x 1km @4.45 min per km .Evening 40minutes high cadence and 4 x hill repeats in Kings part and cool down for 38km and 1.5hr session

Wednesday : Run at Lunch 7km and a further run in the evening 7km slow and easy

Thursday : Skipped ride and did Cross fit in the evening.Hard session of 40 minutes repeating a series of exercises with 2 minutes rest for an hour session.

 Friday: In the morning I did a 1.5hrs on bike with warm up and cool down and 40 minutes at Threshold .Done at Birdwood in Nedlands alone. At lunch ran 7kms slow and easy

Saturday: A ride of 3 hours down to Fremantle and back  with a stop at Metrio for coffee with the Exceed Crew after their ride. In the evening Cross fit which was an hour of 9 exercises done to a maximum of 50 repeats .
Run between Mount Henry Bridge and Canning Bridge
Sunday : I ran 14km late morning at 6.30 pace and a further 5km in the evening with Molly all at about 6.30 pace.

The week:
Cross Fit  2 hrs
Run: 57 kms or 6 hrs
Bike: 171.5km or 6.45 hr
Total:14.45hrs