Monday, 25 January 2016
Training Plan - Week 5 - Jan 25 to 31
Friday is an outing to test wedding menus, but the rest of the week is pretty open.
Monday - Turbo session.
Swim with TPT.
Yoga session.
Tuesday - Recovery run.
Yoga session.
Wednesday - TPT Fartlek session.
Yoga session.
Thursday - Yoga session.
Easy run.
Friday - Rest day.
Wedding menu tasting.
Saturday - Swim at ASV.
Yoga session.
Sunday - Kintore Sunday Lite ride.
Yoga session.
Target totals - Swim 1.9 miles. Bike 45.5 miles. Run 15.3 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 60 mins of yoga.
Training Review - Week 4 - Jan 18 to 24
I am still carrying my cold from last week. It is getting a bit annoying now. I decided that rather than go out in sub-zero temperatures I would spin out 30 minutes on the turbo to get a double session and cut into the biking backlog. The cold was still bugging me though so I slipped another day of yoga in favour of going to swimming. That might not have been the best choice as I then struggled through swimming fighting the cold.
Friday was date night so I didn't get a chance to even squeeze in my yoga session. We went to try out Byron Burgers and see the Big Short.
Saturday I got up early to go for a swim but I was still struggling with the cold that just won't go away. I was going so slow that I cut my 4x400 session to 3 x400m and it still took as long as the I had originally planned. Then I headed straight out to Kirkhill for an easy loop to finish out my running for the week. I don't really believe in 'junk miles are junk'. I think every mile has some value, even if it is only in terms of calorific burn. But when I was being overtaken by a middle aged lady jogging along with her two dogs I was tempted to change that view.
Once I was home I tried to do the next yoga session but it was a really boring one and again I only managed about 10 minutes of it before giving up on it. This time I did a bit more on my own though.
Sunday should have been Westhill Duathlon but I decided between the cold I have had and the recent weather there was no real value in racing it. Instead I decided to stick to just getting some cycling in and getting the bike outside for the first time this year. I got up early with a view to riding out to meet the Kintore group, doing an hour with them, then heading round to Westhill to watch the duathlon. That plan lasted about 3 miles until I had a puncture.
A quick bit of maths and I realised I couldn't repair it in time to get to the group start time. I stopped to change to my spare tube. I remembered to check inside the tyre for whatever had caused the puncture. Turned out to be a lovely sharp piece of glass which took a slice out of my thumb. I cleared it out and put my spare tube in, and used the CO2 to fill it up. I tried to leave some gas in the canister in case I needed it later. Took about 15 minutes. Then I rode on and missed the group start by about 10 minutes.
I decided to cut a few miles off my planned turning point to make up for the tyre stop and the lack of a group to push the speed. That meant I still got back to Westhill in plenty of time to watch the race briefing and take some photos. By the time they were out on the bike I was getting pretty cold so I went out and rode a reverse lap just to keep myself warm. Then after the race I took a recce of the commuting route I haven't tested yet. That was going really well until I had a second puncture, but not a second spare tube. I tried the foam but whatever had cause the second tear was too big to seal. I tried calling for some team car support but she was out shopping for shoes. So I eventually gave up and rolled the last 3 miles on a flat, doing plenty of damage to the rim in the process.
A good week for miles, as I stay ahead of both run and swim stretch targets and close up the backlog on the biking. The only thing I missed this week was a core session and the yoga is covering a lot of that at the minute.
Target totals - Swim 1.9 miles. Bike 45.5 miles. Run 15.3 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 60 mins of yoga.
Monday - Turbo 30 mins 7.5 miles.
Swim with TPT 2,200m in 56 mins.
Tuesday - Run 4.2 miles in 38 mins.
Yoga session 10 mins.
Wednesday - Rest day.
Thursday - Run 6.5 miles in 61 mins.
Yoga session 15 mins.
Friday - Rest day
Saturday - Swim at Bucksburn 0.7 miles in 25 mins.
Kirkhill easy loop 4.6 miles in 47 mins.
Yoga session 25 mins.
Light weights session.
Sunday - Total cycling 45.7 miles in 3 hrs 22mins
Actuals - Swim 2.1 miles (3,400 m) Bike 53.2 miles. Run 15.3 miles. 0 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 50 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 6.7 (5.8) [6.6],
B 123.2 (136.6) [170.8],
Tuesday I went for an easy run straight after work. Still struggling with the cold and by the time I got back I was feeling a bit dizzy. I started the next yoga session but only lasted about 10 minutes before I felt too sick and had to quit. A couple of minutes of sitting quietly was enough to dampen the nausea. I then spent the rest of the evening with a gradually increasing migraine as the pressure in my sinuses continued to increase.
Wednesday morning I didn’t feel much better after a pretty terrible night of sleep. I had the last of my lemsips at work and managed to survive the office. I was in no state to train though. I thought about just spinning 30 minutes on the turbo to get something in but I couldn't manage even that. And the yoga slipped yet another day.
Thursday I was still a bit sniffly but I planned a long easy run. My training buddy then got stuck late at work. I took the delay to squeeze in the next yoga session. It was a very short one but a much moe interesting one than most have been. At least that was back into completing sessions. Then took the long easy run, very easy.
Saturday I got up early to go for a swim but I was still struggling with the cold that just won't go away. I was going so slow that I cut my 4x400 session to 3 x400m and it still took as long as the I had originally planned. Then I headed straight out to Kirkhill for an easy loop to finish out my running for the week. I don't really believe in 'junk miles are junk'. I think every mile has some value, even if it is only in terms of calorific burn. But when I was being overtaken by a middle aged lady jogging along with her two dogs I was tempted to change that view.
Once I was home I tried to do the next yoga session but it was a really boring one and again I only managed about 10 minutes of it before giving up on it. This time I did a bit more on my own though.
Sunday should have been Westhill Duathlon but I decided between the cold I have had and the recent weather there was no real value in racing it. Instead I decided to stick to just getting some cycling in and getting the bike outside for the first time this year. I got up early with a view to riding out to meet the Kintore group, doing an hour with them, then heading round to Westhill to watch the duathlon. That plan lasted about 3 miles until I had a puncture.
A quick bit of maths and I realised I couldn't repair it in time to get to the group start time. I stopped to change to my spare tube. I remembered to check inside the tyre for whatever had caused the puncture. Turned out to be a lovely sharp piece of glass which took a slice out of my thumb. I cleared it out and put my spare tube in, and used the CO2 to fill it up. I tried to leave some gas in the canister in case I needed it later. Took about 15 minutes. Then I rode on and missed the group start by about 10 minutes.
I decided to cut a few miles off my planned turning point to make up for the tyre stop and the lack of a group to push the speed. That meant I still got back to Westhill in plenty of time to watch the race briefing and take some photos. By the time they were out on the bike I was getting pretty cold so I went out and rode a reverse lap just to keep myself warm. Then after the race I took a recce of the commuting route I haven't tested yet. That was going really well until I had a second puncture, but not a second spare tube. I tried the foam but whatever had cause the second tear was too big to seal. I tried calling for some team car support but she was out shopping for shoes. So I eventually gave up and rolled the last 3 miles on a flat, doing plenty of damage to the rim in the process.
A good week for miles, as I stay ahead of both run and swim stretch targets and close up the backlog on the biking. The only thing I missed this week was a core session and the yoga is covering a lot of that at the minute.
Target totals - Swim 1.9 miles. Bike 45.5 miles. Run 15.3 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 60 mins of yoga.
Monday - Turbo 30 mins 7.5 miles.
Swim with TPT 2,200m in 56 mins.
Tuesday - Run 4.2 miles in 38 mins.
Yoga session 10 mins.
Wednesday - Rest day.
Thursday - Run 6.5 miles in 61 mins.
Yoga session 15 mins.
Friday - Rest day
Saturday - Swim at Bucksburn 0.7 miles in 25 mins.
Kirkhill easy loop 4.6 miles in 47 mins.
Yoga session 25 mins.
Light weights session.
Sunday - Total cycling 45.7 miles in 3 hrs 22mins
Actuals - Swim 2.1 miles (3,400 m) Bike 53.2 miles. Run 15.3 miles. 0 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 50 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 6.7 (5.8) [6.6],
B 123.2 (136.6) [170.8],
R 62.0 (52.4) [59.3].
Monday, 18 January 2016
Training Plan - Week 4 - Jan 18 to 24
Hopefully I will manage to stay healthy enough, and the weather will be sensible enough, to get through a whole week.
I still haven't been outside on the bike yet this year. And I am not keen to put the new bike onto the turbo trainer. As long as I am not getting outside I will just leave my winter bike on the turbo for now. So the new bike stays tucked away in the spare room for now.
Monday - Easy run.
Swim with TPT.
Yoga session.
Tuesday - Recovery run.
Yoga session.
Wednesday - TPT Fartlek session.
Yoga session.
Thursday - Yoga session.
Spin and tone class.
Friday - Easy run or rest day.
Yoga session.
Saturday - Swim at ASV.
Yoga session.
Sunday - Kintore Sunday Lite ride.
Yoga session.
Target totals - Swim 1.9 miles. Bike 45.5 miles. Run 15.3 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 60 mins of yoga.
I still haven't been outside on the bike yet this year. And I am not keen to put the new bike onto the turbo trainer. As long as I am not getting outside I will just leave my winter bike on the turbo for now. So the new bike stays tucked away in the spare room for now.
Monday - Easy run.
Swim with TPT.
Yoga session.
Tuesday - Recovery run.
Yoga session.
Wednesday - TPT Fartlek session.
Yoga session.
Thursday - Yoga session.
Spin and tone class.
Friday - Easy run or rest day.
Yoga session.
Saturday - Swim at ASV.
Yoga session.
Sunday - Kintore Sunday Lite ride.
Yoga session.
Target totals - Swim 1.9 miles. Bike 45.5 miles. Run 15.3 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 60 mins of yoga.
Training Review - Week 3 - Jan 11 to 17
Monday I rushed home from work so I could get out for a run, then get my dinner and yoga session in before going to give blood. Turns out there wasn't a huge rush as the queue for giving blood was so long that they turned me away. So I also managed to go to swimming and treat that as a normal session as well. I was moved up to lane 4, which is handy as I wrote that in to my end of year targets so being there in my first session of the year is a decent start.
Tuesday I had to squeeze in a quick run before going out to an evening presentation. As with last week this resulted in me turning my easy recovery run into my fastest run of the week. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to start my yoga session until 10pm. Apparently that doesn't work for me. I managed about 12 minutes of the 45 minute session before I ran out of motivation.
Wednesday I felt pretty crap after work and another trip to the dentist. I just about managed the short yoga session but it was very ugly and untidy. Then at the last minute the club fartlek session was cancelled for ice. I dragged myself out for a very cold and slow lap around Dyce, and had a rather disconcerting dizzy spell about half way round. That might have been due to the cold, or possibly the last few weeks of fairly heavy training has piled up to exhaustion point. Thursday is an indoor session, probably just on the turbo which should show either way.
Thursday demonstrated that it was neither. I woke up with a head cold. Huge doses of lemsip later and I still felt like crap and decided to drop both the turbo and yoga sessions.
Friday I felt significantly better so I sat on the turbo trainer for 30 minutes just to spin out my legs and satisfy my GymPact. Also cut half an hour off the turbo time I will need to put in to Sunday morning.
Saturday I still didn't feel 100% but I had already agreed to go for a swim so I dragged myself out of bed and along to the pool for a pyramid session. 100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m. It was a bit of a struggle and the pace wasn't great, but it got me over the target for swimming this week. In the afternoon I felt a bit too rough to get through my backlog of yoga or go for a run.
I did collect and set up my new bike, and finally got round to painting the dining room and catching up on my online courses.
Sunday I dragged myself out of bed, still suffering from the cold and joined a group run at Kirkhill. It was a nice easy pace which suited me being ill. That got me the missed miles from earlier in the week to to get me over my target but meant I couldn't fit in a longer cycle session. When I got home I decided to spin an hour on the turbo to try and minimise the bike losses for the week. Then I did Thursday's yoga session. It was quite a big day, especially for still being sick.
Despite a busy week and a cold I have managed to get all of my running and swimming for the week and I did two bike sessions. I lost a few days of yoga but I will just run a few days behind the programme for the rest of the month.
Target totals - Swim 1.9 miles. Bike 45.5 miles. Run 15.3 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 60 mins of yoga.
Monday - Run 3.3 miles in 31 mins.
Yoga session - 39 mins
Swim with TPT 2,200m in 54 mins.
Tuesday - Run 4.2 miles in 35 mins.
Yoga session - 12 mins.
Wednesday - Yoga session - 22 mins.
Run 3.3 miles in 30 mins.
Thursday - Cold.
Friday - Turbo 30 mins.
Saturday - Swim at Bucksburn 1,600m in 36 mins.
Sunday - Run at Kirkhill 6.6 miles in 63mins.
Turbo 15 miles in 60 mins
Yoga session - 34 mins
Actuals - Swim 2.4 miles (3,800 m). Bike 22.5 miles. Run 17.4 miles. 0 short core, 0 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 107 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 4.6 (3.8) [4.4],
B 70.0 (91.1) [113.9],
R 46.7 (37.1) [42.0].
Monday, 11 January 2016
Training Plan - Week 3 - January 11 to 17
Back to a more normal week this week. Club sessions restart in earnest but Monday's swim session should be fairly light for me as I am planning to give blood beforehand.
The rest of the week should then settle into my pattern for a normal week. Giving blood and a second swim session on the Saturday could leave me short of running this week but that should come back next week.
Monday - Swim with TPT.
Yoga session.
Tuesday - Easy short run.
Yoga session.
Wednesday - TPT Fartlek session.
Yoga session.
Thursday - Yoga session.
Spin and tone class.
Friday - Easy run or rest day.
Yoga session.
Saturday - Swim at ASV.
Yoga session.
Sunday - Kintore Sunday Lite ride.
Yoga session.
Target totals - Swim 1.9 miles. Bike 45.5 miles. Run 15.3 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 60 mins of yoga.
The rest of the week should then settle into my pattern for a normal week. Giving blood and a second swim session on the Saturday could leave me short of running this week but that should come back next week.
Monday - Swim with TPT.
Yoga session.
Tuesday - Easy short run.
Yoga session.
Wednesday - TPT Fartlek session.
Yoga session.
Thursday - Yoga session.
Spin and tone class.
Friday - Easy run or rest day.
Yoga session.
Saturday - Swim at ASV.
Yoga session.
Sunday - Kintore Sunday Lite ride.
Yoga session.
Target totals - Swim 1.9 miles. Bike 45.5 miles. Run 15.3 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 60 mins of yoga.
Training Review - Week 2 - January 4 to 10
Far from a normal week and plenty of chance to make some early progress before normal working weeks get too much in the way. Monday started with an early run to the pool and a steady set of 5 x 400m reps. Both were pretty slow, but nice easy distance in the bag, early Monday morning to start the week. Then another afternoon yoga session.
Tuesday I survived my first day back at work. In the evening I had planned a run then my running buddy wimped out at the last minute so I had to brave Storm Frank on my own again. Once again I accidentally managed to turn my recovery run into my fastest run of the week. Then I did the next yoga session in January yoga camp. Only 4 sessions in and the return of the daily yoga to my plan is already making a big difference to my posture and to my recovery between sessions.
Wednesday after work I tried to do the next yoga session in the series but I was having some real problems with cramp in my feet so I quit about half way through it. I then forced myself out into the ever present Storm Frank again for the club fartlek session. It wasn't all that fartlek-y this week as we pretty much rolled round it at a slightly varying pace to try and keep moving and get out of the weather as quick as possible.
Thursday I started by dropping my car off for its MOT, and then jogging home. Storm Frank was still raging away and the first couple of miles was almost walking pace into the wind. This was a pretty bad session, not just because it was worthless in itself, but because it was so horrible it has reminded me that there is a weather limit where running outside loses any value. With the rest of the day off I did some decorating and yoga before going to the dentist for a filling. After that I was in no mood for spin class and with all the flooded road closures I doubt I could have got to the class anyway. I considered a quick turbo but the ache from my new filling was enough to convince me that it wasn't worth it.
Friday I was just exhausted when I got home from work so I put my feet up and did nothing. I have plenty of scope over the weekend to keep on target and to catch up on the missed yoga session. Snow has now arrived so biking on Sunday is off. Also my new bike (if it fits) has arrived in Aberdeen and is ready for testing.
Saturday I woke up with tight shoulders knowing that I had to go for a swim first thing. It was a real chore to drag myself to the pool but once I was in the water I actually felt quite good and managed a nice steady mile swim. I then had to go in to work for a half day. I really dislike working weekends but with two MOTs, half a wedding and the new bike all dipping into my bank account this month I couldn't turn down the opportunity to make up extra time. Especially after taking Thursday off.
On the new bike front I did get in to the shop to check the geometry and it is going to fit. I have left it with them for another week while they re-gear it for me to allow . Having missed the chance to grab bike miles at spin class and knowing that I wasn't getting to bike outdoors on Sunday I wanted to split the turbo miles over 2 days but Saturday just got away from me and I didn't get the time.
Sunday was actually a half decent day and biking outside would probably have been ok, but I had already committed to the turbo trainer. I did an easy 20 minute warm up, then 20 minutes of 1min on/off reps, 20 minutes of 2min on/off reps and 30 minutes of 3min on/off and 30 mins of 4min on/off reps then a 9 min warm down. I know that sentence was boring, no imagine 2 hours and 5 minutes of that level of boredom. I hate the turbo.
This week is no real shock as it continues on from how I finished 2015. Lots of running, enough swimming, and still not quite enough on the bike. Much better on the yoga, as I expect to be through January, I just need to keep that focus after the 30-day yoga camp finishes. And as soon as I wanted to drop something the core and weights sessions just disappeared.
Target totals - Swim 1.9 miles. Bike 45.5 miles. Run 15.3 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 60 mins of yoga.
Monday - Run to ASV 5.5 miles in 53 mins.
Steady swim at ASV 2,000m in 46 mins. (5 x 400m).
Yoga session - 35 mins.
Tuesday - Run 4.0 miles in 31 mins.
Yoga session - 36 mins.
Wednesday - Yoga session - 15 mins.
TPT Fartlek session 4.9 miles in 39 mins.
Thursday - Run half-airport loop 3.4 miles in 31 mins.
Yoga session - 25 mins.
Friday - Rest day
Saturday - Swim 1600m in 31mins.
Yoga session - 26 mins.
Yoga session - 30 mins.
Sunday - Turbo 2 hours 5mins. ~31.3 miles
Yoga session - 35 mins.
Actuals - Swim 2.2 miles (3,600 m). Bike 31.3 miles. Run 17.8 miles. 0 short core, 0 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 202 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 2.2 (1.9) [2.2],
B 46.3 (45.5) [56.9],
R 29.3 (21.8) [24.7].
Monday, 4 January 2016
Training Plan - Week 2 - January 4 to 10
First full week of the year and I am only at work for 3 days this week. That gives me a good chance to get even further ahead of the targets early on.
Monday is the last real day of my Xmas holiday, so I am taking as much advantage of that as I dare with a run to ASV for a long steady swim.
Thursday I have to put my car in for its MOT and then I have a trip to the dentist in the afternoon. That gives me the chance to run round the airport, and get some easy run miles. I might have to miss the spin and tone session in the evening if I haven't recovered from the dentist.
Monday - Run to ASV.
Steady swim at ASV.
Yoga session.
Tuesday - Easy short run.
Yoga session.
Wednesday - TPT Fartlek session.
Yoga session.
Thursday - Run home from garage.
Yoga session.
Spin and tone class.
Friday - Easy run or rest day.
Yoga session.
Saturday - Swim at Bucksburn.
Steady run (to and from pool?).
Bike shopping.
Yoga session.
Sunday - Kintore Sunday Lite ride.
Yoga session.
Target totals - Swim 1.9 miles. Bike 45.5 miles. Run 15.3 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 60 mins of yoga.
Monday is the last real day of my Xmas holiday, so I am taking as much advantage of that as I dare with a run to ASV for a long steady swim.
Thursday I have to put my car in for its MOT and then I have a trip to the dentist in the afternoon. That gives me the chance to run round the airport, and get some easy run miles. I might have to miss the spin and tone session in the evening if I haven't recovered from the dentist.
Monday - Run to ASV.
Steady swim at ASV.
Yoga session.
Tuesday - Easy short run.
Yoga session.
Wednesday - TPT Fartlek session.
Yoga session.
Thursday - Run home from garage.
Yoga session.
Spin and tone class.
Friday - Easy run or rest day.
Yoga session.
Saturday - Swim at Bucksburn.
Steady run (to and from pool?).
Bike shopping.
Yoga session.
Sunday - Kintore Sunday Lite ride.
Yoga session.
Target totals - Swim 1.9 miles. Bike 45.5 miles. Run 15.3 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 60 mins of yoga.
Training Review - Week 1 - Jan 1 to 3
Not really a whole week so no surprises with the numbers here. No swimming this week but two runs, a bike ride and 3 yoga sessions on the plan.
Starting the year with an easy jog to granny's house with Dexter to first-foot her was easy enough. Then we dropped Dexter back home. His Xmas holiday has made it easy to rack up a lot of short runs in the last couple of weeks, but they have been slow. Now he is gone I can get back to adding distance and speed. We also skipped his planned trip to Scolty for a walk to finish his holiday. With the recent flooding it didn't seem the best idea to head into the middle of the affected area.
Yoga camp started with an introductory video. So I chose an alternate session to kickstart the year and did a couple of refreshers from Adriene's foundations of yoga set instead. Then I went on a tidying binge in the garage for about 4 hours and somehow made almost no headway.
Saturday I woke up to another storm. I decided to wait until the afternoon, put the kettle on, sat down, put my feet up to read a bit more of the Brownlees' book and noticed the rain had stopped. So a quick change of plan again and I headed out into the break between the worst of the weather. I decided to take the opportunity to tick off the Strava January 10k challenge before I have to go back to work.
In the afternoon I did the first real session of January yoga camp, and then in the evening I did a very short weights session.
Sunday I thought about braving the rain, but 50 mph winds are definitely not what I consider as appropriate biking weather so I finally got over my turbo aversion and set it up in the hallway for an hour. I started with a plan just to sit on it for an hour but I was getting too bored so I put in 10 x 1min efforts. I am going to claim a standard speed of 15mph on turbo and spin sessions for now as they are pretty much unmeasurable without a much more expensive turbo trainer.
Then in the afternoon I did the next session from yoga camp.
With Dexter's help and because I have been on holiday, I have accidentally run a marathon this week, and 50 miles in the last fortnight. It won't show up in my spreadsheet or in the numbers here because of the way it spans two separate years, but it is still worth noting as the longest running week for over 2 years and my longest fortnight since 2011.
Starting the year with an easy jog to granny's house with Dexter to first-foot her was easy enough. Then we dropped Dexter back home. His Xmas holiday has made it easy to rack up a lot of short runs in the last couple of weeks, but they have been slow. Now he is gone I can get back to adding distance and speed. We also skipped his planned trip to Scolty for a walk to finish his holiday. With the recent flooding it didn't seem the best idea to head into the middle of the affected area.
Yoga camp started with an introductory video. So I chose an alternate session to kickstart the year and did a couple of refreshers from Adriene's foundations of yoga set instead. Then I went on a tidying binge in the garage for about 4 hours and somehow made almost no headway.
Saturday I woke up to another storm. I decided to wait until the afternoon, put the kettle on, sat down, put my feet up to read a bit more of the Brownlees' book and noticed the rain had stopped. So a quick change of plan again and I headed out into the break between the worst of the weather. I decided to take the opportunity to tick off the Strava January 10k challenge before I have to go back to work.
In the afternoon I did the first real session of January yoga camp, and then in the evening I did a very short weights session.
Sunday I thought about braving the rain, but 50 mph winds are definitely not what I consider as appropriate biking weather so I finally got over my turbo aversion and set it up in the hallway for an hour. I started with a plan just to sit on it for an hour but I was getting too bored so I put in 10 x 1min efforts. I am going to claim a standard speed of 15mph on turbo and spin sessions for now as they are pretty much unmeasurable without a much more expensive turbo trainer.
Then in the afternoon I did the next session from yoga camp.
With Dexter's help and because I have been on holiday, I have accidentally run a marathon this week, and 50 miles in the last fortnight. It won't show up in my spreadsheet or in the numbers here because of the way it spans two separate years, but it is still worth noting as the longest running week for over 2 years and my longest fortnight since 2011.
I set a weekly target for he bike this week because I expected to get out on Sunday, but then I saw the weather before I wrote my annual plan and I adjusted it so the S-curve for biking actually has a blank week. So I am already ahead of the annual plan on running and biking.
Target totals - Swim 0 miles. Bike 35.0 miles. Run 8.0 miles. 0 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 60 mins of yoga.
Friday - Run to Granny's house 5.2 miles in 53 mins.
Yoga session 12 mins.
Saturday - Run 6.3 miles in 56 mins.
Yoga session 31 mins.
Sunday - Turbo 1 hour. [30 min spin, 10 x 1min on / 1 min off, 10 min spin] ~15 miles.
Yoga session 52 mins.
Actuals - Swim 0 miles (0 m). Bike 15 miles. Run 11.5 miles. 0 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 95 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 0.0 (0.0) [0.0],
B 15.0 (0.0) [0.0],
R 11.5 (6.6) [7.4].
Target totals - Swim 0 miles. Bike 35.0 miles. Run 8.0 miles. 0 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 60 mins of yoga.
Friday - Run to Granny's house 5.2 miles in 53 mins.
Yoga session 12 mins.
Saturday - Run 6.3 miles in 56 mins.
Yoga session 31 mins.
Sunday - Turbo 1 hour. [30 min spin, 10 x 1min on / 1 min off, 10 min spin] ~15 miles.
Yoga session 52 mins.
Actuals - Swim 0 miles (0 m). Bike 15 miles. Run 11.5 miles. 0 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 95 mins of yoga.
Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 0.0 (0.0) [0.0],
B 15.0 (0.0) [0.0],
R 11.5 (6.6) [7.4].
Friday, 1 January 2016
2016 Targets
I am going to stick with setting mileage targets as usual, and I am going to keep last year's S-curve idea for each week. I have slightly lessened the curve and front-loaded it in order to try and get to prime shape for qualifying races in June.
I am also going to set a tougher set of stretch targets. None of them are flat out impossible, but they are all very tough and even one of them would need to be a very good year.
I am also going to set a tougher set of stretch targets. None of them are flat out impossible, but they are all very tough and even one of them would need to be a very good year.
Swimming
102 miles in 2015 was a good year, but it still leaves plenty of room to improve. The simple target to set is just to go for 2 miles a week and set the number at 104 miles.
I need to have a regular plan for the second swim every week. In summer that is fairly easy as Knockburn trips are easy to schedule in. If I was to keep that in every week, and finish more sessions, then the number should get much closer to 120 miles.
More important than just hitting high numbers is to get back into lane 4 consistently, and to be much more consistent at putting regular fast laps together for entire races.
On the racing front the 6 minute 400m target was too tough last year, and at 2 seconds a length improvement on this years time it is still too tough. So I am going to take the 'reasonable' target of cutting another second a length and aim at 6:15.
For 750m, if I could hold that same second-a-length improvement would take me to 12 minutes. For 1,500m it would take me to 26 minutes. Those should both be achievable but are based on almost perfect conditions. And the real trick in the longer races is not to swim a handful of seconds (or even a whole minute) faster but instead to get to the end with more energy left for the next two sections where bigger time is much easier to gain, or lose. So the base targets get set slightly slower to allow for race conditions and the stretch targets get set higher and probably only come in a perfect race, or in a swim only race.
Biking
I had a decent year on the bike in 2015. But the miles haven't really changed over the last 3 years. 2015 was smarter in terms of adding some faster sessions and working on my time trialling skills.
After 3 year of 2,100 to 2,200 miles I really need to step up my biking.
I need to do more work on the bike, purely because it is my weakest event still. But this doesn't just mean more miles. While it definitely helps my general fitness and keeps my weight down to do a lot of miles it means sacrificing a lot of power. Rides in the 3-4 hours range or up in 50-60 miles are very good but they really aren't specific enough for what I want to do this year. So they are out in favour of doing more, 2 hour / 30 mile rides. That means still trying to average 2 rides a week.
Some of the miles are almost certainly going to have to come from commuting and the turbo trainer as well.
I think a sub-26 minute 10-mile TT is certainly in my range. I did three times under 27 minutes despite a horrible headwind for the first, giving blood the day before the second and being only 2 days after a fast Standard triathlon for the third. If I am in the sort of cycling shape I hope to be for racing at a higher level then sub-26 should be in range and sub-25 starts to look like a real possibility.
Having failed to finish either of the longer TT's that I started this year, the new target is to get to the end of one of them without getting lost. The stretch target on that is to try and get back under 75 mins for 25-miles.
Having failed to finish either of the longer TT's that I started this year, the new target is to get to the end of one of them without getting lost. The stretch target on that is to try and get back under 75 mins for 25-miles.
Running
I am not going to beat 2015 for running miles. Nor should I even try. 2015 was a freak year in terms of time off work and fitting in a lot of runs. While it was great to break 800 miles and to be in such great running shape at the end of the year, it is not a sustainable number whilst I am still working and doing two other sports. I am going to rein that back to a more achievable, but still fairly high, number.
So I am going to aim at 750 miles, with a stretch target of 850 miles. I would only get near that stretch target if I come out of triathlon racing season and decide to focus on a single sport to try and get sub-40 minutes for 10k, or have another attempt at a half marathon, or maybe even a marathon, late in the year.
Triathlon
It wasn't until I was writing my end of 2015 Review that I realised that I hadn't actually set any Triathlon targets in 2015.
So this year there are a few. First up is my plan to try and qualify for a GB age-group team. The obvious event to aim at is the 2017 Euro Sprint Champs. That handily has a qualifying race in Glasgow in June. That same weekend there is also a qualifying race for the 2016 World Champs in Cozumel, Mexico. I am not allowed to go to that event as it is too soon after my wedding and a honeymoon in Mexico with my bike was vetoed pretty quickly. But it will still be interesting to see how I fair in a draft legal race, where the impact of my weakest sport is minimised.
I may also look at a Euro Standard or a Euro Duathlon qualifying spot once I am into the season.
I also need to be looking at challenging for race wins. At least in my age-group if not outright. There are plenty of local races where I should be a podium level over-40 and pushing for a podium place overall. I can't really turn that into a SMART target though because the field that turns up on any given race day is so unpredictable.
It wasn't until I was writing my end of 2015 Review that I realised that I hadn't actually set any Triathlon targets in 2015.
So this year there are a few. First up is my plan to try and qualify for a GB age-group team. The obvious event to aim at is the 2017 Euro Sprint Champs. That handily has a qualifying race in Glasgow in June. That same weekend there is also a qualifying race for the 2016 World Champs in Cozumel, Mexico. I am not allowed to go to that event as it is too soon after my wedding and a honeymoon in Mexico with my bike was vetoed pretty quickly. But it will still be interesting to see how I fair in a draft legal race, where the impact of my weakest sport is minimised.
I may also look at a Euro Standard or a Euro Duathlon qualifying spot once I am into the season.
I also need to be looking at challenging for race wins. At least in my age-group if not outright. There are plenty of local races where I should be a podium level over-40 and pushing for a podium place overall. I can't really turn that into a SMART target though because the field that turns up on any given race day is so unpredictable.
Others
Yoga. I am going to start January by signing up to 30 consecutive days of Yoga www.yogawithadriene.com. From there I want to keep in at least one session per week. So the target for the year is to do 80 yoga sessions. I would really benefit from doubling that but I have to find the time to fit it in.
Weights and Core. I really need to be better at these as well. They are much too easy to drop when things get busy. So I am going to put in the formal target of 80 of these sessions as well.
This is also likely to be an expensive year. I am sorely in need of a new wet suit, my current one is starting to leak at the seals and needs to be replaced sooner rather than later. I have one on order from wiggle's sale.
More importantly I need a bike upgrade. The alloy bike that I train on is now 7 years old and really starting to struggle and it is simply not good enough for racing a draft-legal qualifying race. So an upgrade to carbon and Di2 for the road bike and then keep the alloy as a winter trainer is the plan. Watching the sales already and have picked out a focus which might be tight for size but trying to snap one up without hurting my wedding budget is going to be a real stretch.
Targets by numbers
Take part in a GBR age-group qualifying race for the 2017 European Sprint Champs.
Swim 104 miles.
Swim 104 miles.
Swim under 6:15 minutes for 400m.
Swim under 12:15 minutes for 750m.
Swim under 26:15 minutes for 1,500m.
Ride 2,080 miles.
Ride a 10-mile TT in under 26 minutes.
Finish a 25-mile TT without getting lost.
Finish a 25-mile TT without getting lost.
Run 750 miles.
Run a 5k in under 19:30 or 10k in under 42 mins.
Run another 5k in under 19:30 or 10k in under 42 mins.
80 Yoga sessions
80 Yoga sessions
80 Core and/or weights sessions.
Stretch Targets
Qualify for the GBR Age-group team for the 2017 European Sprint Championships.
Take part in a GBR age-group qualifying race for the 2017 European Duathlon Champs.
Take part in a GBR age-group qualifying race for the 2017 European Duathlon Champs.
Take part in a GBR age-group qualifying race for the 2017 World Standard Champs.
Swim 120 miles.
Swim 120 miles.
Swim under 6:00 minutes for 400m.
Swim under 11:45 minutes for 750m.
Swim under 25:45 for 1,500m.
Ride 2,600 miles.
Ride a 10-mile TT in under 25 minutes.
Ride a 25-mile TT in under 70 minutes.
Ride a 25-mile TT in under 70 minutes.
Run 850 miles.
'Run my age' for 10k. Sub-40 minutes.
Training Plan - Week 1 - Jan 1 to 3
Only three days to fill this week. Dexter goes home on Friday, but we should get in a short run to first foot my granny in the morning and maybe a long walk at Scolty as well before he gets dropped off.
And Sunday should be a first bike ride of the year.
I have signed up to the Yoga with Adriene Yoga camp, which means a yoga session every day through January.
Friday - Easy run.
Yoga session.
Saturday - Steady run.
Yoga session.
Sunday - Kintore Sunday Lite ride.
Yoga session.
Target totals - Swim 0 miles. Bike 35.0 miles. Run 8.0 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.
And Sunday should be a first bike ride of the year.
I have signed up to the Yoga with Adriene Yoga camp, which means a yoga session every day through January.
Friday - Easy run.
Yoga session.
Saturday - Steady run.
Yoga session.
Sunday - Kintore Sunday Lite ride.
Yoga session.
Target totals - Swim 0 miles. Bike 35.0 miles. Run 8.0 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.
New year, new blog (again)
Another new year and for the sake of consistency, and to make it easier for me to find links to older posts, here is my new blog with 2016's training details in it.
And if you want to find previous years or my non training blog you can get them at:
kevinmorice2015.blogspot.com
kevinmorice2014.blogspot.com
kevinmorice2013.blogspot.com
kevinmorice2012.blogspot.com
day-13.blogspot.com
Not about training blog (mostly film reviews since I never seem to find the time to fill it with anything else).
kevinjmorice.blogspot.com
kevinmorice2015.blogspot.com
kevinmorice2014.blogspot.com
kevinmorice2013.blogspot.com
kevinmorice2012.blogspot.com
day-13.blogspot.com
Not about training blog (mostly film reviews since I never seem to find the time to fill it with anything else).
kevinjmorice.blogspot.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)