Training Review - Week 19 - May 2 to 8

Monday I started the morning by catching up on the missed yoga session from Sunday. Then I took the bike out for an easy half hour just to check out my legs. They weren't as bad as expected, but were still a long way from comfortable. When I returned I did the first of this week's yoga sessions. Then a second trip to see Captain America: Civil War in the afternoon.

Evening swimming was an open water skills session with a lot of punching and kicking and not so much actual swimming. Gamin clocked it as 1,300m but I think that was an over-estimate. 

Tuesday was the first time trial of the season, but I want to keep training straight through this one so I got up earlier and did my yoga session and a very easy run before breakfast. I tried to chill out for the rest of the day but got bored and ended up doing a bit of gardening and some homework in the afternoon. I did squeeze in my pre-bike yoga session before heading out to the TT. 

The TT itself didn't go particularly well. I forgot my garmin so had no information on speed, cadence or heart rate so I was just having to ride on how I felt and that would be fine normally, but today I felt completely empty. There was a bit of a headwind on the way out and within the first mile my legs were telling me that they were still full of Sunday's ride, never mind the bike, swim, run, and 4 yoga sessions that I had also done since. I expected to be a bit tired so it wasn't a big surprise. After the turn I felt a little easier with the tailwind but still slow and empty. Outside 28 minutes, well off my target for the year, but for lots of good reasons.

Wednesday I was knackered. My binge of training over the last two weeks is starting to catch up with me. I decided to stay on it for a couple more days and then take my taper into Sunday's race rather than try and take a midweek rest day. This was partly to fit in with my iron friends and their Wednesday run and partly to fit around the swimming pool timetable. I went for a swim at lunchtime and did 5 x 300m at 1,500m pace.

I did my yoga and rollering sessions in the afternoon before going out for a steady run at iron-friends pace. Lots of miles, but not entirely relevant training. 

Thursday I did my morning yoga and a core session and then decided to take an test ride on my road bike with my aero TT wheels on it. The Di2 gears make the wheel switch a total cinch. Wheel out - wheel in - up shift to top - downshift to bottom - done. The brakes are less ideal. They are good at braking from fast to slow, but pretty terrible from slow to stop. A lot of squealing and not much stopping power at the low end. In a race I am barely going to use them for total stopping though, and if it comes to it I can always squeeze a bit more and lock up the rear. More important than both of those is that the bike still handles well, and in straight lines at high speeds the wheels definitely roll better.  

Friday I settled for yoga and a steady run. Not as much of a taper into Sunday as I should have done.

After a three-week training binge of mostly 2-session days I am in sore need of a rest and with a race on Sunday this means a total day off on Saturday. Ok, not quite a total day off as I am still going to do my daily yoga session and a bit of rollering and stretching. But no 'real' session.

Sunday's Peterhead Sprint Tri will get a post to itself. Then in the evening I did a very short weights session, just to tick that box for the week. 

All-in-all a really good week. Above targets on everything, and a really great race on Sunday.

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 - Yoga session 17 mins. 30 Days of Yoga - Day 14.
Short ride 6.6 miles in 31 mins.
Yoga session 30 mins. 30 Days of Yoga - Day 15.
Swim with TPT  1,300 m in 52 mins.

Tuesday - Yoga session 15 mins. 30 Days of Yoga - Day 16.

Easy run 3.1 miles in 31 mins.

Pre-race yoga session - Cycling session. 

Deeside 10-mile Time Trial in 28:20. 
Warm up / down 6.2 miles in 23 mins.

Wednesday - Swim at Bucksburn
Yoga session 34 mins. 30 Days of Yoga - Day 17.
Stretching and rollering session.
Steady run 8.5 miles in 1 hour 16 mins.

Thursday - Yoga session 22 mins. 30 Days of Yoga - Day 18.
Core session. 
Easy ride 13.2 miles in 47 mins. 

Friday -  Yoga session 22 mins. 30 Days of Yoga - Day 19.
Steady run 5.0 miles in 41 mins. 

Saturday - Yoga session 26 mins. 30 Days of Yoga - Day 20.
Rest Day

Sunday - Yoga session 30 mins. Runners yoga.
Peterhead Sprint Tri 
Swim 750m in 12:28. (+100m warm-up).
Ride 14.0 miles in 40:45.
Run 2.9 miles in 18:49.
Short weights session. 

Actuals - Swim 2.4 miles (3,800 m). Bike 50.0 miles. Run 19.5 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 stretching/rollering session. 136 mins of yoga. 

Cumulative (Cumulative target) [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 37.7  (34.5)  [39.7],
B 751.9  (819.9)  [1024.8],
R 327.9  (280.3)  [316.7].