Annual Review 2014

2014 Annual Targets were:


Swim 78 miles and learn to tumble turn. Amended to 85 miles.

Bike 1820 miles.

Run 624 miles.

There are some additional racing targets, Swim 400m under 6mins 30, and 750m under 13mins, and 1500m under 27mins. (And if I do by some chance find another 5k swim race, get under 1hr35).
Cycle a TT race.
Run a 5k under 21mins 30, or 10k under 44mins, or half marathon under 1hr 48.
Clock personal best times at Knockburn Sprint and Standard and at Huntly Standard (allowing for weather). 
Finish in the top-10 at Forres Novice. 

And the actuals to date are:


Swum 86.2 miles and doing lots of turns.


Biked 2130.6 miles.


Run 632.7 miles.


And run a 10k under 44 mins. (43:30 Moray RR 10k).
Finish Top-10 at Forres. (5th)
PB time at Knockburn sprint. (slower by ~2 minutes). 
PB time at Knockburn Standard (faster by 2 minutes).
PB time at Huntly Standard (faster by 4 minutes).
Swim 400m under 6:30 - 6:25 at Alford.
Swim 750m under 13 mins  - 12:56 at Inverurie, 12:55 at Westhill.
Swim 1500m under 27 mins - 26:42 at Huntly.
Swim 5,000m race under 1 hr 35. - Optional, depends on doing a 5k race.
Do a TT bike race - Deeside Evening series


So even without looking too closely at the details the colours should give a guide as to what a great training  year I have had. One missed target, and one optional target that I didn't even attempt. The bad race was on a changed course and a windy day but I have to admit a lot of that day was down to me not being mentally ready when things started to go wrong. 

So here is a bit more of a breakdown of the details. For each of the pictures the main things to look for are the pink line which is 2014 miles, the red line is 2014 target miles, and for comparison to a good year the pale blue line for 2013 miles. 

Swim

I was nicely on target for the first half of the year and then once I started adding trips to Knockburn and moved up to the tougher training lane on Monday nights I was always going to be way ahead of what I planned. In 2013 I took a big upturn in December for the Scottish 5k pool champs and I don't have that same jump in 2014, but I was so far ahead by then that I still came out with my highest swim total ever. 

Bike

I had a slower start to the bike this year, mostly due to the weather in January. By mid year I was just about back to where I expected to be. Then in Q4 I dragged myself into the gym and got back out regularly for long Sunday rides. I had planned a shorter year but ended up just managing to overtake my 2013 total in the last couple of weeks turning 2014 also into my longest bike year ever.

Run

You might struggle to see the line here as it is in the same mish-mash of almost every other running year and pretty much on or near the target. There isn't much I can say about this as it is just too boring and too average. Next year's plan is smarter ad should be more interesting. The main thing to note though is that on the very last day of the year the little pink line is just above the little red line. 

Not my best run year ever but better than the plan, just. 

New Blog Location(s)

Still one post to come here but as with previous years I planned to move to a new blog for the new year. But instead I am going to move to two new blogs:

New training-only blog location is http://kevinmorice2015.blogspot.co.uk

New blog with everything except training is
http://kevinjmorice.blogspot.co.uk

Training Review - Week 52 (and a half) - Dec 22 to 31

Last week and a half of 2014. I still have an Annual Review post to write but that can wait until next week. 

Monday's swim session was the last one before Xmas so we had some fun relay stuff at the end. This made for a slightly shorter session. It might even have been so short that I have to stick in a third swim before the end of the year. Then Dexter came to visit.

Tuesday I went out for a morning run with Dexter. He was being pretty well behaved on the way out so I decided to go for 7 miles. Then on the way back he was getting much too interested in the wildlife, and the not-very-wild-life and was trying to chase chickens, sheep, other dogs and even a heron. 

Wednesday I decided to stick to a basic loop around Dyce with Dexter. I could blame him for going slow, or claim that it was all the stops for road crossings that I would normally pay less attention to, but the truth is I was struggling with my legs in the cold so we took it fairly easily. 

Thursday was Xmas Day so I went for the same Xmas run as every year, including the Xmas Sprint along the High Street and a single hill rep over Lady Hill. I initially planned to go just with Dexter. I put a short note on the running club facebook page and conjured up a crowd of  6 other hardy souls to run round in the cold with us. Dexter decided he wanted to keep the sprint interesting though, so he stopped for a toilet break just before the start and everyone got about a 60m headstart on us. Fortunately, he was then in the mood to chase them and we not only caught them and stretched out to a decent lead but we even chopped a chunk off the Strava segment and reclaimed the Strava CR in the process. Then I struggled up the hill as he tried to tangle the other runners in his lead. Jogged back to the finish in a group from there, had some chocolates, and some homemade treats and then set off to run the half mile back to my parents house for presents. Then bumped into one of my first running friends who (like me) hadn't expected anyone else to be back home for Xmas. Good to meet up for a quick chat. 

Friday Dexter was being lazy in the morning and I had left his extending lead back in Elgin, but I did convince him to go for an easy jog around the block on his short lead by bribing him with sausages.  

Saturday I took Dexter around a slightly different version of the same Dyce loop. 

Sunday I decided not to go for the long ride with the Kintore group as the road conditions and weather were just too dodgy. I still needed about 25 miles to make this my biggest biking year ever though. So I decided I would jog to the gym at work and pedal out 26 miles on the exercise bike. That meant that 2014 has been my longest ever bike year. 

Monday was a DIY day. I did half a dozen of the jobs I have been ignoring for the past few months, including painting the banister. That is not an exciting job, so it will probably be another decade until it gets done again. Then at swimming I went through my increased swim target, and also passed last year's swim total miles. So 2014 has been my longest ever swim year as well. 


Tuesday morning I woke up with the start of a head cold. A headache and a blocked nose. I decided not to run on it. It seems to only be a cold rather than flu but I have done everything I planned for this year so it isn't going to hurt to play safe and take a couple of days off.



Target totals - Swim > 2.5 miles. Bike > 55 miles. Run > 25 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.

Monday -  Swim with TPT, 1,850m in 56 mins. 

Tuesday - Run 7.0 miles in 62 mins. 

Wednesday - Run 3.4 in 31 mins.

Thursday - Run 4.2 miles in 62mins (with stops, 38mins without).

Friday - Run 3.5 miles in 32 mins.

Saturday - Run 4.0 miles in 38 mins.

Sunday - Run 5.8 miles in 53 mins. 
Gym Bike 26 miles in 1 hour 26 mins

Monday -  Swim with TPT 2,200m in 58 mins.

Tuesday - Cold. 

Wednesday - 

Actuals - Swim 2.5 miles (4,050m). Bike 26 miles. Run 27.9 miles.  short core,   short light weights and short stretching sessions.  mins of yoga.

Training Review - Week 51 - Dec 15 to 31

A slightly different start to this week as I had a holiday Monday and had to put a run in to the morning to get home from the garage while the car brakes get repaired. So an easy 5k in the morning to start the week. Then I went to my normal swim session in the evening. Slightly longer than a normal week at 2,400m but good pace throughout. 

Tuesday was another loop around Kirkhill in the dark. 

Wednesday I had a rest day. And I really needed it. Missing out on massages the last few weeks has left me with a few little muscles aches that are not loosening off with the basic rollering and stretching. 

Thursday I had to cut my planned session to go and collect the car from the garage. I still managed to fit in a run around Dyce in the evening. Just a short loop around the block to get my legs moving. My lungs are definitely not enjoying the cold air, but my legs seem to be dealing quite well with it. 

Friday I was going to put in an hour on the gym bike but I had to go home in a rush and cut it out. That probably leaves me short of bike miles this week as I don't really have the legs or the inclination to go 55 in the cold on Sunday. 

Saturday I dragged myself out for a lap around Dyce before I went for a dose of Xmas shopping. I am definitely not a fan of early Saturday mornings. Nor am I a fan of last-weekend Xmas shopping. I should have finished nearly a month ago but a couple of people have been horrible to shop for and I have had to give up and just get them last minute things.

Sunday I went for the group ride with the Kintore group. They were planning to go 60 miles and I decided that was going to be out of my range. So I planned to drop off them at 18 miles and loop round another 25 miles solo for a 42 mile total. I had planned the route in advance but I obviously didn't think too hard about the short cut. I turned off at 18 and went straight into two consecutive climbs, over 500ft in under 3 miles with a blasting headwind. Once I was over those though it was a fairly pleasant ride back and I managed to sneak in under 3 hours.

Then in the afternoon we went to see Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. It is much better than the second one, maybe not quite as good as the first one though. 

Missing my midweek bike session meant that I didn't get my miles this week and once again I have been completely lazy about my ancillary sessions. Good week for running though, despite the pain in my calf, and I have Dexter to run with from tomorrow.
Target totals - Swim > 1.2 miles. Bike > 55 miles. Run > 15 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 20 mins of yoga.

Monday - Run Dyce 3.1 miles in 25 mins.
Swim with TPT 2,400 m in 54 mins. 

Tuesday - Run at Kirkhill 5.3 miles in 54 mins.

Wednesday - Rest Day.

Thursday - Run Dyce 3.7 miles in 29 mins.
Stretching and rollering.

Friday - Rest Day. 

Saturday - Run Dyce 3.1 miles in 29 mins. 

Sunday - Long ride 42.4 miles in 2 hrs 54 mins. 


Actuals - Swim 1.5 miles (2,400m). Bike 42.4 miles. Run 15.2 miles.  short core,   short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions.  mins of yoga.

Training Plan - Week 52 (and a half) - Dec 22 to 31

Xmas Week and the last full week of this year. I am getting Dexter for a few days before Xmas instead of just from Xmas Day to New Year. And I am on Holidays from now until January 5th so we can potentially get out to Kirkhill to run every day except Xmas and that will be a lap around Elgin and the traditional Xmas Sprint along the High Street.




Monday - Swim with TPT.
Stretching session.

Tuesday - Run Kirkhill with Dexter.

Wednesday - Run Kirkhill with Dexter.

Thursday - Xmas Day run and Xmas sprint. 
Core session.

Friday - Run Kirkhill with Dexter.

Saturday - Run Kirkhill with Dexter.

Sunday - Long Ride.

Monday - Swim with TPT.
Stretching session.

Tuesday - Long run.

Wednesday - Easy run.


Target totals - Swim > 2.5 miles. Bike > 55 miles. Run > 25 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 30 mins of yoga.

Training Review - Week 50 - Dec 8 to 14

Monday was an easy swim session. Unfortunately I was more than a little bit distracted as I was told in the afternoon that my job is going to disappear in the new year. Not only that but the department I work in is taking such big cuts that it looks very much like I don't really have an option to take a different job and stay with the company.

So Tuesday started with a lot of job applications. And then a lot of phone calls from agents chasing back to me already. Despite the supposedly depressed job market in Aberdeen it seems there are still some options out there. 

In the evening I went for a lap of Kirkhill. Was a bit of a struggle to start with but eased off after about half an hour and was feeling good by the end. 

Wednesday I was pushed for time before Xmas dinner number 3 so I only managed a quick trip to the gym to sit on the bike. I did spin the speed up slightly to try and make up for the shortened session. 

Thursday was the works official Xmas lunch, that is 4 now and I am running out of love for turkey. I was home early enough to do an evening session but I decided that 6 heavy days in a row has been enough and I took a rest day. I did a bit of rollering and stretching in the evening to try and ease off a little.

Friday I had my last Flexi day of the year. I used it to go for a long run along the railway line. I purposefully left myself short of miles for the week to ensure that I did another run on the Saturday. 

Then a trip to see the Hobbit 3. It is not quite as terrible as the first two, but still not good. Had to watch it to fill out the full set but it is barely worth 5/10.

Saturday I got up in the morning to find the pavements had a dusting of snow and ice. I decided that my plan todo a rep session was going to be too risky with the underfoot conditions and I dragged myself out for a lap around Dyce instead. 

Then another cinema trip to see the Penguins of Madagascar. A bit weird in places and certainly better than the Hobbit 6/10.

Sunday's cycle was cancelled as the roads were expected to be too slippery and there was a bit of a wind forecast. It actually turned out to be a nice enough day but by that point I was already in the gym. I sat on the exercise bike for a couple of hours. I had planned to do 3 hours and finish off my bike miles for the week but I was reaching a whole new level of bored. I started rationalising that I have done more bike miles than I planned to already, and that my original target for the year was 35 miles a week and so on until it was tough enough just to convince myself to tick on to the 2 hour mark.

I also squeezed in another stretching session. I am probably going to have to get another massage in before the end of the year as the accumulation of running and biking miles is starting to leave me with some niggles that I can't get rid of with just stretching and rollering. 

Another decent week in the bag. Plenty of run miles getting me back up towards my target line. Bike was under what I hoped but still ticking closer towards my best year ever.




Target totals - Swim > 1.2 miles. Bike > 55 miles. Run > 15 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 20 mins of yoga.

Monday - Swim with TPT 2,200m in 57 mins. 

Tuesday - Run 5.0 miles in 47 mins.

Wednesday - Gym bike 10 miles 33 mins.
Xmas Dinner - number 3.

Thursday - Rest Day.
Xmas Lunch - number 4.

Friday - Long run 7.8 miles in 65 mins.
Warm down 1.2 miles in 12 mins.

Saturday - Run 3.4 miles in 32 mins. 

Sunday - Gym bike 33.0 miles in 2 hours.
Stretching session


Actuals - Swim 1.4 miles (2,200m). Bike 43.0 miles. Run 17.4 miles.  short core,   short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 10 mins of yoga.

Training Plan - Week 51 - Dec 15 to 21

Last week of work this year, or most of a week as I have Monday off. I have to drop off a car at the other side of the airport in the morning so I will jog back from that. Followed by a bit of a crazy day. Then I am into a normal week from there. Shouldn't be too hard to get my run miles in this week. Bike miles might be tougher as the weather and the road conditions have definitely turned for the worse. 

From Friday I am in to my Xmas break till January 5th so I can risk going long over the weekend and being able to recover through the start of next week. 

At some point I still have to come up with 3 more Xmas present ideas as well!

Monday - Holiday. 
Short run - Half airport loop.
Swim with TPT.
Stretching session.

Tuesday - Off-road run. 

Wednesday - Gym bike.

Thursday - Rest day.
Core session.

Friday - Rest Day 

Saturday - Long run.

Sunday - Long Ride.


Target totals - Swim > 1.2 miles. Bike > 55 miles. Run > 15 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. 20 mins of yoga.