Strange week this week as I lose Sunday to a race that I am not even competing in. I am going to go to Deeside Duathlon as crew for some friends.
In order to get round this I have front-loaded the week to get everything in earlier.
Monday - Swim with TPT. Wii yoga session.
Tuesday - Run reps session. Core session.
Wednesday - Rest day. Cinema - ??. Stretching session.
Thursday - Long run >10km. Weights session.
Friday - Short brick.
Saturday - Long bike.
Sunday - Crew at Deeside Duathlon
Target totals - Swim > 1 mile. Bike > 35 miles. Run > 12 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30mins of wii yoga.
Monday, 28 April 2014
Training Review - Week 17 - April 21 to 27
Monday I went for my normal swim session. My swimming seems to have stalled a bit recently. This session was similar. No matter how hard I worked I was doing within a second on every rep. Also I have stopped doing any work on my tumble turns. Hopefully once outdoor swimming starts the second swim every week will start to help with my general swim fitness and then I can just use Monday sessions to work on top-end speed and turns.
Tuesday was a simple run round Dyce.
Wednesday was a cinema trip to see The Other Woman. Pretty poor, very predictable.
Thursday I went for a long run. My plan was 6 miles but it was a nice day so I did my 8-mile route from a few weeks ago. Having finally recovered from my cold it was back to a decent pace. That puts me over my miles for the week with Saturday's race still to come. Then I did a full set of rollering and stretching.
Friday I took a rest day before Saturday's race. I got the roller out again to work on some of the worst bits.
Saturday's race will get a report to itself. I had hoped to ride to and from but the rain was too nasty in the morning and I didn't want to turn up for the race already cold and wet. Post race I got back on the roller again.
Sunday was just about getting bike miles for the week. One of my training partners had a new bike to try out so we just went out for an easy spin with a couple of stops to tweak things.
Nothing too severe this week. Still missing the wii yoga, for the 5th week in a row, but did a lot of rollering and stretching which are having a similar but more targeted effect.
Target totals - Swim >1.5 miles. Bike >35 miles. Run >12 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30mins of wii yoga.
Monday - Swim 2,150m in 53mins.
Light weights.
Tuesday - Run 4.5 miles in 38 mins.
Wednesday - Cinema - The Other Woman.
Thursday - Run 8 miles, in 64mins.
Friday - Rest Day.
Saturday - Kings Aquathon
Swim 750m - 13mins 21.
Run 5,000m(?) - 25mins 10.
Sunday - Bike 35.7 miles in 2 hours 43.
Actual totals - Swim 1.9 miles (3,000m). Bike 35.7 miles. Run 16.2 miles. short core, 1 short light weights and 2 short stretching sessions. mins of wii yoga.
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Race report - Turriff Triathlon
New website for the local race results:
http://www.resultsbase.net/Results/IndividualResults.aspx?Id=2262
My swim wasn't great. I was second off in my lane, but the first swimmer went off like a rocket and I couldn't get close enough to get any draft effect from him. 'Fortunately' the two swimmers behind me were quite happy to let me do the work for the entire race. I thought a few times about letting one of them through to take some of the strain but I wasn't sure if they would drop the pace if they had to lead. So effectively I did a solo swim of 760m in 13mins 12. Decent time but about 30 seconds behind what I really wanted to do.
The strange transition arrangements at Turriff means there is then a run down into T1 that is included in the official swim time of 14:51.
This is the first time I have done Turriff on my TT bike so it was always likely to be a bit quicker. Out to the half-way point I was almost two minutes quicker. And coming back I made almost another 2 minutes.
The run was almost certainly longer than it has been in previous years. I can't be sure by how much because of bad garmin tracks from previous years. My guess is the best part of half a mile though. I definitely ran really well but the time looks to be about 2 minutes slower.
So apart from the run I went faster than previous years on everything. Taking the probably-longer run into consideration I think I went quicker for every stage.
| Total Time | Overall Positon | Senior Male | Split time | |
| Swim | 14:51 | 16 | 7 | 14:51.0 |
| T1 | 15:50 | 17 | 8 | 00:59.0 |
| Cycle | 59:05:00 | 18 | 7 | 43:15.0 |
| T2 | 59:27:00 | 17 | 7 | 00:22.0 |
| Run | 01:20:39 | 14 | 6 | 21:12.0 |
Monday, 21 April 2014
Training Plan - Week 17 - April 21 to 27
Another race week, but racing on a Saturday this week so I could still go long on the bike on Sunday. This gives me some problems trying to fit other things in trough the week though. I might try and double-session a day somewhere, or alternately will consider cycling to and from the race.
I have drifted a little bit off my mileage targets the last couple of weeks with the cold. On top of being behind on biking already and with more races coming I need to start looking at my plan for the year. There are plenty of ways to make back the miles I just need to pick one and get on with it.
Monday - Swim with TPT. Stretching session.
Tuesday - Run reps session. Core session.
Wednesday - Rest day. Cinema - ??
Thursday - Long run > 10km. Weights session.
Friday - Rest Day.
Saturday - Kings Aquathon.
Sunday - Long bike
Target totals - Swim > 1.5 miles. Bike > 35 miles. Run > 12 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30mins of wii yoga.
Training Review - Week 16 - April 14 to 20
Monday was the usual swim session. Struggled a bit for pace and the cold was severely affecting my breathing throughout.
Tuesday I went for an easy hill run at Kirkhill and Wednesday did an easy run loop around Dyce. Both were slow and easy and struggling to breathe still.
Thursday was a disappointing bike ride. I had hoped to get a lot of this week's miles into an evening ride. 2 minutes into it and there was no way it would be happening. The weather was squally all day and even in between the rain showers the cold and wind were too much for an easy evening spin. I then planned to do some stretching and rollering but was hit by a migraine and spent most of the evening curled up on the sofa in the dark.
Friday was a much better bike ride. Went for the aborted plan from Thursday, but got a bit carried away. The idea was 7 miles out, 10 in a small group, 7 miles home, for an easy 24. As the weather was really nice I took the TT bike as a test ride for racing at the weekend. But it turned into 7 out, 18 in a group, and 7 back making it into a quick 32. A lot more than I needed to be doing 2 days before a race, and a lot faster than I needed to do as well. But it was good to clear my legs out and check the bike over.
Saturday I got up in time to go for an easy run, but I had too much to do in the morning and by the time I got clear it was too late in the afternoon and too close to Sunday's race. I did to a stretching and rollering session.
Sunday I went to Turriff Triathlon, that will get a race report to itself.
Happy enough with the week as a whole. My cold is still hanging about and hayfever season has definitely started now but managing to do more than a full week of miles with a good race at the end was more than I expected.
Target totals - Swim >1.5 miles. Bike >35 miles. Run >12 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30mins of wii yoga.
Monday - Swim with TPT. 2,150m in 53 mins.
Tuesday - Run at Kirkhill, 5.1 miles in 50mins.
Wednesday - Dyce loop run, 3.4 miles in 27mins.
Thursday - Road bike. 3.2 miles in 15mins.
Friday - TT bike 32.1 miles in 1 hour 57mins.
Saturday - Rest day.
Stretching session.
Sunday - Turriff Triathlon - Race Report separately.
Swim 760m in 13 mins 12.
Bike 12.6 miles in 43 mins 14.
Run 3.0 miles in 21mins 12.
Plus warm-ups and transitions.
Actual totals - Swim 1.8 miles (2,950 m). Bike 47.9 miles. Run 12 miles. short core, short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. mins of wii yoga.
Tuesday I went for an easy hill run at Kirkhill and Wednesday did an easy run loop around Dyce. Both were slow and easy and struggling to breathe still.
Thursday was a disappointing bike ride. I had hoped to get a lot of this week's miles into an evening ride. 2 minutes into it and there was no way it would be happening. The weather was squally all day and even in between the rain showers the cold and wind were too much for an easy evening spin. I then planned to do some stretching and rollering but was hit by a migraine and spent most of the evening curled up on the sofa in the dark.
Friday was a much better bike ride. Went for the aborted plan from Thursday, but got a bit carried away. The idea was 7 miles out, 10 in a small group, 7 miles home, for an easy 24. As the weather was really nice I took the TT bike as a test ride for racing at the weekend. But it turned into 7 out, 18 in a group, and 7 back making it into a quick 32. A lot more than I needed to be doing 2 days before a race, and a lot faster than I needed to do as well. But it was good to clear my legs out and check the bike over.
Saturday I got up in time to go for an easy run, but I had too much to do in the morning and by the time I got clear it was too late in the afternoon and too close to Sunday's race. I did to a stretching and rollering session.
Sunday I went to Turriff Triathlon, that will get a race report to itself.
Happy enough with the week as a whole. My cold is still hanging about and hayfever season has definitely started now but managing to do more than a full week of miles with a good race at the end was more than I expected.
Target totals - Swim >1.5 miles. Bike >35 miles. Run >12 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30mins of wii yoga.
Monday - Swim with TPT. 2,150m in 53 mins.
Tuesday - Run at Kirkhill, 5.1 miles in 50mins.
Wednesday - Dyce loop run, 3.4 miles in 27mins.
Thursday - Road bike. 3.2 miles in 15mins.
Friday - TT bike 32.1 miles in 1 hour 57mins.
Saturday - Rest day.
Stretching session.
Sunday - Turriff Triathlon - Race Report separately.
Swim 760m in 13 mins 12.
Bike 12.6 miles in 43 mins 14.
Run 3.0 miles in 21mins 12.
Plus warm-ups and transitions.
Actual totals - Swim 1.8 miles (2,950 m). Bike 47.9 miles. Run 12 miles. short core, short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. mins of wii yoga.
Saturday, 19 April 2014
Race Preview - Turriff Triathlon
In 2011 the weather was too nasty for cycling and the race was turned into an Aquathon. Here are my result sheets from 2012 and 2013.
2012
2013
2012
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2013
Race preview here.
Race report here.
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Reading my race report I actually had a bit of a poor race last year, even though it was 2 minutes faster than the year before. And that was on my normal road bike, so simply having the TT bike this year should get me ahead of that for a start.
I am in better swimming shape, and I have declared a faster time so I should get a faster lane there. The TT bike should be faster than the road bike even on the up and down course and I was in much better running shape before my cold.
So my basic target for tomorrow is to beat last year's time. My slightly less basic target is to beat last year's times for every leg.
Monday, 14 April 2014
Training Plan - Week 16 - April 14 to 20
Still not quite clear of the cold so not sure how much of this week I am going to get through. Have planned a full week
Planning to race at Turriff on Sunday. First triathlon of the year. It is a course that doesn't really suit me. Tight pool, long transition, lumpy bike route and an up and down run route. And to top it all it is usually poor weather since it is so early in the season. All the worst things in one course.
Monday - Swim with TPT. Stretching session.
Tuesday - Run reps session. Core session.
Wednesday - Rest day. Cinema - ??
Thursday - Steady run. Weights session.
Friday - Short ride, TT bike if good weather.
Saturday - Short run.
Sunday - Turriff Triathlon
Target totals - Swim >1.5 miles. Bike >35 miles. Run >12 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30mins of wii yoga.
Planning to race at Turriff on Sunday. First triathlon of the year. It is a course that doesn't really suit me. Tight pool, long transition, lumpy bike route and an up and down run route. And to top it all it is usually poor weather since it is so early in the season. All the worst things in one course.
Monday - Swim with TPT. Stretching session.
Tuesday - Run reps session. Core session.
Wednesday - Rest day. Cinema - ??
Thursday - Steady run. Weights session.
Friday - Short ride, TT bike if good weather.
Saturday - Short run.
Sunday - Turriff Triathlon
Target totals - Swim >1.5 miles. Bike >35 miles. Run >12 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30mins of wii yoga.
Training Review - Week 15 - April 7 to 13
Monday's swim session was tough. I managed to finish it but it was hard work and I was struggling with breathing through my cold still.
Tuesday was a slow loop around Dyce. Still struggling with the cold so we cut it short of the normal loop.
Wednesday was a night off and a trip to the cinema. Divergent is a terrible movie. Much like Hunger Games it is based on the backdrop of a ridiculous future society with such obvious holes in it that everything then built on that structure becomes equally stupid.
Thursday my new mountain bike arrived. Wiggle's definition of "shop soiled" with "VERY minimal wear" and my definition of 'ridden to the point that half the parts need replacing' appear to be fairly similar. After the disappointment of opening, checking and repacking it to send back I was not in the best mood. I am still carrying the tail end of my cold as well. But I had agreed to go out for a run. The weather was pretty warm and we took a very easy 4 mile loop around Dyce. Basically a slightly more scenic version of my normal loop. Was in a much better mood by the time we got back but still struggling to run and was coughing for the rest of the evening.
Friday the cold was still hanging around but I had agreed to a road ride in the evening. Was a fairly leisurely pedal to check out the new bottom bracket on my road bike.
Saturday I was struggling again with the cold and decided to drop my session and try to recover enough to ride on Sunday instead.
Sunday I went for a ride with the Kintore Sunday group. I was the only rider for the Lite group so basically had my choice of when to drop the Full-bodied group and cut back (I wasn't even considering going 76 including Cairn O' Mount). The initial plan was to go to Banchory and back via the Learney for about 40miles, but I was still suffering with the cold a bit so when we got to 12 I swung off and headed back for 23 miles. Problems with the gear alignment and my new wheels which need some work.
Again a lot of the ancillary sessions fell out of this week. And dropped saturday's run as well. But considering the cold is still hanging about it was good to get as much as I did.
Target totals - Swim > 1 miles. Bike > 45 miles. Run > 15 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30mins of wii yoga.
Monday - Swim with TPT. (2,050m) in 54 mins.
Tuesday - Run 2.6 miles, in 22 mins.
Wednesday - Cinema - Divergent.
Thursday - Easy run 4.1miles in 35mins.
Friday - Road ride 22.7 miles in 1 hour 35mins.
Saturday - Rest day.
Sunday - Road ride 23 miles in 1 hour 23mins.
Actual totals - Swim 1.3 miles (2,050 m). Bike 45.7 miles. Run 6.7 miles. 0 short core, 0 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 0 mins of wii yoga.
Tuesday was a slow loop around Dyce. Still struggling with the cold so we cut it short of the normal loop.
Wednesday was a night off and a trip to the cinema. Divergent is a terrible movie. Much like Hunger Games it is based on the backdrop of a ridiculous future society with such obvious holes in it that everything then built on that structure becomes equally stupid.
Thursday my new mountain bike arrived. Wiggle's definition of "shop soiled" with "VERY minimal wear" and my definition of 'ridden to the point that half the parts need replacing' appear to be fairly similar. After the disappointment of opening, checking and repacking it to send back I was not in the best mood. I am still carrying the tail end of my cold as well. But I had agreed to go out for a run. The weather was pretty warm and we took a very easy 4 mile loop around Dyce. Basically a slightly more scenic version of my normal loop. Was in a much better mood by the time we got back but still struggling to run and was coughing for the rest of the evening.
Friday the cold was still hanging around but I had agreed to a road ride in the evening. Was a fairly leisurely pedal to check out the new bottom bracket on my road bike.
Saturday I was struggling again with the cold and decided to drop my session and try to recover enough to ride on Sunday instead.
Sunday I went for a ride with the Kintore Sunday group. I was the only rider for the Lite group so basically had my choice of when to drop the Full-bodied group and cut back (I wasn't even considering going 76 including Cairn O' Mount). The initial plan was to go to Banchory and back via the Learney for about 40miles, but I was still suffering with the cold a bit so when we got to 12 I swung off and headed back for 23 miles. Problems with the gear alignment and my new wheels which need some work.
Again a lot of the ancillary sessions fell out of this week. And dropped saturday's run as well. But considering the cold is still hanging about it was good to get as much as I did.
Target totals - Swim > 1 miles. Bike > 45 miles. Run > 15 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30mins of wii yoga.
Monday - Swim with TPT. (2,050m) in 54 mins.
Tuesday - Run 2.6 miles, in 22 mins.
Wednesday - Cinema - Divergent.
Thursday - Easy run 4.1miles in 35mins.
Friday - Road ride 22.7 miles in 1 hour 35mins.
Saturday - Rest day.
Sunday - Road ride 23 miles in 1 hour 23mins.
Actual totals - Swim 1.3 miles (2,050 m). Bike 45.7 miles. Run 6.7 miles. 0 short core, 0 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 0 mins of wii yoga.
Tuesday, 8 April 2014
Monday, 7 April 2014
Training Plan - Week 15 - April 7 to 13
No idea how much I will manage this week. I have written a plan based on what I will do if I am healthy but the bug I have doesn't seem to want to let go. I can probably just about swim over it, but anything else is likely to be a struggle.
I have also planned a fairly heavy week to try and make up some of my lost miles in a week without races. I am then down for three races over the following two weeks.
Monday - Swim with TPT. Stretching session.
Tuesday - Run reps session. Core session.
Wednesday - Rest day. Cinema - Divergent?
Thursday - Steady run. Weights session.
Friday - Short ride, TT bike if good weather.
Saturday - Long run.
Sunday - Long ride
Target totals - Swim >1 miles. Bike >45 miles. Run >15 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30mins of wii yoga.
I have also planned a fairly heavy week to try and make up some of my lost miles in a week without races. I am then down for three races over the following two weeks.
Monday - Swim with TPT. Stretching session.
Tuesday - Run reps session. Core session.
Wednesday - Rest day. Cinema - Divergent?
Thursday - Steady run. Weights session.
Friday - Short ride, TT bike if good weather.
Saturday - Long run.
Sunday - Long ride
Target totals - Swim >1 miles. Bike >45 miles. Run >15 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30mins of wii yoga.
Training Review - Week 14 - March 31 to April 6
Monday was the usual simple start to the week with a swim session. Slightly longer than usual but still a solid start to the week again. Surprisingly no real after effects from the weekend. Expected to suffer a bit with cramp but no real problems.
Tuesday I had to get a chunk of my run miles in. This week is tight for getting sessions into as I want to take a more sensible approach to racing this Sunday. Working backwards it looks like I get about 5 miles of racing on Sunday, and probably another mile or so of warming up. That leaves me looking for 6 miles before. the simple solution was just to put them into one run on the Tuesday night, but I didn't think about this till after I got back from doing 5 miles with a friend at Kirkhill. So now I am going to have to take a mile off my TT bike test later in the week.
On a brighter note I did finally get a response from the insurance company on my stolen mountain bike and it looks like they are going to pay out enough that I can get a relatively close spec replacement from Wiggle in a sale.
Wednesday's cinema trip was cancelled as my flatmate / cinema buddy wasn't feeling well. I dropped my road bike at the shop to get my new bottom bracket fitted. Then I took the opportunity to test ride my TT bike for the first time this year. Everything was going ok, but then I had a puncture about 10k in. Better than to have it during a race I suppose.
Thursday I seem to have caught the bug from my flatmate. Picked the right day for it though. The weather wasn't good enough to go out on the TT bike, and the road bike is still being worked on. My new road bike wheels arrived, I have tyres and a cassette to fit, but no tubes.
Friday I picked up my bike and went for a couple of drinks with people from work. But a lot of lemsip later and I was struggling to get off the sofa. I was hoping it was just a little sniffle or something but it has turned out to be a bit more severe.
Saturday, still sick. :(. Prepped both bikes for racing on Sunday, Road bike in case it is cold and wet, TT bike in case it is clean and dry. Looked out all my race gear. But was still on the lemsip and paracetamol right up until bed time. I have done this race twice before so I would normally be looking up my previous results to give myself some guide targets to ace against. I have purposefully not looked this time. If I do decide I am fit to race on Sunday I will just take each leg as it comes.
Knockburn Duathlon on Sunday was too soon for the bug. Started the first half a mile or so at a decent run and then just got gradually slower to the point where I walked in about 3rd last by the end of the first run section. Decided it wasn't worth even rolling round the bike so packed up and went home.
Disappointing week with the bug pretty much taking out everything from Wednesday onwards and stopping me from being able to race on Sunday.
Target totals - Swim >1 miles. Bike >35 miles. Run >12 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30mins of wii yoga.
Monday - Swim with TPT. (2,250m) in 56 mins.
Tuesday - Run at Kirkhill, 5.0 miles in 46 mins.
Wednesday - TT bike test, 6.6 miles in 27mins.
Thursday - Off day - bug?
Friday - Sick.
Saturday - Sick.
Sunday - Knockburn duathlon - DNF. Warm-up then 4k jog in 23mins. Sick.
Actual totals - Swim 1.4 miles (2,250 m). Bike 6.6 miles. Run 8.1 miles. 0 short core, 0 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 0 mins of wii yoga.
Tuesday I had to get a chunk of my run miles in. This week is tight for getting sessions into as I want to take a more sensible approach to racing this Sunday. Working backwards it looks like I get about 5 miles of racing on Sunday, and probably another mile or so of warming up. That leaves me looking for 6 miles before. the simple solution was just to put them into one run on the Tuesday night, but I didn't think about this till after I got back from doing 5 miles with a friend at Kirkhill. So now I am going to have to take a mile off my TT bike test later in the week.
On a brighter note I did finally get a response from the insurance company on my stolen mountain bike and it looks like they are going to pay out enough that I can get a relatively close spec replacement from Wiggle in a sale.
Wednesday's cinema trip was cancelled as my flatmate / cinema buddy wasn't feeling well. I dropped my road bike at the shop to get my new bottom bracket fitted. Then I took the opportunity to test ride my TT bike for the first time this year. Everything was going ok, but then I had a puncture about 10k in. Better than to have it during a race I suppose.
Thursday I seem to have caught the bug from my flatmate. Picked the right day for it though. The weather wasn't good enough to go out on the TT bike, and the road bike is still being worked on. My new road bike wheels arrived, I have tyres and a cassette to fit, but no tubes.
Friday I picked up my bike and went for a couple of drinks with people from work. But a lot of lemsip later and I was struggling to get off the sofa. I was hoping it was just a little sniffle or something but it has turned out to be a bit more severe.
Saturday, still sick. :(. Prepped both bikes for racing on Sunday, Road bike in case it is cold and wet, TT bike in case it is clean and dry. Looked out all my race gear. But was still on the lemsip and paracetamol right up until bed time. I have done this race twice before so I would normally be looking up my previous results to give myself some guide targets to ace against. I have purposefully not looked this time. If I do decide I am fit to race on Sunday I will just take each leg as it comes.
Knockburn Duathlon on Sunday was too soon for the bug. Started the first half a mile or so at a decent run and then just got gradually slower to the point where I walked in about 3rd last by the end of the first run section. Decided it wasn't worth even rolling round the bike so packed up and went home.
Disappointing week with the bug pretty much taking out everything from Wednesday onwards and stopping me from being able to race on Sunday.
Target totals - Swim >1 miles. Bike >35 miles. Run >12 miles. 1 short core, 1 short light weights and 1 short stretching sessions. 30mins of wii yoga.
Monday - Swim with TPT. (2,250m) in 56 mins.
Tuesday - Run at Kirkhill, 5.0 miles in 46 mins.
Wednesday - TT bike test, 6.6 miles in 27mins.
Thursday - Off day - bug?
Friday - Sick.
Saturday - Sick.
Sunday - Knockburn duathlon - DNF. Warm-up then 4k jog in 23mins. Sick.
Actual totals - Swim 1.4 miles (2,250 m). Bike 6.6 miles. Run 8.1 miles. 0 short core, 0 short light weights and 0 short stretching sessions. 0 mins of wii yoga.
Saturday, 5 April 2014
Quarterly Review - Q1
First of these for 2014.
Targets that this is based on are: here.
2014 Annual Targets are:
Swim 78 miles and learn to tumble
turn.
Bike 1820 miles.
Run 624 miles.
There are some additional racing
targets, but the only one to discuss at this point is: Run a 5k under
21mins 30, or 10k under 44mins, or half marathon under 1hr 48.
That means at a quarter of the way
through the year I should have done somewhere in the region of:
Swim 19.5 miles and be doing some turns.
Bike 455 miles.
Run 156 miles.
And the actuals to date are:
Swum 18.9 miles and doing some
turns.
Biked 376.3 miles.
Run 155.9 miles.
And run a 10k under 44 mins.
I have some pretty graphs in my training diary that
show how this compares to previous years but it is proving difficult to paste
them in here in a readable format.
So I will have to try and paint my pictures with
something less than the metaphorical thousand words.
The swimming graph is less smooth than last year as
I am generally doing single swim sessions each week and longer distances than previous
years, making the steps wider and higher. Through Q1 I am always slightly under
the swim target but that is to be expected. The target works out at 1.5 miles a
week, and doing that in each session is still too big an ask unless I just swim
straight. And bearing in mind that this year I am racing shorter, long steady
swimming is not really inkeeping with the rest of my plan. So lots of speed and
technique work in the pool so far. But about 5 or 6 weeks until regular outdoor
swims get added to the middle of the week. The times I am posting in the midst
of swim sessions are way under previous years race times though, so I know I am
going fast in the water.
My biking plan is the one area that I am struggling
a little with. Quite a few long rides have been dropped for weather. And a few
short rides have gone since my mountain bike was stolen. I am a long way behind
last year’s cycling miles, but to be honest I am not really concerned. I am
feeling comfortable on the bike. I still can’t climb compared to my peers, but
I can normally make the ground back on flats and descents. I won’t be sure
until I get in to a race but I think I am pretty close to where I was last
year.
Against my running plan I am pretty much spot on.
So much so that on my graph it is difficult to even see the actual line behind
the target line. I am definitely running better than I have in a few years.
Again I won’t know for sure until I race off the bike, but I think over the
shorter races this year I will be in much better shape than the last few years.
Changes to targets
So what changes to make with 3 months gone?
Swimming is slightly down on target but this was
always planned. I actually expected to be much further behind the target at
this point and then to pick it up once I start swimming outdoors. So no change
there for now but I suspect I am going to jump way ahead of target through
summer and I might move it up as I go through the year.
The bike target is also still about right. I am
behind by about 2 weeks at this point as I have missed a few long rides with
the weather. Not particularly worried though. A couple of decent weeks or a
long sportive somewhere will put me back ahead. Even a couple of weeks with
midweek rides will be back on course. So no change there for now.
The run target is the one that is really going
closest to my plan so far. Just ahead of target. I think I could actually up
this a bit as I seem to be staying ahead of it without ever having to run hard
or far.
In Q2 I should start to pick off the rest of my racing targets
for the year. I haven't quite decided on my racing schedule for the year but I
have a few pencilled in for now and the rest I will take as they come.
I could add another run target for racing since I
have crossed that one off already but instead I am just going to leave it as a
success for now and work on chasing the swim race and tri race targets that I
still have. If I still feel that my running is going well by the middle of
summer then I might bring this one back with faster time targets.
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
Race Report - Moray Roadrunners Elgin 10k
I had in my targets list that some time this year I should
"Run a 5k under 21mins 30, or 10k under 44mins, or half marathon under 1hr 48." And that " Finding a race I can go to and take part in is going to be the hardest part of this one."
If there is a race that I was going to be able to go to and take part in without having a panic attack, then one hosted by my home club was probably my best option. But it was much too early in the season to be running a decent time. So the main reason for going was just to try and do a race, to get through it, deal with any anxiety problems that come up and get a feel for what options I have for the rest of the year.
I did not prepare well. On Saturday I did a double session of swim and cycle. Neither particularly hard, but enough to just empty my legs a little and leave them fairly stiff on Sunday morning. Before leaving for the race I did a rollering and stretching session to ease off some of the worst aches but in hindsight I could probably have done a lot more on my quads.
Once I got to the race it was much less busy than I had feared. With a changed route and following an incident with a car last year the entry limit was reduced so there were a lot less runners about, and more than a few of those that were about were people that I had known for decades.
I suppose at some point in this ramble I should get to the actual race.
As I was looking more toward just using this as a test to see what I might be able to do later in the year I was expecting, if I had a good run, to go somewhere about 46-48mins. I started off quite far back with more of the fun runner crowd with the intention of just taking it easy early on and maybe picking up a bit in the second half.
The first mile or so is uphill, not a huge clim, just a bit of a rise out of town. As I approached the mile mark I had a quick check of my watch and it said 9:51, and while I thought I was going quite easy I didn't think it was as slow as that, and I still recognised some of the other club runners around me, so I had another look as it buzzed for the mile split, 6:56. Now something in the 6's is even more stupid than something in the 9's so obviously there is something wrong with my garmin. I decided to just ignore the watch, and I would check the official time at the end.
So I settled into the long stretched line of average runners, still with a few people I knew hanging about just in front and just behind. And I am convincing myself that in the 3 years since I last did a road race they have all aged and are maybe not training well so it isn't a surprise to be around them. And things still feel easy enough, despite the tight quads. And at the 2 mile mark the watch buzzes again and I look again, purely out of habit, and it says 6:46 for the second mile. But that still can't be right so just ignore it again.
At the 3 mile mark the new race course goes onto the old railway line and does and out and back section. And I start passing the leaders going the other way but a mile ahead. And this time when the watch buzzes it says 7:21 for mile 3. But now I can compare against the fast boys, and they are at 4 miles in the same 21minutes. And that is exactly where they should be. So the watch is not wrong, and now I have to start on the mental arithmetic. 7 min / mile x 6.22 that is about 43:30, and I know my annual target is 44:00 and the last section is downhill back into the park.
So now I start wishing I hadn't been attacking on the climbs on Saturday's bike ride and I have to keep a 7 min/mile pace for the second half of the race. And it is getting hot. I had been comfortable up to this point but I was overdressed for the 15 degree temperature and the sunshine. I took a cup from the water station at 4 miles, had a mouthful and tipped the rest on my head, and checked the watch for a 7:03 mile. At 5 I looked and it was 7:13. So I have dropped 16 seconds That puts me at 43:46 if I can get back to 7:00's but outside 44 if I stay anywhere near the 7:10 mark. And the downhill mile from 5-6 is a lot less downhill than I remember but I need to be there by 42 and a 6:49 puts me at 42:06.
Less than 2 minutes for about a quarter mile. I picked up as much as I could, and my quads were really burning as I came in to the finish. As I crossed the line I heard the timekeeper read out "38" to his scribe and I was ecstatic knowing that it had to be 43:38.
For not racing over 3 years I am really happy with the time, and even more so with the run after poor preparation. I like the new course, it is obviously still fast and flat.
"Run a 5k under 21mins 30, or 10k under 44mins, or half marathon under 1hr 48." And that " Finding a race I can go to and take part in is going to be the hardest part of this one."
If there is a race that I was going to be able to go to and take part in without having a panic attack, then one hosted by my home club was probably my best option. But it was much too early in the season to be running a decent time. So the main reason for going was just to try and do a race, to get through it, deal with any anxiety problems that come up and get a feel for what options I have for the rest of the year.
I did not prepare well. On Saturday I did a double session of swim and cycle. Neither particularly hard, but enough to just empty my legs a little and leave them fairly stiff on Sunday morning. Before leaving for the race I did a rollering and stretching session to ease off some of the worst aches but in hindsight I could probably have done a lot more on my quads.
Once I got to the race it was much less busy than I had feared. With a changed route and following an incident with a car last year the entry limit was reduced so there were a lot less runners about, and more than a few of those that were about were people that I had known for decades.
I suppose at some point in this ramble I should get to the actual race.
As I was looking more toward just using this as a test to see what I might be able to do later in the year I was expecting, if I had a good run, to go somewhere about 46-48mins. I started off quite far back with more of the fun runner crowd with the intention of just taking it easy early on and maybe picking up a bit in the second half.
The first mile or so is uphill, not a huge clim, just a bit of a rise out of town. As I approached the mile mark I had a quick check of my watch and it said 9:51, and while I thought I was going quite easy I didn't think it was as slow as that, and I still recognised some of the other club runners around me, so I had another look as it buzzed for the mile split, 6:56. Now something in the 6's is even more stupid than something in the 9's so obviously there is something wrong with my garmin. I decided to just ignore the watch, and I would check the official time at the end.
So I settled into the long stretched line of average runners, still with a few people I knew hanging about just in front and just behind. And I am convincing myself that in the 3 years since I last did a road race they have all aged and are maybe not training well so it isn't a surprise to be around them. And things still feel easy enough, despite the tight quads. And at the 2 mile mark the watch buzzes again and I look again, purely out of habit, and it says 6:46 for the second mile. But that still can't be right so just ignore it again.
At the 3 mile mark the new race course goes onto the old railway line and does and out and back section. And I start passing the leaders going the other way but a mile ahead. And this time when the watch buzzes it says 7:21 for mile 3. But now I can compare against the fast boys, and they are at 4 miles in the same 21minutes. And that is exactly where they should be. So the watch is not wrong, and now I have to start on the mental arithmetic. 7 min / mile x 6.22 that is about 43:30, and I know my annual target is 44:00 and the last section is downhill back into the park.
So now I start wishing I hadn't been attacking on the climbs on Saturday's bike ride and I have to keep a 7 min/mile pace for the second half of the race. And it is getting hot. I had been comfortable up to this point but I was overdressed for the 15 degree temperature and the sunshine. I took a cup from the water station at 4 miles, had a mouthful and tipped the rest on my head, and checked the watch for a 7:03 mile. At 5 I looked and it was 7:13. So I have dropped 16 seconds That puts me at 43:46 if I can get back to 7:00's but outside 44 if I stay anywhere near the 7:10 mark. And the downhill mile from 5-6 is a lot less downhill than I remember but I need to be there by 42 and a 6:49 puts me at 42:06.
Less than 2 minutes for about a quarter mile. I picked up as much as I could, and my quads were really burning as I came in to the finish. As I crossed the line I heard the timekeeper read out "38" to his scribe and I was ecstatic knowing that it had to be 43:38.
For not racing over 3 years I am really happy with the time, and even more so with the run after poor preparation. I like the new course, it is obviously still fast and flat.
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