TW3 IMFF Week 15

Monday 30th January 2012

Week 15completed
Hours Trained: 10H 54Mins
Swimming: 5.3K (3.3 Miles)
Cycling: 73.15 Miles
Running: 27.80 Miles

Week 15 was another decent week of training under the belt. That is now 3 weeks of around 11 Hrs training per week.
This was the first week where the legs started to feel a bit tired and I suppose that is part of the increased load coming on now.  Run time and distance is up and that is probably the biggest factor.
However, I am pleased that the effort, pace and HR all stayed strong throughout - even if the legs felt like they wanted to go home before the Brain did.

Next week is pretty similar to this week.

A Long winded blog and mild hypothemia.

Sunday 21st January 2012

Cycling
02:48:08 - 41.61 Miles (14.80 MPH / HR Zone 2 / 75% Max / Cadence 79)

I set out on a planned 3HR ride with a lot of optimism as it looked like it was going to be a nicer day than I have experienced recently.  Oh how wrong can I be!

The first 1HR went really well and average pace was up around 17 MPH and the route was not flat at all.  it was a bit wet and the drizzle had soaked me but it was not cold or windy so it didn't feel too bad. At this stage the wet in the air and on the roads was starting to take it toll.  My feet were soaked, even though my new Overshoes are class, there is only so much they can take.  The waterproof gloves I was wearing were doing a great job at stopping the water getting in - except for one major flaw.  The water was running down my jacket arms and in to the gloves.  the waterproofing was now doing a great job at keeping the water in the gloves and they were rapidly filling up.  This was bizarre.

At around 30 miles I had to take a diversion because of a closed road and this added a few extra miles of very wet roads that I really could have done without.

By this stage the rain had picked up and the wind, which was very light earlier, was really blowing.
I was coping well with both the elements and the cold up to this point.

At around 35 miles I noticed a slow puncture on the front tyre and this made pushing in to wind even harder. 
By the time I got to Moira it was clear that I would have to stop and repair the puncture .  This is where things went pear shaped.  I stopped at a garage and realised that I was actually totally freezing and couldn't even get the valve cap off the wheel.  I took my gloves off and literally about half a pin of water came out of each glove.  My hands were totally numb and pretty blue.

I realised I had no chance of changing the puncture and decided to swallow my pride and call Keara to come and get me. 
The 15 minutes waiting for her to come were actually a bit scary as I think it is the closest I have come to feeling what hypothermia is like.  I had uncontrollable shivering and pains in my hands.
Thankfully Keara arrived with a coffee as well.  It was an absolute life saver.
A warm bath and some food and I was back to normal.

I feel a bit disappointed that I had to cut the ride short and also that I had to call for help - but things were not good.  I am however confident that if I had not got the puncture I would have made it home easily enough and I definitely felt like I worked hard today.

Long gone.

Saturday 28th January 2012

Running
01:45:35 - 11.50 Miles (09.11 per mile / HR Zone 2 / 83% Max)

Longest run for quite a while and it was good to go long again  It's been too long. (note to self - too many "longs" in that pre-amble).  Not that 11.5 miles is really long, but it is compared to the shorter stuff I have been doing.

The first 4 miles or so were pretty hard going.  The running felt laboured and tough but the HR and breathing etc were all fine and pace was good so I just pressed on.
The rest of the run went well and I got in to a nice rhythm and every mile was pretty much at the same pace and HR.

The good thing about this run was that this pace would still give me a sub 2Hr Half Marathon and staying well within effort and HR zones.

Just go straight through - it's easier.

Friday 27th January 2012

Swimming
2500M - 00:51:36 in 18M pool at Gym
2500M straight throughI am delighted at this swim.  I just got in to the pool and went for it and did not bother thinking about sets or drills.  I just went for it and it paid off.  Fastest 2500M so far and it all felt very comfortable too.  Nice one.

Running
01:00:00 - 6.35 Miles (09.27 per mile / HR Zone 2 / 84% Max)
Went OK - that's about it!

Hard Days Night.

Thursday 26th January 2012

Cycling
01:15:00 - 19.66 miles (15.70 MPH / HR Zone 1 / 71% Max / Cadence 95) Turbo Trainer
I was supposed to do a spin session at +100RPM.  It didn't quite work out as planned and he average RPM was a bit low and it dropped below 100 after about 45 mins.  Not sure why.  It did feel a bit like hard work tonight - but the positive side is that it did feel like a good strength workout on the legs.

Also the blog has now gong through the 4000 views mark today - thanks for reading.

Everyday I'm Shufflin'

Wednesday 25th January 2012

Brick Session

Cycling
00:45:00 - 11.88 miles(15.88 MPH / HR Zone 1 / 69% Max / Cadence 87 ) Turbo Session
I really felt heavy in the legs again today on this session and found it hard to get up a decent speed and cadence.  Bit disappointing, but I am pleased at the effort I put in because I just had to knuckle down and get on with it.

Running
00:30:00 - 3.32 Miles (09.02 per mile / HR Zone 2 / 78% Max)
The tired legs carried through to the run unfortunately too, but it really didn't seem to affect speed or Heart rate - I just felt like I was running on dead legs with no bounce - more of a shuffle than a glide.

I wonder is it the fact that I am now up to 4 round per week, 3 of which are at 1hr or more, plus longer rides too.  I am sure this is just part of the training effect but it is a bit frustrating.  The good thing is though that the aerobic capacity is good and is shown in the steady range of HR readings.

My Left Foot

Tuesday 24th January 2012
Swimming
2800M - 00:59:30 in 18M pool at Gym

2800M straight through

The pool was like a mad house this afternoon with 6 people sharing the limited width of an 18M pool.  Not good.  Thankfully there were no collisions and most people were OK swimmers  Needless to say I was the last one left in.  No one else seems to be doing sessions as long as mine.  I wonder why??

Running
01:00:00 - 6.63 Miles (09.03 per mile / HR Zone 3 / 86% Max)
Heavy legs in diving boots.  That's what it felt like this evening.  It could have been the swim this afternoon or it could have been taking Ben to the pool for a few lengths as he has a Kids School Duathlon tomorrow and he needed a bit of confidence that he could handle the swim - so I took him to Olympia Pool for a wee bit of a swim.  He did OK but is definitely more of a runner than a swimmer.  Saying that, he is probably better than I was this time last year

My Heart rate monitor was going haywire for the first mile or two this evening so my HR levels seemed elevated compared to the effort I was putting in.

Despite the heavy legs, my time and pace was actually pretty good.

 

I can feel a very slight niggle in my left foot again in the same place that it flared up last time - so hopefully it will not amount to anything.

TW3 IMFF Week 14

TWTWTW IMFF Week 14

Monday 23rd January 2012

Week 14 completed

Hours Trained: 10H 39Mins
Swimming: 5.0K (3.1 Miles)
Cycling: 79.15 Miles
Running: 24.87 Miles

Week 14 turned out to be a pretty good week on the whole.

I got most of the training time done – apart from 30 mins less due to being in a tiny Gym in London, but all key sessions were done to plan this week, and once again it was over 10 hrs training time

Thankfully any minor niggles have not emerged to date and I hope that this continues.

I think I am most pleased about getting a bit quicker on the run whilst still keeping in the important Aerobic HR Zone.  I am also pleased at hitting a new (well last 6 yrs) low in weight.

Next week is pretty much the same as this week except for a slight increase in long run time – now up to 1hr 45mins.broadly similar to this week, except that the Brick session run goes up to 30 mins from 15 mins.  This should be a bit more of a test and I think I will aim to take it a bit slower than previous Brick runs.

This is how the week ahead looks

I like the wind at my back - not so much at the front.

Sunday 14th January 2012

Cycling
03:00:00 - 43.15 (14.40 MPH / HR Zone 2 / 76% Max / Cadence 80)

I hooked up with my friend and fellow Triathlete Donald for a spin around the bike course of the Groomsport Half Ireman.

It was a really enjoyable ride, however it was incredibly windy.  I didn't notice it being too bad for the first 10 miles or so on the first loop but then as we headed in to the wind it was really hard work back to Groomsport. 
I decided then to be clever and do my second loop in reverse to take advantage of the wind.  This was a perfect plan for the first 7 miles or so.  I was sweeping along very nicely with the wind at my tail, but then as I turned inland the wind become a strong crosswind and then a really strong headwind.  It is fair to say that the last 10 miles of the loop was incredibly tough and possibly the strongest wind I have had to ride in.

That would explain the slightly lower pace today, bit it certainly felt like  a workout and  I am pleased with the way I got through the second loop.  Am I becoming Hardcore?  Probably not.

Will I get faster as I get older? I couldn't get slower.

Saturday 21st January 2012

Running
01:30:00 - 10.02 Miles (08.59 per mile / HR Zone 2 / 81% Max)

Another really pleasing run as the course was a bit tougher than the 10 miler least week and the wind was pretty strong at times.  I am so pleased to be able to knock out a 10 mile run at sub 9 min miles with the HR in the right zone.  I hope this continues, because in the last 6 months I have been able to run in the right HR zone and bring my average pace down from abut 10.15 per mile to probably just under 9 mins per mile. 
This must be the training effect they talk about.

While I was running I was listening to a podcast of an interview with a legendary runner and coach from the 60s and 70s called Bruce Tullah.  He had a cracking quote from an old Jazz musician who when he reached his 100th Birthday said - "If i knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself!"  I absolutely loved this.

Bruce himself was not too shabby in his old age and knocked out a 57 mins for 10 miles when he was 60 and 36 mins for a 10K.  I couldn't do either of those times in a car!