.....this time
Looking back on January the training has gone pretty much to plan. After the Christmas break I took two weeks off work and spent that time training and getting some work done at home around the orchard. I scheduled some big miles - long runs, bricks and rides. The great summer in Northland has made some of the runs during the middle of the day a challenge. The first run back after the Christmas break turned into a bit of a nightmare, with not enough attention to hydration. It came on the back of a 3 hour ride and by the three quarter mark I was fried - not enough attention to hydration and nutrition. The solution has been to find more taps on the run (not so easy in the rural areas), and to increase the intake of hammer e-caps.
So the past couple of weeks have seen some good volume and quality miles with about 25 hours each week.
Since being back at work I’ve had to maximise the time available so have been giving the indoor trainer bit of a workout and squeezing in a swim during the day at lunchtime. The indoor trainer sessions have been focused entirely on strength - with last nights main set being 20 x one leg in the big chain ring. I have been working on the core strength using an 8 minute workout made up of 5 individual exercises. This is a brutal little session and the gaol is to do it 3 or 4 times each session. No where near it yet. This stuff is gut busting – sitting in the chair position has got to be my favourite out of this lot - yeah right.
This weekend is a swim 2km, bike 90 km, run 20 km session on Saturday, backed up with a long ride on Sunday (6 hours plus).
With 4 weeks to go the plan is to gradually reduce the volume but maintain the quality across all three disciplines. It includes a detailed plan for the last 10 days leading into IM to ensure that I’m well rested and raring to go.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
A christmas break....
The last 6 weeks have flown by with plenty happening. The half IM at the Blue Lakes in Rotorua was a pretty memorable day. Yet again Steve Hooks turned on a great event in a great location. Hooksie has a passion for putting on great events for triathletes, and does a great job.
It was also a great opportunity to catch up with the Alpe Crew. Steve, Simone and Chris his photographer and also Kieran and Kathy.
Looking back on the event I have to say I was pretty happy overall with how it came together. The only negative aspect perhaps was a slower than anticipated run. Perhaps a little pay back for going to hard on the bike - a lesson to be learnt there "Pacing not racing." So far as the swim was concerned the navigation was pretty difficult. A straight line drag up the Blue Lake with only a couple of markers made it difficult to navigate. The eye sight isn't that flash either so it was a case of sit on someone else's feet for a big part. Overall a pretty comfortable swim. Onto the bike and it was one of those days when everything seemed just right. Fortunately or unfortunately I had done the half in 2006 on a pretty limited preparation, and suffered through the bike. This year was different, and I had a bike split of 2 hours 43 mins. Onto the the run and again I had memories of the 2006 race. I struggled with the track around the lake but once onto the road section I was able to get into a bit of a rhythm. Overall a pretty good day with a total time of 5 hours 4 mins.
For the next week I maintained the volume of training and finished the week with a solid long ride. From the weekend before Christmas until just after new year I took a break, well sort of. Christmas was with family away from home and then it was off to the beach for a camping holiday. Including a spot of fishing. Also an opportunity to get in some good long sea swims.
So the camping holiday has come to an end and now I have a couple of weeks at home. Some big miles with a focus on big bricks and running some long slow distance.
It was also a great opportunity to catch up with the Alpe Crew. Steve, Simone and Chris his photographer and also Kieran and Kathy.
Looking back on the event I have to say I was pretty happy overall with how it came together. The only negative aspect perhaps was a slower than anticipated run. Perhaps a little pay back for going to hard on the bike - a lesson to be learnt there "Pacing not racing." So far as the swim was concerned the navigation was pretty difficult. A straight line drag up the Blue Lake with only a couple of markers made it difficult to navigate. The eye sight isn't that flash either so it was a case of sit on someone else's feet for a big part. Overall a pretty comfortable swim. Onto the bike and it was one of those days when everything seemed just right. Fortunately or unfortunately I had done the half in 2006 on a pretty limited preparation, and suffered through the bike. This year was different, and I had a bike split of 2 hours 43 mins. Onto the the run and again I had memories of the 2006 race. I struggled with the track around the lake but once onto the road section I was able to get into a bit of a rhythm. Overall a pretty good day with a total time of 5 hours 4 mins.
For the next week I maintained the volume of training and finished the week with a solid long ride. From the weekend before Christmas until just after new year I took a break, well sort of. Christmas was with family away from home and then it was off to the beach for a camping holiday. Including a spot of fishing. Also an opportunity to get in some good long sea swims.
So the camping holiday has come to an end and now I have a couple of weeks at home. Some big miles with a focus on big bricks and running some long slow distance.
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