Weekly Training Summary
4 - 10 Feb
Phase of Training: Base 2 Week 3
Swim (3x): 6.3K, 2h17
Bike (3 x trainer, 1 spin): 63.8K, 3h19
Run (2 track, 1 outdoor): 26.7K. 2h08
Strength (3x): 2h27
Other (shoveling): 0h30
Total: 10h41
I began the week with sore hips tight IT bands, so I focused on recovery at the beginning of the week. On Monday night I went to Hot Flow Yoga at White Pine, which was rough but my body needed it. I kept my other workouts relatively easy. By Thursday I was feeling good so I decided to do a tempo workout on the track. I ran 12 x 400 on 2:00, keeping my pace at 1:28-1:30/400. I followed the run with a strength training session, and was able to lift the most weight for dead lifts and bench press this year.
I was feeling good in the pool this week so on Friday I decided to do a timed 800 m. I haven't done a set that long since the 1K race in the deep river triathlon back in August (during which I ran out of gas after 750m because I hadn't really done any long sets that summer). I kept a steady pace and had 400m splits of 7:08 and 7:12, for an overall time of 14:20 (1:48/100 pace). This isn't fast by any means, but it's the most comfortable I've felt swimming in a long time/ I think swimming 2K in ~33 min (1:40/100 pace) by September is definitely possible if I stay healthy.
A few weeks ago I ordered the Garmin Speed/Cadence sensor, the Garmind Footpod, and the Quick Release Kit for the Garmin 310XT. I found them on gpscity.ca for pretty cheap, but I guess they didn't have them in stock. But after 2 weeks they finally shipped my order, and it arrived on Friday. I won't provide an in-depth product review, since DC rainmaker has ridiculously thorough reviews of Garmin products. Basically, the quick release kit allows you to easily move your Garmin GPS from your wrist to your bike, which is pretty handy during triathlons. I've tried just doing races with it on my wrist, and it's a pain in the ass to see your wrist while in aero position on the bike. I think it's going to be a handy accessory.
I already have a third party bike CPU that measures speed/distance, but the Garmin accessory sends all of the data directly to your watch. This is extremely handy for indoor training so I can keep track of my workouts on Garmin connect. Another extra is the cadence sensor functionality, which I used to have on my old Polar HR monitor and found pretty useful. As well, the TrainerRoad software allows you to combine the CycleOps JetFluidPro Trainer + Garmin Speed/Cadence sensor + Heart Rate Monitor into a Virtual PowerMeter. It's only $10/month so I signed up and gave it a test.
The first workout is a 8- or 20-minute interval test to determine your functional threshold power (FTP) and lactate threshold power (LTP). Basically you fire up the program, load the workout, and it syncs with your garmin accessories. Once you start pedaling the workout begins. For the 8-minute test there is about 25 minutes of warm-up drills, then 2 x 8 min at steady max effort. The total workout is 1 hour. My legs were kinda tired from my long run the day before, so I found the test pretty challenging. The default goal is about 230 watts, but I was only able to muster about 210-220. This equated to a functional FTP of 185 watts. I'll probably try it again when my legs are fresh and see what happens.
I haven't used the footpod yet, since I figure I will calibrate it on the indoor track sometime this week. On Saturday I headed outdoors for a run. It was about -9 with a -14 windchill. This week I dressed appropriately, filled my fuel belt with hot water (so it wouldn't freeze) and put it under my jacket (rather than on the outside). I kept to the main roads that were plowed since I find I can control my footwork better. It ended up being a pretty solid run, doing 13.5K in 1:04. If you're interested, you can check out this run and other workouts on Garmin Connect.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Weekly Summary: Some Aches and Pains
Weekly Training Summary
28 Jan - 3 Feb
Phase of Training: Build 2 Week 2
Swim (3x): 6.3K, 2h18
Bike (2 x trainer, 1 spin): 50.2K, 2h47
Run (2 track, 1 outdoor): 26.6K. 2h02
Strength (4x): 2h03
Total: 9h46
This week I had to make a few modifications to my training due to a few realities of life. On Monday night, there was snow/freezing rain so I opted not to go to yoga. On Wednesday morning, my car was giving my problems so I had to take it into the shop. I had to cut my morning workout short and skip my lunch workout because I didn't have time to make it to the gym. Nonetheless, I still think I managed to overdo it a bit.
On Tuesday I did a 5K tempo run on the track. I was aiming for about half-marathon pace (~4:00 min/km) but about half way through I decided I push a little harder and finished with a 3:47 km and a 5K time of 19:35. While I felt okay at the time, I think I went to hard and was very sore afterward. I focused on strength training and recovery the next 2 days, until I did a spin class with LEAP on Thursday night. I thought I had recovered well by this point, and ended up pushing into high Z4 and Z5. My hips/ITB were extremely tight for the next 2 days, and I had to scale back my ride on Saturday.
On Sunday I decided to try a long run outside even though my right hip/glute were still feeling tight. I kept it easy for the first few km, and luckily it started to feel better around km 5 or 6. I got into a good rhythm and pushed it until km 10, when the wind picked up (it had been about -14 with no windchill). The final few km the wind hit me hard and I cut my run a few hundred metres short to 12.4K (I was aiming for 13). Luckily my hips actually felt not too bad afterward, but towards the evening they were very tight. I decided to make Monday a full recovery day and keep my intensity down this week until my legs have recovered.
28 Jan - 3 Feb
Phase of Training: Build 2 Week 2
Swim (3x): 6.3K, 2h18
Bike (2 x trainer, 1 spin): 50.2K, 2h47
Run (2 track, 1 outdoor): 26.6K. 2h02
Strength (4x): 2h03
Total: 9h46
This week I had to make a few modifications to my training due to a few realities of life. On Monday night, there was snow/freezing rain so I opted not to go to yoga. On Wednesday morning, my car was giving my problems so I had to take it into the shop. I had to cut my morning workout short and skip my lunch workout because I didn't have time to make it to the gym. Nonetheless, I still think I managed to overdo it a bit.
On Tuesday I did a 5K tempo run on the track. I was aiming for about half-marathon pace (~4:00 min/km) but about half way through I decided I push a little harder and finished with a 3:47 km and a 5K time of 19:35. While I felt okay at the time, I think I went to hard and was very sore afterward. I focused on strength training and recovery the next 2 days, until I did a spin class with LEAP on Thursday night. I thought I had recovered well by this point, and ended up pushing into high Z4 and Z5. My hips/ITB were extremely tight for the next 2 days, and I had to scale back my ride on Saturday.
On Sunday I decided to try a long run outside even though my right hip/glute were still feeling tight. I kept it easy for the first few km, and luckily it started to feel better around km 5 or 6. I got into a good rhythm and pushed it until km 10, when the wind picked up (it had been about -14 with no windchill). The final few km the wind hit me hard and I cut my run a few hundred metres short to 12.4K (I was aiming for 13). Luckily my hips actually felt not too bad afterward, but towards the evening they were very tight. I decided to make Monday a full recovery day and keep my intensity down this week until my legs have recovered.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
January Training Summary
In January I got back into a regular triathlon training schedule for the first time since August 2011 (I did race a few tris in 2012, but other than a few weeks in the summer I didn't really swim/bike much). In early November I decided to commit to racing in 2013 and signed up for the Muskoka 70.3 In September. After a busy November, in December I got back into riding the trainer and swimming regularly, so I would be able to handle a regular training load in January.
Here are my totals:
Total Time: 37:28:19
Run: 93.6 K, 7:23
Bike: 210.35K (trainer only), 11:32 (spin bike + trainer)
Swim: 21.65K, 8:09
Strength: 8:37 (weights, crossfit, and yoga)
Other: 1:46 (Snowshoeing, other PT)
I was pretty happy with my progress in January. I managed to put in 37 hours, even with 3 days in the field. This is right in line with my aim for a seasonal total of 400-500 hrs. With the cold snap I did the majority of my running indoors on the track, with the exception of a few longer runs (10-12K) outside. I would prefer to run outdoors but when it's colder than -20 or the roads are snowy, running in the Petawawa winter kinda sucks. I've been starting with a relatively low mileage of 25K per week, doing one base run, one speed/tempo run, and one longer run. In Feb I plan to build to about 30K and continue to increase the distance of my long run. By April I'm hoping to be at 40K/week and a long run of 20K. My first big race is the Half Marathon at the Ottawa Race Weekend in May.
I bought the CycleOps JetFluidPro Trainer 2 years ago for my bike, but really didn't ride it much last year (being in a tiny 2 bedroom PMQ apartment didn't help). I've got a good set-up in my basement now, so it's easy to hop on for a quick ride. I've started off only doing 2 rides per week, between 45-60 min each. One ride I stick to Z2 and the other I'll do some Z3 work. I really didn't ride much at all in 2012 so I'm trying to build a solid base before I increase the intensity. Some of my previous hip injuries have come from building too quickly on the bike. I've also been going to LEAP High Performance spinning once a week, for a bit of variety and group riding. I've definitely noticed an improvement since December and will continue to develop my base in Feb.
Swimming has always been a struggle for me. Since I left Vancouver in 2009 I really haven't felt comfortable in the pool. Having much time to swim and greater facility access definitely played a huge part. There aren't many times/places to swim in Petawawa. I decided to commit to swimming 3x per a week in the base pool during the noon swims. It really only gives me 45-50 min to swim, but with my current fitness it allows me to get in a 2K workout. I've definitely noticed some progress, dropping from 1:50-2:00 per 100 m to a pace of 1:45. My longest sets are about 500 m now, but I'm going to throw in a few 500-1000m sets in February to work on endurance.
After getting back into Yoga and Crossfit in 2012, my goal was sustain strength training in 2013 even with 9+ endurance workouts per week. I've found a good Hot Flow Yoga class in Pembroke at White Pines. It's the most intense Yoga class I've been to since doing Bikram Yoga in Vancouver. Along with Troop PT, I've also been trying to make it to the gym 1-2X per week and lift weights. The strength training provides a good balance to the swim/bike/run workouts that will hopefully prevent injuries this year.
After 8 years of doing triathlons, I think I've finally found a training plan that will keep me injury-free and still get faster. It basically consists of low-mileage and a lot of cross-training. I've roughly following Joe Friel's Triathlon Training Bible, but with a lot of modifications based on my own history. It's only been one month but I'm feeling pretty good, and definitely in the best January-shape I've been in since 2008. With a lot happening this year (new baby coming soon :)! ), and field time in April/May it will be a challenge to maintain it. But as long as I can stay injury-free the lost training time will probably be better for me in the long run.
Here are my totals:
Total Time: 37:28:19
Run: 93.6 K, 7:23
Bike: 210.35K (trainer only), 11:32 (spin bike + trainer)
Swim: 21.65K, 8:09
Strength: 8:37 (weights, crossfit, and yoga)
Other: 1:46 (Snowshoeing, other PT)
I was pretty happy with my progress in January. I managed to put in 37 hours, even with 3 days in the field. This is right in line with my aim for a seasonal total of 400-500 hrs. With the cold snap I did the majority of my running indoors on the track, with the exception of a few longer runs (10-12K) outside. I would prefer to run outdoors but when it's colder than -20 or the roads are snowy, running in the Petawawa winter kinda sucks. I've been starting with a relatively low mileage of 25K per week, doing one base run, one speed/tempo run, and one longer run. In Feb I plan to build to about 30K and continue to increase the distance of my long run. By April I'm hoping to be at 40K/week and a long run of 20K. My first big race is the Half Marathon at the Ottawa Race Weekend in May.
I bought the CycleOps JetFluidPro Trainer 2 years ago for my bike, but really didn't ride it much last year (being in a tiny 2 bedroom PMQ apartment didn't help). I've got a good set-up in my basement now, so it's easy to hop on for a quick ride. I've started off only doing 2 rides per week, between 45-60 min each. One ride I stick to Z2 and the other I'll do some Z3 work. I really didn't ride much at all in 2012 so I'm trying to build a solid base before I increase the intensity. Some of my previous hip injuries have come from building too quickly on the bike. I've also been going to LEAP High Performance spinning once a week, for a bit of variety and group riding. I've definitely noticed an improvement since December and will continue to develop my base in Feb.
Swimming has always been a struggle for me. Since I left Vancouver in 2009 I really haven't felt comfortable in the pool. Having much time to swim and greater facility access definitely played a huge part. There aren't many times/places to swim in Petawawa. I decided to commit to swimming 3x per a week in the base pool during the noon swims. It really only gives me 45-50 min to swim, but with my current fitness it allows me to get in a 2K workout. I've definitely noticed some progress, dropping from 1:50-2:00 per 100 m to a pace of 1:45. My longest sets are about 500 m now, but I'm going to throw in a few 500-1000m sets in February to work on endurance.
After getting back into Yoga and Crossfit in 2012, my goal was sustain strength training in 2013 even with 9+ endurance workouts per week. I've found a good Hot Flow Yoga class in Pembroke at White Pines. It's the most intense Yoga class I've been to since doing Bikram Yoga in Vancouver. Along with Troop PT, I've also been trying to make it to the gym 1-2X per week and lift weights. The strength training provides a good balance to the swim/bike/run workouts that will hopefully prevent injuries this year.
After 8 years of doing triathlons, I think I've finally found a training plan that will keep me injury-free and still get faster. It basically consists of low-mileage and a lot of cross-training. I've roughly following Joe Friel's Triathlon Training Bible, but with a lot of modifications based on my own history. It's only been one month but I'm feeling pretty good, and definitely in the best January-shape I've been in since 2008. With a lot happening this year (new baby coming soon :)! ), and field time in April/May it will be a challenge to maintain it. But as long as I can stay injury-free the lost training time will probably be better for me in the long run.
First Post
I've decided to re-launch my triathlon training blog after not writing much for a few years. I've finally started to get into a routine again, and signed up for the Muskoka 70.3 in September. We'll see how it goes!
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