August Training Summary: Gearing up For Barrelman

Aug 2017
Total Training Volume
Swim: 21.8K/7h03m (3rd)
Bike: 426K/14h32m (1st)
Run: 124.1K/10h28m(3rd)
Weights/Other: 6h53m
Total: 38h58 (1st)

Aug was my busiest training month in the last year except for May. After an injury in mid-June and Muskoka in July, I took most of July off recovering. Both months were the least I've ran in over a year (probably since Aug 2016). August I bounced back with my highest bike volume of the year and 3rd highest swim volume. My running bounced back, although I was still running significantly more volume back in the spring.

Swim: I didn't do any OW swimming (except for the very end of the month), but thanks to being in Hamilton I was able to swim in a pool all summer (first time in probably 9 years). As a result my swimming is the fastest it's ever been. I didn't do as much volume due to the business of my school schedule, but I felt like I was able to maintain the improvements I made during the June/July time period. I know Sept will likely be less swimming due to school and tapering for the race. But I am starting Masters swimming so I will be able to get 2 good sessions per week in for the off season.

Bike: Continued to work on volume after not doing as much in June and July. The course is going to be long and flat I wanted to train some long sessions in aero and work on sustaining power output. Did a little less speed/power work in this month and focused more on volume, as I felt that I fatigued in the later stages of Muskoka. I also worked a lot on nutrition on the bike. Knowing that in Sept my volume will drop significantly and I'll continue to mostly work on power until next spring.

Run: Focused on building up the mileage after not doing a lot the past few months. I haven't done much speed work but I feel like I've got enough for a 70.3 which is really about not dying on the run. Once the fall hits my focus will be more on speed and getting ready for Road2Hope and Around the Bay. I know my fall running volume will increase as it usually does.

Strength: Re-focused on strength during the summer months. I normally taper off the weights during the summer but this year that led to a glute injury in June. As a result I continued to do dead lifts and squats every week, although the total load was low (60-70% 1RPM). Once the biking volume starts to drop I will add more weight volume into my trg plan.