Base & Strength that is ;-) The first half of the year is dedicated to base & strength with a few varied races thrown in to keep things interesting. But to start with, I'm kicking the year off with an easy month. After 2 colds in December, Coach TA has recommended taking things a bit easier this month to get my health back on track so I have a couple of recovery weeks, rest days & instructions to get more sleep :-)
Monday (NYE) & Tuesday (NYD) both became unplanned rest days due to factors ranging from the gym only opening during weird hours on NYE & waking up on NYD with a 'crook' neck. I couldn't turn my head to the left & even had trouble lifting an arm to tie my hair back. And no, I didn't do anything too silly on NYE to cause it.
Wednesday
AM - 45mins bike session on the trainer. Thanks to work being quiet at the moment, I took the opportunity to sleep in until, wait for it, 5.25am (woohoo!) before doing this session. I haven't been paying attention to my cadence recently so I've probably reverted back to my usual Ulrich, not Armstrong, style. 90RPMs hurts when you aren't used to it.
PM - (scenic) 1.2k swim in the 25m pool due to too many feral kids in the outdoor pool.
Thursday
AM - 20mins walk + 10mins run (1.5k) before work to stretch the legs out before tomorrow's race.
Friday
PM - Panthers Tri Club race - 250m/10k/2.5k
My first 'enticer' so another triathlon PB for me & another for Mango (including a sub-20min 5k split!)
The swim was better than last time. I discovered how to swim straight - by following the cables that run the length of the rowing course. Of course that didn't help much once the cables disappeared. Anyhoo, the swim was ok. It is definitely something I need to work on.
The ride was tough thanks to an easterly wind creating a tough headwind. Oh, & the fact that I hadn't ridden a road bike since my last tri. After riding the MTB so much recently, I think it took me the first lap (of a 2 lap course) to get used to the handling, set-up, cornering, gears etc. Note to self: ride road bike at least once before each tri.
The run was also tough - of course the fact that I haven't run further than 2.5k in the last 6 mths probably had something to do with it.
I was toying with the idea of doing a sprint (750m/20k/5k) next month but I now know that I'm not ready for it (yet). I stuffed up starting my watch (again) so I'll have to wait for the official results to come out.
Edit: the results are up!
S - 6:44 (incl T1)
B - 21:53
R - 15:17 (incl T2)
Total: 43:54
My scepticism about the accuracy of triathlon courses continues.There is no way I was running faster than 6:11min/k! It 'appears' to big improvement on my first race - only 3mins slower despite doing an extra 50m swim and 500m run. But hey, its my first enticer and therefore a PB so I'll take it.
Saturday
Rest day.
Sunday
AM - 60mins MTB in the Glenbrook National Park (11.5k), including my first single track experience! I've been putting off trying the single track for a while now but with Horrie's wise words in mind (don't let fear hold you back), I decided to go for it today. And I'm sooo glad I did - woohoo - what a buzz! Scary & exhilarating in equal part. Why on earth would you ride on the boring road when you can zip down a trail so narrow that the foliage on either side whips at your handle bars while trying to dodge the biggest of the rocks & drop-offs on the course? Very, very cool.
I've been so focused on learning to MTB recently that I haven't been taking in the scenery. It is one of my favourite places. The contrast in colours between the red dirt firetrails, the lush green foliage, the charcoal-coloured tree trucks & that deep blue sky you only see once you get out of the Sydney basin is simply stunning :-) Happy days!
MTD: S 1.45k/B 21.5k/R 4k (LOL)
6 comments:
Nice job on the Triathlon, look forward to seeing the results.
I love MTBing, I used to do it for school sport at Cranebrook High. We used to catch a train with the teacher and go on all the fire trails and single tracks around Glenbrook, Springwood and Woodford. Good times! You'll be hooked now with the single track, very fun
You remind me of the fun of single-track Jen. I must fix the Apollo's flat tyre!
Well done on another triathlon finish. Keep practising that Armstrong-style - he did OK with it!
Congrats on the tri Jen. Must feel strange competing in the evening.
Re the MTB - you are nuts!!! I got scared just reading about what you did!
Great to see that you're out doing exciting things. Base and strength sounds like a good plan.
Happy 2008 to you and R.
thats a pretty impressive rest week!
well done with the single track!
never figured out how to make the handles avoid stuff myself other than turn... usually into a tree.
Good idea working on the base and strength to begin the year. It should help the body hold up to what you've got planned for it for the rest of the year.
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