Sooo much is going on at the moment. But somehow I have managed to do every session (7 x per week) on the program for the last month. I can't remember the last time I did that!
Mon: for once, a swim squad session I actually enjoyed - notwithstanding how much pool water I drank :-( Although a relatively short session - only about 2.3k - but loads of kicking drills that left my legs fatigued for 24 hours afterwards
Tue: steady state 50mins ride at 5am; Tuesday is by far the hardest day to get out of bed after only getting home from swim squad at 10pm. My legs felt very fatigued but the time past quickly thanks to a podcast interview with Chrissie W and some company in the garage. 20.5k Av.C 90
Wed: another solid strength session this morning
Thur: another Thursday, another bike session. This time 52min on the bike including 4 x 5min AT. Legs are trashed :-) 21.5k. Av.C.88
Fri: rest :-)
Sat: finally another chance to sleep-in but unfortunately I woke before 6am & couldn't get back to sleep. Grrrrrr. Anyhoo, a solid 1.4km swim mid-morning. All the water that I have swallowed during drills at Monday night's swim squad are finally paying off; I'm feeling much stronger, and faster, in the water. The rest of my day was great too - after a facial, I headed to Summit Gear at Glenbrook where I bought (with a little help from my $50 prize from Wild Endurance 100k) a great Mountain Hardware pac-lite waterproof / breathable jacket which will be great to use in Australia (my existing waterproof jacket is too 'hard core' for Australian conditions) which was followed up by some chocolate indulgence at my favourite cafe in Glenbrook. Nice.
Sun: this was probably my hardest session to drag myself out of bed for in months. I could hear strong wind gusts & while I kept thinking to myself 'it could be windy on race day', it wasn't enough to get over my malaise. So rather than stuff around putting all my stuff in the car & driving to where I normally start riding from (I don't trust Penriff drivers), I headed to the garage for my 2hr ride on the trainer. Thanks to a couple of podcasts and doing various intervals (high / low cadence, standing, steady state etc), the time past surprisingly quickly. AvC. 88. 50.9k
In other news I have signed up to do 2/3rds of the Nepean Triathlon (swim / bike legs) and have enlisted the services of a gun runner to bring 'Team Himalaya' home. Must admit to being rather nervous at the prospect of doing the swim leg as my longest swim in a race so far has been 250m! Of course the race is only 8 days are we get back from our honeymoon so I won't be looking forward to putting the trisuit back on.....
Less than 6 weeks to go until the wedding now. I can't believe that time has past so quickly. It's all organised; I must be the most relaxed bride in world history :-)
MTD:
Swim: 9.4k
Bike: 237.2k
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Rollin' on
The full weekend on the GC & early morning flight on Monday made this a long & tiring week. But, in all, a solid week of training which is really pleasing and by far my biggest week on the bike to date:
Mon: about 2.5km at swim squad tonight. Cr*p session. Guess I'm tired from the weekend & early flight today. Swam like a witch from Salem
Tue: up early again for steady state 45min ride on the trainer. Dead legs thanks to lots of kicking last night & a cadence sensor on the blink (it showed an av. cadence of 144 - I think not). 18.9k
Wed: exhausted this morning after another bad nights sleep (which is about 2 weeks worth now). Strength session before work. The punching bag in the gym had better watch out. Its going to get a work out next week :-)
Thur: still tired & looking forward to my first 'quiet' weekend in a month. 1:12 bike session before work with lots of intervals. Thinking about it later, I think I actually misread my program & was only supposed to do 62mins. Oh well, it's done. 28.7k. Av.C91
Fri: rest
Sat: my first sleep-in & sit-on-the-couch-in-my-PJs-reading-the-newspaper morning (my favourite Saturday morning ritual) in months. Dragged myself out the door with R at 10.45 to head to Ripples for a solid & pleasing 1.8km swim with lots of drills (thankfully with fins).
Sun: my first long ride in 4 weeks so Coach TA had thankfully given me a 90min ride rather than the usual 2hr. A rather solid ride out & back along the Northern Road. I am still cr*p on the hills - I seem to have perfected the art of going backwards uphill. C'est la vie. I felt like I crawled but it wasn't until I looked at the numbers tonight that I am pleased - not only was it an average speed of 25.2k/h (and my first time ever outdoors above 25k/h!!) but an increase from 22.9k/h the last time I did this ride!. Far. Out :-) 37.6k
In other news, I am currently contemplating the addition of a new member to the family.... :-)
MTD:
Swim: 5.7k
Bike: 144.3
Mon: about 2.5km at swim squad tonight. Cr*p session. Guess I'm tired from the weekend & early flight today. Swam like a witch from Salem
Tue: up early again for steady state 45min ride on the trainer. Dead legs thanks to lots of kicking last night & a cadence sensor on the blink (it showed an av. cadence of 144 - I think not). 18.9k
Wed: exhausted this morning after another bad nights sleep (which is about 2 weeks worth now). Strength session before work. The punching bag in the gym had better watch out. Its going to get a work out next week :-)
Thur: still tired & looking forward to my first 'quiet' weekend in a month. 1:12 bike session before work with lots of intervals. Thinking about it later, I think I actually misread my program & was only supposed to do 62mins. Oh well, it's done. 28.7k. Av.C91
Fri: rest
Sat: my first sleep-in & sit-on-the-couch-in-my-PJs-reading-the-newspaper morning (my favourite Saturday morning ritual) in months. Dragged myself out the door with R at 10.45 to head to Ripples for a solid & pleasing 1.8km swim with lots of drills (thankfully with fins).
Sun: my first long ride in 4 weeks so Coach TA had thankfully given me a 90min ride rather than the usual 2hr. A rather solid ride out & back along the Northern Road. I am still cr*p on the hills - I seem to have perfected the art of going backwards uphill. C'est la vie. I felt like I crawled but it wasn't until I looked at the numbers tonight that I am pleased - not only was it an average speed of 25.2k/h (and my first time ever outdoors above 25k/h!!) but an increase from 22.9k/h the last time I did this ride!. Far. Out :-) 37.6k
In other news, I am currently contemplating the addition of a new member to the family.... :-)
MTD:
Swim: 5.7k
Bike: 144.3
Monday, September 14, 2009
Priceless
Edit: thanks Flake. Good to know that it worked, albeit in a slightly funky manner.
Posting this from Gold Coast airport as I wait for my flight Monday morning. First time I have posted via the iPhone so I have no idea if this will work or how the formatting will turn out. (Edit: fixed!)
As always, another incredibly busy week and thankfully a much needed recovery week.
Mon: much needed rest. Super duper sore after my weekend with Emazon. In fact I don't ever recall having more DOMS than I do now. It hurts to cough, sneeze, laugh, move. But geez it feels good :-)
Tue: 38mins bike session including AT x 10min. 15.1k. Av.C86
Wed: another solid strength session this morning in the gym before work. And as much as I love my strength sessions, I was looking at the punching bag longingly :-)
Thur: solid 1.4k swim after work.
Fri: rest
Sat & Sun: rest - if you can call 2 days on your feet on the Gold Coast watching the ITU World Champs, rest. R & I flew up on Friday night principally to watch my uncle (aka Uncle Kel) compete in the Olympic distance race on Saturday morning & then spent the rest of the weekend watching the elite events. Fantastic racing, fantastic weather!
In this seasons latest fashion, the "Team Kelly" apparel a surprise we organised for my uncle:
A proud, but slightly embarrassed, Uncle Kel in his first Australian uniform:
R & I enjoying the sun & sand while waiting for the start of the race:
What a beautiful setting for a start line:
Posting this from Gold Coast airport as I wait for my flight Monday morning. First time I have posted via the iPhone so I have no idea if this will work or how the formatting will turn out. (Edit: fixed!)
As always, another incredibly busy week and thankfully a much needed recovery week.
Mon: much needed rest. Super duper sore after my weekend with Emazon. In fact I don't ever recall having more DOMS than I do now. It hurts to cough, sneeze, laugh, move. But geez it feels good :-)
Tue: 38mins bike session including AT x 10min. 15.1k. Av.C86
Wed: another solid strength session this morning in the gym before work. And as much as I love my strength sessions, I was looking at the punching bag longingly :-)
Thur: solid 1.4k swim after work.
Fri: rest
Sat & Sun: rest - if you can call 2 days on your feet on the Gold Coast watching the ITU World Champs, rest. R & I flew up on Friday night principally to watch my uncle (aka Uncle Kel) compete in the Olympic distance race on Saturday morning & then spent the rest of the weekend watching the elite events. Fantastic racing, fantastic weather!
In this seasons latest fashion, the "Team Kelly" apparel a surprise we organised for my uncle:
A proud, but slightly embarrassed, Uncle Kel in his first Australian uniform:
R & I enjoying the sun & sand while waiting for the start of the race:
What a beautiful setting for a start line:
Kel with R in cheerleader mode:
Uncle Kel unfortunately had a flat and so was disappointed with his overall time but had a great swim & run leg eventually finishing in the top 40 in his age group (as I reminded him on Saturday night) in the world!
Finishing (with the flag) far too fast for me to take a proper photo of him:
I have to admit to feeling very despondent and rather uninspired after watching the age groupers as it simply reinforced the fact that I've been unable to run, let alone race, over the last 12 months. But watching the elite races certainly took my mind off it, particularly when we watched & cheered as Emma Moffat won not only the race but the world title :-) Thanks to a sprint across the race precinct, we were lucky enough to score a front row spot for the presentation ceremony which was very special. Out of interest, a few stats for the weekend:
Sunburn - 0 (thankfully)
Blisters - 0
Visits to Cold Rock Ice Cream - 2 :-)
Edit: items purchased at race expo - 7 :-)
Distance walked - 25kms+ (including 3 x from our hotel at the south end of Surfers to race HQ at Southport - surely that takes care of the Cold Rock visits??)
Time spent perving on Javier Gomez - not nearly enough :-)
Watching an Aussie girl win a world title - priceless :-)
Speaking of Aussie girls with world titles..... :-)
MTD:
Swim: 1.4k
Bike: 59.1
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Eat my wings
Geez, the weeks are flying by at the moment. I can hardly believe that it's September already; this time last year I was on Kokoda :-)
Mon: 2.5k swim squad tonight. A really solid session; it was nice to be the fastest in the lane for once. Pity it was the slowest lane :-)
That session brought August to an end. My totals were swim 14.6km + bike 262.2km + run 5 mins. LOL
Tue: up early (yawn) for a 45min ride (steady state) on the trainer before work. Av.C87. 19k.
Wed: another solid strength session before work
Thur: up early (again) for a 60mins bike session including intervals & single leg drills. 25k. AvC91
Fri: rest
Sat & Sun: just for something new, a few months ago I signed up for a 2 day training weekend (which ran from 9am - 12pm both days) with Emazon of Biggest Loser fame. A couple of reasons for doing so, not the least being that I have never done any sort of fight or self-defence training before as well as wanting to train with & experience a variety of trainers. Oh, and it sounded like fun at the time ;-)
The sessions were on fight training & self defence, with a unique spin - the focus is really on teaching (in this case) women to defend themselves both physically & emotionally. A very confronting class - physically & mentally/emotionally - but one I got a heck of a lot out of. For example, I've discovered I have a mean straight right. And there is a quiet confidence that comes with knowing how to break someone's nose with your elbow :-)
I'm bruised & every fibre of my upper body is sore - but I feel exhilarated. It was fantastic!Having said that, I'm also rather thankful that tomorrow is the start of a recovery week :-)
Recovery week ahead including a trip to Qld to watch my uncle (aka Uncle Kel) compete in the ITU World Championships for the olympic distance triathlon - sooooooo exciting!
MTD:
Bike: 44k
Mon: 2.5k swim squad tonight. A really solid session; it was nice to be the fastest in the lane for once. Pity it was the slowest lane :-)
That session brought August to an end. My totals were swim 14.6km + bike 262.2km + run 5 mins. LOL
Tue: up early (yawn) for a 45min ride (steady state) on the trainer before work. Av.C87. 19k.
Wed: another solid strength session before work
Thur: up early (again) for a 60mins bike session including intervals & single leg drills. 25k. AvC91
Fri: rest
Sat & Sun: just for something new, a few months ago I signed up for a 2 day training weekend (which ran from 9am - 12pm both days) with Emazon of Biggest Loser fame. A couple of reasons for doing so, not the least being that I have never done any sort of fight or self-defence training before as well as wanting to train with & experience a variety of trainers. Oh, and it sounded like fun at the time ;-)
The sessions were on fight training & self defence, with a unique spin - the focus is really on teaching (in this case) women to defend themselves both physically & emotionally. A very confronting class - physically & mentally/emotionally - but one I got a heck of a lot out of. For example, I've discovered I have a mean straight right. And there is a quiet confidence that comes with knowing how to break someone's nose with your elbow :-)
I'm bruised & every fibre of my upper body is sore - but I feel exhilarated. It was fantastic!Having said that, I'm also rather thankful that tomorrow is the start of a recovery week :-)
Recovery week ahead including a trip to Qld to watch my uncle (aka Uncle Kel) compete in the ITU World Championships for the olympic distance triathlon - sooooooo exciting!
MTD:
Bike: 44k
Sunday, August 30, 2009
"Determination is what gets most of us through. Nothing else"
Those (much needed) words of wisdom were shared with me by Bro during the course of the week. Thanks, I needed that :-)
Mon: 3k swim at swim squad. Again another session with a focus on drills. Despite being really down & grumpy before the session (and very reluctant to go), much to my surprise I actually felt pretty good in the water this week & (thankfully) didn't seem to swallow quite as much water as last week
Tue: rest - and yum cha for lunch :-)
Wed: solid strength session in the gym before before work
Thur: very tired. Long & frantic week at work. Did a 37mins bike session on the trainer after work. It may have been short but it was very sharp; lots of very short hard efforts (ie 10-60sec) with matching recoveries. Aver C96. 15.2k
Fri: rest.
Sat & Sun: spent all day both Sat & Sun in a Senior First Aid course as part of my Certificate III requirements. I still managed to squeeze in steady state 60min ride on the trainer on Saturday morning (25.5k/ av.C87), a 1.9k swim late Saturday afternoon & a 38min ride on the trainer on Sunday morning (16k/av. C84). Phew - back to work tomorrow for some rest.
8 weeks today until my 'baby' brother arrives from Canada (yippee!) and less than 10 weeks to go to the wedding (yikes!) :-D
MTD:
Swim - 12.1km
Bike - 262.2km
Mon: 3k swim at swim squad. Again another session with a focus on drills. Despite being really down & grumpy before the session (and very reluctant to go), much to my surprise I actually felt pretty good in the water this week & (thankfully) didn't seem to swallow quite as much water as last week
Tue: rest - and yum cha for lunch :-)
Wed: solid strength session in the gym before before work
Thur: very tired. Long & frantic week at work. Did a 37mins bike session on the trainer after work. It may have been short but it was very sharp; lots of very short hard efforts (ie 10-60sec) with matching recoveries. Aver C96. 15.2k
Fri: rest.
Sat & Sun: spent all day both Sat & Sun in a Senior First Aid course as part of my Certificate III requirements. I still managed to squeeze in steady state 60min ride on the trainer on Saturday morning (25.5k/ av.C87), a 1.9k swim late Saturday afternoon & a 38min ride on the trainer on Sunday morning (16k/av. C84). Phew - back to work tomorrow for some rest.
8 weeks today until my 'baby' brother arrives from Canada (yippee!) and less than 10 weeks to go to the wedding (yikes!) :-D
MTD:
Swim - 12.1km
Bike - 262.2km
Sunday, August 23, 2009
We have the technology to rebuild her...
Mon: core/FS + stretch at lunch and then about 2.2k at swim squad after work. A drill session which, I have to admit, I did not enjoy. I was feeling flat, and that was even before I proceeded to drink large amounts of pool water while doing drills. I joked to R at one stage that I had a greater chance of drowning in this (kids) pool (the water only comes up to your waist when you stand) than I ever have of falling off some mountain.
Tue: 20mins walk at lunch including 5 x 1min runs on the treadmill at lunch (aka comeback no. 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000). So far, so good.
Wed: the usual strength + core session at the gym before work.
Thur: 39.5min bike session in the garage at 5am before work. You know it's cold when the sweat is dripping off your chin but you don't actually feel warm. 15.7k.
Fri: rest day. Had planned to swim but a visit to the physio left me covered in tape so I didn't want to risk the tape's longevity by swimming. I had an ultrasound assessment with one of the physios at the super-physio's (Brad) clinic. Unsurprisingly, the assessment revealed a lot of underlying dysfunctional movement patterns - no doubt the reason I continue to become injured once I reach a certain (rather low) threshold of running. Over the years, we have addressed some issues by strengthening weak muscles (VMOs, glute med etc) but these dysfunctional movement patterns remain. So the plan is, after a few preliminary things involving tape & belts, to start working with a physio trained in pilates to re-train my brain to activate my muscles work as they should. It isn't really so much an issue of strengthening certain muscles; it's really about teaching the muscles to fire (or activate) in the first place.
Incredibly frustrating and I have had my moments where I think that perhaps I should give up this running caper. But that train of thought doesn't, in all honesty, sit well with my beliefs about being able to train the body and brain, and certainly doesn't align with the direction that I am likely to take my PT business. So I guess I have to suck it up and get on with the hard work.
Sat:speaking of hard work, the boss (aka Coach TA) had put a hilly 2 hour ride on the program for this weekend so back to Greendale Rd I went. I find this a really tough ride & this morning was no exception. I suspect last night's junk food probably didn't help. The start / finish point was actually a little bit different from normal so I can't make a direct comparison but it's nice to know that my trips into the high 23k/h hasn't been an anomaly. Finished with 47.5k / aver. 23.6k/h / aver C86
Sun: headed out about 2.45pm after work to enjoy the magnificent weather with a short 20min walk including 5 x 1mins to test out how if the tape helps or hinders. My long run / walk for the week came to the grand total of 2.45km. What a joke.
MTD:
Swim: 7.2k
Bike: 205.5k
Tue: 20mins walk at lunch including 5 x 1min runs on the treadmill at lunch (aka comeback no. 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000). So far, so good.
Wed: the usual strength + core session at the gym before work.
Thur: 39.5min bike session in the garage at 5am before work. You know it's cold when the sweat is dripping off your chin but you don't actually feel warm. 15.7k.
Fri: rest day. Had planned to swim but a visit to the physio left me covered in tape so I didn't want to risk the tape's longevity by swimming. I had an ultrasound assessment with one of the physios at the super-physio's (Brad) clinic. Unsurprisingly, the assessment revealed a lot of underlying dysfunctional movement patterns - no doubt the reason I continue to become injured once I reach a certain (rather low) threshold of running. Over the years, we have addressed some issues by strengthening weak muscles (VMOs, glute med etc) but these dysfunctional movement patterns remain. So the plan is, after a few preliminary things involving tape & belts, to start working with a physio trained in pilates to re-train my brain to activate my muscles work as they should. It isn't really so much an issue of strengthening certain muscles; it's really about teaching the muscles to fire (or activate) in the first place.
Incredibly frustrating and I have had my moments where I think that perhaps I should give up this running caper. But that train of thought doesn't, in all honesty, sit well with my beliefs about being able to train the body and brain, and certainly doesn't align with the direction that I am likely to take my PT business. So I guess I have to suck it up and get on with the hard work.
Sat:speaking of hard work, the boss (aka Coach TA) had put a hilly 2 hour ride on the program for this weekend so back to Greendale Rd I went. I find this a really tough ride & this morning was no exception. I suspect last night's junk food probably didn't help. The start / finish point was actually a little bit different from normal so I can't make a direct comparison but it's nice to know that my trips into the high 23k/h hasn't been an anomaly. Finished with 47.5k / aver. 23.6k/h / aver C86
Sun: headed out about 2.45pm after work to enjoy the magnificent weather with a short 20min walk including 5 x 1mins to test out how if the tape helps or hinders. My long run / walk for the week came to the grand total of 2.45km. What a joke.
MTD:
Swim: 7.2k
Bike: 205.5k
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Breaking through
Gnome, I'm not sure how to answer that without offending someone who might already be in that age group ;-P
Another recovery week. They seem to come around so quickly. Though I suspect I'm recovering more from my lifestyle than any actual training I do!
Mon: rest
Tues: easy 30mins spin on the bike after work (including 4 x 30sec single leg drills). 12.3k - aver. 24.5k/h - aver C91
Wed: strength + core session in the gym before work. Nice :-)
Thur: rest - and dumplings :-)
Fri: (more) rest
Sat: what was supposed to be a 75min ride turned into 86mins ride thanks to a headwind along the M7 bike path with R. Another breakthrough ride for me; I managed to average 24k/h for the first time. It's been incredibly rewarding in the recent weeks to watch my consistency pay off as the speed slowly (finally) increases :-) 34.7k - av. 24k/h - aver C86
The day also included my hair & makeup trial for the wedding followed by a fancy dinner with R to celebrate his 40th birthday :-)
Sun: more rest. A lovely, leisurely day starting with breakfast in the sun by the river with the birthday boy :-)
MTD:
Swim: 5.0km
Bike: 158.8km
Another recovery week. They seem to come around so quickly. Though I suspect I'm recovering more from my lifestyle than any actual training I do!
Mon: rest
Tues: easy 30mins spin on the bike after work (including 4 x 30sec single leg drills). 12.3k - aver. 24.5k/h - aver C91
Wed: strength + core session in the gym before work. Nice :-)
Thur: rest - and dumplings :-)
Fri: (more) rest
Sat: what was supposed to be a 75min ride turned into 86mins ride thanks to a headwind along the M7 bike path with R. Another breakthrough ride for me; I managed to average 24k/h for the first time. It's been incredibly rewarding in the recent weeks to watch my consistency pay off as the speed slowly (finally) increases :-) 34.7k - av. 24k/h - aver C86
The day also included my hair & makeup trial for the wedding followed by a fancy dinner with R to celebrate his 40th birthday :-)
Sun: more rest. A lovely, leisurely day starting with breakfast in the sun by the river with the birthday boy :-)
MTD:
Swim: 5.0km
Bike: 158.8km
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Maintaining the rage
August sees a maintenance program. I haven't run in a couple of weeks due to my dodgy hip. With no goal races in mind & everything else going on in life at the moment, the training is going to take a (slight) back seat for a while - though not so much that I won't fit into my wedding dress of course!
Mon: functional stability (FS), core + stretch session at lunch & then 3.2km at swim squad after work. Hard, hard work for me - I'm not sure what hurt more; 8 x 50m sprints or 3 x 300m with paddles - but technically its coming together. I really need to develop some swim fitness though.
Tue: FS exercises at lunch but otherwise a rest day
Wed: 30mins each of FS & upper body strength work in the gym before work
Thur: FS again at lunch. Then 38mins ride on the trainer after work including 3min stints in various gears. Good session; I'm really enjoying the riding at the moment. 15.8k
Fri: rest
Sat: 2hr ride (including a 5min pickup at the 80min mark), for a change of scenery, on the M7 bike path. Early in the ride I seemed to revert back to my usual (bad) habit of using a higher gear & lower cadence but a bit of focus saw my cadence increase. Finished with 46.7k / aver C83 / aver 23.3k/h. I seem to be averaging around 23k/h now. Next stop, 24k/h :-) The day ended with a surprise mini-birthday celebration for R who turns an age ending in zero next weekend ;-)
Mud cake rocks :-)
Anyone got a fire extinguisher? ;-)
Sun: busy busy day. I was at the pool when it opened at 7.30am to do my 1.8km swim. I was showered & home in time to eat breakfast while watching (for the first time) the City 2 Surf on the telly. Then it was off to Parramatta with Ma for shopping for shoes & jewellery for the wedding (which mission was accomplished). A couple of books also managed to find their way in my bags. No idea how that happened ;-) It was such a struggle to get out of bed this morning but I'm so glad I did. There is no way I would have swum after getting home after 5 hours of shopping! Surely that must count as additional cross-training?
It was 3 months to go until the wedding on Thursday. I can't believe the last 18+ months have gone by so quickly. I'm sure the next 3 months will fly by as well... (gulp)
MTD:
Swim: 5.0km
Bike: 111.8km
Mon: functional stability (FS), core + stretch session at lunch & then 3.2km at swim squad after work. Hard, hard work for me - I'm not sure what hurt more; 8 x 50m sprints or 3 x 300m with paddles - but technically its coming together. I really need to develop some swim fitness though.
Tue: FS exercises at lunch but otherwise a rest day
Wed: 30mins each of FS & upper body strength work in the gym before work
Thur: FS again at lunch. Then 38mins ride on the trainer after work including 3min stints in various gears. Good session; I'm really enjoying the riding at the moment. 15.8k
Fri: rest
Sat: 2hr ride (including a 5min pickup at the 80min mark), for a change of scenery, on the M7 bike path. Early in the ride I seemed to revert back to my usual (bad) habit of using a higher gear & lower cadence but a bit of focus saw my cadence increase. Finished with 46.7k / aver C83 / aver 23.3k/h. I seem to be averaging around 23k/h now. Next stop, 24k/h :-) The day ended with a surprise mini-birthday celebration for R who turns an age ending in zero next weekend ;-)
Mud cake rocks :-)
Anyone got a fire extinguisher? ;-)
Sun: busy busy day. I was at the pool when it opened at 7.30am to do my 1.8km swim. I was showered & home in time to eat breakfast while watching (for the first time) the City 2 Surf on the telly. Then it was off to Parramatta with Ma for shopping for shoes & jewellery for the wedding (which mission was accomplished). A couple of books also managed to find their way in my bags. No idea how that happened ;-) It was such a struggle to get out of bed this morning but I'm so glad I did. There is no way I would have swum after getting home after 5 hours of shopping! Surely that must count as additional cross-training?
It was 3 months to go until the wedding on Thursday. I can't believe the last 18+ months have gone by so quickly. I'm sure the next 3 months will fly by as well... (gulp)
MTD:
Swim: 5.0km
Bike: 111.8km
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Smokin'
A strange week. Started out with good intentions but increasing work commitments & wedding-stuff seem to take priority as the week went on.
Mon: another tough night at swim squad for me. The highlight however was discovering that I am a MUCH better at breaststroke than R :-) Given how much faster he runs /rides / does freestyle, it's a small victory but a victory nonetheless! I gave him a 5m start in a 17m pool & beat him. I'll give him a 10m start next week so he can retain some degree of blokey pride ;-) About 2.2km in total
Tue: unplanned rest (& chocolate souffle) day
Wed: core + stretching session at the gym before work; a change from the usual strength session
Thu & Fri: nada
Of course that brought July to an end with the following totals:
Swim: 9.7k
Bike: 142.5k
Run: 14.8k
Not as much running, or riding for that matter, as I would have hoped but a significant increase in my swimming work loads.
Sat: long (cold) 2hr ride before heading to Canberra for a mega Mango family birthday celebration. Had a fantastic ride. I did the Greendale Rd loop again, this time (somehow) managing to ride it 9 mins faster than when I last did it. My speed over this loop also increased by 1.5k/h. It was one of those rides when it all comes together & finally you see some (significant) improvement in performance. 2:05:30 / 49.33k / aver. 23.6k/r / aver.C 88
In other news, wedding plans are coming along well - the invitations have been ordered, the hair & makeup booked & we have found Mini Mango's bridesmaid dress (phew)
I'm reading a fascinating book called Stability, Sport & Performance Movement about functional stability; basically how the body responds to the challenges & loads we place on it as athletes. I guess my background in my strength training has largely been 'isolation-based'. I've been doing integrated exercises more so in recent years but this book has really explained the rationale behind functional movement and, most importantly, given me tools to test myself & then exercises to improve the problem areas. I guess I've had so many injuries over the years that it seems that what I have been doing hasn't worked particularly well (except for last year when I have a heavy training load & still was injury-free). I wonder if doing years of (primarily) isolation-based strength training has taught my body bad habits which aren't relevant, or of assistance, for the sports that I now do. We shall see.
MTD:
Bike: 49.33k
Mon: another tough night at swim squad for me. The highlight however was discovering that I am a MUCH better at breaststroke than R :-) Given how much faster he runs /rides / does freestyle, it's a small victory but a victory nonetheless! I gave him a 5m start in a 17m pool & beat him. I'll give him a 10m start next week so he can retain some degree of blokey pride ;-) About 2.2km in total
Tue: unplanned rest (& chocolate souffle) day
Wed: core + stretching session at the gym before work; a change from the usual strength session
Thu & Fri: nada
Of course that brought July to an end with the following totals:
Swim: 9.7k
Bike: 142.5k
Run: 14.8k
Not as much running, or riding for that matter, as I would have hoped but a significant increase in my swimming work loads.
Sat: long (cold) 2hr ride before heading to Canberra for a mega Mango family birthday celebration. Had a fantastic ride. I did the Greendale Rd loop again, this time (somehow) managing to ride it 9 mins faster than when I last did it. My speed over this loop also increased by 1.5k/h. It was one of those rides when it all comes together & finally you see some (significant) improvement in performance. 2:05:30 / 49.33k / aver. 23.6k/r / aver.C 88
In other news, wedding plans are coming along well - the invitations have been ordered, the hair & makeup booked & we have found Mini Mango's bridesmaid dress (phew)
I'm reading a fascinating book called Stability, Sport & Performance Movement about functional stability; basically how the body responds to the challenges & loads we place on it as athletes. I guess my background in my strength training has largely been 'isolation-based'. I've been doing integrated exercises more so in recent years but this book has really explained the rationale behind functional movement and, most importantly, given me tools to test myself & then exercises to improve the problem areas. I guess I've had so many injuries over the years that it seems that what I have been doing hasn't worked particularly well (except for last year when I have a heavy training load & still was injury-free). I wonder if doing years of (primarily) isolation-based strength training has taught my body bad habits which aren't relevant, or of assistance, for the sports that I now do. We shall see.
MTD:
Bike: 49.33k
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Move along..
Nothing out of the ordinary to see here.
Mon: 3km at swim squad. Felt a bit flat in the water tonight, c'est la vie.
Tue: up early for a run which is difficult after a late night due to swim squad. Still, I managed a 30min run; the first time I have run 30mins in almost 11 months! Crazy to think that its been so long. The foot had no complaints; the lungs & HR were a different story.(##k)
Wed: strength + core session before work
Thu: a brick after work consisting of 10min run / 30min bike (incl 6 x 2min). A good session; the pace of the run was (of course) slow but running is starting to feel more comfortable again
Fri: rest
Sat: 1:56 ride (45.75km) in the morning. I almost talked myself out of it but I'm glad I didn't. Although the first 30mins were a struggle, I felt reasonably strong for most of the ride. Paying attention to my cadence & technique seem to be paying off. Average cadence was 91 & aver. speed was 23.5k/h which I think is the highest average speed I have recorded yet (yes, I also ride slow).
Sun: rest. Was supposed to run but a slightly funky hamstring, the need to work on my assignment for my Certificate III & a lack of sleep due to the combination of watching the TdF & playing driver for Team Mango / Kel at the M7 Marathon put an end to that.
MTD:
Swim: 7.5k
Bike: 142.5k
Run: 14.8k
Mon: 3km at swim squad. Felt a bit flat in the water tonight, c'est la vie.
Tue: up early for a run which is difficult after a late night due to swim squad. Still, I managed a 30min run; the first time I have run 30mins in almost 11 months! Crazy to think that its been so long. The foot had no complaints; the lungs & HR were a different story.(##k)
Wed: strength + core session before work
Thu: a brick after work consisting of 10min run / 30min bike (incl 6 x 2min). A good session; the pace of the run was (of course) slow but running is starting to feel more comfortable again
Fri: rest
Sat: 1:56 ride (45.75km) in the morning. I almost talked myself out of it but I'm glad I didn't. Although the first 30mins were a struggle, I felt reasonably strong for most of the ride. Paying attention to my cadence & technique seem to be paying off. Average cadence was 91 & aver. speed was 23.5k/h which I think is the highest average speed I have recorded yet (yes, I also ride slow).
Sun: rest. Was supposed to run but a slightly funky hamstring, the need to work on my assignment for my Certificate III & a lack of sleep due to the combination of watching the TdF & playing driver for Team Mango / Kel at the M7 Marathon put an end to that.
MTD:
Swim: 7.5k
Bike: 142.5k
Run: 14.8k
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Another week, another candle burning at both ends...
A recovery week. From what I'm not sure. My lifestyle (lack of sleep due to work / TdF / studying / wedding planning etc) rather than any actual training load I suspect..
Mon: 1.2k swim at lunch.
Tues: easy 10min walk & 20mins run before work. Did 7.5mins on the grass before finishing on the road. 2.97k
Wed: strength + core before work.
Thu: 1.1k swim before work. Felt really good in the water; strong & my 'catch' seems to be coming along.
Fri: rest (& a decision made about the wedding invitations)
Sat: 90min ride along the Northern Ride, the first time with a cadence sensor (thanks R!). Just focused on spinning the legs. 34.94km - 22.9k/h - aver. 88C. Then it was off for bridesmaid dress shopping....
Sun: work (again) but otherwise rest. I've worked 6 days per week for the last 4 weeks; glad its over. For now.
MTD:
Bike: 84.04k
Run: 8.98k
Swim: 4.5k
Mon: 1.2k swim at lunch.
Tues: easy 10min walk & 20mins run before work. Did 7.5mins on the grass before finishing on the road. 2.97k
Wed: strength + core before work.
Thu: 1.1k swim before work. Felt really good in the water; strong & my 'catch' seems to be coming along.
Fri: rest (& a decision made about the wedding invitations)
Sat: 90min ride along the Northern Ride, the first time with a cadence sensor (thanks R!). Just focused on spinning the legs. 34.94km - 22.9k/h - aver. 88C. Then it was off for bridesmaid dress shopping....
Sun: work (again) but otherwise rest. I've worked 6 days per week for the last 4 weeks; glad its over. For now.
MTD:
Bike: 84.04k
Run: 8.98k
Swim: 4.5k
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Blah...
A bit blah-ish at the moment; I have spread myself too thin in recent weeks (months) & have now decided to take a few goals off the table for the coming season - what's new. I'm so sick of having to do that...
Mon: James' swim squad again & another strength & endurance session. About 2.2k in total
Tue: rest. Was supposed to run but felt like I was fighting off a cold so I took the sensible course of action
Wed: another strength + core session before work. Focused on legs together given the pounding my shoulders took on Monday night.
Thur: more rest. I was supposed to do another reverse brick today but had to change that plan in lieu of some different 'cross-training'; testing samples of wedding cake :-)
Fri: 30mins ride on the trainer after work (including 10mins at AT).
Sat: 20mins run after work. It's a good thing that my heart rate monitor has died. Otherwise I would have had to crawl rather than simply plod (3.3k)
Sun: even more rest. Was supposed to ride but I rolled over & went back to sleep after the alarm went off.
MTD:
Bike: 49.1k
Run: 6.01k
Swim: 2.2k
Mon: James' swim squad again & another strength & endurance session. About 2.2k in total
Tue: rest. Was supposed to run but felt like I was fighting off a cold so I took the sensible course of action
Wed: another strength + core session before work. Focused on legs together given the pounding my shoulders took on Monday night.
Thur: more rest. I was supposed to do another reverse brick today but had to change that plan in lieu of some different 'cross-training'; testing samples of wedding cake :-)
Fri: 30mins ride on the trainer after work (including 10mins at AT).
Sat: 20mins run after work. It's a good thing that my heart rate monitor has died. Otherwise I would have had to crawl rather than simply plod (3.3k)
Sun: even more rest. Was supposed to ride but I rolled over & went back to sleep after the alarm went off.
MTD:
Bike: 49.1k
Run: 6.01k
Swim: 2.2k
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Allez, allez, allez!
This is my favourite time of year - Tour time :-)
Another good week of training. Very tired but the end of the weekend but that's life I guess.
Mon: James' swim squad again. Remind me never to eat dinner for one of his sessions. A strength & endurance session was on the cards; it included (for me) 16 x 50m sprints, 16 x 50m breathing every 5th stroke & over 1k using hand paddles. I left with tired shoulders & arms, a nasty chaff on my neck from my cozzie & about 3.1k in the bank. Far. Out.
Tue: got up early for my run which was hard after a late & tiring night; 25mins run - my longest in 9 months (!) - including about 20min on the grass oval & then 5mins run on the road home. This was the first time I've ventured onto hard surfaces in my come back; so far, so good. It is, however, a good reminder in specificity. My HR monitor has died so I was working on perceived effort; it was very hard to keep my HR down so the pace was not much more than a crawl (3.5k). Still it was a nice way to round out the month. It will be nice next month (fingers crossed) to be able to record the distances I run in kilometres, not minutes!
Total for July
Swim: 11.65km
Run: 154.5 mins
Bike: 8hrs 33min (132kms +)
Time spent with florists: too many !
Wed: a slightly shorter strength session this morning (45mins) to spend a bit more time on core & stretching.
Thur: 1.4k swim (in a ladder) at lunch - so nice not only to have a lane to myself but the whole pool :-)
Fri: rest
Sat: after the high winds in Sydney on Friday, I had visions of needing to do this session on the trainer (boring). But I was blessed to wake on Saturday morning to a clear, still morning :-) I headed out on my lonesome for my 2hr ride, again on the Greendale loop via Wallacia (ie same direction as last week). While my speed doesn't seem to be picking up (grrrrr), I am feeling (somewhat) stronger on the hills. Oh, and I managed what I like to refer to as a 'lying dismount', but otherwise it was a good ride. 49.1km - 2:06 - 23.3k/h
Sun: worked until 2pm, came home & slept for an hour then dragged myself out for my session; 10mins w/u walk then a 20min run (12min on grass then 8min on road) (2.98km) followed by a 30min walk - 60mins in total.
4 months today until the wedding. We now have a florist so its time to organise the cake; it's tough work but.... ;-)
MTD:
Bike: 49.1k
Run: 2.98km
Another good week of training. Very tired but the end of the weekend but that's life I guess.
Mon: James' swim squad again. Remind me never to eat dinner for one of his sessions. A strength & endurance session was on the cards; it included (for me) 16 x 50m sprints, 16 x 50m breathing every 5th stroke & over 1k using hand paddles. I left with tired shoulders & arms, a nasty chaff on my neck from my cozzie & about 3.1k in the bank. Far. Out.
Tue: got up early for my run which was hard after a late & tiring night; 25mins run - my longest in 9 months (!) - including about 20min on the grass oval & then 5mins run on the road home. This was the first time I've ventured onto hard surfaces in my come back; so far, so good. It is, however, a good reminder in specificity. My HR monitor has died so I was working on perceived effort; it was very hard to keep my HR down so the pace was not much more than a crawl (3.5k). Still it was a nice way to round out the month. It will be nice next month (fingers crossed) to be able to record the distances I run in kilometres, not minutes!
Total for July
Swim: 11.65km
Run: 154.5 mins
Bike: 8hrs 33min (132kms +)
Time spent with florists: too many !
Wed: a slightly shorter strength session this morning (45mins) to spend a bit more time on core & stretching.
Thur: 1.4k swim (in a ladder) at lunch - so nice not only to have a lane to myself but the whole pool :-)
Fri: rest
Sat: after the high winds in Sydney on Friday, I had visions of needing to do this session on the trainer (boring). But I was blessed to wake on Saturday morning to a clear, still morning :-) I headed out on my lonesome for my 2hr ride, again on the Greendale loop via Wallacia (ie same direction as last week). While my speed doesn't seem to be picking up (grrrrr), I am feeling (somewhat) stronger on the hills. Oh, and I managed what I like to refer to as a 'lying dismount', but otherwise it was a good ride. 49.1km - 2:06 - 23.3k/h
Sun: worked until 2pm, came home & slept for an hour then dragged myself out for my session; 10mins w/u walk then a 20min run (12min on grass then 8min on road) (2.98km) followed by a 30min walk - 60mins in total.
4 months today until the wedding. We now have a florist so its time to organise the cake; it's tough work but.... ;-)
MTD:
Bike: 49.1k
Run: 2.98km
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Position vacant: 28 hour days required
A weird week. I'm working 6 days p/week for the next 4 weeks which is going to make life interesting; TA & I have worked together to try & get a program for July that will balance everything...(fingers crossed!)
Mon: headed to the gym at lunch for a short core + stretch session. It may have been short but I still managed to completely & utterly fry my lower abs :-) Then after work, I headed to my first swim squad since I learnt to swim as a kid; this one was conducted by James (B+ on CR) who is also club coach for Panthers. I thought it would have been very ironic had I drowned as an adult in the pool that I learnt to swim in as a kid - but fortunately I didn't :-) Lots of (much needed) drills were on the menu. I have to admit that I wasn't really in the mood to go after feeling rather tired throughout the day but I'm glad I did. I have no idea about the distance; I lost count but I'll guess & say 2km
Tue: was supposed to be a 20mins run but for a variety of reasons, I had to cut it short to 10mins with 5min walk either side.
Wed: (unplanned) rest day
Thu: another reverse brick; 10mins followed by 20mins bike (including 3 x 3min efforts). Good fun!
Fri: dragged myself to the gym after work for a short, sharp & hard strength + core session.
Sat: I worked til 2pm then headed to Ripples for another 'reverse aquathon'; my first 20mins run in 9 months (yippee!!) followed by a 1.45k swim. A good session although doing my strength session on Friday night wasn't such a good idea; I paid for every one of my 40 pushups on my toes (and 40 x lat pulldowns & 40 x deadlifts & 40 x bent over rows &....). It was a very slow swim but I tried to focus on putting everything I had learnt on Monday into effect
Sun: another 2hr 'hell ride' (aka Greendale Rd loop through Wallacia), this time in the reverse direction. This direction seems to have a lot more long, grinding hills & then the drag back up the Northern Rd at the end is testing. Still it was good; I felt stronger on the hills than I have previously - not to mention the fact that the chocolate indulgence cake I had this afternoon was worth every hard hill :-) 2:08 / 48.44km / 22.7k/hr
MTD:
Swim: 8.55km
Run: 129.5mins
Bike: 8hrs 33min (132kms +)
Time spent with florists: 3.5hrs !
Mon: headed to the gym at lunch for a short core + stretch session. It may have been short but I still managed to completely & utterly fry my lower abs :-) Then after work, I headed to my first swim squad since I learnt to swim as a kid; this one was conducted by James (B+ on CR) who is also club coach for Panthers. I thought it would have been very ironic had I drowned as an adult in the pool that I learnt to swim in as a kid - but fortunately I didn't :-) Lots of (much needed) drills were on the menu. I have to admit that I wasn't really in the mood to go after feeling rather tired throughout the day but I'm glad I did. I have no idea about the distance; I lost count but I'll guess & say 2km
Tue: was supposed to be a 20mins run but for a variety of reasons, I had to cut it short to 10mins with 5min walk either side.
Wed: (unplanned) rest day
Thu: another reverse brick; 10mins followed by 20mins bike (including 3 x 3min efforts). Good fun!
Fri: dragged myself to the gym after work for a short, sharp & hard strength + core session.
Sat: I worked til 2pm then headed to Ripples for another 'reverse aquathon'; my first 20mins run in 9 months (yippee!!) followed by a 1.45k swim. A good session although doing my strength session on Friday night wasn't such a good idea; I paid for every one of my 40 pushups on my toes (and 40 x lat pulldowns & 40 x deadlifts & 40 x bent over rows &....). It was a very slow swim but I tried to focus on putting everything I had learnt on Monday into effect
Sun: another 2hr 'hell ride' (aka Greendale Rd loop through Wallacia), this time in the reverse direction. This direction seems to have a lot more long, grinding hills & then the drag back up the Northern Rd at the end is testing. Still it was good; I felt stronger on the hills than I have previously - not to mention the fact that the chocolate indulgence cake I had this afternoon was worth every hard hill :-) 2:08 / 48.44km / 22.7k/hr
MTD:
Swim: 8.55km
Run: 129.5mins
Bike: 8hrs 33min (132kms +)
Time spent with florists: 3.5hrs !
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Climb every mountain...
The title is only partially a reference to my passion. It's also a reference to the Sound of Music soundtrack which I have been listening to my family sing (loudly) in the car this morning. Yikes....
Anyhoo, t'was a recovery week :-)
Mon: rest. Was due to go to swim squad but woke with a badly pinched nerve/muscle in my neck. Very little movement in my neck all day & a tad painful :-(
Tue: back to the treadmill at lunch for another 15min run just to prove the first one on Saturday wasn't a fluke. Not only was it not a fluke, I managed to go a tad faster :-)
Wed: another solid strength + core session before work.
Thur: back to the gym for 15mins bike (spin) + 10mins run. T'was supposed to be another 'reverse' brick but the treadmills in the gym were occupied when I arrived which meant that I had to switch this session around. Yesterday's strength session left me with serious DOMS in my butt & adductors so I was very glad that it was an easy session.
Fri: due to my plans for the weekend, I had decided to swap my sessions around so headed to the gym at work at lunch for a swim. Unfortunately it was closed for maintenance. Grrr.
Sat: 90min ride along the Northern Road from Penrith in the direction of Camden (34.88km - av. 23.2k/h). My mechanic decided to stay home so thankfully I didn't have another flat ;-) A really enjoyable ride on a rather warm morning.
Sun: rest & recovery from my uncle's 50th birthday party in the Hunter Valley last night :-)
In other news, I have signed up to do my Certificate III & IV in Fitness :-) It has been something I have wanted to do for many years & its taken a few months of planning to come to fruition. I have a lot going on in life at the moment (2 x jobs + training + planning the wedding) so I am not going to put pressure on myself to finish it quickly; I anticipate that I won't finish it until about March next year but its a start :-)
MTD:
Swim: 5.1km
Run: 89.5mins :-)
Ride: 6hr 25mins
Anyhoo, t'was a recovery week :-)
Mon: rest. Was due to go to swim squad but woke with a badly pinched nerve/muscle in my neck. Very little movement in my neck all day & a tad painful :-(
Tue: back to the treadmill at lunch for another 15min run just to prove the first one on Saturday wasn't a fluke. Not only was it not a fluke, I managed to go a tad faster :-)
Wed: another solid strength + core session before work.
Thur: back to the gym for 15mins bike (spin) + 10mins run. T'was supposed to be another 'reverse' brick but the treadmills in the gym were occupied when I arrived which meant that I had to switch this session around. Yesterday's strength session left me with serious DOMS in my butt & adductors so I was very glad that it was an easy session.
Fri: due to my plans for the weekend, I had decided to swap my sessions around so headed to the gym at work at lunch for a swim. Unfortunately it was closed for maintenance. Grrr.
Sat: 90min ride along the Northern Road from Penrith in the direction of Camden (34.88km - av. 23.2k/h). My mechanic decided to stay home so thankfully I didn't have another flat ;-) A really enjoyable ride on a rather warm morning.
Sun: rest & recovery from my uncle's 50th birthday party in the Hunter Valley last night :-)
In other news, I have signed up to do my Certificate III & IV in Fitness :-) It has been something I have wanted to do for many years & its taken a few months of planning to come to fruition. I have a lot going on in life at the moment (2 x jobs + training + planning the wedding) so I am not going to put pressure on myself to finish it quickly; I anticipate that I won't finish it until about March next year but its a start :-)
MTD:
Swim: 5.1km
Run: 89.5mins :-)
Ride: 6hr 25mins
Sunday, June 14, 2009
On a roll...
Another good & busy week. The wedding preparations are now well underway but there is still much to do & only 4.5 months to go!
Mon: you gotta love a public holiday! Does spending 3 hours trying to find a photographer for the wedding count as cross-training? Nah, I didn't think so. Luckily I dragged myself out for a 1.5k swim which actually felt much better than Saturdays effort (thankfully).
Tue: 3 x 5min run intervals (2min walk recovery) on the treadmill at work at lunch (10min walk w/u). All good :-)
Wed: another good strength + core session before work.
Thur: another Thursday, another reverse brick. 7.5min run (yippee!) followed by 20min bike (including 3 x 2min pickups). All good :-)
Fri: rest :-)
Sat: after finishing reading the paper (an essential part of my Saturday ritual), I headed off to the gym for my session - a 15min run (!!!!) followed by 1.4k swim which included 4 x 300m. The first rep sucked terribly; my lats were fatigued & I felt like I was just spinning my wheels in the water & going nowhere. But I gave myself a bit of an uppercut, sucked it up & eventually finished happy with the session.
Later in the afternoon, I took myself off to Fernwood at Penrith to listen to a talk by Emazon of Biggest Loser fame. An women with an amazing background & a particularly interesting take on training (both physically & mentally) -
Sun: headed out for a 2hr ride on the Greendale Rd loop & managed to get a flat tyre after 7mins. Thankfully I had my mechanic in tow ;-) I felt really flat for the first 50mins or so; no doubt dehydrated after drinking bugger all water during the last couple of days. R gave me the (easy) option of just doing an out & back along the Northern Rd but after a GU & some positive thoughts, my bike mysteriously turned off the Northern Rd & onto Greendale all by itself ;-) I find it a very hard loop with some short, sharp hills on an absolutely dead surface which reminds me that lactic acid is my friend.
It didn't kill me so I guess I'm a bit stronger for the experience. Finished in 2:14 (49.68km)
Looking forward to a slightly easier week & then heading up to the Hunter Valley next weekend :-)
MTD:
Swim: 5.1km
Run: 64.5mins :-)
Ride: 4hr 40mins
Mon: you gotta love a public holiday! Does spending 3 hours trying to find a photographer for the wedding count as cross-training? Nah, I didn't think so. Luckily I dragged myself out for a 1.5k swim which actually felt much better than Saturdays effort (thankfully).
Tue: 3 x 5min run intervals (2min walk recovery) on the treadmill at work at lunch (10min walk w/u). All good :-)
Wed: another good strength + core session before work.
Thur: another Thursday, another reverse brick. 7.5min run (yippee!) followed by 20min bike (including 3 x 2min pickups). All good :-)
Fri: rest :-)
Sat: after finishing reading the paper (an essential part of my Saturday ritual), I headed off to the gym for my session - a 15min run (!!!!) followed by 1.4k swim which included 4 x 300m. The first rep sucked terribly; my lats were fatigued & I felt like I was just spinning my wheels in the water & going nowhere. But I gave myself a bit of an uppercut, sucked it up & eventually finished happy with the session.
Later in the afternoon, I took myself off to Fernwood at Penrith to listen to a talk by Emazon of Biggest Loser fame. An women with an amazing background & a particularly interesting take on training (both physically & mentally) -
Sun: headed out for a 2hr ride on the Greendale Rd loop & managed to get a flat tyre after 7mins. Thankfully I had my mechanic in tow ;-) I felt really flat for the first 50mins or so; no doubt dehydrated after drinking bugger all water during the last couple of days. R gave me the (easy) option of just doing an out & back along the Northern Rd but after a GU & some positive thoughts, my bike mysteriously turned off the Northern Rd & onto Greendale all by itself ;-) I find it a very hard loop with some short, sharp hills on an absolutely dead surface which reminds me that lactic acid is my friend.
It didn't kill me so I guess I'm a bit stronger for the experience. Finished in 2:14 (49.68km)
Looking forward to a slightly easier week & then heading up to the Hunter Valley next weekend :-)
MTD:
Swim: 5.1km
Run: 64.5mins :-)
Ride: 4hr 40mins
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Reversing
A good week of training :-D
Mon: easy 1km swim (as 2 x 500m) to ease myself back into it after last weekend's disruptions to my training.
Tue: headed to the gym at lunch; 10min bike w/u then 4 x 3min run intervals (60sec walk recovery) on the treadmill. It's a bit sad to think that 3mins is the longest I've run in 8 months now. Still, it's (much) better than nothing at all :-)
Wed: strength + core session before work.
Thur: a great session at lunch; I really enjoyed this 'reverse brick' - 10min walk on treadmill to w/u, then 1 x 5mins run followed by a solid 20min bike with a few one legged drills thrown in for good measure. Nice :-)
Fri: rest :-)
Sat: after work, I headed to Ripples for another 'reverse' session; this time an aquathon! First up was a 10min walk on the treadmill to warm up, then 2 x 5min runs on the treadmill. After a change & quick shower it was into the pool for a 1.2k swim. The swim was a real slog, but gosh I'm really enjoying running again :-)
Sun: it was raining when I woke this morning so rather than go riding in the rain I did a solid 2hr ride on the trainer in the garage while listening to podcasts. The time passed surprisingly quickly.
That's the first time I have run 3 times in a week since I had my fall & stuffed my ankle in September last year. Oh and its less than 5 months to go to the wedding now. Happy, happy days :-)
MTD:
Swim - 2.2km
Run - 27mins :-)
Ride - 2hr 20mins
Mon: easy 1km swim (as 2 x 500m) to ease myself back into it after last weekend's disruptions to my training.
Tue: headed to the gym at lunch; 10min bike w/u then 4 x 3min run intervals (60sec walk recovery) on the treadmill. It's a bit sad to think that 3mins is the longest I've run in 8 months now. Still, it's (much) better than nothing at all :-)
Wed: strength + core session before work.
Thur: a great session at lunch; I really enjoyed this 'reverse brick' - 10min walk on treadmill to w/u, then 1 x 5mins run followed by a solid 20min bike with a few one legged drills thrown in for good measure. Nice :-)
Fri: rest :-)
Sat: after work, I headed to Ripples for another 'reverse' session; this time an aquathon! First up was a 10min walk on the treadmill to warm up, then 2 x 5min runs on the treadmill. After a change & quick shower it was into the pool for a 1.2k swim. The swim was a real slog, but gosh I'm really enjoying running again :-)
Sun: it was raining when I woke this morning so rather than go riding in the rain I did a solid 2hr ride on the trainer in the garage while listening to podcasts. The time passed surprisingly quickly.
That's the first time I have run 3 times in a week since I had my fall & stuffed my ankle in September last year. Oh and its less than 5 months to go to the wedding now. Happy, happy days :-)
MTD:
Swim - 2.2km
Run - 27mins :-)
Ride - 2hr 20mins
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Grooveless
A strange week. My training started off strongly but the lack of sleep in recent weeks has been catching up with me in recent days; I've had one day off work in the last 14 days :-(
Mon: 1.2km swim, as 3 x 400m. The first time since I got back in the pool I felt strong in the water & moving well :-)
Tue: the comeback continues: 10mins walk then 5 x 60sec run (with 90sec walk recovery) in a park by the water at Rhodes. A beautiful clear, warm autumn day. Nice!
Wed: strength + core session in the gym before work.
Thu: lunch today saw a 10mins walk then 5 x 2min run (with 2min walk recovery) on the beautiful Foreshore walk at Concord. So nice to be running again - yippee!
Saturday I was due to do a long ride but rolled over and went back to sleep when the alarm went off at 8am. I've had a 1hr afternoon sleep both days this weekend which is completely unheard of for me; I guess I needed it & that I am finally / slowly learning to listen to my body.
Tomorrow sees the start of a new month & the official start of my 'back to tri's' training program. It's going to be interesting to see how the training fits in my (already hectic) week. Hopefully I can also find my groove along the way.
Mon: 1.2km swim, as 3 x 400m. The first time since I got back in the pool I felt strong in the water & moving well :-)
Tue: the comeback continues: 10mins walk then 5 x 60sec run (with 90sec walk recovery) in a park by the water at Rhodes. A beautiful clear, warm autumn day. Nice!
Wed: strength + core session in the gym before work.
Thu: lunch today saw a 10mins walk then 5 x 2min run (with 2min walk recovery) on the beautiful Foreshore walk at Concord. So nice to be running again - yippee!
Saturday I was due to do a long ride but rolled over and went back to sleep when the alarm went off at 8am. I've had a 1hr afternoon sleep both days this weekend which is completely unheard of for me; I guess I needed it & that I am finally / slowly learning to listen to my body.
Tomorrow sees the start of a new month & the official start of my 'back to tri's' training program. It's going to be interesting to see how the training fits in my (already hectic) week. Hopefully I can also find my groove along the way.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Houston, we have lift-off (again)...
The program said that this would be an 'easier week'. But for the first time in about a month, I managed to do all of my sessions - meaning I've done more exercise this week than in any other recently. So much for that easy week ;-)
Mon: another 1k swim at lunch, this time as 2 x 500m. I feel much more comfortable in the water now though my technique is, I'm sure, pretty ordinary. Time to sort that out.
Tue:
(AM) easy 40min bike session including 3 x 30sec single leg drills which was a rather eye opening experience. There is a serious dead spot at the top of the stroke of my right leg which (also) needs sorting out.
PM: running drills
Wed: strength session before work. Unfortunately I ran out of time to do my core work :-( A good session despite far too much (sensational) gourmet pizza & too little sleep last night.
Thu: rest + running drills + WildEndurance awards night! It was a great night; catching up with team 'Happy Feet' and a few of my favourite CRs and Wild Women. Team 'Happy Feet' was awarded its bag of goodies for our 2nd placing in the 50k relay which we later divied up on the floor of the pub. Yes, we are a classy lot ;-) I was lucky enough to walk away with, amongst other things, a small torch, a $100 gift voucher for LineBreak gear and a $50 voucher for Mountain Equipment gear which is my fav brand for mountaineering stuff. Happy days :-)
Fri: rest
Sat: (AM): Provided I keep my ankle strapped, I am allowed to start running again :-) I was supposed to start on grass (before progressing to the tready and then to the road in future weeks). But all the rain in Sydney this week meant that my walk/run was more likely to turn into a swim. So I headed to the gym & did the session on the tready instead: 5min w/u on the bike, 10min walk then 5 x 30sec run (with a 1min walk recovery). Followed it up by my usual (superset) strength + core session before coming home to ice my foot as per the physio's instructions. There has been no complaints from my ankle so it looks like comeback no. 450,001 has begun ;-)
Sun: While R took himself off to run at SMC, laziness saw me do my 75min long ride on the trainer in the garage. Time passed very quickly as I listed to a podcast interview with Mark Allen on the iPod.
I hinted last week at a change in focus. I had previously mentioned here that I was intending to do Six Foot next year. But I am just so sick of breaking down & not competing in events that I have set my sights on. So I have decided to take my time, work towards my goal of perfect structural condition & build up to it slowly; a revolutionary idea for me I know ;-) So, as you may have guessed, the focus for the next 18 months or so will be on tris. Rather nervous about it; after my long ride last week, I got off the bike & thought 'my god, how on earth am I ever going to run 10km after that ride!'. But I know I can & will :-) Bring it on - do your best TA :-)
MTD:
Swim: 3k
Bike: 97.09k (excl indoor)
Mon: another 1k swim at lunch, this time as 2 x 500m. I feel much more comfortable in the water now though my technique is, I'm sure, pretty ordinary. Time to sort that out.
Tue:
(AM) easy 40min bike session including 3 x 30sec single leg drills which was a rather eye opening experience. There is a serious dead spot at the top of the stroke of my right leg which (also) needs sorting out.
PM: running drills
Wed: strength session before work. Unfortunately I ran out of time to do my core work :-( A good session despite far too much (sensational) gourmet pizza & too little sleep last night.
Thu: rest + running drills + WildEndurance awards night! It was a great night; catching up with team 'Happy Feet' and a few of my favourite CRs and Wild Women. Team 'Happy Feet' was awarded its bag of goodies for our 2nd placing in the 50k relay which we later divied up on the floor of the pub. Yes, we are a classy lot ;-) I was lucky enough to walk away with, amongst other things, a small torch, a $100 gift voucher for LineBreak gear and a $50 voucher for Mountain Equipment gear which is my fav brand for mountaineering stuff. Happy days :-)
Fri: rest
Sat: (AM): Provided I keep my ankle strapped, I am allowed to start running again :-) I was supposed to start on grass (before progressing to the tready and then to the road in future weeks). But all the rain in Sydney this week meant that my walk/run was more likely to turn into a swim. So I headed to the gym & did the session on the tready instead: 5min w/u on the bike, 10min walk then 5 x 30sec run (with a 1min walk recovery). Followed it up by my usual (superset) strength + core session before coming home to ice my foot as per the physio's instructions. There has been no complaints from my ankle so it looks like comeback no. 450,001 has begun ;-)
Sun: While R took himself off to run at SMC, laziness saw me do my 75min long ride on the trainer in the garage. Time passed very quickly as I listed to a podcast interview with Mark Allen on the iPod.
I hinted last week at a change in focus. I had previously mentioned here that I was intending to do Six Foot next year. But I am just so sick of breaking down & not competing in events that I have set my sights on. So I have decided to take my time, work towards my goal of perfect structural condition & build up to it slowly; a revolutionary idea for me I know ;-) So, as you may have guessed, the focus for the next 18 months or so will be on tris. Rather nervous about it; after my long ride last week, I got off the bike & thought 'my god, how on earth am I ever going to run 10km after that ride!'. But I know I can & will :-) Bring it on - do your best TA :-)
MTD:
Swim: 3k
Bike: 97.09k (excl indoor)
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Lactic acid is my friend :-)
Getting a bit more consistency in my weeks now - yippee! Still missed a couple of sessions but I'm getting there - slowly.
Mon: 1km swim in about 24min (excl breaks). Interestingly, the improvement in the strength in my foot thanks to my running drills + physio-ordered exercises is very noticeable in the pool. Last week I could really feel the pressure of the water on my dodgy ankle when I was kicking. Not so much this week thankfully. The swim itself wasn't quite as ugly as last week's swim but there is still a long road ahead. Still, it's nice to be on it :-)
Tue: rest + running drills down in beautiful Brays Bay reserve by the water at Rhodes. Nice ;-)
Wed: strength + core session in the (free) gym at work :-)
Thu: rest. Was supposed to do my running drills again but was unable to escape from the office. I ran for the train though - surely that must count? ;-)
Fri: (superset) strength + core session
Sat: rest + running drills
Sun: 2:10 long ride. The plan had been to head along the Northern Road towards Camden but the road was closed at Bringelly due to an accident. So R & I decided to head out along Greendale Rd, which heads through Wallacia & then loops back onto the Northern Road. I was rather nervous about the degree of 'undulations' on this road, having heard about it from my (6 x IM) uncle. The undulations were testing but not nearly as testing as the dead road surface. I've never ridden on such a dead surface before. I thought my teeth were going to fall out at one stage from the vibrations.
On one particular sharp climb, I was reminded of a podcast about lactic acid that I listened to yesterday. It was talking about (new) research suggesting lactic acid is actually an alternate energy source & should be viewed by athletes as their friend, not foe. My quads are not yet convinced. Finished strongly with 48.96k (22.8k/h). This loop will be a great one to do regularly to test the improvements in my fitness & (particularly) strength.
Look forward to more consistency - and the awards night for Wild Endurance - in the coming week. BTW if anyone is handy in doing blog headers, would you mind leaving me a message or sending you an email. My blog needs an overall in light of my new focus... :-)
MTD:
Bike: 97.09k
RIP Jean
Mon: 1km swim in about 24min (excl breaks). Interestingly, the improvement in the strength in my foot thanks to my running drills + physio-ordered exercises is very noticeable in the pool. Last week I could really feel the pressure of the water on my dodgy ankle when I was kicking. Not so much this week thankfully. The swim itself wasn't quite as ugly as last week's swim but there is still a long road ahead. Still, it's nice to be on it :-)
Tue: rest + running drills down in beautiful Brays Bay reserve by the water at Rhodes. Nice ;-)
Wed: strength + core session in the (free) gym at work :-)
Thu: rest. Was supposed to do my running drills again but was unable to escape from the office. I ran for the train though - surely that must count? ;-)
Fri: (superset) strength + core session
Sat: rest + running drills
Sun: 2:10 long ride. The plan had been to head along the Northern Road towards Camden but the road was closed at Bringelly due to an accident. So R & I decided to head out along Greendale Rd, which heads through Wallacia & then loops back onto the Northern Road. I was rather nervous about the degree of 'undulations' on this road, having heard about it from my (6 x IM) uncle. The undulations were testing but not nearly as testing as the dead road surface. I've never ridden on such a dead surface before. I thought my teeth were going to fall out at one stage from the vibrations.
On one particular sharp climb, I was reminded of a podcast about lactic acid that I listened to yesterday. It was talking about (new) research suggesting lactic acid is actually an alternate energy source & should be viewed by athletes as their friend, not foe. My quads are not yet convinced. Finished strongly with 48.96k (22.8k/h). This loop will be a great one to do regularly to test the improvements in my fitness & (particularly) strength.
Look forward to more consistency - and the awards night for Wild Endurance - in the coming week. BTW if anyone is handy in doing blog headers, would you mind leaving me a message or sending you an email. My blog needs an overall in light of my new focus... :-)
MTD:
Bike: 97.09k
RIP Jean
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