Week 42 taining log.

Well hello again, welcome to week 42. A bit of a stop, start week this week with things going on at home. Hot water problems, waiting in for plumbers and Paddy, our dog came back from the vets at the end of last week so I had to keep a close eye on him for the first few days. He also had to go back for a post op check. Monday was taken off while waiting for the plumber, it wasn't such a bad thing after my longest run since christmas on the Sunday. The day of rest probably did more good than halm. Tuesday was a bright but a little chilly day, probably the best day of the week for my longest ride. A good bumpy Pembrokeshire ride with a fair bit of wind in places. Had plenty of energy throughout and finshed strong 3 hours later. I think as much as anything I was trying to prove a point that I made in last weeks blog when I went for a 1 hour run on Tuesday night. The legs felt a little stiff at first but soon I was running like I hadn't done the 3 hour ride in the morning. Wednesday I was at the mercy of the plumber again but was able to get in a 45 minute swim and a good work out in the gym, legs and upper body. A 2.15 ride on Wednesday which I felt really good on, then straight to the gym for a full work out again. To cool down at the end of the weight session I hopped on the treadmill for 15 minutes. Just a swim on Friday due to the vets visit. Saturday promised the best of the weather for the weekend so I went for my longest run that day to finish the week off.

Week 41 training log

After the Easter break it was time to get back in the zone in week 41.
Monday was a steady 1 hour run, a gentle jog to start but no need for the power walking anymore.
The weather forcast was a bit missleading this week, forcasting a pretty miserable week. I set the week out accordingly with some gym work to avoid the worst of the weather.
Tuesday saw me in the gym for 2.30 hours. A 45 min spin on the gym bike then an allover workout on the weights. Swim specific exercises for the upper body and general strength exercises for the legs. This session was finished off with a 15 min run at quite high tempo on the treadmill. ( 12-13 KPH)

Wednesday. In the pool for 45 minutes of pull, just to top up the hurt from the gym the day before. By the end of this my arms felt like they were about three feet longer with rocks for shoulders. At least I had a Yoga class to look forward to after.
Thursday. Another long run @ 1.15 then straight to the gym for a weights session on the legs. (ouch)
Time to get on the bike again Friday and took myself off on part of the Ironman route. 2.30 later, return home then straight to the pool for a kick and pull session.
By the end of Friday I was ready for a day off.
Saturday, rest day.
Sunday, My new longest run since the end of last year @ 1.30 (11m)
A fairly comfortable run which I really enjoyed after the first couple of miles.
I feel like I'm more or less back to where I left off before hurting the knee back in January.
recently I have been observing some of the changes that I have noticed in myself over the last 40 weeks. Obviously my fitness has improved greatly but not necessarily in ways that you may expect. I still get puffed out after short exertions, but that's not really the way I've trained. My apearence hasn't really changed. My weight has fluctuated over the 40 weeks but I am definatly more tonned. My legs feel completly solid without having bulging muscles. The biggest change has to be in my recovery time after exertion. 40 weeks ago a 10K run would have meant a couple of days off to recover and indeed a 10K run was an event. 40 weeks later I am able to run 2-3 10K+ runs in training in a week, after each I am able to go swimming or the gym for an hour and then complete another long run the day after. Brick sessions have helped I think. A two hour ride followed by a half hour run was something that I wouldn't have contemplated at the begining, not to mention having an hour swim before the bike.
Although I haven't done it yet, I'm confident that I could run for an hour to an hourand a half in the morning and then go again in the evening. Maybe even throw in a swim in the middle.
So as I was saying at the begining. I still get puffed out after short exertions, the difference now is that I can do those short exertions over and over again and will get stronger the longer it goes on for. Overall I am very pleased with the way things have gone over the last 40 weeks. I have another two months of build training to make myself stronger before the peak period training starts so there is still time to make more improvements.

Weeks 39-40 Easter Holidays training log

School holidays always bring a slow down in training so I have compiled both weeks into one training log.
Usually I'd write out my training programme in advance so that I know what to aim for throughout the week, but during the Easter holidays I simply grabbed what I could, when I could. To be honest it worked out quite well, certainly as far as my running goes. Running is something you can do on the spur of the moment and it doesn't have to take up much time. As an added bonus Paddy (our dog) gets a good run out as well. His open water swimming is coming along nicely as well, especially when there's a tasty duck on the water. Thankfully he hasn't caught one yet. I think they see him coming and play games with him,
I had been two weeks off the bike before getting back on on Friday and it showed. Three and half hours and I was just about cooked. I have now covered the entire Ironman bike course so they had better not change anything. There is only one part that scares me and that is a particularly steep and nasty hill that on the day I'll reach at around 70 miles and then again at about 109 miles. It's hard enough the first let alone after 109 miles. Don't they know we have to run a bl~#*y marathon to run after.

Week 38 Training Log

This week seems to have been non-stop. Almost every aspect of my training as been a brick session, one discipline off the back of another.
I'm really pleased with the progress in my running. I'm up to one and a half hours after fourty minutes warm up. I did try to shorten the warm up but the knee wouldn't have it.
Some really comfortable and confident swims this week, touching 3000 mts in an hour now, Not bad considering I only learned to swim a year ago, well properly anyway.
Excellent full brick session on Friday, swim ride and run.

Pembrokeshire Duathlon April 1st Sunday. Took two minutes off last years time comming in at 1:17:12 The first run was almost exactly the same time as last year but the ride and second run were faster which to my mind means better progress than a faster 1st run. All good on fairly tired legs from the week leading up to it.

Pembrokeshire Duathlon
2011
1st run 0.23.49
Ride 0.42.31
2nd ride 0.13.11


2012
0.23.44
0.40.45
0.12.43