A fairly steady start back into training with some light weights work in the gym Monday morning, just to get the muscles used to bearing load again. Some squats, leg raises and calf raises all using weights that I was using a few months ago. Home for about an hour then off on the bike for a short fast spin, nothing too strenuous, just get the heart racing and the blood pumping. Tuesday I felt like raising the game a little. I had a one hour run scheduled, but at a fairly easy pace, probably about the ten minute mile mark, but I was feeling quite good on Tuesday morning after Mondays warm up.
So I set off at the start of the run a quite a good pace, not so that I would blow or kill myself but faster than I would have otherwise gone. I felt fine, I was sweating a lot and I was blowing quite hard but other than that I felt comfortable. The last four- five minutes of the first half hour were very slightly up hill, you might call it a false flat, but when your running it, you know it isn’t flat. This caused the sweat to pour even more and the blowing to get harder but still I didn’t slow. I was beginning to feel the fatigue in the legs from the marathon. I reached the half hour point and rested for a short while. I don’t think I’ve gone that hard on a run of half an hour for a very long time, if ever. I set off back knowing that it was now a kind of down hill false flat and I opened up the stride and worked on keeping the pace fairly high and appearing strong. I think I managed that. In the afternoon it was back on the bike for some strength and speed work. Similar to Monday, but with more emphasis on strength. I went everywhere in a big gear and ground my way up the hills. When the road flattened out, I put it in as high a gear as I could and time trialled over the aero bars.
Now, Wednesday was frustrating. Between now and four weeks prior to the Ironman I need to work on leg strength, even more than I have done before. Now our local sports centre / gym open’s at 7am and my wife doesn’t leave for work until about 8:10. so I have an hour open to me in the mornings to go to the gym and work on leg strength and still be able to get back before she goes to work, brilliant. I even recall seeing on the gym wall a poster that was full from top to bottom with peoples names.
The poster was asking if anyone would be interested in the gym opening half an hour early at 6:30. It said, write your name below if you are interested. As I said, the poster was full. People had even started going up the side of the poster just to get their names on. I thought to myself, if they have started this early bird opening it could be quite busy, so I prepared myself for a little disappointment, and thought I may not get access to as much equipment as I might like. I only wanted an hour so I left at 6:55. Like I said, I didn’t know if they had started the 6:30 starts yet. I arrived in the car park and I was only one of three cars in it. Usually the blue rinse swim crowd are here at this time, making sure they have their lane space and a few other gym users, but nothing, no queue, only a few staff milling about inside. I got out the car and and waited outside the centre door for it to open at 7. Sure enough, at 7.o.clock one of the life guards opened the door to me and said. “You do know we don’t open until half past seven don’t you”. What the chuffing hell!!!!...........From seven, to a possible half past six to a complete U turn to seven chuffing thirty!!! Arrggghhh. When and how did this happen. By seven o.clock the day was ruined, I was already mad.
I went home, grabbed the dog and took him up the field where I did half an hour of run drills. By the time I returned home I had cooled down a little and myself some breakfast and a coffee. Once the kids were safely delivered to school I took off on the bike for a fairly up tempo 3 hour ride. In fact it was that up tempo that a ride the usually takes three hours, only took two and three quarters. Brill.
Thursday I was helping out with the kids school but I managed to fit in a forty five minute swim. It’s always nice to get back into the water after time out of it. It’s funny, the water has become a kind of safe friend to me, I feel calm in the water and I know I can’t get hurt. I know that It’s only my mind and concentration that will make me stop. Physically I know that if I’m swimming efficiently, I can swim all day, but you do get bored.
Friday and it was back to the gym ( after nine o.clock) for some more weights. A little heavier this time, just a step up. Same exercises but slightly more weight. Then it was off to the beach with Paddy ( the dog) and some work on the sand dunes. Unfortunately I hadn’t left a lot of energy in my legs from the gym and I really struggled to pull myself over the dunes of Freshwater West. I managed four lengths of the beach and once over the dunes and that was hard going. A busy weekend with work so I’ll wrap this week up at 10.15 moderately steady hours. Oooohh the next few weeks are gonna hurt.
Monday, 25 June 2012
Week 50 Training Log
A fairly steady start back into training with some light weights work in the gym Monday morning, just to get the muscles used to bearing load again. Some squats, leg raises and calf raises all using weights that I was using a few months ago. Home for about an hour then off on the bike for a short fast spin, nothing too strenuous, just get the heart racing and the blood pumping. Tuesday I felt like raising the game a little. I had a one hour run scheduled, but at a fairly easy pace, probably about the ten minute mile mark, but I was feeling quite good on Tuesday morning after Mondays warm up.
So I set off at the start of the run a quite a good pace, not so that I would blow or kill myself but faster than I would have otherwise gone. I felt fine, I was sweating a lot and I was blowing quite hard but other than that I felt comfortable. The last four- five minutes of the first half hour were very slightly up hill, you might call it a false flat, but when your running it, you know it isn’t flat. This caused the sweat to pour even more and the blowing to get harder but still I didn’t slow. I was beginning to feel the fatigue in the legs from the marathon. I reached the half hour point and rested for a short while. I don’t think I’ve gone that hard on a run of half an hour for a very long time, if ever. I set off back knowing that it was now a kind of down hill false flat and I opened up the stride and worked on keeping the pace fairly high and appearing strong. I think I managed that. In the afternoon it was back on the bike for some strength and speed work. Similar to Monday, but with more emphasis on strength. I went everywhere in a big gear and ground my way up the hills. When the road flattened out, I put it in as high a gear as I could and time trialled over the aero bars.
Now, Wednesday was frustrating. Between now and four weeks prior to the Ironman I need to work on leg strength, even more than I have done before. Now our local sports centre / gym open’s at 7am and my wife doesn’t leave for work until about 8:10. so I have an hour open to me in the mornings to go to the gym and work on leg strength and still be able to get back before she goes to work, brilliant. I even recall seeing on the gym wall a poster that was full from top to bottom with peoples names.
The poster was asking if anyone would be interested in the gym opening half an hour early at 6:30. It said, write your name below if you are interested. As I said, the poster was full. People had even started going up the side of the poster just to get their names on. I thought to myself, if they have started this early bird opening it could be quite busy, so I prepared myself for a little disappointment, and thought I may not get access to as much equipment as I might like. I only wanted an hour so I left at 6:55. Like I said, I didn’t know if they had started the 6:30 starts yet. I arrived in the car park and I was only one of three cars in it. Usually the blue rinse swim crowd are here at this time, making sure they have their lane space and a few other gym users, but nothing, no queue, only a few staff milling about inside. I got out the car and and waited outside the centre door for it to open at 7. Sure enough, at 7.o.clock one of the life guards opened the door to me and said. “You do know we don’t open until half past seven don’t you”. What the chuffing hell!!!!...........From seven, to a possible half past six to a complete U turn to seven chuffing thirty!!! Arrggghhh. When and how did this happen. By seven o.clock the day was ruined, I was already mad.
I went home, grabbed the dog and took him up the field where I did half an hour of run drills. By the time I returned home I had cooled down a little and myself some breakfast and a coffee. Once the kids were safely delivered to school I took off on the bike for a fairly up tempo 3 hour ride. In fact it was that up tempo that a ride the usually takes three hours, only took two and three quarters. Brill.
Thursday I was helping out with the kids school but I managed to fit in a forty five minute swim. It’s always nice to get back into the water after time out of it. It’s funny, the water has become a kind of safe friend to me, I feel calm in the water and I know I can’t get hurt. I know that It’s only my mind and concentration that will make me stop. Physically I know that if I’m swimming efficiently, I can swim all day, but you do get bored.
Friday and it was back to the gym ( after nine o.clock) for some more weights. A little heavier this time, just a step up. Same exercises but slightly more weight. Then it was off to the beach with Paddy ( the dog) and some work on the sand dunes. Unfortunately I hadn’t left a lot of energy in my legs from the gym and I really struggled to pull myself over the dunes of Freshwater West. I managed four lengths of the beach and once over the dunes and that was hard going. A busy weekend with work so I’ll wrap this week up at 10.15 moderately steady hours. Oooohh the next few weeks are gonna hurt.
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