Mini-triathlon, sort of.

A busy day of training today. I didn’t fit in yesterday’s functional exercises, so I had to play catch up today.

Run. Warm up, then 10 mins of 10K pace, then jog back. It’s difficult to maintain a decent pace in the dark, on pavements with black ice, when the temperature is about 1 degree. But if I can run at 4 min/km pace in these conditions, I should manage it in the balmy summer sun on Dundee in May….

Then the strength functionals from yesterday. Single leg squats, hamstring raises with an ankle weight, lunges, then some ankle eversion and inversion exercises with the resistance band at the end.

Then back on the bike. The rear wheel is true again, and having cleaned it up after the race, it’s running nicely. The front mech cable has stretched significantly, so I need to tighten that up later on, but it still works. Just about. 20 mins warm up, then 12x 15 secs flat out with 1 min rest. The pleasing thing here is not the power, or the speed (although hitting 34 mph on the last sprint isn’t hanging about), it’s the HR of 140 for the warm up, and being able to bring it back to 140 after the sprints. The mad HR of 180 on the bike of a few months ago….

Recover, run, and strengthen.

I had another really good night’s sleep last night, 12 hours of slumber, so when I woke up I started to feel much better. Eyes still stingy for the morning, but improved as the day went on. In fact, by 4pm I felt pretty much back to normal, apart from the eyes being a bit stingy. So, out for a run.

http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/128460648

Easy run. It was cold out, and easy wasn’t quite as easy as it was earlier in the week, but it was good to be out and about, in the cold. The run up to Ninewells and back, around Balgay park, is becoming a favourite, nicer than running down to Discovery, mainly because I don’t have to run through town twice.

Functional strengthening exercises when I got back – mostly the GS exercises, with a bit of HEAL exercises tagged on to the end.

I think the eyes being sore is a combination of chemical conjunctivitis, probably a bit of viral conjunctivitis, and generally being very run down and tired. All the training makes me feel good, strong in the pool, fit on the bike, and quick on the run. But adding in all the work, and late nights I think took it’s toll. I need to get to bed earlier – fitting in a 48 hour job that inevitably takes up more like 56, and 9 to 10 hours of training a week means I need to get to bed earlier….

Plan for this week is to concentrate on the running and cycling, no swimming for a week, new goggles and some new anti-fog spray. In the meantime, I can concentrate on the running and cycling in preparation for Monikie Duathlon 1 in 3 weeks.

New bike chat – I still fancy the Ridley Dean RS, but it’s very expensive… Cannondale Slice Ultegras are £2.5K at the moment, and there’s Felt B12s with SRAM Red front and back for £2.6. Decisions decisions.

Functional, Turbo, and rest.

I managed to fit in the functional exercises from yesterday. Running strength exercises – single leg squats, hamstring lifts, round the clock lunges. The spinal and hip rotations.

I threw in some glute, abductor and adductor stretches for good measure. I still have weak, and tight glutes, and I have short hip flexors, but I can at least actually do some of the exercises now!

I think I’ll do the HEAL functionals tomorrow, before the run. I’m on call again, so it’s a case of trying to fit everything in.

Later in the evening, whilst everyone else was watching that Strictly Come Dancing shite, I managed a session on the turbo. 2x 30 mins at just above aerobic threshold, HR 135 – 145. Then a couple of high gear slower cadence intervals of 5 mins.

After doing Graeme’s training program for only a month, my cycling fitness has improved the most of the three disciplines. 2 months ago I would have struggled to keep my HR that low.

http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/125078381

I had a very encouraging e-mail from Graeme – I’d been feeling a bit guilty that I hadn’t done my physio *every* day, due to work etc, but he reckons I’ve been more diligent with it that anyone else he’s ever coached. So I’m pleased. My knees are certainly better than they were before, my glutes are stronger than they were, and I feel stronger every day.

I’m thinking about the power tap for the bike. I had been thinking about the SRM crank – but it means getting the BB30 version, which then limits me to a BB30 TT bike in the future. That’s not too much of an issue, but there’s only Felt, Cannondale, Kuota and Specialized’s SHIV that are BB30 compatible, which limits things. The SHIV is £4K, for the frame-set! Graeme has now said I might be better off with a hub based power tap, and then an aero rim around it. That’s a neat way of getting a new set of racing wheels that I can move between bikes. Graeme suggests some ENVE aero rims….

I’ve e-mailed the guy at the website…

Glutes, Stability and Turbo

Another day of training. I now spend most of my day with sore glutes, sue quads, and a strange desire to run, cycle and swim.

Today, the H.E.A.L exercises, and Graeme’s basic, and extended glute exercises. Tight byu-tocks.

Stabilisation step downs.
Glute lifts.
Bridges with leg raises.
Isometric gluteus med.
Proprioception airplane.
Stretching iliopsoas.
Quad stretch.
Glute stretch.
Adductor stretch.
Side leg raise (2kg weights).
Back leg raise (2kg weights).
Hip hike.
Clam.

A break for 30 mins, then a turbo session. Same as last week – 2 x 15 min tempo bursts, with 5 mins either side to recover.

5 mins 70 rpm
5 mins 90 rpm
5 mins 60 rpm

It turns out I should have done 6 mins, not 5 mins. But hey ho. I’ll know next time.

Swimming tomorrow!

Pilates, rhymes with pirates.

Spent the whole day in Glasgow at the science centre with the boys, so no time to fit in the swim session I had planned. I’ll have to do it tomorrow, instead.

I did fit in my H.E.A.L physio exercises, and then a full 30 mins of Pilates with Ems. The woman on the DVD is stretchy, and mental. Some of the moves are very tough. I’m sure I’ll feel it tomorrow…

Physio and 9Wheels

I got up and did my first go at the physio exercises. The glut exercises are tough. Very tough. It appears I have no glute strength at all. It’s going to be a long ride to get my glut strength up, and get my balance sorted.

The plan for the evening was to do a turbo session, but a babysitter was forthcoming, so I was able to get out with the 9Wheels people for a 60K jaunt around Fife. I was supposed to fit in some aerobic base work, but it’s not easy when working in a group, so I just went with the flow. There’s one steep hill in the middle of the ride which is a bit of a leg burner.

The plan for tomorrow is to do more of the physio exercises, a quick blast on the turbo, and then Saturday night will be pizza night.

Sunday is time for a swim, I reckon. And next week, I might even try running again.

Swim, physio, turbo, relax

Swim session this morning, to make up for the swim session I missed on Tuesday, because I was driving up from God’s own county.

The sessions Graeme gives me are hard work – the warm up is generally a medium distance swim (400m or so) then another 400, or so, of kicks and drills, then the main set of a kilometre or so, with strict timing, and then a warm down.

I’m avoiding the kick float, so superman glide with flutter and the snorkel for the 12 (!) lengths of kick only, then another 12 of skating drills.

3x 100m at 2:00 fixed interval
3x 100m at 1:55 fixed interval
3x 100m at 1:50 fixed interval

I have to admit to struggling with the last couple, as there’s only 5 to 10 seconds gap between each 100m rep.

Anyhoo, back from the swimming to the physio, down at H.E.A.L. Her name is Kirsten, and Emma thinks she knows her from Hawkhill, back in the day. She was great – she watched me stan, squat, stand on tip toes, then run outside. Apparently my gait is fine, which is such a reassurance, but my balance is terrible. I can barely stand on one leg, it seems. I certainly can’t squat on one leg without falling to one side.

She did a very thorough check of my legs, and it turns out I have very short hip flexors – she was pretty amazed by my lack of flexibility at the hip. My quads are a bit tight too.

So, it’s a stability issue – whenever I run, I’m on one leg, so my lack of stability means I have to compensate by using my VMOs massively, and also my peroneals, and weak assed glutes.

My ligaments, and bones are OK, and my gait is OK, so that’s all a massive relief. She’s prescribed me a series of strengthening exercises to get along with. I can also do Graeme’s functional bits and pieces. Running will be kept to a minimum, only doing 20mins initially, I think, and keeping it very low impact, slow, and in my more cushioned shoes. And I’ll chase Lorna for the Newtons, too, I think.

A massive relief, but LOADS of work to do to strengthen everything up in time for the first Duathlon of the Winter season, the first weekend of December. At least it’s only a 4 K run…

This evening, after the kids bedtime, I brought the Aeron into the kitchen, and did one of the cycle sessions from earlier in the week, but on the Turbo instead.

2×15 mins Tempo cadence, 5 mins at 70 rpm, 5 mins at 90 rpm, and 5 mins at 60 rpm. HR capped at 165.

And another 30 mins of spinning.

The garmin data