No such thing as a day off when you’re a triathlete.

A rare day off work. But a day off work that I really needed. The plan was to get down to Edinburgh to pick up the bike, but when I phoned the Tri Centre at lunch time, it turns out they didn’t get the double chain set, so no new bike today. They say I should be able to pick it up at the weekend. I’ve taken a half day on the morning of Friday morning, so I *should* be able to pick it up then.

So, as I had the whole day off, plenty of time for training!

Functional Threshold Test. Holy Crap this was hard work. Like doing a 5K erg test back at CBC. Never done one before, so no idea how hard to go off, what power to aim for, what to expect. Graeme reckoned to go off 10% lower power than the expected average for the whole thing. To be honest, the warm up was bad enough, so hopes weren’t massively high for the test.

I tried to treat it like the ergs we did back at CBC – first 1/4 go off hard and settle quickly to a relaxed pace; second 1/4 keep it smooth, focus on technique; third 1/4 is the hardest part, so mental strength, toughness, and digging in; last 1/4 is the home straight so start to wind it up from 2 mins to go, whatever distance that is, as we can always lift for the last 2 mins, and for the last 30 seconds, give it the kitchen sink. I think it went to plan. 240W to kick off with, lift to 250W for the middle half, and then give it beans for the last 3 mins. I was stuffed at the end. Not done anything as hard as that since, well, bumps, maybe? 5K erg tests? Really really tough.

http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/130445766

No rest for a (very) amateur triathlete – after a quick trip out to the pet shop (don’t ask) time for a run in the afternoon.

http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/130488074

Nothing too strenuous, Graeme said. Just some 30 second strides, he said. 30 mins of strides and recovery, it was. Wore the cushioned shoes, as my calves were stuffed. Good decision, I reckon, after such a hard morning session.

I remember doing outings, and land training on the same day when rowing, and managing a few beers, and never felt that sore. Can’t do that anymore, it seems. But, I’m not 21 any more, and if anything I’m fitter now than I was; I can certainly run quicker….

Swim swim swim swim

The problem I’m having with swimming, no, one of the myriad problems I’m having with swimming is getting the pacing right. I have little concept of if I’m doing a 1:45 100, or a 1:35 100, particularly at the beginning of the sets. So this set is meant to help me with my pacing…

Warm Up
———-
400m swim
8x50m alt kick/drill
———-
Main Work
———-
2×400 pull on 7:00
4×100 on 1:50 swim tempo
4×50 on 1:00 hard pace
———-
Cool Down
———-
200m easy

The 100s were on about 1:40, the 50s on about 45 secs, best one just under 40. Hard work, but I can feel myself getting quicker, and more powerful. I run out of steam, though. The rest periods ore short, and I really feel I need more rest as it goes on. I recover quickly, but not quickly enough!

Feels good to be back in the pool, certainly. New goggles, different goggle spray, celluvisc in both eyes before and after – no red eyes. So maybe it’s the goggles, or the spray, or just that my eyes are really dry; who knows, but I’m back in the pool.

Interval Run

Tonight, a 45 minute run out to the airport and back. 10 mins warm up, 5 mins 10K pace, 5 mins jog, repeat x3, then warm down.

I managed the “ons” at about 4:05 – 4:15 pace, with the “offs” at 5:00 pace. My glutes continue to be sore, which can only mean that I’m actually using them now. Knees are better, and bending them more seems to help a lot. Quads are sore, but I suppose that’s the point. My achilles is fine, thankfully.

http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/125846085

Nice run, feeling stronger. Still tight glutes, but that mean’s they’re working, right?

I have HEAL tomorrow, and a sports massage, which I’m equally petrified of, and really looking forward to.

Up early tomorrow for Turbo session.

6×5 Mins Power Reps

Saturday morning, and just about enough time to fit in a bike ride before heading down to Leeds to meet up with the boys.

This one was billed as some power work for the legs, and not for the lungs. Of course, the instruction to turn a big gear for 5 mins at 65 rpm regardless of the terrain means that if those 5 mins include a bloody great hill, it’s pretty tough on the lungs as well as the legs! It was nice to shoot around fife for a bit.

The all important Garmin Data

GS reckons I am in dire need of a power meter to make better use of my training time. I suspect my October D2D money will go on a power meter and new crank…

In other news, I think I might have shingles in my eye, again.

SRC Running Club

Another rare opportunity to go to Emma’s running club together. It’s an entry level running club, but I’d offered to take a small group of them for interval training, so we went down and got cracking.

My Garmin went a bit wonky, so the data is in three parts, but they’re here:

Warm up
Watch went a bit wonky here
8 intervals
Last 2 intervals

It was a slow pace, for me, but great to get the group doing intervals for the first time. Some managed 4, some 5, some 6, and a couple did the full 10 with me. I used the opportunity to do some drills, figure 4s, high heels, trying to stretch out my achilles more. This turns out to be a bad idea as I’ve now over-stretched my right achilles,leading to a touch of achilles tendonopathy. Some ice, and a bit of rest should leave me OK for the tri at the weekend. Hopefully.

Turbo E1

The new turbo training book tells me to do E1 – “Rolling Hilly Course”

W/U
5 mins Cadence > 90
5 mins alternating 30 secs standing, 30 secs sitting
6 mines alternating left and right leg @ 80%

Set 1
6 x 2 mins Z2 @ cadence 72, 1 min cadence > 100

Set 2
6 x 3 mins Z3 @ cadence 72, 1 min cadence > 100

W/D
5 mins Z1

I have the data from the Garmin, but the Garmin Connect website is still down… Grump.

I was supposed to go for a 100k ride with JEdge this afternoon, but rotas conspired against me, and it was raining, so the turbo session was fine with me.

Races coming up – Loch Ness Swim on Saturday, Monikie Standard Triathlon Sunday, Peebles Duathlon the next weekend. And Emma is doing the Peebles too!

Intervals Between Work And Post Take Ward Round

Between finishing work, and doing the on call ward round in 15, time for a wee run. It’s been raining, so I went for the Inov-8 Roclite 285s – in some ways they’re nicer to run in than the 255s.

The Garmin went a bit bananas at the start, so the trace is missing the 5 minute warm up, but the programmed intervals went well. There’s been something funny happened with the upload to Garmin Connect, so the pace graphs look very weird. But, the distance and the pace averages seem to be right.

Intervals

I’m pleased I sped up as it went along, with a decent 3:36 for the last 90 secs. More intervals next week.

I’ve bought a wipe clean turbo trainer book with programs of intervals, should arrive tomorrow.

Tennis tomorrow.

Templeton Woods

Saturday mornings are usually time for karate for the kids, and a run around Templeton woods with Peter F. He’s now thrashing his way through a pretty hard corps training plan to get into top shape for Worlds in September. Discretion being the better part of valour, I went alone and did some intervals. I even managed to program my Garmin to beep at me:

Templteon Woods intervals – 90 mins on, 2 mins off.

Tough going in the wet, but great fun.

Star wars day – May the 4th be….

Having ‘joined’ Monifieth Tri Club (M3), my first session with them was tonight, running, at Dawson park. The 400m track is painted out on the grass, so we could do fixed distance intervals.

400m – 1:16 (75% effort)
400m – 1:24 (Aiming for 1:26)
400m – 1:28 (Aiming for 1:31)
400m – 1:15 (Aiming for 1:16)
400m – 1:21 (Aiming for within 1:21)

I wore my Merrell Trail Gloves, which was lovely, but HELL it’s killed my calves. Fives next time….?

There’s a 50 mile bike ride on Saturday morning, but it’s 8am start at ATHOLL!!! Think I’ll be taking a rain check on that one. Perhaps a ride to Tentsmuir, and back instead….

Great to meet likeminded folk. One of the guys has just been selected for Ireland age group 30-35 Duathlon. He pretty much killed me on the 400s, beating me by 3 seconds on each interval.

I’ll catch him….

Dolphins Don’t Do Interval Sets

A tired, stressed out dolphin today.

I had a really shitty day at work. I don’t usually get stressed out at work, I find it easy to leave it at work, go home and do other things, and keep chillaxed. But I had a hard day today – too much work, and only one of me. But an offer of a swim with PW perked me up, and we went to do session 2 of the training program.

A session of two halves, I think.

The good stuff:
Easy 50 – SPL 14, 58 secs
Superman Glides x2 – improved after yesterday’s focus on hand position
Superman Glides with Flutter x2- again, improved over yesterday. 2 breaths per length in both directions today, despite current.
Sweetspot practice x2 – I’ve not done a lot of sweetspot for about a week, so nice to do it again. Remember how much coughing and spluttering there was the first time I tried it?
Skate into sweetspot x2 – Roll like a log. Roll like a log.
Skating practice x12 – essentially the same as yesterday. Not so much revelation, but bedding in for me today.
Swimming! 8 lengths. I’m jumping ahead of the programme a bit, but I use this time to alternate focus between the catch, and two beat kicking.
Easy 50 – SPL 12 (!!!!!), 56 secs.

So at this point, all good. Felt really happy with it, and had actually relaxed a fair bit.

Intervals. First interval going great, interrupted by some kids mucking about in the lane. Shouty DundeeChest, kids scarper, rhythm totally gone. PW did his intervals (45, 48, 56), then I had a second go. 38 (!), 41, 43, 46, 50. Disappointed. Very disappointed, actually. So PW and I had a chat about getting some positives out of it.

1) I was shattered by the end of the 4th one, and PW suggested I finish off there: I finished off all 5. This is a good thing.

2) On the 3rd interval PW told me I was lifting my head, rather than half goggling – 4th and 5th lengths much better focus on breathing.

3) That first set was really nice, SPL 17, 38 secs, and felt great.

4) Doing intervals like this one two days running is probably daft.

5) PW says that I lost time on the turns as much as anything, and the form on the 4th and 5th was still nice.

So what have I learnt? Doing intervals on consecutive days might not be the best course of action. Stressful days cannot be entirely cured by swimming, and are likely to impinge on training. My arms hurt.

After the disappointment of the Intervals I did 2 x 100m, steady swimming, concentrating alternative lengths on catch, and two beat kick, only to discover that eagle-eyed PW had been spying on my kicking throughout – “You’ve done 2 beat kick all session”. I still think I can do the right foot much better than the left, but it’s certainly coming along!

Questions for Coach (Who’s poncing about in Covent Garden this week, by all accounts) – should we alternate the training sessions in the plan with just some swimming, or stick with the plan as written? Should I do the intervals every session, even if it’s two in two days, or should I aim for 3 a week? I don’t want to stuff myself up, get injured, etc. Cheers mate!

EDIT: I’ve had time to think about things now (Trip to TESCO to buy petrol and some more clear zipper bags for the training plan).

I was really dehydrated earlier. I noticed how concentrated certain bodily fluids were before I left. And 2 % dehydration affects performance by 10 to 20 %, they say. So that’s something to think about.

I went off too fast, didn’t I? Tomorrow I’m going to aim for 5 sets all at 45 seconds, and aim for some *consistency*, not blistering speed. I’m such a dufus.

I would like to go and just swim at some point, though, no drills, no intervals, just swim. If it’s sunny at the weekend, outdoor pool, just swim….