Jan 11th - Jan 17th: Training Ramblings......a change is coming

This week turned into a big bust after a good weekend.  We had a coffee ride on Sunday and got a solid 3hr+ ride in but the rest of the week ended up way too busy as I am in the midst of switching jobs. This meant that I didn't get to the pool and got very limited running done.  

Just a regular coffee shop ride to @javadivas

To be honest I am suffering from a little bit of motivation debt at the moment when it comes to triathlon. I love riding my bike (even indoors) and would rather do that than schlep to the pool or head out into frigid temperatures for a run.  If I could just concentrate on cycling I would love that for the time being. Perhaps it is a factor of going hard at triathlon for the past 10 years or simply just going hard at Ironman for the past 8 years. Racing cross this past winter was really enjoyable and I am already looking ahead to next season.

I'm sure that once the weather warms up and the daylight hangs around a bit longer I will see the motivation come back.....in the meantime I'll ride my bike lots and get excited about my new job!


Total: 112.32 Miles / 6 hours 43 minutes

Swim: 0 yards / ~0 miles / 0 hours 0 minutes

Bike: 107 miles / 6 hours 07 minutes

Run: 5 miles /0 hours 35 minutes

Jan 4th - Jan 10th: Training Ramblings......too cold?

 Oops, getting behind again on the ramblings.  Well from a weather point of view this week was dreadful and I didn't get to ride outside at all. With temperatures in the single digits and windchills below zero, it wasn't the week to be outside on the bike.  However, now that I am in the mindframe for riding the rollers or computrainer, I don't actually mind it too much. If you are disciplined enough it can be the best form of training during the winter. Just remember to concentrate on the workout, get it done and get off. No point in riding junk miles on the trainer!

This time of year, I do a lot of sweetspot and threshold on the bike while indoors. Certainly the best bang for the buck when you have a 60-80min window. Use the weekend's to get the longer endurance ride done and as a time to ride with your group. As you get closer to race season then higher intensity sessions can be introduced to top off all the threshold gains you made over the dark of winter.

I did get out to run a couple of times late in the week so cabin fever didn't set in entirely. Besides I need to get at least 100km running outside in January to meet the Strava Challenge :-) I did get a little ITB flare-up this week but with some stretching that was quickly gone. I attributed it to getting back on the bike after the time off over Christmas, nothing serious.

The Sunday session in the #wattagecottage watching the Rome 'cross World Cup

Total: 114 Miles / 9 hours 22 minutes

Swim: 4,890 yards / ~2.78 miles / 1 hours 43 minutes

Bike: 88 miles / 4 hours 45 minutes

Run: 23.54 miles /2 hours 55 minutes

Dec 28th - Jan 3rd: Training Ramblings.....A New Year!

The week started with a final run in the UK, well actually two runs! The morning run was just an easy shake out before we flew home on Sunday, but the afternoon run was a bit more serious. My niece has her first School cross country championship in mid January so all over the Christmas holiday she has been trying to run more.  On Christmas Day we did an even paced 2k run and then on the Saturday in the afternoon we did some fartleks (while Grandad and Genevieve, younger niece, tried the same). We ended up doing 1.25miles, which was right on for her race. I gave her a warning that just because I wasn't going to be around that she could slack off training!

So with the flight home on Sunday the rest of the week was all about getting back into work and fitting in some training where I could.  Good thing that New Year's Day was bang in the middle of the week so that enabled a good long day on the bike. After two weeks off the bike it wasn't a pretty sight but the Parvilla/ABRT New Year's Day group was behaving so I could hang for the most part. It's amazing how two weeks off the bike has such an impact.  The endurance was there, what with all the running I did, but the power was lacking to say the least.

A little video on my first ride in 16 days!

I didn't manage to get into the pool and I also made a decision to have an easy run week after a solid 14 days run focus.  As such, most of the week was cycling volume but had a solid week to start the year. I missed riding so it was good to be back in the saddle!

In the next few weeks I'll summarize the 2013 training in a some detail and review what went well and not so well.


Total: 125 Miles / 8 hours 08 minutes

Swim: 0 yards / ~0 miles / 0 hours 0 minutes

Bike: 116 miles / 6 hours 42 minutes

Run: 9 miles /1 hours 03 minutes
Strength: 0  hours 23mins

Dec 21st - Dec 27th: Training Ramblings.......Back in Blighty

With just one day in Spain this week we left for the Christmas week in England and true to form it was a nice English week of winter weather....so what does that mean? Well, on-off rain, wind, clouds and grey pretty much sums it up!  I don't think I have gotten as wet or as muddy by simply running on the roads, most of the time I came back as though I had run a cross country race!

Wouldn't be right to post about Christmas without a Christmas kitten photo would it?

I did get some solid runs in during the week even with the Christmas festivities.  The highlight was the Christmas Eve run of 14.5miles, the longest since IM Louisville in August.  It was over the roads that I grew up riding on, that's when 15miles on the bike was a long way....how times have changed :-)  It's just a shame that I don't ride while in England, perhaps next time when the bags aren't weighed down by parcels, I'll take my cycling stuff to ride my Dad's bike.

The key now will be to continue on with the strong running as I felt that the past two weeks have been a great kick-start to running better in 2014.  I had periods of good running in 2013, but nothing as consistent as it needs to be.  Next week will be a rest week in terms of running, get back on the bike after a two week hiatus and generally get back into the work/life/training swing of  things.


Total: 41 Miles / 4 hours 58 minutes

Swim: 0 yards / ~0 miles / 0 hours 0 minutes

Bike: 0 miles / 0 hours 0 minutes

Run: 41 miles /4 hours 58 minutes