Feb 8th - Feb 14th: Training Ramblings.....getting some consistency

The goals have been set and the expectation lessened (for now) which has meant that training has hit some consistency in terms of lower volume and more bike focus.  A typical week, as much as it can be typical with the up and down Winter we have had, has been much like this:

Saturday - AM Short run before work
               - PM Hour ride on computrainer at Parvilla Cycles (or rollers at home)

Sunday - AM Long Ride (weather pending)

Monday - Day off or easy spin on rollers

Tuesday - AM Hour computrainer at Parvilla Cycles with the morning crew
              - PM Short run after work

Wednesday - PM Hour rollers at home

Thursday - AM Morning run with Greg
               - PM Hour rollers at home

Friday - AM Morning swim (if I get up)

So as you can see not a ton of volume but it is much more specific and no junk mileage.  We will see how it goes as we head into Spring and then volume can increase a bit as riding outside on weekdays becomes an option.

New feature - Soundtrack for the week:  https://soundcloud.com/frankie-sumatra/the-devils-music



In a nutshell, felt much better this week with the cold now gone :-)

Total: 146.82 Miles / 9 hours 08 minutes

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

Bike: 128.76 miles / 7 hours 05 minutes

Run: 17.29 miles / 2 hour 03 minutes

               

Jan 25th - Jan 31st: Training Ramblings.......Changes

After a brief hiatus from work, it was the start of the new job this week.  A new daily commute to D.C, longer hours and subsequently less time for training.  Things are going to change and it will have to be much more quality than quantity. It's a great career move but I have to say that the commute to D.C. isn't something that I am looking forward to.  On the plus side I should be able to hit the Hains Point lunch time ride a few times a week when things settle down a bit.

From one of the few rides I did this week.....Ergvideo Group Ride on the Computrainer

So last week was nice what with having the week between jobs, this week brought a cold! The first week at the new job and I am sniffing, sneezing and coughing all over the place.  As such, training was minimal and included a solid five days of nothing-ness.  It probably came at a good time, if there ever is a good time to have a cold.  Getting used to the new hours etc will take a little while - not that I can complain but the old job was a 15min commute and shorter hours!

The one advantage of sitting looking at the trunks of the car's in front of me on US50 every morning is that I get to think about stuff.....primarily training and what my goals are for the coming week, month and 2014 season.  Obviously things are going to change a bit. In the next posting, I'll go into more detail about those goals and how the training process will change to accomplish those goals.



Total: 56.5 Miles / 3 hours 03 minutes

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

Bike: 53 miles / 2 hours 40 minutes

Run: 3.5 miles /0 hours 23 minutes

Jan 18th - 24th: Training Ramblings......In Between!

January 17th was my final day at the City of Annapolis and not starting my new job until January 27th, meant that I had a week of training ahead of me.  In true fashion, the weather gods conspired against me and aside from a cold Sunday solo ride, the rest of the week's rides were spent on the rollers or at the store on the Computrainer.  That also meant that I didn't get some of the volume I wanted but it was still good to be able to ride everyday without having to squeeze it in between meetings etc.  I think I could live the professional athlete lifestyle.....if it was in San Diego all the better :-)

With a focus on cycling at the moment, I have made more of an effort to challenge myself in training and this week I certainly did that.  On Sunday I headed out on a solo ride, on what for round here is a hilly ride, and just smashed myself on the hills.  It was fun, hard and the smashfest made it easy to forget about the cold! The trouble was the final 20 mins heading back to the house was torture as the legs didn't really want to continue.  The recovery ride on Monday was so easy that I averaged somewhere around 38% FTP.....

Click for video

Using the Computrainer at Parvilla Cycle & Multisport is sooooooo gooooood for targeted training. Being able to set your workouts up at specific power levels enables you to just focus on riding and hitting the numbers. On Thursday for example I wanted to crank out some VO2 intervals, so I created the workout set at 106-120% of FTP for varying durations (3-8mins) and boom you go ahead and ride without being able to cheat yourself.

I also got some decent runs done and a couple of swims, nothing too wild but it blew the chlorine cob webs away.....the runs were all just steady base miles and taking advantage of being able to run in the daylight outside. With the new job that may not happen that often.

The new job starts next week on the 27th, so that means a daily commute into D.C......and certainly less training time!

Total: 207.44 Miles / 14 hours 12 minutes

Swim: 4500 yards / ~2.56 miles / 1 hours 21 minutes

Bike: 177 miles / 9 hours 38 minutes

Run: 27.31 miles /3 hours 13 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

Nov 30th - Dec 6th: Training Ramblings.....MABRA 'Cross Championships

After a more voluminous week last week, this week was a planned recovery week.  It did start off on Sunday with the MABRA Cyclocross Championships which also doubled up as the D.C. and Maryland State Championship races.

Fortunately I had a good 2nd row starting position in the Masters 3/4 race, unfortunately I didn't take advantage of it due to getting rear ended on the start line and having to sort out the rear brake just 50 meters from the line. The field was relatively small compared to some races so I was able to get back and through the field by the end of the first lap and then start hunting down the top 10.  With the course gradually melting as the laps went by, I was able to gradually reel people in and it was beneficial to have raced the course last year so I at least knew the decent lines to take (whether I executed them is a different matter!)

If you are wondering what it all means....check out the awesome videos at cxhairs.com

By the end of the race I had got to 3rd so made the podium and with the guys in 1st and 2nd not being from Maryland, I was State Champion for Masters 3/4.

3rd Place and the Maryland Champion

With the rest of the week being a recovery from a good build through November, it was filled with a couple of shorter steady runs and a few rides indoors on the computrainer at Parvilla Cycles.  It was a needed rest and now the build starts again with a run focus for December as I will have two weeks off the bike while on vacation.

 Total: 66 Miles / 6 hours 24 minutes

Swim: 5,450 yards / ~3.09 miles / 1 hours 46 minutes

Bike: 50 miles / 3 hours 0 minutes

Run: 13 miles /1 hours 38 minutes

Oct 26th - Nov 1st: Training Ramblings

 This week was fun.  A slight increase in the hours, not the 8 hours that I wanted but close and it included some good time with our visitors!  The week started with ABRT's annual cyclocross race, so much of Saturday was spent down at the course making sure that was all set for the following day.  I raced twice on the Sunday, once early in the 35+ 3/4 race and then the last race of the day, the 4/5.

With a zero-dark thirty start, it was a long day and the final race just beat me down with a few laps to go.  The good news was that I took a 4th place finish in the 35+ 3/4 race (a few more upgrade points) I had a poor start but managed to claw my way back through the field to outsprint teammate Mickey Thaxton for the 4th spot.  The course was almost perfect for me, lots of power section and only shorter technical sections where I typically lose time.  The later race started well, into 2nd by the end of the first lap but I just couldn't hold on.  The legs were done and I ended falling to 7th by the end of the race.  Overall a fun day and the team did an awesome job hosting the race.

Hitting the barriers at AACX (Credit: Alex Pline)

The rest of the week was nothing special.  Computrainer classes have now started for the Fall/Winter at Parvilla Cycle & Multisport so that gets me riding early in Tuesday mornings (and potentially some other days).  I did manage to get a couple more shorter sessions on the rollers at home with the new powercranks.  I'll write more on them in the future, for now I'm just getting used to them. 

Although I didn't run a bunch this week, I did feel better on both the 60min sessions.  That's a good sign as I plan on increasing the volume over the month of November so that when the vacation to the UK in December comes, I am in a good place to lay down a serious 14 day running block.


My weekly swim, bike, and run totals:

Total: 69 Miles / 6 hours 36 minutes
Swim: 3,100 yards / ~1.76 miles / 1 hours 03 minutes

Bike: 51 miles / 3 hours 30 minutes

Run: 16.42 miles / 2 hours 03 minutes

The Week That Was: Nov 19 - Nov 25th

Summary
First week of base prior to my build period in January. The main aim was to get some solid bike time as well as continue the run mileage in prep for the marathon on Dec 10th. The week also included the annual Cold Turkey 10km.....my 8th consecutive year of racing this race. It ended being a good week and no signs of the back issue either.

Sat Nov 19th: Run to store at a steady run pace, focusing on form. Also rode in the computrainer studio after work for 60mins. Run - 13.26miles

Sun Nov 20th: Made sure that I had a decent warm-up prior to the Cold Turkey 10km after the run yesterday. I think for the first time the weather was mild for this race and I felt solid throughout. Came in 3rd overall in 34mins 53secs. In hindsight I think I probably could have gone harder but it was a good test prior to the marathon. The legs responded well to speedwork after the longer run on Sat. Immediately after the race went and rode with the guys for 40miles....legs felt rough through the hills of Crownsville! Run - 8.8miles

Mon Nov 21st: Swim at lunch and then a computrainer class after work. Day off from running. Need to get the feel for the water again but lap times weren't far off from usual. Little bit of ITBS after the riding of late. It's always like this as I get back into all 3 sports.

Tues Nov 22nd: Another swim at lunch, have to make the most of the availability to swim during lunch as they aren't always guaranteed! Briefly rode the Columbia tri course on the computrainer after work.

Weds Nov 23rd: Stretching of the ITB over the past few days has seemed to do the trick like it always does. Got onto the treadmill and did an awesome hill repeat session. After a couple of days off from running, felt great. Combined the workout with strength training in the gym. If you haven't tried strength in "barefoot" I would certainly try it. I use Zem Gear "shoes" and they are excellent for dynamic strength moves......you may get some strange looks though. Run - 5.13miles
Thurs Nov 24th: Thanksgiving day.....in the absence of a local turkey trot, I headed out and did some V02 max intervals. Didn't feel too spritely but managed seven intervals at sub 5:50min/miles. Typically, the intervals were uphill and into the wind. These intervals are run at 2min on at 5-10km pace with 3min recovery. Run - 9.03miles

Fri Nov 25th: We had a Cranksgiving ride at the store......1st annual and we had over 40 riders. Rode to the store on the fixie and with riding sag ended up with a solid 50mile day. Managed some hill repeats as I was going to the front to back of the groups out on the road. Good times.


Total Run Mileage - 35.62miles
Total Run Time - 4hr 5mins

Total Time - 13hrs 39mins

The week that was: Nov 12th - Nov 18th

Summary:

Wow was this week crazy! It started with the Grand Opening of the Parvilla Cycles computrainer studio, carried on with some random back pains and then ended with a solid training session. The back pain just came out of nowhere, looking on-line it could have been anything from a strain to potential paralysis! I think it was a strain as by Friday I was able to get back at it in terms of training and put a solid effort in.

Due to the back issue, it worked out to be an easier recovery week.

Week Nov 12th - 18th

Saturday Nov 12th - Complete day off for the grand opening of the studio.

Sunday Nov 13th - Was feeling way tired after the long day on Saturday so put in an easy 1 hour run with a few strides. Run - 8.66miles

Monday Nov 14th - This was the day the back started to niggle me. It was just a dull ache at this point but I took just an easy 30min run. The back doesn't hurt me when I run. Run - 4.50miles

Tuesday Nov 15th - Day off running and got into the Computrainer studio at Parvilla Cycles. Easy spin to get back into the cycling groove. The back was bad today so spent a while on the foam roller in the evening. Bike - 18.00miles

Wednesday Nov 16th - Into the gym for the first time this winter to hit the treadmill and the weight room. A real easy run and then a weights session focusing on low weights/high reps and core movements. The back was a little better but wasn't hindering any movement during the workout. Run - 4.10miles

Thursday Nov 17th - With this week turning into a recovery week due to the back issues, I got into the computrainer studio and rode the first 24 miles of the Ironman Hawaii course on the real video mode. Just spun through it. Bike - 23.75miles

Friday Nov 18th - The back was finally feeling better so got out and put in the only serious workout of the week. A solid tempo run through the backwaters of Annapolis. This is probably one of my favorite routes and love hitting it hard. Run - 9.15miles

Run Total Miles - 26.41miles
Run Total Hours - 3hrs 6mins

Total Hours - 6hrs 1min