Friday 31 August 2007

Explaining 3 week training block

Just before I go and clean the house, I have a prospective client calling round pm and am taking Cameron to our music group (pre-schoolers music and movement) we got to tumble tots (gym for preschoolers) on Wednesdays. I thought I would write down my current training ideas.

I have difficulty running and riding easy (I'm all or nothing) so this winter I have changed my recovery plan. I am actually having some. A 4 week block is as follows . A full week training followed by Monday off except for swimming. Train the second week and then take Monday and Tuesday off except for swimming Monday, then I train for another 6 days and then I have Wednesday through to the following Tuesday off running and biking. I do my three swims as usual as active recovery. Remember my swimming is all drills from total immersion.

I think I need a seperate blog to keep training ideas and methodology seperate.

Splinter stops run & mind over matter

Yesterday I got a long splinter in my right big toe, the same foot with the ankle problem. I had to get a pen knife, a pair of nail scissors and tweezers and perform surgery on the toe to remove it. I thought it was going to okay. But I got up this morning and I decided to leave my next run until Sunday.

I had another great session on the bike last night. The main bit was 30 minutes if intervals of 3x 1.5min then 4min all with 30sec easythen repeated (all at what is approaching lactate threshold ). LT is based on feel not tested, I was going to have a test but I spent the money on having new partsd on my race bike instead. This is the toughest ride in this block of 3weeks training. I'm just progressing really well on the bike sessions that I think are going to be too hard ,are hard but manageable. It is probably a case of mind over matter.

Thursday 30 August 2007

Mental hang up

If I think I have had a bad training session (even on reflection it wasn't too bad) why does it mentally lodge in my brain and I can't sahake it off? Tuesday night I had a really good bike session where I thought it was going be harder than I could handle, when it turned out to be hard but manageable and I climbed off on cloud 9. And yet after swimming last night which I perceived as a bad session because I was trying to drill at 10strokes per length I would also throw in some 11s and 12s I couldn't shake the demoralised feeling. I analysed that I wasn't 'hiding my head' (total immersion term), I was also tired and eaten a lot, a huge amount of pasta to near swim time. My problem is that I expect to improve every time so instead of drilling on 10 strokes I was expecting to start getting nearer to 9 and was probably trying too hard instead of letting it flow.

I can feel the ankle injury.

Wednesday 29 August 2007

Ankle injury is better!

I hope I'm not tempting fate but it seems that my ankle is better. I started going without shoes around the house, I was wearing them so I could wear my orthotics this seemed to make it (the ankle) feel better. Going wihout shoes seemed to make it feel even better. I ran Sunday and couldn't feel it at all, I ran Tuesday and could sort of feel it by the end of the 3miles I couldn't feel it and haven't since and that includes last night's hard bike session and this mornings run. It's almost as if something has gone back into place.

I forgot to mention when I returned to this blog that I'd bought some Bike fit system's wedge to try and sort out my lobsidedness on the bike, due to leg length discrepancy which seems to have become a lot worse over the years.

I was looking at the QROO website at the extremely pretty bikes that I will never be able to afford. I'm going to post a picture of my old trusty race bike soon - after all this is real Tri.

Monday 27 August 2007

Picture of my training bike


I've noticed it is common practice to post pictures of flash new racing bikes on triathlon blogs. I don't have one. Here is my trusty steel framed Zarossi training bike, no frills, two wheels , handlebars and a chain.

Sunday 26 August 2007

Perfect post ride recovery

Perfect post ride recovery. A shower, a bowl of warmed porridge left over from breakfast and playing with my children. I'm not sure being jumped on, bounced on, walked all over and generally used as an all purpose trampoline counts as post ride massage but my entire body received it.

Had a good night sleep Cameron didn't wake up at 4am as he has been doing and it follows on from Friday night when I was in bed for 7.15pm.
Weather was great this morning not as cold as yesterday but I was out an hour half later. I am exploring roads I've never been down before as I am relatively new to the area.

Did my 3mile run before breakfast and the ankle is not feeling as good as it has been.

Saturday 25 August 2007

Mouse pooh and other activities

Last weekend was spent taking out the kitchen units and filling in holes in the matai timber floor (matai is a native new zealand hard wood) to stop a mouse coming into the house. I had already done some and thought I'd solved the problem. Tomorrow I've got to spend time stopping the plumbing and dishwasher from leaking which was caused by me taking out the kitchen units last week.

I am just loving cycling, time to myself I don't know why people use iPods on the bike I just love being alone with my thoughts or concentrating on what I'm doing. I guess because I don't ride for riding sake everything is very focussed, don't have time for aimless miles and even in my pre arthritis pre children days I didn't either I just didn't realise it. A friend of mine James commented that he found training indoors boring, I mentioned he must be doing it wrong. I follow Michael McCormack's advice for indoor training and never do the same workout twice because of him I've learnt a lot and refined my thinking about indoor training (I've used it a lot in the past summer and winter) but now Wow!

This morning was 18miles mostly in 53x12 strength training. I realised that last year I didn't do much real strength training on the bike and although I did ok on the bike I could have gone better. Also on reflection was a bit complacent with training and hence I following the advice of Michael McCormack. He just explains things in a way I never could and he makes me realise that is the way I used to train instinctively - I just thought I was a lazy trainer.

Tomorrow I will run my third 3mile run for the week, the best run week for about 10 weeks, hopefully my infury is a thing of the past. I will ride another 18miles "fixed wheel" in 53x21 mostly flat. And hopefully catch up for a missed swim Friday night when the pool was closed for a swim meet.

Monday 20 August 2007

Major happenings

First running injury not related to arthritis for 7 years. I haven't run properly for 10 weeks. I follow the coaching philosophy of Michael McCormack and he recommends an aid for helping sort out running injuries called eGrip. Now I haven't had a running injury (apart from a twisted ankle) since I got orthotics for planter fascistis (spelling??), I bought them for Teresa who had a persistant niggle. I used them for 6 weeks thinking it might improve my running form, decided I couldn't be bothered and a day or so later had the sore spot above the ankle bone on the inside of my right foot. It seems to be on the mend at long last.

Emily started school. Children in New Zealand typically start school on their fifth birthday. She started at Napier Central School where Teresa teaches, I do relief teaching and designed the website. The lead up to Emily's birthday was okay it was the stress leading up to and including the party was the killer. It was a long build up because it coincided with the school's stage production at the local theatre that Teresa was jointly responsible for.

Change to racing plans : will be doing local sprints again and local olympic distance because we are just not ready to travel away for races yet, so I just have to patient .

Absolutely loving the Total Immersion way of swimming. I no longer train in the pool it is thoughtful practice, every variation and nuance is thought about. If I can just stop sighting so frequently in the water I'll hopefully go a minute quicker. The other big thing for is my aging race bike has been finally upgraded from 8speed to 10 speed giving me a better combination of gears for the flat.

Saturday 18 August 2007

I'm back

Forgive me it has been almost 4 months since my last post. I am back and more determined than ever to keep blogging for my own sanity. The reason I read other triathletes blogs : 1.to keep me from feeling isolated and in touch because I do all of my training alone 2. Makes me realise I am quite sane.