Sunday, March 11, 2012

Outseason done; Short Course starting

After 21 weeks of mostly consistent training I have completed my out of season training for this year. During that time I swam 27 miles, 1086 miles of biking, and 207 miles running, for a total of 1320 miles. Benchmarks for the end of this training cycle include 500 yd. swim in 0:10, bike TT 18 mph for 1:00, and 5k run in 0:25 minutes. My current 500 yd swim is 0:12:29, 60 min. bike TT 20 mph, and 5k run 0:31. As you can see I'm closing in on the 500 yd. swim; I have made the bike TT, and the 0:25 5k is within reach. Overall I am very pleased with the results and looking forward to the next training cycle.

I am now switching over to the Short Course training plan which concludes May 12 with the ITU San Diego Sprint. This is a twenty week plan from Endurance Nation and I'm plugging in at week 12. Major changes include more training sessions per week with on average 3 swims, 3 bikes, and 4 runs with an anticipated time of 11+ hours. The time needed to do the swim workouts usually exceeds the projection so 11 hours will be more like 12+ hours. I will also include strength/mobility training on Mondays and Fridays.

The workout plan for this week:
M. Swim 60   T. Bike FTP 60/Run 25   W. Run FTP 60/Swim 60  
Th. Bike FTP 60  F.  Swim 60   Sa. Bike V02 120/R 45   Su. Run FTP

Program design is based on further development of speed. That means tough individual sessions for me but it should help with quicker recovery and less physical stress over the long haul. I am looking forward to the next few weeks. It is my hope that for the long days this crazy Washington weather will cooperate and allow me to get outside more.

Our Tri Team is gearing up again for the next season and I am happy to be included again as an active member. We should have a good presence at local events along with several national events.

Until the next time, A Hui Hou, see you on the road.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Off season almost over.

Lot's has been in the works since my last entry. I have committed entries to San Diego ITU in May and IMFL in November. Between those will be two local tri's and the Lake Stevens Half. Maybe some others, not sure yet. San Diego is an opportunity to set a sprint time and compare with previous seasons, maybe even qualify for Nationals. Lake Stevens 70.3 in July offers the opportunity to qualify for Las Vegas in September and IMFL hopefully a spot at Kona 2013. I also registered for the IM Hawaii lottery getting three chances this year under the new rules.

Training has been going well. Climate in the Northwest hasn't offered much in outdoor training so I've spent more time on the trainer and treadmill, in addition to the regular spin and pool sessions. Strength training usually twice a week, flexibility and mobility workouts two or three times a week. I'm getting lots of advice from Martin and Brian at the shop. Particularly helping with equipment upgrades and maintenance. Started sharing experiences and some workouts with Blue Fire Fitness. Blue Fire gives me the chance to complete workouts on the Computrainer, which has given me a little more information on performance. I've been following the OS, off season, workout from www.EnduranceNation.us. I'm just completing the 20 week program. The emphasis of the OS plan is speed improvement, "get fast now, go far later." Intervals have been at a greater intensity, I'm running faster now, faster than in many years. I have to admit this is an improvement but a painful experience.

I started the Os program the week of Nov. 28 and will complete 19 of the 20 weeks total. Following this I will start the short course plan from March to May for 9 weeks. After the San Diego race I'll shift to the Half Ironman plan finishing that with the 70.3 at Lake Stevens in July. Then after two weeks of transition I will begin the full IM plan for 14 weeks leading up to IMFL in November. This will complete a total of 49 weeks of training, a very long season.

You might think I'm a bit obsessive but for good or bad the only way I can deal with lengthy training like this is to plan out each week start to finish. And yes I am compulsive, compelled to complete each step along the way because each one is an accomplishment of its own. I listened to a webcast today about training at the end of the OS segment. One thing that I took away was, younger athletes get fast faster, older athletes try to slow down slower. Guess I'm somewhere in the middle. Though it does remind me that there is a ceiling and a reality time-line that I have to constantly deal with. I understand the implications but right now I feel like I have made good strides forward in overall fitness and skills so I try not to complain too much.

I was comparing some numbers from last season and I don't want to put too much into it I think it is important to note any indication of improvement, or why track all the workouts over time. Anyway last season during the same period up to this week I accumulated 1025 miles of training in 220 hours. This season at the same point 1175 miles in about 130 hours. A little under 1100 and a little over, not a major difference in mileage but a definite improvement in time, 45% improvement. A side note: much of the increased mileage comes from cycling. cycling is my area of emphasis so I think this is to be expected.

I don't have my next SC plan, that will come soon. The EN website doesn't let you get ahead more than a week for specifics. When I do get to download it  I'll have a much better idea on how the next 9 weeks will go. I expect a significant increase in volume in all three events. Hopefully I'll be able to schedule the time and get it done. Until the next time, A Hui Hou, and I'll see you on the road.