Workout:
Bike: 60 mins - easy miles ("EM") L12, steady state EM; approx 32km
Run: 40mins E pace (9:20-9:50mins per mile), 1.0% incline
5 min walking warm up @3.5mph
30 mins @6.1-6.3mph (9:50-9:30mins per mile);
last 2 mins at 7.0mph 5 mins walking cool down @3.5mph
Treadmill Walk: 10mins @5.5kmh with 1.0% incline
Today's session felt surprisingly good. I was a bit apprehensive to start (i.e. thinking I would be exhausted, pushed too hard, etc.), but quickly found myself thinking "this isn't too bad". I was definitley pushing harder on the bike than I have before when doing "easy miles", I managed L12 for the duration of the 60mins, with an average speed over 30kmh. Moving from the bike to run was ok, I didn't really feel the "jelly legs" so often referred to, maybe I wasn't pushing hard enough on the bike, or maybe it was the 5min walking warm up that helped to get my legs fit to run? Don't really know.
I realise it's only day one of my "new programme", but already I feel like I'm making improvements and on my way to better results! Maybe not quite an age group win (well at least not until I'm a whole lot older and my age group has far far fewer super fast competitors!), but better than before, which, in my books, is good!
Tuesday 8 June 2010
Workout:
Bike: 90 mins - EM - 6x[8min SS with 5min RBI]
[8 min SS interval; L16 with 5 min recovery L12] x3
[8 min SS interval; L15 with 5 min recovery L12] x3
Remainder of 90mins, EM on L12
Treadmill Walk: 10mins, 5% incline @ 3.5-3.8mph
W/S:Single leg press - [15kgx15 reps] x5 sets
Chin ups ("CU")
Body weight ("BW") CU - x4
Assisted chin ups ("ACU") with 5kg x5
ACU with 12kg x6
ACU with 19kg x8
Pull ups ("PU")
Assisted PU ("APU") with 12kg x 2
APU with 19kg x 5
APU with 26kg x 5
Oops, it seems I didn't make it to the pool (again!). Guess it's true what they say about people spending the least amount of time doing the discipline they like the least. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like swimming, it's just that I seem to prefer swimming more in the "cooling off from baking myself in the sun while sipping cocktails" way than in the first bit of a triathlon sort of way. That said, from looking at the times of the people finishing significantly higher than me in my age group, it's blindingly obvious that they are MUCH better at the swim (not to mention the bike and run…). I could of course be wrong, but because so many people seem to be weakest at the swim, it would seem that if you can do really well (or at least significantly better than I HAVE done…(so far...) in the swim, you put yourself "ahead" in terms of a better overall time - adding to it with a strong bike and run.
So…I suppose it would make sense for me to focus a lot more on improving my swim - heck, maybe even make it to a "big pool" to do lengths longer than that permitted in our "glorified bathtub"!
The bike session was good and most definitely tougher than what I've been doing. Hoping it pays the relevant dividends in terms of improved time on the bike (not to mention making my jeans fit better!). I hadn't really planned on doing weights today, but just sort of felt like frying my legs that little bit more, and there's just something about chin ups and pull ups! I don't know about you, but I find it so incredibly impressive to see people being able to do bodyweight pull ups. Not really too sure why (beyond them being great exercises), but I've decided I want to be able to do a "respectible" number of body weight chin ups and pull ups. With this in mind, I think I'll work on doing a few at the end of my other sessions. Not too sure it will add a great deal to my tri performance (though I suppose it could/might), but pretty sure it will help me LOOK better in a tri top….
Wednesday 9 June 2010
Workout:
Run: 60ish mins (think maybe it was a bit more; the below is my best recollection of what was a pretty intense session)
5 min walking warm up @3.5mph 5 min jogging warm up @6.1mph
Speed Intervals
A. Increasing Time
30 sec @7.1mph (8:27mins per mile) with 1 min RBI at 3.5mph
60 sec @7.1mph (8:27mins per mile) with 1 min RBI at 3.5mph
90 sec @7.1mph (8:27mins per mile) with 1 min RBI at 3.5mph
2mins @7.1mph (8:27mins per mile) with 1 min RBI at 3.5mph
2.5 mins @7.1mph (8:27mins per mile) with 1 min RBI at 3.5mph
3 mins @7.1mph (8:27mins per mile) with 1.5 min RBI at 3.5mph
3.5 mins @7.1mph (8:27mins per mile) with 1.5 min RBI at 3.5mph
4.0 mins @7.1mph (8:27mins per mile) with 2 min RBI at 3.5mph
B. Increasing Speed
60 sec @7.1mph (8:27mins per mile) with 1 min RBI at 3.5mph
60 sec @7.5mph with 1 min RBI at 3.5mph
60 sec @8.0mph with 1 min RBI at 3.5mph
30 sec @8.5mph with 1 min RBI at 3.5mph
30 sec @9.0mph with 1 min RBI at 3.5mph
30 sec @9.5mph with 1.5 min RBI at 3.5mph
30 sec @10.0mph with 1 min RBI at 3.5mph
5min jogging cool down @6.1mph
W/S:
Single leg squat
Stability ball press up
Bulgarian split squat
Horizontal cable (using straight bar) row
Overhead squat (using weight plate over head)
Single arm snatch
DB curl and press
Pull Ups
BWx1; APU (2.5kg-26kg weight assist)
Despite feeling (maybe) a teensy bit tired this morning, I cracked on with my planned run (think it was the new trainers that gave me that extra little nudge to the gym...any excuse for new trainers!!). I'm not entirely sure why, but I did the intervals above instead of the 3x1mile repeats at 8:30min per mile I was "supposed" to do; maybe I'll give the 8:30 miles on Friday. I'd like to think that doing some intervals is better than doing no intervals. That said, I suppose I should be focusing more on extended intervals (as opposed to 30 second intervals), which I would think will be more beneficial come race day (though the 30 second sprints will be useful for running to catch the bus that always seems to start accelerating as I approach...).
Today's weights (save for the pull ups which are on my "must do" list) were based on some stuff I pulled from one of the Carmichael books I got yesterday from one of C's workmates (another great big thanks to said workmate!!). Although I quite enjoyed them, I think they took quite a bit out of me, and as C's workmate (and several authors) have said, it's probably not a great idea to focus too much on weights "during the season" as it may interfere with my recovery and speed (two things I am most definitely not looking to interfere with!!). But then again, some other "authorities" suggest that doing 1 or 2 weights sessions a week can be really beneficial. What to do, what to do?? Given I'm looking to drop of my "surplus" muscle, maybe it makes sense to give them a rest for a while - say 2 weeks and see how I get on. That said, I'm sticking with the pull ups!
Thursday 10 June 2010
Workout:
Bike: 85 mins
10 min warm up - L10-12
A. Steady State Intervals ("SSI")
5x [8:5 SSI - i.e. 8mins hard (L15-16) with 5min recovery (L10)]
B. Sprint Intervals ("SI")
2x [1:1 SI - i.e. 1 min sprint (L13-14) with 1min recovery (L10)]
2x [30sec:30sec - 30 sec sprint with 30 sec recovery]
A pretty tough session if the sweat puddles under the bike were anything to go by! That said, todays session was shorter than most of my sessions. I'm not entirely convinced, but I might just be coming 'round to the idea (and benefits of) doing a slightly shorter, but more intense session. I'm sure I'll still do some longer sessions, but maybe (just maybe) I don't need to spend as long as I've been spending in the gym? Hmm…
Friday 11 June 2010
Workout:
Run: 60mins
10 min warm up - 5 mins walking @3.5mph; 5 mins jogging at 6.1mph (9:50 min per mile pace "mpm")
6x [1000m repeats with 1 min RBI @3.5mph]
1st - @6.7 (8:57 mpm)
2nd - @6.7 (approx 8:57 mpm)
3rd - @6.7 (approx 8:57 mpm)
4th - @6.7 (approx 8:57 mpm)
5th- @6.7 (approx 8:57 mpm)
6th - @7.0+ - the end was in sight so I really went for it!
W/S:
PUs/APUs
BWx1, adding one plate and increasing by one rep, up to 10 reps
Leg Press - 3x20 reps
CUs/ACUs
starting with top weight (i.e. most assistance) in PU pyramid, work down the pyramid - i.e. 10reps, decrease weight, 9 reps, etc. to 1 (or as low as you can go!)
Leg Press - "burnout" - 40reps (35kg), 15 second pause, then 10 more reps! DB bench press - 1x25reps
Whew! A really good (if rather difficult!) session. Quite "enjoyed" (in the sense I felt like I was really working and accomplishing something) the run, but goofed on the first work interval, running a mile (i.e. 1600m) instead of 1km, it was only when I was trying to figure out how I would manage to get all the intervals and recovery done in 60 minutes that it occurred to me that a mile is significantly longer than a KM (1600m vs 1000m!!)! Good thing I'm not the one setting out the run or bike course anywhere!!
I'd like to think I'm getting faster and stronger on the run, but am not really too sure. I suppose (1) it's only week two of the "new programme" and (2) I'll only know for sure come race day!
Pull ups, chin ups, leg press and bench press - just a bit of extra fun for the day; hadn't really planned on it (save for the PUs and CUs), but….
Saturday 12 June 2010
Workout:
Bike: 120 mins - EM
120 mins EM, L12/13
Rowing: 10 mins
L10 - 5mins - reasonably hard effort, but not crazy, full out effort
1 min rest/recovery
L9 - 5 mins - same effort as above
CUs/ACUs - assorted (i.e. BW and increasing assistance)
The weekend! I woke up with a slightly scratchy throat, but otherwise felt fine (i.e. no coughing, or stuffy, blocked up head) so think it's just a one-off, not that I'm coming down with anything. Today's session wasn't particularly challening, but I'd like to think it was still a good session. From the various things I've been reading, I'm increasingly convinced that it's important to take it a bit easier sometimes, not to always go full throttle in the gym, to the point of feeling like you're going to collapse - that sometimes it's a good idea to have a more relaxed session - still being active, but not bust-a-gut type active. Maybe I'm just trying to find a justification for cutting back and doing a bit less (get lazy?), or maybe I'm opening my mind to training in a different way?
No real reason for adding rowing to my session today other than just feeling like it, mixing it up a bit. It really is a great exercise, and purportedly one of the best for increasing your cardiovascular fitness (not to mention getting lean!), so it's got to be a good thing. Think I might work a few rowing sessions into my workouts next week and see how I get on (previously I've found that it can aggravate my back a bit).
Sunday 13 June 2010
Workout: "Rest Day"
Hard to believe (to those that know me and my gym obsession...), but I actually took the day off! My throat continues to feel "scratchy" and now my head is feeling slightly congested, my nose slightly stuffy. Unless the guilt gets to me later (which I'm thinking it wont...), I think I'm just going to spend the day resting, relaxing and eating plenty of crap on the sofa! No doubt I'll wind up beating myself up tomorrow morning when I jump on the scale, but hey, a bit of crap every once in a while is good for the soul - if not the butt and thighs...
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