The week that was: 24 - 30 May 2010

Monday 24 May 2010



Workout:

Bike: 60 mins "Power & Strength" programme
5(hard)/5(easy)mins - L15/L10 30mins,

30mins steady state, "easy pedal", L10/11

Complexes:

back squat
Romanian D.L
bent over row
shoulder press
bicep curl
forward lunges
calf raises
(10reps all exercises - first circuit 20Kg (i.e. empty Olympic bar); second and third circuit with 22.5kg)


Bike: 10mins, steady state (but sustained hard effort), L12

Feeling much more rested and recharged (must have been yesterday's medicinal Mojito's…). I had planned on swimming today, but just didn't feel like it, am telling myself I'll swim tomorrow. Think it's coming together for next week (i.e. Thames Turbo Race #3). That said, I know I've got to continue working on my swim as well as ensuring my legs are "run ready" after the bike.



Tuesday 25 May 2010

Workout:

Swim: 30mins
Warm up of 10 lengths of each of breast stroke ("BS") and crawl ("C"), then 1-10 pyramid (i.e. 1 length of BS, 1 length of C, 2 lengths of BS, 2 lengths of C - from 1 to 10)

Run: 5km - 29:36mins - 1%incline
Started on 6.3mph - no "walking warm up" - felt really hard (not sure why) - started doing "effort pyramids" (i.e. 1 min at 6.5mph, 2 min recover @6.0mph, 2mins @6.5, 2mins@6.0; 3mins@6.5; 6mins@6.0

Bike: 60mins - 32km+ - L12

I think my swim might actually be getting better! I quite enjoyed (something I never thought I'd say about swim training!) today's length pyramid; I'll definitely do this again. Not too sure why the run felt so hard today, but it did. Slightly disappointed in my run, as I very much wanted to better my previous 5km TT (which is hardly anything amazing in my books!). I really thought today's run would be faster, if only as a result of cuting out the 2 minute walking warm up I did in my last run TT. Maybe it was a function of having done a 30minute swim before the run (when I did my last run TT it was the first element of my workout, so (at least in theory) I was "fresh"). Despite finding the run hard, I tried to keep the pace up by doing the effort pyramids, but my overall time was STILL slower. Drat. Double Drat. Maybe I was just in a "pyramid" sort of mood today, but I liked doing the effort pyramids on the run - think I'll work them into my programme (with the aim of running faster). I didn't find the bike too bad, though I did sweat up a storm - left some rather large sweat puddles (if not lakes!) on the floor under (and behind) the bike. I so HATE the way my tri shorts "drain" when I bike after swimming - I can only hope that my fellow gym goers don't think I've had a "bladder related incident"...




Wednesday 26 May 2010


Workout:


Run - 52 mins, 1% incline (cut my planned 60 mins so I could snag the remaining bike)
5 min warm up, followed by "interval buildups" at 1% incline
30 sec effort with 60-120 sec walking (at 3.5 mph) recovery
60 sec effort with same recovery as above
90 sec effort with recovery as above
120 effort with recovery as above

First interval buildup or pyramid the effort interval is done at 7.0mph; the second pyramid is done at 7.5mph


Speed intervals - 30 second effort with 60 sec recovery (walking @3.5mph)
7.5/.7/8.0/.2/.4/.6/.8/9.0mph/.2/.4/.6/.8/10mph/.2/.4


Bike: 30 mins, steady state, L11


W - Leg complexes:
20 squats
20 alternate lunges
20 jumping lunges/split squats
10 squat jumps
each exercise done one after the other; 3 rounds - whew!!


Treadmill walk: 15mins, 10% incline at 5.5mph


W

DB chest press - 12kgx15/14x10/16x10/18x6
O-bar shoulder press + O-bar bicep curl - 3 sets of 10 reps




Thursday 27 May 2010


Workout:

Workout? What workout! For reasons unknown, I woke up utterly exhausted. So exhausted that I decided to give the gym a miss, which, for me, is HIGHLY unusual. Maybe it's an accumulation of fatigue, maybe I'm coming down with something (please oh please tell me I'm not coming down with something!!), or maybe, as a good friend said, "maybe you're just having an off day; you are human". An off day? Me? Ok, I'll cop to being human, but having an off day? Hardly. Suppose it doesn't really matter (so long as I'm not coming down with something!). Bottom line, I actually listened to my body and took the day off. Hard to believe, but true! I'm sincerely hoping I feel better tomorrow.



Friday 28 May 2010


Workout:


Thankfully I felt much much better today when I woke up; maybe it is true what they say (i.e. about your body needing rest?!?!)?!


Swim: 35mins

10 length warm up for each of breast and crawl, then "length pyramid" of breast and crawl for lengths of 1-11.


Bike: 60mins, steady state on Level 11


W/S: DB complexes
With 10kg DBs
DB squat
DB Romanian Dead lift
DB Bent over row
DB alternate shoulder press
DB bicep curl
DB alternate chest press (aka "guard attack")
press ups
reverse lunges with DBs
squat jumps with DBs
weighted swiss ball crunch with DB (1x10kg)
3 circuits of 10 reps of each exercise (save for reverse lunges (10 total) and squat jumps (5 total))


A good session; maybe a bit too much so close to "race day", but it's me trying to deal with stress and probably being just a (teensy) bit obsessive...



Saturday 29 May 2010


Workout:


Bike: 40km - approximately 81mins on Level 11, steady state

Run: 34mins total, 1% incline
10min warm up at 6-6.2miles per hour
2mins @6.8mph with 2 min walking recovery at 3.5mph
2mins @7.1mph with 2 min walking recovery at 3.5mph
2mins @8.1mph with 2 min walking recovery at 3.5mph
2mins @8.1mph with 2 min walking recovery at 3.5mph
2mins @8.1mph with 2 min walking recovery at 3.5mph
2mins @8.1mph with 2 min walking recovery at 3.5mph

Swim:
10 length warm up for each of breast and crawl,
"length pyramid" of breast and crawl for lengths of 1-12;
5x5s (i.e. 5 lengths of each of breast and crawl x 5 sets).


Getting a bit nervous about the upcoming race, but really pleased my swimming seems to be better. Here's to hoping I don't panic in the pool and revert to doing the entire swim using breast stroke! But…if I do, I now know it's not the end of the world(though I of course do want to "one day" do the entire swim section with crawl!) The run session is based on something I pulled from one of my many books ("Daniels' Running Formula" by Jack Daniels (and NO, I kid you not, his name really is "Jack Daniels" as in the rockstar bourbon!) - probably not the best idea to do it so close to race day, but hey, it's me and I'm a total sucker for a new programme (particularly when it promises to make me run faster)! One of the main points I took away from my really quick skim of the book is to try to up my cadence - apparently top class runners will generally have 180 foot strikes per minute, "simply" lengthening or shortening their stride to run faster or slower. I took note and gosh gee, I think it works! Increasing the number of foot strikes apparently reduces the "air time" which means less pounding on your legs (knees, ankles, feet, etc) which (should) mean your legs don't get as fatigued. Less fatigued legs and finding it easier to run at a faster pace?? If so, it's most definitely for me!



Sunday 30 May 2010


Workout:


Bike: 90mins - approximately 40ish KM
steady state, level 11


Swim:
5x5s - (i.e. 5 lengths of each of breast and crawl x 5 sets).


'Twas the day before race day, and I should have been resting, but…I wasn't. Instead, I did an "easy" bike and swim session, more in the interest of calming my nerves and getting into the right head space than any desire to get fitter or faster prior to tomorrow's race. Here's to hoping it all comes together on race day!