A two-country based approach

enzeder

So... I'm a student at UCD but spend most of my time abroad (10 points for the first correct guess as to where).
I've been taking part in a few triathlons over the pas two or three years but have been ramping up the training a bit in the last 6 months or so. Have had some limited local success here but am returning to Ireland this year in April and am going to compete in the Tri an Mhi half ironman distance race. It's my first race at this distance and I'm a bit baffled as to how to train for it efficiently so I've sort of been making it up as I go along, taking bits and pieces of advice from those willing to give it and mashing it all together until I feel like I've worked myself to the bone most weeks.

I really like the idea of a training log in a forum like this. If anyone sees any major mistakes I'm making or things I'm leaving out I'd love if you could let me know-like I said, I'm making most of it up on the fly!


So I guess here goes - I'll put in my last few days of training to get started:

Friday March 1st
Morning swim (with squad). Warm up: 400m fr(eestyle), 2x50m catch up/fr, 200m backstroke (bs), 2 x 200m (50 dog paddle/50fr/50 head up/50fr)
Main set: 4 x 100m off 1.45, 400m, 8 x 50 off 1min, 400m.
Warm down: 200m every 4th length bs

Evening hilly run 3km warm up, 3km uphill TT with 350m elevation gain in the last 2km of that, slow back down the hill and 3km warm down to finish.

Saturday March 2nd
88km on the bike. 700m elevation gain spread over 4 climbs. Average HR 149. Average pace 30.5kph.
bricked a flat 3km run on the end of it.

Sunday March 3rd
Easy day. 30km flat bike to spin legs out.

Monday March 4th
Morning swim (with squad). Warm up:200fr, 100kick, 200 catch up. 4x25dog, 4x50 one arm catch up, 4x25fr.
Main set: 6x100 off 1.45, 6x100 off 1.40, 6x100 off 1.35.
Warm down: 6x50 bs/fr.

Lunchtime: Hilly 7km run. Easy pace.

Evening: 20km hilly bike (270m elevation gain). Bricked 1.2km run off it.

Tuesday March 5th
Rest Day. Olympic distance race this Saturday so need a little extra recovery this week.

Wednesday March 6th
Morning swim (with squad). Warm up:400fr, 4x100 (50 alfred drill/50kick).
Main set: 6x400 negative splits.
Warm down: 100m easy

Dory Dory

Best of luck to you with this log and your race at the weekend!

enzeder

Cheers Dory!

enzeder

Wednesday March 6th
Evening: Aquathon race. 500m swim/3km run. 10.41 run. Reasonably happy. Wasn't overly competitive and I won my age group and a new tub of electrolyte drink!

Thursday March 7th
Rest day. Race this saturday so did nothing today.

Friday March 8th
Morning swim. Warm up: 100m fr, 200m slow zip. Main set: 6x75m off 90s; 6x75m off 85s; 6x75m off80s; 4x75 off 90s.
Just a small set to loosen up a bit before the race tomorrow.

Dory Dory

Congrats on the aquathon AG win!

enzeder

Satuday March 9th - National standard distance triathlon champs
Up at 4.45am for race start at 7.15am. 10mmin jog, breakfast, drive to race, set up transition and the race briefing was on. National olympic distance chaps so the talent was out in force as well as loads of slick gear.
Had an ok swim. The start was crazy. about 175 of us crammed into our wave (M<50) for a deep water start. I'd say every stroke for the first 200m hit someone else. Eventually got into a bit of a rhythm and came into transition in 22.37.
Smooth transition and out on the bike. Passed a few immediately and became part of a group of similar paced lads. Few motorbikes out and a couple of the lads were pinged for drafting so had to be careful. Strong enough southerly in our faces on the way out but after the turn around the tailwind gave the legs a bit of relief before the run. Bike time: 1.06.30.
On the run I was immediately passed by a chap with "Tiger" printed on his tri suit. I tried to keep a steady pace but the legs were hurting a bit. About halfway through a chap in a fingal tri suit passed me absolutely flying and I'm thinking "He's a long way from home...". I was passed a few seconds later by an older chap and I stayed on his heels as much as I could. With about 1km to go I had to let him go. In the meanime we'd passed a couple of runners so i didn't feel so bad letting him go. I'd also had a good luck behind me and didn't think there was anyone in my age group going to catch me. Came in from the run in 37.30.
Adding up my transitions my overall time was 2.09.30 and a pb for an olympic distance race. I was 18th overall and 4th in my age group. Very happ with the result. Felt like I gave it all too, which is always good.

Stuck around to watch some of the elite mens and womens races afterwards which was amazing to watch. They were hammering it!

Took Sunday off completely (had a few drinks with that Fingal tri lad on Saturday night!)

enzeder

Back to training this week.

Monday March 11th
Flat lunchtime run. Nice and easy. 4.55min/km for 8.5km.

Evening swim. 400fr w/u. 4x50m cu/fr. 100m kick. 2x100m various drills. Main set: 12x25 on 30; 12x25 on 35 (focussing on reducing no. of strokes per length); 12x25 medley strokes; 12x25 on 40 (9/10 pace); 12x25 on 30.
200 backstroke to warm down.

Tuesday March 12th
Lunctime run. 2km warm up followed by 10 x 200m intervals resting between each until my HR was down about 100 again. Was pretty consistent coming in on between 31 and 32 seconds for the majority of them. Then jogged the 2km back to cool down.

Evening ride. 51km on the TT bike solo. 35.8km/hr average pace. Average HR 159. legs felt a bit sore and southerly wind for half of it didn't help but pace ended up being ok.

Wednesday March 13th
Swim squad in the morning. Warm up: 200fr; 200 Alfred; 200 Catch up.
Main set 2x[200 @ 9 pace, 200 @ 7 pace, 200 @ 9 pace (20 secs rest between each); then 600 with the 1st 200 @ 9 pace, the 2nd 200 @ 7 pace and the 3rd @ 9 pace.]
Warm down: 200 back stroke.

Lunch time: a half hour of core work in the gym.

Thursday March 14th
Luntime run. Easy pace in the hills for about 7km. Lovely day for it.

earnyourturns

Kia ora! Whereabouts are you based?

enzeder

earnyourturns wrote: »

Kia ora! Whereabouts are you based?

Hey!
I'm in Petone. You down this way too?

Solobally8

earnyourturns wrote: »

Kia ora! Whereabouts are you based?

Hey there stranger. How are you doing? You need to update us.




Sorry for jumping in there enzeder!

earnyourturns

Yup, I've been in Dunedin three years now Still haven't committed to full triathlon, but been doing plenty of running and some aquathlons and openwater swims so I reckon it's just a matter of time before the bike gets introduced into things! Indeed, am flying back into Ireland on 20 June and see that the Skerries Triathlon (my hometown) is on 23 June so maybe I should give that a bash, fresh my Southern Hemisphere training season

enzeder

Friday March 15th
Morning swim. Was a little late getting there so missed some of the warm up. Only got to do 50m free before we moved onto: 4x150 (50 one arm cu/25 cu/25 almost cu/ 50fr). Main set: 2 x [300 (25hard/25easy), 300 (every 4th length head-up), 300 (50 hard/50 easy), 300 (every 4th length medley order)]
200 backstoke warm down.
Then one of the lads suggested a 100m sprint so we did that and times it. 1.11. Didnt feel very good at all. May have been due to being in teh Jacuzzi for the ten minutes beforehand!

30min core work session at lunchtime

Saturday March 16th
parkrun in the morning. 5km on the riverbank. 110 odd folks turned out for it (not bad considering it was at 8am). Wasn't any fasties around today so I ended up winning by over a minute(!) in a pretty average 17.30.

That afternoon I got on the TT bike and went out for a 97.6km ride at pace. One big climb of 250m or so at 6% average grade. Average HR 152. Average speed 34.3km/hr. Bricked a slow 7km run off it at the end. This hurt my legs quite a bit! Felt like I was crawling...


Took a day off on Sunday.

enzeder

earnyourturns wrote: »

Yup, I've been in Dunedin three years now Still haven't committed to full triathlon, but been doing plenty of running and some aquathlons and openwater swims so I reckon it's just a matter of time before the bike gets introduced into things! Indeed, am flying back into Ireland on 20 June and see that the Skerries Triathlon (my hometown) is on 23 June so maybe I should give that a bash, fresh my Southern Hemisphere training season

Sounds good. If you're ever up in Wellington looking for a good race to do, let me know and I'll put you onto something. great races every weekend up here. Just about to get into trail running season buit I'm leaving it behing next month for Ireland too. back home for a couple of months of early Triathlon Season.
Best of luck with the Skerries Triathlon!