I'm too young for a midlife crisis

Dory Dory wrote: »

Did you secure entry to Donadea??

Haven't tried. Yet.

Dory Dory wrote: »

You better start sweet talking Anto.

I'll put a VIP entry in when they open up!

Not much training done this week. Anyone on here that knows me or who has read my training log over the last few years will know I always had a rather stupid tendency to train and race through anything. I have learnt my lessons and have had more than my share of DNS's over the last couple of years but I know that while it's a tough call, it's the right one. So woke up on Monday, resting heart rate still about 15 - 20 beats too high and threw the running gear in the car decided I'd run at lunch if I felt ok. Could still feel something lingering but felt fine, wasn't feeling sick other than a wee bit tired. At lunch I opted for saving myself for the evenings coached swim.

Car wouldn't start on Tuesday morning so missed morning run, same thing at lunch as monday. HR was coming down but still high. Swimming is easier on the body, even a hard swim so saved myself for the swim. Voice started going in the afternoon...after the swim I thought...uh oh...

Woke up Wednesday, couldn't talk...but resting hr was only about 5 - 10 beats high. Hmmm...had to take the day off work and rested up (plus an easy 30 minute run)

Thursday my original plan would have been 30 min run in the AM and a swim in the evening. Limited to an easy 30 min run...voice back...coughing a good bit and sore chest....but feel fine. Tough call this week as I feel absolutely fine but I'm clearly not, but I was intending on having an easy one so no big deal to not be doing much.

My run coach is very much a ''you don't train at all'' when you are sick kinda guy...which was a bit crazy for me to adjust to...but over the last year I've found that to be beneficial. There is really nothing to be gained by training through it...I don't feel ill though so it's ok for me to do light training through it...and hard swims as they're easier on the body than running.

Resting Heart Rate today - 56
Down from over 70...still a good few beats too high, all signs good for getting out on the bike at the weekend...oh yippeee....

Still coughing and carrying a wee bit of a respiratory infection. I'm sure it's just a massive coincidence that this hit just after coming off a 9 week perscription. I still feel fine, no tiredness or fatique and have been back out running.

Monday - AM Plan 40 min easy run. Done, 40 min pre work run. Not as easy as it should have been (HR wise) but it was fine.

PM - coached swim. Only two of us for this and everyone else learnt that RQ cannot count to 8 for 200's.

Tuesday - AM Plan was for 3 x 1.5 mile AT run. Resting HR a bit too high and I was smashed on Tuesday morning. I wanted to get a good run in so opted to miss the morning run and try slip it in at lunch, or, abandon Tuesdays swim and do it in the evening instead. I went out at lunch and did a 40ish min run @ 8 min mile pace. It was a nothing run really. Not recovery pace. Not a tempo pace...but nice enjoyable run. Sometimes just running is nicer than following a plan.

PM - club swim. Well if I had trouble counting to 8 for 200's imagine my stress when left leading the lane for 250's!!

Wednesday I'd hoped for another run/swim double. 60 min run was in the plan but I decided to go for my 1.5 mile AT run instead. Went into work early and fell asleep when I got home. Took the night off!

Thursday - AM swim session. 6 x 100m off 2:00 - coming in on ~1:50 > 7 x 200m off 4:00 - coming in on around 3:50 on these. Felt the fatigue on the last two.
Shoulder getting niggly again, so may drop tomorrows planned swim. Swimming tomorrow will bring me to swim 5 in 7 days so perhaps a bit much for my crappy shoulder :mad:

Doing 6 x 1000m tonight and will slot in what should have been an easy 60min yesterday, tomorrow morning.

Just realised that it is now December and I need to up it from one cycle a week now and start getting on the turbo too.

Whoa! Have you not seen my log? 3 spins in November. Over 250k. November has like doubled my entire bike Km's for the year

Baby steps. Baby steps!

'Turbo bike' and turbo wheel moved to the front of the shed today for easier access. Planning on playing with the turbo on Saturday. Birthdays and party's will be taking away from cycling time for December

Woah...stop ganging up on me

Plan was to get out early for a spin on Sunday. Alarm went off at 7am and I knew people were meeting at 10...figured I could spare another 2 hours and decided I'd get an hour in then meet them.
Woke up again just before 10 for an 11 hour sleep :eek:

Anyway, too much to do yesterday to stress myself out squeezing in a spin...got a quick hill run done and finally put the turbo together (more or less - can't get it to read cadence) and had an easy 50 min spin. Almost felt pointless without cadence...but could have kept this going for ages...really not as bad as I remember!
Setting it up however, my dear jesus christ, I remember now that that was why I hated the turbo. What a pain in the face. My crap bike will now be staying on the turbo for the foreseeable future. I even had to oil the chain while the bike was on the turbo. :pac:

Hill run plan was:
4 x 3:30 uphill at 85% - upper glen road is perfect for this. ~800m was expected for this and pretty much bang on. HR's don't really equal 85%, went a bit too easy for this, no idea what 85% should be...but the motivation to get out. Jeez.
Followed by some drills and 4 x 100m uphill (done on chapelizod hill on the way home. Steep, slow, hard)


Monday - am plan was 50 - 60 min easy run. Out before work and bloody hell was it cold. Would usually wear shorts and a tshirt for any weather even I couldn't hack it this morning and I love the cold! Gunna be needing some running tights for the morning runs I think. :eek:
Anyway about 44 minutes easssssy running. Loving the morning running!

Bike now set up on turbo, I may go crazy and get a turbo session in on Wednesday :pac: Plan was to do it Thursday but my work christmas party is on and they're making me go and socialise with them.

Well I got the cadence sensor to work! :cool:

20 min w/u
10 x 30 sec hard 30 sec easy
20 min at 'IM' pace (no idea what IM pace would be obviously and no current targets really) ~27kph
5 min easy
10 min @ 85%
10 min w/d

70 min total

We'll call that an introductory turbo session. Was fairly easy to be honest..need better music for this though...spotify cycling playlist is a right pile of sh*t

Friday PM - 90 min swim
I got off early and wasn't sure I was bothered hitting this...what with 4 hours sleep the night before and a 90ish min run already in my legs. Got off work early to full increase my last of interest as the Friday pool is pretty much on my way home. Knew I wouldn't go back out if I went home so just went straight to the pool.
Was an ok swim, some balance drills working on our weaker side.
Main part of main set was 16 x 100 - led our lane out for this and no idea where the motivation or energy came from.
4 off 2:05 in just under 1:55
4 off 2:00 in about 1:47/8
4 off 2:05 in just under 1:55
4 off 2:00 in about 1:47/8

Saturday - Thursdays sleep, nausea hit me in the morning and I had a lie in and my nephews party and subsequent sugar crash left me missing anything in the evening. Not a big deal to be honest. Foot was sore and I would have just run on it.

Sunday - watching the XC so no long morning spin despite the good weather. Hit the turbo for 2 hours and followed it with a 25 min run.

Monday AM - run plan was a 40 min easy run - 39 min done.

Monday PM - coached swim and a 400m tt was on the plan. I spent my entire drive home from work trying to convince myself I was rather tired and it would probably be best to miss the swim. Alas, I couldn't find a reasonable excuse so went anyway.
Didn't really know what to expect from this to be honest...my last one was pretty slow at 7:08 and was comfortable enough. From my 33m pool 'TT' at the end of November I knew that I could break the 7 easily enough. So just went out hard but controlled...I knew I could push 6:40 if I *really* tried so tried to keep an eye on the clock...think my second 100 was a bit slower and that put me off. Tried to bring my kick into the 3rd and lashed out the 4th which was my fastest of the 4 @ 1:37.
Still plenty of improvements to make to my stroke so plenty more improvements to make on a 400m TT - seriously doubt I can hold them for 3.8 though
Edit: 6:44 for the 400 for a 15 second pb

Tuesday AM - too lazy to get out of bed for run. Brought gear to work and thought I'd try get out at lunch.
Tuesday lunchtime - plan was 15 min w/u 30 min steady 15 min w/d
I knew I'd have to cut the w/u and w/d short...started getting ready and realised I'd left my watch at home. Crap. Seriously considered binning the run or just taking my 55 min route. I'd been planning on hitting a stretch of road and doing laps of it for this, knowing it was ~.75 of a mile I figured 'sure 5 of them will be near enough to 30 minutes at AT pace I guess' - more worried about getting back to work on time so did 4 and then kept up the pace for some of my warm down route to bring the steady section to just under 3.5 miles (I map my runned it). Prob about a mile short of what I should have been hitting. Got back to the office with 20 minutes to spare. D'oh.
Good workout but no idea what pace I hit or HR I hit. Was meant to be an AT run but it beats missing the session.

Tuesday PM - club swim. Tired legs after todays run. Lots of kicking to make me feel the run and contemplate sliding to the back of the lane then;
6 x 25 off 30
6 x 50 off 60
6 x 75 off 90
6 x 100 off 2:00

Steady on the odds, fast on the evens. I took over for the 75s and 100s and surprised I could hold it. Got competitive with the lanes next to me which is the only reason I managed to hold the pace really!

Swimming going well...whats annoying me over the last couple of weeks now is how much I can feel where my stroke is weak. Never felt that before and still find it kind of odd...but mostly annoying. I know what I want to work on over the next couple of weeks training on my own anyway. Still going to try hit the 4 swims if I can over xmas.

Thursday
Easy 30 minute run before breakfast. Foot had been ok but ended up sore after this. Great day in Casa Racoon and lots of fun with my little buddy. Best part of the day is him running and leaping into my arms when he arrived with a big cuddle for Auntie Racoon.
My gift from him this year was a set of cookie cutters which he got so that I could make biscuits for him.
''Ah sure buddy, of course I'll make you some biscuits''
''Will you make them NOW and I'll help''
''ummmm not today, sure don't you have your toys to play with today...maybe next week''

Friday AM
Easy 40 min run. Sore foot but not still really felt when running once I run properly.

Friday PM
Turbo
55 min of some intervals. Hard work.

Followed by plenty of stretching to ease out the calves and foot. Feels a bit better now but need to keep on top of the self care to get over this. Don't wanna stop running.

Monday Lunchtime Team is working from home this week so that means I can now hit the pool at lunch. Hurrah. Recovery swim, 20 x 100 off 2:15 with PB. Focusing on form (failed on that part - brain whirring)

Monday PM Run plan was for 50 minutes easy. Still a bit frosty out so bambi on iced it up to the park at the top of my road where I was just going to do laps on grass. Got there to find that there was no frost or ice so go a nice few laps around the park.

Tuesday Lunchtime Threshold swim
2 x 200 off 4- 3:41, 3:35
2 x 400 off 8 - 7:06, 7:24
2 x 200 off 4 - 3:45, 3:49
4 x 100 off 2 - 1:53, 1:51, 1:52, 1:55

On the 400's, I decided to TT the first one as I wanted to do another TT in my 33m pool. Perfect timing for inconsiderate idiot to join the lane and amble her way along. Didn't realise she was there the first time I caught her was as I hit the wall, quite surprised to see her splashing out of the way...then breaststroking, backstroking(all over the shop) and pushing off the wall even though I was approaching. Overtook her 5 times in less than 400m and every time I was alongside her she kept trying to speed up WTF???
Then as she was getting out she picked up a mesh bag and kickboard...so would assume she swims often and would be used to letting faster people pass and what not.

Tuesday PM AT run - 15 min w/u > 30 min AT > 15 min w/d (171 max)
Paths have cleared up around here, but yesterdays reminded me how handy the local park is for sessions. One lap is about 3/4 of a mile and it's mostly flat. Recently relaid the tarmac too which makes it a great place for sessions and laps. Easy 15 min w/u as I took the long route to the park and straight into the 30 mins once I got into the park. I'd spent the day thinking it'd be about 6 mins per lap, so 5 laps...easy peasy...finished lap one to see it was actually bang on 5 mins a lap...damn my brain might not handle this extra lap

4.3 miles covered - steady enough pace until I nearly faceplanted on mile 4!
7:00 - heartrates wrong at 122 avg / 144 max
6:58 - 161/166
7:00 - 164/168
7:07 - 164/169
2:00 (6:38 pace) - 165/168

Another lap and the short way home for 15 min w/d

2014 wrapped up with a triathlon runner who swims and a turbo day.

Hit the pool early today. Set was 50's which I adapted to 66's in my pool. Shoulder was biting me as I got stuck in but the time I got to the 4th set I decided to concentrate more on the form and less on pace. When form is decent it doesn't hurt (imagine that). 50 mins - unexpected to get to the pool at all Mon - Weds so to get the three in was great.

Turbo session later in the day. 6 x 5min. Short recovery. Number 5 hurt the most. 51 mins total.

Off for an easy run. Run plan was 60 mins easy - started out too fast and pulled back after a couple of miles. ~5.5 miles in ~50 mins.

Good days work to round off the year. Nice 8 x 1K run session for tomorrow to start off 2015 as I mean to go on. Running. :pac:
May go for an easy spin in the morning, weather should be good or may do the 5K in the park.

2014 has been a poor enough training and racing year for me. I was still suffering the after effects of London marathon as the year started and focus was getting over that. Lesson there is from 2013, be more sensible about racing after being sick and certainly be more sensible about what training you do following that! I had a brief pick up in February/March 2014 but then life stuff hit me towards the end of March and I seemed to relapse back to the same overtraining (chronic fatique?) symptoms. Just short of 4 months relatively undisrupted training now and it's showing....longest run of training since before London (so in nearly two years)...don't wanna jinx it or anything but it's all looking good. Even training enough now to actually get injured :cool:

Happy New Year Kids. Wine time.