The Abyss Gazes Also

March 1st
20min Fastlane; 5k easy trail

2nd
2min Fastlane 5*200; 45min turbo (main 4min PE7/8, 2min EZ)

3rd
20min EZ Fastlane; 5km EZ hill run

4th
Nothing

5th
45min turbo (main 4min PE7/8, 2min EZ)

6th
20min Fastlane (rest of the day spent chopping wood)

7th
20min Fastlane (10*100); 1:40 EZ bike

My HR is still all over the place, and so training is limited because of that. Its getting better though (and sense of smell is slowly coming back), so hopefully things will get back on course from here. I'll keep things easy for the next couple of weeks anyway, and maybe ramp up the volume. I've got to lose some weight though; todays bike was the first time outside in a while and I suffered on any hills. Might try a few OW dips this week while I have the blubber. The Fastlane swimming is great, its starting to become a routine.

Friday I got a text from a club mate, did I fancy joining a zoom chat with Ali Brownlee and his training partner Mark Buckingham he had set up? Did I what?!?; it was a very enjoyable if strange couple of hours being able to ask them questions and chat. Both very down to earth guys, lots of banter about training, racing, etc (here's the secret- the only real difference between what they do and what AG'ers do is volume). Keep it simple, keep it consistent, keep it enjoyable; and you'll get results. They are training 30 hours a week (7hrs swim, 6 hrs run, balance bike) on a hard day/easy day basis, they train by HR rather than pace or power, they have a laugh and enjoy training with each other. An AG'er might only be doing a third of those hours, but could probably learn from the rest. Anyway, good unexpected fun, and something to smile about during this lockdown nonsense!

Cheers RQ- on the enjoyment side of things Brownlee was quite adamant he'd have chucked it years ago if it wasn't still fun. Enjoyment is what its all about for everyone... granted sometimes it can seem a chore but that's usually the time spent thinking about a session, everything changes once you get the foot out the door!

I hear you on 2017, think it was the last time I was "fit" too... although its all a matter of perspective. Currently plodding along and huffing and puffing in doing so. It's a means to an end.

Yeah I'm very lucky with the Fastlane alright. So many people have asked about getting one that I now have a FAQ-type email ready to send off! But the good news is the sea beckons, and that's free and even more fun. Must catch up for a swim one of these days!

March 15th-21st 7hrs total (3k swim, 66k bike, 28k run)

A poor week with a few sessions skipped... its easy to make excuses but also pointless stressing about missing them. Less work in the office needed, more outdoor training. On the plus side the HR seems to be coming under control, but I'll keep things ticking over for a while yet.

March 29th-April 4th (8hrs: 4.5k swim, 140k bike, 10k run)

Another decent, consistent week. Starting to bring in a little more effort- a hard turbo from Zwift which still had last years Wattages programmed in... boy, I can still feel the hurt from that. A muscle pull in my back limited the running but should be ok for next week. Highlight was a couple of sea swims, the best being just after dawn and watching the orange sun rise slowly over the horizon.

More of the same next week, just dialling up the focus a notch, but the name of the game is still very much Easy and low HR.

Mon 12th April 1,500m Fastlane
10 mins easy warm up
20 x 50 swim - 15' between
(1st 10 with pull buoy, 2nd 10 without)

Tue 45min turbo
Main: 4 * 4 mins at 7-8 PE with 2 mins between recovery

Wed 1,500m Fastlane
10 mins easy warm up
20 x 50 swim - 15' between
(BE5 every 5th)

Thurs 45min easy run
This was the best my breathing has been in a while... there was an article on the IT about athletic people hit by covid- they generally don't appreciate just how long it takes to come back, and I understand what they mean.
Nice route, hilly road going up, knotty forest bike trail through trees coming down. Wore a calf guard and had zero issues.

Fri 2,000m Fastlane
10 mins easy warm up
15 x 100 with 15' rest between

Sat 16k easy run
Lovely morning for a trot, probably started it a little dehydrated but thankfully passed by a holy well.
About 270m elevation gained... that's what counts for a flat loop around these parts. Absolutely no issues with the calf, wore a guard and didn't feel a thing.

Sun 25min OW swim; 65min turbo
Swim: met a few mates early in Cahore- I was covered in Neoprene suit, hat, boots, gloves... they were in skins and have been since Jan. Hardy men.
Turbo main set:
3 times {
10 mins at 6 out of 10 effort staying aerobic
2 mins effort 8 or 9 out of 10
2 mins recovery
30 seconds effort 8 or 9 out of 10
30 seconds recovery
}
Tough effort

Another decent week for ticking the boxes. I can almost feel potential fitness beginning to stir...
With the uncertainty for the Triathlon season, its probably time to consider the back up plan of hitting a few long OW swim goals. I'll continue to train towards a Triathlon return, but alongside will increase the frequency and distance of OW swims. Having witnessed a few things the past fortnight that suggest some folk are comfortable living in a police state where ratting out your neighbours is normalised, I long for the freedom that the sea affords. Its still unclear if/when any OW races will operate, but there's nothing to stop planning for some landmark long sea swims (circumnavigate the 25K Valentia Island being a lifelong goal, but there a few pointers to hit before attempting that one).

Day|Session|Comment
Mon 19th April|1,500m Fastlane (20*50); 70min turbo|4*(8 mins 7-8 PE, 2 mins EZ)
Tue|77min easy run|
Wed|1,500m Fastlane (20*50)|
Thurs|30min very easy run| Killanerin trails
Fri|72min hill run|Askamore trails
Sat|1,500m OW swim|Valentia sea
Sun|106min easy run; 6min OW splash|Valentia loop at a comfortable pace; first skins of 2021
Swim total 4,604m|Bike total 48.1k|Run total 47.8k


Another consistent week. I made the long journey to Kerry which meant a missed bike session, but otherwise all good. A new wetsuit saw the longest OW swim so far at 1.5k, and to be fair I could have kept going all day in it (HUUB Archimedes IV, seems like an upgrade around the neck from previous incarnations). First "proper" skins swim of the year too, only 6mins but to be honest that only hurt for the first 2mins and then it felt fine. Some good longer runs in there this week too, happy enough with the way things are going.