Monday, 30 July 2018
Training Plan - Week 31 - July 30 to August 5
Dexter is coming for a visit. I am going to pick him up on the way to racing at Stonehaven Aquathon on Wednesday evening.
Then I spend a while on the bike as I go into another Shutdown and have to go in to the office every morning in time to make it to the conference calls. Jogging in is a bit risky. If I have a bad day I can drop 10 minutes and it gets too tight to get showered and changed in time for the call.
Targets - Swim 3.0 miles, Bike 42.0 miles, Run 7.0 miles.
Stretching session x1, Core session x1, Weights session x1.
Physio sessions x1. Yoga session x1.
Training Review - Week 29 - July 23 to 29
Work is getting on top of me at the minute and I don't have the time or energy to keep this updated.
Here are the numbers.
Targets - Swim 3.0 miles, Bike 42.0 miles, Run 7.0 miles.
Stretching session x1, Core session x1, Weights session x1.
Physio sessions x1. Yoga session x1
Monday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 33 mins.
Commute ride from office 6.9 miles in 35 mins.
Easy jog 2.7 miles in 25 mins.
Swim with TPT 1,800m in 50 mins.
Tuesday - Commute run 7.0 miles in 1hour 9 mins.
Stretching session.
Wednesday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 30 mins.
Commute ride from office 6.9 miles in 35 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 1,200m in 24 mins.
Thursday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 32 mins.
Stretching session.
Friday - Rest Day.
Saturday - Scottish Aquathlon Champs - Loch Lomond.
Swim 750m(?) in 13:45.
Run 5,000m in 23:50.
Sunday - Recovery day.
Actuals - Swim 1.9 miles (3,000 m). Bike 35.1 miles. Run 9.7 miles.
0 short core, 0 short light weights and 2 stretching / rollering session. 0 mins of yoga.
Physio exercises x 0.
Cumulative actual, (Cumulative target), [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 80.0, (65.4), [71.9],
B 891.7, (746.0), [820.6],
R 254.0*, (256.6), [282.3].
Core - 32, (36)
Weights - 30, (35)
Yoga - 13, (16)
*Includes aqua-jogging and estimate treadmill values.
Here are the numbers.
Targets - Swim 3.0 miles, Bike 42.0 miles, Run 7.0 miles.
Stretching session x1, Core session x1, Weights session x1.
Physio sessions x1. Yoga session x1
Monday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 33 mins.
Commute ride from office 6.9 miles in 35 mins.
Easy jog 2.7 miles in 25 mins.
Swim with TPT 1,800m in 50 mins.
Tuesday - Commute run 7.0 miles in 1hour 9 mins.
Stretching session.
Wednesday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 30 mins.
Commute ride from office 6.9 miles in 35 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 1,200m in 24 mins.
Thursday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 32 mins.
Stretching session.
Friday - Rest Day.
Saturday - Scottish Aquathlon Champs - Loch Lomond.
Swim 750m(?) in 13:45.
Run 5,000m in 23:50.
Sunday - Recovery day.
Actuals - Swim 1.9 miles (3,000 m). Bike 35.1 miles. Run 9.7 miles.
0 short core, 0 short light weights and 2 stretching / rollering session. 0 mins of yoga.
Physio exercises x 0.
Cumulative actual, (Cumulative target), [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 80.0, (65.4), [71.9],
B 891.7, (746.0), [820.6],
R 254.0*, (256.6), [282.3].
Core - 32, (36)
Weights - 30, (35)
Yoga - 13, (16)
*Includes aqua-jogging and estimate treadmill values.
Monday, 23 July 2018
Training Plan - Week 30 - July 23 to 29
I am probably going to go to Loch Lomond to race the Scottish Aquathlon Champs on Saturday but haven't decided definitely yet. I still haven't sorted accommodation for the Friday night and it is too far to try and race it as a day-trip.
I may also go to race an Aquathon at Knockburn on Monday evening. That could also change my decision about whether I race at the weekend.
The rest of the week is still trying to settle back into commuting and a steady routine.
The run number looks funny this week as I bumped things out of line when I was editting my rehab plan. This should have been aligned to race week in Denmark but works out nicely as being aligned for racing again.
Targets - Swim 3.0 miles, Bike 42.0 miles, Run 7.0 miles.
Stretching session x1, Core session x1, Weights session x1.
Physio sessions x1. Yoga session x1.
Training Review - Week 29 - July 16 to 22
Monday afternoon I managed a final session in Denmark. I jogged down to the canal where they have basically hung a 50m long net from a pontoon to create a swimming pool in the canal. I got in and did an easy 10 minutes in the cool but salty water, then jogged back to the hotel again.
Tuesday was, as predicted, entirely lost to a travel day. It was a very long day and having left the hotel in Denmark at 9:30 we got home just before midnight. 3 hours of driving and 2 flights make for a very tough day of doing nothing.
Wednesday morning I was up and out the door at 6:30 to ride to work. It is good to be back on the bike. I am normally not a fan of commute rides. Aberdeen traffic is terrible and even in summer it is still chilly at that time in the morning. But the traffic is quieter through the summer holiday, and having had a good break I felt really good on the bike.
Thursday was quick and enjoyable rides to work again. In the evening I went to the pool, only to find they have shifted to their summer holiday timetable and were already closing just as I arrived.
Friday and it is back to more Aberdonian conditions. Cold and drizzly with a headwind in both directions adding several minutes each way.
Saturday I woke up in time to go for a swim, but instead just went back to sleep. I am still adjusting to being back from holiday and I hadn't planned to swim at all this week so catching up on sleep seemed more value-adding. Once I did finally drag myself out of bed I also skipped my planned run.
Sunday I jogged to the pool, paddled up and down for 20 minutes and then walked and jogged a bit on the way home. It was all a huge struggle. I am hoping it is just a combination of race fatigue, jet lag and work stress rather than the start of the flu that Mrs M has.
Targets - Swim 0.0 miles, Bike 42.0 miles, Run 14.0 miles.
Stretching session x1, Core session x1, Weights session x1.
Physio sessions x1. Yoga session x1
Monday - Jog to pool 1 mile in 10 mins.
Easy swim in Copenhagen canal pool 500m in 10 mins.
Jog from pool 1 mile in 10 mins.
Tuesday - Travel day.
Wednesday - Ride to office 7.1 miles in 27 mins.
Ride from office 7.1 miles in 34 mins.
Thursday - Ride to office 7.1 miles in 26 mins.
Ride from office 7.1 miles in 33 mins.
Friday - Ride to office 7.1 miles in 31 mins.
Ride from office 7.1 miles in 36 mins.
Saturday - Rest day.
Sunday - Jog to pool 2.5 miles in 26 mins.
Steady swim 800m in 20 mins.
Jog from pool 2.5 miles in 33 mins.
Actuals - Swim 0.8 miles (1,300 m). Bike 42.6 miles. Run 7.0 miles.
0 short core, 0 short light weights and 0 stretching / rollering session. 0 mins of yoga.
Physio exercises x 0.
Cumulative actual, (Cumulative target), [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 77.6, (62.4), [68.6],
B 856.6, (704), [774.4],
R 241.2*, (249.6), [274.6].
Core - 32, (36)
Weights - 30, (35)
Yoga - 13, (16)
*Includes aqua-jogging and estimate treadmill values.
Tuesday was, as predicted, entirely lost to a travel day. It was a very long day and having left the hotel in Denmark at 9:30 we got home just before midnight. 3 hours of driving and 2 flights make for a very tough day of doing nothing.
Wednesday morning I was up and out the door at 6:30 to ride to work. It is good to be back on the bike. I am normally not a fan of commute rides. Aberdeen traffic is terrible and even in summer it is still chilly at that time in the morning. But the traffic is quieter through the summer holiday, and having had a good break I felt really good on the bike.
Thursday was quick and enjoyable rides to work again. In the evening I went to the pool, only to find they have shifted to their summer holiday timetable and were already closing just as I arrived.
Friday and it is back to more Aberdonian conditions. Cold and drizzly with a headwind in both directions adding several minutes each way.
Saturday I woke up in time to go for a swim, but instead just went back to sleep. I am still adjusting to being back from holiday and I hadn't planned to swim at all this week so catching up on sleep seemed more value-adding. Once I did finally drag myself out of bed I also skipped my planned run.
Sunday I jogged to the pool, paddled up and down for 20 minutes and then walked and jogged a bit on the way home. It was all a huge struggle. I am hoping it is just a combination of race fatigue, jet lag and work stress rather than the start of the flu that Mrs M has.
Targets - Swim 0.0 miles, Bike 42.0 miles, Run 14.0 miles.
Stretching session x1, Core session x1, Weights session x1.
Physio sessions x1. Yoga session x1
Monday - Jog to pool 1 mile in 10 mins.
Easy swim in Copenhagen canal pool 500m in 10 mins.
Jog from pool 1 mile in 10 mins.
Tuesday - Travel day.
Wednesday - Ride to office 7.1 miles in 27 mins.
Ride from office 7.1 miles in 34 mins.
Thursday - Ride to office 7.1 miles in 26 mins.
Ride from office 7.1 miles in 33 mins.
Friday - Ride to office 7.1 miles in 31 mins.
Ride from office 7.1 miles in 36 mins.
Saturday - Rest day.
Sunday - Jog to pool 2.5 miles in 26 mins.
Steady swim 800m in 20 mins.
Jog from pool 2.5 miles in 33 mins.
Actuals - Swim 0.8 miles (1,300 m). Bike 42.6 miles. Run 7.0 miles.
0 short core, 0 short light weights and 0 stretching / rollering session. 0 mins of yoga.
Physio exercises x 0.
Cumulative actual, (Cumulative target), [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 77.6, (62.4), [68.6],
B 856.6, (704), [774.4],
R 241.2*, (249.6), [274.6].
Core - 32, (36)
Weights - 30, (35)
Yoga - 13, (16)
*Includes aqua-jogging and estimate treadmill values.
Sunday, 22 July 2018
Pre-Race Review - ITU World Championship Aquathlon - Middlefart, Denmark
Tuesday 10th
Having spent a lovely long weekend in Amsterdam our flight to Billund is delayed. Neither of us are particularly good air travellers and hanging around Schipol for an extra half hour doesn't help either of us to destress. Fortunately the flight is really short and the pilot makes up most of the time in the air so we land almost on schedule.
Bag unloading takes a while, to the point where about a third of the passengers were left at the luggage conveyor 10 minutes after everyone else had left the airport. We were discussing whether to go to the baggage office and start filling in forms to get our luggage delivered when it arrived on the next flight when the belts came back to life and the remaining bags arrived.
We picked up our hire car, a shiny silver Renault Captur that had just been delivered that morning and had only 25km on the clock from new and headed off to our hotel. It was a bit flash.
The photo is a poor representation of quite how awesome the hotel was.
Also Mrs M makes her first appearance in a blog photo.
Wednesday 11th
Registration and recce day. We lazed about in the morning before heading over to the court around lunchtime. Because of the late change of venue, registration was over an hour from the course. The GB team management kindly sorted this for us by collecting registration packs in advance and taking them to the race venue for anyone that wasn't staying near the course. This had an added benefit that we all had to check-in with the team management so we got to meet more of the team and the support crew than normal.
Here is a better photo of Mrs M doing her supporting job on recce day.
After collecting and checking my pack it was in to the water for a recce of the swim course. Most people got in to about mid-shin depth before we all stopped to have a chat. The core subjects being, "how much do you know about jellyfish?", "are those the dangerously stingy kind?", "should we all just go home instead?".
This is an actual photo from the marina wall.
For non-jellyfish experts (like me), the big ones are balloon-sized and are called moon jellies. No problem with them, you can just bat them out of the way. It is just like trying to push a volleyball under the water.
The little ones with the reddish-orange centres are another matter. They are juvenile lions mane jellyfish and are basically like having a bouquet of nettles slapped against you.
Fortunately, during the recce there were very few of the little ones, and once you have punched a couple of the larger ones the fear of them eases and swimming through a soup of them doesn't seem so bad. There were even some jokes going around after the recce swim about grabbing a couple of the moon jellies and using them as hand-paddles on race day.
After the recce we headed over to the race briefing and the team photo. We also bumped into a relative of Mrs M who had also qualified, but was in a different age-group so I wouldn't have to race him.
The briefing was fairly standard, until the race medic did his bit. He gave us a few tips on prevention and relief of jellyfish stings before pointing out that anything other than heat-packs to breakdown the barbs, shaving to remove the top layer of skin and hopefully the barbs and a handful of anti-histamines for any allergic reaction was "not evidence based" but you should feel free to try whatever works for you. This got the expected titter from 500 grown-ups who have watched too many episodes of Friends.
We then headed back to our hotel where we had a quiet night in watching the World Cup semi-final.
Having spent a lovely long weekend in Amsterdam our flight to Billund is delayed. Neither of us are particularly good air travellers and hanging around Schipol for an extra half hour doesn't help either of us to destress. Fortunately the flight is really short and the pilot makes up most of the time in the air so we land almost on schedule.
Bag unloading takes a while, to the point where about a third of the passengers were left at the luggage conveyor 10 minutes after everyone else had left the airport. We were discussing whether to go to the baggage office and start filling in forms to get our luggage delivered when it arrived on the next flight when the belts came back to life and the remaining bags arrived.
We picked up our hire car, a shiny silver Renault Captur that had just been delivered that morning and had only 25km on the clock from new and headed off to our hotel. It was a bit flash.
The photo is a poor representation of quite how awesome the hotel was.
Also Mrs M makes her first appearance in a blog photo.
Wednesday 11th
Registration and recce day. We lazed about in the morning before heading over to the court around lunchtime. Because of the late change of venue, registration was over an hour from the course. The GB team management kindly sorted this for us by collecting registration packs in advance and taking them to the race venue for anyone that wasn't staying near the course. This had an added benefit that we all had to check-in with the team management so we got to meet more of the team and the support crew than normal.
Here is a better photo of Mrs M doing her supporting job on recce day.
After collecting and checking my pack it was in to the water for a recce of the swim course. Most people got in to about mid-shin depth before we all stopped to have a chat. The core subjects being, "how much do you know about jellyfish?", "are those the dangerously stingy kind?", "should we all just go home instead?".
This is an actual photo from the marina wall.
For non-jellyfish experts (like me), the big ones are balloon-sized and are called moon jellies. No problem with them, you can just bat them out of the way. It is just like trying to push a volleyball under the water.
The little ones with the reddish-orange centres are another matter. They are juvenile lions mane jellyfish and are basically like having a bouquet of nettles slapped against you.
Fortunately, during the recce there were very few of the little ones, and once you have punched a couple of the larger ones the fear of them eases and swimming through a soup of them doesn't seem so bad. There were even some jokes going around after the recce swim about grabbing a couple of the moon jellies and using them as hand-paddles on race day.
After the recce we headed over to the race briefing and the team photo. We also bumped into a relative of Mrs M who had also qualified, but was in a different age-group so I wouldn't have to race him.
The briefing was fairly standard, until the race medic did his bit. He gave us a few tips on prevention and relief of jellyfish stings before pointing out that anything other than heat-packs to breakdown the barbs, shaving to remove the top layer of skin and hopefully the barbs and a handful of anti-histamines for any allergic reaction was "not evidence based" but you should feel free to try whatever works for you. This got the expected titter from 500 grown-ups who have watched too many episodes of Friends.
We then headed back to our hotel where we had a quiet night in watching the World Cup semi-final.
Monday, 16 July 2018
Training Plan - Week 29 - July 16 to 22
Another strange week.
Monday is Copenhagen, so a short run and maybe a short swim.
Tuesday is entirely lost to travelling home. It is going to be a long tough day with 3 hours of driving and two flights.
Wednesday is back to work, and possibly a short Aquathlon race at Westhill in the evening.
Thursday and Friday will be trying to return to my normal work commuting schedule. I have a day of biking and a day of running planned but may change that once I see how I am recovering.
And a weekend of trying to sort everything post-holiday and get back into a normal regime from there.
Targets - Swim 0.0 miles, Bike 42.0 miles, Run 14.0 miles.
Stretching session x1, Core session x1, Weights session x1.
Physio sessions x1. Yoga session x1.
Training Review - Week 28 - July 9 to 15
Monday morning I did a very easy jog around Amsterdam, just to try and keep my legs from completely seizing up before race day. In the evening I did a little bit of stretching after racking up 18,000 steps on a trip to the Rijksmuseum.
Tuesday was a travel day from Amsterdam to Billund and then on to Kolding. Our hotel is stunning.
Wednesday was course familiarisation at the ITU Aquathon Champs, this will roll in to my race post.
Thursday was race day, followed by another travel day of sorts as we went from Kolding to Copenhagen after the race.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings I did a little bit of a jogging in the morning to try and ease off my legs. None of them have helped. My ankle is definitely suffering from Wednesday's race and from the touristing.
If I had run the watch during my warm-up I would probably have made my run mile target this week anyway.
I am very happy with this week. I managed to get round the World Champs, and not only did I not embarrass myself but I actually performed at a decent level. I finished in the top 10 GB athletes out of a selected team of 20 and finished 23rd at my first World Champs. I would be happy enough with that anyway but coming back from the broken leg that is pretty amazing.
Targets - Swim 2.2 miles, Bike 0.0 miles, Run 10.0 miles.
Stretching session x1, Core session x1, Weights session x0.
Physio sessions x0. Yoga session x1.
Monday - 1.9 mile jog in 23 mins.
Stretching session.
Tuesday - Travel day. Amsterdam - Billund - Kolding.
Wednesday - Yoga session 15 mins.
Swim familiarisation 1,100m in 20 mins.
Stretching session.
Thursday - ITU World Aquathlon Champs
Swim 1,000m in 17:11
Run 5,000m in 22:11.
23rd, 10th GBR.
Friday - Recovery jog 1.1 miles in 15 mins.
Saturday - Recovery jog 1.2 miles in 11 mins.
Sunday - Recovery jog 2.2 miles in 28 mins.
Actuals - Swim 1.3 miles (2,100 m). Bike 0.0 miles. Run 9.5 miles.
0 short core, 0 short light weights and 2 stretching / rollering session. 15 mins of yoga.
Physio exercises x 0.
Cumulative actual, (Cumulative target), [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 76.1, (62.4), [68.6],
B 814.0, (662.0), [728.2],
R 222.0*, (235.6), [259.2].
Core - 32, (35)
Weights - 30, (35)
Yoga - 13, (15)
*Includes aqua-jogging and estimate treadmill values.
Monday, 9 July 2018
Training Plan - Week 28 - July 9 to 15
Race week.
My first race of the year, and it is the ITU World Age-Group Championships.
Even if my ankle was fully recovered, the lack of races would mean I am undercooked for racing at this level.
My plan is to swim as hard as I can and try and be out of the water somewhere in the middle of the field, and then to just try and get round the run without having absolutely everyone come past me.
So basically Monday is a trip to Amsterdam Rijksmuseum. Tuesday is flying out to Denmark, Wednesday is Registration and swim familiarisation, Thursday is race day and then we go across to Copenhagen until next Tuesday.
Targets - Swim 2.2 miles, Bike 0.0 miles, Run 10.0 miles.
Stretching session x1, Core session x1, Weights session x0.
Physio sessions x0. Yoga session x1.
My first race of the year, and it is the ITU World Age-Group Championships.
Even if my ankle was fully recovered, the lack of races would mean I am undercooked for racing at this level.
My plan is to swim as hard as I can and try and be out of the water somewhere in the middle of the field, and then to just try and get round the run without having absolutely everyone come past me.
So basically Monday is a trip to Amsterdam Rijksmuseum. Tuesday is flying out to Denmark, Wednesday is Registration and swim familiarisation, Thursday is race day and then we go across to Copenhagen until next Tuesday.
Targets - Swim 2.2 miles, Bike 0.0 miles, Run 10.0 miles.
Stretching session x1, Core session x1, Weights session x0.
Physio sessions x0. Yoga session x1.
Training Review - Week 27 - July 2 to 8
Monday and Tuesday I did the last of my serious sessions. After commute rides I went for short brick runs around the park. Both evenings I went swimming. Monday I went to Inverurie but had to quite the session half way as my new goggles leak and I didn't have any spares. Tuesday I went to bucksburn and decided on a 20-minute TT. I set a new PB for that, so I am swimming as well as ever.
Wednesday I did another pair of commutes and a short run, but purposefully slower as I ramp down my effort levels and start my taper. Thursday I just did the bike and cut the effort levels even further back.
Friday we flew out to Amsterdam and I had a lazy weekend. We are based right in the city centre so no real opportunity to get out anywhere easy for a run. On Sunday afternoon I did a bit of rollering to try and ease off my ankle.
Targets - Swim 2.2 miles, Bike 36.0 miles, Run 14.0 miles.
Stretching session x1, Core session x1, Weights session x1.
Physio sessions x1. Yoga session x1.
Monday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 31 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.1 miles in 33 mins.
Brick run 1.5 miles in 11 mins.
Physio exercises.
Swim with TPT 1,400m in 34 mins.
Tuesday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 33 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.1 miles in 33 mins.
Brick run 1.5 miles in 12 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 1,250m in 21 mins.
Wednesday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 30 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.1 miles in 37 mins.
Brick run 1.6 miles in 15 mins.
Stretching and rollering.
Physio session.
Thursday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 31 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.1 miles in 40 mins.
Friday - Rest day.
Fly to Amsterdam.
Saturday - Rest day.
Sunday - Rest day.
Stretching and rollering.
Actuals - Swim 1.7 miles (2,650 m). Bike 56.8 miles. Run 4.6 miles.
0 short core, 0 short light weights and 1 stretching / rollering session. 0 mins of yoga.
Physio exercises x 1.
Cumulative actual, (Cumulative target), [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 74.8, (60.2), [66.2],
B 814.0, (662.0), [728.2],
R 224.7*, (225.6), [248.2].
Core - 32, (34)
Weights - 30, (34)
Yoga - 12, (14)
*Includes aqua-jogging and estimate treadmill values.
Wednesday I did another pair of commutes and a short run, but purposefully slower as I ramp down my effort levels and start my taper. Thursday I just did the bike and cut the effort levels even further back.
Friday we flew out to Amsterdam and I had a lazy weekend. We are based right in the city centre so no real opportunity to get out anywhere easy for a run. On Sunday afternoon I did a bit of rollering to try and ease off my ankle.
Targets - Swim 2.2 miles, Bike 36.0 miles, Run 14.0 miles.
Stretching session x1, Core session x1, Weights session x1.
Physio sessions x1. Yoga session x1.
Monday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 31 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.1 miles in 33 mins.
Brick run 1.5 miles in 11 mins.
Physio exercises.
Swim with TPT 1,400m in 34 mins.
Tuesday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 33 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.1 miles in 33 mins.
Brick run 1.5 miles in 12 mins.
Swim at bucksburn 1,250m in 21 mins.
Wednesday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 30 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.1 miles in 37 mins.
Brick run 1.6 miles in 15 mins.
Stretching and rollering.
Physio session.
Thursday - Commute ride to office 7.1 miles in 31 mins.
Commute ride from office 7.1 miles in 40 mins.
Friday - Rest day.
Fly to Amsterdam.
Saturday - Rest day.
Sunday - Rest day.
Stretching and rollering.
Actuals - Swim 1.7 miles (2,650 m). Bike 56.8 miles. Run 4.6 miles.
0 short core, 0 short light weights and 1 stretching / rollering session. 0 mins of yoga.
Physio exercises x 1.
Cumulative actual, (Cumulative target), [Cumulative Stretch target]
S 74.8, (60.2), [66.2],
B 814.0, (662.0), [728.2],
R 224.7*, (225.6), [248.2].
Core - 32, (34)
Weights - 30, (34)
Yoga - 12, (14)
*Includes aqua-jogging and estimate treadmill values.
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