Archive for the ‘Triathlon’ Category
This week ended up being interesting with winter precipitation and very cold temperatures in play. Monday evening into Tuesday morning, we received a bit of snow and then lots of sleet. Needless to say, life was affected! I ended up working from home on Tuesday and Wednesday and did not leave the house at all. This southern girl does not drive on ice! Training wise, I can do alot of things at home, but swimming is not one of them!
Monday PM:
1 hour core workout
Tuesday PM:
1 hour tempo run on the treadmill
I was able to knock out 6.75 miles on this run. With one of my goals focused on a faster run, these tempo sessions are going to really gain extra importance. This was a smart session in that I had a good solid effort. Maybe even a bit better than what I thought I could do at this point.
Wednesday AM:
65 minutes on the bike trainer:
W/U: 10-minute easy spin followed by 4×30-second one-legged drills, focusing on smooth circles.
Main set: 2×10 minutes beginning at 60 RPM and increasing RPM by 5 every 1 minute to max out at 105. No rest between sets.
4×5 minutes with cadence for odd intervals being 95 and even is 70. 2-minute rest between intervals.
C/D: 10 minutes easy spinning.
This will be a regular workout in my plan. It was a staple from my IM training plan and I find it very effective. It is easy to increase the total time by throwing in an additional 10 minute working set in the main set. I especially like it because the time seems to pass quickly during this workout.
Thursday AM:
30 minute yoga and 15 minutes abs
Thursday PM:
Here in Raleigh, the HIGH temperature was in the teens. I know for some of you throughout the country, that is not too bad. But for us here in NC, that is COLD! I knew I had to get in a swim though, since I had been home bound earlier in the week. Generally, I hate swimming during the winter because I don’t like the cold. But, I just do it because I need to. So, getting to pool when it was roughly 17 degrees outside (and was getting colder and colder) was harder than normal. After I changed and got to the pool deck, ugh!!!!!!!! Man, it was cold. I could not believe I was standing here in a bathing suit ready to get in the water. Well, the first 25 yards was much faster than normal. I just had to start getting warm!
Luckily, I had planned a speed workout for the day. That ended up being perfect since I was able to keep my body warm and had very short rest intervals at the wall.
1900-yard swim with speed intervals:
W/U: 500 easy mix with swim/drills/pull/kick incorporated throughout
Main set: 8x (100 moderate/:15sec rest/50 FAST), :30 sec rest between intervals.
C/D: 200 easy
I was so glad to get this workout done and get in the HOT shower. I was proud of myself that I did not succumb to the extreme desire to go home and not go to the pool on this cold evening. However, I unfortunately have not made any improvement in my times over the past two weeks, as this was a repeat session.
FRIDAY:
SATURDAY AM:
4.5 mile run on the treadmill with the focus on speed intervals.
W/U: 1/2 mile easy run
MAIN SET: 5x (1/2 mile at speed pace; 1/4 mile at recovery pace)
C/D: 1/2 mile easy run
This workout was definitely a tough one. I had to keep my focus to get through all 5 speed sets at the pace I wanted to maintain. I was glad that I was able to do just that!
SATURDAY PM:
1 hour focused stretching and foam rolling
SUNDAY PM:
1 hour on the bike trainer – For this workout, I wanted to mix it up a bit. I knew I needed something with a good amount of intensity, so the plan was to follow a trainer DVD. We have a pretty good collection of various spin workout DVDs and I decided to follow the “CTS Train Right Time Trial” DVD. This session focuses on lots of high cadence work. It gives a BIG bang for the buck! I worked hard and it was great! It was always a great feeling when you get done with a workout and you know you didn’t hold back!
SUNDAY PM:
2500-yard endurance swim
W/U: 500 easy mix with swim/drills/pull/kick incorporated throughout
MAIN SET: 3×100 easy with :15sec rest; 3×100 moderate with :15sec rest
3×200 easy with :20 sec rest; 3×200 moderate with :20sec rest
C/D: 200 easy
The pool was fairly quiet this Sunday afternoon as I worked in a swim that I missed due to rearranging my schedule because of the inclement weather.
Total training time: 8 hours 13 minutes
Swim: 4,400 yards
Bike: 27.13 (all on trainer)
Run: 11.25 miles
Other: 2 hour45 minutes
I also incorporate twice daily PT exercises that are meant to strengthen/stretch my glutes, hamstrings and hips. This probably averages about 25 minutes a day and I have not included that in the above totals. However, this is probably one of the smartest things I am doing daily!
I had some juggling to do this week with my schedule since I had a couple of evening events during the week. I ended up with three early morning, pre-work training sessions. I will always incorporate early mornings when I have to, but prefer the after work time period to waking up with the chickens! I was able to take the full rest day on Friday, which is uber important in my training.
Monday PM:
2200-yard swim focusing on endurance:
W/U: 500 easy mix with swim/drills/pull/kick incorporated throughout
Main set: 3×10 minutes steady swim. 1-minute rest between intervals.
C/D: 200 easy
The decent feeling I had about my swims from last week was kind of deflated with this swim. The longer sets have definitely suffered from my time away from the pool. It reaffirms that I need to spend quality time on my swim!
Tuesday AM:
With family plans in the evening, I got in an early morning session of yoga and abs. It is always good to fit this in!
Wednesday AM:
Long easy run on the treadmill. My goal was to get in an hour with an “easy” effort. I got in 6.19 miles during my run. I was not concentrating on my pace, jut my heart rate. I wanted to keep it in the desired range, so that dictated my pace.
Wednesday PM:
2600-yard swim:
W/U: 500 easy mix with swim/drills/pull/kick incorporated throughout
Main set: 5×200 with 25-30 sec rest between intervals; 3×300 with 45-50 sec rest between intervals
C/D: 200 easy
I needed this longer rest set between the 300s than I originally planned. I was trying to maintain a strong moderate pace throughout and it was a tough swim. I am still struggling with my swim paces this week, so I will do what I always do…just continue to do my best.
Thursday AM:
45 minutes on the bike trainer with the focus on hill repeats.
W/U: 10-minute easy spin with 3x30sec accelerations toward the end of warm-up.
Main set: 2×10-minute hill repeats. Remained seated throughout entire climb on first climb (@ 60-65 cadence) and alternated between sitting/standing every 30-seconds on second climb (@ 55 cadence). 5-minute recovery between repeats.
C/D: 10-minute easy spin
I find the hill repeats on the bike to be effective. Does anyone else simulate hills on the trainer?
Not sure how everyone else mimics hills on the trainer, but this is my front wheel set up to work the hills.
Friday:
Saturday AM:
4.86 mile run. This was the Krispy Kreme Challenge I wrote about earlier in the week. Doughnuts will not be a repeated choice for my run nutrition in the future:)!
Sunday PM:
78 minutes on the bike trainer
W/U: 10-minute easy spin with 3x30sec accelerations toward end of warmup.
Main set: 10-minute increasing intensity by shifting to a harder gear combination every 2 minutes and keeping cadence as close to 90 RPMs as possible. 2-minute easy spin to recover.
3x10minutes riding at lactate threshold (hard effort but breathing is still controlled-no huffing/puffing). 5-minute recovery between intervals.
10-minute increasing intensity by shifting to a harder gear combination every 2 minutes and keeping cadence as close to 90 RPMs as possible.
C/D: 10 minutes easy spin.
This was a solid bike session where the time passed relatively quickly. Trainer time is quality time!!
Total training time: 6 hours 20 minutes
Swim: 4,800 yards
Bike: 25.63 (all on trainer)
Run: 11.05 miles
Other: 45 minutes
I also incorporate twice daily PT exercises that are meant to strengthen/stretch my glutes, hamstrings and hips. This probably averages about 25 minutes a day and I have not included that in the above totals. However, this is probably one of the smartest things I am doing daily!
This was my first week back to a training plan. Ever since last summer after completing IMLP, I have been using the “no plan” training route and while I have been fitting regular sessions (5 to 6/week), it has been more of a variety with no particular goal or race in mind. I did enjoy that time, but I am ready to get a bit more structure with some specific goals in mind.
Monday PM:
65 minutes on the bike trainer:
W/U: 10-minute easy spin followed by 4×30-second one-legged drills, focusing on smooth circles.
Main set: 2×10 minutes beginning at 60 RPM and increasing RPM by 5 every 1 minute to max out at 105. No rest between sets.
4×5 minutes with cadence for odd intervals being 95 and even is 70. 2-minute rest between intervals.
C/D: 10 minutes easy spinning.
This was a work-out from my IM plan that I decided to incorporate. I always liked this session because the time seemed to pass quickly with the one minute changes in the initial main set. I felt good during this workout and I liked bringing back something from last year’s plan.
Tuesday PM:
To be honest, I have only done a handful of swims since IMLP. While swimming is something that I really can’t afford to take long breaks from, it ended up happening. Initially, I allowed myself the break. As time passed, I could not find the motivation to get back to the pool. I think I used all my swim motivation last spring/summer, when I had those days that I absolutely DID NOT want to swim. But, I never allowed myself to succumb to that, since I needed to put in all the time required to be prepared. Well, the mental break happened, and I think I just really needed it. Getting back to the pool has been pretty good so far…
2400-yard swim: W/U: 400; Main: 1×500; 2×400; 1×300; 1×200; 1×100; C/D: 100
I did not push too hard, but was pleasantly surprised that my times were not as slow as I expected. I had put in a few swims in just the last couple of weeks to try to start working out some of the cobwebs before the plan kicked in.
Wednesday AM:
4 mile tempo run on the treadmill. My goal was to maintain an average pace of 8:30 and that is exactly what I did. I felt pretty good on the run; definitely tough to maintain my pace, but I was able to complete as planned.
Thursday AM:
45 minutes on the bike trainer.
W/U: 10-minute easy spin followed by 4×30-second one-legged drills, focusing on smooth circles
Main set: 4×3 minutes in big gear with low RPMs (55-65 RPMs)
5 minute recovery between intervals but maintaining 90 RPMs
C/D: 10 minutes easy spinning
This was another workout from my IM plan that I decided to incorporate. There were some solid sessions in that plan, so I plan to frequent several of them.
Thursday PM:
I planned to do 1-hour yoga that is offered by Trilife, a great local triathlon shop. I got there, checked out their new store location and chatted with the owner a bit. I changed and was ready for yoga, but the instructor never arrived. Apparently there was a miscommunication, so no yoga. Oh well, after chatting some more I then headed home. At least I had gotten in a morning training session!
Friday PM:
This was originally planned to be my rest day. However, with a beautiful weekend in the weather forecast, I was thinking that the swim planned for Sunday would turn into an outdoor ride, so I opted to get in the swim Friday instead.
1900-yard swim with speed intervals:
W/U: 500 easy mix with swim/drills/pull/kick incorporated throughout
Main set: 8x (100 moderate/:15sec rest/50 FAST), :30 sec rest between intervals.
C/D: 200 easy
Wow! I have not done speed work in the pool since last summer! I was not aiming to push too hard with this workout, hence the 50 sets for speed. However, I found that I was pushing my 100 pace a bit over “moderate”, but it felt good. I was feeling the fatigue about mid way through, but I was able to hold a fairly consistent pace of 1:52-1:54 for the 100s and :53-:55 for the 50s. This was another workout from my IM plan that I had done early on. I was able to compare my times to last February when I first swam it. I am probably “about” 4 seconds off that pace. However, I swam consistently all the winter prior to that, so overall, I feel ok about where I am currently.
Saturday AM:
We had a day full of plans, so I got up early and jumped on the treadmill before we headed out for the day. I completed a 6-mile run at target race pace. My goal was to average just below 9:00/mile pace and I actually averaged 8:56, so I was pleased. My legs were happy when I hit the 6 mile mark, because they were definitely feeling a week’s worth of training.
I have included a few fun photos from our day trip to Beaufort, NC, which is located in the eastern part of NC. We had a great day!
Sunday PM:
As I mentioned earlier, the forecast was for a warm February day (sorry to you all that are surrounded by snow), so I planned to ride with my bike friend Susanne. We rode a 30 mile route and battled some VERY windy conditions, but it is hard to complain since the temperature was in the low 70s on February 8! It was a great feeling to be out on the road riding. Spring can’t come soon enough!
Total training time: 6 hours 45 minutes
Swim: 4,300 yards
Bike: 54 miles
Run: 10 miles
In my triathlon and personal goal world, 2014 was an absolutely amazing year for me. My race plans for 2015 are not as big as training for my first Ironman and my focus for this year will obviously be very different. I have plans and goals that I will be working hard for, but it will not take as much of ME as training for my first Ironman. I am aiming to have fun while pushing toward my goals for these races.
Here is the current plan for the first part of 2015.
Long Course Duathlon//May 16//I have never participated in a duathlon, so I figured I would give it a try. The distances associated with this race are 5 mile run/33 mile bike/5 mile run.
Ironman 70.3 Raleigh//May 31//I raced Raleigh 70.3 the inaugural year in 2013. Last year I volunteered. Here is a quick recap from my 2013 race in order to frame my present year goals.
- {SWIM} Not one of my best. While I was very prepared, I did not execute what I wanted back in 2013.
- {BIKE} Great and exceeded my expectations. My “stretch goal” for the course was sub-3 hours. When I had raced Beach 2 Battleship Half in 2012 (my first and only other half), my bike time was 3:00:09…I wanted those 10 seconds back!! Because I was able to train the Raleigh 70.3 bike course multiple times, I knew exactly what to expect. It was far hillier than B2B, which is a FLAT course. Well, I pulled it off with a 2:58:37, so those results were very special to me. I hope to improve even more on that time.
- {RUN} I executed the run as planned. Race day ended up being a very hot day and training conditions had not been that warm leading up to the race. My plan was to run smart…focusing on hydrating and staying steady. I felt really good about how I executed the run with 2:13:12. I had originally planned for a goal closer to the 2 hour mark (my B2B time was 2:06:34), but I knew conditions dictated a different plan on race day.
- {GOALS} My focus this year will be on improving my times in each of the three legs. I have lots of room with the swim…no particular time goal here…just want improvement. As far as the bike, I want to push it a bit more and hope to shave off a couple of minutes. As far as the run, I would love to hit the sub-2 hour mark for the 13.1. Overall for the 70.3, it would be awesome to break 6 hours again. B2B Half in 2012, I pulled out a 5:53:43. While Raleigh is a more challenging course, I had a 6:14:12. So, I hope to push my training to see that sub-6 hour mark once again!
Smile Train Sprint//June 28//This is the same race as my very first triathlon back in 2009. It consists of a 250-yard pool swim, 12 mile bike and 5K run. I have never raced it a second time, even though it is a great local race, really perfect for first timers. I have wanted to race it a second time, but it has not fit into my schedule these last years. I really want to go out there, have fun, but push it hard. It will be fun to compare my race times to those from my first year!
Washington Olympic//July 25//This will also be a repeat race. It was the first Olympic distance I raced back in 2011 with a 3:04:01. The only other Olympic/International distance I have raced was in 2012 with a 3:11:47 (however, this bike distance was 27 miles compared to 23.5 miles at my first). Overall, my goal is to break the 3 hour mark and have fun with the distance.
As far as triathlons go, end of July is as far as I have committed my schedule. At that point, I plan to evaluate how I am feeling, what I want to continue to push goal-wise and then decide if I want to schedule more sprints, an Olympic or possibly another half. I have a list of potential races that interest me, most of which I have not done previously, so we will see what the second half of 2015 will bring!
Kiawah Island Half Marathon//December 12//I touched on a sub-2 hour 13.1 goal earlier in my list. This is really one of my biggest goals of the year. While I have done this in training, I have never logged this time in a race. Plus, I have never raced a stand alone 13.1…only as part of the 70.3 distance. It will be awesome if I can knock this out in Raleigh 70.3, but Kiawah Island is the plan with one of my running buddies. We decided one day last summer, as we were hanging out by the pool, to go for the sub-2 hour mark with this race. It will be special to train with my friend and then push each other on race day to meet our goal!
I am looking forward to getting in a good amount of variety and having a fun 2015 race season!
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