Mon-off
Tues- 2.5 mile run- Nashville, 103 degrees, brutal
Wed- 25 minute swim- Hotel pool- mini laps
Thurs- 2.7 miles (with my wife)
Fri-off
Sat- 4 miles run @ 9:03 avg
Sun- 15 mile bike @ 17.5 mph avg
Great week with a bonus run with my wife. The kids were at grandparents house, so Samantha and I had the rare opportunity to run together. That said, it was brutal hot and our pace was slow. Samantha is prepping for a 5k in Madisonville and I am readying for the Evansville Sprint Triathlon race this coming Saturday. It's a new venue from last year, so my time comparisons are no good, but I'm feeling like a strong biker, ok swimmer, and tired runner. The last comment on my running has simply taken a toll on my running legs this far into the season. My running legs are losing steam before my cardiovascular system loses steam and I read that's due to overall fatigue and muscle loss. That said, I've had an amazing running year and tri season, so I've earned the tired legs for sure. Still dialing in my bike as I took the seat lower today and adjusted the pitch to get more comfortable in the aero position. I'll bike fit next year, so just trying to get comfy for my last 2 races of the tri season, Evansville this weekend and Bowling Green triathlon the following weekend. As I wrap up those races, I'm moving into strength building mode. One fault in my training thus far, is I have done zero strength training for over a year...just running, swimming, and biking. I believe this has cost me in several areas and am making the adjustments now as I prep for the fall. I think it cost me speed and I think it's getting me injured. On speed, I ran my fastest 10k when I was a newbie just out of the p90x training and was stronger than today. On injured, they are more common and last longer this year. I ordered the book Strength Training for Triathletes by Patrick Hagerman, EdD. and am just passing the chapter on selecting reps. The book is fairly scienctific, so will take 2 reads to fully comprehend and create my plan. On the 2nd read, I'll post the nuggets on the blog each week. More on it later, but to say that I'm committing to strength training both off-season and in-season.
1 comment:
Best wishes to you and Samantha on your continued training and races. If there is one regret I have for this year so far it is that I have not done a race with my kids as I had planned. Still plenty of time, and your post helps remind me.
Look forward to hearing more about the strength training book. I did at least one day of strength and balance training every week during IM training but I've not kept up with it this year. I can tell that after long runs and rides, my back hurts and I know that comes from a weak core.
Humbly, I will add that you also need to take into account the number of races you are doing. You have done several back-to-back races and those take a toll on you. Your schedule should include races for training AND racing and you should rank them as A, B, and C. Not allowing time for your body to absorb training and racing can be detrimental. You will want to allow several days and even weeks of rest in between races and training modules depending on race length and priority. I even read an article in Triathlete magazine this week that recommended a 2-week mid-season break from training in order to give the mind and body a break...and not burnout!
Hope this helps as you go about planning 2011!
As busy as we all are, strength and balance training can take a backseat and be the first thing we drop from the schedule. In many ways, it can be more important than most of the weekday training sessions we'll do. A lot of that can be "junk" miles.
Can't wait to hear more from the book!
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