Go Hard

Summer is finally behind me. I'll give the season credit in that it attempted a small come back last week, but it really should know when it's beaten. Day light savings is no longer, and as comes with the change there is less day light hours. Of particular note, and a good notice towards upcoming winter is it has even been raining. Living in an area where water restrictions are now the norm. Where most grass has forgotten it's natural colour is green. Where my only real concern about the weather in last few months has been how hot will it be? Things are different. Wet stuff has been falling from the sky. Admittedly rain is not my favourite thing when out cycling. As for running, as long as it doesn't involve the frozen stuff hitting me on the head, I am enjoying running through the wet. Disappearing into that world of simply running somehow seems easier as the temperatures drop. Soggy paths, muddied legs and that constant haze of rain you almost don't notice takes ...

Heading back to the multidispline training has highlighted some flaws in my training over the last few years. That isn't to say my training hasn't been successful. Smashing my marathon PB last year clearly shows I got plenty right. The problems involve longevity issues. The key flaw has been related to my strength training. There are plenty of aspects of my strength training that added to my run training. It has been time efficient. It allowed for limited disruption to run specific training. Plus it provided some direct benefit. The issue lies in the decrease of core strength and stability that has crept in over time. As an area I believed I was addressing, it came as a surprise when I hit the water and bike again. Doing so highlighted how poor my core integrity had become. This was an element of training I used to consider myself very knowledgeable in and had been a personal example of what effective training could achieve. The realisation it was now a weak point was fairly di...

Historically it is swimming that gets dropped first in my years of triathlon training. Based on the swim today it is difficult to understand why. The swim was the endurance swim. Starts with a very easy/slow warm up, some technique work (designed not to be very taxing), a main set of 10x100m at a steady pace and short recovery cycle, then some mixed strokes for a cool down. Nothing massive, and probably of more importance, no set standard to adhere to. The result was a I felt better as the session progressed. Every lap seemed to add energy, and without any perceived increase in effort, the speed increased on each repetition. From a physical perspective it wasn't applying more force or strength, instead my feel for the water was improving. Finally I hit what usually alludes me in swimming. It is a feeling I previously have only ever obtained when swimming at much higher volumes, at faster speeds and in a better state of swimming fitness. Today was a different story. I had the feel t...

Taking three days to shake the stiffness, soreness and heaviness from my legs after Sunday has given me a bit of time to reflect on my racing. Despite running way too fast for nearly the first half of the half marathon, it is clear I still have some strong racing point. The first and foremost is that 3:47/km for 9km feels very comfortable. Moving beyond, it is also clear that my current fitness level is missing a bit of endurance. Given my training template, I believe that is something will take some substantial time to develop. At least for a few months I expect there to be quite a gap between my high-end aerobic (ie. 5000m race pace) and my sub anaerobic threshold sustainable speeds. Not a bad thing if it means I can keep lifting that high-end speed. The catch is I won't have much margin for error when racing. Run a bit to fast is likely to result in a big and painful slow down, rather than a slight drop in pace. The slight drop is what I am historically used to. The roster impos...

Up early for a long drive. Obviously I was in race mode. I awoke before my alarm. Out of bed with a stupid amount of energy. Even time on the Ring Road wasn't going to take anything from me. Instead I tuned into the music on the way down. Today's start clearly signalled I was back for racing, and I hadn't even reached the venue yet. It was the first genuinely cold day for the year. The weather report threatened thunder and hail. Luckily they didn't arrive, but strong winds and a few short lived downpours of rain was a reminder summer was a long way behind me. I opted for a two-part warm up. A very easy 15 minute run followed by some range of movement work an hour before race start kept me warm enough. With plenty of time, I relaxed while getting my race number, timing band and other gear together. Closer to the race start I headed out with Waz, for a real warm up. Usually I perform my warm up by myself, but today I enjoyed the company. The rain managed to make way for s...

Getting back into triathlon training has pointed one thing in particular... ...it has been a long time since I have been training for triathlon. The give away is how sore I have been in so many different areas. The training itself hasn't been too taxing. However, it is clear from the assortment of aches and pains that the body hasn't been stressed this way for some time. That's all good. Naturally my speeds in the pool and on the bike are a long way from where I want to be. No way I could expect anything else. The good news is my running seems to holding together. In answer to Ewen's question from a little while ago: I am no longer frustrated by the lack of volume in my training program. However, I have definitely been frustrated by this fact over the last few years. It was one of the key catalysts to switch to running only for a while. This Sunday I'll sneak down to Geelong for the Half Marathon race to keep my legs honest. I'm not sure how I'll go. Still g...

Triathlon, with an added dose of running races is where my training is now directed. Back in All Inclusive I outlined the base for my next goals: Long plans work for me. So I am giving myself over a year to get myself up to scratch for some long course (70.3, half-ironman) racing. My working plan is to be capable of hitting a personal best half ironman race in the 2011/12 season. The timeline is reasonable. Plus it provides a good vehicle for developing a well rounded, all-inclusive fitness base over the next year from which I can launch any new campaign from. Time to add in the numbers. Best to start with actual results. What has been my history in long course triathlon? Looking back at my recorded results was a little disappointing. I haven't recorded as many fast times as I would to think. The majority of half ironman races have been completed in the 5:01 to 5:13 range. While there had been a number of reasons such as a torn muscle, flat tires and illness contributing to this, ...

The background concept for this post is covered in The Advantages of Limitations . Now it's down to the details of optimising training. Limitations Volume: both overall and individual session Order of sessions: dictated more by available time, facilities and access Lack of frequency: there are gaps of more than two days for disciplines at times Optimisation Training articles/advice usually mention that you need to get the most out of every training session. This is something I believe is rarely achieved. We find ways to get a lot from the training, but it is only occasion do we get close to the most we can. One way to make up for this short fall is by increasing the overall training volume. High volume training being a commodity I no longer have means a change of tact. In fact there are several advantages to limited volume. Now I feel obligated to get the most I can out of each training set. Also it is now easier to do so. The overriding monotony that so often accompanies endurance...