Go Hard

The training template might not mean much to anyone other than myself without further explanation. To aid in this and give some insight into how my thought process has gone, I have added my thoughts in note form. In reality I sat down with my possible templates and scribbled notes and arrows all over the pages. The end result had to be re-written. The end result is what I present below. I know it doesn't explain everything. My attempt at that is still to come. Triathlon Temple with Notes. Triathlon Template With Notes

To a large degree routine is my friend. That said, simply doing the same week-in, week-out does not lead to my best possible race performance. I like routine, but I am not a fan of monotony. Lucky for me it almost impossible for me to do the same every week. There are plenty of reasons, but the main one is my work roster is a rotating eight days. No Monday to Sunday routine for me. Based on my 8-day week I have come up with a template for typical training week . There will naturally be plenty of necessary variation. What is presented below is what I believe is a realistic, workable, repeatable plan. It is the framework for just getting it done . Without that part, all the details become irrelevant. Triathlon Template Basic Triathlon Template Basic

Having my routine tipped upside down, shaken and then stirred has pointed out just how much I like routine. Yes, I do enjoy mixing things up, but I definitely function best with a base to work from. I just get more done when I have a working routine. I love my new life being a second time father. As the screaming, mixed up sleep, vomit and nappies begin to settle a little, I believe I have an idea of the semblance of routine my life can have on my return to work. I'm back on shift at the start of October. This will also be when I officially start my next training program. From a training point of view I will use the time until then to experiment a bit with the ideas have for the program. My enthusiasm to get right into training is skyrocketing. To avoid conflict with this enthusiasm and the other necessities of life I need to delay true training. Trying out some ideas, gives me the mental freedom to not feel like I am taking away from any area, but should fulfil that training desir...

I shouldn't be very good. My swimming over the last year and more has been minimal. There has been so little swimming that I should probably have forgotten how to. Averaging less than two swims per month won't get me very far in the first leg. Am I worried about this? Not at all, but today I was thinking about it. The catalyst was that I actually hit the water and followed the black line for a short distance. Being two weeks since my last swim I assumed that at best I would be able to maintain what was possible last time. Now the times and distances are a far cry from my past and what is required my goal. You have to start somewhere. In swimming I feel like I am starting over again. With that said, I can report I am much better than two weeks ago. An extra couple of repeats, less rest and faster over all, combined with not feeling like I'd destroyed my shoulder and lats this time show improvement. This got a few neurons firing. What else has helped my swimming? It could sim...

There is some semblance of a routine in my life again. With that also comes the possibility of being able to think about a plan. Over the last couple of days plenty of ideas for training have flicked through my mind, almost like a slide show. I am far from settled on any particular plan. Choosing an actual race or races to aim for would be a start. Without that everything else is simply possibilities. Good training isn't built on possibilities, it needs something more concrete. Structured training won't start until October so I have plenty of time work out where I want to be.

When dark chocolate, red wine and the footy wins out over training without any guilt trip.

Currently my program doesn't resemble a program. There is no planning ahead. Often I don't know what a session will involve until well into it. I am loving this bit of freedom. The volume is low, but the intensity has been well up. This hasn't been deliberate. Just that going hard or harder feels so good. As a result I am noticing a couple of distinct changes to how I respond to individual sessions. First it is getting easier to push hard within a session. There is no longer that almost invisible wall of heavy fatigue that is limiting my top end. Second is everything hurts that much more during the recovery phase. For the rest of the day and sometimes into the next it is more about a level of pain instead of overall fatigue. The good news is it is obvious when my body has recovered. Such a contrast. Will this lead to better racing?

I'm spending more time on strength and conditioning work than anything too specific to triathlon. Even though I'm only getting about an extra 30 minutes per week more of strength training, I'm definitely getting a lot stronger. For the variety and just plain enjoyment I've been doing a bit of crossfit style work. It's provides a good slant on training so I won't go into it's pros an cons now. I'll just leave you with the following video: http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=AU#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=rgH_ZoMOht8

YouTube Video