Go Hard

In all my years of triathlon, there was really only a very short period where I have been truly happy about my swimming. Most of the time I have been a middle-packer. On the rare occasion I have been able to get into the front group. My current approach to training is to get back to what has worked in the past. I swim like a runner. Always have, and always will to some extent. I accept that I will never set national or even state level times in the pool. My body isn't built to excel in the water. Stiff ankles, short, levers not at the best ratio and a centre-of-gravity to centre-of-buoyancy mismatch. That's okay since I know I can do well enough in the water during a triathlon. What has worked in the past? Unfortunately the simplest answer is volume. The more volume I did in the water, the better I did in the first leg in races. Swimming fives times per week at 3-5km per session worked. On the odd occasion I even managed to up that with a couple of double swim days when the leg...

2010 has been a full year. Moving house twice and adding to the family means my world hasn't been grounded in much routine. In the past I have mentioned I relish a certain degree of routine. So I am appreciating life settling down to something which I would now call normal. At least my version of normal. Next year we are hoping to get in a couple of decent holidays too. With that in the planning and my leave roster finally being released, I can now start to think how the next year is likely to be structured. Time to review the goals I set back in April this year. ( Training Document - Page 1 ) MAIN GOAL: Race a Personal Best at a Half Ironman/70.3 Triathlon in the 2011/12 season. Previous PB: 4:35:39 Canberra City Half Ironman 2000, 1.9/90.1/21.1km: Swim: 0:30:18 Bike: 2:36:19 Run: 1:29:02 GUIDING ELEMENTS · Consistency · Make the most of each day, and in turn each year · Break it down into manageable chunks · Ensure progression · Rest is a relative term · Maintain balance between ...

Doing a bunch of short, fast sessions over a few weeks got me a little closer to my goals. I have reintroduced my body to training across a three discipline sport. It's now time to set up the structure to get the most out races. The intent is the following plan should form the basics of my training. It should be repeatable, doable and lead to progression. Structure Still rostered on an 8 day cycle. I now believe following this cycle works best, otherwise I would be fighting against the rest of my life. Usually my work runs the following: 10hr day shift 10hr day shift 12hr day-evening shift 14hr night shift half day off, since the night finishes at 7am. off off off Key Sessions The basics work, so I'll focus on those. For each discipline (swim, bike, run) I will dedicate a longer, endurance style workout, plus a higher intensity effort usually with intervals. Next in line are two general strength sessions. That gives 8 workouts in 8 days to get in. I hope to complete a few doubl...

Before I get into the topic of the post, I have confirmation of my results at the Eltham 10km. 9th place overall in 39:31. Less Training When attempting to really bump up the training load by adding some very high intensity work, there are a number of risks. The obvious and most quoted is that of injury (higher joint loads = higher risk of damage). There is also the suggestion there is a greater risk of overtraining, which for the most part I dispute. My main concern is the problem of less training, and more importantly, less specific training. My concerns won't relate to everyone, but this blog is about my own training. Importantly I am trying to work out what training will give me the best results. False Fitness High intensity does develop the ability to go fast. So much so I strongly believe it must be incorporated into the program to some degree. Being able to travel fast can only be used to effect if it is supported by the more sustained paces and endurance required in a race...

With the intention over many years of participating in this run, I finally managed it. With all the different events I have raced, it is strange that I hadn't run the one that is consistently the closest to home (even with moving house). Prelude Being close to home, I cycled the handful of kilometres. A nice novelty. Perfect weather was setting up the day. Sunny and warm, but not hot. My warm up didn't have me feeling how I like. I wasn't feeling like a runner. The triathlon training was having me feel more like a triathlete. While that is my overall aim, this morning I wanted to be a runner. It became clear I wasn't going to feel fast prior to the race, so I cut my losses. I cut out the faster component of the warm up and hoped I would just feel fresh. You must stretch The start line was a little crowded for a small race. The actual start was delayed by a few minutes for the so-called warm up as an aerobic instructor repeatedly complained not enough people were doing ...

A few weeks and cycles of training have been put together. Fitness has accumulated. The old neural pathways in swimming and cycling have had the road blocks removed. I have hit some quite fast sessions (albeit, for very short distances). Most importantly I have some regular training completed. Because my lifestyle is different, I didn't know exactly how everything would fit, and whether or not it work as I hoped. With a bit of experience I think I have more of an idea. In my original template, there is definitely a lot that works. The main aspect is where and when I allocate training time. The format works for me. What won't continue working for me is a lot of the content of the sessions. I am happy with what I done over the last few weeks. It has helped me get back into feeling more like a triathlete. On the other hand, my training needs to adapt to progress beyond what I have gained so far. The main change will be move to some longer, more sustained efforts. The short, relati...