Well I am starting to set my sights on races for this coming season. I know for sure that I will be attending the first National Sprint Triathlon Championship at Pacific Grove. I have looked at the course records and I have no doubt that I will break them. I’m not trying to be cocky but rather that I am confident that my determination and training preparation will render all those who oppose null and void :). Depending on my financial situation I will also attend the Age Group Nationals which are being hosted on the opposite side of the country.
Now that Im pumped up Ill speak some honest truth. My training has hit a few plateaus this winter. Im going to let you in on a few things that I have found to work wonders on breaking them. Ill break it down by sport. Please consult a physician before attempting any workouts I am not a training professional
Swimming- I have found that sets of very fast 25yd Butterfly has really done wonders for my power in the pool. I will say that after 10 or even 20 lengths of butterfly I am dying but the next workout after a recovery I find that my freestyle speed is much easier to maintain. Give it a try.
Cycling- Most people say hill sets will really help break any plateau. The problem I see with this is that you end up pushing your mental /strenght barriers as well physical ones. Another option is very easy. Go out and do a ride for fun. Seriously, hop on the bike and just go somewhere. Enjoy the sights and pick a destination that you want to go to. I find that biking to and from a coffee shop or even McDonalds across town does wonders. You remember why you started biking in the first place.
Running- Sadly this is the opposite of my biking advice. I have found, thus far, that only intensive asymetrical training really breaks you through a lull. I have been experimenting with race pace intervals in my 70% HR max runs. Its killer but I’ve found that personally slow runs only make the situation worse. Gotta pay to play.
Good luck to everyone training. Except if you are going to Pacific Grove in September
Well after a 45 mile ride yesterday I thought I might give everybody some insight in to how I keep track of all my running and cycling workouts. The ride was great. I planned to only do a 20k at a 90% effort level but I caught up with a mass of riders from the Vancouver Bicycle Club. I rode with them for about 10 miles but on one of the large climbs I attacked and completely dusted them Because of that, I didn’t know where the route went after and I lost the group. I continued on my ride and caught up with another group from my old cycling team North River Racing. It was good to catch up with some of the guys and the pace was much better than the VBC group. I’m looking forward to training with them more.
After the bike ride and a little nap I hit the gym for a 40 minute 10k which equates to roughly a 80-90% effort? Well anyways it felt very good considering I had biked 45 miles earlier that day. Well off for another day of training. I love this.
So today started as a normal day but quickly became an intense one. I began the day recording the video you will see soon discussing my data collection during run and bike workouts. After that I hit the road for what was going to be a nice 10k. It turned into an all-out run. After coming home and recovering, I went to the gym for “just a swim”. Well some fool in the pool thought it would be fun to race me. I had to crush those dreams. Because of that I ended up with about 1500 yards at near race pace. Being all fired up I decided to hit the stationary bikes. 30 minutes later I decided “lets do a brick” so I went and did a 19min 5k immediately after the bike workout. Needless to say Im tired but as determined and fired up as ever!
Its getting pretty close to the race at this point. Yesterday was a good day. I went on a short sprint early in the morning to get more of an idea of what my realistic top speed is. I was able to eek out a sub 8 minute 1.5mile loop. I was pretty happy with that to say the least. After the run I hit the bike for an 80-90% effort ride. I ended up with a 29 minute 12.4 mile. Thats pretty decent considering the course I’ve been using has a couple hills thrown into it. Thus far today I’ve only done some weight lifting. Im heading out on my bike then depending on the night’s social situation I may head to the gym for a second time.
On another note, I ordered my first wetsuit. A 2XU V:1 Velocity. Its a freakin awesome wetsuit. Look for a review in the near future. Also please leave me some comments and let me know what kind of workout ideas or product reviews you guys would like to see me do podcasts of!
I am not a training professional
Because of that, I didn’t know where the route went after and I lost the group. I continued on my ride and caught up with another group from my old cycling team North River Racing. It was good to catch up with some of the guys and the pace was much better than the VBC group. I’m looking forward to training with them more.
