Standard Deviation

Kurt Godel

Thurs 3,500m swim

The pool has been closed for Xmas and New Years, and is only open short hours this week, but even at 10:05am it was packed. There was a father and daughter doing Fly drills in the one roped lane, but they kindly offered to share, and we didn't seem to impact much on what the other was doing in the end.

I had in mind that I need to work from the ground up, and that means volume- technique and drills will wait until the coached lessons start next week.

5*400m off 8 mins (in 7:20, 7:37, 7:30, 7:43, 7:32)
3*400m with more rest/chat in between (in 8:11, 7:58, 8:05)
Drills

Thurs PM 72 mins turbo plus 60 mins turbo later

Smoke 'em if ya got 'em. I found the house empty, my business done for the day, and I'm ahead of the curve college wise, so time to reward myself with a nice beer... oop's, can't do that for a while, jump on the turbo for a bit instead. (edit, couldn't sit still later, another easy spin)
In other news, I bought a weighing scales, which told me I'm 95kg... south of 90kg by February, there's my first little goal.

Kurt Godel

Fri 3,600m swim

750m warm up
250m drills
5*100m off 2:00 (in 1:43, 1:48, 1:47, 1:49, 1:50)
50m easy
5*100m off 1:55 (in 1:43, 1:45, 1:46, 1:48, 1:45)
50m easy
5*100m off 2:00 (in 1:46, 1:54, 1:57, 1:58, 1:54)
400m easy
600m drills

The pool does wonders for my back, so I was delighted to get the opportunity to go again today. No lingering issues or aches from yesterday's first swim in a while, just eagerness to get on with things and start the process of swimming faster again. The first set of 100's felt good enough, the second stung a little, and the third were done on tired arms. The drills, done efficiently but slowly, just emphasise how far from grace my form has fallen.

shotgunmcos

Kurt Godel wrote: »

....... the second stung a little, and the third were done on tired arms. The drills, done efficiently but slowly, just emphasise how far from grace my form has fallen.

+1 know how you feel. Same type of RPE in the pool this morning myself. OK, sting, ouch! All for the same slow pace

So you planning on making the SBR swim prime interesting this year? Fazz was out of sight by 200km :eek: last year

Kurt Godel

Thurs PM 10k run 52:52

This was to be an easy run along the forest trails, but even at 5:20/km pace, it felt a lot more difficult than it should. No doubt some of this is attributed to going from zilch to double days way too fast, but a large part is down to, well, the large part of excess Xmas largesse being portered around. Otherwise, I'm happy, its felt good to be running, a couple of days after I couldn't stand up straight with a bad back.

shotgunmcos wrote: »

So you planning on making the SBR swim prime interesting this year? Fazz was out of sight by 200km :eek: last year

Not a hope! I'm just working on getting through January, if I have the same enthusiasm after a month then I'll be happy. Anyone can put up good numbers in the first flush of Janaury and the fresh start of a New Year- but what matters is to keep those numbers consistent after 4 months, then after 8 months. It remains to be seen if I have the consistency to maintain Fazzesque swim numbers- history would say I don't, I'll get bored and hit the bottle in a few weeks...;) One month at a time, its very early days yet!

Kurt Godel

Sat 7.26km run (5:09 min/km pace); 65 mins turbo

This run seemed a lot easier than yesterdays, effortless in comparison, but was in fact at a faster pace. I'll keep everything slower than 5min/km for a while, any harder sessions will be with the non-impact pool or bike.
The turbo spin after was moderate effort, watching "Deadwood" from the start, and for the first time- looks like decent turbo fodder for the next while.

Kurt Godel

Sun 3,500 swim; 65 min turbo

I ended a good week with a decent swim, a descending 1,000/800/600/400/200m off 20/16/12/8/4mins. Pace was 1:55/1:53/1:51/1:52/1:48, which I'm pleased enough about. Its a nice session to do, I considered breathing, forearm catch, and high elbow throughout. Finished with 500m warm-down.

65 mins on the turbo in the evening, to finish out the week with a decent start to 2014, let's see if I can continue it for a while.

Weekly Summary|Session|Comment

Monday||
Tuesday||
Wednesday 1st Jan|70min turbo|Easy effort
Thursday|3,500 swim; 132min turbo|Solid base swim, two separate turbo easy
Friday|3,600m swim; 10k run|3x(5x100) descending off 2:00,1:55,2:00. Crap, easy run, 52:52, felt tired.
Saturday|7.26k run; 65 min turbo| Easy run, but felt much better than yesterday.
Sunday|3,500 swim, 65min turbo| 100/800/600/400/200 off 2:00 pace, felt good throughout.

Weekly km|Swim 10.6k Bike 155k Run 17.26k|Decent start to base work, volume over effort at the moment
2014 km|Swim 10.6k Bike 155k Run 17.26k

Kurt Godel

Mon 10k run 4:56 min/km pace

This was done in swirling winds along the soggy forest trails, the pace was steady, and faster than anything I've done in a while. It hurt towards the end, I had to lie to myself to finish km's 7, 8. and 9. This sort of time will seem a doddle once the weight has shifted, but I've a way's to go just yet.

Dory Dory

Lies.....oh the lies we tell ourselves!!

Edit: referring to the lies to finish km's 7, 8, and 9.....and not the doddle/shifting weight thing.

Kurt Godel

Dory Dory wrote: »

Lies.....oh the lies we tell ourselves!!

It helps if you're gullible, which thankfully I am. Whatever gets you through the session!

Mon pm 53 mins turbo

Steady spinning.

I took my two kids to their first proper swim session- they have joined the local club after a year of Saturday morning lessons. What a difference! They must have done about 50 lengths, as opposed to the usual Saturday 10 or 20. All done at a much faster pace, sometimes with flippers and bouys, with faster swimmers... they were beat at the end, but are looking forward to Wednesday's session. Great little fishies!

Kurt Godel

Tue 3,500m swim

Another descending 1000/800/600/400/200, this time with less rest then Sundays one, so off 19:30/15:30/11:50/7:55. Pace was 1:53/1:52/1:53/1:53/1:47, and the whole kit and kaboodle came in 1:30 faster than two days ago (3k in 58:26, including the rests). I'm pleased with this, because I was trying out a more controlled stroke, and I held form in the latter stages far better. Last night, I watched the little fishies getting coaching advice, and from my seat on the sidelines I could see what was immediately working. My son was advised to correct his stroke in a certain way, and immediately took off like a rocket, so I had this correction in mind today, and it seemed to work for me in general.

Tue PM 5.82km recovery run 33:01

Loads and loads of headlamps and hi-viz jackets at the carpark, for a club night run around the first section of the Tinahely Duathlon. I took this at a leisurely recovery pace, and switched off my lamp when I was alone running back along through the forest- there was magical light from the half-moon, and Orion watching over me.

griffin100

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Tue 3,500m swim

Another descending 1000/800/600/400/200, this time with less rest then Sundays one, so off 19:30/15:30/11:50/7:55. Pace was 1:53/1:52/1:53/1:53/1:47, and the whole kit and kaboodle came in 1:30 faster than two days ago (3k in 58:26, including the rests). I'm pleased with this, because I was trying out a more controlled stroke, and I held form in the latter stages far better. Last night, I watched the little fishies getting coaching advice, and from my seat on the sidelines I could see what was immediately working. My son was advised to correct his stroke in a certain way, and immediately took off like a rocket, so I had this correction in mind today, and it seemed to work for me in general.

That's a big improvement in a short space of time. Are you thinking about Beginnish Island swim this year? I'd like to give it a go myself although Wicklow Harbor may not be representative of the likely conditions and Courtown may be a better OW swim venue.

Kurt Godel

griffin100 wrote: »

That's a big improvement in a short space of time. Are you thinking about Beginnish Island swim this year? I'd like to give it a go myself although Wicklow Harbor may not be representative of the likely conditions and Courtown may be a better OW swim venue.

I reckon a lot of bad habits need to addressed in my stroke, so there should be large gains to me made over the next while. Certainly today I felt a lot stronger finishing off the session, with the stroke correction I did.

Not sure about Beginish swim, the long stuff isn't a goal at all at the moment. Who knows though, its certainly on the bucket list. Courttown is a tough place for the swimming, its got strong currents at times- you fly down in one direction and stay put on the return. Its certainly tougher OW than the Wicklow Harbour; I reckon I'll swing between both once OW training starts.

griffin100

Hopefully OW training will start in May this year if the temperature doesn't drop too low. Stopping off in Wicklow Harbour on the way home from work during the long hot summer of 2013 was definitely a highlight of the year.

Not sure about a long swim for this year myself. I'd like to give Beginnish a go but no sign of a date yet and I'd hate to train for it and have it cancelled again. Warrior Of The Sea again is tempting but it's a week before Shadowman IM and I'm tempted to do this so might not suit to do two long distance events so close together.

Kurt Godel

Wed 60 mins easy turbo; 2,000m coached swim

The lunchtime turbo was just my usual leg-turner, no great stress. I'll start introducing real turbo work soon, but for the moment, regular spinning suits my base-building objectives.

This evening was the first of our club swim sessions, under a new coach. Everyone was eager to get going again, and there's a good mix of ability between the two lanes. After a brief "getting to know you" talk, we were off and at it, warm-up, drills, and on to 3*(100pace-75fast-50slow-25sprint). Not a whole load done, but what was done felt like hard work, and there was a good buzz afterwards in the dressing rooms. Having someone who knows their stuff watch over you is a godsend- I got some reminders of what I do wrong with my stroke. I want to make a lot of progress over the next 15 weeks, and tonight was a nice taste of whats in store.

shotgunmcos

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Tue

Another descending 1000/800/600/400/200, this time with less rest then Sundays one, so off 19:30/15:30/11:50/7:55. Pace was 1:53/1:52/1:53/1:53/1:47,.

Ok I might be lynched for saying this but that's not a real descending set..*ducks*.

Swimming the same pace (approx) for less distance reps I guess will help the aerobic system but not quite stamina. Fair enough you are dropping the rests a bit from last time but you may as well just swim the 3k steady.

Why not make the RTs more challenging as you go on? Aiming to finish 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, secs under the Target RT. Aiming to drop the pace from say 1:55 to 1:50, 1:45, 1:40 and 1:35 for the 200. So that would mean going off
19:40, 15:05, 10:50, 6:50, 3:20...

Rounded to 19:30, 15, 11, 7, 3:20. Basically the rep get shorter but the pace gets faster. My interpretation of "descending" I'm sure interested will put me back in my place though :cool:

Kurt Godel

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Ok I might be lynched for saying this but that's not a real descending set..*ducks*.

Swimming the same pace (approx) for less distance reps I guess will help the aerobic system but not quite stamina. Fair enough you are dropping the rests a bit from last time but you may as well just swim the 3k steady.

Why not make the RTs more challenging as you go on? Aiming to finish 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, secs under the Target RT. Aiming to drop the pace from say 1:55 to 1:50, 1:45, 1:40 and 1:35 for the 200. So that would mean going off
19:40, 15:05, 10:50, 6:50, 3:20...

Rounded to 19:30, 15, 11, 7, 3:20. Basically the rep get shorter but the pace gets faster. My interpretation of "descending" I'm sure interested will put me back in my place though :cool:

You're dead right, even as I typed "descending" I knew it was a bastardization of the swimming term. A subconscious plea to be corrected, a lá last year, no doubt;)

There's not a lot of quality in what I'm doing (in any discipline) at the moment, besides sheers volume. I'm content with that for these first couple of weeks, which are all about getting back to a training routine, but this can't last forever. The main purpose in this swim set is to hit 3k under 60 mins, while holding form, and stopping for a little rest as I do has helped hold form towards the end. That's the main benefit in it- as you say, a better benefit would have the pace descending, and that's a goal for sure. Likewise, holding the same (faster) pace, but doing the set in reverse would also be more useful.

I really appreciate your input by the way- always and any time you see something you feel you could comment on, please don't hesitate to do so! The only reason I made any swim progress last year was from similar types of comments.

Kurt Godel

Thurs 9.36k fartlek run

Running remains my achilles heel, literally and metaphorically. An easy 2k jog up to the local football field had me doing fast/slow laps on the soft grass, before jogging back. The legs felt good on the grass, although they seem a bit tight now. I'm hoping this is just stress issues that will dissipate as the weight falls off. Anyway, the main thing is that I can actually get some running done- knee issues seem to be behind me, and as long as I can get out for around 35k running a week, I'll be content with that for the moment.

Kurt Godel

Thurs pm 3,200m Masters swim

Our new coach runs a Masters session on Thursdays and invited me along... for something completely different. Warm-up, then 10*50m kick up, swim back. I've as much kick in me as a lukewarm glass of milk at an AlAnon meeting, so the legs sort of felt this one. They'll feel it more tomorrow. Next into the main set, which alternated swims with conditioning and core work on the deck. These guys could press- I can't press. These guys could sit up- I can't sit up. These guys could plank- I can't plank... you get the drift. Anyway, I did what I could, and as I mentioned, I'll be sore tomorrow. I'm very much out of my depth in this group, but that's a good thing. So long as they'll have me back, I'll determine to put on a better showing over the next few weeks.

Kurt Godel

Fri 11k steady run @ 5:04 pace

Miserable, wet, dark, cold, waterlogged day that it is, I bundled up against the dank rain and hit the forest trails. My heel felt good throughout- methinks because of the pool stretching last night. This run felt better than any I've done in a while- I started easy and moved to steady pace as it progressed. There was a certain confidence returning to my stride- but rolls of blubber are still holding me back from anything resembling a runner. Going in the right direction, though.

Fri PM 65 mins turbo

Steady pace, legs feel looser after it.

Oryx

You describe yourself as whale-like. Is it really that bad, or are you just looking for compliments/sympathy?

Kurt Godel

Oryx wrote: »

You describe yourself as whale-like. Is it really that bad, or are you just looking for compliments/sympathy?

It's really that bad:) 94.6kg on 1st January, having piled on the weight the previous two months. Double chin, many wobbly bits, and the training bra doesn't fit anymore. No sympathy required, it is what it is, and I'm dealing with it in the correct manner (volume at moderate intensity). Usually if I put on weight quickly, I can take it off again quick, so I hope to be around 90kg by February. There is a benefit to running with weight, in that its an extra stress like running with a backpack- you just need to be careful about stress injuries.

Dory Dory

It always amazes me how quick and easy it is to put on the weight, but then how slow (and sometimes difficult) it can be to take it off. :mad:

But on another note....maybe your training bra woes can be remedied by this :

Kurt Godel

^ Ah the manssiere, a stable of the portly chap's wardrobe.

Sat 2.5k swim, 57 mins turbo

Swim drills, turbo spinning.

Kurt Godel

Sun 4k swim (including 3.225k in an hour)

I've had MCOS's post above on my mind for a few days now, it had me thinking about holding form over distance. I knew I could hold form for 3k while taking breaks, but a better test would be doing it straight. He logged a 3.4km swim in an hour (LC), so I figured I'd give it a shot too, to see where I'm at (in my SC pool). This was only decided about 500m into the swim, the pool was packed and I was sharing a lane with a breast-stroker, which meant my intended sets of 100's wouldn't get done today. I kept going and checked the watch at 20 minutes, by which time I was about 1,110m done.

The second kilometer was harder, as form was starting to dip, but I concentrated on three things: breathing (constantly exhaling), high elbow, and a tight stick of liquorice. Probably swam 1,050m for this split, so I knew I had to not let form and speed drop too much over the last km if I wanted to hit my target (3.2km). It wasn't extremely difficult to hold form till the finish, it just took a little extra concentration. I reached 3k in 55:57, which is a marker of sorts, and kept going to see what I could fit in. Getting 3.225k for the hour is pretty good for where I am in training, so I have to be pleased with this swim.

Oryx

Liquorice?

Kurt Godel

Oryx wrote: »

Liquorice?

You have a piece of liquorice between your chest and your belly (you mustn't have been paying attention in biology class), and you aim to stretch it as you swim. This has the effect of keeping you high and straight in the water.

Kurt Godel

Sun PM 65mins turbo, 7.8k run

This was my first bric in ages, and the run part felt fine starting off- that's probably more a comment on the easy intensity of the spinning. From next week, I'll start bringing in some intensity to the bike work.

The achilles started to hurt a bit after a few steep hills, but some squats just now seem to have helped. I'll have to note that, and do more squats.

Weekly Summary|Session|Comment

Monday|10k run @4:56 pace; 53mins turbo|The run felt tough enough.
Tuesday|3.5k swim; 5.85k run@5:41 pace|1000/800/600/400/200 58:26 including rests, form was good. Recovery run.
Wednesday|60 mins easy turbo; 2,000m coached swim|First time with JK, 3*(100pace-75fast-50slow-25sprint)
Thursday|9.36k run; 3,200 swim|Fartlek in field; Masters swim- found the deck-work tough!
Friday|11k run@ 5:04; 65mins turbo|Picked up the run pace towards the end
Saturday|2.5k swim; 57 mins turbo| Swim drills.
Sunday|4k swim; 65min turbo+7.8k run|Straight swim, 3.225k in 60mins. Bric session, run felt ok.

Weekly km|Swim 15.2k Bike 135k Run 43.99k|A good week again, continuing base work
2014 km|Swim 25.8k Bike 290k Run 61.25k

Kurt Godel

Mon 2hr turbo, SufferFest IWBMATTKYT

The return of the Sweat-O-Meter, and tough work on the turbo. This 2-hour climbing workout was freshly downloaded today, and provides good structure to not notice a long turbo workout go by. It's got a lot of long, steady, climbing in it, and just enough of a grudge storyline that you'll hate some riders by the end of it. Feckin' Columbians.

Kurt Godel

Tue 2,250m swim

Mainly drills. My shoulders were stiff after the long bike last night, this seemed to help them a bit. We've a 400mTT tomorrow in the pool, which I'm dreading, I'll aim for under 6:40, but no idea really what shape I'm in. It's going to hurt from 150m on...

Speaking of hurt, my bloody calf and achilles are still sore and tight after running uphill a couple of days ago. (The knee feels great, though). I may have to quit running for a while, its just one thing after another.

Tue PM 6.85k easy run

Club run, I decided to head along after foam rolling the calf, ouch. It didn't really hinder my run (circa 5:15 pace), but I bet it'll be tight tomorrow. No bother, so long as I can swim and bike a bit, thats the main thing right now.

Kurt Godel

Wed 2,500m swim incl 400mTT in 6:36

There will be three 400m TT's in the 15 week training block our coach has done up, which will be useful to gauge progress. I was dreading this first one, as I haven't been doing many sets recently, so my idea of holding form under pressure would be tested, as would my pacing skills (or lack thereof). Sure enough, I bolted the first 100, or died a death after. Splits were 1:26, 1:34, 1:47, 1:49, which tell their own story. That said, I'm pleased enough, as I had figured around 6:40 at best, and there's a free 10 seconds there to take off with better pacing.