Underachievers Please Try Harder

mossym

zico10 wrote: »

I hope you (& mossym) take this in the spirit it is intended.

no offense taken, the above is meant as a meal, not a snack. just a variation on normal porridge to add variety.

RJM85

Monday
Swim - 1 hr - 3km. same set as last Thursday. lots of fast 50's. legs tired from the race the day before

Bike - 75 mins. Easy spinning HR below 125. Easy power appears to be creeping up nicely.

Tuesday
S&C - 45mins mostly upper body stuff. some new lifts that left me sore in places I wasn't expecting. felt almost like i had bruised ribs on wednesday!

Bike - Turbo - 90 mins. LT intervals. Working harder than expected to hit HR targets.

Run - 20mins. Easy off the bike.

Wednesday

Swim - 1hr - 3k. Aerobic stuff with a couple of fast short efforts thrown in. Main set with pulling gear. I've been using fins in my kick sets due to the fact that my kick is pretty slow. Was told on Wednesday morning that fins weren't allowed (even though I was in the lane on my own, and I've been using them in that pool for the last 6 weeks with nodody commenting!).

Run - 70 min. Progressive efforts based on HR and pace. Bit ploddy and feeling tired, but did a decent job.

Thursday
S&C 45mins - mix of barbell stuff, lunges, bodyweight. Tough, but I'm enjoying these sessions.

Was shattered by the time I could get up on the bike Thursday night. Work is manic, and I'm probably guilty of burning the candle at both ends from time to time. Skipped the planned turbo and brick run in favour of an early night and said that I'd do them Friday if feeling ok.

Friday
Swim - 1hr - 3.5k. Long steady intervals.

Run - 40 mins - hill reps.

Bike 90 mins - BG intervals.

Run - 20 mins - easy off the bike.

RJM85

Saturday

Run - 90 mins. Steady with a weighted pack. Good, relaxed run. Decent form.

Sunday

Bike - 4hrs. Some BG stuff followed by 90+ cadence. Good spin & lovely day for it. Could have done with a second bidon.

Run - 15 mins off the bike with some sprints.

Totals:
Swim: 2hrs 50
Bike: 8hrs 20
Run: 4hrs 20
S&C: 90 mins
Total: 17hrs

Good week. Hit every session (apart from an optional post long run swim), and seeing progress on all fronts. Weight is 78.2kg (I dread to think what I was in December!) so 4kgs to lose before I'm in the August ballpark and then another 2kgs till I'm in the region I want to be.

RJM85

Saturday

Run - 90 mins. Steady with a weighted pack. Good, relaxed run. Decent form.

Sunday

Bike - 4hrs. Some BG stuff followed by 90+ cadence. Good spin & lovely day for it. Could have done with a second bidon.

Run - 15 mins off the bike with some sprints.

Totals:
Swim: 2hrs 50
Bike: 8hrs 20
Run: 4hrs 20
S&C: 90 mins
Total: 17hrs

Good week. Hit every session (apart from an optional post long run swim), and seeing progress on all fronts. Weight is 78.2kg (I dread to think what I was in December!) so 4kgs to lose before I'm in the August ballpark and then another 2kgs till I'm in the region I want to be.

MD1983

RJM85 wrote: »

Saturday

Run - 90 mins. Steady with a weighted pack. Good, relaxed run. Decent form.

Sunday

Bike - 4hrs. Some BG stuff followed by 90+ cadence. Good spin & lovely day for it. Could have done with a second bidon.

Run - 15 mins off the bike with some sprints.

Totals:
Swim: 2hrs 50
Bike: 8hrs 20
Run: 4hrs 20
S&C: 90 mins
Total: 17hrs

Good week. Hit every session (apart from an optional post long run swim), and seeing progress on all fronts. Weight is 78.2kg (I dread to think what I was in December!) so 4kgs to lose before I'm in the August ballpark and then another 2kgs till I'm in the region I want to be.

Jeez you are talking about losing a fair percentage of your body weight there, target seems to be 72kg?

RJM85

Jeez you are talking about losing a fair percentage of your body weight there, target seems to be 72kg?[/quote]

Yeah, about that. I've been at 72kg before, and a little lower, but that was a good running weight, and done sensibly there's plenty of fat to be lost to get there.

joey100

What's the idea of the run with the weighted pack RJM? How do you find the legs hold up doing it?

RJM85

joey100 wrote: »

What's the idea of the run with the weighted pack RJM? How do you find the legs hold up doing it?

Add your reply here.

It's a substitute for an off road mountain run which just takes too much time out of the day with etc. There was definitely a notciable difference over the course of the run in that I felt I tired quicker than I would normally. It also (I think) encouraged me to run with better form.

RJM85

Currently reviewing my options for an alternative A race given the delays with Dublin. At this stage, even if the race goes ahead I need to consider how much confidence you can have that it'll be worth spending a not inconsiderable entry fee on.

Considering a full IM...

joey100

I'm the same, at this stage it's hard to plan for it with very little information being given out. Pity though, was looking forward to it too, looked like a good event last year. I'm holding off on the full for now though!

What full are you looking at??

pgibbo

A lot of the main IMs are sold out for 2016. Even Nirvana places are gone for some. Don't wait too long

rodneyr1981

RJM85 wrote:

Considering a full IM...

Which were you considering? Options limited at this stage. I missed the boat on barca so may be Mallorca. Still available direct. Nirvana have a waiting list for some races but could be very late in the day before you get confirmation..

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Lanza, UK Bolton, Switzerland, Limburg or Vichy are probably your best bet. Unless the budget stretches to Mont Tremblant

RJM85

Still doing my research, and haven't mentioned it to the boss yet (coach says go though!). I have friends in Maastricht and Bolton who are around and have a bed for me on the weekends in question, so they're the most budget friendly options with added bonus of seeing mates I don't see that often. Wales or Weymouth are also possibilities I have 75 easy minutes on the turbo this evening to do some looking around.

RJM85

I have to admit that I'm far more excited by this idea than by Dublin.

RJM85

Looking like Maastricht - Limburg on 31st July as the new A race. I have put forward a strong proposal in the negotiations with the boss and her initial reaction has been favourable.

Approval to do the race will cost me more than actually getting to the race.

mossym

RJM85 wrote: »

Approval to do the race will cost me more than actually getting to the race.

is there ever a case where it doesn't.

joey100

I'm looking at going long next year, race entry around 550 euro, cost of getting the approval to do the race is a French Bulldog, around 1500 euro and a dogs lifetime of vet bills. THe pain and suffering of the race and training will be over in a few months plus 11 hours, the pain of paying for the dog will take years.

Not too far away, will the training ramp up much?

Looks like a nice race, not as flat as I thought it would be either. Fingers crossed you get the approval to go!

RJM85

In terms of hours I can't see that I can manage many more hours than I'm already doing. Have 19hrs in the plan for this week. As I understand it, the intensity will have to increase a bit and I'll probably have to increase the long run a good bit - I know some of the coach's other guys do 3hr runs fairly regularly. It'll obviously depend on how much the more important things in life will allow. To a certain extent the unknown of a full IM takes the pressure off a little whereas a 70.3 I'd be disappointed with anything lower than an AG podium.

rodneyr1981

RJM85 wrote:

Approval to do the race will cost me more than actually getting to the race.

So true :-)

griffin100

What are you looking for in a full distance race? If a post race holiday, Kona qualification, race day razzmatazz and a course that will give you a sub 9 / 10 are not key then consider Hardman. Ok, it's small, a bit rough around the edges and the bike is only 175km But for someone like you RJM it's race you could be targeting a victory or a podium spot in - based on previous years anything close to 10hrs puts you in the frame for a victory - and it's cheap cheap cheap. The big disadvantage is that it can't compare to a big European race for race day atmosphere and the overall experience, but as a race I love it.

RJM85

griffin100 wrote: »

What are you looking for in a full distance race? If a post race holiday, Kona qualification, race day razzmatazz and a course that will give you a sub 9 / 10 are not key then consider Hardman. Ok, it's small, a bit rough around the edges and the bike is only 175km But for someone like you RJM it's race you could be targeting a victory or a podium spot in - based on previous years anything close to 10hrs puts you in the frame for a victory - and it's cheap cheap cheap. The big disadvantage is that it can't compare to a big European race for race day atmosphere and the overall experience, but as a race I love it.

Add your reply here.

I have actually considered it previously, and I do have half an idea that I might try and incorporate it into a family holiday down the country when the kids are a little older.

The benefit of Maastricht is that aside from race entry, all I have to do is pay to get there and flights are working out prety cheap. I also want to get a picture of how far away from a KQ I am. None of the Kona slots from my AG went to what look like stratospherically fast performances on paper, and in theory I'm capapable of a 1hr swim, 5hr bike and low 3marathon, but the real test is putting it all together. There's a huge difference between 305 fresh and 305 after 180k on a bike!

joey100

Say you got a Kona spot would you take it?

RJM85

That would come down to money I think. I can't see that I might get a KQ on my first go, but in the unlikely event that I did I would have to try and figure out whether I could fund the trip.

RJM85

😱

joey100

Good man, looking forward to seeing your training for it and how you get on over there. Even better is that it might take you out of some of the races I had been looking at during the summer, hopefully bump me up a place or two!

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Welcome to the 5/6hr weekend early morning cycle club.

RJM85

Monday



Swim – 1hr – 3k - Main set of 50s & 200s. Bit of a slog this morning and a bit tired (more big day yesterday than feeling run down tired if that makes sense). Probably spent more time at the wall than I should have - got it done!



Bike – 75min – easy spinning. Spent the time googling races and flights.



Tuesday

Missed my morning gym session due to unavoidable spousal / parenting duties.



Bike – 90 mins – short hard intervals. Session was interrupted a couple of times - Connor woke and needed to be settled. Otherwise went well. The 90 minutes passed pretty quickly and I was in a good frame of mind for it.



Run – 20 mins - Delayed getting out to the run as Connor woke again. Cold and lashing rain - but a good one to have in the bank!



Wednesday

Swim – 1hr – 2.5k – Main set of fast 50s. Coming down with a bit of a cold and the session was a bit of a slog.



Run – 1hr – 10 x 800m. Good session; running well and happy enough with the pace. Each 800 coming in under 3mins. Strategically placed lunch break so nobody would notice I was gone longer than I should have been!



Thursday

Swim – 1hr 3.2k. Bit annoyed - I moved swim sets round in the hope of making sure I'd get the full set done as the pool closes early some mornings. Kicked out of the pool at 8:25 so only got just over an hour in the water and 3.2k done. Other than that I felt like I was swimming well on a tough session.



S&C – the gym session I missed on Tuesday morning. Lunges & Bodyweight stuff. Bit rushed. Have been steadily increasing weight on lunge walk over the last few weeks – up to 2 x 17.5kg now. The extra 3kg total from 2 x 16kg last week was really noticeable.

(short run to and from the gym also)



Bike – 90 mins – BG intervals. Good session worked well and power vs HR in places looked pretty decent.



Run – 20 mins off the bike easy. Bit tired and a bit slow, but grand.

RJM85

Saturday

Run - 1hr 45 - 55 mins out @145bpm, 50 mins back @ 160bpm. 4:52 pace out and 4:22 pace back. Paces better than last time I did this (slightly) but would like to be under 4:15 pace on the way back at the very least.

Sunday

Bike - 4hrs 45. Steady. Got soaked and had difficulty getting my shoes off after but a good spin.

Run - 20 mins easy off the bike.

Totals
Swim: 3hrs
Bike: 9hrs
Run: 5hrs
S&C: 1.5hrs
Total: 18.5hrs

Biggest week (by hours) I've ever done. Happy with how the body is coping. Recovery and testing next week.

RJM85

http://www.xtri.com/features/detail/284-itemId.511710021.html



"It is my experience that most 'middle of the pack' athletes significantly over-estimate the difficulty of top age-groupers' basic weeks but significantly underestimate just how consistent these athletes have been over a period of years ('be patient' is rarely a popular message)."