Cake Aids Recovery!

Last week was a steady recovery week. With no real plan, it was simply a case of whatever I felt like doing, I did, and did very easy with loads of stretching. Total training hours, including core and stretching sessions, was 9 hours.

The weather was kind last week so I got outside on my bike quite a bit for some easy rides in the sun and wind. Most of my rides included some single leg drills and one or two spin ups just to make it a bit more interesting.

My swimming mainly consisted of drills and steady/easy swims. Occasionally I'd do some short, moderate intervals, no more than 100m, with long rests. I tried some kicking drills but unlike Saggers, I still cannot kick for toffee! I just seem to stop dead in the water! So I've convinced myself that I shouldn't waste my energy and time trying to improve a skill that I don't really need and will never master! Well that's my take on it anyway!

I made the most of my recovery week, and the spare time it gave me, to get out and about on the island. I did a battlefield tour of Mount Tumbledown, which was as moving as it was informative and also involved a fair old plod over some pretty rough terrain, albeit at a leisurely pace. On another day we visited some war memorials, including the Argentinian Memorial and the Para's memorial at Goose Green. On the way home we stopped at Darwin to hit the 'cafe' for a pot of tea and a pile of cakes...now that's what recovery is all about!

I will be picking up the effort and intensity this week and aiming for between 10 - 12 hours. Fingers crossed the weather remains kind for some outdoor action!

Train smart.

A Hard 15 Hours and Still in One Piece!

This has been a good 'hard week' and I came through it unscathed! Which is nice.

Last Monday, my long ride had to be in the gym on the turbo as the winds were up again (there's a shock!). Three hours on the turbo is a bit of a slog but on the advice of Turbo man, I broke it up a bit by sprinting or 'climbing' every 15 mins. It certainly helped to lessen the boredom factor...that and 'people watching' in the gym. That evening I blasted 'the core' and did loads of stretching.

Tuesday morning was swim drills and the afternoon was a bike/run brick. I did an hour of high intensity short sharp intervals on the turbo then hopped on the treadmill for a 30 min run, starting at 10mph and building to 12.5mph by the end.

Wednesday was an early swim (0600) consisting of a main set of 6 x 400m on 7 min 30. This was a bit of a killer but the large breakfast of porridge, poached eggs on toast and fruit and yoghurt, made up for the pain! Second session that day was a steady 90 min turbo ride with some single leg and spin ups (110+ rpm) chucked in.

Thursday was a treadmill session, 5 mins hard with 2 and a half mins steady, repeated 6 times, building to a max speed of 12mph on each hard effort.

Friday was back on the turbo for a strength workout. 4 x 15 min hard gear at 50-55rpm, with 3 min spinning at 95-100rpm. I'm feeling a bit stronger on these sessions now and am able to crunch bigger gears which is good for keeping the motivation high. I think I'll up the time spent in the big gears next time.

Saturday morning was a high intensity swim session. 10 x 100m on 20 sec rest, 2 lengths EZ then another 10 x 100m on 20 secs. I was really tired on this workout, right from the off! I pushed through it despite my arms feeling like lead, but my times were inevitably slowing towards the last few intervals.
Did a turbo ride of 90 mins in the evening. Started with an easy gear at 90-95rpm and moved down a gear every 5 mins until I could no longer maintain at least 90rpm - I lasted 45 mins and the last 5 mins were painful (in a good way!) and I could hardly catch my breath. The next 45mins were spent at a moderate effort with 30 seconds of max effort every 5 mins. A hard but enjoyable day.


Yesterday was a long hilly run over Pleasant Peak. From the base of the Peak, to the top takes me about 12 mins and this time, on reaching the top, I turned and headed back to the bottom, before turning around and trudging up again, only this time I went over the top and down the other side before returning back over it and back to camp. It took about 2 hours, with the last 20 mins ran as if I was in a race because I was being caught by another couple of runners who appeared just behind me from a converging path. When that competitive button gets pushed you just have to respond!
Later that afternoon I went for a dip in the pool for a steady 2.5 km, averaging about 5 min 50 per 10 lengths (33.3m pool). I felt surprisingly good considering the training I'd put in last week.

This week is all about recovery. I was on nights last night and I feel shattered today so I think a slow ride and a bit of core work is on the cards for later.

Train smart.

I Don't Think I'm in Kansas Anymore!!!

A good week of training this week. I seem to have shaken off the remnants of the man flu and am feeling a lot stronger and more motivated. The weather has taken a turn for the worse this week with very high winds mixed with rain and hail...not ideal for biking! No matter, it's what I expected really and is why I dragged my turbo down with me.

Monday was a core session in the morning with a steady recovery swim in the evening.

Tuesday, due to working long days today, and the fact that my legs where still a bit tender from Sundays long hilly run, I only did one session and that was a swim in the evening, mainly drills with a bit of speed work.

Wednesday: as the blue sky had seduced me, the plan was for a long ride outside, the usual multiple Mare Harbour loops. It was windy but didn't seem too bad. However, 30 minutes into the ride, flying downhill, in the tuck, I popped out from behind a sheltered section of road to be smacked from the right hand side by an almighty crosswind gust! I battled with my front wheel as it wobbled furiously whilst leaning myself and my bike into the wind at about 45 degrees, and only just managed to stay upright and out of the big ditches at the edge of the road. I really thought I was coming off and was amazed I avoided a crash. With my heart still pounding, I regained my composure and rode back, straight to the gym and stuck my bike on the turbo for 2:30 of hot sweaty fun! (the gym here is like a sauna!) In the evening I ran on the treadmill for a steady 50 mins with the occasional 30 sec blast to break up the monotony.

Thursday morning, after finishing my night shift, I went to the pool for a pyramid swim session of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 lengths (33 metre pool) with 30 secs rest between them, 2 lengths easy swim, then back down again, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, all at a fairly fast pace. A hard session but a good intense thrash! That afternoon I was on the turbo for a strength workout of 10 min hard gear at 50-55 rpm, 5 min spin at 100+ rpm, repeated 6 times, then jumped onto the treadmill for a 15 min jog.

Friday morning was a pyramid interval session on the treadmill starting at 45 secs and building in increments upto the longest interval of 3:45, before coming back down again, at a pace between 11.5 and 12 mph. The second workout of the day was a swim of 6 x 330m (10 lengths) on 6 minutes. This was a hard session as I think the previous few days training had caught up with me a bit!

Saturday was a rest day (hoorah!) and today I have just got back from an 80 min run...outside! It was definitely the windiest day I have ever known and I reckon it was even too windy for the Wicked Witch of the West to go for a spin!

I ran down to Mare Harbour (yes I do go there a lot!) with the wind in my face. I was running head down all the way there, with my arms tucked in by my sides and my hands up in front of my chest like a boxer! At the turn round point the wind blew me all the way back at a faster pace than I would have liked and on the downhill sections I had to really put the brakes on! I got back nearly 15 mins quicker than it took on the first half! Mad! I will be in the pool this evening before my night shift, for a long swim of about 3km.

So, this week has been good and next weeks plan is for a slightly harder week, mainly indoors I reckon if this weather remains dangerously windy, and after that I can look forward to an easier recovery week.

Train smart y'all. (HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MUM!)

Normal Service Resumed!

Finally managed to shift my lurgy and am feeling a lot more positive now that I'm training again.
I started training last Wednesday with an easy 90 min bike ride in some lovely Falklands sunshine and surprisingly calm winds. Although I was taking it easy, the road down to Mare Harbour, as I'm sure some of you will know, is a bit lumpy. As I approached some of these hills, just to test myself and to try and gauge my recovery, I tried to push it up to the tops. But by the time I'd attacked the second hill my legs turned to jelly and so from then on it really was an easy ride.
Thursday was a windy day but there was still a great deal of sun breaking through. After a 75 min steady ride in the morning, in the afternoon I jogged across to the grass run track and knocked out 15 x 300m with 100m jog recovery. (I think it's a 400m track?!) They were not lung busters by any stretch, but it still felt great to be attempting some constructive training.

Friday was another bike ride. The rides outside are simply a number of loops down to Mare Harbour and back. The hills are quite testing but are really testing when the wind picks up to gusts of 40 kts! That evening I ventured to the pool for a brisk 50 min swim, again, just to test my 'head out' to see if the sinuses were clear enough to handle it. Results were good!

Saturday was time to pick up the intensity. I set my turbo up in my room (after warning my neighbours of the impending drone!) and thrashed out an intense interval session to a training DVD. It was absolutely knackering! I tried to keep to the gearing and cadence I had done before but for the very last group of intervals I had to admit defeat and moved to an easier gear in order to keep the same cadence. On completing the last one, I slumped over my bars and I may have even swore a little! Once I had regained my composure, I span it out for 5 mins before changing into my run shoes for an easy 15 min jog.



I was up at 7am this morning for a 90 min run over Pleasant Peak. My legs felt a tad heavy as I set off' but after about 10 mins I felt ok. The weather again was cracking this morning...blue sky, no wind, no traffic, big hill...bliss!

Tonight will be an easy swim with a few drills thrown in.

It feels good to be back on track but I realise how easy it is to over train down here. It is something I definitely need to guard against. Its mainly the running where I am more likely to brake down with an injury, so I aim to concentrate more on improving my ability on 2 wheels and be more conservative with the running.



Train smart.

Still no Training...

The man flu has left me with infected sinuses for which the Doc kindly gave me antibiotics. So I should be rid of this filthy infection within a week. On the plus side, Doc said I'm ok to train as soon as I feel up to it, the sinus problem shouldn't get any worse with physical effort, it just depends how much I can put up with the headaches! I realise I'm not going to be 100% for a while but any training is better than no training at all.
I think I'll just see this week out with no real structure or training plan, just some gentle biking and running, and once I deem my nose is 'safe' to go near the water then I'll be going for a dip.

You never know, I might have some actual training to report on in my next blog!

Train well.