A good week of training this week! It's probably the first good 'all round' training week I've had for about 2 months.
I've had a week off work and with the weather being pretty good, I've managed to get plenty of bike miles in and ramped up the running a wee bit too.
Overall, I've clocked just over 10 hours on 2 wheels so far this week and will probably get in a run/bike brick tomorrow morning and hopefully a 3 hour ride on Sunday...that is a pretty 'bike heavy' week! My legs are feeling heavy, but I expected them to be! Next week it will be nice and easy on the bike!
I've restricted my running to laps of the footy pitches on camp. Over the week I've done 3 sessions of 1 hour fartleks on the flat, soft grass. Running on grass helps prevent my calfs from exploding in these Omni 9 shoes! (Saucony have changed the Omni so much from the 8's to the 9's and the 'upgrade' hasn't suited me at all...if it ain't broke...) I've tried wearing them in but to no avail, so until my new shoes arrive I'll continue with the grass running.
I'm still swimming with paddles quite a bit and I reckon it's improving my technique as well as boosting strength, as I found out today! I wasn't planning to do a time trial, but I had to cut my session short and could only squeeze a 40 min workout in. After a few lengths of drills, I intended to do a muscular endurance swim, alternating 10 mins with paddles on, and 10 mins without, until time ran out. But after 30 mins, I decided to do a 400m 'time trial' just to see how I would get on. I pushed it fairly hard but it was fair to say I didn't go 'eyeballs out', so I was pleasantly surprised to clock a time of 6 min 21, especially as it was at the end of a session. Putting my faith in paddles seems to have worked...why didn't I use these before?!!
As my running is progressing ok (i.e. calfs are still in one piece!...touch wood!) I have entered the Clumber. It's not that far away, so my running won't be up to speed, but it will be a good early test of my bike legs if nothing else!
Train well.
Friday 28 January 2011
Sunday 16 January 2011
Back From Blogging Wilderness!!
It's been a wee while since I last blogged so here is a quick overview of my last month...
Picked up a slight calf strain just before xmas so running has been sporadic to say the least! I'm on the mend though...currently up to 45 mins easy running, twice a week. I'm blaming my new Omni 9 shoes for the increase strain on my 'glass' calfs as they seemed to force my foot to 'snap' inward very quickly with a 'slap' on the ground. So I'm going back to the Omni 8's which were great for me all last year. I'm also looking at the height of my bike saddle...I raised it a smidge in an attempt to try and squeeze more power out of my legs(?) but I think its affected my foot position too much, forcing my foot to point down, putting more pressure on my calf. I would rather trade off a bit of bike power if it meant being injury free so the saddle may be coming down again!
I must have been on the 'nice list' for xmas coz Santa was very kind to me! I was surprised with a new workhorse in the form of a Boardman Comp. My 'training' Trek needed a lot of work doing to it so it made more sense to get a new machine for training on and the Boardman does the job well. Since the snow has gone I've been out on it quite a bit and its a nice ride.
Swimming has been going ok although I'm not pushing the swimming too hard at the moment. What swimming I have done this winter has included lots of paddle work, which is a new departure for me. Its hard work but feels as though its helping to build a bit of strength...time will tell!
As far as my race plan for 2011 goes, its still a work in progress. I have dropped out of the York half marathon, which is next weekend. I could probably of got round, but I don't want, or need to risk it, and would rather give my calf time to heal properly so I can try and get close to last seasons run fitness.
However, I hope to race at Clumber in March and if I do well enough, try and grab a slot for the European Du Champs, Limerick in April. However, if my calf doesn't allow me to get back to full 'injury free' fitness before end of Jan, then I'll ditch it in favour of the tri season.
So, not the most ideal start to the training year! But patience is the key! I just wish I had some!!
Train smart.
Picked up a slight calf strain just before xmas so running has been sporadic to say the least! I'm on the mend though...currently up to 45 mins easy running, twice a week. I'm blaming my new Omni 9 shoes for the increase strain on my 'glass' calfs as they seemed to force my foot to 'snap' inward very quickly with a 'slap' on the ground. So I'm going back to the Omni 8's which were great for me all last year. I'm also looking at the height of my bike saddle...I raised it a smidge in an attempt to try and squeeze more power out of my legs(?) but I think its affected my foot position too much, forcing my foot to point down, putting more pressure on my calf. I would rather trade off a bit of bike power if it meant being injury free so the saddle may be coming down again!
I must have been on the 'nice list' for xmas coz Santa was very kind to me! I was surprised with a new workhorse in the form of a Boardman Comp. My 'training' Trek needed a lot of work doing to it so it made more sense to get a new machine for training on and the Boardman does the job well. Since the snow has gone I've been out on it quite a bit and its a nice ride.
Swimming has been going ok although I'm not pushing the swimming too hard at the moment. What swimming I have done this winter has included lots of paddle work, which is a new departure for me. Its hard work but feels as though its helping to build a bit of strength...time will tell!
As far as my race plan for 2011 goes, its still a work in progress. I have dropped out of the York half marathon, which is next weekend. I could probably of got round, but I don't want, or need to risk it, and would rather give my calf time to heal properly so I can try and get close to last seasons run fitness.
However, I hope to race at Clumber in March and if I do well enough, try and grab a slot for the European Du Champs, Limerick in April. However, if my calf doesn't allow me to get back to full 'injury free' fitness before end of Jan, then I'll ditch it in favour of the tri season.
So, not the most ideal start to the training year! But patience is the key! I just wish I had some!!
Train smart.
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