Training Goal: Finish strong in long swim
Personal Goal: Salvage training
Distance Covered: All Activities: 103.17km
Duration: All Activities: 11h05m
Elevation Gain: 720m
Overall Training Completion Rate (Actual Vs Planned):
68.2%
Swim Time:
2h19m
Swim Distance:
4.9km
Bike Time:
5h30m
Bike Distance:
77.62km
Elevation Gain:
526229m
*For indoor bike - time measurement only and some (insignificant) distance may be recorded
**Including brick (none this week)
Run Time:
2h38m
Run Distance:
21.45km
Elevation Gain:
130m
*Including brick (none this week)
Time Spent Doing Strength/Core/Stability Exercises:
1h39m
*Including rest/chit chat
Time Spent Stair Climbing (ascent):
36m4s
Elevation Gain:
64m
*Based on what was recorded only
Unaccounted for
~ foot workout
~ run drills/warm up/cool down
~ Stair descent
Training Notes for Week 13:
1) Swim this week was bad, no difference from previous week. Looking forward to the long swim but due to work, the plan didn't materialize. Felt comfortable in the water but not efficient. No real improvement as reflected in training times.
2) Bike was ok considering the time I had. Did some big gear workout, some hills and change saddle height a bit. Felt comfortable aftwerwards which means I've been riding in a somewhat wrong position.
3) New run workout in the form of intervals. Was tough but I think this is what was lacking, a sustained high intensity run. Also manage to squeeze in a long run. I'm really considering going towards minimalist shoes as cushioned shoes are giving me backaches. Also feel strides and gait are a bit off. Need to test this theory out though. Was suppose to race but had personal matter that require my attention. Priorities.
4) No brick session and did not perform any foot workout. Will resume once life stabilizes again.
5) Garmin still had some issues transferring file (sync issues). Got to do it manually so that sucks.
Feeling Notes for Week 13:
1) A forced break was welcomed although I prefer to be training. Didn't do any good physically but it refreshed the mind. I had some good food, spent time with family and just hanging out. Somehow, the whole period of living like a normal person made me look forward to working out again. In contrast to previous week where it sort of feel a bit routine and I just wanted to get it over with. The workouts are beginning to make sense and I just need to trust and commit to it.
2) Doing non triathlon stuff was great. It feels as if a heavy weight was lifted off my shoulders for a while. Maybe I was accumulating fatigue and the previous recovery week didn't really lessen the impact. I talked to friends and chatted about life, goals, people and stuff. It's good to hear from people who's also as dedicated and committed in pursuing their goal. I can sort of see a pattern in people who wants to achieve something and those who just go with the flow and hope for the best. The thing is, how long can we remain committed?
Overall Training Completion Rate (Actual Vs Planned):
101.5%
Swim Time:
2h12m
Swim Distance:
4.9km
Bike Time:
5h22m
Bike Distance:
40km
Elevation Gain:
229m
*For indoor bike - time measurement only and some (insignificant) distance may be recorded
**Including brick
Run Time:
2h03m
Run Distance:
21.06km
Elevation Gain:
111m
*Including brick
Time Spent Doing Strength/Core/Stability Exercises:
1h39m
*Including rest/chit chat
Time Spent Stair Climbing (ascent):
13m15s
Elevation Gain:
94m
*Based on what was recorded only
Unaccounted for
~ foot workout
~ run drills/warm up/cool down
~ Stair descent
Training Notes for Week 12:
1) Swim was quite good, the difference was, this week, I felt the integration of legs, body, hand etc during the whole cycle of the stroke. So kind of feel like the whole body was working not just the hands. Scaled back to 1700m per session. Only 2 session this week considering the race I'm having at the weekend.
2) Bike time was utilized to read. I've gotten up to Chapter 20 of Born to run. Time flies. Sessions should've probably feel a lot harder. I did try to increase the intensity but I can only manage to squeeze so much.
3) Got some sore muscles and tightness after last week's race. So ran hills on Monday and what should've been an easy run on Friday turned to a tempo. Still focusing on breathing and high cadence.
4) No brick session because racing. For strength workout, did 3 session. Could be the main contributor for swim improvement.
5) There were few issues with my garmin. a) forgot to charge my garmin and b) garmin didn't transfer file (sync issues).
Feeling Notes for Week 12:
1) Feeling a bit lackadaisical about training. I guess that's what happens when things get routine. Some things gets a bit sloppy. Starting to forget stuff. Small stuff. And end up starting workout too late and thus finishing late. And during workouts, I was daydreaming and my mind was wandering. Couldn't really focus. But I think, subconciously it happened because I know it's recovery week. So I kind of took it easy without knowing it.
2) Sleeping has been awful. I was up either to catch the olympics or just watching shows on comedy central/sports etc. Energy level were really low and felt sleepy most of the time. Coffee helps get me through the workouts. It all caught up to me when I got headache after the race. So I did what the body asked of me which was to get some sleep after the race.
3) There's a fine line to what I'm doing and I've been taking it for granted. Things like relationships and injuries should always be something I need to pay more attention to. I'm always pushing myself and there is a breaking point somewhere in there and I seem to be roaming around it. But whenever I've surpass a milestone or made a breakthrough, I must always remember the things that went my way which was not my doing.
4) Recovery week was a relief since I get to be home relatively early. Sometime training consumes you. So a mental break from all of the training was good which also left me to attend to other non-triathlon stuff.
Race notes for Week 12:
Port Dickson International Triathlon 2016
1) The plan was to try my best to swim straight. Be comfortable in the water. On the bike, find a peloton, stick to them and not get dropped on the hills. Effort should focus on staying with the peloton. On the run, I plan to attack the last third of the run, considering I cramped the last time I went out too fast (Semenyih Eco Trail Run).
2) Everything went quite well I must say. The day before the race, I ate well. The only thing I didn't do too well was sleep. The olympic badminton final was on so I went to sleep quite late. Considering I've already missed some sleeping hours during the whole week, I was ok. Picking up the race kit was ok, nothing different. On my way back from race kit pick up I realized my garmin's battery was low. I forgot to bring the charger with me so I turned the watch off hoping whatever battery life I had left would be enough for next day's race.
3) So the next day, woke up, had breakfast, toilet breaks and assemble the bike at parking area. Went to pass my buddy his race kit and both of us went into transition. I placed everything and went off to swim start. Warm up a little + practice some sighting + toilet (in the water). Pop a gel, flush it down with some water and went to swim start. Kill time by chatting to other fellow triathletes. Few minutes later, I set my garmin and we're off.
4) The swim start was a bit crowded and I had to constantly sight with a 1 breath 1 sight pattern. There were 3 main turn:left turn, u turn and right turn (L shape). Swim wasn't that rough and I got into the rhythm quite early. At the first big buoy or the first turn, I took a sharp left and almost went off course since I was actually sighting the last buoy for the last turn. I heard people yelling and didn't know what was up then. I looked up and realize there was a bunch of people swimming the other way. I knew the course was "L" shape so sense something was not right. It was more like an "I" if i were to proceed. Sight some more and saw the 2nd buoy which marks the second turn, a "U" turn. Now that looks right. So I went on, and by this time the crowd had thinned a little so I was doing a 2 breath 1 sight pattern. Finally I turned at the last buoy and saw the shore. I picked it up a little, you know to look cool and stuff haha. Once I reached land, I stood up and felt good. So I decided to run to transition. I overtook few guys and with the crowd cheering I was pumped for the bike ride.
5) In T1, I put on everything as intended. I was fumbling with the helmet trying to secure the straps. By the time I was on the bike there was a 3 person peloton. We stayed for a bit then a big peloton arrived and I thought this was it. So I hooked on to them. I held on, even on the hills. It was quite an effort to stay with them. The peloton grew as more people joined. By the halfway mark, I dropped a little. I was taking my gel+water and suddenly the gap grew. I tried to catch up. There was few hills and i did my best but the peloton was gone. I formed a small 2 person peloton with a guy who eventually dropped me haha. So I was riding alone for about 5-10km. Then towards the end, a peloton arrived, and I manage to hook onto them. It started to rain. Heavily. So I'm glad it was almost T2. Looked at my watch and all I could see was blank. Great, battery's dead. Got off the bike and saw everything was wet. I felt a sting on the left side of my chest which turned out to be a bee sting. A bee sting instead of a jellyfish sting. What's the chance of that happening in a triathlon? haha.
6)The sky was overcast even before the swim started. So the rain wasn't a surprise though I hope it would rain after the race. I put on my shoes, grab 2 gels, some salt and left everything else including my sunglasses and calf sleeve. Before heading out, I pass my garmin to my wife who was taking shelter at a nearby covered space before I hit the tarmac. So, for the first time in years, I was running without a watch. I only had the course markers for distance and had to perceive my own effort which was best done through breathing. I focused on having a high cadence early on. Passed few guys and felt ok. I knew I can give it all on the final third of the run if things stayed that way. Considering the effort on the bike, I wasn't sure how my legs would behave so it was probably in my best interest to take it easy at the start of the run. I didn't spend much time at water stations. Got my salt in halfway and before the attack, I took a gel for a quick boost. Then I took off trying my best to pass as many people as possible and finally caught up to a guy who was about the same pace as I was. Decided to hold on to him. And I'm glad I did cause, if it weren't for him, my pace would've been a lot slower. He dropped me towards the end (haha .. dropped again!). I went as fast as I could at the red carpet. Medals on my neck and it's done.
7) After the race, stayed a bit, chatted, packed my stuff and went back. By this time, I knew some had missed the 2nd buoy and went straight for the final buoy. So there was some DQ going on but some probably went on. There wasn't much kayak around during the swim and the last buoy was so close to the first one. So it's understandable that people would miss the 2nd buoy. I guess that's what all the screaming at the first buoy was about. Intentionally or not, they've probably shaved roughly 300 - 400 meters.
8) As far as training is concerened, there was some lesson from all of this:
Sleep. It helps you race and more importantly recover better;
Because of the rain,I felt a lot cooler and didn't drink much. I think I would've been dehydrated had the run been longer. Nutrition was a bit haywire;
It was stupid of me to not charge my garmin BUT I never felt more liberated. I focused solely on breathing and form. I didn't have to constantly check my watch and just .. run. But for recording purposes I do need them and as of Monday, I still don't know my finishing time. More importantly I couldn't assess my pace, heart rate etc. which bugs me the most. Since the result doesn't split T1 and T2, I have to guess where time was lost; and
Know the race course. It's really hard to think when you are racing and especially in open water. Doubt can slow you down and worse, can get you DQed.
9) There were some positives:
Run cadence was good, I think . .since I have no record of my run;
Breathing was good;
Testing my ability to gauge effort by listening to the body and make decisions based on that. This could be pivotal in races and training; and
I gave it all on the bike and though I risk cramping on the run, I just had to find out whether I can withstand all that hammering. Brick sessions was good during training so I know it's worth a try. Turned out, I did ok on the run. Maybe the rain helped a little or a lot. Guess that's still something I have to keep an eye on.
10) All in all, it was good. The race was good but was marred a bit by the swim course fiasco but, shit happens. Not to mention the unfortunate incident involving a participant in the sprint event. My condolences to the family of the departed.
11) Result:
Category: AG 34 - 40
Category Placing: 31/247
Overall Placing: 115
Swim: 31:47 mm:ss
Bike:1:11:40 hh:mm:ss
Run:48:57 mm:ss
Total (Incl T1&T2):2:32:25 hh:mm:ss
12) Week 13 is going to be a disaster. Looks like I'll be away for the whole week + the weekends. So no racing on the weekends. Don't know how to adjust but I'm gonna try. I'll try to salvage next week. There's suppose to be a trail run race next week but I have to skip that one. Till then, I have plenty of time for the next race which is the 30km trail run followed by a half marathon some weeks after.
*For indoor bike - time measurement only and some (insignificant) distance may be recorded
**Including brick
Run Time:
3h34m
Run Distance:
29.75km
Elevation Gain:
723 m
*Including brick
Time Spent Doing Strength/Core/Stability Exercises:
1h31m
*Including rest/chit chat
Time Spent Stair Climbing (ascent):
11m54s
Elevation Gain:
122
*not accurate - some are not recorded so figure stated should be higher
Unaccounted for
~ foot workout
~ run drills/warm up/cool down
~ Stair descent
*No garmin record either deliberately or by accident - not pushing button and some other fucked up reason due to my own negligence such as forgot to turn off garmin after workout, so data is rubbish and I was forced to discard it
Training Notes for Week 11:
1) Swim was ok. Didn't hit the total target distance but manage to at least complete the main set. I feel I could probably beat the Ironman swim cut off time. Rhytym is there. Still haven't practiced sightings and using open water goggles. Next week perhaps.
2) Bike was tough. Had to do the long ride at 11 am, ending at around 3 pm. So it was hot and mentally/psychologically challenging with people staring at you. But overall it was ok. Did the 70.3 loop twice with some hills. Bonked a little towards the end. Bike this week were mostly focused on breathing and trying to get everything sync to a rhythm. Did push it on the spin bike and manage to sustain longer controlled max efforts.
3) Run was good. Focused a lot on breathing to sync with everything else. I think this could count as a major breakthrough in training. Didn't really pay attention to breathing, but will start practicing more. The long run this week was the Semenyih eco Trail run. Blew up, got lost and cramped. More on that to follow.
4) Brick was hard as it was the focus of the week. It was suppose to be a max aerobic effort on the run but I think I was at threshold most of the time. It was tough to hold that pace and effort but I gave my best.
5) For strength workout, some routine feels fairly easy now. So maybe it's time to increase the rep or something or add variety.
Feeling Notes for Week 11:
1) Scheduling was quite challenging but did my best to make it work. The after effect of training is now somewhat more visible. Sunburn and getting rather skinny. So, most people I know, would point that out to me and I tried explaining that I have to be outdoors to train. But they don't seem impress with the reason why you train. They just think it's something they wouldn't do and it's sort of weird or just borderline dumb (They always put in in a nice way though). I'm cool with that. Most times people are often impressed with what we triathletes do since it seems a bit crazy with the commitment and dedication required to attempt such things. It has this sort of dreamy kind of idea which mesmerize people. Probably the same effect those motivational sports ads (underarmour, nike, salomon, Ironman) does to consumers. It's probably why triathletes have so much gears and don't mind spending to get them LOL. Anyway, it feeds the ego a bit when people gets impressed especially knowing that you are capable of such feat and you are a part of this niche circle. And among triathletes, we always talk about races, trying to downplay our achievement and shit like that with some humblebrag here and there. So it's kind of refreshing when someone says something else like, triathlon is stupid and there are better things to do. It's a valid argument to a certain extent, so I kind of respect their position. In fact some are valid points which I totally agree with.
2) My phone got stolen at the pool. Needles to say I was annoyed and quite angry. I mean, the phone was an obselete model, slow with cracked screen. The idea that someone would steal such a low value thing annoyed me. The phone serve it purpose and it has so far avoid me having to take time off to go get a new sim card and phone. So that's why I think it still has some value though not monetary. So most workouts are done without music. In hindsight, it does help with the mental bit, you know, doing repetative things for a long duration. It's boring and music helps, but I think it would be really helpful in long races.
3) I did non triathlon things during the weekend. Went for a short get away and had fun. Things are getting into a routine and it certainly feels routine. But as soon as workout started it's all good. But there were times when I have to tell myself to push through and not skip on anything cause I will not get that time back. So I tell myself it's right here, right now or it will not happen.
4) This week's race was terrible the way I see it (more on that to follow). So having Week 12, recovery week, is great. Distance and time significantly will go down, relax a bit. Have a tri race on sunday and looking forward to that. Will try and execute a good race.
Race notes for Week 11:
Semenyih Eco Trail Run 2016
1) I had a race plan for the race. The plan was 1/3 negative split (attack final third), push the downhill, hard but controlled on the uphill. The main objective was obvious - race hard but controlled. Negative splitting it by attacking the final third of the race. Go as fast as you plan, non stop if you can aaaaaaaaaaaand race plan in garbage can!
2) Everything went to smoke as soon as the gun went off. I was way off in terms of heart rate, but pace was good and I was near the lead pack so I thought that was kind of cool. I decided to continue with the pace. Though I noticed my legs were heavier than usual, breathing was out of tune but I thought at that time, oh well, I could sustain this effort and who knows. Then at around km5 got confused with the trail and probably lost some time trying to figure out the right way, until a guy who I've passed catches up and showed the way. A bit pissed but I needed to lower my heart rate anyway so I was quite ok about it. Then, there were a fair amount of hills and that sort of closes the gap a bit between competitors. I was running with a strong female runner (I'm sure she was well in the top 3) and we traded places a bit.
3) Then, my weekdays training buddy caught up and I decided to pace him since he's naturally strong on the uphills. Did that for a bit and then boom. I felt a twitch on my left thigh. Then, some awkard cramped like sensation on my left toe. I'm cramping. Slowed down a bit, walked a bit and started running again. It was still there, on and off. Until I reached a small climb where I have to stop or be forced to stop. So I walked. Took deep breaths, took some salt, drank some water. I thought that was it, but still subtly hoping that I can catch up and maybe be in the top 10 since there was a fair amount of distance yet to be covered. I also just had a gel. It's not a foregone conclusion I said to myself. Later, a bunch of guys caught up and that's when I started running again. We sort of formed a group. A few minute later, I was stopped not because of the bloody cramps but because of some hills followed by our group going off track. This was when I realized the race was over.
4) We lost a lot of time trying to find the next marker only to realize we need to go back to the last marker since we're getting into some quite thick bushes and dead wood and stuff. So we went back and were screaming hoping other runners would respond. Our screams were answered. We managed to catch another group and was glad to find the next marker. This was at around km12 i think and we have lost about 10 to 15 minutes. At least the cramps were gone. So I was just gonna go as hard but controlled which was my primary objective anyway. Didn't have much in the tank but manage to pass about 10 guys and gals. River crossing and then finish.
5) Stayed a bit after the race and went back. On my way back I question myself, what the fuck happened?
6) So naturally I started the process of pointing fingers, finding faults, you know, trying to sooth this broken heart, boo hoo. Here are some excuses to justify my bad race that I came up with:
I am in the middle of training so was not fully recovered yet;
I didn't sleep well;
Didn't have good breakfast;
Didn't carbo well;
Got lost in the trail; and
Didn't warm up enough.
7) These excuces were actually quite valid, but if I am to be honest and critical about my performance and ask myself, if I did all of the above would it change the outcome? Probably, but there were major underlying issues which I think contributed more than the excuces stated above. Some of them are:
Overconfident Pacing: I bit more than I could chew. I was basking in glory before the race was over. Went too fast, too early.
Plan was very offensive and not flexible: This was very ameteur of me. I knew I was not well prepared and yet I compound that with lack of warm up and starting the race too fast. I should have slowed down or be more conservative (defensive). Should've had some sort ofcontingency or default race strategy and adjust accordingly.
Insecure racer: The tought of people passing me at that time was the main motivation for me to keep pushing though all signs showed that I should've slowed down. Heavy legs? Heavy breathing? heart race off the chart? screw that, let's race (me at Km1 - Km3 before spectacularly blowing up later).
8) So yes, I did lost some time getting off track, but I was cramping even before that which shows that had I manage to stay on track, further ahead, I would probably had a severe cramp attack anyway. Or maybe not, but whatever it is, having even hints of cramps showed I was not ready to attack that early in the race. I should've been more conservative and perhaps save the more adventerous/warrior stuff for the later part of the race. To make it simple, If I were to stick to my novice/newbie race plan, things could've probably turn out a bit better.
9) Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn't it. It wasn't all bad though. Some positive out of this:
Didn't get top 10 but I was 14 in my category and was about 10 minutes of the tenth guy. I passed a lot of guys en route to finishing therace. So all that base training carried me to the finish line a bit faster than the other guys though it does left me wondering what could've been.
I cramped, recovered and ran to a reasonably strong finish. So cramps probably is inevitable as even pros have them, but I managed and dealt with it better.
I enjoyed the trail more this time. During the times when a bunch of us got lost, we chatted a bit, complained to a common theme (not enough markers!) joke around a bit. I realized, these guys are probably like me and at that instant, I was grateful I was out there, running in thejungle (there were some really nice trail through out the course). I decided to moan after the race. I have huge respect for these people and felt great to be part of the experience that day. I guess that changed my mindset from self pity to just being positive and to do my best to get to the finish line as fast as I can.
10) So what happens next? Apart from self pity, I'm gonna put this aside and focus on next week's race. You learn more from a bad race than from a successful one. These are the main takeaways:
Managing Expectations: I was about 10 - 15 minutes off the top 10 and around 30 mins off the 1st spot. So let's get real now. It would be really naive to target top 10 or whatever. Placing and race times are result of the decisions you made, execution of race plan and luck. I should've focus on the small things that significantly influence the outcome of the race such as breathing, managing heart rate, managing pace etc. The usual stuff you would monitor during training.
Race plan/strategy: Flexibility, adaptability, adjustability. Whatever you want to call it, I didn't do it. I should've been more aware of my fitness, environment and conditions and adjust. Sometimes things just doesn't work out and you have to make do and maximize with whatever you have.
Confidence: Yes it's good to be confident. But training and lots of experience racing help build confidence. Which I honestly lack. They help make you feel less insecure when people catch up to you or when the shit hits the fan. I was probably insecure mixed with overconfident that day. And I totally paid the price.
You are stronger than you think: In hindsight, if I just let the race unfold and listen to my body I would've probably made top 10. I realize the training done did yield some result. It doesn't necessarly translates into race timing or placing but it's noticeable nonetheless. I just need to find the right balance of pushing and being conservative.
11) For future races, I might consider rectifying few things:
Race objective(s) should be about what you can control. Heart rate, pace etc. and attack the final third of the race.
Pre-race/race/post-race protocols: I should have some sort of checklist that I need to tick off so I would be more aware of what was done and not done before and during a race.
Race Plan: Default setting would always be negative splits (effort, not pace). Also to start races slowly especially in the absence of proper warm up. Use the early part of the race to warm up.
Specificity: Trail running is fun because of the terrain. I haven't done lots of long sustained effort on hills. So yeah, I was clueless when approaching those long hills. Need to train more.
12)Conclusion:
Had a bad day, but learned a lot. In fact, it makes me more pumped up for the next race to see whether I can stay true to my words. In terms of Ironman training, races like this help diversify my pain portfoio which will definately help me prepare and race the Ironman. I'm glad I had this sort of race scheduled because racing pushes your body and mind out of its comfort zone, something that can never be replicated in training.
Trail running is fun. Racing is fun. Developing and executing a good race plan is fun. Bad race is no fun, but it's necessary. Especially for a newbie like me as it keeps my feet firmly to the ground.
*For indoor bike - time measurement only and some (insignificant) distance may be recorded
**Including brick
Run Time:
3h12m
Run Distance:
27.44km
Elevation Gain:
315 m
*Including brick
Time Spent Doing Strength/Core/Stability Exercises:
1h16m
*Including rest/chit chat
Time Spent Stair Climbing (ascent):
17m26s
Elevation Gain:
159
Unaccounted for
~ foot workout
~ run drills/warm up/cool down
~ Stair descent
*No garmin record either deliberately or by accident - not pushing button and some other fucked up reason due to my own negligence
**Found another reason this week - forgot to turn off garmin after workout, so data is rubbish and I was forced to discard it
Training Notes for Week 10:
1) Swim rhtym is there. But after Friday swim session, recoreded data shows at moderate effort the pace was quite slow. But I was comfortable and felt I could hold on to that pace for 4 km probably. So that was good. If I don't go fast, at least I'm saving energy. Other than that, did my first session on Friday after Friday's prayer. Went well but was rushed so have to cut the session short a bit. I don't like shortchanging workout but a compromise or balance rather, have to be made.
2) Bike was ok I guess. I wont say the spin sessions was great, but I can sort of handle a 1 hr 40 minute on that damn thing. Started to read stuff, surf the internet and doing some other stuff to keep me distracted. For the long ride, the target was a 150km bike ride and I've exorcised that demon. The course was tough as expected but glad I made it through. Surprisingly I felt ok after the ride. Testing solid foods and seems like marathonbar sits well in the stomach and yummy too. For the record I had 1.5 L of water, 2 bottles of gatorade, 1 can of redbull, 1 can of coke, 4 salt pills, 1 marathonbar, 1 gel. As scheduled will be doing long ride on the TT bike after August. So that's about 2-3 months of trying to sustain speed. Hope all goes well.
3) Run was ok for the hills. I certainly tried my best to push hard, but I don't know whether it was hard enough. There was no long run this week so it was quite a relaxing running week. Found that VO2 max for running dropped 1 point though but don't think it's a cause for concern.
4) Brick is a weird one. I;ve been looking at run after bike paces. Everything about the course is the same. However, spotted some anomaly in terms of pace. There was one workout wehre the pace was a bit too fast from my usual expected pace. So don't know what's happening there. The positive I can take from it is that, I can somehow, although inadvertantly, reach that pace. Need to further inspect what's going on.
4) Strength was good for stability and so-so for core. For core, some exercises were harder, but to be fair they were done after a tough bike session. As for stability, less falling down and I'm feeling hips are getting stronger and more stable. Hoping to see some positive outcome from all of this.
5) Starting to also monitor elevation just for the sake of it.
Feeling Notes for Week 10:
1) Scheduling was back to normal. But had to move thursday swim to friday. Not ideal, but work stuff came up and i just have to reschedule. It's a good thing I've reserved some time for replacement session in case stuff like this happens. I was just informed that I might have to go away for work in few weeks time. So if that's confirmed, I don't think I will be able to reschedule and sessions might not go as planned or might not be done at all.
2) Training starts to become habitual with little rituals and stuff. I get irritated if small things didn't go the way it's suppose to. Small stuff such as getting zippers caught in something when you are rushing, forgetting my water bottle and especially fucking up recording my workout with the garmin (which i did this week). I just have to have them the way I had them all this while. So I can kind of turn into an asshole which is not good. I read somewhere that triathletes have this sort of obsessive compulsive disorder behaviour or symptoms. I think, yeah. Obsessive. Compulsive yeah. Disorder, no. It's not like we can;t control this habits or being an asshole, it's when we are training for something and following a certain program that this OCD behaviour present itself.
3) Nothing else to write really. I'm sort of feeling like I'm losing it a bit here. Feeling like I'm going to get off track. But based on records, I have done all the sessions required although not as tired. So either I'm slacking off or I'm getting a bit stronger. I think it's the former. I don't get what I'm insecure about but the feeling is there.
4) Races are piling up and the outlook for Week 11 would be interesting. How'd i juggle the trail race in Semenyih, training and family affairs. Week 12 would see me line up against other triathletes for what would be my 2nd triathlon this year after IM 70.3. Though its just an olympic distance it's going to be tough. Week 13 would hopefully see me again on the trail. I know I have to skimp on some session or risk burning myself out. But it is what it is: a race, and I'm gonna treat it that way.
Training Goal: Find the right intensity for new workouts
Personal Goal: Getting that 130km bike loop done
Distance Covered: All Activities: 170.78km
Duration: All Activities: 17h54m
Elevation Gain: 1761m
Swim Time:
3h33m
Swim Distance:
7.3km
Bike Time:
10h10min
Bike Distance:
136.98km
Elevation Gain:
1358
*For indoor bike - time measurement only and some (insignificant) distance may be recorded
**Including brick
Run Time:
3h4m
Run Distance:
26.5km
Elevation Gain:
313m
*Including brick
Time Spent Doing Strength/Core/Stability Exercises:
1hr
*Including rest/chit chat
Time Spent Stair Climbing (ascent):
7:00m
Elevation Gain:
90
Unaccounted for
~ foot workout
~ run drills/warm up/cool down
~ Stair descent
~ Some stair ascent
*No garmin record either deliberately or by accident - not pushing button and some other fucked up reason due to my own negligence
**Found another reason this week - forgot to turn off garmin after workout, so data is rubbish and I was forced to discard it
Training Notes for Week 9:
1) Swim was actually ok. Got some rhythm but slow. So I recorded my self swimming and I was shocked at how slow my stroke was. It look as if I am losing speed by gliding too much. Maybe I'm at the most efficient when swimming this way and the reduced energy consumption would be useful for the following bike/run? I hope so. I should try to increase stroke rate to improve. Other than that, at least for PD tri I can hopefully have a good swim. Sighting should be practiced too.
2) Bike was so-so. One of the spin bike session this week require an all out sprint. But I didn't manage to increase my heart rate that much and by the end of the interval heart rate actually dropped. So didn't feel I did that well, but hoping for some positive effect. The bike target workout was 130km loop this week and the final third of the ride was torture. No amount of positive talk helped at that point. There were plenty of self pity though. Compared to my previous effort on the same course, it did not get any easier, i did not get any faster but I probably dealt with it a bit better.
3) Run was terrible for new workout. I quickly realized that the new workout of 1 minute all out sprint up a hill + 2 minute recovery was much harder than i thought. Next time, I should definetely bring my heart rate down before starting the next rep. Long run was terrible too as cumulative effect of previous workout sets in. I was slow and couldn't up my effort. Was thinking about running negative splits but it was a bit too much after half way and decided to just slog it out til the end. Skipped recovery run but did walk around doing stuff.
4) Strength was good for stability and so-so for core. For core, some exercises were harder, but to be fair they were done after a tough bike session. As for stability, less falling down and I'm feeling hips are getting stronger and more stable. Hoping to see some positive outcome.
5) Starting to also monitor elevation just for the sake of it.
Feeling Notes for Week 9:
1) I feel shceduling was a bit tight to make up for the coming weekend sessions. The back to back speed session (Speed Swim & Run Monday + Speed Bike Tuesday) made the Long Wednesday run much harder. To add to that, the run was also done after a speed swim session on the same Wedenesday. I felt fatigued and just toasted after wednesday's workout. This maybe as a result of not doing post workout stretch and poor recovery overall (food, sleep etc.). Had chills on Thursday and didn't feel good about the rest of the week's workout. But pushed through anyway. Friday felt better. Decided to switch Friday's recovery run to Sunday to accomodate more rest and in the end I bailed out on that recovery run. The 130km bike ride was prbably a bit too much and I just wanted to rest more.
2) I feel, this phase is hard because it's something new. Everything sort of went up a notch with regards to intensity and volume. I think the workouts is intended to break through the body's resistance level. I hope once I've gone past this level a break through in performance will occur. At least that's what I am banking on. Therefore I am assuming what's happening is suppose to happen. Such as feeling like shit, sore muscles etc. I'm still not sure if this is the outcome of the training plan or I'm sort of over reaching. Is this the stimulus required for the body to break through the resistance level? Am i biting more than i can chew? If i keep this up will i burnout or worse get injured? A very thin line between trying to push through the resistance level OR inadvertantly crossing the point of diminishing return.
3) It's not like I can't move at all after a workout, but I was feeling uncomfortable with noticable annoying soreness coupled with small pains. Discomfort maybe.It is the build phase afterall and so, I just have to trust that this is part of the process. I guess, if it's hurting, it's working.
4) I feel the increase in volume and intensity is starting to take its toll on other aspects of life. I'm more sluggish, tired etc. I was late a few times for work and starting to miss my family. I'm however glad that my wife did not rub it in whenever I get home late because: guilt + nag + tired = angry. It was more: guilt + silence + understanding = I will do much better next time. I wasn't productive as I wanted to be. I wanted to do stuff but I was just feeling lazy. This is not really good and is definately not balanced.
5) I feel the need to record.write more on this balancing training with family stuff to gauge my state of mind once all of this done.
