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Friday, November 28, 2008

Preparation: Weekly Plan


I sketched out a weekly plan based on my goals for this period:
  • Get into the habit of training daily
  • Improve swim speed skills
  • Maintain a reasonable long run
  • Become comfortable on the bike trainer
This is really more of a guildeline on what my weeks would look like, I'm not going to sweat it if things don't fall exactly into place! I'll alernate week 1 and 2.

Week 1:
MTWRFSaSu
SwimSpeed-SpeedClass-SpeedSpeed
Bike (min)-

30-45

---

60-120

-
Run (k)--5-7k---5-7K


Week 2:

MTWRFSSu
SwimSpeed-SpeedClass-SpeedSpeed
Bike (min)-30-45 ----30-45
Run (k)--5-7k--15K-

For the swimming:

"Speed" refers to working on Speed skills, ie. technique.

"Class" refers to a triathlon swim class I attend

Thursday, November 27, 2008

One Hundred Pushups

I found this link and thought this would be interesting to try.

I've always been horrible at push-ups... not sure what it is exactly, just bad core strength I guess.

I'll do the initial test either tomorrow or on the weekend, then follow the rather simple program until I can do 100 consecutive push-ups.

UPDATE - I did the "initial test", 13 push-ups. Not great, but better than I expected.

100, here I come! :)

Sunday, November 23, 2008

2009 Training - Ready, Set... GO!

Next week is the last week of the "Transition" phase of my training, then I officially dive into 2009.

The 2009 Plan

I've decided on the following periods, following the approach in Joe Friel "Triathlete's Training Bible". I've tweaked it a bit from my original plan so my "A" race is earlier, giving me more time between it and Ironman.
  • Preparation - 5 weeks - Starts Dec 1
  • Base 1 - 4 weeks - Jan 5
  • Base 2 - 4 weeks - Feb 2
  • Base 3 - 4 weeks - March 3
  • Build 1 - 4 weeks - March 30
  • Build 2 - 4 weeks - April 27
  • Peak - 2 weeks - May 25
  • Race - 1 week - June 8 (Muskoka Long Course Tri)
  • Transition - 1 week - June 15
  • Base 2 - 3 weeks - June 22
  • Base 3 - 4 weeks - July 13
  • Peak - 2 weeks - Aug 10
  • Race - 1 week - Aug 24 (Ironman Canada)
  • Transition - several weeks... - Aug 31
It's a 38-week plan, which gives me a long time to ramp up to the distance. The Base/Build periods have rest weeks every 4th week, where volume and intensity are brought down to recover.

Perod 1: Preparation
(Dec 1 - Jan 5)

This period is about developing/maintaining basic endurance, speed skills (technique), and getting used to a more structured training program.

Swimming - My primary concern and focus is on swimming skills, as that's my biggest weakness. I'm less concerned with distance right now, more concerned with becoming a better swimmer. I've been taking classes, and am going through a lot of drills to improve my technique. The goal is 3-4 pool sessions per week, which should be pretty easy to find time for.

Running - I'll be maintaining a 15K long run, which I'll do every second week. I did a 16k today, my longest since the marathon, that went well.

Biking - My main priority is going to be to get comfortable with the aero bars. I need to get a different seat, possibly a forward seat post, and do some work on adjusting my position. Hopefully I get that sorted out on the trainer, then I'll be ready to go once the weather cooperates!

I'm ready and eager to get started!

Friday, November 14, 2008

Jon: the 2000 and 2008 models compared

The new model is a huge improvement, well worth the higher sticker price!

20002008
Weight235 lbs180 lbs
Swimming25m? Without stopping? Are you crazy?750m lake swim, no sweat
RunningCan run to the bus... but give time to catch my breath...Ran a marathon
BikingLongest ride around 50K... and I have the hospital records to prove it160k at 30km/h
DietPizza Pizza on auto-dialLean meats, veggies, multigrain bread, brown rice...
Hours of exercise per weekExercise every week? Sounds exhausting!5-12
Rest Days per week7 sounds about right2 is too many
Self-imageI look and feel like crapI look good and feel fantastic

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Mountain Biking - Slippin' and Slidin'

Bluebird Trail and Glen Major

There were a few hours between last night's rain and this afternoon's rain, so a buddy and I decided to go mountain biking.

We had never explored the "Brock Tract "section of the Toronto and Region Conservation trails it was pretty interesting. There was one section of pine forest that was just stunning, the entire forest floor was covered in pine needles, nothing survived by the super-tall pine trees. Really eerie and amazing feeling!

We were fully expecting mud, but I didn't anticipate just how slippery everything was going to be! My back wheel spent more time sliding out from under me than going straight, it was really tricky. The biggest hazards were soft mud patches and slippery leaves on top of rocks.

I had one pretty good spill, the terrain changed from a hard-packed trail to a soft forest floor. I was going a bit too quick through the curve, and my back end just stepped out from under me and I fell on my side. Ouch!

Oh, and the warning from the hunter we ran into in camouflage to "watch out for bow hunters" was slightly terrifying, actually. He wasn't on the Conservation area, but at that point due to some confusion in the trail markings, neither were we! Oops.

It was a nice time. We've spent hours and hours in the adjacent properties: Durham Forrest, Walker's Woods, Glen Major, and today portions of the Brock Tract... and we still haven't covered it all! It's just huge, and the diversity of terrain and trails is really cool (not to mention the effects of the different seasons!).

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Great weekend

When I told a friend of mine I was doing Ironman, he said "wow, you must like training!". Turns out, he was right! I really do enjoy swimming, biking, and running, and when I'm not doing them I get very restless...

... which has made the last two weeks very irritating indeed! I've managed just one 4K run and a swim lesson... and was sick as a dog.

After the super high of finishing the marathon, it's been a real low point for me. I can see why people get the post-marathon blues! After months and months of very regular and often intense exercise, it's hard to just take a break from it all and recover.

So this weekend was just what the doctor ordered.

Yesterday, a friend and I headed out for a couple hours of fall mountain biking. The forest floor was covered in fallen leaves, the temperature was just above freezing, it was perfect... we ended up doing some winding single-track sections, hammering over fallen trees, all of which just felt amazing! It was the most comfortable I've felt mountain biking ever... my fitness has improved tremendously this year, and my bike handling skills are better than they've ever been. It made for a fantastic time.

This morning I woke up and went for a swim, followed by a 12k run. For the run, I incorporated some trails at a conservation area near my house, which was a refreshing change. They were a bit mucky in places, but mostly it was really nice.

I'm in a Transition phase, so recovery is the focus, but I'm going to get back to frequent and regular workouts. I'm addicted to training!