training steps up

i've decided to return to my ye olde blogging post system of shortlisting the week's workout. i think a few people assume that to participate in triathlons you need to dedicate a *whole* lot of time, but i don't believe that's necessarily true. like anything, what you put in, you get out.

so, over the last week, i've done;

> 15 min hilly run outside
> 20 min drill run outside
> 2 hour gym session (incl. 15 min run)
> 3.5 hour cycle
> 1.5 hour gym session (incl. 15 min run)
> 10 min drill swim session
> 2.5 hour cycle

i'm stepping up the training in light of next month's tri; and will do something 5 days a week (that's about as specific as my training plan gets!!)

the biggest change to the routine over the last week has been the results of my personal training session on the weekend. Paul, the PT man, was really fantastic, and has turned around my lacking enthusiasm for the gym with a killer routine filled with stuff i really can't do. love it. so the top aims are:

> man push ups (can currently do five, barely)
> unassisted pull ups (hot)
> improve core (hopefully will help with running)
> run faster (his new speed treadmill session is currently uncomplete-able. another thing to aim for)

i jumped in the pool with the stopwatch the other day, and did 100 metres in 1 min 53 secs. that's the first swim in a couple of months, so am thankful the super sprint is only 200 metres!! hopefully can get away with not too much swim practise, as i'd really like to focus on getting my running and cycle time down.

PT man was trying to convince me to buy a heartrate monitor, but this seems a bit hardcore for me. does anyone use these?? i'm not sure how useful it would be, other than being a new gadet to distract me from the usual pain...

training results for week nine

1. results: thursday: first swim

thursday was the first preparation swim. got to love the english.

indoor pool: two lanes open. filled with 1. people going so slowly they were officially 'bobbing' and 2. people resting from their bobbing, hanging at the end of the lane, making turning impossible

outdoor pool: the deep section is in the middle of the pool, the shallow sections at either end. so they've corded off both ends of the pool. turning now impossible. determining actual length of pool now also impossible. big clock shows minutes only, so accurate timings also impossible.

so with widely inaccurate precision, i timed my 400 m swim at 8 minutes.

feeling quite positive about that time, being two years out of the pool. checked this against the results for last year's event, and looks like i should aim for about 7 minutes. sounds do-able??

lots to work on. my breathing was all over the shop, i have no pace, and my arms felt like they might drop off during the last stretch.

am concentrating on normal lengths, and also swimming arms only, to build strength. am happy doing this as it's my favourite way to swim anyway. i have no idea if this is what i should be doing, but i did read somewhere that i need to preserve my leg strength for the other legs (there's a lot of legs in that sentence).

2. results: saturday: runswimcycle in one day

was feeling really optimistic yesterday, regretting all optimism now.

woke at 7am and headed to pool/gym so i could use the indoor pool while they still had four lanes open. bee-lined for the treadmill with the aim of doing half hour, but jumped off at 15 minutes (had a million excuses for this: treadmills are boring, i was running a bit faster than usual, am early in my tri training, am about to go for swim anyway, might go for bike later, haven't had breakfast am feeling weaker, forgot to bring my water bottle, blah blah just get off the bloody treadmill already)

into pool - noting the fast lane was dotted with breast strokers (not the fast kind, at that). by the end of my swim noted all previous occupants had deserted the lane. did 400 metres, fast as possible, had to stop for a breather at 200 metres, and arms really felt like they were going to detatch themselves from my body. really need to work on arm strength.

also need to buy one of those little floaty things that go between the legs - so i can go arm only lengths. usually pools supply these (along with kickboards etc) but i am unfortunately attending possibly the most povo pool in london. the front desk is littered with posters reading DO NOT ABUSE OUR STAFF - which at first i felt was surely unnecessary, but now realise it is not. they are so rude, SO rude, i have vowed to change memberships to the (dreaded) Virgin gyms once this triathlon is over - but in the meantime, i need their long pools for the training. damn their long pool monopoly.

later in the day, cycled down to the art shop in Angel (about 25 mins) and was feeling good until the trip home. hadn't eaten lunch, started feeling weak, after a smoothie felt a little better and managed to get home - albeit slowly. even after eating was really tired the afternoon/evening.

so, end of week nine, what conclusions/thoughts/regrets/aims do we have?

* need to establish a training plan. possibly even stick to it.
* need to work out race outfit - am i going to run in my swimming costume, without sports bra?
ladies how is this managed?
* need to add arm strength training into the mix. like i need another thing to focus on.
* get that little floaty thing. must have a name?

and into week eight we go!