The theme for this week was swimming. I made an unplanned decision early in the week to put in as much swim volume as possible. It looked liked I could get in about 16K for the week if everything went right. In the end I fell a little short because of some bad weather that prevented me from doing a 1.6 mile open-water swim on Friday, but I was pleased with what I attained.
The Swim
I hit all 3 swim workouts in the Endurance Nation Ironman prep training plan for the week plus a couple extra to achieve my highest ever yardage in the pool of 12,000 meters for the week. I felt great in each and every workout to the point where the muscle memory of excellent stroke technique was very ingrained by the end of the week. I'm thinking about carrying this same load another week to see what happens. The swim is a low-impact, recovery-type discipline for me and I know I can put in some major volume without risking a blow up or injury - I just have to be mindful of the slightest twinge on the shoulder.
The Bike
After having a decrease in bike volume last week from all the travel, I was ready to get back at it this week with a serious focus on hitting both the prescribed volume and intensity from my training plan. I'm pleased to say I did just that. I'm starting to feel the increase in fitness from the big miles I put in in Madison a couple weeks ago. I'm feeling much stronger in the saddle!
The Run
I did my longest run this year on Wednesday - just over 18 miles - and hit all the prescribed paces even though it was in very warm and very humid conditions. I crossed some big mental hurdles toward the end of the run which is giving me great confidence in my ability to push through the pain and suffering that is inevitable late in the Ironman marathon.
Body Composition
It appears the increased training load of Ironman-specific training has led my body to crave more food. I'm still eating very well - lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats and healthy fats, no processed foods - but I can't seem to get enough on my plate! My weight has come up a bit, hovering in the 170-171 lbs area, which may also be due to excess water weight since fluid intake has been much higher due to the heat. Additionally, I'm consciously taking in more salt with my food so I probably am retaining more water. My goal is to be in the 167-168 lbs area for IMWI.
Here's the day-by-day view of the training I did for the week followed by a summary of the week's data:
Monday: Speed day: started with 8 mile morning run with 3 x 1 mile at 6:08/6:01/5:54 pace and 1.5 miles at 6:45 pace. In pool at lunch for an excellent 3,330 yards. Surprised myself on paces during a very tough 2,500 yard set.
Tuesday: 1 hour on the trainer with 30/30s and 15 minutes at .8 IF followed by 4.5 mile brick run. Nice to hammer out some 30/30s again! Then did my longest swim of the year at lunch: 4,100 yards with 3,500 yard set at or below my T-pace (1:28/100 yards). Stroke never broke down but it hurt!
Wednesday: Long run: 18.1 miles, 2:10, last 4.5 miles at marathon pace was BRUTAL! Kept telling myself "It's mile 18" - ended up nailing it. Then easy recovery swim at lunch of 2,000 yards of easy swimming with drillwork. Felt great to stretch out and let the legs soak in the cool water after the morning run.
Thursday: 3,300 meters in outdoor pool. Feeling major fatigue after yesterday's long run - tough to get the body moving this morning. Then did an easy 5 mile lunchtime run with strides. Man, did that long run leave me shelled!! Hope to bounce back strong for tomorrow's long ride.
Friday: Long ride in very hot and humid weather: 87 miles, 4:15, 52 minutes of threshold power (FTP) work, 75 minutes of "sweet spot" work (80-85% of FTP) and 80 minutes at 75-80% of FTP. Solid workout with over 260 TSS points at an IF of .78. Transitioned to a 30' brick run at 7:15 pace. Took in over 200 oz of fluids on the ride and still lost 6 lbs.
Saturday: Nice to sleep in for a change (no early morning workout). Did get in a 35 minute easy run later in the morning with some strides to keep the legs loose. Then did a great 30' yoga session afterwards.
Sunday: Great ABP (always be pushing) ride with fellow EN teammate and friend Matt Ancona on his home course in the Barrington, IL area. Perfect weather and great roads. He had me digging deep and hammering the final hour - exactly the kind of riding I needed!
Totals for the week:
Training duration: 17:36
Time spent at or above FTP on the bike: 69'
Time spent at or below lactate threshold pace on the run: 53'
Avg bike intensity factor (% of FTP): .775
Mileage: 220 miles (Swim: 12K, Bike: 169 miles, Run: 43 miles)
Training Stress Score (TSS): 1232
Chronic Training Load (CTL): 132.9
Training Stress alance (TSB): -27.3
Weight: 170.0
Functional Threshold Power (FTP): 293 watts
Vdot: 55.3 (but training at 56)
Performance Management Chart through week 5 of Ironman Prep Training:
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