Sub 35

[jamieh]

So, back in London! Training has been going well into race coming up on Sunday (Regional Champs, Olympic Distance). Key sessions since 1k's:

Sat 11th - Paced 5k - 17:30
(unfortunately I'd spent my 'rest day' on friday lugging guitars/bikes/suitcases across Paris so I felt pretty crappy for this run. Was also windy)

Tues 14th - 10x400R60 - first 9 bang on 73. Last one 69.

Today - 6x1min - felt good (although tight calves). The 1 min reps were all comfortable at about 3:12 - 3:18 pace.

I always wonder whats best to do when Race is on Sunday morning rather than Sat. Should I rest Friday, then just do some short race-pace bike/run work on Sat? Or should I just do short bike/run tomorrow and rest on Sat?

J

[TheEd]

Hi Jamie .. if race on Sunday then do the following after Tuesday session

Wednesday: easy run

Thursday: light tempo run up to 20 minutes

Friday: 6 x 1 minute fast / slow .. fast is anticipated race pace

Sat: Rest

Sun: Race

[jamieh]

Makes sense! Thanks.

Ok, well since I've messed that up a bit I'll just do an easy run tomorrow, maybe with a 3x1min fartlek and then rest on Saturday.

Also - I found out yesterday that I got a slot in the elite wave of the London tri at the end of September. If there was ever a time I needed sub-34, that's it!

The next 2 cycles on programme are important...

[TheEd]

let it come naturally Jamie, you have sub 34 in you, don't focus or think of it specifically

keep the balance and consistency and the rest will follow

enjoy your weekend

TheEd

[jamieh]

A solid race at the weekend! 1st place which is always nice

Run split was slow (37:50) but the course was very tough (cross-country trails with 4 times over a steep foot-bridge) + extremely hot (30+ degrees).

Very pleased with swim/bike performance. Swim was smooth and relaxed after an initial sprint to get clear of the field, then managed to hang tough on the bike and turn close to 40k/h over quite a hilly course.

Planning to kick off with the 2k's on Thurs. I then have a sprint triathlon on Monday 27th, so will do the 1k's on the following Weds instead of Tues. Then have an Olympic distance Tri on 9th Sept (2013 European champs qualifier) which is perfect for the end of this cycle.

After that I have the London Tri on 23rd Sept, so not long enough to get in a full cycle. It fits in where the 'paced 5k' would normally be, so thinking I'll just take a rest day before and stick with the programme? That also means the end of the cycle will coincide nicely with a flat 10k I've entered on 29th Sept.

Then it's end of season planned rest ready to get fit for XC season!

Can u see any red flags in that thought process?!

Thx,
J

[TheEd]

nice going Jamie .. sub 2hrs is a good start in my eyes

congrats on the win as well

what's next?

TheEd

[jamieh]

Thx. See post above for remaining schedule of the season... next up is Thames Turbo Sprint Tri on Monday 27th. 400 swim, 20k flat bike, 5k park run. It's the same course I did in April (as first race of year) but am a lot stronger on the bike now so hopefully a good performance. Sub-17 on the run is the dream.

[TheEd]

apologies for scanning previous post and not reading in-depth

try not to do too much with so many events coming up

the 5 x 2k is a good session to get under the belt to benefit you when racing in September and beyond but be aware to give yourself recovery in-between and also keeping in mind that you could have that drop off in performance every 6 weeks which is something we hope to remedy in the future

all in all your progress is pretty neat and sub 17 off the bike would certainly be decent

you have lot coming up and if you don't train simply for the purpose of training and habit all should work out OK

onwards and forwards

TheEd

[jamieh]

5x2kR90 (track)

6:45
6:47
6:51
6:53
... 6:36!

22 degrees, 8mph wind.
Weight: 76.9kg

Decent set of 2k's today. It's a shame I couldn't descend the times, but I was concentrating on trying to stay relaxed throughout as I wanted to go hard on the last one...

First 4 reps felt great. V. controlled + recovering fully. 6:36 is my fastest ever 2k rep as part of this session which is pretty cool. It's also only the second time I've come in under 40mins for the whole session (39:55).

I reckon that should set me up nicely for the next few races

[TheEd]

certainly, just be careful not to grind out too many hard sessions or you will bring yourself to 'boil' too quickly

balance

and

onwards

and

forwards

TheEd