Sportive Bike Ride

For those of you not aware I am running a sportive bike ride in aid of the charity Atrial Fibrillation Association. http://www.afa.org.uk
  
Places are starting to fill up. The forecast looks good for the week ahead http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/yh/yh_forecast_weather.html so get your entries in now!

Please support my event, or tell your friends. All entry fees will go to charity and you can enter online at http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/77122/Atrial-Fibrillation-Sportive

Thanks

Martin

What Happened to January?

How time flies when you’re having fun! It’s goodbye ‘Base Phase’ (Hurray!) and welcome Build Phase.  Historically I’ve not been a big fan of the boring and monotonous Base Phase training, however, Chris has structured my training well over the winter to make sure I’ve had adequate base training so that I get the gains that I need but he has also included some higher tempo work and brick sessions which have made the sessions much more interesting and fun.  Chris has clearly got my number and understands exactly what I need to remain motivated.  He is one talented Trainer and has achieved a thorough understanding of me so quickly that I know he will keep me on track with his training plans and variety of sessions.

The last 3-weeks have seen my training sessions intensifying as I get nearer to the start of the Build Phase. This involves increasing intensity and efforts over short periods in order to get my body ready for the transition into the new phase.  I have also undertaken a series of time trials and tests over the period to evaluate my progress and pick up on weak areas. 

The swim trials measure completion time rather than technique and the results were very pleasing.  The run and bike trials are slightly different (and particularly gruesome!), as they measure my performance from a threshold perspective rather than completion time.  This is to establish at what intensity by Heart Rate my body can work for a sustained period of time before falling over!  When training at any time the body produces lactic acid in the muscles.  There is a point at which the body cannot process this any more and by pushing myself as hard and long as possible I can gauge what my individual threshold is. The bike test itself lasts about 45-minutes from start to finish and is extremely painful and in no way enjoyable.  During the entire period, I have to push myself as hard as I can. Every leg muscle is screaming and/or cramping and feel like they have been filled with cement. That is when the mental toughness comes into play.  At that point every nerve is telling you to stop because it hurts so much and that is when you have to be able to override what the brain is telling you and keep on pushing those legs….Chris of course is standing alongside me during this complete with clipboard, stopwatch & pen telling me to keep going meanwhile I’m panting like a dog and dead on my feet! No pain no gain so they say!

If you have any doubt as to how much a threshold test hurts then join me on my next one & you can see it first hand. Pleasingly if not surprisingly, the results have been much better than last year and the bike training is ticking over nicely. 

I have been focussed on improving my running technique and stamina in particular, and after 12-weeks of hard winter training, the final winter threshold tests completed last week resulted in a personal best on the 10k pace. This was an unexpected result as the purpose of the test was to run as fast as I could for 30-minutes to gauge the heart rate threshold so not only does it demonstrate an improvement in my running technique but also my running fitness has got better.  Bottom line: All the winter work has paid off!

Just enjoyed a recovery week (well it would have been if I hadn’t have had to move office!) and the Euro championship is only 10-weeks away………….YIKES! Training now gets really interesting as I can get my TT bike out and get my body     re-acquainted with the world renowned most uncomfortable TT bike position!

Add to that my favourite, the introduction of track sessions for running alongside some faster paced work in the pool and you have the perfect fun training recipe. 

I’m looking forward to getting my teeth into this phase which will be very hard but highly enjoyable.

Catch you soon.

Racing into 2012

Happy New Year loyal readers…..

Good….That’s Xmas & the New Year celebrations over and done with.  Kept up with my training though (even on Xmas day!) but still found time to enjoy the usual Christmas goodies and treats. Got 12-days off work and really enjoyed the opportunity to relax and really switch off from the daily grind. I had thought that I might really push the boat out and have a few more beers than usual and generally stuff myself silly… In reality, my body is clearly not cut out for the indulgent lifestyle we look forward to at this time of year and by day 4 it’s back to my stringent athlete diet..Never mind – maybe next year! As for training on Xmas day the jury’s still out…!

Anyway, time flies and its back to the grind (I mean work). I got up this morning and it dawned on me……Only 15-weeks to go before the European Champs – YIKES!!!! How did that happen – it was ages away last month and now it’s just round the corner…Panic mode here I come.

It’s ok though, Chris (my coach) is way ahead of me.  He’s prepared me a training schedule that starts next Monday that would be better suited to an Olympic Champion than a mere amateur like me..Still, it’s good to know he has the faith!

So what’s the next phase?

I get to train solidly for 2-weeks, with just one rest day and a set of pretty tough sessions to get through.  There is one good thing though….now I’m moving into this new phase I get to complete sessions that are much more interesting than just boring old base-work (not my favourite as you well know by now!)

The next 6 > 8 weeks are critical because in this period I will move into the Build Phase. This is the point where I move out of the base phase and continue building towards peak/race ready fitness levels.

I will of course let you know how I’m getting on but for now it’s goodbye Turkey, Tinsel & hangovers and hello to more serious stuff like work and training et tal YIPPEE!