Triathlon Training Third Week

Two weeks to go until my first sprint triathlon and I am much more confident than I was at the start of my journey.    This past week was hard hitting and marked the completion of my fourth full week of triathlon training following my running injury and change of plans.  Emphasis was placed on running and swimming.  Bike mileage was higher than it has been but intensity was low.  The coming two weeks I will taper into the event.  Going forward I will need to make sleep a priority.  Activity for the week of 21 Aug 2011 is shown below:

Sunday:  7 mile run – 6x 800m (2:50 average) intervals w/1:30 rest

Monday:  1 hour swim (1500 yd + drills) 

Tuesday:  Bike run brick, 15 mile bike (45:55), 3 min transition, 5 mile tempo run (6:39 pace)

Wednesday:  1 hour swim (1500 yd + drills) 

Thursday:  2+ hour bike to work, 13.5 mile bike, 18.5 mile bike

Friday:  1 hour swim (500 yd + drills)

Saturday:  10 mile recovery bike, 10 mile long run (6:56 pace)

Totals:

                                    

Swim:  3 hours, 3500 yd + drills

Bike:  4 hours, 58 miles

Run:  3 hours, 22 miles      

Swim

I feel much more confident in the water these days.  I have had success with adjusting my pacing, breathing, and swimming longer distances.  This week I managed to swim 250 yards continuously and not end up panicked and out of breath.  Just 4 weeks ago 25 and 50 yards were my upper limit.  At 6:29 or 39 seconds per 25 yard I am not the fastest but speed will come in due time.  I can push this pace much faster but end up out of breath, and exhausted– not good feelings in the water.   This week I will get some open water swim in Lake Superior in my new wetsuit and continue to build endurance.    

Bike

Bike volume was much higher than it has been.  I got one intense ride in on my road bike as part of a bike run brick.  The rest were more casual trips on my hybrid bike.  I biked to work and biked with my dog as my wife ran.  I don’t know how much my company was appreciated but the dog had fun.  I can see more recreational biking in my future, it is a good recovery workout and the weather has been perfect.  As I taper running I might add some more bike intensity in the next two weeks.     

Run

I finally got in all three of the key runs I was planning, intervals, tempo, and distance.  Like I mentioned earlier the weather has been perfect.  My 10 mile long run went great.  It seems I have rapidly recovered some the running specific fitness I lost following my foot injury. 

6:44, 6:50, 7:03, 6:54, 7:06, 7:02, 7:00, 6:53, 6:56, 6:49

I didn’t know what to expect out of my 5 mile tempo run since it was the second part of a bike run brick.  I felt stronger than my first brick and my pacing was more consistent.  There was a 100 foot climb the third mile I swear.  I felt stronger as the run went on.

6:48, 6:33, 6:51, 6:32, 6:36  

Intervals were a good time.  Come to think of it intervals were the only workout I got an honest warm up and cool down in for.  I find intervals go beyond running as they take on a strength training like quality, much the same way hill repeats do.  6x 800m repeats with a 1:30 rest interval were sandwiched between a 2.5 mile warm up and a 1 mile cool down.

2:48, 2:49, 2:48, 2:53, 2:52, 2:52

Next week’s distance and tempo runs will be shorter but intervals will push the envelope with mile repeats.