Fear and (self-)Loathing in Surrey: CCS' training log

[CCS]

Wed:Bruised arse seemed OK for swimming. 2.5km in 1:03ish. A couple of secs off PB over 400m, but nice session - though very tired after. Feel like I may be coming down with a lurgy.

[CCS]

Thurs: Nothing
Fri: Day off - but stuck indoors waiting for gas man to come and service boiler. Typical - he didn't arrive until the last 15mins of the designated slot. Needed to pick Champ up from the bike shop where he was having a new BB fitted, so decided to run there along the canal. Heavily laden down with backpack containing bike helmet, shoes etc. 5.74k in 34:05. Short ride home (5.31k in 12:53 - damn - I though the canal was a shorter route - would have run on the road if I had known). Champ feeling much better, though cleats were so full of compacted mud (np idea where it came from) that one foot wouldn't clip in for ages. No time for a proper ride, as had to rush off and collect kids / have shower / take smallest child to gymnastics etc. Realise that as a result, I didn't manage to stretch after, and have been feeling really stiff since.
Sat: Long run while kids did judo - 16.6k in 1:46:52. Legs felt tired, as I never normally run 2 days running, and it was quite hilly, but kept plodding along. Perhaps I also need a new BB like Champ to get me moving smoothly and comfortable?
Still in two minds about doing a HM in a couple of weeks. It will hurt, and it will be slow, but half of me thinks I still ought to give it a go, and just plod round. Slightly worried that kids' judo coach (who used to be a pro cyclist) is lining up one of his mates (also ex pro, I think) to take me out for a beasting on the bike while all respective kids are doing judo... I feel getting well left behind coming on!

[Kevy427]

Slightly worried that kids' judo coach (who used to be a pro cyclist) is lining up one of his mates (also ex pro, I think) to take me out for a beasting on the bike while all respective kids are doing judo... I feel getting well left behind coming on!

Easily sorted - you're on active recovery/beasted your legs days before/training in Z2/not feeling it/today is an 'easy' day in your programme/you're running later. A combination of any of those should see you through the ride without dropped

[Tritans]

Slightly worried that kids' judo coach (who used to be a pro cyclist) is lining up one of his mates (also ex pro, I think) to take me out for a beasting on the bike while all respective kids are doing judo... I feel getting well left behind coming on!

Easily sorted - you're on active recovery/beasted your legs days before/training in Z2/not feeling it/today is an 'easy' day in your programme/you're running later. A combination of any of those should see you through the ride without dropped

Really you ride with some very coniderate people Kev. My mates would use any of ghose as a good reason to up the pace by a kmh or two to try and drop me.

Nice run claire.

[CCS]

Sun: Nothing! Very jealous reading about everyone else's nice long bike rides in the sun etc. Family stuff took over, so I spent the day: ferrying carload of grumpy 11 year olds back from the mother of all sleepovers; taming a wild and neglected hedge; painting living room windows. Closest I got to the bike was wheeling it out of the garage to get at the hedge trimmers.
Need to re-focus and get back into training. Still, have a few days' holiday to use up before the end of the month, so that should hopefully mean a few bike rides, weather permitting!

[CCS]

Mon: Nothing. Failed to go running at lunchtime... and spent the evening dealing with ironing mountain in vain attempt to embrace domestic goddess-hood
Tues: Turbo. Sufferfest Angels 26.23km in 1:01:36
Wed: Swim - 25m pool. 1.6k in 47.04. Started out with 200m warm up, then 400m timed - 1 sec off PB (7:12), so seem to have reached a nice level of consistency, even if I may have hit a bit of a plateau. Then, inspired by the one speeditis thread, tried some timed 50m sets, comparing 'all out' as fast as I can go against sets still putting in an effort but focussing more on technique, with view to examining poolmate stats after. Not very edifying analysis... fastest was the first all out set (46 sec; stroke count 11; efficiency 34) and slowest was the last technique focussed set (50 sec; stroke count 11; efficiency 36) - so not a huge amount of difference, but conclusion is that I am wasting my effort in trying too hard at swimming (either that, or I simply don't know how to push myself... which is probably true)
Run. 16.01km in 1:41:59. That was a stupid idea - don't know why I did it, but the sun was shining... ran past all the potential exit points to bring the distance down to 10k/13k... legs were really suffering after swimming, so had to resort to quite a bit of run/walk towards the end.
Still trying to work out whether I do the HM in a couple of weeks, or whether that would just be a bad idea. I haven't trained enough... but perhaps if I do it and record a PW, it might at least bring it home that I can't always just cruise along and get half decent results, and actually need to put a bit of effort in.
Thurs: Day's holiday. Off on the bike - and Champ is transformed by his new BB. Headed out into the fog in the freezing cold - can highly recommend my neoprene gloves - really toasty, with the added bonus of having that special 'wetsuit smell' - a bit rubbish for wiping snot though. Had to loose the gloves when the sun finally came through. In the middle of the ride, headed over to Windsor to do a recce of the Oly bike course - still there... and glorious in the sunshine. By about 80k however, my arse wasn't having fun - chamois on my winter tights obviously isn't all it might be, so spent quite a bit of time freewheeling / standing up to try and get confortable. What sort of idiot goes out for a 124.65km 4:43:56 ride as her second ride of the season? Aching arse is obviously entirely my own fault. Had to stop for a bit of a sit down on nice park bench next to the Thames on the way home, and eat emergency Mars bar / let arse recover a bit. Much slower than last year - more training required (though this ride was as much as I managed in all of last week in training).
Off to see the osteopath tomorrow, as back hasn't been right (possibly related to falling down stairs) - fine when I am riding (in fact, most comfortable in aero position); a bit dodgy when running; but absolute agony when sitting at my desk / on the sofa (obvious cure is to spend less time sitting around).

[CCS]

Fri: Nothing. Interesting session with the osteopath though. Loads of strengthening / stretching to do to deal with various impacts of my different length legs, leading to twisting of pelvis (and yes, weak glutes too). Sadly, he did consign my trusty old floral Noosas to the dustbin though (poor old trainers R.I.P.)... I now have some different height heel lifts underneath my old off the shelf orthotics to even out my legs a bit, and headed off to local Sweatshop in search of new shoes. Tried out a lovely pair of KSwiss (think someone posted a pair on facebook recently - all red / flouro yellow... just my sort of thing) - but didn't like them to run in. Spent ages trying different shoes / jogging up and dow the shop with a different shoe on each foot, and ended up with a dull but comfortable pair of Asics 1170s. At least they look unremarkable, so if I scuff them up a bit before tonight, I may just be able to pass them off as 'these old things...')
Suffering from major chafeage from yesterday's ride still... not sure if I want to claim my mother's day perrogative of heading out for long bike ride on Sunday! Not sure whether this is just down to the foolish policy of not biking much, then doing 4+ hours out of the blue, or whether it's to do with the new setup, which I haven't ridden on for more than 2 hrs at a time...

[scibby]

Get out on the bike, ya big girls blouse....

Sounds like a good osteo-sesh. Hope the exercises/new shoes sort the back issues...

[CCS]

Generally - loads of stretching, and squats etc as recommended by osteo
Sat: Home with the kids (BAT officer off to the rugby) - wanted to test out new trainers, but felt a bit guilty about leaving kids home alone, so set them up with popcorn to watch Sound of Music DVD (something nice and wholesome to encourage good behaviour) and popped out round the block. 2.92km in 15:56 - feeling a bit rubbish, and HR unusually high for short run. Not sure about the shoes - felt much heavier than I am used to, and a bit spongy underfoot...
Sun: Run 6.01km in 33:52. Felt a bit better - though still adjusting to the shoes.
Mon: Run 6km in 34:05. Quick opportunist run - got back early from a client meeting, so sneaked in a quick run before collecting kids. Adjusting to the shoes, but still unsure... still, have a month to make up my mind (good old Sweatshop) - but rather undecided... still in two minds about doing HM this weekend - and if I do, whether to go for old knackered shoes, or new ones (neither prospect fills me with joy).
Blimey - running 3 days in a row - most unlike me. A bit more structure required (both training and life in general...)
Toying with the idea of impromptu day's holiday tomorrow, and biking (must look at foreasct) as chafeage seems to have now subsided. Perhaps it's time to head for the hills and get my legs used to climbing again?

[CCS]

Every day: still doing my squats and stretches like a good girl.

Tues :Big zero - spelling homework took over the evening, and ran out of time for planned turbo.

Wed :Swim - 2km in 55.19. As per osteopath's recommendation, tried to incorporate some backstroke to even up muscle usage (apparently he could tell from just looking at me that I only ever do front crawl) - first time I have even tried that in at least 25 years - definitely feel the need for an empty lane!
200m warm up (Bopotastic drills)
50m fs 48sec (poolmate stats 12 spl; 96 speed; 36 efficiency)
100m fs 1.39 (10 99 35)
200m fs 3.31 (11 105 37)
400m fs 7.19 (10 109 37)
(all interspersed with 50m backstroke sets and a bit of a recovery - interestingly, 50m backstroke takes almost exactly double the time of 50m fs, and efficiency on the poolmate is doubled!)
Quite pleased that the 400 is still only 8 sec off my alltime PB.
Remainder of the session was 100m fs with 100m of Bopotastic drills as recovery * 4

Bike: 41.04km in 1:21:03 - same route as my first ride of the season a couple of weeks ago; 6.6 mins faster (that's what a properly functioning bottom bracket buys you!). Chafeing incident from last week still a bit tender despite liberal application of newly acquired udder cream (TMI?)!
Joined Strava to try and find more intetesting local rides... a few observations:
a) damn, I am slow!!!
b) there's not many ladies logging rides on it in Surrey - making me feel even slower!!!
c) some people have logged some pretty dull routes as segments (flat section of road between nowhere and nowhere???)

Day's holiday planned tomorrow, so have my eye on heading out into the hills with Champ - though most of eldest's school class have some down with a vomiting bug, so have a nasty suspicion that this may put a spanner in the works...