Treefrog's Daily dose

[treefrog]

Friday 23rd April - supposedly a fast brick session but time constraints saw it turn into a fast 4 mile run (no data)
Saturday 24th April - at a regatta so nothing formal but lots of cycling alongside racing crews
Sunday 25th April - felt very tired, the tiredness evolved into a horrible cold so I did not train
Monday 26th April - feeling crap decided to have another rest day - not happy doing nothing

[treefrog]

Tuesday 27th April - feeling better or maybe just bored and had to do something, I decided to ride two laps of my standard hilly TT course. I did it in 57.25, which is 5 seconds down on my previous attempt but the conditions were worse (headwind on the fast section and wet and also I got baulked by an old dear dithering at a mini-junction)
All in all I'm happy with it and see it as progress.

[treefrog]

Track session 12x 400M max/400M rec pace (average 400M time 80 seconds)
Tough session!
I will use this session & data to help get an optimum running pace for triathlons, and 10kM road races

[treefrog]

Thursday 29th April : A local icon - a run from the bottom to the top of Sliabh Bininn a horribly steep peak in the Mournes. I did it in 29.55 which was 7 minutes odd behind the winner. A great event.
Friday 30th April : Fast brick session 25 kM cycle and 5 kM run all done faster than race rate. I have all the data in the Garmin and won't bore you all with the details but it was hard work
Saturday 1st May : recovery day cycling and following races at a regatta
Sunday 2nd May : 200kM cycle sportive. This is my local BIG sportive. It really is a race as most of the seasoned ex racers and hardmen do it. It consists of 3 stages. Firstly a 50 mile fast group ride mainly flat,this is fast and lets everyone know that its much more than a club run. I punctured on this and spent most of the time chasing the group down. I caught them at the "tea stop" and got back on for the 2nd stage (the hilly loop.) which is a full out race. Previously I got dropped on this section however I stayed with them this year and was one of the first back into the food stop. The 3rd stage is the long slog home, I went out with the leading group but on the first big climb I let discretion be the better part of valour and drifted back. I kept going at my pace and needless to say I swallowed up 9 guys who were blown out the back of the fast group - they could not match me. The 10th guy was from my own club so I formed am alliance with him and we worked with each other to the end 11 minutes behind the "winner". I was happy with this performance.
Tuesday 3rd April running 15.5kM in 70 minutes mainly adhering to a pace of 4.5minute kilometers
Wednesday 4th April : recovery day

[treefrog]

Today Wednesday 5th May : Supposed track session (12x400M at max) but I had to call it off as the track was closed for training as there was an athletics meeting on.
I am very tired so I have embraced another recovery day

[treefrog]

Thursday 6th May the standard hilly time trial course twice>
Better today 57.08 and I would have broken the 57 minute barrier but for having to slow down for a horse at the brow of the last hill!
Off to Ghent now to a regatta I will train there and look out for Benny!!

[treefrog]

Went to the regatta in Ghent with the best of intentions to go running each of the 3 days but it did not hapen - not due to lack of motivation or laziness but due to lack of time; I was extremely busy all the time.
It was worth it as my crew got silver and bronze medals in categories above which they shouls have been racing.I got home on Monday and the story re-starts :
Monday 10th May 9.0 kM trail running and the Garmin tells me I did it in 47min 30sec at an average HR of 136bpm
Tuesday 11th May enforced rest I had to collect the boats from a nother club - so lots of late night travelling
Wednesday 12th May : Track session 12x 400M on/ 400M off. This s a very tough session but I wanted t put myself through the mill!
I recorded everything and won't bore you witht the details but I averaged 79 seconds for each of the 400's that were "on"
felt great and awful afterwards

[treefrog]

Thursday 13th May ; Its Thursday so that means 2 laps of the TT course.
I did not want to do it tonight - it was cold, it was wet and getting wetter, I was tired, I had a great session last night, I probably would not improve on last week's time ...... excuses excuses excuses
So I just shut the hell up and did it.
I started off slightly more slowly than usual and at one stage (on the approach to the first incline) I almost faltered but I got stuck in and did it despite rain, failing light, and slippery bends.
I got a new season's best 56.48
The Garmin was running and although I have down
loaded it I have not sifted through all the data.
My trusty pen and paper diary tells me that this time last year I recorded 56.02 (28/April/2009) so I still have a bit to go and even more to hit the all time record of 54.11 .... but I feel that I am making progress

[treefrog]

Friday 14th May : a local 10K race which is not for fat assed housewives hoping to get a t-shirt, this event is organised by a local athletics club and it attracts the top talent. The course is a slow one with two hills to spice things up.
I did a reasonable 41.24 - I was a little disappointed (despite this being a PB for this event) as I had hoped to get into the "4 zeros" or even go sub 40! Possibly the previous sessions (Wednesday & Thursday) had left me a little dead legged?
Saturday 15th May - No training as I was at a regatta all day and spent most of it cycling alongside my charges who won most of their events.
Today Sunday 16th May 2010 ; the BIG BRICK: 134kM cycling (5hours) followed by a 5.6kM run at race pace (4.51min/sec per kM). I don't have all the Garmin data down loaded but the essentials are :
Cycle. Dist: 135.62kM, Ave pace: 2'.14"/kM, Ave HR:129bpm, Time 5hr 1min
Run. Dist: 5.66kM, Ave pace: 4'.51"/kM, Ave HR: 155bpm, Time 27min 24sec
Happy enough with this as it gives me a benchmark for further big sessions

[treefrog]

Monday 17th May 2010: Legs very heavy following the big brick and I was very tired.
So I did a light recovery run. 6.32kM, 33':41"min:sec, pace 5':20" per kM, ave HR 138bpm
Tuesday 18th May - No Training had to forgo a TT in order to attend an important rowing meeting