Treefrog's Daily dose

[treefrog]

Wednesday 15th May 2013
Recovery Session - 60kM at easy pace, minimal effort on hills, just turning the legs.
I quite enjoyed it
Data:
Distance: 60.46kM, Time: 2:29, Ave Speed: 24.2kMh, Ave HR: 115bpm

Full details available on Garmin Connect search for treefrog2
Also on Twitter EJM@treefrog2013 - I am a Twitter novice so I'm not sure if I have to permit you to follow me or whatever

Over and Out!

[Ewan]

Awesome, thanks for the advice! I'm in Oxford and the boat's in Abingdon so hopefully plenty of potential customers once the university summer VIIIs season ends I still think my best bet would be to sell to the guy who is borrowing it at the moment because it would mean I still get to use it occasionally, I just don't want to sell it short.

Looking forward to following the training

[treefrog]

Thursday 16th May 2013:
65kM Single Gear Cycling Session.
The rationale behind this session is that you choose a "rolling course" if possible; ie a course with small drags and hill punctuated by flats and short descents (I'm lucky to live in a drumlin area - see Garmin Connect website and search for treefrog2). Ride the course using gears and note the gear that you use most often for the hills in order to get over them without losing cadence. For me on my course the gear I used was 53/20 to power over the hills. Simply go UP one cog (for me 53/19) - you should spin out with this gear on the flat and it should have no purchase on the descents. Then ride the whole course as fast as you can using this gear only - do not change gear.
Why is it so good? Well it works as a "natural interval session" you really have to power up the rises and on the flats the legs are also working albeit at a lower intensity.
I use this session as a "Training Session" as opposed as a mere cycle. It is a hard session but it is very effective at both switching on the power, increasing your pain threshold, and improving raw power and speed. Believe me if done properly it really works!

Tonight I was not really in the mood for the session but I forced myself out onto the road and got stuck into it. The bulk of the session on very rolling roads (with a headwind for whole sections) and I hit the numbers averaging 30-33kph for the main sections, and I suffered
Try this session

The Data:
Distance: 65kM, Time: 2:12:06, Ave Speed: 29.5kph, Ave HR: 135bpm
Verdict - tough but effective

Follow me on Twitter EJM@treefrog2013
Follow me on Garmin Connect search for treefrog2

[flavadave]

Try this session

Errrrrrrr no, sounds like it hurts a bit.

[treefrog]

Friday 17th May 2013:

Interval Session - on the Turbo.
Data:
Session: Warm-up + 3X [30sec on/30sec on + 5min recovery] X3 + Cool-down {80mins (1:20:00)}
Distance: 42.6kM, Time: 1:20:04, Ave Speed (inc W-U + REC + C-D): 31.9Kph, Ave HR: 139bpm
Interval Data: Ave "ON" Speed: 51.2kph, Ave "ON" HR: 176bpm
Good Session, I felt strong but I was pushing myself right t the limit

Intervals are a no compromise trainin session and you do not want to give yourself any quarter. I could have opted to this one on the road - and used descents as a sop or excuse to go light or soft. Stuff that - the turbo tells no lies,takes no prisoners,and is totally honest. So I do my main interval session of the weekon the turbo.
I highly reccommend the turbo for intervals as it is the most honest way to do them.
At this point I will give an over-view of the pogramme that I'm following:

It is a 16 week programme of 3 weeks on and 1 week light,with a weekly distance increase of 7% .
My peak distance is 560kM , the date of my #1 competition is 27th July,so everything is worked out based on this date

I have decided that I need 3 specific traing days; usually Tuesday: when I do a TT (aiming to win), Thursday: when I do the Single Gear session and Friday when I do the main interval session (on the turbo - it has a structured warm-up & cool down, also I increase the intensity of the intervals; on the basis of the 3 heavy : 1 light as per the programme.
in ALL the interval sessions "on" means 50kph or faster
Interval session 1.warm-up + [30sec off/30sec on, 45sec off/ 45sec on, 1min off/ 1min on, 45sec off/ 45sec on, 30sec off/ 30sec on + 3 mins rec] X3
interval session 2.warm-up + [30sec off/ 30sec on X10 + 5min rec] X3
interval session 3. warm-up + [1min off/ 1min on X10 +10min rec] X2
interval session 4. warmup + [30sec off/ 30sec on X10 + 5min rec] X2

so my weekly programme is built around this tempate:

Monday: Steady-State cycling on road or rollers
Tuesday: Long warm-up + TT race + cool down
Wednesday: Off (recovery) OR Recovery Pace cycling
Thursday: Single Gear cycling session
Friday: Turbo Interval session
Saturday: NO TRAIN - Recovery Day
Sunday: Group Cycle - Sportive/Race/Club cycle ; ususally quite tough

Please follow me on TWITTER: EJM@treefrog2013

[treefrog]

Sunday 19th May 2013:
Club Cycle at Training Pace
A great session in which the club met up in the new kit, the roads were dry, the weather was warm(ish) and there was no wind. The pace was fast from the start but not impossibly fast -right on theperimeter of comfortable/uncomfortable - the pace was maintained but nobody did any extra meters at the front.
It really was good fun, we passed out other bunches and they could not stay with us. The leader is an ex conntinental/Olympic rider and he has not lost it so we all knew that we were in good hands and bought into it.
The bulk of the cycle was averaged 33-36kph but the overall average dropped when we returned to the busy suburbs

Data:
Distance: 113kM, Time: 3:53:33, Ave Speed: 29.2kph, Ave HR: 119bpm

[treefrog]

Monday 20th May 2013 (Week# 7)
Nothing special tonight just some Steady State cycling on the usual rolling route. I quite enjoyed it despite a headwind which I could not shake - no matter what direction I turned and a stupid traffic jam which forced me off the road and into a housing development in which I got lost (to be honest I should have stayed on the main route and not tried to be the smart alec and dodge the traffic)
Anyway a reasonable if non-remarkakable session
The original plan was for 50kM but I was too tired so I swap today for Saturday
Data - modified to account for stupid stoppage
Distance: 36kM, Time: ??, Ave Speed @26+kph, Ave H.R 102bpm

[treefrog]

Tuesday 21st May 2013:
Local Tri Clubs' TT + warm-up and cool-down
The warm-up and cool-down were non-remarkable (30kM and 19kM respectively) but they got the kM's in!
I was in great form at the TT, which was on my favourite course. All was looking really good until the start when I was baulked by a tractor and a build up of traffic on the fastest downhill section. This lost me the race as I had to brake, sit up, slow down and perform a dodgy overtaking manoeuvre - it would have helped if the tractor had been a few minutes earlier when it might have helped me up a drag! Anyway I kept the faith; I got passed it and hammered on. I knew that I was going fast as I was up on all my markers but on the final (hilly) leg I hit the headwind which put paid to the PB. I was very happy with my performance and pacing on the TT but am quite annoyed that I had the tractor; it probably cost me the race - but that's sport and I accept it. Well done to Mark who won!

Data:
Total Distance: 30kM + 17kM + 19kM = 66kM

TT Data:
Distance: 17.07kM, Time: 26:41, Ave Speed: 38.8kph, Ave HR: 153bpm [Max Speed: 58.8kph]
Finished 2nd (Winner 26:34)

[treefrog]

Thursday 23rd May 2013:
Single Gear session (53/19) on rolling + draggy roads. I dread this session and it was made more dreadful by a horrible wind which always seemed to be a headwind. This is a quality session and is very beneficial. It sharpens me up for powering up little steep hills and it makes me suffer - all athletes must suffer as imprvement and racing will make demands.
My legs were tired but it was worth it
Data:
Distance: 60.04kM, Time: 2:17, Ave Speed: 26.2kph, Ave H.R: 120bpm

[treefrog]

Friday 24th May 2013:
Turbo Intervals; 30min warm-up + 2X (10x 1min off/1min on + 10 min recovery)
Total 90 mins. The work session (2X 10x 1min off/1min on) was the hardest training that I can remember doing since retiring from elite rowing. I was in agony throughout this session (two small vomits!) The whole thing was made worse by my i-player dying - so no AC/DC! I somehow managed to keep the "on" at 48-54kph but it was pure brute force that won the day
I am happy to have completed the session but I was killed and broken to pieces by it so its benefits remain to be seen!
Summary; a BRUTAL session which pride saw me through
Interval Data:
Session: 30 min structured warm-up then 10X 1min off/1min on + 10min recovery and repeat
Total session 90 mins
Distance: 46.13kM, Time: 1:30:03, Ave Speed: 30.7kph, "ON Speed" @ 50kph, Ave H.R: 141bpm
I can honestluy state that tonight's session was the most horrible training session I have endured since retiring from elite rowing
It was excrutiating!!!