Thursday, August 10, 2006

Turning it up a notch...

Let me start this off by saying I was planning posting this last night but did not have the energy to type... This is probably a sign of things to come.

I have started my biggest/hardest training cycle so far this year. The last couple months my coach had my training really targeted on my running and swimming. I was kind of impatient and kept asking him where the big/hard bike workouts were. Now that my running is right where it needs to be it's now all about the bike (and swim, lots of volume). I will be pretty much maintaining my run workouts but probably only one day of intervals instead of two. I am also going into a heavy lifting phase with my legs which I am sure will have an effect on my workouts, but it's something that needs to be done. We'll see.

I plan posting a lot more of the couple of weeks as I prepare for the LA Triathlon (B race), Xterra Nationals (A race), and Xterra Worlds (A race). My plan is to really peak for nationals and hopefully carry that fitness into worlds. The LA Triathlon will be my last road race of the season and should serve as good indicator of where I am at 3 weeks out from Xterra Nationals.

Training so far this week:

Monday - Rest/Recover
I went to the gym at lunch and road the stationary bike for 20 minutes with very little resistance (I do this on most rest days). This always helps me loosen up my legs after a hard workout or race. Then I stretched and did some light core for 30 min.

Tuesday - Swim/run
AM - Swim - Masters - 4000 yards (20 x 200 varying intervals)- 1:15
PM - Run - Easy 1:15 trail run

Wednesday - Swim/weights/Bike
AM - Swim - Masters - 4000 yards (speed work) - 1:15
Lunch - Weights - upperbody/core
PM - Bike - 2.5hr/25 Mile Mountain bike - 2 Hill Repeats of Black Mtn
1 - 13:34
2 - 14:20 (I was crushed and rear derailleur was jacked)

Thursday (today) - Bike/Weights/Swim
AM - Bike - 2hr/35 mile road bike - 5 x 6min hard (zone 4-5a/80-90 rpm) 2min recoveries
Lunch (still to come) - Weights - Lowerbody/core
PM - (still to come) - Open water swim with coach and other athletes

This block of training is going to be tough. Last night I didn't finish my ride until 7:15 and then had to drive 20 min home. I got home took a shower, made myself some dinner, got my gear and food ready for today, and then passed out on my couch... just to get up at 5am and get back out on the road for my ride this morning and then head straight to work.

I don't think I am going to have too much time for anything else besides training and work for the next couple of months and that's fine by me. I really want to see what I am capable of in Tahoe and getting stronger on the bike is gonig to be the key to me having a good race there.

I am gonig to be posting about my workouts every 2-3 days... it should be interesting to look back on when the season is over. Looking over my eary season posts has already been intersting and comical...



5 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey jameson,

solid stuff man. Those are some serious workouts. For what it's worth, i've heard a lot of coaches talk about the value of doing run focus periods prior to bike focus periods. A couple really fast IM guys I know do early spring marathons before really hitting the bike. They swear by this protocol and it seems to work great for them.

Anonymous said...

Sweet, glad you will be posting more often and more detailed. I'm always interested in recipes for success.

Anonymous said...

Kick ass dude! Look forward to reading about your progress!

Anonymous said...

You're an animal! I know, I've said it before. You're turning it up a notch, and I have to bring it down a notch b/c I'm showing major signs of illness and overtraining. I didn't even think I was overdoing it. I certainly wasn't training near the volume you are. What's your secret? How do you get to that stage?

Anonymous said...

I always enjoy reading about your training, races and progress. Keep it up! We'll be here cheering you on!